Concept Unit

Lesson Plan Template

Unit Working Title: Taking Courageous Action
Unit Big Idea (Concept/Theme): Courageous Action
Unit Primary Skill focus: Persuasion
Week __2__ of 3; Plan #_4_ of 9; [~90 mins.]
Plan type: _x_Full-Detail ____Summary
Content Requirement Satisfied: A reading experience. Genre: Song, genre: news
video, genre: poetry
(Note: Refer to the list in the document called Concept Unit Lesson Plans)
Unit Learning Objectives (numbered) [from my Backwards Design Unit Document],
followed by Specific lesson objectives (lettered) being taught in this lesson:
SWBAT:
Cognitive (know/understand):
1. Studentswillbeabletounderstandthatspeakinguprequirescourage.
b. Studentswillbeabletoknowthatwritingisamethodofspeakingup.
d.Studentswillbeabletoknowthatwritingisoftenaprecursortospeakingup
orally.
1. Studentswillbeabletounderstandtherelationshipbetweenmakingachoiceand
speakingup.
a. Studentswillbeabletoknowthatspeakingupoftencomesfromaplace
offeelingconflictingemotions.
Affective (feel/value) and/or Non-Cognitive:
3.Studentswillbeabletofeelconfident/empoweredtospeakup.
b.Studentswillrespondtotheirpeersusinglanguagethatisrespectfuland
appropriatetotheaudienceandcontext.
4.Studentswillbeabletovaluecourageousactionasworththechallenge.
a.Studentswillbeabletoreflectonthevalueofcourageousactionthrough
writing.
Performance (do):
5.Studentswillbeabletoactcourageously.
b.Studentswillbeabletodeveloptheirpersonaldefinitionsofcourage.
6.Studentswillbeabletoanalyzetheprocessofacourageousaction.

a.Studentswillbeabletoanalyzetheprocessofacourageousactiondonebyother
people.
7.Studentswillbeabletoreflectontheeffectofacourageousaction.
b. Studentswillreflectontherelationshipbetweenmakingachoiceandspeaking
up.

SOLs:
7.1 The student will participate in and contribute to conversations, group discussions, and
oral presentations.
Communicate ideas and information orally in an organized and succinct manner.
Use language and style appropriate to audience, topic, and purpose.
7.7 The student will write in a variety of forms with an emphasis on exposition,
narration, and persuasion.
a) Identify intended audience.
b) Use a variety of prewriting strategies including graphic organizers to generate
and organize ideas.
CCSs:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,

and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision)
and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific
tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Methods of Assessment:
[How will you know if the intended learning occurred?] List all methods of assessment
used in this lesson or which are related to this lesson and come in a future lesson. After
each assessment, indicate in brackets the number(s) and letter(s) of the unit objective and
the related lesson objectives that the assessment is evaluating.
Diagnostic

Formative

Summative

Do Now: Quick Write

I will assess the
students initial ability
to explore their own
courageous actions in
writing when I review
the Do Now responses
in their Writers
Notebooks. This will
inform my instruction
by letting me know if I
need to provide more
in-class time to look at
mentor texts
demonstrating courage
and providing
scaffolding. (1b, 2a, 3a,
7b)
Do Now: Quick Write
Sharing
I will assess the
students initial ability
to respond to their
peers in a respectful
manner. This will
inform my instruction
by letting me know if
we need to revisit our
classroom norms and
relearn or redefine our
definition of respect.
(1d, 3b)

What Does Having

Courage Look Like?
Handout:
I will review the
students drawings and
explanations of this
handout in order to
assess their developing
ability to analyze the
process of a courageous
action done by other
people. This will inform
my instruction in
influencing what kinds
of mentor texts I will
choose to best support
student interests and
explorations of different
expressions of courage.
(1b, 2a, 6a, 7b)
Reflection
I will use students
reflections on how to
frame their courageous
action for the Use Your
Voice project to assess
students development
of their own definitions
of courage and
changing attitudes
towards the value of
courage. This will inform
my instruction by
showing me how
students understanding
of courage (against
injustices) is developing,
how student progress
on their project is
developing, and what
kinds of guiding
questions I might need
to prepare to ask
students during our
conferences. (1b, 4a,

Use Your Voice Project

At the end of the unit on
Presentation Day
(Lesson Plan 9), students
will express their ideas
about courage (still
developing during this
lesson) by presenting
their persuasive text to
an audience of their
peers. Students will also
respond to each others
and their own acts of
courage in a reflection.

