Content Area: ELA

Writing Standard:
W. 11-12.1

Write arguments to support

claims in an analysis of
substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient
evidence.

What do students need to

know?
What is an argument
What is a claim
How to analyze
What is considered
sufficient evidence
How to identify
evidence
How to cite/quote

Grade Level: 11th

What do students need to be able to do?
Create a claim
Create an argument to support their claim
Analyze a text
Use reasoning to support their
argument/claim
Provide relevant, sufficient evidence
Quote/cite a text

Cognitive Rigor Matrix Level: On the Cognitive Rigor Matrix, this lesson falls somewhere between Analyze.
DOK Levels 3 & 4. Strategic Thinking/Reasoning & Extended Thinking. Students will analyze multiple texts
across time periods and genres, as well as complex/abstract themes and perspectives of multiple authors.
Students will also analyze and critique each authors viewpoint and use reasoning, planning, and evidence to
support their claims.
Universal Design for Learning Guidelines: This lesson will include UDL Principles 7.1 and 8.3. Students will
be provided with a choice in regards to which text they will compare to Poes poem. The pair group work will
also serve to foster collaboration and community.
Text Complexity: This lesson will utilize literary texts that fall somewhere between Somewhat Complex and
Complex. Langston Hughes Dreams and Kendrick Lamars Dreams include several levels of meaning
that may difficult to identify, contain a more complex organization and complex sentences, and some
figurative/literary language, but also much familiar, common language and very few unfamiliar vocabulary
words. Lamars lyrics also include some assumed personal experience and/or cultural knowledge.
Lesson Objective: Analyze Langston Hughes Dreams and lyrics from Kendrick Lamars Dreams. Draw
connections between the texts and compare/contrast a single text (of choice) to Edgar Allen Poes Dream Within
a Dream.
Materials
-

Poems handout
Venn diagram
Poe essay

Lesson Outline and Task for the students:

Teacher will read Hughes Dreams and Lamars Dreams aloud as students follow along their own
handouts of each poem (5 min).
- This will model how the poems should be read and will be especially useful for struggling students.

Once each poem has been read aloud by the teacher, students will be instructed to read both texts
individually (5 min).
- Supports will be provided for struggling students (see below)

Students will work with an assigned partner (the same partner as in the previous lesson) and discuss what
each text says, what it potentially reveals about dreams (10 min).
- Each student will be provided with a venn diagram handout and will be required to list the
similarities and differences between the two poems as they are discussed in their group.
- Teacher will walk around to both observe and address any questions.

Following pair group work, each student will be asked to choose one of the two poems and compose a 2
paragraph essay comparing that poem to Poes Dream Within a Dream. Students are to include textual
evidence (at least 1 citation from each text) to support their claim (20 min).
- Students will remain within their assigned pairs and will be handed back their previous Poe essay
and notes as references for their new essay.
- Questions to be addressed in essay (posted on the board):
1. What does the Hughes or Lamar poem reveal about dreams?
2. How does the authors interpretation of dreams compare to Edgar Allen Poes? How are their
poems alike? How are they different?

Once students have individually composed their essay, they will be asked to offer their opinions on the
Hughes and Lamar poems, their thoughts on the lesson/activity, and to share any additional questions or
concerns they may have (5 min).

Supports for struggling students:

Michelle:
The teachers reading of each poem will provide support for Michelles struggles with fluency and decoding, as it
will provide a model for how to read poetry. Michelle will also have been provided with the poems a day in
advance, and will have been given additional time to read and comprehend the texts, or to pinpoint any
words/terms/phrases she needs additional assistance with.
Santo:
The inclusion of a modern, familiar, and popular text (Lamars Dreams) will aid in Santos struggle with
reading motivation, as it will likely more closely relate to his experiences and peak his interest . The pair group
discussion of the poems will help him to better understand them and be able to generate his own ideas. His
continued work with the same partner will foster trust and a sense of comfort, which will also serve to make the
activity/assignment more enjoyable, promote motivation, and aid in text comprehension.
Bijan:
Bijan will have been provided with a vocabulary handout the day before to aid in his struggles with vocabulary
and morphology and to help him better comprehend the poems during class. He will have been instructed to
bring the vocabulary sheet to class as an additional guide while reading the poems. During pair group work, the
teacher will instruct the higher achieving partner to provide Bijan with any necessary additional support.

Dreams
Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Lyrics from Dreams
What if a dream was reality and reality was a dream?
And as complicated as it seems, if things we imagined actually happened?
And real life situations was artificial
They say we only living to, die
Imagine if were already dead, waiting to live, living in hell
Trying to cross over to heaven were confusing ourselves
Planet earths like Oceans 11, were plottin for the getaway
Summative Assessment (how will you know if students hit the objective at the level of the standard?):
Each students individual venn diagram and essay will be collected at the end of class. The teachers observations
during group discussion (as she walks around the room), as well as the end of class reflection, will also allow for
further assessment.