Unit Plan 7th Grade

TC: Beth Snow UNIT PLAN Class: 7th Grade
UNIT: Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs
PURPOSE: To develop a better understanding of the reality of immigration through a realistic, fictional
literary lens and ongoing class discussion.
WEEK 1: 1/23-1/27
Strengths of the Class:
- They have a high rate of participation in class activities. (2nd/3rd)
- They are polite and fairly easy to redirect if attention is elsewhere. (2nd/3rd)
- They tend to see the big picture ahead of time in our lessons. (3rd)
Unique needs of the Class:

- 2nd period tends to have a few students who always like to volunteer/contribute and quite a few quiet students.
I will have to find new ways to engage them as much as possible.
- There are some students who need redirection from time to time in terms of attention. (3rd)
-Some students w/ 504/IEP accommodations who may require extended time and/or support in activities.
(2nd/3rd)
Subject:
7th Grade English Language Arts
Curriculum Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.2
Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text;
provide an objective summary of the text.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative,
and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1.C
Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons,
and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1.C
Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant
observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.
Lesson Topic: Introduction to Crossing the Wire, beginning with close examination of Emma Lazaruss poem,
The New Colossus, and how it relates to the topic of immigration.
Purpose: To develop a better understanding of arts effect to develop new ideals and to connect more with the
topic of immigration.
Content Objectives for the Lesson:
Students will be able to read and analyze Emma Lazarus' sonnet, "The New Colossus".
Students will be able to infer meaning from lines and specific words in the poem.
Students will be able to make connections between the poem and what they understand about
immigration rights.
Learning Objectives for the Students:
Students will be able to closely read and analyze a poem.
Students will be able to observe art giving meaning to a national ideal.
Students will be able to determine poetic rhyme scheme.
Language Objectives for Students:
Students will be able to discuss the passage in-depth with the whole class, sharing interpretations and
impressions of its meaning.
Students will be able to express thoughts, opinions, and questions surrounding immigration.
Students will be able to read the poem independently and write responses to text-specific questions.
Starter: ( 5-10 min)
ATB-Grammar corrections and practice, standard to the beginning of every class.
Collect Reading Logs on Mondays
Class Procedures:
Students work on the ATB, then take volunteers to write up their corrections for Q. 1 & 2 on the board.
Q. 3-4 will be completed chorally or by raise of hand. Afterwards, Ill review the agenda for the day with
students and follow the outlined activities below.
Class Work (Questions/Activities:
Monday
(20-35 min)
KWL Chart on Immigration on the board: Students will have (2) sticky notes where they sit. Instruct
them to write on one, a Know, and the other a Want to know regarding immigration. The Want
should be formed as a question. Call them up by rows to complete this. After 5 or so minutes, select a
few from the board that will provoke discussion.
Class Work (Questions/Activities):

Tuesday/Wednesday
(15 min) Wrap up the remaining questions on Emma Lazaruss, A New Colossus:
1. Who is this mighty woman being described in the poem?

2. How do you think this poem relates to immigration rights?
3. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?
When everyone is finished, take some of what was discussed into the larger group discussion. Then,
share the essay that gives some background info on the poem and the meaning it gave to the country and
immigration.
(10 min) Show the story of the migrant child workers: http://graphics.latimes.com/product-of-mexico-camps/.
Have the kids discuss briefly what they think of the video, of Alejandrinas nomadic life. Then take some
sharing out to the class.
(20 min) Differentiating Migrate, Immigration, and Emigration
Pass out the reading, On the Move. I will read over the terms to know first off, so they are aware of
what to look for. As they go, students should be underlining to define the terms in the box. After reading
it together, give the students 5 minutes to write original sentences in their journals that use the terms
correctly. Take some examples to write up on the board.
Then, do the two true or false questions for a short assessment of understanding. Take true/false readings
by raise of hands.
Briefly discuss the Push/Pull factors for Immigration/Migration, as it pertains to a lot of the Want to
Knows from the previous class.
(25 min) Start reading, Crossing the Wire. Questions below will help foster/facilitate discussion:
Have students look over the cover and give their interpretations.
Stop after Chapter 1:
Q: Ask for readings of the characters. What do their introductions here tell us about who they are?
Stop after Chapter 2:

