Frederick Douglass
GRADE 8 (ELA) EXEMPLAR LESSON – Teacher Copy Quarter 3, Weeks 28-29: 03/11/13 – 03/22/13
|Learning Objectives |
The goal of this exemplar lesson is to give secondary students an opportunity to explore targeted passages of complex texts in order to examine the point of view of a man who survived slavery. Through teacher and student independent reading, scaffolded discussion of text-dependent questions, and classroom discussion, students will probe the various beliefs and points of view Douglass experienced as he became increasingly aware of the unfairness of his life. Students will consider the emotional context of words and how diction (word choice) affects an author’s message. Vocabulary is learned from context and writing aids deeper understanding of text. The lesson culminates in an evidentiary writing activity. Teachers may need to further scaffold the activities to address individual students’ needs depending on the intent of the lesson and specific learners’ needs.
Rationale: When combined with writing about the passage and teacher feedback, students will form a deeper understanding of how slavery affected those involved. It is critical that students grapple with rich text in the content areas. It is particularly important that students recognize that it is key that they understand what an author is actually saying in the text before they proceed to analysis of that text. The steps in this exemplar, from summary level understanding to analytical/inferential understanding, are intended to help build this habit of mind in students.
|Text Title(s): Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself |
|Genre/Text Structure: novel excerpt
|Learning Objectives |
The goal of this exemplar lesson is to give secondary students an opportunity to explore targeted passages of complex texts in order to examine the point of view of a man who survived slavery. Through teacher and student independent reading, scaffolded discussion of text-dependent questions, and classroom discussion, students will probe the various beliefs and points of view Douglass experienced as he became increasingly aware of the unfairness of his life. Students will consider the emotional context of words and how diction (word choice) affects an author’s message. Vocabulary is learned from context and writing aids deeper understanding of text. The lesson culminates in an evidentiary writing activity. Teachers may need to further scaffold the activities to address individual students’ needs depending on the intent of the lesson and specific learners’ needs.
Rationale: When combined with writing about the passage and teacher feedback, students will form a deeper understanding of how slavery affected those involved. It is critical that students grapple with rich text in the content areas. It is particularly important that students recognize that it is key that they understand what an author is actually saying in the text before they proceed to analysis of that text. The steps in this exemplar, from summary level understanding to analytical/inferential understanding, are intended to help build this habit of mind in students.
|Text Title(s): Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself |
|Genre/Text Structure: novel excerpt