In this unit, students analyze the poetry of Gary Soto, Warsan Shire and others for elements of poetry that they then use to inform their own poetry writing.

In this unit, students study the East L.A. Walkouts, the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Never Again anti-gun movements to grapple with questions like:  What is student voice, and what does it look like in action? and, How does learning about youth led social movements empower students to speak up, and create effective change in school, community, and society? Students work in collaborative reading and writing groups to make meaning from texts and to write a multi draft argumentative essay.