Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.3, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will analyze a problem and its solution in a text about a teen who spoke out against her school’s offensive mascot.

Key Skills

problem and solution, text features, vocabulary, sequence of events, cause and effect, key details, critical thinking, narrative writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The text describes a teen’s efforts to change her school’s mascot. Themes include bravery, cultural identity, and activism.

 

Structure: The story is mostly chronological and told from a first-person perspective.

 

Language: The language is conversational.

 

Knowledge Demands: Readers are expected to know what a mascot is.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: T 

DRA Level: 50

SEL Connection

This article and lesson promote social awareness.

Lesson Plan: She Changed Her School Forever

Essential Questions

  • What can one person do to change an unfair or disrespectful situation? 
  • What does it mean to respect other people’s cultures?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith 

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the article’s title and subtitle. What does it mean to stand up for yourself? What does it mean to stand out? How do you think standing up for yourself can make you stand out? Sample answer: To stand up for yourself is to defend yourself, to be vocal about your point of view, and to not back down. To stand out means to attract attention. If you’re standing up for yourself,  you’re probably challenging something or someone, so you’re likely to attract attention whether you like it or not.
  • Look at the photos of Lemiley that are included in the article and read their captions. What do they tell you about her? From the photos and captions, you can tell several things about Lemiley: She helped change her school’s logo; she has siblings; she plays softball; and she attended a rally to protest her school’s mascot.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (stereotypical, sacred, disrespected, cultural appropriation, petition) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow. 

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading: Tell students that after reading, they’ll analyze a problem and its solution in the story. Point out the activity at the end of the story. 
  • Encourage students to pause at the end of each section so they can monitor their comprehension. Prompt them to take note of sentences they think tell them important ideas in each section, as well as any words or sentences they don’t understand.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Guide students to read the article. Once they understand it well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • Why was Lemiley sad and angry after going to her first pep assembly at her new high school? (cause and effect) She was unhappy because the school’s mascot was disrespectful of her Native American culture. 
  • What is cultural appropriation? (vocabulary) Cultural appropriation happens when one culture uses something like food, clothing, or music from another culture without understanding its history and importance.
  • Who helped Lemiley as she worked to get the school to change its mascot? (key details) Lemiley’s mom helped her by discussing the problem with her. Lemiley also found former students of the school online who wanted the mascot changed, and they worked with her to create a petition.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • What qualities does a good mascot have? Think of mascots (of schools or professional sports teams) that you admire. What do you admire about them? (critical thinking) Answers may vary. Students might say that a good mascot is an animal that’s commonly found in the area; an animal that’s known for its strength, speed, or ferocity; or something related to the region’s history or industry.
  • What are some positive ways to show appreciation for a culture other than your own? List at least two ways. (critical thinking) Possible answers: Finding literature or films made by people from that culture in order to understand it better; going to a cultural festival or museum exhibit that can give you an idea of what that culture is like; getting to know people from that culture and letting them tell you about their values and ways of life.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Assign students to work in small groups to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Cause and Effect activity.
  • Go further: Use our Sequence of Events Skill Builder, available in higher and lower level versions.  (Click here to view all your Skill Builders.)
  • Writing prompt: Lemiley says she’ll be part of the first class at her school to graduate as Redhawks. Imagine that it’s Lemiley’s graduation day, and you’re a staff member at her school. Get ready to present Lemiley with an award for the work she did to have the school’s mascot changed. Write a short speech explaining what Lemiley did, how she did it, and why it’s important.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Create a Mascot

Consider the qualities that make a good mascot.

Imagine that you’re a student at a brand-new school. Your principal has asked students to hand in suggestions for a school mascot. Students and teachers will vote to decide which suggestion to choose.

First, come up with a mascot. To avoid creating a stereotype of a person, stick to animals (like panthers) or objects (like race cars).

Next, write a paragraph explaining why you chose this mascot. What qualities does it have that you want your school’s students and student athletes to have too? Does it have a special connection to the place where you live? Give at least three reasons why your idea is great!

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Have students write summary questions for self-assessment.

Before reading, point out that unlike some other features in Action, the True Teen Story doesn’t have accompanying Pause and Think questions (questions that can be answered by reading the text).  Let students know that they’ll be expected to come up with these questions after they read the story. Encourage them to try to think of suitable questions as they read.

After reading, divide students into pairs. Have one student in each pair write a question about the section “Should Be Sacred” and a question about the section “All About Appropriation.” Have the other student write a question about the section “Taking Action” and one about the section “The Redhawks.” Then have the students in each pair try to answer each other’s questions. 

Possible questions:

  • For “Should Be Sacred”: How did Lemiley feel when she saw the Brave Man? (She felt hurt and angry.)
  • For  “All About Appropriation”: Who did Lemiley talk to about the school mascot when she got home? (She talked to her mom.)
  • For “Taking Action”: What did Lemiley do that got her principal’s attention? (She started a petition to have the mascot changed.)
  • For “The Redhawks”: How did the school decide what the new mascot would be? (The school asked students to vote.)
Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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