5b)

Procedures/Instructional Strategies
[Note: Any words that represent what I would say directly to students appear in italics.]
Beginning Room Arrangement:
[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in the plan]
Students are seated in tables of 4 (their base groups).
1. [13 mins.] Bridge/Hook/Opening to lesson:
Students will be seated at their base groups. Many of them will have gotten their
Writers Notebook per the instructions on the Google Slides, but some wont
have. I will start class by saying, Good morning, scholars! I hope youre having a
good day, because were going to be consuming some exciting and very different
texts today. Last class we dug deep to get to know our own perspectives on
courage a little better and also discussed how the media, TV, movies, books tend
to portray courage. Today, our main goal is to investigate how people can
demonstrate courage in different ways. We will think specifically about what
makes their actions courageous, and why these people are inspired to act.
Transition: The first thing we will start off with, as always, is a Do Now that is
projected on our projector screen. Todays is a quick write entry in your Writers
Notebook.
a. [5 min] Do Now: Quick Write
TheDoNowisalreadyprojectedontotheprojectorscreenwhenstudents
walkin.Iwillcontinuegivinginstructions,For those of you who have not
gotten your Writers Notebook yet, please do so that you can get started on
your Do Now. You will have 5 minutes to complete it. I will also remind
students that theywillbeexpectedtosharesomethingabouttheirquick

write;itiswrittenontheGoogleSlide,BepreparedtoshareaGolden
Linewiththerestoftheclass.
DoNowpromptasfollows:
Lookbackinyourlifeandrememberatimewhensomeonepushedyou
downorinsultedyou.Whathappened?Howdidyoureact?Howdidyou
feel?...Youhave5minutestobeginyourfreewrite.Ifstudentssaythat
neitherofthosethingshaseverhappenedtothem,Iwillsay,Ifneitherof
thosethingshavehappenedtoyou,pleaseimagineascenariowherea
randompersoncomesuptoyouinthemiddleoftheschooldayand
insultsyou(feelfreetoimaginewhatkindofinsultsorwhytheyinsulted
you,aswell).Howwouldyoufeel?Howdoyouthinkyouwouldreact?
AsstudentsarecompletingtheirDoNow,Iwilltakeattendanceandthen
circulatetoseewhatstudentsarewritingandhowmuchstudentsare
writing.Ifsomestudentsarestrugglingtowritedownsomething,Iwill
askthemtorememberaspecifictimewhentheywereliterallypushed
overontheplaygroundorfiguratively,likewhenafriendinsultedthem,
andthentowriteaboutwhathappened.
Iwillgivestudentsa1minutewarningwhentheQuickWritetimeis
comingtoanend.
b.[8mins.]DoNowShare
After5minutes,Iwillcallstudentattentionbacktomebysaying,Give
me5!andraisingmyhand.Whenstudentsnoticemycallingtheir
attention,theywillraisetheirhandsinresponse,makeeyecontactwith
me,andquietdown.IwillwaitfortheclasstogetquietbeforeIaskthem
toshare.Tellmehowyoufeltatthemomentwhenyou[insertstudent
example,suchasbeingrudelyshovedoverwhenstudentsarewalking
downthehallway].Howdidyoufeel?
Lookingfor:feelingliketheyhadtodosomethingbecausetheyfeltangry
orthatitwasunfair.Iwouldaddresseachstudentindividuallyandsay
somethingtotheeffectof,Itseemslikeyouhadsomereallystrong
emotionalreactionstothepersonwhodidthattoyou/thesituation.If
studentsdonotexplainwhathappenednext,Icouldaskthem,Ifyoufeel
comfortablewithsharingthis,whathappenednextdidyoudo
something,andifso,whatdidyoudo?
CanIhave35volunteerssharewithusyourGoldenLinefromyourfree
write?Ianticipatestudentstowriteabout:beingbullied,beingcalleda
meanname,beingpushedontheplayground,etc.AresponseIwould
havetothosestudentssharingvulnerableexperiencesisWow,thoseare

