Law states that California students must learn about LGBTQ history <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nLesson Plan<\/b><\/p>\n
Background –\u00a0<\/span>Before reading our novel \u201cSpite Fences\u201d by Trudy Krisher, we will do a book walk and discuss the front and back cover, especially the picture of a fence on the front. We will discuss how a fence is a symbol for division. Fences are physical things in our world that divide us, but there are also \u2018invisible\u2019 fences that create barriers in our world, influencing how we behave, what we do, and who we (think we can) become. <\/span><\/p>\nLearning Goal –\u00a0The goal of our Newsela experience is to gain some background knowledge on some of the barriers that exist in our society today. Our essential question is, \u201cWhat are the \u2018fences\u2019 or barriers in our society, and how can we begin to overcome them?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\nActivities<\/p>\n
\nWe will begin by reading one article together as a model: <\/span>Beyond Barbie: New toys show girls a path toward science and math<\/span>. Students will be seated in groups of 3-4, and will be instructed to read the article out loud to their small group. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nAnnotation instructions:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHighlight in blue evidence that indicates what problems toymakers noticed and tried to solve by reinventing their dolls. <\/span><\/p>\nDiscussion<\/span> Afterward, they will discuss the following 2 prompts:<\/span><\/p>\n\nWhat problem are toymakers trying to solve by reinventing dolls and changing their appearances? <\/span><\/li>\nWhat barrier(s) in society does this article show you? <\/span><\/li>\nHow does this barrier affect what people think they can do and\/or who they think they can become?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThen, we will come together as a class and discuss our responses. I will model and guide students in understanding that gender expectations are a major barrier in our society, and they can impact what careers or interests people choose. <\/span><\/p>\n\n Next, students will be instructed to work individually and select 3 more articles from the text set. Each article will have the same 2 writing prompts, as indicated below. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\nWhat barrier(s) in society does this article show you? <\/span><\/li>\nHow does this barrier affect what people think they can do and\/or who they think they can become? <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nAnnotation instructions:<\/span> Highlight in blue any evidence you find of barriers in society mentioned in the article. <\/span><\/p>\n\n Once students have completed their reading and writing prompts, we will come together as a class and make a giant web of all the barriers in society we have noticed through reading Newsela articles (gender, race, ability, identity, financial status, etc.). I will model and guide students in adding evidence from their Newsela articles to the web. Their individual webs will be turned in for an assessment grade. This activity will set us up for further discussion throughout our novel unit of how we can begin to address and break down those barriers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nAccommodations<\/b><\/p>\n
Though this is an individual assignment, some students (emergent readers) will be encouraged to work in pairs. Others (emergent writers) will be offered the opportunity to verbally discuss their writing prompt responses with the teacher instead of typing them up. Finally, others will have assistance from a paraprofessional with all aspects of the task, and may work with the para in groups of 1 – 4. <\/span><\/p>\nExtensions<\/b><\/p>\n
As an extension, I will encourage stronger readers to read more than 3 articles, and\/or to find additional articles throughout Newsela that address the barriers in society. I\u2019d also invite them to highlight in a second color (pink) how people have attempted to address these barriers. <\/span><\/p>\nReflection <\/b><\/p>\n
This assignment will help students in learning about barriers in society that may affect them or others in their lives. We all confront barriers at some point, but we don\u2019t often think about the barriers that impact others. This activity will help students learn to think beyond themselves. It will also set us up for our novel unit and for exploring ways to overcome those barriers. We will return to the articles after we have finished the novel unit to make a new concept web of ideas, solutions, and inspiration for overcoming barriers in society. We will also brainstorm action steps we can begin in our own community for beginning to break down those barriers and make our world a more inclusive space. We will also connect this learning to the main characters in Spite Fences\u00a0(Maggie Pugh, George Hardy, Zeke), who pushed against and fought to break down barriers in her own world. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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