WHAT INFLUENCES YOU?
Unit Four (pp.464-579)
For this Unit Reading Task you will have the freedom to choose what you want to read. Below is a list of the
different reading selections found in Unit 4 of your textbook, as well as the genre they fall under. You must
choose the amount of selections given for each genre. Happy reading!
Short Story: (Choose 2)
1. The Scholarship Jacket by Marta Salinas (pp.472-481)
2. The War of the Wall by Toni Cade Bambara (pp.510-523)
3. Home by Gwendolyn Brooks (pp.575-579)
Nonfiction: (Choose 3)
1. All Together Now / Speech by Barbara Jordan (pp.466-470)
2. A Mason-Dixon Memory / Essay by Clifton Davis (pp.482-493)
3. Names/Nombres / Autobiography by Julia Alvarez (pp.494-504)
4. Outdoor Art In America / Article by Toni Cade Bambara (pp.524-526)
5. Oprah Winfrey / TIME Magazine Informational Text by Sidney Poitier (pp.527-529)
6. Should Naturalized Citizens Be President / Essay by John Yinger and Matthew Spalding (pp.536-542)
7. Toward a Rainbow Nation / Essay by Lavendhri Pillay (pp.553-560)
8. Heroes / Essay by Erma Bombeck (pp.561-565)
9. Langston Terrace / Essay by Eloise Greenfield and Lessie Jones Little (pp.570-578)
Task Directions
1. Choose the indicated amount of selections to read from each genre (5 Total).
2. You will write a one to two paragraph summary for each selection you read. The main character(s),
setting, major conflict/ problem, and resolution must be included when summarizing each selection.
3. Each summary must have a heading that will include the following: Genre Type, Selection Title,
Author, and Page Numbers.
4. After reading each selection and writing your summaries, you will write a five-paragraph essay that
explains the unit theme, and how this theme is prevalent throughout the selections you read. You
must cite evidence from the selections you read to support your determination of the connecting
theme. Here are some “essential questions” to consider when you read each selection.
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What everyday life experiences influence you?
Who influences you in a positive way?
How can writing help persuade someone?
5. Your summaries and essay must be completed on Google Classroom.
Scoring Rubric
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Each SUMMARY will be worth 10 Points (50 Total Points)
The ESSAY (five paragraphs) will be worth 40 points (8 Points/Paragraph)
 Following directions, organization, and usage of proper grammar and punctuation when writing your
summaries will be worth 10 points
 This Unit Task will carry the weight of two test grades.
Extra Credit – Read the four poems from the list below and write a brief one-paragraph summary for each.
These must be typed on Google Classroom and they are to be written and set up the same way as the other
summaries. Each summary (4) will be worth 25 Points for a total of 100 Points. This will be scored as an extra
credit test grade.
Poetry:
1. In a Neighborhood in Los Angeles by Fransisco X. Alarcon (pp.505-508)
2. Old Age Sticks by E.E. Cummings (pp.530-532)
3. Without Commercials by Alice Walker (pp.547-552)
4. Primer Lesson by Carl Sandburg (pp.567-569)