Discrimination Stories

Essential Question

What does Discrimination look like?
Why is it important to judge people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, as Dr. King said?
What is the difference between being treated unfairly by another person and receiving unequal treatment under the law?

Texts

Informational

Always Running

In this excerpt from his memoir, Rodriguez provides a stirring recollection from his adolescence: the first time he experienced racism as a result of being an immigrant in America. As he says, the experience "stays with [him] like a foul odor."

Luis J. Rodriguez

Grade Level

6-8 9-12

Topic

Class Immigration Race & Ethnicity

July 2, 2014

Literature

Echoes

You can see, hear, feel, and taste the injustice, frustration, and naiveté experienced at this ladies' get together.

Pat Mora

Grade Level

6-8

Topic

Class Immigration Race & Ethnicity

July 3, 2014

Literature

Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question

In this poem, the speaker--who is Native American--responds to a series of unspoken discriminatory questions. The reader can deduce the missing questions based on the speaker's responses.

Diane Burns

Grade Level

6-8

Topic

Race & Ethnicity

July 3, 2014

Literature

The Skin I'm In (Chapter 3)

Maleeka gets made fun of at school about her clothes, her grades, even the color of her skin. In this chapter, she talks about getting teased on a school trip and how even her friend Char was ashamed to be seen with her because of her clothes.

Sharon Flake

Grade Level

3-5 6-8

Topic

Race & Ethnicity

July 3, 2014

Literature

Foul Line—1987

In this poem, a black woman carefully analyzes her interaction with a white waitress, whose actions, although civil, are smoldering with superiority.

Colleen McElroy

Grade Level

6-8 9-12

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity Race & Ethnicity

July 5, 2014

Teaching Strategies

Close and Critical Reading

Shared Reading

Shared reading combines aspects of guided reading and read-aloud strategies. During shared reading, a teacher or proficient student reads the text aloud, pausing at pre-selected moments to discuss content and analyze the text. This strategy facilitates close reading of a complex text in small or whole group settings.

Grade Level

6-8 9-12

CCSS

RL.6-12.1, RI.6-12.1

July 19, 2014

Plan Built By

Mermaid-8

Discrimination Stories

Always Running

Echoes

Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question

The Skin I'm In (Chapter 3)

Foul Line—1987

Shared Reading

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