This unit focuses on characters who build up the self-confidence to stand up for themselves against bullying. 

UNIT TEXTS

• The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake
• Middle School Confidential: Be Confident in Who You Are by Annie Fox
• “Blackmail” from Local News by Gary Soto

Bullying and self-confidence are the themes of this unit. Students begin the unit by reading “Blackmail,” a humorous short story set in the Latino community of Fresno, California, from the collection Local News, by Gary Soto. Next, they read Middle School Confidential: Be Confident in Who You Are, a nonfiction book with graphic novel text features. This text focuses on standing up to bullies and developing personal confidence. Finally, students read the novel The Skin I’m In, by Sharon Flake, a gripping first person novel about a dark-skinned African American girl who over time stands up to a “frenemy.” 

FLUENCY TOPICS

identity, self-esteem, bullying, peer pressure, stereotypes, skin color, “drama,” social dynamics, role models, Together for Latinas, poverty and other stressors, “snitching,” the “It Gets Better” project

FOCUS

Literary analysis

• Narrative arc in fiction
• Characterization
• Using and citing evidence from a text

Reading comprehension

• Summarizing and clarifying as components of Reciprocal Teaching
• Using 5Ws (who, did what, when, etc.) as a scaffold for summarizing
• Previewing nonfiction using table of contents, index, and illustrations

Decoding

• Identifying base words and chunking compound words
• Pronouncing consonant blends

Debate

• In The Skin I’m In, who has the power—Maleeka or Charlese?

English language development

• Summarizing most important aspects of information (orally and in writing)
• Interpreting figures of speech in context to make inferences about character