Curriculum / ELA / 7th Grade / Unit 6: Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States / Lesson 11
ELA
Unit 6
7th Grade
Lesson 11 of 20
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Analyze the way that Slater develops the reader’s understanding of the fire on the bus and compare news reports about the incident with facts and details Slater includes in The 57 Bus.
Book: The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater pp. 105 – 133
Video: “Oakland California Victim in Bus Burning Fire”
Video: “Oakland Police Seek Witnesses, Good Samaritans Aboard AC Transit Bus” by KRON 4
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved
What details about the incident on the 57 bus does Slater include that are not included in the news report "Oakland California Victim in Bus Burning Fire"? What details are the same in both accounts? Select two differences and two similarities in these two accounts.
An example response to the Target Task at the level of detail expected of the students.
Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
Does Slater seem to believe that the fire was entirely Richard’s fault? Provide at least two pieces of evidence from pages 105 through 113 to support your answer.
What does Richard’s behavior directly after the incident suggest about how he is feeling or thinking about what happened? Provide at least two pieces of evidence from pages 113 through 118 and 126–127 to support your answer.
The video "Oakland Police Seek Witnesses, Good Samaritans" describes the incident on the 57 bus. What basic details about the incident do they include in this report and which details do they leave out? Provide at least one detail that they include and one that they leave out.
What are your reactions to seeing the videos? Does it change the way you think about the text?
Reading and/or task to be completed at home in preparation for the next lesson.
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.
Book: The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater pp. 134 – 160
Article: “Hate Crimes, Explained” by Swathi Shanmugasundaram — end after section “What Motivates Hate Offenders”
While reading, answer the following questions.
What does Richard do when the police try to interview him without a lawyer or his parents?
What does Richard initially say when asked about what happened on the bus?
Why does Richard say that he lit Sasha's skirt on fire?
What is Richard officially charged with?
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RI.7.7 — Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium's portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).
RI.7.9 — Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.
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.
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.7.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
RI.7.10 — By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
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.7.2 — Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
SL.7.6 — Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
W.7.1 — Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
W.7.1.a — Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
W.7.1.b — Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
W.7.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.7.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.7.9.b — Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g. "Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims").
W.7.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Lesson 10
Lesson 12
Writing
Unpack the expectations of an informational writing task, study a mentor text, and brainstorm research questions.
W.7.2 W.7.7
Use search terms effectively, assess the credibility of online sources, and begin to gather evidence.
W.7.7 W.7.8
Gather information from multiple sources and create an outline for an informational poster.
W.7.2 W.7.2.a W.7.8 W.7.9
Create an informational poster about a significant event in LGBTQ+ history.
SL.7.5 W.7.2 W.7.6
Present informational posters on a significant event in LGBTQ+ history.
SL.7.4 SL.7.5 W.7.2
Write a paragraph reflecting on the process of creating the LBGTQ+ history timeline.
L.7.1.a W.7.2
Describe how a text is organized, how specific chapters fit into the overall structure of the text, and how the author makes structural choices to develop the reader’s understanding of characters, setting, and plot.
RI.7.5
Describe how Sasha’s community responded to their gender identity, and how specific chapters in the text contribute to the reader’s understanding of characters, ideas, and events.
RI.7.3 RI.7.5
Identify a writer or speaker’s argument and assess whether the evidence they provide is relevant to claims.
RI.7.8 RI.7.9 SL.7.3
Explain specific chapters fit into the overall structure of the text and how the author makes structural choices to develop the reader’s understanding of characters, setting, and plot.
RI.7.7 RI.7.9
Make connections between larger legal concepts and events in The 57 Bus, drawing evidence from both texts to support ideas.
Analyze the effect of the author’s use of second person point of view.
L.7.1 L.7.1.b RI.7.5 W.7.1
Identify an author or speaker’s argument and assess whether the evidence they provide is relevant and sufficient.
RI.7.8
Explain the way that events affect individuals’ emotions, beliefs, and behavior in The 57 Bus.
RI.7.3
Explain how specific chapters in The 57 Bus fit into the overall structure of the text, and develop the reader’s understanding of characters and ideas.
Describe how The 57 Bus is organized and how Slater's structural choices develop the reader’s understanding of characters and ideas.
Identify central ideas in The 57 Bus and explain how Slater develops ideas over the course of the text.
RI.7.2
Socratic Seminar
Engage in a Socratic Seminar with peers, responding directly to others by rephrasing and delineating arguments, determining the strength of evidence, and posing clarifying questions.
SL.7.1 SL.7.1.d SL.7.3 SL.7.4
Assessment – 2 days
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