This exemplar explores an emotionally charged autobiographical piece by Fredrick Douglass. Students will need to consider the emotional context of words and how the author's word choices impact and deliver the his message. The culminating writing task asks students analyze the diction in order to address the change in the author and the author's intent. The exemplar provides rigorous alternate assignments and a highly engaging supplemental activity specifically designed for differentiated groupings. RL 8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.4; W.8.1, W.8.4; SL.8.1, SL.8.3.
Fredrick Douglass Autobiography
Grade Level
Grades 6-8
Resource Type
Lesson Plan
Standards Alignment
Common Core State Standards
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Standards
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.
Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
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.
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
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.
Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