somegreatGoldenLines.Icanhearhowharditwasforyoutogo
throughthat,butyoumadeitthrough!
Transition:Illsay,Thoseweresomereallythoughtfulfreewrites.Itwas
braveofyoutosharethosepersonalmemorieswiththerestoftheclass
andIappreciateyoudiggingintoamemorythatmightbepainfulto
experienceagain.
Nowwearegoingtolistentoasingerwhowentthroughsomesimilarly
painfulexperiencesandwroteasongabouthowshestruggledandmade
ittotheotherside.ThissongiscalledSkyscraperbyDemiLovato.We
arelisteningtothisbecauseIwanttoexposeyoutodifferentwaysthat
peoplearetakingcourageousactionandthinkabouthowyoumightbe
abletofollowDemisexampleinbroadcastingamessagetoawide
audience.
IwillthenpassoutthetranscriptofthelyricsandthenpullupiTunesto
playthesong.
2. [19 mins.] Reading the Song Skyscraper
I will tell students, We are going to listen to the song and experience it first. We
will talk about what your emotional response is, and then go back and retrace the
actions of the speaker to try and figure out what emotions the speaker is feeling
and what inspires the speaker to sing this song.
Before we listen to the song, I will say, Hasanyoneheardofthissongbefore?
Someofyou?Letswaituntileveryonehasachancetolistentothesongandthen
wecanalltalkaboutit.Remember,aswearecarefully listening to the song, we
should be following along with the lyrics. Ifyouhearareallystrongimageora
lineyoureallylike,pleasecircleit.
WewilllistentoDemiLovatossongSkyscraper(3:43)withstudents
followingalongonatranscriptoflyrics.
a. [8 mins.] SkyscraperCall and Response
Afterthesongends,Iwillconductacallandresponsediscussionwithstudents
aboutdistinctivelyricsinthesong.Iwillask,Whatlyricsreallystruckyouwhen
youlistenedtothissong?Werethereanystrongimagesyoucouldseeinyour
headasyoulistened?
QuestionsImightaskinclude,Whatisyouremotionalresponsetothissong?
Whataresomethingsyounoticedaboutthesongthatmadeitreallypowerful?If
studentsarehavingtroublewithidentifyingtheiremotionalresponseorelements
ofthesongthatmadeitpowerful,Iwillaskamorescaffoldedquestionsuchas,

Whataresomelinesyouremember?Then,Iwillguidestudentstolookfor
repetitioninthesong:Lookingatthelyrics,whataresomelinesthatrepeat?
Lookingfor:LikeI'mmadeofglass,/LikeImmadeofpaper,Likea
skyscraper/Likeaskyscraper,Goonandtrytotearmedown/
Iwillberisingfromtheground,YoucantakeeverythingIhave
YoucanbreakeverythingIam,andGorun,run,run
Asstudentsaresharingthelyricstheynoticerepeat,Iwillhighlightthelinesthat
arebeingsharedonmycopyofthepoemunderthedocumentcamera.Iwill
instructthemtodothesameontheirowncopies:Letshighlightthoselinesthat
wejustdiscussed.Itllmakeiteasiertofindwhenwelookbackonthissongto
tracetheactionsofthespeaker.
Transition:Iwillsay,Nowthatwehavefoundsomekeywordsthatdescribethe
actionsofthespeaker,letstryandvisualizeinourmindswhatishappening.
b.[11mins.]VisualizationasaClass
Weasaclasswilllookattheactionsofthespeakerinthesongtogether.Iwill
haveastudentcomeuptotheboardanddrawwhattheythinktheactionis:Can
someonecometotheboardtodrawwhattheythinkthespeakersactionsare?To
therestoftheclass,Iwillsay,AsStudentBdrawsontheboard,makesureyou
arefollowingalongonyourownhandout.Ifyoureconfusedorhaveaslightly
differentimageinyourhead,wecandiscussitafterStudentBhasfinished
drawing.
StudentanswersIanticipate:itsconfusing,goingup,standingup,risinglikea
skyscraper.Ifstudentsareconfused,Iwilldirectthemtolookataspecificstanza
inthesong(thechorusstanzasandthebridge)anddiscusstheimagesinthere.
Letslookatoneofthechorusexamples.Iwill,onthecomputerscrolldownto
thispartofthelyricssectionandaskstudents,Tellmeabouttheimagethat
strikesyouthemostinthisstanza.
[Chorus:]
YoucantakeeverythingIhave
YoucanbreakeverythingIam
LikeI'mmadeofglass
LikeI'mmadeofpaper
OhOh
Goonandtrytotearmedown
Iwillberisingfromtheground
Likeaskyscraper
Likeaskyscraper