Q: Have you ever had a friend or family member move away? How might those feelings relate to
Victors reaction? How might they be different?
Q: Why is Rico going north? Are his reasons push factors or pull factors.
Q: What do you think about Rico, a young man, making the journey north? If in his position, could you
do the same?
Pass out the Close-Reading Worksheet and preview it with students in sections. They will try and
complete the front half of the first page. Turn it back into the basket to continue on it through Friday.
Thursday
(20 min) Read and discuss Chapter 3 (1/26) as a class
(20-25 min) Arrange students into their Literary Circle Groups and allow them time to discuss/coordinate
reading for next week.
Friday
(15-20) Read Ch. 3-4 and discuss as a class: Who has more reason for leaving to El Norte? Victor or Rico?
Predict what Victor is going to do.
(20 Min) Complete close-reading worksheet as a class.
Plans for Assessment:
Poem Worksheet
Close-Reading Worksheet for Ch. 1-4 (to be continued)
Homework assigned/due date:
-30 mins of reading for each night of the week
-Preparation for Lit Circles on Thursday
Plans for Enrichment (students who finish early will):
- Start reading into Chapter 2 with a partner and begin filling out the close-reading worksheet.
Plans for Remediation (students who need additional support):
- During their independent reading/response time, I will make sure to go around and informally assess the
progress being made or support needed. We will also preview the questions before the poem is reading so
they know what to be thinking about.
Plans for English Language Learners:
- As a class, well be discussing the poem and in their respective partnerships, they will be able to share
their responses and get feedback. I will circulate to see if any additional support will be needed.
WEEK 2 (1/30-2/3)
Subject:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-
one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on
others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning
words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Lesson Topic: Trade and the Economy: Impacts on Mexico
Purpose: To gain a better understanding of other factors that affect the flows of immigration (i.e. trade and the
enconomy).
Students will be able to construct a working definition of NAFTA and how it functions.
Students will be able to consider various personas involved in free trade in Mexico and the United
States and assess the positive and negative effects that NAFTA may have on these personas.
Students will be able to synthesize the lesson in a one-page reaction piece addressing the success or
failure of an objective posed in NAFTAs preamble from their personas.
Students will be able to build empathy with our novels character, Victor, and the position the economy
puts him in by exploring NAFTA and its effects.
Students will be able to analyze an article in class while working in groups to answer a purpose
question about NAFTA.
Students will be able to share information gathered from reading and discussion to the larger class.
Students will be able to discuss the roles theyre playing with groups and the class.
Students will be able to outline the article for important information to answer their purpose question.
Students will be able to present to the rest of the class
Starter: (5-10 min)
Class Procedures:
Students work on the ATB, then take volunteers to write up their corrections for Q. 1 & 2 on the board. Q.
3-4 will be completed chorally or by raise of hand. Afterwards, Ill review the agenda for the day with
(15 min) Monday
Allow time to wrap up close-read worksheet of Ch. 1-4
(25 min) Crash Course: Imports and Exports
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geoe-6NBy10
As students watch the video, theyll write responses on a worksheet. Well preview the questions
beforehand. Afterwards, Ill give them 5-10 minutes to wrap up their written responses. Ill call on
people to share the answers they wrote down out to the class.
Tuesday/Wednesday
(30 min) Read as a class, In Corns Cradle, U.S. Imports Bury Family Farms. As you go, use the following
questions to bolster conversation with the group, or initiate a think-pair-share.
As a class, read and discuss In Corns Cradle, U.S. Imports Bury Family Farms, focusing on a sampling
of the following questions:
a. In what ways is corn a central item in Mexicos culture, history and economy?
b. The third paragraph states that the modern world is closing in on the little patch of maize, known as the
milpa, that has sustained millions of Mexicans through the centuries. How, according to the article, is this
happening? How is American agribusiness seemingly portrayed in this article?
c. How many Mexicans farm corn, and how many family members are supported by it?
d. Why is Lorenzo Rebellos story similar to others stories all over Mexico?
e. How much of the corn in Mexico is imported from the United States, and how has this impacted corn
growing in Mexico?
f. How has NAFTA affected the corn agribusiness in Mexico and in the United States? How do free trade
and farm policies differ in this industry in the two countries?
g. Why does this article use the term survival instincts to describe how Mexican corn growers must act?
h. What have been and will be some of the effects of the United States being able to export all the corn it
wants to Mexico, duty free, by 2008? What did NAFTAs drafters say would happen, and what has
happened?
i. Why do the small farmers in Mexico have little political clout under the government of President
Vicente Fox? Why is this mentioned?
j. What was predicted about the effect of American imports on Mexican agriculture when the trade pact
took effect? What was not foreseen?
k. Why is the importation of bioengineered corn from the United States a separate but heated issue?
l. The last three paragraphs of the article offer different opinions on what Mexican farmers will need to do
in the future. How do you interpret these different views?
(20-35 min) Students will be assigned one of seven roles in their table groups:
1. Mexican corn farmer operating a very small farm in a central Mexican town
2. Owner of a large animal feed company in Mexico that imports most of the corn used in the feed from the
United States to cut costs
3. Owner of an animal feed company in the United States moving your company near the Mexican border to
lower your labor costs
4. Factory worker in an animal feed company based in the United States that has just announced that it is
closing your factory and moving to Mexico to lower its labor costs
5. Owner of an animal feed factory in Mexico that was bought out by a larger American company
6. Worker in an animal feed factory in Mexico that was just bought out by a larger American company
7. Farmer in the United States wanting to buy the best feed for your livestock for the least amount of money
Each group member should prepare to respond in a mock Town Meeting. To prepare for the town hall
meeting, each role member should formulate answers to the following questions (written on the board for
easier student access):
(20 min)
Has NAFTA been financially beneficial to you? Why or why not?
How has NAFTA impacted your family? How has it impacted the city or town where you live?
In what ways do you feel that NAFTA helps support your nations economy? In what ways do you feel it
does not?
Student groups will each have a role-response sheet wherein theyll write out their answers and turn it in for
credit.
Thursday
(20 min) Quick Discussion and Write: Preamble
Talk about the preamble of NAFTA as a series of purpose statements and outcomes that were hoped
for. Students will write a paragraph addressing one statement and stating whether or not it was
successful for the role they played, or if it adversely affected that individual.
(20 min) Lit Circles

