1. What is the American Dream?
8th Grade
Mr. Puzick
June 21, 2016

2. Learning Target
I can understand how writers use specific language to shape our understanding of the Great Depression.

3. Inquiry Questions
How do writers use word choice to shape our understanding of a topic? How do images chosen by writers influence how we see or understand a topic? How do we get a deeper understanding of a topic by reading different authors?

4. What do you notice? Choose one of the 8 photographs.
Draw a small box under the photo. Do not write in the small box; we’ll come back to it.
What do you notice in the photograph? Make notes about what you notice in the photo. This is annotation in which you observe the photo and maybe comment on those observations.

5. Excerpt 1 I will read our first text aloud.
Reread the text – circle any unknown words.
Discuss the words with a partner and try to determine their meaning.
Reread the text – underline any word or phrase that is important to understanding the text.
Discuss the words/phrases with a partner and what they mean or how they shape our understanding.
Discuss the text with a partner and come up with a one sentence, main idea statement, of the text.

6. Write a Caption Return to your photograph.
Imagine that the photo appears in a nonfiction book. Use key words from the text OR any idea from our discussion and write a caption for the photo in the box under the photo.

7. Pantoum of the Great Depression
I will read the poem aloud.
At the bottom of the page, write your first response or reaction to the poem. What do you notice? What do you think / feel?
Return to the poem. Working individually, write in the margin – what do you notice? Circle key words or images in the poem. Notice any poetic techniques the writer uses. Notice any ideas developed in the poem.
Individually, write a brief exploration of these two questions: Who is the speaker in the poem? What does the speaker want us to think about the people during the Great Depression?
Class discussion.

8. Write a Poem Return to the photograph.
I’d like you to write about the photograph as a poet would. Write a poem, or one stanza of a poem, or a couple of lines of a poem about the photo.
You can use words or phrases or images from “Pantoum of the Great Depression” -- if you would like -- to get you started.

9. Exit Ticket
How do writers shape our understanding of the American Dream through the word choices they make and the images they use?

10. Word Choice and Images
On the graphic organizer, choose two of the questions to explore. Choose EITHER the top or bottom AND one of the questions on EITHER the left or right side.

11. Reflection Questions
Reflect on your thinking, learning, and work today. What were you most proud of?
Where did you encounter struggle today, and what did you do to deal with it?
How did the reading activities for Excerpt 1 and the poem impact your understanding of the two texts?
What did you learn today?