Lesson 9: Comparative Writing, A Raisin in the Sun and “Black Americans and the Racist Architecture of Homeownership”

Use this quick comparison to activate prior learning with the NPR reading from the previous lesson and bridge students into today's writing task. Have students sit with a nearby partner and look at the displayed quotations.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: In a previous lesson, we gathered details from the NPR article about how homeownership is still complicated in terms of equity. Today, we are putting that contemporary text beside Mama's words in A Raisin in the Sun and writing one paragraph that uses both texts together.

Display p. 45 of A Raisin in the Sun, and direct students to read the passage beginning with “you should know all the dreams I had . . .” and ending with “. . . make them dreams seem worth while.”

• Say: Here are two quotes, the first from A Raisin in the Sun and the second from the article “Black Americans and the Racist Architecture of Homeownership.”

"MAMA: . . . you should know all the dreams I had ’bout buying that house and fixing it up and making me a little garden in the back. . . . Big Walter used to say, . . . ‘Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams—but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worth while.’” (pp. 45–46)

“Owning a home is an undeniable part of the American dream—and of American citizenship. It is also the key to building intergenerational wealth.”

• Ask: What do these two excerpts have in common?

  • Both excerpts connect homeownership to something more than just having a place to live. When Mama remembers Big Walter, the dream is about what parents want for their children. In the NPR article, homeownership is also tied to citizenship and intergenerational wealth, so both texts show that not being able to buy a home can affect a family's future.

• Say: Partner A, share first for 30 seconds. Then switch to Partner B..

Connection to Today’s Learning

Students have named the shared idea; next, they will learn how writers can articulate that connection in one analytical paragraph.

Use this mini-lesson to teach cohesion across sources. Students need to see that strong analysis does not simply place two quotations side by side; it explains the relationship between them. Have students look at the displayed model sentence and the two source excerpts.

Language Study

Say these Directions: We can use evidence from two different texts in one paragraph and make the relationship between them clear. To demonstrate a cross-textual connection, we start with a big idea or theme, use evidence from both sources and a clear transition or “bridge,” and conclude with an explanation of what the two texts reveal together.

Model the writing process, displaying and reading aloud one sentence at a time. Start with a description of Mama’s speech on p. 45 as the leading idea.

• Say: Take a look at how we can create a thematic bridge between the two sources:

  • Mama remembers how she dreamed of living in a house, and she remembers Big Walter saying that it seemed as if God had given Black Americans “nothing but dreams” but that their dreams were worthwhile because of their children (pp. 45–46).

• Continue with a sentence about the NPR article:

  • Similarly, the NPR article says that homeownership is “the key to building intergenerational wealth.”

• Ask: Why is the phrasing “Similarly, the NPR article says . . .” important?

  • It tells the reader right away that the article is connected to the play instead of starting a brand-new topic. It also shows that the writer is connecting and comparing ideas across texts, not just listing two pieces of information.

Finish with a statement that directly connects the two sources:

• Say: This echoes Mama’s feeling that dreams matter because parents want a better future for their children.

Guide students to chunk the ideas. Provide each chunk, and ask students to volunteer the meaning and function of each chunk. Display the first example, and have students fill out the rest.

Teach: Building a Cross-Text Connection

• Say: When I write using two text sources, I do not want my paragraph to sound like two separate mini-paragraphs pushed together.

  • First, I decide on the one big idea that both texts share. Here, the idea is that homeownership is tied to a family’s future.

  • Next, I bring in evidence from one text and explain it in my own words.

  • Then I use a bridge phrase like “Similarly, the NPR article . . .” or “This idea is echoed in . . .” so my reader hears the connection as I move to the second source.

  • After the second piece of evidence, I add one more sentence that explains what the two texts together reveal.

• Say: That last sentence captures the real analysis because it shows why the pair of details matters.

Connection to Today’s Learning

Students have practiced the bridge sentence; next, they will use that move inside a full analytical paragraph.

Part A: Drafting One Cross-Text Paragraph (W.7.9.a, W.7.9.b) (15 minutes)

Students will consult with partners and then write a first draft of a cross-textual analytical paragraph.

