Short Stories: The American Dreamers (2020)

Lesson 8
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ELA

Unit 12

7th Grade

Lesson 8 of 13

Objective


Explain how hillbillies cope with poverty. 

Analyze the idea of hillbilly justice. 

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance  pp. 11 – 22

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

How do social class and education affect the experience of an immigrant group in the United States? Use evidence from Hillbilly Elegy and one other text from this unit. 

Key Questions


  • pp. 12–13 – What is Jackson, Kentucky, like? Why does Vance have such an affection for the place? 
  • p. 14 – What is the author’s tone when he says, “Uncle Pet did what any rational business owner would do”? How do you know? 
  • pp. 15–16 – Class disloyalty is something Vance’s grandmother, Mamaw, dislikes. How does she define class disloyalty? 
  • pp. 16–17 – Why does Vance revere the Blanton men? What are they like, and why does Vance find them so appealing?
  • p. 17 – Describe “hillbilly justice” and the role it plays in Vance’s community. 
  • p. 19 – What is the symbolism of “Mountain Dew mouth”? 
  • p. 20 – According to Vance, how do hillbillies cope with their poverty? How does this coping mechanism interfere with their ability to move out of poverty?
  • p. 21 – What are some of the contradictions apparent in Jackson, Kentucky? How do these contradictions shape the town? 

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.
  • RL.7.2 — Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

Next

Analyze the juxtaposition between Chinese and American cultures.

Lesson 9
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Lesson Map

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