Lesson 14

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • Chapter 4, excerpt from Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance, HarperCollins Publishers, 2016
  • “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” excerpt from Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, Gloria E. Anzaldúa, Aunt Lute Books. Reproduced with permission from the estate of Gloria Anzaldúa., 1987
  • “Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan, Threepenny Review, Reprinted by permission from Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency., 1990

• • “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation,” excerpt from The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin, Dial Press, an imprint of Random House, 1962

Materials

Reference Guides

• Connecting Ideas Reference Guide
• Organization Reference Guide

Activity 1: Write

We will examine texts to develop our understanding of how and why authors include personal experience to create messages.

Select one of the following texts:

• Excerpt from The Fire Next Time

• Excerpts from Hillbilly Elegy

• "How to Tame a Wild Tongue"

• "Mother Tongue"

Reread your chosen text, and annotate for the following:

• discusses a personal experience

• tells a story

• uses dialogue from a previous event

• refers to the experiences of friends or family

Activity 2: Read – Write

We will review the sentences we highlighted or underlined and determine their meanings and impacts on each author’s overall message.

Review your underlines and highlights. Consider the following question:

1. How often does the author use this kind of personal support in the text?

For each example you have identified in this text, respond to the following questions in your Learning Log:

1. What is the author doing in this sentence? (e.g., discussing a personal experience, telling a story, using dialogue from a previous event, referring to the experiences of friends or family)

2. What is the effect of this sentence or section on the overall message of the text?

Activity 3: Discuss

We will reflect on the importance of incorporating personal experience and elements of narrative in discussions about community.

With a partner, discuss the following questions:

1. Why is it important to use personal narrative when sharing a message about community with outsiders?

2. What is it about the topic of community that lends itself to sharing personal experience? Do you see a similar trend in any other genre or topic?

Activity 4: Read – Write

We will use examples from the texts we highlighted as models for our own writing, focusing on the authors’ inclusion of personal experience.

Step 1

Individually, return to your annotations from the text you chose. Select two sentences or sections to serve as a model for your own writing. When selecting your sentences, make note of the following:

1. What information does the author include?

2. What information does the author omit?

3. How long are the sentences?

4. Is there any figurative language included in your selection?

Step 2

Using your chosen sentences or section as a model, write about your community, incorporating your personal experiences.

Step 3

Repeat this exercise with another selection of text.

Activity 5: Discuss – Write

We will share our writing with a partner to receive feedback.

Return to your previous partner and share your writing. Explain what you wish to communicate about your community to your reader.

When reading your peer’s writing, pay attention to the following:

1. What elements of personal narrative are present?

2. What purpose do these elements serve?

3. Is the author communicating something important about his or her community?

4. Does the student's writing relate clearly to what he or she wishes to communicate?

5. Is there a clear connection between the student’s writing and the model text?

Share feedback with your partner. Revise your work as necessary for homework.