Curriculum / ELA / 7th Grade / Unit 7: Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories (2020) / Lesson 23

Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories (2020)

Lesson 23

ELA

Unit 7

7th Grade

Lesson 23 of 25

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Lesson Overview

Objective

Draft an engaging introductory paragraph and experiment with narrative pacing while writing body paragraphs.

Lesson Map

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

“What Does It Mean 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.

“Trends in Migration to the U.S.”

Standards

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.”

“The New Colossus”

Standards

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.

“America and I” — Paragraphs 1-49

Standards

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

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

“America and I” — whole text

Standards

RI.7.3RI.7.6

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

Standards

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.

Standards

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.

Standards

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.

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

Standards

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.

“An Iraqi Immigrant’s Unexpected Role”

Standards

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 _______."

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

Standards

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.

“Peaches”

Standards

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.

“Who’s Irish?”

Standards

RL.7.6

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

“Where You From?”

Standards

RL.7.4RL.7.5

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

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

Standards

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.

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

Standards

SL.7.5W.7.7W.7.8

Explain how beliefs and environment shape the behavior of individuals in "Call Me American."

“Call Me American”

Standards

RI.7.3

Plan and draft a paragraph response to a prompt, drawing strong evidence from a source text.

Standards

W.7.1W.7.1.aW.7.1.bW.7.5

Draft and revise paragraph responses.

Standards

L.7.1L.7.1.bW.7.1W.7.1.c

Socratic Seminar

Take a clear position on a question and share evidence to support that point of view in a Socratic dialogue.

Standards

SL.7.1SL.7.1.aSL.7.1.bSL.7.4

Unpack the expectations of a Writing Task, study a Mentor Text, and begin to plan a personal narrative.

Standards

W.7.3W.7.5

Draft a body paragraph that includes descriptive, sensory details about a specific food.

Standards

W.7.3W.7.3.bW.7.3.d

Draft an engaging introductory paragraph and experiment with narrative pacing while writing body paragraphs.

Standards

W.7.3W.7.3.aW.7.3.b

Write strong conclusions, differentiate between sentence types, and engage in peer feedback.

Standards

L.7.1L.7.1.bW.7.3W.7.3.eW.7.5

2 days

Content Assessment
Fluency Assessment

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