Students will be evaluated based on participation in-group and class discussions, thoughtful
participation in the Manzanillo town hall meeting, and well-written final piece evaluating the success of
a NAFTA objective from the perspective of the persona examined in their class groups.

Preamble Response: Students will read over the preamble and pick one that impacts the role they
played and why.
I will make sure to go around and informally assess the progress being made or support needed. We
will also preview the questions before the poem is reading so they know what to be thinking about.
Our close-reading worksheet has chapter vocabulary that might be unfamiliar. We will work with
partners in the class to help define the terms.
I will circulate to see if any additional support will be needed.
I will also provide explicit instructions for tasks and transitions, as well as challenging and/or
unfamiliar vocabulary.
WEEK 2 (1/30-2/3)
Subject:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-
one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on
others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Lesson Topic: Crossing the Wire: Risks and Realizations
Purpose: To better understand motivations of characters and real life people for immigrating across the border,
as well as the challenges they face.
Students will be able to critique actions of deportation agents and border patrol through close analysis
and discussion of Blas Manuel De Lunas poem, Bent to the Earth.
Students will be able to synthesize the history of the short hoe farm workers with the topic of migrant
labor and abuse in the poem.
Students will be able to apply a close reading and understanding of the poem to the character of Victor
Flores and the risks he faces when traveling to El Norte.

