Informational Writing Unit: Activists of Color Unit Plan

Description

Authors:

Andrea Chorney, K–12 Educator

Elisa Yzaguirre, K–12 Educator

This secondary informational/nonfiction reading and writing unit is designed so learners are familiar with non-fiction reading, writing, speaking and listening standards. Reading informational texts like current events articles and biographies allow learners to engage with close reading techniques like main and central idea, summarizing, annotating, and reading for a specific purpose. After reading, discussing, and engaging with various informational texts, videos and vocabulary, learners will write their informational paragraphs using the techniques they have learned to create an infographic. The infographics will be designed to bring awareness to the history, issue, and solutions the activism is addressing. They will also allow learners to make deeper connections to their topic of choice through a windows and mirrors paragraph.

Learners will engage with and analyze articles, books, videos, music and vocabulary about activism and activists of color to learn about ethnic studies and how and why people fought against systems of power. Learners will have academic conversations that focus on using social justice standards and essential questions to engage learners in addressing themes of Ethnic Studies connected to their activism topics. In addition, learners will be interviewing each other and/or members of their community to discuss how their race, language, culture and identity have influenced their lives and the people around them.

*Differentiation for Multilingual Learners (MLs) is a part of this unit. MLs may need more exposure to the vocabulary listed in the unit with explicit practice. The unit is designed to include frequent opportunities for all learners, including MLs to orally process the concepts and engage with academic vocabulary. Vocabulary work is dispersed throughout this unit, however teachers are encouraged to add more ways to interact with the vocabulary through games like jeopardy (free versions can be found online), Kahoot, wordwall.net, etc. The Informational Word Wall included in several lessons has differentiated words for lower level learners. This means some of the words in the Informational Word Wall may not show up explicitly in the lessons, but may need to be taught depending on the level of language learners in any given classroom.

** Because this is an Ethnic Studies unit, teachers should preview all mentor texts and update if needed
based on the relevant happenings in the teacher’s geographic locations and needs/interests/identities of
the students.