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Please Note: In July 2026, this lesson was updated to strengthen culturally responsive instruction and ensure greater precision in how students analyze Jason Reynolds's use of Black English. We've made revisions to the lesson objective, Notes to the Teacher, discussion and writing prompts, sample responses, and instructional guidance to more intentionally frame Black English as a rule-governed dialect that contributes to the narrator's authentic voice, perspective, identity, and sense of belonging.
Lesson Overview
Objective
Explain how the author's word choice and point of view convey the narrator's perspective on belonging to his culture and community.
Readings and Materials
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Excerpt: “First-Day Fly” from Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood by Jason Reynolds
Lesson Map
3 days
Write a cohesive, organized paragraph that makes and supports a clear and complete claim.
Draft a claim that is clear, completely answers the prompt, and includes supporting reasons.
- Details Brainstorming Page (G7, U1, L5)
Standards
L.7.3.aW.7.1.a
Create an outline for a paragraph that fully answers the prompt, and draft a paragraph.
- Details Brainstorming Page (G7, U1, L5)
- Single Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.7.1.aW.7.1.bW.7.4
Draft a cohesive, organized paragraph.
- Single Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.7.1W.7.1.c
2 days
Write a paragraph that makes and supports a clear claim.
Organize ideas in an outline and draft a complete paragraph that makes and supports a clear claim.
- Single Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.7.1.aW.7.1.bW.7.4
Revise a paragraph by adding and punctuating equal adjectives to create vivid, clear descriptions.
Standards
L.7.2.aW.7.5
5 days
Write a first-person, fictional narrative that explores a moment in time where a character explores their identity.
Create a planning page that includes characters and conflicts.
- Narrative Planning Page (G6–8)
Standards
W.7.3W.7.5
Draft engaging beginnings and orient the reader to the characters and conflict.
- Engaging Beginnings Practice (G7, U1, L19)
- Narrative Planning Page (G6–8)
Standards
W.7.3.a
Develop internal and external conflicts to advance the plot.
- Narrative Planning Page (G6–8)
Standards
L.7.2L.7.2.aW.7.3.b
Draft a narrative ending that resolves the conflict and intentionally varies pacing.
- Narrative Planning Page (G6–8)
Standards
W.7.3.b
Revise stories by elaborating sentences to create a published narrative.
- Narrative Planning Page (G6–8)
Standards
W.7.3.bW.7.3.d
