Comprehension

Strategy
Activity Standard
Activate Prior
Knowledge
Students will watch a video clip of Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday. Students will review the lyrics and work in
groups to answer the question: What is resilience? How does resiliency affect the way a person responds to
circumstances and incidents that occur in everyday life? Groups will share out with the class.
RI.8.1
RI.8.2
L.8.4
Define
Illustrate
Students will use a Frayer Model to define resilience.
Academic: resilient, cite, analyze, explicit, inference, textual evidence, conclude, textual support, prediction,
generalization.
RI.8.2
L.8.4
L.8.6
Analyze
Cite Evidence
Students will read Kaleidoscope by Cynthia Grady with a focus on finding the central idea and supporting their
choice with evidence from the text.
RI.8.1
RI.8.2
L.8.2
L.8.4
Question Students will annotate the text to develop text-dependent questions. RI.8.2
Question
Evaluate
Inside/Outside Circle - students will bring several annotated questions to a discussion group. The groups will
form two circles. Students will pass their questions to the person facing them in the circle. The circle will rotate a
designated number of people (determined by teacher/student/music). When the circle stops, students will ask
the questions on their card and vice versa. Students will discuss the questions with their partner. This rotation of
inside/outside circle can continue.

RI.8.1
RI.8.2
SL.8.1
SL.8.4
SL.8.6
L.8.1
Outline Students will be introduced to the article, Lena Horne, Singer and Actress, Dies at 92. Students will highlight text
features within the article and what they teach the reader.
RI.8.1
RI.8.2
RI.8.5
Illustrate Students will complete a graphic organizer that chronicles evidence of examples of resilience as they work with
each text. Teacher will model I-Do with Strange Fruit, We-Do with Kaleidoscope, and You Do student
independent work with Lena Horne.
RI.8.1
RI.8.2
RI.8.5
SL.8.6
W.8.9
Apply
Produce
Students will be introduced to the informative/explanatory writing rubric for the unit. Students begin developing
claims and evidence for their informative/explanatory essay.
W.8.2
W.8.9
L.8.1
L.8.2
L.8.3
Review
Apply
Students will view video at http://moviesegmentstoassessgrammargoals.blogspot.com/2008/11/rataouille-
passive-voice.html. Students will complete short cloze procedure on active/passive voice.
L.8.1
L.8.6
Organize
Illustrate
Students will gather evidence for the prompt how do the slaves show resiliency? Students will complete a
Resiliency Evidence Organizer for each independent practice text in preparation for their final summative
assessment.
RI.8.1
R.8.2
W.8.4
W.8.9
L.8.1
L.8.2
L.8.3
Produce

Students will select 1 of the following Performance Based Tasks:
Research a notable figure whom you believed demonstrates resiliency. Create a PowerPoint or Prezi
presentation and use historical facts and data to support your analysis.
Advice Columnist Choose a person in any of the texts who faces a difficult decision or problem. Write a
letter he/she might send to an advice columnist and the response you think the advice columnist would
give.
Medal of Resiliency How is your selected person resilient? Use cardboard, paper, scissors, glue or
other art materials to create an appropriate medal for this person. Create a speech giving the award and
explain why this person deserves it.
RI.8.1
RI.8.2
W.8.2
W.8.4
W.8.5
W.8.6
W.8.8
W.8.9
SL.8.1
SL.8.4
SL.8.6
L.8.1
L.8.2
L.8.3
Highlighted items can be found on the Resources page