Facing Prejudice: All American Boys (2020)

Lesson 22
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ELA

Unit 6

8th Grade

Lesson 22 of 29

Objective


Explain how writers use figurative language and make structural choices to develop and support key ideas.

Readings and Materials


  • Speech: “Why Black Lives Matter” by Alicia Garza  — focus on paragraphs 1-35

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

Garza includes a quote in her speech from famous 19th-century abolitionist, writer, and speaker Frederick Douglass (a formerly enslaved person who traveled the United States and Europe speaking out against slavery). Douglass wrote in 1857:

If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.

Explain what Douglass means by this figurative language. What idea is he trying to develop and support?

Sample Response

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Key Questions


Close Read Questions

  • In the third paragraph of his introduction, Eric Liu uses figurative language when talking about the present moment:

    "We are experiencing the birth of the America we were promised. We are experiencing the birth of a different kind of country that doesn’t equate whiteness with Americanness."

    Explain this metaphor and the connotations of the word "birth." What idea is Lui trying to communicate in these sentences?

  • What does Garza mean when she says, in paragraph 10, that her citizenship—and that of other Black people—is "conditional"? How do the examples she provides in paragraphs 11-17 support this idea?

  • How does Garza use repetition at the beginning of paragraphs 11-17? What idea is she trying to communicate through repetition?

  • How does Garza use repetition at the beginning of paragraphs 23-28 in this speech? What idea is she trying to communicate through repetition?

Exit Ticket

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

Homework


  • Prepare for tomorrow's Socratic Seminar. Review the discussion questions and gather sufficient evidence.

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Common Core Standards


  • L.8.5 — Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  • RI.8.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

Supporting Standards

L.8.5.a
L.8.6
RI.8.1
RI.8.5
RI.8.10
RI.8.10
SL.8.1
SL.8.6
W.8.1
W.8.1.a
W.8.1.b
W.8.4
W.8.9
W.8.9.b

Next

Engage in a Socratic Seminar with classmates, drawing evidence from unit texts, and carefully explaining reasoning.

Lesson 23
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