I am a middle school learning support teacher at Add B. Anderson Elementary, a K-8 school
located in the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia. I support general education curricula and
remedial skills. My small groups focus on math, reading, and writing skills. Students come to me
for 45-minute groups in order to practice the areas of need listed in their Individualized
Education Plan (IEP), to get extended time on assignments or tests, to get support with
classwork, or to vent about their challenges. Many of my students have behavior goals and use
the classroom as a calm-down space where they can decompress before returning to the general
education class.
Philadelphia’s students are behind grade-level academically. The pandemic only
exacerbated this situation. This is most clearly seen in communities of color. “Only 9.3% of
Black students scored proficient and above on the math tests, while 44% of their white
counterparts scored proficient or above. Some 11% of Hispanic students scored proficient or
better in math while nearly 53% of Asian students scored the same.” 1 This is something I
balance as I work to remediate missing skills for students who have an IEP- what they need due
to disability identification, contrasted with what their class peer average is in need of, skill-wise.
Our school is a Title I institution and is part of the former Acceleration Network. In 2020,
we had 500 enrolled students; however, for the 2024-2025 school year, our enrollment decreased
to 350. Projections for next year are estimated at about 320 students. The student demographics
are as follows: 94.8% are African American, 2.7% are Hispanic, 1% are multiracial, and 1% are
White. Of these students, approximately 65 receive pull-out learning support for academic
subjects. The responsibility for these students is split between myself and the other building case
manager, who teaches grades K-4. The decline in enrollment is partly due to many students
leaving to attend local charter schools or magnet schools outside of the catchment. Observing as
students advocate for better educational opportunities has prompted me to reflect on my own
teaching practices. I live in one of the wealthiest school districts in Pennsylvania: Lower Merion.
My daily commute to Southwest Philadelphia takes me through several underserv ed
neighborhoods where students do not receive adequate funding for their education.
This is my third year as a teacher, and I have worked in different parts of the city each
year. I began my teaching career as a corps member for Teach for America, which also counted
toward my AmeriCorps service. There are significant implications regarding how we value
education and the complications of placing new teachers in front of students living below the
poverty line, both in urban and rural districts. That said, I found this path a beneficial way to
begin my teaching career. Being in a college lecture does not provide you with the experience
gained by being directly in front of students. My first summer was in Strawberry Mansion,
working during the Extended School Year (ESY) in 2022, and then I spent two years in West
Philadelphia. During this time, I completed my Master in Education and teaching certifications at
the University of Pennsylvania. I try to frame my understanding of the norms and expectations
these students have and are raised with against my own upbringing, which was outside of
Philadelphia, in a town where over 95% of residents are white.
My goal is to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment that addresses the
challenges of my students while fostering their academic growth and personal development. I
prioritize respect for distinct cultural norms and recognize that language is an important form of
self-expression. Personal narrative is a way for any individual to share their own story. As a
class, we discuss themes like identity and resilience, in order to help students to appreciate their
own stories and those of their peers. My goal is for students to explore their own identities,
develop a sense of agency, and understand that they can redefine themselves however they see
fit.

Close Reading: Students will read selections from the text and analyze them with teacher
support, then work independently to apply their understanding of the material. They will read,
then reread, highlight and underline key areas of the text so that those areas can be discussed or
quoted.
IDEAS: Inference, definition, example, antonym, synonym. This is a method I have used to
teach students to use context clues when coming across an unfamiliar word. They use the other
words for context, define the word, use the word in a sentence, give an antonym, and a synonym.
Journaling: Students will journal their thoughts to engage with the source material and deepen
their understanding of the material.
Graphic Organizers: Two teacher-made organizers are utilized in this unit. Students will
complete a Venn diagram comparing the treatment of targeted citizens in the Soviet Union and
Germany. They will also complete a page that requires them to list the thesis and topic sentence
of each paragraph, enabling them to organize their ideas effectively.
Group Discussion: Students will discuss their thoughts on the readings and their connections.
Guided Notes: Students will receive handouts containing information about key ideas present in
the literature, as well as main ideas or terms that require definition.
Models: Exemplary work will be provided and explained.
Modeled Writing: Showing students how to use the areas of interest in the text to create a thesis
that answers the written prompt. Reminders will be provided on what areas to skim, underline,
and highlight.
Note-taking: Areas of interest, including underlining and highlighting important sections will be
utilized.
Pre-teaching: Overview of necessary skills, such as using a topic sentence and supporting
details.
RACE: Restate the question, Answer all parts of the question, Cite text evidence, and Explain
how the cited text supports your claims.
Scaffolding: This provided for these students, as many have not previously learned about these
topics, and they may request or need additional support as they build skills and confidence.
Socratic method: This will be the primary method of questioning and engagement.
Thesis statements: Students will practice writing a thesis statement for their writing. It will
utilize the restate and answer approach.
Think-pair-share: Students will turn to a partner and discuss their ideas and their partner’s
ideas. After the partner discussion, they will share their partner’s ideas with the whole group,
noting key takeaways or highlights.
Venn Diagram: Students will complete a compare-and-contrast Venn diagram to organize their
ideas, which can then be translated into essay form.

