Curriculum  /  ELA  /  8th Grade  /  Unit 7: Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)  /  Lesson 21

Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)

Lesson 21
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ELA

Unit 7

8th Grade

Lesson 21 of 35

Objective

Draft body paragraphs and appropriately cite sources.

Readings and Materials

  • Website: NAACP Death Penalty Fact Sheet 

  • Article: “Racism and the Execution Chamber” by Matt Ford 

  • Website: The Persistent Problem of Racial Disparities In The Federal Death Penalty 

  • Article: “Race and the Death Penalty by the Numbers” by Aura Bogado 

  • Article: “Washington State Strikes Down Death Penalty, Citing Racial Bias” by Merrit Kennedy 

  • Website: Race and the Death Penalty 

  • Website: Early History of the Death Penalty 

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Target Task

Writing Prompt

Imagine that the United States Congress is considering a ban on the death penalty. They are primarily motivated by studies showing that the death penalty is applied more frequently to African-Americans, suggesting racial bias within the judicial system.

Write an article for your school newspaper informing your fellow students on racial bias and the application of the death penalty in the United States. Your task is not to take a position on this issue but to give your readers the information they need in order to fully understand the issue.

Your article should:

  • be approximately 400 words long
  • include information from at least three different reputable sources
  • include statistics, definitions, examples, and quotations
  • introduce the topic clearly
  • include a concluding statement

Lesson Guidance

  • Students should decide the topic of their body paragraphs (at least three, depending on length) and begin to pull in specific details relevant to these topics. For examples, students may begin with a history or broad survey of the death penalty in the United States, racial differences in application based on accused, racial differences in application based on the victim, and the current state of the death penalty in this country. One way of helping students sort information is to write down facts on notecards and physically organize them that way.
  • Teach a short lesson on how to cite information from online articles, and/or provide students with a citation “cheat sheet.” (MLA Formatting and Style Guide by Purdue University is a useful resource.)

Common Core Standards

  • W.8.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content
  • W.8.2.a — Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
  • W.8.2.b — Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
  • W.8.8 — Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Next

Write introductory and concluding statements that frame the article.

Lesson 22
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Lesson Map

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