Transcript Unit One - Ms. McClure

Unit Three
Exploring the Big Question
“Learn to be quiet enough to
hear the genuine voice within
yourself so that you can hear it
in others.”
~ Marian Wright Edelman
What makes you who you are?
Quotes
for
Small Group Facilitated Discussions
“Man often becomes what he believes
himself to be. If I keep on saying to
myself that I cannot do a certain thing,
it is possible that I may end by really
becoming incapable of doing it. On the
contrary, if I have the belief that I can
do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity
to do it even if I may not have it at the
beginning.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
“Because sometimes you have to
step outside of the person you’ve
been, and remember the person
you were meant to be, the person
you wanted to be, the person you
are.”
~ H.G. Wells
“Character cannot be developed in
ease and quiet. Only through
experience of trial and suffering
can the soul be strengthened,
ambition inspired, and success
achieved.”
~ Helen Keller
“Champions aren’t made in gyms.
Champions are made from
something they have deep inside
them a desire, a dream, a vision.
They have to have the skill and the
will. But the will must be stronger
than the skill.”
~ Muhammad Ali
“Be careful the environment you
choose for it will shape you; be
careful the friends you choose for
you will become like them.”
~ W. Clement Stone
“Never be bullied into silence.
Never allow yourself to be made a
victim. Accept no one's definition of
your life; define yourself.”
~ Harvey Fierstein
“To be nobody but yourself in a
world which is doing its best, night
and day, to make you everybody
else means to fight the hardest
battle which any human being can
fight; and never stop fighting.”
~ e.e. cummings
“One's philosophy is not best
expressed in words; it is expressed in
the choices one makes. In the long
run, we shape our lives, and we
shape ourselves. The process never
ends until we die. And the choices
we make are ultimately our own
responsibility.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
A Further Exploration of
What Makes You Who You Are
As a class, we will read, analyze, and discuss the following
pieces in the reading textbook:
“Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros on p. 298
“The All-American Slurp” by Lensey Namioka on p. 315
Peruse the following selections in your reading
textbook, and choose three selections you would
be interested in reading and discussing in class:
 “My Parents” by Steven Spender on p. 306
 “Geraldine Moore the Poet” by Toni Cade Bambara on p. 346
 “Wings” by Jane Yolen on p. 360
 “King Minos and Art on the Palace Walls,” a Historical Perspective on p. 374
 “Daydreamers” by Eloise Greenfield on p. 377
 “TIME: The Gene Scene” by Jordan Brown on p. 384
 “Flowers and Freckle Cream” by Elizabeth Ellis on p. 394
 “Arachne” by Olivia E. Coolidge on p. 405
 “The Fun They Had” by Isaac Asimove on p. 416
 “Why Books Are Dangerous” by Neil Gaiman on p. 421
As you read, you will be thinking about how these stories might relate to the
themes of what makes you who you are, why you read, and what makes a hero.
An In-Depth Look at Identity
Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli
Bethany Hamilton: Staying True to Yourself
Lady Gaga: Be Yourself
Reflect: Expository Critique applied to video
2.6 Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an author’s
conclusions.
2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations.
2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning, persuasion, and
propaganda in text.
Comparing and Contrasting:
Identity and One Author’s Technique
Same Song
Pat Mora
While my sixteen-year-old son sleeps,
my twelve-year-old daughter
stumbles into the bathroom at six a.m.
plugs in the curling iron
squeezes into faded jeans
curls her hair carefully
strokes Aztec Blue shadow on her eyelids
smooth’s Frosted Mauve blusher on her cheeks
outlines her mouth in Neon pink
peers into the mirror, mirror on the wall
frowns at her face, her eyes, her skin,
not fair.
At night this daughter stumbles off to bed at nine
eyes half-shut while my son
jogs a mile in the cold dark
then lifts weights in the garage
curls and bench presses
expanding biceps, triceps pectorals,
one-handed push-ups, one hundred sit-ups
peers into the mirror, mirror and frowns too.
Maestro
Pat Mora
He hears her
When he bows
Rows of hands clap
Again and again he bows
To stage lights and upturned faces
But he hears only his mother’s voice
Years ago in their small home
Singing Mexican songs
One phrase at a time
While his father strummed the guitar
Or picked the melody with quick fingertips.
Both cast their music in the air
For him to snare with his strings,
Songs of lunas and amor
Learned bit by bit.
She’d nod, smile as his bow slid
Note to note, then the trio
Voz, guitarra, violin
Would blend again and again
To the last pure note
Sweet on the tongue.
