Visibility & Invisibility in Short Texts

Lesson 6
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ELA

Unit 13

9th Grade

Lesson 6 of 15

Objective


Analyze how Alexie uses literary devices to illustrate his complex experience as an Indian on the reservation.

Readings and Materials


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Target Task


Writing Prompt

In “Superman and Me,” we learn about Sherman Alexie’s experience in school and outside of school on the reservation. Write a response in which you analyze how Alexie uses devices such as metaphor, repetition, and parallelism to illustrate his complex experience as an Indian on the reservation.

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Annotation Focus

What lines, words, or phrases reveal the speaker's complex experience on the reservation? What is Alexie doing with language to reveal the speaker's complex experience in those lines, words, or phrases? 

Scaffolding Questions

Why were Indian children “expected to be stupid”? (Paragraph 6)

What are the various ways that Indian children failed inside of school? Conversely, how did those same children excel outside of school on the reservation? What does this juxtaposition suggest?

Why does Sherman Alexie repeat the parallel phrases “I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky”? What do these phrases mean? What effect does he achieve through their repetition?

Discourse Questions

How and why is Sherman Alexie’s experience living on the reservation complex?

In what ways is your own identity or experience living in your neighborhood complex? 

Homework


Prepare for tomorrow’s mini Socratic Seminar by crafting key points and selecting and citing strong evidence per question.

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Standards


  • LO 1.2B — Explain how the rhetorical features of an argument contribute to its effect and meaning.
  • RI.9-10.6 — Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

Supporting Standards

LO 1.4B
LO 5.1A
LO 5.1B
RI.9-10.1
SL.9-10.1
W.9-10.2
W.9-10.2

Next

Formulate and share unique arguments about meaning in and across “How to Date…,” “Imitation,” and “Superman and Me.” Support arguments with strong and thorough textual evidence in a Socratic Seminar.

Lesson 7
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Lesson Map

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