La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
Essential Question: How far will people go for freedom and equality?
Enduring Understandings:
 Equality means having the same rights and freedoms as everyone else.
 We must look to past struggles and leaders to learn how to solve today’s problems.
 It is important to study the causes of equality issues in order to understand the effects they have on
society.
 The fight for freedom and equality is still happening today.
I can use my voice to make a change.
Guiding Questions:
 What is freedom?
 What is equality and how does it affect me?
 What are my basic rights as an American?
 Why is it important to study equality struggles from the past?
 Why is it important to study the causes of these issues?
 Are there still issues with freedom and equality today?
 What can I do to find a solution?
 How does correct grammar and strong vocabulary empower me as a writer of social science?
 What is an essay and how do I write one?
 What is a documentary and how to I create one?
Learning Targets:
 I can annotate to hold my thinking (questions, connections, reactions, and inferences) when I read a
text.
 I can analyze a text to discover cause and effect.
 I can explain what equality is and make a connection to my own life.
 I can study equality problems of the past to help me develop solutions for today’s struggles.
 I can study a current-day problem and develop solutions.
 I can write an essay and use it to create a documentary to educate others about the issue.
 I can correctly use apostrophes, contractions, and homophones to increase my writing ability as a
social scientist.
Day 1
Day 2
Instructional Plan
Gallery Walk: Students will view
pictures depicting various
equality issues and write down
prior knowledge for each one
with a sticky note.
Tapping Pre-assessment of prior
knowledge Begin Personal
Spelling Lists
Read Aloud: The Big Box by Toni
Morrison
Guiding Question: What is
freedom?
Objectives
TSWBAT use prior
knowledge to write a
response to each picture
during the gallery walk.
ELPR.4.6-8.1
TSWBAT make inferences
about the meaning of a
text and identify the use of
symbolism in the text.
Assessment
Sticky note with
prior knowledge
Vocabulary
 Social
scientist
 Freedom
 Symbol
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day6
Add “freedom” and “symbol” to
Personal Dictionary.
Students will listen to the text to
infer the meaning of the text
and to determine what the
“box” symbolizes.
Add information to unit
Comprehension Matrix.
Anchor Chart: Basic Rights from
“Seeking Freedom”
Students will work with partners
to create informational posters
to educate others about a
freedom in the Bill of Rights
(speech, press, religion).
Guiding Question: What is
equality and how does it affect
me?
Add “equality” to Personal
Dictionary.
Annotating Text: Students will
read “Idaho Mexican Flag”
article and annotate the text to
record: reactions, connections,
questions, and inferences.
Add “cause” and “effect” to
Personal Dictionary.
Analyzing Text for Cause and
Effect: Students will share out
their thinking for the “Idaho
Mexican Flag” article and reread
the text to determine cause and
effect.
Students will record their
thinking using a cause/effect
graphic organizer. Debrief the
activity by adding information to
unit Comprehension Matrix/
Students will write solutions on
sticky notes and share out with
the group.
Build Background about the
Underground Railroad
Refer to Gallery Walk picture to
Assessment:
Poster (Rubric)




Rights
Speech
Press
Religion
Assessment:
annotations

equality
Assessment:
Cause and Effect
Graphic Organizer


cause
effect
Assessment:
Annotations


Underground
Railroad
escape
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
increase comprehension.
Annotating Text: Escaping to
Freedom/
Add “cause” information to Unit
Comprehension Matrix
Have students write the effect
on sticky notes/ add information
to matrix after debriefing.
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day
10
Assess prior knowledge about
Cesar Chavez by using a
K-W-L Chart / Build background
knowledge (use Gallery Walk
picture)
Add “migrant worker”,
“boycott” and “documentary”
to Personal Dictionary
Set purpose for watching
documentary (students will be
creating own documentaries)
Begin watching Teaching
Tolerance Cesar Chavez
documentary
Exit Ticket: Write one thing
interesting that you learned
from the documentary.
Guiding Question: Why is it
important to study equality
struggles from the past?
Continue watching Cesar Chavez
documentary
Debrief documentary by
completing K-W-L chart and
discussing the Guiding Question.
Cause and Effect: Students will
work in partners to create a
poster that shows the causes
and effects of Chavez’s boycott.
Presentations: Students will
present their posters
Discussion (Guiding Questions):
 Why is it important to
study equality struggles
Assessment:
Exit Ticket