Students will be able to recognize elements of voice, word choice, and theme through close reading of
poetic lines.
Students will be able to close-read a chapter of the text by responding to text-specific questions.
Students will be able to make conclusions about means of traveling for immigrants and the safety
issues involved.
Students will be able to annotate and summarize a poem.
Students will be able to read paragraphs aloud to the rest of the class.
Students will be able to discuss with partners and whole class questions about the text read.
Starter: (5-10 min)
Class Procedures:
Students work on the ATB, then take volunteers to write up their corrections for Q. 1 & 2 on the board. Q.
3-4 will be completed chorally or by raise of hand. Afterwards, Ill review the agenda for the day with
Monday
(15-20 min) Read and discuss Chapters 5 and 6 as a whole class, deferring to student readers as you go. For the
benefit of each student, strong readers should be directed to read more than a paragraph, as this will present a
good model. Questions to discuss for both chapters:
Ch. 5 is called, A Bitter Sweetness. Make a prediction as to what will happen, by the title.
How is Victor feeling since the last chapter? What do you think he should do?
Ch. 6 is called, A Lone Wolf. What does it mean to be a lone wolf, and how might we apply this to
Victor and his situation?
What are the risks of being alone when crossing the border?
What will happen to Victor now that he is off the bus?
Tuesday/Wednesday
(25 min) Students will revisit Ch. 5 more closely through text-specific questions that well discuss as a whole
class after a timed-period for responses. They will also get to do a mini-role play wherein they write a piece of
dialogue, giving the character Victor advice as his friend, as to whether or not he should travel to the border.
After weve discussed/shared out responses for the previous questions, I will act as Victor, and volunteers
will tell me what they want me to do.
(40 min)
-Pass out the copies of Bent to the Earth by Blas Manuel De Luna. Explain that it is a poem of intensity, but
it will help us better understand the risks involved with being detained and some of the real-life implications of
being undocumented.
-Play the clip of it being read on Poetry Out Loud (YouTube). Students will read and follow along.
Afterwards, ask for their initial reactions, and what they think the poem is getting at. They will first share these
responses in pairs, then out to the class. The first two questions on the back of their sheet addresses these two,
so theyll have 4 minutes to record their responses.
-In pairs, students will read the poem to each other, so they get a feel for the prose and words being used.
***Clarifier: Bent to the Earth refers to the historical reference of Chavezs fight for the migrant farmers and
their labor force being abusive and unfair. Show images of the short hoe and explain this historical linkage to
the term of being Bent to the Earth. Q: Why does this term get repeated?
-After this is done, move through individual annotation practices with elements of Voice, Word Choice, and
Theme. Give an example and explanation of one for them (each element) to see on the doc. camera, and then
give them 5 minutes to annotate and respond to the corresponding section question. After each, ask for a
volunteer or two to share what they wrote.
(30 min) Debrief after writing has been completed by asking them to revisit the prediction they made in their
notebooks about Victor, and what might have happened when he got pulled off the bus. Explain that what we
read in the poem in a real life possibility for those traveling or working in the U.S. without documents. Share
some of the predictions, then go on to read Ch. 7: No Turning Back.
Discuss the following questions:
Do you agree with Victors decision to run from the customs agents? Why or why not?
What are some new risks he might face?
In your opinion, how safe is it to travel by train (by hanging on the outside)?
Thursday
(20 min) Discuss the ways we now know immigrants from Mexico and Central America travel when legal
means arent available to them. Generate a list on the board (responses should be like bus, on-foot, with a
coyote guide, smuggled in a truck/car, on a freight train) and go through each for rating safety. 1 being least
safe, 4 being most, go through each level and tally the responses, asking for some to justify why they
responded with a certain rating. Open the discussion to the risks within each.
Show the 10-minute excerpt from Which Way Home that shows real life children riding freight trains.
Students will respond with a See-Hear-Think-Wonder graphic organizer, putting down at least 3 things for
each. Time permitting, discuss the questions that came up/observations made, etc.
(25 min) Rest of time in class will be for Lit Circles. Exit ticket: Students must show me their new paper with
the reading assignment for the week written on the front. There has been confusion in groups lately and this
will help mitigate that.
Friday
(35 min)
Computer Lab writing in Utah Compose: Choose a Special Power. Students will have 30 minutes of
on-demand writing every Friday we have class. They are supposed to get a score of 20 or better and
they have multiple attempts to resubmit/get feedback from the program. Afterwards, well debrief:
Why might a program like this help us become better writers? What does this program give us that is
useful?
Explaining also that future prompts will be to address certain characters/themes found in the book, and
our purpose for their writing blocks is to build up towards the end unit essay.
Ch. 5 Sheet
Bent to the Earth Annotations and Questions
SHTW Chart
LC Paper

Partnered reading and discussion of Chapter 8.
I will make sure to go around and informally assess the progress being made or support needed. We
will also preview the questions before the poem is reading so they know what to be thinking about.
Our close-reading worksheet has chapter vocabulary that might be unfamiliar. We will work with
partners in the class to help define the terms.
I will circulate to see if any additional support will be needed.
I will also provide explicit instructions for tasks and transitions, as well as challenging and/or
unfamiliar vocabulary.
WEEK 4: 2/13-2/17 (MIDTERMS)


