Lesson 19: Discussion: Red, White, and Whole and “Search for My Tongue”

Partners should have their essays and poems open so they can point to specific text landmarks while speaking.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: In Lesson 18, we revised our essays so our claims stayed visible from beginning to end. Today we are taking that a step further as we articulate our ideas out loud and test whether our evidence holds up when challenged orally.

Writing clarifies thinking, but so does having to explain your argument to another person and defend it when they push back.

Partner A, share first for 30 seconds. Partner B, listen for the claim and the evidence, then switch. Begin.

• Ask: Which symbol or poem detail became more important to your argument while you were drafting or revising your argument and why?

  • While I was revising, the river image in “Two” started to matter more to me because I had to explain that Reha is not just noticing differences. In the line where she describes swimming among white skin and floating among brown skin and black hair, the water image shows her moving between worlds instead of fully landing in one.

Connection to Today’s Learning

Students will now learn the fishbowl moves that will help them test those ideas in a more formal discussion.

Guide students in using the fishbowl protocol to develop and test arguments about imagery and theme.

Say: Today you will discuss, which poem image better reveals the theme of identity under pressure, and what textual details support your opinion

Display: “Two” (p. 1) and direct students to read this line:“I swim in a river of white skin”

Display: “Search for My Tongue and direct students to read these lines:“your mother tongue would rot / rot and die”

Fishbowl Conversations

Say these Directions: Today’s fishbowl is not just a conversation circle. It is a way to test an argument in public by making a claim, naming textual evidence, and responding to someone else’s idea with additional evidence. The goal is not to “win”; the goal is to notice where your analysis is strong and where your argument still needs work.

Teach: Entering a Fishbowl with a Claim

• Say: I want to show you what a strong fishbowl opening might sound like. I might begin by saying,

I think writing my argument changed how I read “Two” because I had to pay closer attention to the river image.

• Say: Then I would name the text landmark:

In the line where Reha says she swims in a river of white skin, the image does not just describe appearance; it shows motion and pressure.

• Say: Next, I would explain why that matters to my position:

It helped me see that her identity feels active and unsettled, not fixed.

• Say: If I want to connect to “Search for My Tongue,” I can add:

The rotting tongue image feels more violent, so the two poems show different kinds of identity struggles.

• Say: Finally, I would invite the discussion forward by saying:

I want to know whether others think one symbol shows loss more sharply than the other.

• Say: That is what makes a fishbowl strong: claim, landmark, evidence, explanation, then an opening for others.

Review these fishbowl norms before your partner discussion:

• Speak to the circle, not just to the teacher.

• Build on or challenge an idea respectfully.

• Use a text landmark before you quote or paraphrase.

• Listen for which ideas are well supported and which need more evidence.

Use these Fishbowl sentence stems during your partner discussion:

• My claim is … because …

• In the part where the speaker says ..., the symbol suggests ...

• I want to build on that by adding ...

• I see a counterargument here because ...

• I’m not sure that the evidence fully supports the claim because ...

• Say: Now you will practice just the entry move with a partner. Give one short claim, one piece of evidence, and one reason. Your partner should listen for all three parts.

• Ask: Which poem image better reveals the theme of identity under pressure, and what textual details support your opinion?

  • I think the tongue image in “Search for My Tongue” shows identity under pressure more sharply. In the middle section where the speaker describes the tongue rotting and falling away, the image makes identity loss feel physical and painful.

• Say: Partner A, practice your opening in 20 seconds. Partner B, listen and then say back the claim you heard. Then switch.

Connection to Today’s Learning:

Students are ready to use the protocol in a full fishbowl and listen for where arguments are strongest.

Part A: First Fishbowl Round (SL.7.1.a, SL.7.4.a) (15 minutes)

Place the preselected or volunteer students in the inner circle. The outer circle listens and tracks one strongly supported claim and one claim that needs stronger support in their journals.

Fishbowl Conversations

Say these Directions: Inner circle, discuss the question using your draft, the poems, and at least one piece of textual evidence. Outer circle, divide your journal page into two headings: Strongly Supported Claims and Claims to Push Further. As you listen, track which claims are backed up by clear evidence and which ones still need stronger proof.

