Standards Correlations

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

Learning Objective

Students will identify cause-and-effect relationships in a text about a teen who made a documentary about her disability.

Key Skills

cause and effect, text features, vocabulary, sequence of events, compare and contrast, reading for information, critical thinking, making connections, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The text describes a teen’s life with cerebral palsy. Themes include overcoming challenges and empowering others.

Structure: The story is chronological. Faith introduces herself and then walks us through pivotal moments in her life.

Language: The language is conversational.

Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge is needed.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: U 

DRA Level: 50

Lesson Plan: Welcome to My World

Essential Questions

  • Why is it important to share our stories with the world?
  • What does it mean to be inclusive?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Roll With It by Jamie Sumner 

1. Preparing to Read 

Make a Connection (5 minutes)

Ask students: If you were to make a movie about what makes you special, what quality would you focus on? Take a few moments to discuss students’ answers. Then tell them they’re about to read a story about a teen who made a movie to show the world how living with a disability makes her different from the average teen (and how it doesn’t).

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. Why did Faith make a movie about her life? She wanted other teens to understand what it’s like to have a disability.
  • Look at the photos of Faith that are included in the article and read their captions. What do they tell you about her? From the photos and captions, we can tell several things about Faith: She loves modeling clothing; she made a documentary about her life; she loved cheerleading as a kid; she participated in New York Fashion Week; she included her parents in her movie; she had a mentor who taught her how to direct a documentary.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (apparel, braces, documentary, empowering, communicate) 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 identify causes and their effects 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)

  • In what ways is Faith just like an average teen? In what ways is she different? Use details from the article to answer the questions. (compare and contrast) Faith is just like other teens in that she likes doing makeup, riding her bike, and making TikToks with friends. She also loves school and wants to get married and have a family someday. She’s different from most teens in that she has a disability that requires her to use a walker or a wheelchair to get around. She has trouble using her hands and controlling her muscles, as well as issues with her vision. She’s also different from most teens in that she made a documentary about her life.
  • What is adaptive apparel? Why is it important? (reading for information) Adaptive apparel is clothing that is designed for people with disabilities. Examples include shirts that have Velcro instead of buttons and pants that have extra room for leg braces. Adaptive apparel is important because it allows people with disabilities to dress themselves without help. 
  • Which scene in Faith’s movie is her favorite? Why? (reading for information) Faith’s favorite scene in her movie is the one with her friends who also have CP. In the scene, she talks to her friends, and each one tells their own story. This scene is her favorite because it shows how each person with CP has their own challenges and successes. Just as every able-bodied person is unique, so is every person with CP, or any other disability. Faith thought it was important to get this message across.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • Why do you think it was important for Faith to be able to direct her own movie? How do you think the movie would have been different if it had been directed by someone else? (critical thinking) It was important for Faith to direct her own movie because the world got to hear her story from her own perspective. Living in a mostly able-bodied society, we don’t often get to hear how disabled people experience the world. By sharing her story, Faith gives us a peek into her life. If someone else had told her story, we would have seen that person’s view of Faith’s life, rather than understanding Faith’s experience.
  • Faith says that when people look at her, they see her disability rather than the things that truly make her who she is. What can you and your community do to see beyond someone’s disability? (making connections) Answers will vary. Sample answer: We can become aware of our own biases toward people with disabilities and not make any assumptions about what they can and can’t do, or what kind of people they are. We should get to know people with disabilities and learn about their interests, skills, and personalities. We should make sure people who have disabilities are treated with the same respect and given the same opportunities as able-bodied people.

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: Faith’s documentary Faith’s World won an award at the Richmond International Film Festival. Imagine that you were the master of ceremonies at this event, and that it was your job to announce the award winner. Write a short speech that introduces Faith to the audience. Explain who she is, what makes her special, and why her film is important.

Learn Anywhere Activity

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

Make a Movie Poster

Faith wants to share her story with others. You can help her do that! A movie poster tells people a little bit about a movie to try to get them interested in watching it. 

First, watch the documentary Faith’s World.

Next, create your poster by following these steps:

  • Write the film’s title at the top of a sheet of paper or a computer document. 
  • Under the title, write a one-sentence description of the film.  
  • Under the description, write “The film will answer these important questions.” Then think of three questions that are answered in the film (for example, “What does Faith do for fun?” and “How does Faith feel about living with a disability?”). Write the questions on your poster.
  • Let people know that they can find the film by going to pbs.org/video and searching for Faith’s World.

Find a place to display your poster, such as a library or a school hallway. You’ll be helping to spread Faith’s message that every person is much, much more than the first thing you notice about them!

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Teach the prefix dis- to boost comprehension.

After reading the article, ask students to think about the word disability. Explain that it means the lack of an ability. To have an ability means that you’re able to do a certain thing. To have a disability means you have a condition or an injury that can keep you from doing certain things in the usual way. (Remind students of Faith’s message that having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t do things; you just need to do some things differently.)

Let students know that a prefix is a letter or a group of letters that are added to the beginning of a word and that they change that word’s meaning. The prefix dis- changes a word’s meaning to its opposite. Give the example of dislike, which means the opposite of like. Then discuss these other examples:

  • disagree
  • disappear
  • disconnect
  • dishonest
  • disrespect
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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