Lesson 1: Unit Introduction and Soviet Union Readings
Time: 45 Minutes
Materials:
● Readings: Anna Akhmatova, “Requiem”, Shalamov- Excerpts from Kolyma Tales
● Note-taking supplies (paper, pencils, highlighters)
Objective: Students will closely read texts from the Soviet Union to draw comparisons about the
treatment of the country’s citizens and how this reflects the social values of the Soviet Union and
compares or contrasts with those of Germany.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.4
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with
pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.
Procedure:
Introduction: 10 Minutes – Introduce the unit and outline the next two weeks, discussing the
purpose of this unit. Answer any questions the students have and check for understanding.
Reaffirm the method for close reading and identify the key areas to scan for when reading.
Lesson: 30 minutes – Students will have 30 minutes to read the texts, take notes, and consider
how the reading relates to the Holocaust unit they have completed. 30 minutes will be allocated
tomorrow for the readings as well. Students will be encouraged during this time to write notes in
the margins of questions they have or connections they have made.
Conclusion: 5 min- Group discussion highlighting the main ideas of the texts read today. What
stood out from the text? What questions do you have? What connections can you make to the
readings you did in Module 3 of the Holocaust Unit?
Lesson 3: Group discussion
Time: 45 Minutes
Materials:
● Imagine Learning Unit book, Module 3 readings
● Maus
● Anna Akhmatova, “Requiem”, Shalamov- Excerpts from Kolyma Tales
● Venn Diagram graphic organizer
● Note-taking supplies
Objective: Students, having read texts from the Soviet Union and Germany, discuss in groups
their conclusions about the enactment of state violence against citizens, using evidence from the
text.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.4
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with
pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.
Procedure:
Introduction: 10 Minutes- Introduce the purpose of the discussion, which is to analyze key
takeaways from the texts, focusing on how the Jewish populations in Germany were treated
contrasted against the individuals who were repressed in the USSR and imprisoned in the gulag.
Students will take 5 minutes to fill out a graphic organizer.
Lesson: 30 minutes- “In our era, it is not enough to be tolerant. You tolerate mosquitoes in the
summer, a rattle in an engine, the gray slush that collects at the crosswalk in winter. You tolerate
what you would rather not have to deal with and wish would go away. It is no h onor to be
tolerated. Every spiritual tradition says love your neighbor as yourself, not tolerate them.”
― Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
This quote will be on the Smart Board as a discussion point.
Students will engage in a turn-and-talk activity with their shoulder partner for 4 minutes,
discussing their thoughts regarding the prompt. Each person gets 2 minutes to share. After the
share out, the whole group will discuss the key ideas and takeaways (5 min). Students will then
take 5 minutes to write notes about their ideas and any additional thinking they did based on the
ideas they heard. Next, students will take their notes and add further ideas to their graphic
organizers. They will use the discussion to create a thesis statement that will serve as the basis
for their projects.
Conclusion: 5 min- Students will go around and share their thesis statements. Students will
provide feedback to one another on their chosen thesis statements. Students will take quick notes
on their Venn Diagram graphic organizer about the suggestions. Everyone will then return
borrowed supplies and hand in papers.
Lesson 4: First Draft of a compare and contrast essay
Time: 45 Minutes
Materials:
● Graphic Organizers
● Essay Prompt
● Lined paper
● Slide deck with Wilkerson quote
● Sentence starter on board with restate and answer example
●
Objective: Students will be able to synthesize the discussions held in groups to create a
preliminary draft of their compare-and-contrast essay, demonstrating their understanding and
analysis of the material.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and
audiences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as
needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well
