Lesson 19: March: Book One, Reflect and Respond Dialogue

Turn and Talk

Have students take out March: Book One with their annotations.

• Lesson 18 Homework: Students were instructed to reflect on the Essential Question, “How does storytelling become a tool for civic change?” How would you respond to this question now after reading pp. 1–73 of March? by writing initial thoughts in their Journal and reviewing their annotation.

Say these Directions: Turn and talk with a partner about the following question to prepare for today’s discussion.

• Ask: Which moments from March or other texts best help you understand injustice or activism?

  • (Student responses may vary.) The boycott helped me understand that activism can be a collective, community-based action that takes place over time instead of just one day or one moment (pp. 57–61). The excerpt about Lewis wanting to integrate Troy State also shows the personal risk of activism, as Lewis’s plan creates tension at home and highlights real consequences (pp. 70–73) of activist work in the 1950s South.

Co-Construction of Discussion Norms

Say these Directions: Let’s decide on clear norms for our group discussion using the following prompts.

• Ask: Our first norm should be about listening. What does strong listening look and sound like?

  • • eyes on speaker, quiet body, taking notes, and waiting for a pause

  • Say: Let’s put it in a clear norm: We listen with our bodies and without interrupting. That means that our bodies and attention are on the speaker and there is one voice at a time, and we wait until a speaker finishes before responding.

• Ask: Our second norm should be about using evidence. In this unit, how do we support the opinions we share?

  • Ask: What counts as evidence for March?

    • narration, a line of dialogue, a panel detail, a sequence of panels, an image choice (contrast, size, framing)

  • Say: Let’s write the norm: We ground our comments in textual or visual evidence. When you speak, try to include a page number and describe the text and visuals so others can find it.

• Ask: Our final norm should be about how we respond. In a strong discussion, we respond to ideas, not to people. What are respectful ways to disagree or build on someone’s thinking?

  • • “I agree because . . . ,” “I want to add . . . ,” “I see it differently because . . . ,” and “Can you clarify . . . ?”

  • Say: Let’s write the norm: We respond to ideas rather than individuals. We don’t label someone’s comment as ‘wrong’; instead, we explain our thinking and evidence.

Part A: Model Discussion (10 minutes) (SL.8.1.b)

Reflect and Respond Dialogue

Say these Directions: Before beginning the group discussion, review the Reflect and Respond Dialogue routine.

Say:

• During our discussion today, we’re going to follow the Reflect and Respond Dialogue routine. This routine helps us build meaning together instead of just sharing separate opinions. Now, here’s what our group discussion will look like today. You will work in groups of four, and each round will follow the same structure:

  1. I will ask and post the text-dependent question.

  2. You will get two to three minutes to reread, find evidence, and jot ideas in response.

  3. One student begins as the presenter and shares their responses.

  4. Each student has one minute to speak and share their responses.

  5. The final student has 30 seconds to synthesize the group’s thinking, naming one point of agreement and one new insight.”

• To make sure everyone practices leadership, the first speaker and the final speaker will rotate each round. By the end, each person will have led once and ended once. And remember to follow the norms we established for this discussion.

Provide students with the Accountable Talk Sentence Stems and Reflect and Respond graphic organizers to help them formulate their thoughts during the discussion.

Modeling a Discussion Round

Choose three students to join you in modeling a discussion round. Post the example question on the board: “How does March show Lewis transitioning from observing change to taking action, and what consequences come with that action?” Give students in the model group two minutes to find text evidence to support their responses before starting the model discussion.

• Have Student 1 start as the presenter.

  • On pp. 71–72, the text shows Lewis asking for support to being warned his family could be hurt, which shows that taking action requires accepting real risk, not just feeling inspired.

• Have Student 2 respond:

  • I agree, and the sequence of short steps before that, applying to Troy State and then waiting without hearing back (p. 66), makes the risk feel like it’s building.

• Have Student 3 respond:

  • I want to add that Lewis’s parents’ fear on p. 72 shows why the risk matters beyond him, because the consequences could spread to people who didn’t choose the fight.

• Playing the role as the final speaker, model how to synthesize the group’s thinking:

  • Say: Hearing your points helps me see the consequences more clearly: the work of desegregating a college is a thoughtful choice that feels slow and deliberate, but the warnings and family fear show how that action could become dangerous for all involved.

Part B: Group Discussion (20 minutes) (RI.8.3, RI.8.5, SL.8.1.a-d)

Reflect and Respond Dialogue

Separate students into groups of four and launch the group discussions.

Say these Directions: Use the Reflect and Respond Dialogue routine in your group to discuss each of these questions.

Ask:

• Which moment from March most clearly shows how injustice affects individuals, and why?

  • One moment is when Lewis realizes that his school facilities are not as nice as the “nice playground” that the white children have (p. 48).

• How do Lewis's personal experiences help readers understand larger social or civic issues? Use a specific example.

  • His personal experiences show the impact of segregation. For example, when he tries to integrate Troy State, he has to think about the impact on his family, and this speaks to a larger issue around discrimination and segregation.

• How do visual elements such as the panels, sequencing, graphics, or colors shape how readers understand activism or resistance?

  • The panels and sequencing show Lewis' determination and resistance, especially when he wants to apply to Troy State.

• How does storytelling become a tool for civic change? Reference at least one piece of text evidence from March. Optionally, you may also reference another text from this unit.

  • Lewis’s personal story shows how he understands segregation and why he wants to push against that oppressive system to make change. For example, he shows the inequalities of the South versus the North when taking his trip North and seeing the possible “danger” they could be in if they stopped at the wrong gas station or tried to eat at a restaurant (p. 38-30).

Use the Unit 1 Academic Discussion 1 Scoring Rubric to assess students’ discussion performance.

Unit 1 Academic Discussion 1 Scoring Rubric

Reflection

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

Say these Directions: Reflect on your ability to participate in a group discussion using the Reflection routine.

• Ask: Based on our work today, how confident are you in contributing ideas, listening to others, and using evidence during future discussions? What goal would you like to accomplish next?

Refer students to their copy of March. Instruct students to read pages 74-82 of March and take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

As you read pages 74-82 of March, annotate the text for the following:

• What philosophy (a system of thought or guidance) is John Lewis introduced to, and how does he learn it?