Unit Materials for 7th Grade English

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Longing to Belong: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories

Core Texts

Article: “The Science of Belonging and Connection”
Article: “The Science Behind our Need to Belong”
Book: American Like Me by America Ferrera
Book: Fresh Ink: An Anthology (Ember)
Essay: “Hello, My Name Is ______” by Jason Kim — 1000-1100L
Podcast: “This American Life 803: Greetings, People of Earth | Act Four, Jorts and All” by Diane Wu
Poem: “Identity” by Julio Noboa Polanco
Poem: “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
Poem: “Teenagers” by Pat Mora
Poem: “I, Too” by Langston Hughes
Poem: “Where You From?” by Gina Valdés
Short Story: “First Day Fly” by Jason Reynolds
Short Story: “Popularity” by Adam Bagdasarian
Transcript: “Greetings, People of Earth | Act Four, Jorts and All Transcript”
Website: Northern Plains History and Cultures: How do Native People and Nations Experience Belonging? by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

Supporting Texts

Advocating for Change: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap

Core Texts

Book: Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2011) — 1000L
Book: Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011) — 790L

Supporting Texts

Article: “We Work Non-Stop” by Michael Sainato
Article: “LA's Garment Workers Face Horrific Workplace Conditions” by Julia Wick
Speech: “We Have Found You Wanting (G7, U2, L22)” by Rose Schneiderman
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun

Core Texts

Play: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (Vintage, 2004) — 1100-1200L

Supporting Texts

Article: “A Better Life: Creating the American Dream” by Kate Ellis and Ellen Guettler (American Public Media, 2009)
Article: “How a New Deal Housing Program Enforced Segregation” by Becky Little
Article: “How Lorraine Hansberry Turned her Family's Story Into a A Raisin in the Sun” by Robert Loerzel
Article: “The Great Migration” by History.com editors
Book: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (First Vintage Books Edition, 2011)
Movie: A Raisin in the Sun
Podcast: “The Scarlet E, Part II: 40 Acres” by Brooke Gladstone (WNYC Studios)
Poem: “Harlem” by Langston Hughes (the Poetry Foundation)
Video: “Great Migration” by Yohuru Williams (History.com)
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Finding Home: The House on Mango Street

Core Texts

Book: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Second Vintage Contemporaries Edition, 2009) — 870L

Supporting Texts

Article: “Two Men and Two Paths” by Nicholas Kristof (The New York Times)
Article: “Gender Norms and Stereotypes” by Fishtank Staff
Article: “Young Latinos: Born in the U.S.A., carving their own identity” by Suzanne Gamboa, Sandra Lilley, and Sarah Cahlan
Article: “This is what happens when gender roles are forced on kids” by Emanuella Grinberg and Victoria Larned
Essay: “Dear Woke Brown Girl” by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez
Poem: “There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” by Mother Goose (AmericanLiterature.com)
Poem: “Abuelito Who” by Sandra Cisneros
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese

Core Texts

Book: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (First Second) — GN530L

Supporting Texts

Article: “As Chinese Exclusion Act Turns 135, Experts Point To Parallels Today” by Kat Chow (NPR)
Article: “That's Not Who I Am: Calling Out and Challenging Stereotypes of Asian Americans” by Whitney Pow (Everyday Feminism)
Article: “Heart and Humor: How American Sitcoms Reflect Society (G7, U5, L5)” by Fishtank Staff
Article: “This Chinese-American Cartoonist Forces Us to Face Racist Stereotypes” by Joshua Barajas (PBS)
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Unit Materials for 7th Grade English

Need to purchase texts for this course?

Longing to Belong: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Advocating for Change: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Finding Home: The House on Mango Street

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

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