Longing to Belong: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories

Lesson 8
icon/ela/white

ELA

Unit 1

7th Grade

Lesson 8 of 25

Objective


Explain how Carmen Perez's experiences in her community shape her life.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: American Like Me by America Ferrera  — Essay: "Carmen Perez" by Carmen Perez

Fishtank Plus

Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.

Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

Explain how Carmen Perez's experiences in her community shape her life.

Sample Response

Upgrade to Fishtank Plus to view Sample Response.

Key Questions


Key Questions

  • How is Carmen impacted by the death of her sister? How does this event change the trajectory of her life? 

  • How does Carmen describe her community and her family? 

  • Describe the role that Pat Bell plays in Carmen's life.

  • How do Carmen and her teammates face adversity outside of their community? How do these events inspire Carmen's future?

  • How does Carmen Perez emphasize the strength she finds in her community on page 74?

Exit Ticket

Assess student understanding and monitor progress toward this lesson's objective with an Exit Ticket.

Vocabulary


Text-based

assertively

adv.

(p. 69)

having or showing a confident and forceful personality

intersectionality

n.

(p. 74)

different aspects of individuals' identities that are not independent of each other or social and historical contexts such as race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, class.

Homework


To ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson, have students complete the following reading for homework. Use guidance from the next lesson to identify any additional language or background support students may need while independently engaging with the text.

  • Poem: “I, Too” by Langston Hughes 

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • Who is the speaker of this poem?

  • Describe the speaker using evidence from the text. 

  • Why would someone tell the speaker to "Eat in the kitchen"? (p. 13)

  • Who does "they" refer to in the poem? (p. 3)

  • What does the speaker mean when they refer to "Tomorrow"? (p. 8)

Enhanced Lesson Plan

Fishtank Plus Content

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.

Common Core Standards


  • RI.7.2 — Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RI.7.3 — Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).

Supporting Standards

L.7.6
RI.7.1
RI.7.4
RI.7.10
SL.7.1
SL.7.6
W.7.1
W.7.1.a
W.7.1.b
W.7.4
W.7.9
W.7.9.b
W.7.10

Next

Analyze how the poet uses repetition to convey the tone of a poem.

Lesson 9
icon/arrow/right/large

Lesson Map

A7CB09C2-D12F-4F55-80DB-37298FF0A765

Request a Demo

See all of the features of Fishtank in action and begin the conversation about adoption.

Learn more about Fishtank Learning School Adoption.

Contact Information

School Information

What courses are you interested in?

ELA

Math

Are you interested in onboarding professional learning for your teachers and instructional leaders?

Yes

No

Any other information you would like to provide about your school?

We Handle Materials So You Can Focus on Students

We Handle Materials So You Can Focus on Students

We've got you covered with rigorous, relevant, and adaptable ELA lesson plans for free