Visibility & Invisibility in Short Texts

Lesson 7
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ELA

Unit 13

9th Grade

Lesson 7 of 15

Objective


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.

Readings and Materials


  • Short Story: “"Imitation" from The Things Around Your Neck” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

In a well-developed paragraph that synthesizes at least two of the texts for support, explain what it means to be invisible, including the factors that make people and places invisible.

Key Thinking


Discourse Questions

Consider “Imitation” and “How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl, or Halfie).” The subject of both texts is similar, but one narrator is male, and one is female. What are these two texts illustrating about gender roles in our society, specifically when it comes to relationships? How is life different for men and women in these texts, and does this align to your reality? According to these two texts, how are men and women different when it comes to visibility? Use text from both stories to support your ideas.

Marc Lamont Hill says, “To be Nobody is to be vulnerable. In the most basic sense, all of us are vulnerable; to be human is to be susceptible to misfortune, violence, illness, and death [...] Unfortunately, for many citizens—particularly those marked as poor, Black, Brown, immigrant, queer, or trans—State power has only increased their vulnerability, making their lives more rather than less unsafe.” How do “Imitation,” “How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl, or Halfie),” and “Superman and Me” enhance our understanding of what it means to be a nobody? Which characters, speakers, or narrators help to create a more nuanced understanding for you? How? Why?

Homework


  • Read/annotate Frank Ocean’s Open Letter on Tumblr by the next class.
    • Annotation Focus: What traps Frank Ocean? What frees him?

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Standards


  • LO 1.4B — Synthesize ideas from multiple texts and explain how the texts may convey different perspectives on a common theme or idea.
  • RI.9-10.2 — Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RL.9-10.2 — Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

Supporting Standards

LO 5.1A
LO 5.1B
RL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.1
W.9-10.2

Next

Explain Frank’s perspective on coming out and being queer including how word choice and figurative language help to develop that perspective.

Lesson 8
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