This unit focuses on sports and on real-life and fictional athletes. Students discuss dreams and what it takes to be successful, both in sports and in life. 

Students begin the unit by reading the beautifully illustrated nonfiction text Roberto Clemente, which presents a poetic portrait of the gifted Puerto Rican baseball player. Next, they dig into Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change: Courageous Actions Around the World, a collection of true stories about kids changing their communities and making a positive impact. From this collection, they will read the short story “Top of the World,” about a young Indian girl who climbed Mount Everest despite being told that “girls can’t climb mountains.” The unit’s core novel is Game, by Walter Dean Myers. This novel tells the story of a New York City high school basketball team and the struggles of its star player. Students analyze whether the protagonist is out for himself or playing for his team. 

The question, “Who gets to be an American?” frames students’ engagement with this unit. 

Students begin the unit by reading “The All-American Slurp,” a humorous short story about a young girl who has recently immigrated to the U.S. from China as she attempts to fit in with American culture. Next, students will read the nonfiction text Hot Topics: Immigration, an exploration of immigration as a worldwide phenomenon. The unit’s core novel is Ask Me No Questions, which focuses on a Bengali immigrant family’s struggle to stay in the U.S. in the aftermath of September 11th, 2001.

This unit explores two linked historical eras: the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North in the early 20th century, and the Harlem Renaissance, which was an explosion of music, art, and literature in 1920s Harlem, New York. 

Harlem Renaissance is about identity and finding a place where you can be your true self. In The Great Migration, students view Jacob Lawrence’s artwork as they learn about the migration of African American families from the southern United States to the northern United States. In Harlem Stomp!, students will learn about the art, literature, poetry, and music of the Harlem Renaissance. They will be asked to consider whether African Americans were better off in the North compared to the South at this time in history. Finally, they will read the novel Bronx Masquerade, by Nikki Grimes. This novel is told from the perspective of multiple high school students in Mr. Ward’s English class as they navigate their developing identities. Sharing their poetry in Mr. Ward’s weekly poetry slams allows these students to cultivate a sense of belonging in their classroom community.