Lesson 1 | Defining America | 7th Grade English

Lesson Overview

Objective

Identify recurring themes/words/concepts and definitions of what it means to be American.

Readings and Materials

Article: “What Does It Mean to Be American?” by Damien Cave and Todd Heisler

Lesson Notes

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Lesson Map

Lesson

Identify recurring themes/words/concepts and definitions of what it means to be American.

Materials

“What Does It Mean to Be American?”

Standards

L.7.6RI.7.2

Lesson

Briefly summarize historical trends in migration, and explain the meaning of words and phrases related to immigration to the United States.

Materials

“Trends in Migration to the U.S.”

Standards

L.7.4L.7.4.aL.7.4.cL.7.4.dRI.7.2RI.7.4

Lesson

Determine the impact of specific words, phrases, and literary devices on meaning in the poem, “New Colossus.”

Materials

“The New Colossus”

Standards

L.7.5RL.7.2RL.7.4

Lesson

Identify examples of figurative language used in “America and I,” and explain the impact of these on meaning.

Materials

“America and I” — Paragraphs 1-49

Standards

L.7.5L.7.5.aRI.7.4RL.7.4

Lesson

Explain how setting and specific experiences shape Yezierska's perspective and beliefs about America.

Materials

“America and I” — whole text

Standards

RI.7.3RI.7.6

Lesson

Writing

Unpack a prompt, study a mentor text, and gather evidence in preparation for writing a paragraph response.

Materials

“America and I”

Standards

RI.7.3W.7.1W.7.5

Lesson

Writing

Outline and draft a paragraph response, including a strong claim statement, quoted textual evidence, and a concluding statement.

Materials

“America and I”

Standards

RI.7.3W.7.1W.7.1.aW.7.1.bW.7.1.eW.7.5

Lesson

Writing

Draft and revise a paragraph response, focusing on writing strong analysis.

Materials

“America and I”

Standards

L.7.1L.7.1.aRI.7.3W.7.1W.7.1.c

Lesson

Compare and contrast stories presented in different forms of media, and explain how these stories illustrate aspects of the immigrant experience in America.

Materials

Sheena Jacob and Juliet Jegasothy
Philomena Luciani and Alison Purcell
Blanca Alvarez and Connie Alvarez
Philip and Andy

Standards

RI.7.2RI.7.7

Lesson

Explain the meaning and impact of specific words and phrases in the essay, “An Iraqi Immigrant’s Unexpected Role,” and reflect on what the essay reveals about the immigrant experience.

Materials

“An Iraqi Immigrant’s Unexpected Role”

Standards

RI.7.3RI.7.4

Lesson

Explain how setting and specific experiences shape the writer's sense of his identity in the essay, "Hello, My Name Is _______."

Materials

“Hello, My Name is ______: How I Learned to Stop Whitewashing Myself”

Standards

RI.7.3W.7.1.c

Lesson

Explain how poet Adrienne Su uses word choice to develop the speaker's perspective on being the child of immigrants.

Materials

“Peaches”

Standards

RL.7.3RL.7.4W.7.1.c

Lesson

Explain how the author develops the speaker’s point of view in the short story, “Who’s Irish,” and contrasts it with other characters in the text.

Materials

“Who’s Irish?”

Standards

RL.7.6

Lesson

Explain how the structural choices in the poem, “Where You From?” help to develop meaning.

Materials

“Where You From?”

Standards

RL.7.4RL.7.5

Lesson

Gather and synthesize information on DACA and DREAMers from diverse sources in preparation for creating an informational poster.

Materials

“American Dreamers”
“What is DACA and Who Are the DREAMers?”
“DACA, explained”

Standards

W.7.7W.7.8

Lesson

Work collaboratively to create a poster that educates others on the topic of DACA and the DREAM Act, and effectively present their poster to the class.

Materials