(2nd/3rd)
Subject:
and evidence.
Lesson Topic: Crossing the Wire
Purpose: To see the benefits of perseverance in the face of uncertainty, as it applies to the actions of characters in
Crossing the Wire.
Students will be able to comment on the risks of freight train travel as it applies to child migrants.
Students will be able to construct a prediction before reading and then revise it as needed.
Students will be able to discuss the content of their reading critically by building on each others
comments and using text evidence.
Students will be able to close read a text by focusing on a line or scene of significance and then justifying
its importance to the text.
Students will be able to read with partners cooperatively.
Students will be able to critique the actions of those surrounding the border and infer how those actions
connect to and affect individuals like our characters.
Students will be able to discuss the passage in-depth with the whole class, sharing interpretations and
impressions of its meaning.
Students will be able to read paragraphs of the chapter aloud to the class.
Students will be able to verbalize their interpretations of the text to answers questions about the story.
Class Procedures:
Monday
(10-15 min)
Finish showing the Which Way Home clip at (4:52 mark) for 2nd Period. Redistribute the See-Hear-Think-
Wonder charts for students to complete and use for a continued share and discussion.
(20-25 min) Read Chapter 8 as a class. Ask for a few students to make a prediction about what will happen in
this chapter. Then, give them some pre-reading questions to be thinking about:
What might be causing Victor to feel doubt about continuing his journey?
How are Victor and Julio alike? How are they different?
What experiences make Julio a good person to travel with?
Questions for discussion:
What were some potentially risky choices Victor made in this chapter? (exs. Fleeing the hospital, getting
back on a freight train, trusting a stranger).
Why did Victor feel the need to lie to Julio? Would you trust Julio? Why or why not?
Referring to the States (pg. 57) V- Is it good? Is it bad J- Its both. What are some reasons Julio gave
this response? How could the states be both good and bad to those immigrating?
Theyre always looking for hard workers. They know we work harder than they do. What do you make
of this statement? Who does this idea benefit?
Tuesday/Wednesday
(50 min)
Close-Reading Columns for Chapter reading (Ch. 9-11)
After Ch. 9, the students will work with the person next to them to partner read Chapters 10-12.
Break in between reading chapters so students can have time to respond on their Two-Column Close
Reading Organizer. Take some sharing up on the doc. camera, or verbally. Field some of the responses
for extended conversations.
Thursday
(20 min) Walls of Shame Clip.
SHTW Charts
Informal observations of participation and discussion
Two Column Close Read
- Acrostic Chapter Poems: NOGALES
- I will rotate in the class to check on progress and make sure students are on task.

WEEK 5: 2/21-2/24 (7th Grade)