Ifstudentsdonotidentifythissimile,Iwillsay,Whatsanotherimageyoucan
findinthisstanza?Ifstudentsdoidentifythissimileofrisingbeingcomparedto
askyscraperbeingbuiltontheirown,Iwillgoaheadandask,Whatkindof
emotiondoyouthinkthatDemiisfeelingatthismomentwhenshedeclaresI
willberisingfromtheground/Likeaskyscraper/Likeaskyscraper?Ican
evenreplaythefewsecondsofthesongwherethisstanzaislocated.Lookingfor:
Demiisfeelingdefiant,sheisdaringsomeonetotryandtakeherdown,butshe
willstandandresistalleffortstotakeherdown.
Iwillthenasktheclassatlarge,Haveanyofyoufeltlikethisbefore?Whatwas
thesituation?Lookingfor:studentstodescribeafewsituationswherethey
struggledwithanynumberofthings(thesesituationswilllikelyberelatedtothe
selfratherthansituationsdepictedonTVorinamovie).Hmmm,Ihavefeltthe
samewayasyouscholars.Myparentsneversupportedmeinmycareerchoice
anditfeltliketheywerepushingmedownallthetime.ButIrememberstickingto
mychoicestobecomeateachernomatterwhattheysaidtotryandpersuademe
toadifferentfield(computerscience,law,etc.).Itwasreallyhardtostandstrong
andtall,butIdidit.AndhereIamtoday,beingwithyouscholars!
Transition:Sowehaveseenoneexampleofsomeonegoingthroughapersonal
struggleandfindingthecouragetokeepgoingandthentellingherstoryto
peoplethroughwritingasongandperformingit.Andwefoundthatalotofus
empathizewithheremotions.Nowwearegoingtolookatanexamplewhere
someoneistakingcourageousactionagainstthegovernment.
3. [23 mins.] Frontloading students about current race relations in the U.S.
I will explain the purpose of watching this video: The purpose of watching this
news video is to make connections from our class into the real world. Your Use
Your Voice Projects are going to help you make an impact in the world around
you, and here is a recent example of someone taking action to stand up for her
beliefs and against an injustice that she saw.
Transition: Before we actually watch the video, we are going to review some class
norms as this video contains something that is very controversial and many
people will have strong opinions about it.
a. [5 mins.] Review of Class Norms
I will continue to facilitate a review of the class norms. Lets go over the
class norms and remind ourselves of how we can make sure our class is a
safe space for EVERYONE. More specifically, if we want to be able to
respectfully disagree with another person, what would that look like?
Looking for: we should wait our turn to speak, not interrupting anyone
when theyre speaking, we should maintain a respectful tone, make eye
contact, inviting others into the conversation. I will respond, Yes, those are
all positive behaviors to keep in mind. Remember that its not a bad thing

to disagree with one another, in fact, disagreement makes conversation

more interesting! One thing to remember is that we need to express our
disagreement in a respectful way. What are some things you could say to
disagree with someone? Looking for: I can see what youre saying,
but I dont agree with you. I think Can you explain further what
you mean by that? It sounded like you were sayingto me, etc. As
students list these sentence stems, I will write them on the white board so
that students can reference it during the discussion.
Transition: Now that we have reviewed how to respectfully disagree with
someone and created a list of potential things we could say, we are going
to move onto watching our video.
b. [10 mins.] Watch Bree Newsome Video & Whole Class Discussion
I will explain what we are doing with the video: We are going to watch
this news video of someone taking courageous action in the year 2015 and
experience it first. We will talk about what your emotional response is,
and then go back and retrace the actions of the speaker to try and figure
out what emotions the activist is feeling and what inspires the activist to
take action.
I will not explain what happens in the video apart from my brief
description in the transition because I want to see how students respond to
this kind of courage: actually taking action (in a peaceful, nonviolent
manner). We will watch the videoofBreeNewsomeclimbingupthe
flagpoletotakedowntheConfederateflaginCharleston,SouthCarolina
andgettingarrested.(June27th,2015)
TobeginthediscussiononwhatBreeNewsomeisdoing,Iwillask,What
ishappeninginthevideo?Cansomeoneexplaintomewhatthe
courageousactionhereis?
Studentanswersmightbe:peacefulprotest,shesclimbingupthe
flagpole,shestakingdowntheflag,shesprotestingagainstthe
government,theflagisbad,shessayingsomethingaboutGod
Iwouldsay,SowhatIthinkImhearingyouguyssayisthatBree
Newsomeistakingcourageousactionbytakingdowntheflagbecause
itsendswhatsomepeopleseeasaharmfulmessage.TheConfederate
flagcanmeandifferentthingstodifferentpeople,andthatisokay!
CansomeonetellmewhatkindofmessageflyingtheConfederateflag
mighthave?
Iwillalsomakesuretosay,Wediscussedwhatshesdoingwhat
elseishappeninginthevideo?Iheardsomeonementionearlierabout
Breeshoutingsomething.Letswatchthissegmentagain.Pay
attentiontowhatsheissayingandwhoshewastalkingto.

