Curriculum  /  ELA  /  8th Grade  /  Unit 7: Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)  /  Lesson 22

Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)

Lesson 22
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ELA

Unit 7

8th Grade

Lesson 22 of 35

Objective

Write introductory and concluding statements that frame the article.

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

  • Explain the purpose of introductory and concluding statements/paragraphs. Use one or more articles from this task to demonstrate what kind of information is included in an introduction and conclusion.
  • Ask students to draft their own introductions and conclusions.

Homework

  • Read To Kill a Mockingbird, chapters 22 and 23.

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.f — Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented

Next

Interpret figurative language and explain how Lee uses it to create meaning in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Lesson 23
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Lesson Map

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