Curriculum / ELA / 8th Grade / Unit 5: Facing Calamity: Climate Change Facts and Fictions / Lesson 5
ELA
Unit 5
8th Grade
Lesson 5 of 23
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Explain how Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner specific words and phrases develop tone in a poem and how tone impacts meaning.
Article: “Statement and Poem” by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved.
What tone does Jetñil-Kijiner develop in lines 60 through 88? Select at least three words and phrases that help develop tone and explain how this tone reinforces the overall message of her poem.
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Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
What is the tone of the first six lines of this poem? Provide at least two specific words and phrases that help to develop this tone.
What are the connotations of the verbs Jetñil-Kijiner uses in lines 11 through 19, and how do they develop the mood of these lines?
Jetñil-Kijiner writes in line 25, "no greedy whale of a company sharking through political seas." What is the meaning of this metaphor? What are the connotations of these words and how do they develop her tone?
How does the use of repetition in lines 30 through 37 help to develop the tone in these lines? Carefully explain your thinking.
Why do you think Jetñil-Kijiner has chosen to structure this poem as a kind of letter to her young child? Does this decision change the impact of the poem? How would it be different if she had not written the poem using this structure?
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
mood
n.
the emotional “atmosphere” of a scene in a text, which often evokes feelings in the reader.
metaphor
the comparison of two unlike things in order to provide the reader with a deeper understanding of one of those things
Reading and/or task to be completed at home in preparation for the next lesson.
To ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson, have students complete the following reading for homework. Use guidance from the next lesson to identify any additional language or background support students may need while independently engaging with the text.
Article: “Exxon Knew about Climate Change almost 40 years ago” by Shannon Hall
Article: “Fishermen Sue Big Oil for Its Role in Climate Change” by Alastair Bland
While reading, answer the following questions.
What is Exxon?
What does this new report claim about Exxon?
What specifically did Exxon scientists discover about climate change in the 1970s?
What did they do to combat climate change after that discovery?
Why do some people compare the fossil fuel industry to the tobacco industry?
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RL.8.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.8.5 — Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
L.8.5.a — Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.
L.8.5.b — Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words.
L.8.5.c — Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute).
L.8.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
RL.8.1 — Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.8.2 — Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.8.10 — By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6—8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
SL.8.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.8.6 — Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
W.8.1 — Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
W.8.1.a — Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
W.8.1.b — Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
W.8.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.8.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.8.9.a — Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new").
W.8.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Next
Write objective summaries and determine central ideas in informational articles.
Explain how specific words, phrases, and structural choices develop tone in Greta Thunberg’s speeches, and how tone impacts meaning.
Standards
RI.8.4
Identify the key ideas Gore uses to support his claims about climate change and assess whether the evidence he provides is relevant and sufficient.
RI.8.8
Identify a writer’s claims in a text and explain how they support those claims, as well as how they respond to conflicting viewpoints.
RI.8.6RI.8.8
Infer the meaning of unknown words using context clues, use reference materials to verify the meaning of words, and explain how word choice develops meaning in an informational article.
L.8.4L.8.4.aL.8.4.cL.8.4.dRI.8.4
RL.8.4
RI.8.2
Identify claims made in an informational article and assess the relevance and sufficiency of evidence provided to support those claims.
Explain how writer Abby Geni uses imagery and figurative language to establish mood and meaning in a short story.
RL.8.2RL.8.4
Determine a theme in the short story, "Notes from a Bottle" and explain how the author develops it; identify literary allusions and explain how they help to build meaning in a text.
RL.8.2RL.8.9
Research the possible impacts of climate change and begin to brainstorm aspects of setting for climate fiction narratives.
W.8.3W.8.8W.8.9
Draft two paragraphs vividly describing the setting of your climate fiction narrative.
W.8.3W.8.3.aW.8.3.bW.8.3.d
Draft a short climate fiction scene.
W.8.3W.8.3.a
L.8.2L.8.2.aW.8.3W.8.5
Compare and contrast the central arguments of two articles about climate change, and explain how one author acknowledges and responds to viewpoints that differ from their own.
RI.8.6RI.8.9
Determine the central idea of sections of An Inconvenient Sequel and synthesize information in a short presentation that educates classmates.
RI.8.2SL.8.4
Synthesize information about a young climate activist and create a short presentation that educates classmates.
Delineate arguments made about climate change and assess whether the evidence provided is relevant and sufficient.
Engage in a Socratic Seminar with peers, responding directly to others by rephrasing and delineating arguments, determining the strength of evidence, and posing clarifying questions.
SL.8.1SL.8.1.dSL.8.3SL.8.4
Research the potential local impacts of climate change in preparation for writing a letter to a congressperson.
W.8.1W.8.7W.8.8W.8.9
Outline a letter urging a congressperson to take action to stop climate change.
W.8.1W.8.1.aW.8.1.bW.8.5
Draft a letter urging a congressperson to take action to stop climate change.
W.8.1W.8.1.aW.8.1.bW.8.1.cW.8.1.e
L.8.3L.8.3.aW.8.1W.8.1.d
2 days
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