Comparing and Contrasting:
Identity and Authors’ Techniques
I Dream a World
Langston Hughes
I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn
I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom's way,
Where greed no longer saps the soul
Nor avarice blights our day.
A world I dream where black or white,
Whatever race you be,
Will share the bounties of the earth
And every man is free,
Where wretchedness will hang its head
And joy, like a pearl,
Attends the needs of all mankindOf such I dream, my world!
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me
Maya Angelou
Shadows on the wall
Noises down the hail
Life doesn’t frighten me at all
Bad dogs barking loud
Big ghosts in a cloud
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
Mean old Mother Goose
Lions on the loose
They don’t frighten me at all
Dragons breathing flame
On my counterpane
That doesn’t frighten me at all.
I go boo
Make them shoo
I make fun
Way they run
I won’t cry
So they fly
I just smile
They go wild
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
Tough guys in a fight
All alone at night
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
Panthers in the park
Strangers in the dark
No, they don’t frighten me at all.
That new classroom where
Boys pull all my hair
(Kissy little girls
With their hair in curls)
They don’t frighten me at all.
Don’t show me frogs and snakes
And listen for my scream,
If I’m afraid at all
It’s only in my dreams.
I’ve got a magic charm
That I keep up my sleeve,
I can walk the ocean floor
And never have to breathe.
Life doesn’t frighten me at all
Not at all
Not at all
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
Assessments:
Words of Week weekly vocabulary test
Stargirl comprehension tests
Accelerated Reader reading, vocabulary, and literary
analysis test
Treasures Unit 3 Assessment on pp. 436-440
Discussion of what makes you who you are and
reflections on identity and the implications for one’s
own life
Optional if needed: Treasures individual story
assessments and Treasures formative assessments to
define differentiation
Standards Embedded:
1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency , and Systematic Vocabulary Development
Students use their knowledge of word origins and word relationships, as well as
historical and literary context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized
vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate
words.
Word Recognition
1.1 Read aloud narrative and expository text fluently and accurately and with
appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression.
Vocabulary and Concept Development
1.2 Identify and interpret figurative language and words with multiple meanings.
1.3 Recognize the origins and meanings of frequently used foreign words in
English and use these words accurately in speaking and writing.
1.4 Monitor expository text for unknown words or words with novel meanings by
using word, sentence, and paragraph clues to determine meaning.
1.5 Understand and explain “shades of meaning” in related words (e.g., softly and
quietly).
2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials)
Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They describe
and connect the essential ideas, arguments, and perspectives of the text by using
their knowledge of text structure, organization, and purpose. In addition, by grade
eight, students read one million words annually on their own.
Structural Features of Informational Materials
2.1 Identify the structural features of popular media (e.g., newspapers, magazines,
online information) and use the features to obtain information.
2.2 Analyze text that uses the compare-and-contrast organizational pattern.
Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
2.3 Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other
sources and related topics.
2.4 Clarify an understanding of texts by creating outlines, logical notes,
summaries, or reports.
2.5 Follow multiple-step instructions for preparing applications (e.g., for a public
library card, bank savings account, sports club, league membership).
Expository Critique
2.6 Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an author’s
conclusions.
2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting
citations.
3.0 Literary Response and Analysis
Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of
literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science.
They clarify the ideas and connect them to other literary works.
Structural Features of Literature
3.1 Identify the forms of fiction and describe the major characteristics of each
form.
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
3.2 Analyze the effect of the qualities of the character (e.g., courage or
cowardice, ambition or laziness) on the plot and the resolution of the conflict.
3.3 Analyze the influence of setting on the problem and its resolution.
3.5 Identify the speaker and recognize the difference between first- and thirdperson narration (e.g., autobiography compared with biography).
3.6 Identify and analyze features of themes conveyed through characters, actions,
and images.
3.7 Explain the effects of common literary devices (e.g., symbolism, imagery,
metaphor) in a variety of fictional and nonfictional texts.
Additional Standard Embedded in Poem of the Day:
3.4 Define how tone or meaning is conveyed in poetry through word choice,
figurative language, sentence structure, line length, punctuation, rhythm,
repetition, and rhyme.
Expository Critique
2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting
citations.
Additional Standard Embedded in novel study
of Stargirl:
Literary Criticism
3.8 Critique the credibility of characterization and the degree to which a plot is
contrived or realistic (e.g., compare use of fact and fantasy in historical fiction).
Reading Standards Not Addressed in the Unit:
Expository Critique
2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning,
persuasion, and propaganda in text.