Curriculum / ELA / 7th Grade / Unit 7: Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories (2020) / Lesson 20
ELA
Unit 7
7th Grade
Lesson 20 of 25
Jump To
Lesson Notes
There was an error generating your document. Please refresh the page and try again.
Generating your document. This may take a few seconds.
Are you sure you want to delete this note? This action cannot be undone.
Take a clear position on a question and share evidence to support that point of view in a Socratic dialogue.
All unit texts
We participate in the Amazon Associate program. This means that if you use this link to make an Amazon purchase, we receive a small portion of the proceeds, which support our non-profit mission.
Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.
Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
What does America symbolize to people immigrating here?
How do expectations of America compare to the realities faced by immigrants?
How does being an immigrant—or a child of immigrants—shape a person’s identity?
How do immigrants maintain connections with their home countries and cultures, even as they adapt to American culture?
What unique challenges do undocumented immigrants face that are different from other immigrants?
What does it mean to be American?
Suggestions for teachers to help them teach this lesson
Bring your most engaging lessons to life with comprehensive instructional guidance, detailed pacing, supports to meet every student's needs, and resources to strengthen your lesson planning and delivery.
SL.7.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.7.1.a — Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
SL.7.1.b — Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
SL.7.4 — Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.7.6 — 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.
RI.7.1 — Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.7.1 — Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
SL.7.6 — Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
W.7.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Next
Unpack the expectations of a Writing Task, study a Mentor Text, and begin to plan a personal narrative.
Identify recurring themes/words/concepts and definitions of what it means to be American.
Standards
L.7.6RI.7.2
Briefly summarize historical trends in migration, and explain the meaning of words and phrases related to immigration to the United States.
L.7.4L.7.4.aL.7.4.cL.7.4.dRI.7.2RI.7.4
Determine the impact of specific words, phrases, and literary devices on meaning in the poem, “New Colossus.”
L.7.5RL.7.2RL.7.4
Identify examples of figurative language used in “America and I,” and explain the impact of these on meaning.
L.7.5L.7.5.aRI.7.4RL.7.4
Explain how setting and specific experiences shape Yezierska's perspective and beliefs about America.
RI.7.3RI.7.6
Unpack a prompt, study a mentor text, and gather evidence in preparation for writing a paragraph response.
RI.7.3W.7.1W.7.5
Outline and draft a paragraph response, including a strong claim statement, quoted textual evidence, and a concluding statement.
RI.7.3W.7.1W.7.1.aW.7.1.bW.7.1.eW.7.5
Draft and revise a paragraph response, focusing on writing strong analysis.
L.7.1L.7.1.aRI.7.3W.7.1W.7.1.c
Compare and contrast stories presented in different forms of media, and explain how these stories illustrate aspects of the immigrant experience in America.
RI.7.2RI.7.7
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.
RI.7.3RI.7.4
Explain how setting and specific experiences shape the writer's sense of his identity in the essay, "Hello, My Name Is _______."
RI.7.3W.7.1.c
Explain how poet Adrienne Su uses word choice to develop the speaker's perspective on being the child of immigrants.
RL.7.3RL.7.4W.7.1.c
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.
RL.7.6
Explain how the structural choices in the poem, “Where You From?” help to develop meaning.
RL.7.4RL.7.5
Gather and synthesize information on DACA and DREAMers from diverse sources in preparation for creating an informational poster.
W.7.7W.7.8
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.
SL.7.5W.7.7W.7.8
Explain how beliefs and environment shape the behavior of individuals in "Call Me American."
RI.7.3
Plan and draft a paragraph response to a prompt, drawing strong evidence from a source text.
W.7.1W.7.1.aW.7.1.bW.7.5
Draft and revise paragraph responses.
L.7.1L.7.1.bW.7.1W.7.1.c
SL.7.1SL.7.1.aSL.7.1.bSL.7.4
W.7.3W.7.5
Draft a body paragraph that includes descriptive, sensory details about a specific food.
W.7.3W.7.3.bW.7.3.d
Draft an engaging introductory paragraph and experiment with narrative pacing while writing body paragraphs.
W.7.3W.7.3.aW.7.3.b
Write strong conclusions, differentiate between sentence types, and engage in peer feedback.
L.7.1L.7.1.bW.7.3W.7.3.eW.7.5
2 days
Create a free account to access thousands of lesson plans.
Already have an account? Sign In
See all of the features of Fishtank in action and begin the conversation about adoption.
Learn more about Fishtank Learning School Adoption.
Yes
No
We've got you covered with rigorous, relevant, and adaptable ELA lesson plans for free