1. Unit Three Exploring the Big Question

15. “Learn to be quiet enough to hear the genuine voice within yourself so that you can hear it in others.” ~ Marian Wright Edelman

16. What makes you who you areWhat makes you who you are?

17. Quotes for Small Group Facilitated Discussions

18. “Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

19. “Because sometimes you have to step outside of the person you’ve been, and remember the person you were meant to be, the person you wanted to be, the person you are.” ~ H.G. Wells

20. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” ~ Helen Keller

21. “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” ~ Muhammad Ali

22. “Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.” ~ W. Clement Stone

23. “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.” ~ Harvey Fierstein

24. “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” ~ e.e. cummings

25. “One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

26. A Further Exploration of What Makes You Who You Are As a class, we will read, analyze, and discuss the following pieces in the reading textbook:  “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros on p. 298  “The All-American Slurp” by Lensey Namioka on p. 315

27. Peruse the following selections in your reading textbook, and choose three selections you would be interested in reading and discussing in class:  “My Parents” by Steven Spender on p. 306  “ Geraldine Moore the Poet” by Toni Cade Bambara on p. 346  “Wings” by Jane Yolen on p. 360  “King Minos and Art on the Palace Walls,” a Historical Perspective on p. 374  “Daydreamers” by Eloise Greenfield on p. 377  “TIME: The Gene Scene” by Jordan Brown on p. 384  “Flowers and Freckle Cream” by Elizabeth Ellis on p. 394  “Arachne” by Olivia E. Coolidge on p. 405  “The Fun They Had” by Isaac Asimove on p. 416  “Why Books Are Dangerous” by Neil Gaiman on p. 421 As you read, you will be thinking about how these stories might relate to the themes of what makes you who you are, why you read, and what makes a hero.

28. An In-Depth Look at Identity Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

29. Bethany Hamilton: Staying True to YourselfStaying True to Yourself Lady Gaga: Be YourselfBe Yourself Reflect: Expository Critique applied to video 2.6 Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an author’s conclusions. 2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations. 2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning, persuasion, and propaganda in text.

30. Comparing and Contrasting: Identity and One Author’s Technique

31. Same Song Pat Mora While my sixteen-year-old son sleeps, my twelve-year-old daughter stumbles into the bathroom at six a.m. plugs in the curling iron squeezes into faded jeans curls her hair carefully strokes Aztec Blue shadow on her eyelids smooth’s Frosted Mauve blusher on her cheeks outlines her mouth in Neon pink peers into the mirror, mirror on the wall frowns at her face, her eyes, her skin, not fair. At night this daughter stumbles off to bed at nine eyes half-shut while my son jogs a mile in the cold dark then lifts weights in the garage curls and bench presses expanding biceps, triceps pectorals, one-handed push-ups, one hundred sit-ups peers into the mirror, mirror and frowns too.

32. He hears her When he bows Rows of hands clap Again and again he bows To stage lights and upturned faces But he hears only his mother’s voice Years ago in their small home Singing Mexican songs One phrase at a time While his father strummed the guitar Or picked the melody with quick fingertips. Both cast their music in the air For him to snare with his strings, Songs of lunas and amor Learned bit by bit. She’d nod, smile as his bow slid Note to note, then the trio Voz, guitarra, violin Would blend again and again To the last pure note Sweet on the tongue. Maestro Pat Mora

33. Comparing and Contrasting: Identity and Authors’ Techniques

34. I dream a world where man No other man will scorn, Where love will bless the earth And peace its paths adorn I dream a world where all Will know sweet freedom's way, Where greed no longer saps the soul Nor avarice blights our day. A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the earth And every man is free, Where wretchedness will hang its head And joy, like a pearl, Attends the needs of all mankind- Of such I dream, my world! I Dream a World Langston Hughes

35. Life Doesn’t Frighten Me Maya Angelou Shadows on the wall Noises down the hail Life doesn’t frighten me at all Bad dogs barking loud Big ghosts in a cloud Life doesn’t frighten me at all. Mean old Mother Goose Lions on the loose They don’t frighten me at all Dragons breathing flame On my counterpane That doesn’t frighten me at all. I go boo Make them shoo I make fun Way they run I won’t cry So they fly I just smile They go wild Life doesn’t frighten me at all.

