Courageous Contributors: Grade 6
Students will read a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts about how individuals and communities persevere through prejudice and injustice alongside this anchor text, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. Students will envision how they can be courageous contributors to their
communities in the face of injustice and challenge students to explore how communities can work together to disrupt prejudice and courageously take a stance for equality. Students will reflect on this coming-of-age story as an
evaluation of courage and navigating systemic injustice during the American South during the Great Depression. Students will collaborate to learn more about the
experiences of minorities during the Great Depression, understand elements of the historical
context of the American South in the 1930s, and describe how the plot of Roll of Thunder, Hear My
Cry helps to teach themes that can inform our modern lives.. (Click to view the book -movie trailer) synopsis of the District of Columbia Public Schools
My Evolving Self: Grade 7
Students will read the fictional novel, The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, for 17 instructional days, with 3 additional days dedicated to students composing evidence-based written responses to the Anchor Text Writing Task 2. Prior to beginning the novel study, students will explore the stages of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey narrative pattern for 6 days. Students are then able to read The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm using their knowledge of the hero’s journey narrative pattern to trace and analyze the plot of the novel and the development of the protagonist over the course of the text. Synopsis by the District of Columbia Public Schools
Dreaming in America: Grade 8
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Unit 1 will challenge students to continually make text-to-text connections as they read a selection of fiction
and non-fiction texts. As students evaluate the perspectives presented in each text, they will also be asked to
consider the notion of equitable access for all to the idyllic American Dream.
 Students will read the drama, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry to explore multiple definitions of
the American Dream and how attaining the American Dream can be complicated by one’s lived
experiences.(Click on the book image to view the book -movie trailer) synopsis of the District of Columbia Public Schools