(2nd/3rd)
Subject:
and evidence.
Lesson Topic: Crossing the Wire
Purpose: To read more into our class novel as a whole group and in partnerships to better encounter the text and
answer text-dependent questions.
Students will be able to respond to text-dependent questions independently, in partnerships, and with the
whole class.
Students will be able to illustrate an important take-away from chapter readings by drawing or selecting a
quote that stimulates questions and thoughts.
Students will be able to work cooperatively through reading and responding to chapter readings in class.
Students will be able to restate thoughts and ideas presented by a peer when responding to a text/or text
question.
Students will be able to synthesize what they know of an emergent character with new information
presented.
Students will be able to craft original W/H- questions to ask a peer after partner reading.
Students will be able to actively listen to the responses offered by their peer regarding prior reading of the
class novel.
Students will be able to generate original questions and record responses in written form.
Students will be able to discuss their responses to the reading with the class and with partners.
Collect Reading Logs on Mondays (TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY THIS WEEK)
Class Procedures:
Monday
NO SCHOOL/Presidents Day
Tuesday/Wednesday
(10 min) Finish reading Ch. 11 and allow time for the students to fill in that portion of their Close Reading
organizer from the previous week. Display some of the shared work for this chapter on the doc camera.
(15 min) Before moving on to the next chapter, do a THINK-PAIR-SHARE and display these questions:
1) When and where did Victor and Miguel meet? What was their relationship like? (A)
2) What are some reasons Miguel might have for not helping Victor? What do you predict will happen
next? (B)
Instruct students to take about 6-8 minutes to write down their thoughts to these questions. Then,
designate one student per pair to be partner (A) and the other will be partner (B).
Partner (A) will share their answers to Q1 while (B) listens. After 2 minutes, (B) can now comment or
ask questions about the response their partner gave.
Then, Partner (B) will share their answers to Q2 while (A) listens. After another 2 minutes, (A) can now
comment or ask questions about the response their partner gave.
Debrief as a whole group and ask for opposite partners to share what their other partners had to say (ex:
For question one, have (B) partners raise their hands and call on someone to share what they
heard/talked about).
*More than just a primer for the chapter, this is also an exercise in active listening and restating.
(20 min) Read Miguel as a class. Questions to raise for further discussion:
1) What kind of man is Miguel?
2) In what ways are Victor and Miguel similar?
3) Who are the Vigilantes and what is their purpose?
Students will have 5 minutes to fill in their graphic organizer and well open time to share. Come back to talk
about the pre-reading questions after some sharing has been done.
(30-45 min) Students will read in pairs and generate their own selection of WH questions to ask each
other. As the teacher, Ill model what this process looks like. Ex: Teacher says, For my WHAT question,
I wrote, What is the reason Miguel is traveling across the border? Student helper will respond with their
answer. On my sheet, Ill record their response. Students will move through Ch. 13 and 14 on their own,
following this process.
Thursday
(~20 min) Read into either Ch. 14 or Ch. 15 depending on where classes finish in the 90-minute class
periods.
(~20 min) Lit Circles
Friday
(45 min) Computer Lab Writing in UTAH COMPOSE for 2nd Period
Two Column Close Read (Ch. 9-12)
W/H Question Sheet
- Read into the next few chapters and summarize reading in their class notebooks.
- If more time is needed to complete the assignments, I will adjust as needed for students.
- I will model certain procedures with the class before turning them loose to do it on their own.

WEEK 6: 2/27 3/2 (7th Grade)

(2nd/3rd)
Subject:

Collect Reading Logs on Mondays.
Class Procedures:
Monday
(10 min) ATB and discussion of new reading logs.
(35 min) Direct instruction with Chapters 14 & 15. Have someone summarize the reading from last week:
Where did Victor and Miguel end up at the end of the chapter? Then read through the chapter with some text-
dependent questioning:
CH. 14:
What things does Miguel give Victor and why?
What makes the border patrol so powerful?
What is the difference between someone acting selfishly and selflessly?
Think-Pair-Share: Tell about a time you were as selfless (not selfish) as Miguel and put someone else
ahead of your own needs.
CH. 15:
How is Victor using what hes learned from others to survive?
I felt as alone as a man walking on the moon, small as an ant, utterly helpless. What does this say about
Victor in this moment? What comparative device is being used here and what is its effect?
With the helicopter overhead what decision does Victor have to make? If you were in his position what
decision would you make and why?
What are the risks Victor now faces, being alone?
Tuesday/Wednesday
(10 min) ATB and give them a copy of their final essay prompt.
(20 min) Read Ch. 16, What Might Have Been.
Discuss the following afterwards:
What is Victor facing at the very beginning of the chapter that makes his next moves important?
Why do you think the fisherman was so angry about Victor stowing away?
At the end of the chapter what things (more than one) does Victor see and feel that add to his sense of
hopelessness?
(10 min) After reading, watch/listen to PBSs Nogales Shelter piece: https://www.azpm.org/s/20530-inside-the-
nogales-shelter-housing-1000-children/
(20 min) Read Ch. 17, Running out of Time.

Questions to discuss:
Does the border agent really expect Victor to return home? How do you know?
All that deep snow in the Chiricahua Mountains seemed like I had dreamed it. So too, the journey with
Miguel. Being with Julio that was from another lifetime. I was numb. I was ashamed. I had failed. (p.
126-middle)
Why does Victor feel ashamed and numb? Is he right to feel this way?
What does Ricos presence tell you about his journey to El Norte?
(30-45 min) Students will read again in pairs and respond to text-dependent questions for Chapters 18-20.
Note: Student will likely not get to Ch. 20, but they should at least finish 18 & 19. That way there is less than 10
remaining chapters of the text to be read before the end of the unit.
Thursday
(25 mins) Short period, no ATB, straight into Lit Circles.
Friday
NO SCHOOL, PT CONFERENCES
Chapter Questions
- Read into the next few chapters and answer questions on a worksheet.

