ENGLISH III – Grade 11 Monday, May 4 – Friday, May 8

PURPOSE

Learning Standards: • I can determine two or more themes of a text and analyze their development over the course

of the text. (RL.2) • I can write arguments to support claims in an analysis of texts, using valid reasoning and

relevant and sufficient evidence. (W.1)

WATCH

Monday: Watch “First-Generation Americans Talk About The American Dream”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D69Il5tTAIU. Read “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus. *Can be printed for screen-free activities.

Tuesday: Read the poem “I, Too” by Langston Hughes. *Can be printed for screen-free activities.

Wednesday: Read the poem “Revolutionary Dreams” by Nikki Giovanni and an excerpt from “How it Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston. *Can be printed for screen-free activities.

Thursday: View the images associated with the four texts from Monday-Wednesday’s readings.

PRACTICE

Monday: After watching the video, read the poem and annotate in the margin using the guiding questions. Complete the practice thesis statement. Finally, fill in the brief chart comparing the video to the poem. Tuesday: After reading the poem “I, Too” by Langston Hughes, fill in the poem map. Wednesday: After reading the texts by Giovanni and Hurston, answer the post-reading questions for each.

Thursday: Fill in the theme tracker chart for the four texts. Then, match evidence from each text with an associated image. *All Practice activities this week can be printed as screen-free activities or done on loose-leaf paper.

DISCUSS

Friday: Here is your writing assignment:

Which text best develops its themes? Choose ONE of the four texts read this week and think about what made that one stand out to you. What devices or techniques does the author use that make the text so impactful? Write a multi-paragraph response that 1) explains at least TWO themes the author discusses in the text and 2) argues why those themes were the most well-developed.

Before writing your essay, have a verbal brainstorm. Explain the writing prompt to your sibling, parent, or a peer via safe communication. Discuss with them your ideas on which two themes you chose and what evidence supports your decisions.

*Screen-free activity.

PRODUCT

Friday: Again, here is your writing assignment for today:

Which text best develops its themes? Choose ONE of the four texts read this week and think about what made that one stand out to you. What devices or techniques does the author use that make the text so impactful? Write a multi-paragraph response that 1) explains at least TWO themes the author discusses in the text and 2) argues why those themes were the most well-developed.

Review the writer’s checklist as you prepare to write your response.

*Screen-free activity.

Monday, May 4

“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus

Context: Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) was a Jewish American poet, best known for her sonnet “The New Colossus.” This poem is currently engraved on a bronze plaque and displayed on the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal. The statue stands across from the historic Ellis Island, through which millions of immigrants came into the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes

command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries

she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Look up images of the Colossus of Rhodes referenced here. How does this contrast with the way the Statue of Liberty is described?

What is an exile? How does the metaphor “Mother of Exiles” help characterize the Statue of Liberty?

Paraphrase these lines “spoken” by the statue. What is she saying to the countries from which immigrants come?

Think about the annotation questions you answered while reading the poem and what theme or message the poem may be expressing. Create a practice thesis statement based on your analysis. A thesis statement on theme addresses both specific reasoning from the text and the broader message or theme the text conveys. Use the frame provided below if needed to construct your practice thesis statement on theme.

Thesis statement frame:

Although the Colossus of Rhodes from ancient Greece was_________________________________, the “New Colossus, the Statue of Liberty, is described as__________________________________________. This supports the poet’s message that America is___________________________________________.

Choose a quote from the poem “The New Colossus” that connects with something you heard in the “First-Generation Americans Talk About The American Dream” video. Explain the connection.

Quote Explanation

Tuesday, May 5:

“I, Too” by Langston Hughes

Context: Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, and social activist. Hughes was also a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a social and political movement of black artists in Harlem, New York.

I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then. Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed— I, too, am America.

For the poem “I, Too,” fill out the following poem map. Fill in the outer bubbles first, then use the information to help you determine the theme of the poem. For the top two bubbles, complete the left side to help you determine the right side. For example, determine key words and phrases in the poem (words that seem particularly important) and then use those words to help you list major topics you believe the poem addresses. See an example completed chart for the poem “America” by Claude McKay from a previous week’s lesson.

Speaker’s Characteristics

THEME

Sample using “America” by Claude McKay:

bitterness love bigness might sinking

Conflict Power Love/Hate Stability

Although America has not treated the speaker with respect, he is conflicted. He feels appreciation for the strength he’s gained from his trials in America, yet he seems to believe that the promises of America may not stand the test of time.

