Exploring Relationships (Grades 7-9)

• Two literary texts
• 2-3 weeks instruction
• Literary analysis

What is this unit about?

In this unit, students will read two texts: an excerpt from Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood1 by bell hooks and “Some Fortunate Future Day”2 by Cassandra Clare. Both texts deal with themes about relationships, following characters who have complex relationships with the people and things around them. Through the study of these two literary texts, students build their knowledge about point of view and the methods these authors use to tell these stories. Additionally, students are supported to draw evidence from texts in order to construct written and oral interpretations, analyses, and conclusions.

What content and concepts will students learn?

Students will learn about:

• point of view and how it shapes the readers’ understanding of characters and events.
• the methods these authors use to develop and write about their characters and their characters’ relationships.
• characteristics of literary interpretations.

What practices will students use?

Students are supported to develop practices and habits such as how to:

• comprehend and analyze literary texts with assistance and independently.
• work from moments in one text and across two texts to develop literary interpretations, analyses, and conclusions.
• read, reread, annotate, and take notes on sections of texts and texts in their entirety as a means to enhance their understanding within and across texts.
• analyze an author’s writing style.
• write like bell hooks to practice using the author’s methods in their own writing.
• draft effective literary interpretations that include a clearly stated claim, textual evidence to support the claim, and explanations that state how the evidence supports the claim.
• participate in routines such as maintaining a Reader/Writer Notebook, completing quick writes, sharing in pairs/trios, and participating in whole group discussions.

How long will it take to engage students in the unit?

This unit spans approximately 10-14 instructional days, assuming 45- to 60-minute classes. The tasks in the unit are designed to be implemented sequentially in order to support students to achieve the instructional goals. As such, the pacing of the lessons will depend on the time students need to achieve these goals.