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Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories (2020)
Students explore the diversity of the American experience through a variety of voices, texts, and genres.
ELA
Unit 7
7th Grade
This unit has been archived. To view our updated curriculum, visit our 7th Grade English course.
Unit Summary
In this 7th grade unit, “Defining America,” students begin their yearlong exploration of the question: What does it mean to be American? Students develop their own answers to this yearlong question by studying the diversity of immigrant experiences. In many ways, immigrants are uniquely equipped to answer this question quite simply because they know what it means to come from a place that is not America, and to have been for some portion of their lives a person who is not American.
Through a series of articles, poems, short stories, audio interviews, and essays, students will explore what it really means to be a nation of immigrants. The unit is structured both chronologically and thematically. Students will closely read “The New Colossus,” Emma Lazarus’s enduring poem now inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty, and dive deeply into an essay written by an immigrant from the early 20th century. Over the course of the unit's 25 lessons, students will read about the diverse experiences of immigrants who have arrived in this country over the past fifty years, including those from Europe, Asia, Central America, and Africa. Additionally, students will read about the experiences of first-generation Americans, and the unique challenges they face as native-born Americans with immigrant parents. The unit concludes with the most pressing contemporary issue related to immigration—that of undocumented people. In these final lessons, students will read texts featuring the voices of undocumented people, describing their desire to be accepted—legally and culturally—as Americans.
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Texts and Materials
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Core Materials
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Article: “What Does It Mean to Be American?” by Damien Cave and Todd Heisler (The New York Times)
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Article: “Trends in Migration to the U.S.” by Philip Martin (PBS) — 1300-1400L
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Article: “American Dreamers” by Kok-Leong Seow (The New York Times)
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Article: “What is DACA and Who Are the DREAMers?” by Anti-Defamation League (ADL.org)
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Essay: “America and I” by Anzia Yezierska (CommonLit.org) — 800-900L
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Essay: “An Iraqi Immigrant’s Unexpected Role” by Cynthia Agustin (The New York Times) — 800-900L
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Essay: “Hello, My Name is ______: How I Learned to Stop Whitewashing Myself” by Jason Kim
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Poem: “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus (CommonLit.org) — 1100-1200L
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Poem: “Peaches” by Adrienne Su (CommonLit.org)
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Poem: “Where You From?” by Gina Valdez
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Short Story: “Who’s Irish?” by Gish Jen (In Who's Irish?: Stories, Vintage, 2000)
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Excerpt: Call Me American by Abdi Nor Iftin — 1200-1300L
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Audio Interview: Sheena Jacob and Juliet Jegasothy by produced by Michael Garofalo (StoryCorps)
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Audio Interview: Philomena Luciani and Alison Purcell by produced by Sarah Kramer (StoryCorps)
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Audio Interview: Blanca Alvarez and Connie Alvarez by produced by Katie Simon (StoryCorps)
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Audio Interview: Philip and Andy by produced by Lyna Anwar with Andrés Caballero (StoryCorps)
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Video: “DACA, explained” by Vox (YouTube)
Supporting Materials
Assessment
The following assessments accompany Unit 7.
Content Assessment
The Content Assessment tests students' ability to read a "cold" or unfamiliar passage and answer multiple choice and short answer questions. Additionally, a longer writing prompt pushes students to synthesize unit content knowledge or unit essential questions in writing. The Content Assessment should be used as the primary assessment because it shows mastery of unit content knowledge and standards.
Fluency Assessment
The Fluency Assessment measures students' ability to read a grade-level text with accuracy and prosody, at a proficient rate, with a reading passage drawn from one of the unit's core texts. Find guidance for using this assessment and supporting reading fluency in Teacher Tools.
Unit Prep
Intellectual Prep
Essential Questions
- What does it mean to be American?
- How does a person’s environment shape their identity?
Enduring Understandings
- Many immigrants have idealized expectations of what life in America will be like, but their lived experiences rarely match their expectations.
- Immigrants—and their children—can feel caught between two cultural identities; this conflict can be exacerbated by others’ perceptions.
- Identifying as American is not always linked to a person’s legal status in this country. There are millions of undocumented people in the United States who wish to become legal citizens/residents, but face significant obstacles to this.
Vocabulary
Text-based
assimilateassetcontentiousdisillusioneddisdainidealizedperplexingpolarizequotaundaunted
Academic
connotationenjambmentfigurative languageliterary devicemetaphorpersonificationpoint of view/perspectivesimilestructuresymboltheme
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 7, view our 7th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
Supporting All Students
In order to ensure that all students are able to access the texts and tasks in this unit, it is incredibly important to intellectually prepare to teach the unit prior to launching the unit. Use the guidance provided under 'Notes for Teachers' below in addition to the Unit Launch to determine which supports students will need at the unit and lesson level. To learn more, visit the Supporting All Students Teacher Tool.
Notes for Teachers
- Immigration is one of the most controversial issues facing our country today. Students will undoubtedly have opinions about this topic—whether those opinions have been shaped by personal experiences, conversations with family members and peers, and/or exposure to media coverage of the issue. For some students, this may be a very personal and potentially emotional topic.
- As always, it is essential to make your classroom a safe space for all of your students to express their ideas, listen to others, and share their experiences (if they feel comfortable doing so). This topic has the potential to make some students feel alienated or vulnerable to assumptions from peers. Be mindful of the students sitting in front of you (and also of the fact that you cannot assume which of your students may have a personal connection to this issue).
- It is very important to note that this unit barely scratches the surface of the history of immigration in this country. Nor does it address the complexities of being an Indigenous person or a descendent of enslaved Africans, both groups who were not immigrants to this country. Although we do not address the experiences of these groups (as the focus of the unit is specifically on immigrants), students should be aware that not all Americans descend from immigrants, and that this narrative erases the experience of many people who call this country home.
Content Knowledge and Connections
Previous Fishtank ELA Connections
Future Fishtank ELA Connections
- All units from our 7th Grade English course
Lesson Map
Common Core Standards
Core Standards
Supporting Standards
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