Curriculum / ELA / 6th Grade / Unit 1: Finding Your Way: The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 / Lesson 31
ELA
Unit 1
6th Grade
Lesson 31 of 32
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Provide peer feedback and self-assess using a rubric.
Short Story: “The Drive-In Movies”
Rubric: Narrative Writing: Memoir (Essay) Rubric (6–8)
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 is a novel told from the perspective of a young person, describing important events in his life. Some of these stories are hilariously funny, some are sad, and some are a bit of both, all of them are important in shaping who Kenny is.
In this task, you will write a short personal narrative about an important event in your own life.
Your narrative should:
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W.6.3 — Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
W.6.5 — With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.6.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.6.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.6.2.b — Spell correctly.
L.6.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
SL.6.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.6.6 — Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
W.6.3.a — Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
W.6.3.b — Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
W.6.3.d — Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events.
W.6.3.e — Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
W.6.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.6.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Next
Describe how author Christopher Paul Curtis reveals the narrator's perspective in the first chapter of The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.
Standards
RL.6.6
Explain how author Christopher Paul Curtis develops the narrator's unique point of view in The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.
Explain how Christopher Paul Curtis develops Kenny's point of view of himself and other characters.
Explain how Kenny's perspective of himself and other characters develops and changes throughout the novel.
RL.6.3RL.6.6
Unpack a prompt, study a mentor text, and gather evidence in preparation for writing a paragraph response.
RL.6.3W.6.1W.6.5
Synthesize annotations and create a strong outline for a paragraph response.
Draft a paragraph response and revise for analysis.
RL.6.3W.6.1.aW.6.1.bW.6.1.cW.6.5
Explain how and why characters respond and change in The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.
Explain how author Christopher Paul Curtis develops the perspective of his narrator and other characters in The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.
Provide an objective summary of a nonfiction text.
RI.6.2
Craft an objective summary of a section of text in The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.
RL.6.2
Explain how Kenny develops and changes to drive the plot forward.
RL.6.3RL.6.4
Write an objective summary of a section of The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.
Analyze the impact of literary devices and how they help develop mood and meaning in the poem "Mother to Son."
RL.6.4
Gather evidence and create an outline in response to a writing prompt.
RL.6.9W.6.1W.6.5
Draft and revise a paragraph response, focusing on writing strong claims, analysis, and introducing evidence effectively.
RL.6.9W.6.1W.6.1.aW.6.1.bW.6.1.c
Explain the purpose and impact of "The Green Book" using text, audio, and visual resources.
RI.6.7
Analyze how the author develops and contrasts characters' perspectives in The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.
Explain how characters respond and change as the plot of The Watsons go to Birmingham –1963 progresses.
RL.6.3
Unpack a prompt, study a Mentor Text, and begin a plan for rewriting a scene from The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 from a new perspective.
W.6.3W.6.5
Outline and draft narratives.
W.6.3W.6.3.aW.6.3.bW.6.5
Revise narratives for descriptive language and sensory details, and identify the cases of pronouns in writing.
L.6.1L.6.1.aW.6.3W.6.3.aW.6.3.bW.6.3.d
Analyze how Christopher Paul Curtis develops the mood in The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.
Identify how Kenny's point of view changes throughout the novel.
Integrate information from the article and photos to understand the impact of segregation on African Americans in Alabama.
Explain how Randall develops voice and perspective in the poem "The Ballad of Birmingham."
RL.6.6RL.6.9
Take a clear position on a question and share evidence to support that point of view in a Socratic dialogue.
SL.6.1SL.6.1.aSL.6.1.bSL.6.4
Unpack the expectations of a writing task, study a mentor text, and begin to plan a personal narrative.
Outline and begin to draft narratives.
W.6.3W.6.3.aW.6.5
Write strong conclusions and revise drafts for descriptive language.
W.6.3W.6.3.bW.6.3.dW.6.3.eW.6.5
2 days
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