Aftershowingstudentsthesegmentof0:271:44),Iwillask,Nowthat
wevewatchedthispartagaintotakeacloserlook,whatdowenotice
aboutBreesbehavior?WhatwasBreetalkingabout?

c.[8mins.]VisualizationofBreeNewsomeVideo&ElbowPartners
Then,theclasswilllookattheactionsoftheactivist,drawanddescribe
whattheythinkonthehandout.Studentswilldiscusstheirideaswiththeir
elbowpartner.Justlikelasttimewhenwelookedatthespeakersactions
inthesongSkyscraper,nowwewilllookatBreeNewsomesactions.
Wewillwatchthevideoagain;asyouwatch,besuretokeepaneyeon
BreeNewsomesactions.Whatisshedoing,inthismomentofcourageous
action?Issherunningaway,isshestayinghere?Whatdirectiononthe
flagpoleisshegoing?Iwillplayasmallsegmentofthevideo,justofthe
partwhenBreeisclimbingupthepoleandsayingsomethingtothecrowd.
ThenIwillguidestudentstofocusontheirWhatDoesHavingCourage
LookLikehandout.TakeamomenttocloseyoureyesandvisualizeBree
Newsomesactions/pathway.Takeafewminutestodrawitonyour
handoutandthenwriteanexplanationforyourdrawing.Turntoyour
elbowpartnerandtake2minutestodiscussyourdrawings.Wewillthen
shareoutasaclass.Iwillcirculateandobservewhatstudentsaresaying.
Iwillhaveastudentcomeuptotheboardanddrawwhattheythinkthe
actionisandjustifytheiranswer(referencingwhatBreedidorsaidinthe
video).
Discussionwrapupandtransition:Iheardalotofgreatinsightsabout
courageousaction.ThisgroupoverheretalkedaboutBreeclimbingup
anddownthepolebeingasimpleactionthatshowedalotofcourageon
herpart,whilethisgroupdiscussedwhatsheshoutedasbeingjustas
powerful.Andthegroupbythebacknoticedsomethingreallyimportant;
afterBreecamedown,shestoodthereatthebottomandletherselfbe
arrested.Althoughsheknewthatshewasgoingtobearrested,shestill
stucktoherdecisionandfollowedthroughwithhercourageousactionof
takingdowntheConfederateflag.Thisisareallygreatwaytoconnectto
thepoemwerereadingtodaybyMayaAngelou,whichisabouttaking
courageousactionevenwhenpeopledisagreewithyouandtrytoprevent
youfromtakingaction.
4. [27 mins.] Reading Still I Rise
a.[7mins.]ReadAloudofStillIRise
IwillaskastudenttopassoutcopiesofStillIRisetoeveryonewhileI
giveinstructions.WeareconductingaclassReadAloudbymyself,
differentstudents,andNickiMinajseveraltimes,nottoperformbut

tounderstandwhatsgoingoninthepoem.IwilldoafirstReadAloud
ofthepoemandthenaskforvolunteerstotryandpractice.Howdothey
getthecopiesofthepoemorisitjustprojectedontheboard?
IwillreadaloudStillIRisebyMayaAngelou.Pleasefollowalongand
readinyourheadasIreadaloud.Thinkaboutthecourageousactionthe
speakeristakinginthispoem.
Iwillreadthepoemaloud.ThenIwillaskaboutvocabularywords:Are
thereanyvocabularywordsthatareconfusingforyou?SomewordsI
anticipatediscussingare:trod(line3),sassiness(line5),oilwells(line7),
andhaughtiness(line17).
ThenIwillinviteseveralstudentstoreadaloudtheentirepoembyasking
forvolunteers.Whowantstoreadthispoemaloudforusagain?Ifthere
aremultiplestudentsraisingtheirhands,Iwillchoose23students,
especiallythosewhomayhavenotspokentodayalready,toeachread
about3stanzas.Dontworryaboutmispronouncingwords;itisokayto
makemistakesbecausewearealllearningandseeingthispoemforthe
firsttime.Totherestoftheclass,Iwillgivethemthesamepurposeas
before.MakesureyouarefollowingalongaswelistentoStudentsA,B,
andCread.Thinkaboutthecourageousactionistakinginthispoem
again;doesyourthinkingchangebasedonthewaythepoemisread?
Iftherearenostudentvolunteers,Iwillsay,Nobodywantstoreadit?All
right,Iwillrespectthat.KeepinmindthatIwillkeepaskinginfuture
classesbecauseIwanttogiveyoutheopportunitytopracticereading
aloudandimprovereadingfluency.But,weareasafespacehereandI
wantyoutofeelcomfortabledoingit.
Withnostudentvolunteerstoreadthepoem,thenwewilldefinitelylisten
toNickiMinajreadthispoem.Iwantyoutohearthispoemreadina
differentway.NickiMinajintentionallyspeakswithatonethatisdifferent
fromthekindoftonethatweusedwhenreadingaloudthispoem.Asyou
watchandlisten,thinkabouttheeffectsofNickiMinajsperformanceof
thispoem.Howisitdifferentfromourexperienceofreadingitseveral
timesasaclass?Whatdidshedowithhervoiceandherbodylanguage
tohelpmakeherperformancemorepowerful?
IfthereAREstudentvolunteersandwearerunningoutoftime,Iwill
considerskippingoverthispartoflisteningtoNickiMinajsreadingand
movingontoanalyzingthecourageousactioninthepoem.