Teach: Evaluating Support While You Listen

• Say: When I listen to a discussion, I do not just decide whether I agree. I ask:

  • What is the claim? AND

  • What evidence is doing the work?

• Say: If a speaker says a symbol shows identity loss, I listen for a text landmark and for an explanation of how that image creates that meaning. If the speaker only names a line but does not explain it, that claim may sound interesting, but it is still weak. Strong discussion sounds like a chain: claim, evidence, commentary.

• Say: As you listen today, your job is to notice where that chain holds and where it breaks.

• Ask: Did writing this argument change how you read either poem? Explain using one direct quote and one specific detail.

  • Yes, writing my argument changed how I read “Two.” In the part where Reha describes herself moving through “a river of white skin” (p. 1) in one place and “a sea of brown skin and black hair” (p. 1) in another, I used to read the image as a simple contrast, but now I see it as a symbol of being pulled between identities.

• Ask: Outer circle, which claim sounds strongest so far, and what evidence makes it strong?

  • The strongest claim is that “Search for My Tongue” shows identity loss more physically. It feels strong because the speaker pointed to the middle section where the tongue “rots” and explained that this image makes language loss feel like losing part of the body.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Connection to Today’s Learning:

Students will now switch circles and test the strongest counterarguments they heard in the first round.

Part B: Switch, Respond, and Test the Counterargument (SL.7.1.c, SL.7.1.d, SL.7.4.a) (15 minutes)

Instruct students to switch circles. The new inner circle should begin by responding directly to an idea they heard rather than starting with a completely new point.

Fishbowl Conversations

Say these Directions: Outer circle, move into the inner seats. Your job is to respond directly to what you heard in the first round. Name the strongest counterargument to the earlier position, then decide whether the textual evidence actually holds it up or whether a better detail is needed.

Teach: Responding to a Counterargument

• Say: A strong counterargument does not just say I disagree. It names the strongest opposing idea fairly and then tests it with evidence. I might say:

  • A strong counterargument is that “Two” shows in-between identity more clearly than total loss, because the river image suggests movement rather than disappearance.

• Then I would test that idea by asking whether the evidence really supports it across the whole poem. If the poem later shifts in tone or structure, I need to bring that in too.

• Say: Good discussion is not just choosing a side fast; it is weighing which reading the text can actually support.

• Ask: Where is the strongest counterargument to the first circle’s position, and does the textual evidence actually support it?

  • The strongest counterargument is that “Two” may be more effective than “Search for My Tongue” because it shows identity tension without making it only about loss. The evidence does hold up partly, especially in the lines about moving between white and brown worlds, but a speaker would need to explain the structure more clearly to prove why that symbol is more layered.

• Ask: Which piece of evidence sounded weakest, and what stronger text detail could replace or deepen it?

  • One weaker piece of evidence was when a speaker said the tongue image proves total identity loss without mentioning the ending. A stronger detail would include the final section where the tongue grows back, because that changes the meaning from pure loss to regrowth and reclaiming identity.

Connection to Today’s Learning:

Students will end by naming one revision their essays need after hearing their ideas tested out loud.

Have students reflect on one targeted revision based on discussion and support it with specific evidence.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Think about what you could revise in your essay after today’s fishbowl. Be honest about where your argument could go further.

• Ask: If you could revise just one thing in your essay based on today’s discussion, what would it be and why? Cite at least two specific poem details or discussion moments that show why this revision matters.

Optional Sentence Starter:

I would revise my ___ because today I realized that ___.

• I would revise my counterargument paragraph because today’s fishbowl showed me that I treated “Search for My Tongue” too simply. In the part where the tongue rots and falls away, the image makes identity loss feel painful and physical, and I should have admitted that more clearly. I also need to talk about the ending where the tongue grows back, because that detail makes the poem about regrowth, not only loss. If I strengthen that part of my essay, my own position about “Two” will sound more thoughtful and better supported.

Students read their independent reading book for 20 minutes and complete a reading log entry.