Curriculum / ELA / 7th Grade / Unit 6: Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States / Lesson 17
ELA
Unit 6
7th Grade
Lesson 17 of 20
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Describe how The 57 Bus is organized and how Slater's structural choices develop the reader’s understanding of characters and ideas.
Book: The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater pp. 255 – 295
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved
Describe the overall structure of this text. What is the impact of the structure that Slater chose to tell the story of the incident on the 57 bus? Carefully explain your thinking.
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
Reread the chapters "Nerd Fraternity" and "How it Ended Up." What do these two chapters reveal about Sasha's life and the lives of Richard and his friends? Provide evidence from these chapters (pp. 265–268) to support your answer.
Why did Slater most likely include the chapters "Opportunity" and "Then and Now"? What is the significance of the title "Opportunity"? Carefully explain your thinking and provide evidence from these chapters (pp. 271–278) to support your answer.
What is significant about the chapter, "Progress Report"? How does it fit into the overall story of Sasha and Richard’s relationship? Provide evidence from pages 283 through 286 to support your answer.
How do you feel about the way this book ended? What did you learn from reading this book? What questions do you still have?
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
eccentric
adj.
unusual or unconventional
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RI.7.5 — Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
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.7.6 — 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 16
Lesson 18
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.
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.
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.
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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