Transition:Nowthatwehaveheardseveraldifferentreadingsofthe
poemtoseethenuancesinthestoryittells,weregoingtocontinueclose
readingthepoemtofigureouttheactionsofthespeaker.
b.[10mins.]VisualizationWithElbowPartners(duringreading)
Iwillinstructstudents,Turntoyourelbowpartner.Thispersonwillbe
workingtogetherwithyoutolookatactionsofthespeakerofthepoem.
JustlikelasttimewhenwelookedatactionsofBreeNewsomeinthe
video,nowwewilllookatthespeakersactionsinthispoem.Takea
secondandthirdlookthroughthepoemandpayattentiontodirection
wordslikeupanddown.Iencourageyoutohighlight/underline
thosewordsinthepoem.Then,takeamomenttocloseyoureyesand
visualizethemostpowerfulimageyourememberfromthepoem.Takea
fewminutestodrawitonyourWhatDoesHavingCourageLookLike?
Handoutandwriteanexplanationforyourdrawing.Inthisexplanation,
makesurethatyouexplainwhatyouthinkisgoingoninthepoemwith
thespeaker.Whenyouandyourpartnerhavefinished,pleaseraiseyour
handssothatIcancomeoverandchecktomakesureyouareontheright
track.Iwillcirculateandobservewhatstudentsaresaying.Ifstudentsare
finishingbeforeotherelbowpartnersfinish,Iwillencouragethemtolook
atthepoemagain:Weregoingtobetalkingaboutthislaterinaclass
discussion,soyougettothinkaboutitbeforehandandprepareyourself.
Thinkaboutthepoemsmessageandwhoitsintendedaudienceis.Arewe
thataudience?Ifnot,thenwhois?
Meanwhile,Iwillcontinuecirculatingandcheckingelbowpartners
understandings.Iwillhaveastudentcomeuptotheboardanddrawwhat
theythinkthespeakersactionisandjustifytheiranswer(pointingto
textualevidence).
Transition:Nowthatwehavefiguredoutthespeakersactionsinthe
poem,letstalkaboutthepoemsmessageinaclassdiscussion.
5. [10mins.]WholeClassDiscussion(afterreading)
Wewillhaveaclasswidediscussiononwhatthepoemsmessageisand
whothepoemsintendedaudienceis.Iwilltellthestudents,Forourclass
discussion,raiseyourhandwhenyouwanttosaysomethingandforthe
firstpersonwhospeaks,Iwillcallonyoutoanswer.After,theperson
whoisspeakingcanchoosewhoisresponding.However,youneedtobe
makingsurethatyouarenotjustcallingonthesamepeopletotalk,as
thisisaCLASSdiscussion.Wearetryingthisnewwayofdoingclass
discussionbecauseIwanttoletyouscholarscarrytheconversationmore,
andIwilloccasionallyinterject.Backtothetopicofourdiscussion:our
purposeistofigureoutthepoemsmessage.

