UNIT:
Lesson: 11
Text Title
#BlackLivesMatter by Alyssa Gaines
Main Idea
In the poem #BlackLivesMatter, the author recounts telling a former friend “September” to take down their Confederate Flag prior to a birthday party. She then shares why she is so upset about this experience, tying it back to police brutality and the treatment of Black people in America. While explaining the history, she weaves in personal family experiences and the lasting, yet ineffective tactics used to comply with law enforcement. Ultimately the author shares that the weapon is not something that can cause physical harm, but the minds of law enforcement bias toward the Black community and being born Black. As the author continues, they begin to ask September, and “every September” hypothetical questions that they have answers to if the tables were turned. In the end, the author stands strong in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and those who have been killed at the hands of police.
Essential Question
The unit essential questions developed through this lesson are…
- In what ways have Black and Latino individuals and organizations in Indiana advocated for their communities?
Content Objective
By engaging in this lesson, students will know/understand that…
- Alyssa Gaines uses poetry to convey social justice issues of gun violence and the Black community.
- Activism can show up in a variety of mediums to make change, including poetry.
- A story/experience can be told through poetry and personification.
- The Black Lives Matter movement has played a significant role in Alyssa Gaines’ life, writing, and advocacy for her community.
Literacy Objective
By engaging in this lesson, students will strengthen their ability to…
- Determine the main idea of a poem.
- Draw inferences from the text and support that inference with details from the text.
Standards Alignment
- Describe how a narrator or speaker’s point of view influences how events are portrayed. (5.RL.3.2)
- Determine the theme of a story, play, or poem from details in the text. (5.RC.2)
