Short Stories: The American Dreamers (2020)

Lesson 7
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ELA

Unit 12

7th Grade

Lesson 7 of 13

Objective


Explain how the Scots-Irish adapted to their lives in America.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance  pp. 1 – 9

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

What makes the Scots-Irish a “distinctive subgroup” in America? How have they adapted to their lives in America? Make sure to use evidence to support your answer. 

Key Questions


  • What are the challenges of living in the Rust Belt?
  • On pp. 2–3, what is the American dream as Vance’s family experienced it? 
  • Why does Vance racially define himself as separate from “white”?
  • Scotch-Irish or Scots-Irish refers to the Ulster Scots people, an ethnic group in Ulster, Ireland, that traces their roots to settlers from Scotland. Scotch-Irish Americans are descendants of Ulster Scots, who first migrated to America in large numbers in the 18th and 19th centuries. On pp. 3–4, what are the characteristics of the Scots-Irish hillbilly culture? How have they adapted to the American way of life? What makes them unique? 
  • p. 7 – What does the author mean by “Too many young men immune to hard work” on p. 7? What pieces of evidence support your answer?
  • p. 7 – According to Vance, what is the Achilles’ heel (weakness) of the hillbilly culture? 
  • p. 8 – What is Vance’s aim in writing this memoir? 
  • p. 9 – An elegy is a poem often read at a funeral. What can you predict the tone of Vance’s memoir will be based on the title of his book, Hillbilly Elegy

Notes


Provide students with a map to indicate the location of Appalachia.

Common Core Standards


  • RL.6.3 — Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Next

Explain how hillbillies cope with poverty. 

Analyze the idea of hillbilly justice. 

Lesson 8
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