Lesson 3

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger, Da Capo Press, 1990

• • “Unchecked, Unchallenged and Unabashed: Is Racism in High School Sports Being Tolerated?,” Ivey DeJesus, PA Media Group LLC, 2014

Materials

Tools

• Friday Night Lights: Mentor Sentence Handout 2

• Mentor Sentence Journal

• Vocabulary Journal

• Word Map

• Working with Mentor Sentences Tool

Question Sets

• Friday Night Lights: Section 2 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

• Mentor Sentence Journal

• Friday Night Lights: Section 2 Question Set

• Vocabulary Journal

• Word Map

• Working with Mentor Sentences Tool

Activity 1: Read

We will analyze a section of Friday Night Lights and identify specific word choices Bissinger uses to create a tone.

Reread the section that starts with, "During one incredible week…" and read through the paragraph that begins with, "The minority residents…"

As you read, identify words and phrases that indicate the negative tone Bissinger presents toward the racist attitude of the White citizens of Odessa and the sympathetic tone he has toward the Black citizens of Odessa.

Write these words and phrases in your Learning Log. You might work in small groups to complete these tasks.

Activity 2: Read – Write – Discuss

We will answer and discuss text-dependent questions about the article “Unchecked, Unchallenged, And Unabashed: Is Racism In High School Sports Being Tolerated?” analyzing the tone of the passage and looking for signs of bias.

Discuss the following text-dependent questions from the Section 2 Question Set:

1. The author states, "Under the proverbial Friday night lights that shape so much of a young person’s high school experience, racism seems to be courting a foothold on the field and court—unchecked, unchallenged and unabashed: Is Racism in High School Sports Being Tolerated?" This seems to be the author’s main claim, or her thesis statement. How does this statement relate to what we have read in Friday Night Lights?

2. Throughout the article, the author points out the races of the speakers she quotes. Why does she do this?

3. The author states, "Sometimes, it’s not so much what is said, but how it is said." Do you think this is an accurate statement? Does she support this statement in the article? Use evidence to explain your answer.

4. Consider the author’s statements beginning with the paragraph that starts with, "The race card, at times… " and ends with the paragraph that ends with, "‘… they are officiating." What does this teach high school athletes?

5. The author states, "In a venue inflamed by school rivalries, the competitive desire to win, and frankly, teenagers at the cusp of young adulthood, inappropriate and hateful language has become a by-product of the heat of the moment." What allows her to make this statement? Is it fair and accurate?

6. The author provides comments from opposing schools, one denying anything happening. Explain how one side can see things as a problem while another side does not.

7. Reread this paragraph: "It’s that stigma that really bothered me," Hailey said. "It was portrayed unfairly, but that stigma is out there. People cross their arms and say, ‘See, I told you.’ And that’s not fair to our kids, our staff or the school. But there are certain things you can control, like staying onside and making a block. There are certain things in life you can’t control, so what can you do?" How does the fact that the author only interviewed one side impact her argument?

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will deconstruct and analyze mentor sentences from “Unchecked, Unchallenged, And Unabashed: Is Racism In High School Sports Being Tolerated?” and Friday Night Lights, focusing on the structure, style, grammar, and punctuation used by the authors to convey their tone and create mood. We will then use one of the sentences as a model, applying our understanding of the concepts we study and adding to our writing repertoire by mimicking the structure, style, grammar, and punctuation.

Step 1

For this activity, you will use a Working with Mentor Sentences Tool. Follow your teacher’s directions regarding grouping, materials, and which mentor sentences you will analyze from Mentor Sentence Handout 2.

Step 2

Read the sentence aloud. Unpack any unfamiliar vocabulary using your vocabulary strategies. Then, determine what the sentence is saying, and paraphrase the sentence to convey its meaning based on your initial understanding.

Step 3

Deconstruct the whole into parts. Split the sentence up into parts as directed by your teacher; sometimes your teacher will give you the parts, and sometimes you will have to split the sentence on your own. Complete the following for each part:

• Determine the parts of speech and function.

• Note other observations about the part, such as examples of effective diction or changes in verb tense or point of view.

Step 4

Follow along as your teacher reviews the relevant grammatical terms and concepts of specific phrases and clauses, punctuation, syntax, mood, and tone.

Step 5

Analyze the concepts. Review, discuss, and revise your deconstruction notes. Then, respond to the following questions:

1. Which parts make up the main clause? The main clause is the main subject and predicate that expresses the central idea of the sentence. Write down the sentence, underlining the main clause.

2. How do the other parts of the sentence (e.g., phrases, clauses, modifiers) enhance the main clause?

3. How could you restructure this sentence so that it relays the same message to the reader? What is the impact of the different structures on your understanding?

4. What revisions need to be made to your initial paraphrasing now that you have increased your understanding of the sentence?

Step 6

Analyze mood, tone, and meaning. Discuss the following questions:

1. What mood does the author create in this sentence? How is this mood created?

2. What tone is conveyed by the author in this sentence? How is that tone conveyed?

3. What does this sentence contribute to the author’s ideas in the text? How does it expand your understanding of the text or author?

Step 7

Follow your teacher’s directions about choosing one or two mentor sentences to mimic. Use your deconstruction analysis of your chosen sentences to write your own, mimicking what the author does in terms of structure, style, grammar, and punctuation. The specific content of your sentences is your choice. Be prepared to share your sentences with your peers.

Activity 4: Write

We will write an exit ticket response explaining how authors use words and phrases to create tone in a text. Students will use an example from each text to support their answers.

In your Learning Log, respond to the following question to illustrate your understanding:

1. How do authors use words and phrases to develop a specific tone in their writing? Use one example from each text, Friday Night Lights and "Unchecked, Unchallenged, and Unabashed: Is Racism in High School Sports Being Tolerated?" to support your answer.

Activity 5: Read

For homework, we will interact with the words we wrote down in our Vocabulary Journal for “Unchecked, Unchallenged, And Unabashed: Is Racism In High School Sports Being Tolerated?”

For homework, complete a Word Map for one of the words you wrote down in your Vocabulary Journal for "Unchecked, Unchallenged, and Unabashed: Is Racism in High School Sports Being Tolerated?"