Iwillaskthequestions,Whatisthepoemtryingtosay?andWhodoyou
thinkisthepoemsaudience?
Ianticipatestudentsanswerstobe:thepoemissayingthatapersonis
risingaboveotherpeople,apersonisfacingalotofhardshipslikebeing
shotorcutorkilled,thepoemisaskingalotofquestionsinthebeginning.
WhatImightsayifitlookslikenootherstudentshaveideas:The
questionsatthebeginningofthepoemisagreatobservation;nowletme
askyou,whatdoyouthinkthepointofaskingthosequestionsare?More
guidedquestion:Doyouthinkthosearequestionsthatthespeaker
actuallywantsanswered?
OtherquestionsIwillalsoaskifstudentsdonotbringthemup,
Rememberwhatyourreactionsasanaudiencetothepoemwasdoyou
thinkwearethepoems/MayaAngelousaudience?Whyorwhynot?
Lookingfor:Idontknowwhotheaudienceis,itsayou,wemightbe
theaudience,wemightnotbetheaudience,wellthepoemsays
WhatImightsay:Hmmm,yes,itdoesntsayexplicitlyinthepoemwho
thespeakeristalkingto.Thereisonlytheyou,asastudentpointedout.
Theproblemistheyoucouldrefertoonepersonoragroupofpeople
orallofusreadingit.Iwonderifthereareanyothercluesinthepoem
thatmighthelpusinfersomethingabouttheintendedaudience?
Transition:Wow,IfeellikewelearnedsomuchaboutStillIRisejust
fromtheReadAloudsbyourclassmates(thankyou,studentA,B,andC)
andtheNickiMinajreadingandthevisualizationexercisewedidwithall
threeexamplesofcourage.Nowwearegoingtotakesometimeand
reflectontheexampleswelookedattoday:thesongSkyscrapers,the
videoofBreeNewsometakingdowntheConfederateflag,andthepoem
StillIRiseandconsiderhowwemightsimilarlythinkaboutourown
speakingupactions,whichtakecourage.
6.

[8 mins.] Closure: Reflection handout

ThereflectionquestionsareonthebackoftheWhatDoesCourageLookLike
handout.Iwillexplainthequestionsonthereflection,saying,Question4asksyou
tomakeconnectionsandnoticedifferencesbetweentheseexamplesofcourageous
action.Takeacloserlookatquestion5.Howwillyoutakeinspirationfromthese
examplestoframeyourownspeakingupactionfortheUseYourVoiceProject?
StudentswillanswerthequestionsonthebackoftheWhatDoesHavingCourage
LookLike?handoutinordertoguidethemintheirreflection.Reflectingontheway
thatcouragehasbeenframedinthethreetexts:tellingastorythroughsong,

broadcastingyourprotestonvideo,makingadeclarationthroughpoetry,students
willnowwriteareflectiononhowtheywillbeinspiredtoframetheirownstoryof
courageousactionandspeakingupagainstaninjusticeissue.
Illsay:Thankyou,everyone,forhavingsucharichdiscussionontaking
courageousactionwithmetoday.Somepeoplemight,likeMayaAngelou,writea
poem;somepeoplemight,likeDemiLovato,writeasong;somepeoplemighttella
storyorgiveaspeech.Wecanseethattherearemanydifferentwaysoftaking
courageousactionandIhopethatyoucontinuetoconsiderhowyouwillframe
beingcourageousinyourUseYourVoiceProjectthroughouttherestoftheunit.
Pleasehandmeyourhandout(frontisWhatDoesCourageLookLike?andthe
backisReflection)beforeyouwalkoutthedoor.Haveagreatdayandbethinking
aboutyournextstepforyourprojects!
Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:
(This is where you identify specific aspects of this lesson which have been differentiated
in order to address the needs of one or more of your profiled studentsidentify them by
name)
1. KellySince she is interested in music and I often see her wearing
headphones in the hallways and sometimes in class, I wanted to hook her into
this lesson by using a song, Skyscraper by Demi Lovato that incorporates a
lot of similar rising and standing up in the face of adversity movements that
are present in Maya Angelous poem Still I Rise. Since Kelly enjoys
conversing with her friends, I wanted to adapt my instruction so that she
would be able to engage with her peers in a meaningful way. Although I did
not have very much small group work today, I intentionally gave opportunities
for students to discuss their ideas with their elbow partners (especially in the
Visualization activities where students visualize a powerful image from the
courage examples) so that Kelly still has opportunities to talk about her ideas
before coming to whole class discussions.
2. Joebecause Joe does not interact with other students very much in class,
even during group work, I have tried to frame class so that students are talking
with their elbow partners today; this way, if Joe has been flying under the
radar because other students have lead the group or hasnt gotten a chance to
assert himself in group work, he can do so more easily with just one other
person. If Joe has not been talking in group work because of a shy personality,
then perhaps he will feel a little more comfortable talking with an elbow
partner, and can build up towards participating more in a 4-person group.
Materials Needed (list):
a) Google Slides containing Do Now, Bree Newsome video and Nicki Minaj reading
of Still I Rise, and instructions
b) Copies of Skyscraper by Demi Lovato lyrics
c) iTunes to play song
d) Copies of Still I Rise by Maya Angelou poem
e) Handout: What Does Having Courage Look Like?

