Discovering Self Through Literature

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Subject

Reading & Language Arts

Topic

Race & Ethnicity Religion Ability Immigration Gender & Sexual Identity

Essential Question

1. What is identity?
2. What make me who I am?
3. How am I similar and different to characters seen in texts?
4. Why is important to read books with characters that are like me?
5. Why is it important to read books with characters that are different than me?

Texts

Visual

Two Friends

This photograph depicts two children playing. One child has multiple disabilities and the other child does not.

Realistic Reflections

Grade Level

K-2

Topic

Race & Ethnicity Ability

July 2, 2014

Literature

What If There Were No Black People?

In this poem, the speaker explores how our culture would be lacking—in people, in music, in movements, in contributions—without contributions of African Americans.

Sean Mauricette (aka SUBLIMINAL)

Grade Level

3-5 6-8

Subject

History

Topic

Race & Ethnicity

July 3, 2014

Literature

In this excerpt, the reader meets two characters from The Misfits: Addie, a girl who is exceptionally tall and smart for a middle schooler and Joe, who is creative and feminine in a way that makes his peers nervous.

James Howe

Grade Level

3-5 6-8 9-12

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity

July 3, 2014

Informational

Families

This excerpt explains that families are defined by love, caring and sharing, not the number or gender of its members.

Ann Morris

Grade Level

K-2 3-5 6-8

Topic

Race & Ethnicity Religion Class Immigration

November 7, 2014

Multimedia

The Power of Words

This short film portrays a man in need, seated on the edge of a busy street with a sign reading: "I'm blind. Please help." When a woman stops to rewrite the message on his sign, she shifts the perception of passersby.

Purplefeather

Grade Level

3-5 6-8 9-12

Subject

Civics

Economics

Topic

Ability Class

May 19, 2014

Multimedia

StoryCorps: Every Brain Is Different

“Every brain is a little bit different...”

Kim Wargo and Ida Cortez

Grade Level

K-2 3-5

Subject

Civics

Topic

Ability

July 8, 2014

Multimedia

StoryCorps: I Tried to Hide My Stutter

“I felt alone and tried to hide it...”

Taro Alexander

Grade Level

3-5 6-8

Topic

Ability

July 8, 2014

Literature

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

The novel's main character, Joey, is introduced in this excerpt. Joey is full of spunk, but he also has trouble focusing and controlling all of his urges—which sometimes leads him to make bad choices.

Jack Gantos

Grade Level

3-5 6-8

Topic

Ability

July 5, 2014

Multimedia

StoryCorps: Dad's Bionic Hand

“What do you miss most about not having a hand?”

Lanie, Alex and Eric Jones

Grade Level

3-5

Topic

Ability

July 8, 2014

Literature

10,000 Dresses

Every night Bailey dreams about dresses, but each day his mother, father, and brother remind him that he is a boy and dresses aren't for him. Finally, he finds a friend who embraces both his love for dresses and the individual he feels he is inside.

Marcus Ewert

Grade Level

K-2 3-5

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity

July 2, 2014

Literature

My Name was Hussein

Hussein, the narrator of My Name Was Hussein, lives in Bulgaria. His Muslim family takes great pride in their religion and traditions. But soldiers soon arrive in their village and force all of the Muslims to adopt Christian names, thereby inhibiting their freedom and identities.

Hristo Kyuchukov

Grade Level

K-2 3-5

Subject

Civics

History

Economics

Geography

Topic

Race & Ethnicity Religion Rights & Activism

July 7, 2014

Literature

One Million Men and Me

Based on a true person, this story is told from the perspective of a little girl whose dad took her to the Million Man March—where she saw the tears, happiness, and chants of men banding together for a common purpose.

Kelly Starling Lyons

Grade Level

K-2 3-5

Subject

Civics

History

Economics

Geography

Topic

Civil Rights Movement Race & Ethnicity Gender & Sexual Identity Rights & Activism

July 7, 2014

Multimedia

StoryCorps: Fighting to Stay in School

“I remember being in court every day...”

Sylvia Mendez and Sandra Mendez Duran

Grade Level

3-5 6-8

Subject

History

Topic

Race & Ethnicity Immigration Rights & Activism

July 8, 2014

Teaching Strategies

Exploring Texts Through Read Alouds

Developing Language to Talk About Texts

This strategy gives students tools to use when exploring, thinking about and discussing read-aloud texts.

Grade Level

K-2

CCSS

RL.K-2.3

July 13, 2014

Exploring Texts Through Read Alouds

Examining Texts

Children will learn about the key components of paper and online text structure. Students will also gain the terminology necessary to talk about the structure and parts of a text.

Grade Level

K-2

CCSS

RI.K-2.5, RI.K-2.6, RL.K-2.5, RL.K-2.6

July 13, 2014

Exploring Texts Through Read Alouds

Who's Telling It?

Students explore the same Perspectives central text from various viewpoints and identify author, speaker point-of-view, publication date, intended audience and characters.

Grade Level

K-2

CCSS

RL.K-2.1, RL.K-2.3, RL.K-2.6, RL.K-2.7, RI.K-2.1, RI.K-2.3, RI.K-2.7

July 13, 2014

Community Inquiry

Brain Share

During Brain Share, small groups of students rotate through stations, discussing and recording concepts from central texts. This strategy is a modified combination of gallery walks and jigsaw.

Grade Level

3-5

CCSS

RF.3-5.4, RL.3-5.1, RI.3-5.1, RL.3-5.2, RI.3-5.2, SL.3-5.1, SL.3-5.2

July 13, 2014

Responding to the Read-Aloud Text

Cracking the Code

During Cracking the Code, students examine texts for bias related to race, gender, class, religion, age and sexual orientation, among other identity categories.

Grade Level

K-2

CCSS

RL.K-2.1, RL.K-2.2, RL.K-2.3, RL.K-2.6, RL.K-2.7, RI.K-2.1, RI.K-2.2, RI.K-2.6, RI.K-2.7

July 19, 2014

Responding to the Read-Aloud Text

Think Aloud

Think Aloud requires readers to stop during their reading to think, reflect and discuss their process. Readers talk about skipping text, rereading, searching back in the text for information, questioning, clarifying, summarizing, making connections, reflecting, predicting and visualizing.

Grade Level

K-2

CCSS

R.L.K-2.1, R.I.K-2.1

July 19, 2014

Student Tasks

Do Something

Artistic Expression Showcase

Students produce original art (visual art, music, drama or poetry) that conveys an anti-bias or social justice message. Students then plan a public showcase of their work.

Grade Level

3-5

July 13, 2014

Do Something

Collage of Concerns

Students create visual artwork combining various images to convey diversity or social justice issues, concerns or themes related to the central text.

Grade Level

K-2

July 13, 2014

Do Something

Persuasive Letters

Students write to a business, school or community leader to call for action in response to a social justice issue from the central text. Alternatively, students can write open, persuasive letters to their peers or family members.

Grade Level

3-5

July 13, 2014

Do Something

Picture Books

Students work in small groups to write and illustrate an original children's picture book to teach others about a social justice or diversity topic present in the central text.

Grade Level

3-5

July 13, 2014

Plan Built By

BadgerinFL

Discovering Self Through Literature

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