36. Tough guys in a fight All alone at night Life doesn’t frighten me at all. Panthers in the park Strangers in the dark No, they don’t frighten me at all. That new classroom where Boys pull all my hair (Kissy little girls With their hair in curls) They don’t frighten me at all. Don’t show me frogs and snakes And listen for my scream, If I’m afraid at all It’s only in my dreams. I’ve got a magic charm That I keep up my sleeve, I can walk the ocean floor And never have to breathe. Life doesn’t frighten me at all Not at all Not at all Life doesn’t frighten me at all.

37. Assessments:  Words of Week weekly vocabulary test  Stargirl comprehension tests  Accelerated Reader reading, vocabulary, and literary analysis test  Treasures Unit 3 Assessment on pp. 436-440  Discussion of what makes you who you are and reflections on identity and the implications for one’s own life  Optional if needed: Treasures individual story assessments and Treasures formative assessments to define differentiation

38. Standards Embedded: 1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development Students use their knowledge of word origins and word relationships, as well as historical and literary context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate words. Word Recognition 1.1 Read aloud narrative and expository text fluently and accurately and with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression. Vocabulary and Concept Development 1.2 Identify and interpret figurative language and words with multiple meanings. 1.3 Recognize the origins and meanings of frequently used foreign words in English and use these words accurately in speaking and writing. 1.4 Monitor expository text for unknown words or words with novel meanings by using word, sentence, and paragraph clues to determine meaning. 1.5 Understand and explain “shades of meaning” in related words (e.g., softly and quietly).

39. 2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials) Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They describe and connect the essential ideas, arguments, and perspectives of the text by using their knowledge of text structure, organization, and purpose. In addition, by grade eight, students read one million words annually on their own. Structural Features of Informational Materials 2.1 Identify the structural features of popular media (e.g., newspapers, magazines, online information) and use the features to obtain information. 2.2 Analyze text that uses the compare-and-contrast organizational pattern. Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 2.3 Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other sources and related topics. 2.4 Clarify an understanding of texts by creating outlines, logical notes, summaries, or reports. 2.5 Follow multiple-step instructions for preparing applications (e.g., for a public library card, bank savings account, sports club, league membership). Expository Critique 2.6 Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an author’s conclusions. 2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations.

40. 3.0 Literary Response and Analysis Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science. They clarify the ideas and connect them to other literary works. Structural Features of Literature 3.1 Identify the forms of fiction and describe the major characteristics of each form. Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 3.2 Analyze the effect of the qualities of the character (e.g., courage or cowardice, ambition or laziness) on the plot and the resolution of the conflict. 3.3 Analyze the influence of setting on the problem and its resolution. 3.5 Identify the speaker and recognize the difference between first- and third- person narration (e.g., autobiography compared with biography). 3.6 Identify and analyze features of themes conveyed through characters, actions, and images. 3.7 Explain the effects of common literary devices (e.g., symbolism, imagery, metaphor) in a variety of fictional and nonfictional texts.

41. Additional Standard Embedded in Poem of the Day: 3.4 Define how tone or meaning is conveyed in poetry through word choice, figurative language, sentence structure, line length, punctuation, rhythm, repetition, and rhyme. Expository Critique 2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations. Additional Standard Embedded in novel study of Stargirl: Literary Criticism 3.8 Critique the credibility of characterization and the degree to which a plot is contrived or realistic (e.g., compare use of fact and fantasy in historical fiction).

42. Reading Standards Not Addressed in the Unit: Expository Critique 2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning, persuasion, and propaganda in text.