Materials Appendix: (e.g., supplementary texts, Ppts, overheads, graphic organizers,

handouts, etc.)
Google Slides displaying Do Now
(https://docs.google.com/a/virginia.edu/presentation/d/1-FyMnCGQk_1wqAlb5OhKAUxNv7IUFnhc73zVjPWLok/edit?usp=sharing; you might
have to copy and paste this into the browser because clicking directly on it doesnt
always work)
Skyscraper lyrics by Demi Lovato
Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

SkyscraperbyDemiLovato
[Verse1:]
Skiesarecrying,Iamwatching
Catchingteardropsinmyhands
Onlysilenceasit'sending
Likeweneverhadachance
Doyouhavetomakemefeellike
There'snothingleftofme?
[Chorus:]
YoucantakeeverythingIhave
YoucanbreakeverythingIam
LikeI'mmadeofglass
LikeI'mmadeofpaper
Goonandtrytotearmedown
Iwillberisingfromtheground
Likeaskyscraper
Likeaskyscraper
[Verse2:]
Asthesmokeclears,Iawaken
Anduntangleyoufromme
Woulditmakeyoufeelbetter
TowatchmewhileIbleed?
Allmywindowsstillarebroken
ButI'mstandingonmyfeet
[Chorus:]
YoucantakeeverythingIhave
YoucanbreakeverythingIam
LikeI'mmadeofglass
LikeI'mmadeofpaper
Goonandtrytotearmedown
Iwillberisingfromtheground
Likeaskyscraper
Likeaskyscraper
[Bridge:]
Gorun,run,run
I'mgonnastayrighthere,
Watchyoudisappear
Yeah,oh
Gorun,run,run
Yeah,it'salongwaydown
ButIamclosertothecloudsuphere
[Chorus:]

YoucantakeeverythingIhave
YoucanbreakeverythingIam
LikeI'mmadeofglass
LikeI'mmadeofpaper
OhOh
Goonandtrytotearmedown
Iwillberisingfromtheground
Likeaskyscraper
Likeaskyscraper
(Likeaskyscraper)
Likeaskyscraper
Likeaskyscraper

StillIRise
Youmaywritemedowninhistory
Withyourbitter,twistedlies,
Youmaytrodmeintheverydirt
Butstill,likedust,Illrise.
Doesmysassinessupsetyou?
Whyareyoubesetwithgloom?
CauseIwalklikeIvegotoilwells
Pumpinginmylivingroom.
Justlikemoonsandlikesuns,
Withthecertaintyoftides,
Justlikehopesspringinghigh,
StillIllrise.
Didyouwanttoseemebroken?
Bowedheadandloweredeyes?
Shouldersfallingdownliketeardrops,
Weakenedbymysoulfulcries?
Doesmyhaughtinessoffendyou?
Dontyoutakeitawfulhard
CauseIlaughlikeIvegotgoldmines
Diggininmyownbackyard.
Youmayshootmewithyourwords,
Youmaycutmewithyoureyes,
Youmaykillmewithyourhatefulness,
Butstill,likeair,Illrise.
Doesmysexinessupsetyou?
Doesitcomeasasurprise
ThatIdancelikeIvegotdiamonds
Atthemeetingofmythighs?
OutofthehutsofhistorysshameIrise
UpfromapastthatsrootedinpainIrise
Imablackocean,leapingandwide,
WellingandswellingIbearinthetide.
LeavingbehindnightsofterrorandfearIrise
IntoadaybreakthatswondrouslyclearIrise
Bringingthegiftsthatmyancestorsgave,
Iamthedreamandthehopeoftheslave.
Irise
Irise

Irise.
MayaAngelou

What Does Having Courage Look Like?

Draw a picture of the most powerful image you remember after...
Put this picture into your own words. How would you describe it?
1a. listening to
Skyscraper by
Demi Lovato.

1b.

3a. reading and

listening to Still I
Rise by Maya
Angelou.

3b.

2a. watching
the video about
Bree Newsome.

2b.

Reflection
4. What are some similarities and differences between these 3 examples of
courageous action?

5. Looking ahead towards your Use Your Voice Project, think about what
your courageous act is. You are speaking up about an injustice:
_____________ ___________________. Taking inspiration from these
examples: telling a story through song, broadcasting your protest on video,
making a declaration through poetry, how will you frame your courageous
action?