the purpose and audience have been addressed.
Procedure:
Introduction: 10 Minutes – When the students arrive, have the graphic organizers, writing
prompt, and lined paper available. Review the expectations for the essay, and stamp the
importance of including text evidence from the passages to support their ideas. For direct quotes,
include the author’s name and the page number.
Lesson: 30 Minutes- Utilize your thesis statement that is listed on your graphic organizer and
create a cohesive paper that includes an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Students will be given reminders to consider the flow of the work and the claims they are
asserting. Claims must tie to textual evidence from selections read in class or during small
groups.
Conclusion: 5 minutes- Check your spelling and writing. Tuck your graphic organizer inside
your rough draft and hand in all papers. Put away any supplies you borrowed.
Lesson 6: Personal Narrative Introduction and Readings
Time: 45 Minutes
Materials:
● Readings: Langston Hughes “One More “S” in the U.S.A” and “Negroes In Moscow: In
A Land Where There Is No Jim Crow”, Wayland Rudd collection, Isabel Wilkerson –
Excerpts from “Caste” (Chapter 8, p. 74-82), Operation Paperclip article outline
Objective: Students will read selections of the Black experience in the United States and Soviet
Union, drawing conclusions on how the experiences were similar or dissimilar.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.4
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with
pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
Procedure:
Introduction: 10 Minutes – Introduce the content, discussing the purpose of this second half of
the unit. Answer any questions the students have and check for understanding. Reaffirm the
method for close reading and identify the key areas to scan for when reading.
Lesson: 30 minutes – Students will have 30 minutes to read the Langston Hughes poems and the
Operation Paperclip outline. They will also take notes, and consider how the reading relates to
the topics covered in Week 1. 30 minutes will be allocated tomorrow for the readings as well.
The students will read “Caste”, chapter 8, and look at the Wayland Rudd collection. Students
will be encouraged during this time to write notes in the margins of the printouts of questions
they have or connections they have made.
Conclusion: 5 min- Group discussion highlighting the main ideas of the texts read today. What
stood out from the text? What questions do you have? What connections can you make to the
readings you did in Week 1 of this unit?
Lesson 9: First draft of narrative essay/ presentation
Time: 45 Minutes
Materials:
● Graphic Organizers
● Notes from the week prior
● Compare and Contrast Essay with Artifacts
● Texts read during the current and prior week
Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the unit concepts by
creating a rough draft of a narrative essay (or presentation) and generating ideas on how their
identities have been shaped by the society in which they reside.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques,
relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and
audiences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as
needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well
purpose and audience have been addressed.
Procedure:
Introduction: 5 minutes—When the students arrive, have the graphic organizers, writing prompt,
and lined paper available. For students opting to use Google Slides or a poster, give them the
corresponding project page. Review the essay expectations and stress the importance of
including text evidence from the passages to support their ideas. For direct quotes, include the
author’s name and the page number.
Lesson: 30 minutes- Students will turn and talk to a partner for 5 minutes about their plans for
their narrative essay. Each student will have 2 minutes to discuss their ideas, and then 1 minute
will be allocated for each person to provide a suggestion or idea to the others based on what was
said. The students then have the remaining 25 minutes to work on their initial draft of the
writing. Students opting to present their ideas visually will have this time to utilize an outline
they have submitted.
Conclusion: 5 minutes- Check your spelling and writing. Tuck your graphic organizer inside
your rough draft and hand in all papers. Put away any supplies you borrowed. Set expectations
for tomorrow’s essay, and answer any questions.

