Collections Unit 6: Guided By A Cause- Opening Lecture

Unit 6:

Guided By A Cause

7th Grade English Language Arts

Horizon Science Academy Toledo

Essential Unit Questions:

• How can I make a change in my world?

• Who has inspired me to become a change-maker in my community?

Open Ended

When you hear the phrase "change-maker" or "inspirational person" what or who do you think of?

Why are we studying "change makers?"

We live in a very complex world. Many things happen to us and our communities that upset us and make us feel powerless and we come together to try and make a difference. This unit explores these types of events that lead people to take action in an effort to improve their world. 

Open Ended

Discussion Questions: Pick One

1. Can young people (still in school) make a real impact on society? For example, can young people take part in changing laws or policies on issues they care about? How?

or

2. What examples of kid "change-makers" from the past or present can you think of to support your opinion? Who? What did they do?

Next!

NewsELA article

• Go to our Google Classroom page

• Find "NewsELA Article: Taking it to the streets"

Multiple Choice

Which sentence in the section shows an example of a negative/bad response to an event by a grassroots movement?

• Black Lives Matter, for instance, brings attention to the ways African-Americans are often treated unfairly by police officers.

• On January 21, 2017, an estimated 5 million people around the world participated in Women's March events.

• These included immigration reform, health care reform and racial equality.

• Many felt that the Women's March lacked a clear message and did not include enough women of color.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from the article shows WHY people were no longer in favor of the war?

• Sometimes, an important law is passed because of grassroots activism.

• By 1961, many Americans wanted the United States to send troops there.

• Many U.S. soldiers were killed or injured and the war was becoming expensive.

• The antiwar movement grew stronger and large protests took place all over the country.

Multiple Choice

Civil Rights activists protested segregation through civil disobedience, which is breaking a law peacefully for a cause. In 1955, a black woman named Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, after she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man.

Which phrase from the selection helps you understand the meaning of "civil disobedience"?

• refused to give up

• breaking a law

• public buses

• to a white man

Multiple Choice

The word "grassroots" is essential to understanding activism.

Which sentence from the article BEST explains what "grassroots" means?

• Anyone can be an activist, young or old.

• They join to together to fight for a common cause.

• Black children could not go to school with white children.

• Thousands of American soldiers were dying.