WEEK 7: 3/6 3/10 (7th Grade)


(2nd/3rd)
Subject:

Class Procedures:
Monday
(15 min) ATB, collect RLs and passing out of the final essay prompt.
(35 min) 2nd and 3rd: Finish reading as a class (teacher reading to expedite).
Questions to ask: Who is Tony Jarra? Do you like Ricos plan? Why or why not?
Listen to audiobook of 21, then ask who the liar was in the chapter. Have them discuss it in pairs.
Tuesday/Wednesday
(No ATB) Use this extra 10 minutes to begin listening to the audiobook of 22-25. (I want to give them
something to help them begin to organize their thinking, just debating what that should look like. They will take
notes in their journals filling out a two-column detailing, Challenges and Solutions with corresponding page
numbers.
To expedite the reading, students will take notes while following along as I read through 25-28. If time permits,
have students start outlining for their essays.
Thursday
(25 mins) If there is more to read, finish it on this day. Otherwise, take students into outlining for their essays.
(20 mins) Lit Circles
Friday
(5 min) Show the Heros Journey video to prep their thinking about the essay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhk4N9A0oCA
(35 min) Give students in 2nd period time to start outlining for their essays. They will start writing on Monday
when the other class does. 3rd period will begin class on Monday with this video.

Chapter Questions
- Read into the next few chapters and answer questions on a worksheet.

WEEK 8: 3/13 3/17 (7th Grade)

- They have now read the entire book and have had direct instruction on essay directions (2nd/3rd)
(2nd/3rd)
Subject:

Class Procedures:
Monday
(45 mins) Go over building a reference page and doing citations, as students will need to include this with their
essay. Students will use the rest of the time to write. For those who are finishing, they will have their peer
conferences/adult conferences. I will circulate and see how the writing is coming along and see who needs
additional support.
Tuesday/Wednesday
(90 mins) Students need to use this time to finish their first drafts as well as their peer and adult conferences. Ill
go around and see where everyone is at in their revisions/conferences.
Thursday
(10 min) ATB, collect 1st Draft of Essays to the bin up front.
(35 min) Extended Lit Circles---to give students more time/rest to sit with their groups and discuss their books,
direct them to read afterwards quietly, in their seats.
Friday
(45 min) Show selected images/descriptions from http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/us-world/border-
mexico/article/Harrowing-morgue-photos-show-the-place-where-9516034.php (Only show Images 6, 10, 11, 13,
17, 18).
Note to setting this up: Let students know that the real world has different impacts/results for people who travel
across the desert. Ask what the worst case scenario is for those who are crossing in the Sasabe desert. Lead
into the following: Unlike Victor, not everyone is able to withstand the terrain and journey. The following items
were found in the desert next to those who didnt make it.
As we go, Ill ask for reactions to the belongings found and what that conveys about the person who was
carrying the objects.
Lead into the video, Undocumented and Underage, about the child migrant crisis. Ask them to consider how
many kids are making this journey, and how that makes them feel (taking responses after the video). I will be
reading the Spanish subtitles out to the class. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVHqV0ibCWI
(This will be repeated for the last Friday of class).
First Draft of Essay
- Print out their own completed work and then help other students work on their essays.
- Before printing out completed results, I will check in with students (ELL) to make sure they have the
formatting requirements needed and the order needed for turn in.
- I can (very limited) extend some time for those who need it to Friday.

Unit Plan 7th Grade

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Unit Plan 7th Grade

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TC: Beth Snow UNIT PLAN Class: 7th Grade

UNIT: Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs

Unique needs of the Class:

Class Work (Questions/Activities):

1. Who is this mighty woman being described in the poem?

Stop after Chapter 2:

(20 min) Lit Circles

Homework assigned/due date:

Learning Objectives for the Students:

Homework assigned/due date:

WEEK 4: 2/13-2/17 (MIDTERMS)

Unique needs of the Class:

Unique needs of the Class:

WEEK 6: 2/27 3/2 (7th Grade)

Starter: ( 5-10 min)

(20 min) Read Ch. 17, Running out of Time.

WEEK 7: 3/6 3/10 (7th Grade)

Unique needs of the Class:

Starter: ( 5-10 min)

Plans for Assessment:

WEEK 8: 3/13 3/17 (7th Grade)

Starter: ( 5-10 min)

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