Draft a Cross-Textual Analytical Paragraph

Say these Directions: With your partner, use the RACE Writing Strategy graphic organizer to plan one paragraph that answers the question below. Include one piece of evidence from each source.

• Ask: What do A Raisin in the Sun and the NPR article together reveal about what happens when the dream of homeownership is out of reach?

Display the RACE Writing Strategy graphic organizer:

RACE = Restate + Answer + Cite + Explain

R – Restate the question

• Restates the question as a declarative sentence

• Establishes the main topic of the paragraph

A – Answer the question

• Provides an answer to the question

• Tells the reader what to expect in the paragraph

C – Cite evidence from the texts

• Specific quote or paraphrase from the texts

• Must be introduced smoothly (not just dropped in)

E – Explain your answer

• Tells what the evidence shows

• Points to specific words/phrases

• Makes the connection explicit for the reader

• Say: Use the RACE graphic organizer to take notes that align with the RACE strategy in order to respond to the question.

Explain to students that they are going to use the notes from their completed RACE graphic organizer to create a model paragraph.

Teach: Turning Two Pieces of Evidence into One Paragraph

• Say: Now that you have completed the RACE graphic organizer, develop your paragraph around one clear point.

Model how to plan a paragraph using a teacher think-aloud.

• Say: My topic sentence will name the shared idea first: Homeownership is tied to a family’s future. Then I will use the moment when Mama remembers Big Walter because it shows how dreams are connected to children and the next generation. After I explain that evidence, I will move to the NPR article with a transition so my reader can follow my thinking. I will choose the article detailing intergenerational wealth because it directly connects to what families can pass on. Finally, I will end by telling what the two texts together reveal, which is stronger than just summarizing each one alone.

After partners have worked on their RACE planning, have them share briefly with the class before writing.

• Ask: What shared idea will hold your paragraph together?

  • My paragraph will focus on the idea that homeownership affects what families can give their children. The play shows this through Mama’s memory of Big Walter’s dreams, and the article explains it through intergenerational wealth.

Scoring Rubric

Part B: Peer Feedback for Evidence and Clarity (SL.7.1c) (15 minutes)

Students will read their drafts aloud to a partner and listen for two specific features: evidence from both texts and a clear cross-text connection.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Read your paragraph aloud to your partner. As you listen, look for where your partner cites evidence from the play, where they cite evidence from the NPR article, and whether the connection between the two texts is made explicit. After both partners read, take turns suggesting one strength and one revision for each other’s paragraphs, and jot one glow and one grow in your notes section. Partner A reads first while Partner B listens and takes notes. Then switch.

• Ask: What is one specific note you can give your partner about evidence or a connection?

  • I can say, “I noticed your evidence from the play in the line about Big Walter’s dreams. Add a sentence after the NPR quote that explains how both details connect to children and the future so the connection is clearer.”

• Ask: Which part of your partner’s paragraph made the cross-textual link clearest?

  • The clearest part was the last sentence because it said what the two texts together reveal. That sentence helped me see that the paragraph was not just listing evidence.

Connection to Today’s Learning

Students have drafted and received feedback on one paragraph; next, they will reflect on which writing move they used well and which one they still need to revise.

Keep this reflection short and specific so students leave with a clear revision target for homework.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Reread your paragraph and your partner’s notes. Then answer these questions about your draft. If you’d like, use the optional sentence starter. :

Optional Sentence Starter:

One strength in my paragraph is ___, and one revision I still need to make is ___.

• Ask: What is one strength in your draft, and what is one revision you still need to make? Cite at least two specific details.

  • One strength in my paragraph is that I used Mama’s memory of Big Walter’s dream for his children and the article’s point about intergenerational wealth to stay focused on one shared idea. My transition “Similarly, the NPR article . . .” helped the paragraph sound connected. One revision I still need to make is adding a clearer final sentence that explains how being shut out of homeownership blocks both hope and wealth building. Ask: Which phrase or tool helped you connect the two texts most clearly today?

  • The phrase "This idea is echoed in . . .” helped me most because it forced me to explain the relationship between the play and the article instead of just dropping in another quote.

Instruct students to revise their paragraphs according to peer editing advice and to complete the following tasks in their Journal:

• Underline the sentence where you make the connection between the two texts most explicit.

• Revise at least one sentence for clarity.