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- Unit Type
- Core
- Suggested Pacing
- 9 Weeks
- Performance Task
- Ordinary Moments
Suggested Pacing
| Unit Arc | Instructional Time | Essential Question | Key Milestones |
|---|---|---|---|
Spark | 3 lessons | What do ordinary moments reveal about who we are? |
|
Investigation 1 | 15 lessons | How do everyday moments shape the way we see ourselves and others? |
|
Flex | 4 lessons |
|
Unit Context
Knowledge Building Topic
Community and Voice: How ordinary moments reveal identity, build empathy, and connect people to one another.
I'm Learning About
how personal experiences and ordinary choices reveal identity.
how authors use small moments to show belonging.
how sharing stories can build empathy and classroom community.
Knowledge Goals
Analyze how authors use point of view, voice, and symbolism to reveal character identity, values, and theme.
Compare characters' choices and perspectives to evaluate how empathy shapes relationships and community.
Craft a personal narrative using dialogue, pacing, and sensory detail to express identity and belonging.
Apply academic discourse routines to discuss literature and peer writing with textual evidence.
Knowledge-Building Questions
How do authors use point of view, voice, and symbolism to reveal a character's identity and growth?
How can reading stories help us see the world through someone else's eyes?
What makes a personal story powerful or meaningful to an audience?
How does sharing stories help people understand each other and strengthen community?
Essential Questions
Investigation 1: How do ordinary moments reveal who we are and how we belong?
Investigation 2: How does sharing stories help people understand one another?
Unit Texts
Novel
Look Both Ways
Jason Reynolds
Short-Form Text
“Love Your Stories”: YA Authors on Championing Your Voice
Sasha Dowdy, Library of Congress
Read text
Short-Form Text
Hanging Fire
Audre Lorde
Read text
Short-Form Text
Jason Reynolds: Writing What’s Real
Standard News Bureau
Read text
Short-Form Text
Middle School Is More Than You Think: Why These Years Are Actually a Time of Growth, Creativity and Possibility
Standard News Bureau
Read text
Short-Form Text
Thank You M'am
Langston Hughes
Read text