Assessment:
Poster (rubric)
Assessment:
Presentation
(rubric)
migrant
worker
boycott
union
documen
tary
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
Day
11
from the past?
 Why is it important to
study the causes of these
issues?
Guiding Question: Are there
still issues with freedom and
equality today?
Students will choose an article
about a current equality issue to
read and annotate.
Day
12
Guiding Question: What can I
do to find a solution?
Think-Pair-Share: Have students
think about possible solutions
for their issue. Pair to
brainstorm with a partner.
Share out issue with the class.
Brainstorm as a group to further
develop ideas.
Day
13
Formal Assessment: Finding
Cause and Effect in Text &
Vocabulary
Guiding Question: What is an
essay and how do I write one?
Show students model
documentary. Then post the
essay used to create the
documentary.
Students will begin The Write
Tool Level 2 (essay) to begin to
develop their ideas for their
essays and documentaries.
(TAK and Brainstorm)
Guiding Question: What is an
essay and how do I write one?
Student will create the “Make a
Plan” portion on The Write Tool
to organize their ideas:
 Introduction
 Cause of Problem
 Effect of Problem
 Solutions/ Conclusion
Day
13
Day
14
Assessment:
Annotations
Assessment:
Formal
Assessment
Assessment:
TAK and
Brainstorm
Assessment:
Make a Plan prewriting

issue

solution
essay
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
Day
15
Day
16
Day
17
Day
18
Day
19
Guiding Question: What is an
essay and how do I write one?
Students will learn how to write
a thesis statement and
introductory paragraph.
Guiding Question: What is an
essay and how do I write one?
Mini-Lesson: ApostrophesShowing Possession
Students will draft their essay
today.
Guiding Questions:
 What is an essay and
how do I write one?
 How does correct
grammar and strong
vocabulary empower me
as a writer of social
science?
Mini-Lesson: ApostrophesContractions
Students will continue to draft
their essay today.
Assessment:
Thesis statement
Guiding Questions:
 What is an essay and
how do I write one?
 How does correct
grammar and strong
vocabulary empower me
as a writer of social
science?
Mini-Lesson: Apostrophes- It’s
vs. Its
Students will revise their writing
today using Flower Power.
Guiding Questions:
 What is an essay and
how do I write one?
 How does correct
grammar and strong
vocabulary empower me
as a writer of social
Assessment:
Exit Ticket
(apostrophes)
Assessment:
Exit Ticket
(apostrophes)
Assessment:
Exit Ticket
(apostrophes)
Assessment:
Exit Ticket
(commas in a
series)

Thesis
statement
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
Day
20
Day
21
Day
22
Day
23
science?
Mini-Lesson: Commas in a
Series
Students will revise their writing
today.
Guiding Questions:
 What is an essay and
how do I write one?
 How does correct
grammar and strong
vocabulary empower me
as a writer of social
science?
Mini-Lesson: Homophonesthere, their, they’re
Students will write their final
drafts today.
Guiding Question: What is
documentary and how do I
create one?
Mini-Lesson: How to Create a
Documentary Using Power
Point/ Preview rubric
Students will begin to create
their documentary.
Guiding Question:
 What is documentary
and how do I create
one?
 How does correct
grammar and strong
vocabulary empower me
as a writer of social
science?
Mini-Lesson: Homophonesyour vs. you’re
Students will work on creating
documentaries.
Guiding Question:
 What is documentary
and how do I create
one?
 How does correct
Assessment:
Exit Ticket
(homophones)
Assessment:
Exit Ticket
(homophones)
Assessment:
Exit Ticket
(homophones)
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
Day
24
Day
25
Day
26
Day
27
grammar and strong
vocabulary empower me
as a writer of social
science?
Mini-Lesson: Homophones- to,
too, two
Students will work on creating
documentaries.
Guiding Question:
 What is documentary
and how do I create
one?
 How does correct
grammar and strong
vocabulary empower me
as a writer of social
science?
Mini-Lesson: Homophonesright vs. write
Students will work on creating
documentaries.
Guiding Question:
 What is documentary
and how do I create
one?
 How does correct
grammar and strong
vocabulary empower me
as a writer of social
science?
Mini-Lesson: Homophones- one
vs. won
Students will work on creating
documentaries.
Documentary Day: Eat popcorn
and watch our documentaries.
Parents and administrators will
be invited to see our
presentations.
Formal Assessment on Write
Tool Level 2 &
Mechanics/Homophones
Assessment:
Exit Ticket
(homophones)
Assessment:
Exit Ticket
(homophones)
Assessment:
Documentary
Rubric
Assessment:
Formal
Assessment
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
Gallery Walk
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality
Idaho Flag
Article
Escaping to
Freedom
Time Period
current
1800’s
Cause
Effect
What I Can Do
The family
members were
slaves and
were going to
be separated.
So, they fled to
Canada on the
Underground
Railroad.
The family
made it to
Canada and
worked to help
other slaves to
freedom.
Study and
remember their
heroic acts.
Comprehension Matrix
La Lucha- The Struggle for Freedom and Equality