- victim but also rebels - gains strength from America - feels wonder for America but also that its “treasure” may fall

Speaker’s Characteristics and Feelings

THEME

Wednesday, May 6

“Revolutionary Dreams” By Nikki Giovanni I used to dream militant dreams of taking over america to show… how it should be done I used to dream radical dreams of blowing everyone away with my perceptive powers of correct analysis I even used to think I'd be the one to stop the riot and negotiate the peace then I awoke and dug that if I dreamed natural dreams of being a natural woman doing what a woman does when she's natural I would have a revolution.

Post-Reading Questions for “Revolutionary Dreams” by Nikki Giovanni (access from http://www.renaissancewedding.org/text/revolutionary_dreams_by_nikki_gi.htm)

Context: Nikki Giovanni is a well-known African American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator.

1. Jot down or circle three or four words that seem important in the first three stanzas of the poem. Next, jot down or underline two or three words that seem important in the fourth/final stanza.

2. How does the speaker’s tone seem to shift from the third stanza to the fourth? 3. What is a theme of this poem? What message is the speaker trying to convey about her

perspective? How does the tone shift help develop the theme?

from the essay “How it Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston

Context: Zora Neale Hurston was an African American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, anthropologist, and one of the most important figures of the Harlem Renaissance.

I have no separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries. My country, right or wrong.

Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me.

But in the main, I feel like a brown bag of miscellany propped against a wall. Against a wall in company with other bags, white, red and yellow. Pour out the contents, and there is discovered a jumble of small things priceless and worthless. A first-water diamond, an empty spool, bits of broken glass, lengths of string, a key to a door long since crumbled away, a rusty knife-blade, old shoes saved for a road that never was and never will be, a nail bent under the weight of things too heavy for any nail, a dried flower or two still a little fragrant. In your hand is the brown bag. On the ground before you is the jumble it held--so much like the jumble in the bags, could they be emptied, that all might be dumped in a single heap and the bags refilled without altering the content of any greatly. A bit of colored glass more or less would not matter. Perhaps that is how the Great Stuffer of Bags filled them in the first place--who knows?

Post-reading Questions

1. What is the author’s attitude about being both black and American? Cite evidence to support your response.

2. The author compares herself to a brown bag in the final paragraph. How does she describe the other bags? What do they look like? What are their contents? What might the bags represent?

3. Reread this statement from the essay: “On the ground before you is the jumble it held--so much like the jumble in the bags, could they be emptied, that all might be dumped in a single heap and the bags refilled without altering the content of any greatly.” What might the author mean when she says the bags could be refilled without altering the contents greatly? What is her message about humanity, and how does this final paragraph help develop this?

Thursday, May 7

You’ve read three poems and one excerpt from an essay this week. Fill in the following chart to track how these texts share common topics. Additionally, though the topics may overlap, each text’s author has his or her own perspectives and message about the topics. Based on the text evidence, decide what those themes are and write them in the final column. Remember, a text’s theme should be a broader message that could translate to other texts, as well. The final column is for the theme/message only, so don’t use the titles of the texts in this column. A few have been done for you as examples.

Topics Texts that address topic (Not every text may address every topic.)

What is the theme of the text regarding this topic or what is the author’s message about the topic? (Complete this for each text you found to address the topic.)

America (itself)

● “The New Colossus”

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● America is a welcoming place for all those in need.

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Identity ●

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Injustice

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American Dream

● “Revolutionary Dreams”

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● Although the American Dream could be accomplished through power and activism, a better method may be self-acceptance and the example it sets.

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Each of the following images was found to be associated with the four texts read this week. For each, choose a quote from the text the image represents, and jot it underneath the image. Then, write a few notes or draw arrows from words in the quote to parts of the image to express your thoughts on how the image connects to the text.

Image #1: “The New Colossus”

QUOTE:

Image #2: “I, Too”

QUOTE:

Image #3: “Revolutionary Dreams”

QUOTE:

Image #4: “How it Feels to be Colored Me”

QUOTE:

Friday, May 8

Writer’s Checklist:

Look for…

Understanding

• the claim is a specific and valid response to the prompt, demonstrating understanding of the text

• the evidence is accurate and well-chosen • the essay explains the evidence in a way that makes sense

Focus • there is a clear claim or thesis / focus statement • the reader can easily identify the writer’s main idea (focus)

Evidence and Elaboration

• relevant, accurate evidence from text that supports and develops the claim / thesis

• sufficient evidence from text to support the claim • elaboration that explains and /or analyzes

how the evidence supports the claim / thesis

Organization

• flow of ideas is logical and easy to follow • introduction provides needed context • conclusion restates the focus and / or follows clearly from the thinking

in the essay • transitions / linking phrases make connections between concepts

and ideas clear

Style and Word

Choice

• style is appropriate to purpose and audience • word choice is precise • sentence length and structure is varied and effective

Conventions

• Errors in mechanics and grammar do not impede the reader’s understanding of the text