(n.d.). Holodomor History. Holodomor Museum. https://holodomormuseum.org.ua/en/the-history-of-the-holodomor/

(n.d.). The Birth of the Soviet Union and the Death of the Russian Revolution. JSTOR Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/the-birth-of-the-soviet-union-and-the-death-of-the-russian-revolution/

Source on size of the Soviet Union.

(n.d.). The Concentration Camps: Inside the Nazi System of Incarceration and Genocide. Kupferberg Holocaust Center at Queensborough Community College, CUNY. https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/camps/charts/

Information on the Nazi concentration camps.

Akhmatova, A. (1961). Requiem. Translated by Gwendolyn F. A. Miller

Poem about her experience as a mother with a child in the gulag. This poem will be read during the first week of the unit.

Chavez, F. R. (2022). The Anti-racist Writing Workshop: How To Decolonize the Creative Classroom. Haymarket Books.

A teacher resource that gives concrete, actionable steps to create a supportive classroom community.

Greenberg, Cheryl. (1988). “The Black/Jewish Dilemma in the Early Cold War,” conference paper, American Historical Association—Pacific Coast Branch.

Hughes, Langston. (1933). “Negroes In Moscow: In A Land Where There Is No Jim Crow”. International Literature 4. 78-81.

Hughes, Langston. (1994). “One More ‘S’ in the USA.” In Rampersad and Roessel, The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, 176.

Lasby, C. G. (1966). Project Paperclip: German Scientists Come To America. The Virginia Quarterly Review, 42(3), 366–377. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26443040

Source of Project/ Operation Paperclip, when the USA brought Nazi intellectuals into the USA and gave them jobs.

Love, B. L. (2020). We Want to do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom. Beacon Press.

Moore, David Chioni. (1996). “Local Color, Global ‘Color’: Langston Hughes, the Black Atlantic, and Soviet Central Asia, 1932.” Research in African Literatures 27, no. 4: 49–70. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3819984.

Raack, R. C. (1991) “Stalin’s Plans for World War II.” Journal of Contemporary History 26, no. 2 : 215–27. http://www.jstor.org/stable/260789.

A teacher reference that discusses how American education subjugates and oppresses students of color, for teachers serving a diverse student population.

Shalamov, Varlam. (1980). Kolyma Tales. New York :W.W. Norton,

First-person account, dramatized as a fiction story, of what life in the gulags of the tundra was like.

Smith, Woodruff D. “Friedrich Ratzel and the Origins of Lebensraum.” German Studies Review 3, no. 1 (1980): 51–68. https://doi.org/10.2307/1429483.

Source on Nazi expansion during World War 2.

Thatcher, Ian D. (2004).  Review of Stalin and Stalinism: A Review Article, by R. W. Davies, Oleg V. Khlevniuk, E. A. Rees, David L. Hoffman, Barry McLoughlin, Kevin McDermott, Christopher Read, and Eric van Ree. Europe-Asia Studies 56, no. 6 : 907–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4147372.

Information on Stalin’s reign

Philly students are making gains on state tests. But big racial and economic gaps persist. (2023, November 8). Chalkbeat. https://www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia/2023/11/8/23952992/student-test-scores-show-increase-pre-pandemic-in-english-math/

Wilkerson, I. (2020). Caste: the origins of our discontents. Random House.

Fiks, Yevgeniy, Denise Milstein, and Matvei Yankelevich, eds. The Wayland Rudd Collection: Exploring Racial Imaginaries in Soviet Visual Culture. New York: Ugly Duckling Presse, 2021.

This provides examples of the African American experience in the Soviet Union to my students.

The 8th-grade students read the following texts during their Holocaust unit.

Klein, M. (1990). Often a minute.

Spiegelman, A. (1986). Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History. Pantheon Books.

The Action in the Ghetto of Rohatyn, March 1942. (n.d.).

Wiesel, E., & Wiesel, M. (2006). Night (1st ed. of new translation). Hill and Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (Original work published 1956).

Common Core Standards for English Language Arts

Comprehension and Collaboration:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.4

Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Key Ideas and Details:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.1

Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Speaking and Listening

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Text Types and Purposes

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2.a

Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3.d

Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3.e

Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1.b

Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1.c

Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.f

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

Writing

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.10

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.4

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.5

With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.