Curriculum / ELA / 7th Grade / Unit 6: Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States / Lesson 19
ELA
Unit 6
7th Grade
Lesson 19 of 20
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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.
Book: The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
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Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
How does your knowledge of LGBTQ+ history shape the way you understand the events in The 57 Bus?
What does the response to Sasha reveal about the progress that has been made for LGBTQ+ people in this country, and how does it reveal the challenges that LGBTQ+ people continue to face?
In what ways is Sasha an activist and changemaker for LGBTQ+ people?
What is Slater’s purpose in writing this text? Does she achieve it?
In what way does the media’s portrayal of the fire represent a binary view of the situation?
Does this book have a hero? Does it have a villain?
What is this book trying to say about the relationship between privilege and power?
Suggestions for teachers to help them teach this lesson
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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.7.1.d — Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views.
SL.7.3 — Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
SL.7.4 — Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
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.
SL.7.1.a — Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
SL.7.1.b — Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
SL.7.1.c — Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.
SL.7.6 — Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
W.7.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Lesson 18
Lesson 20
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.
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
SL.7.1 SL.7.1.d SL.7.3 SL.7.4
Assessment – 2 days
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