Thecolorofwaterunitplan

Miss Schneiders unit on
The Color Of Water by James McBride (5 weeks)

Essential Question: How does discrimination shape our lives?
Book Information: The Color of Water: A Black Mans Tribute to his White Mother is James McBrides
memoir, that also acts as a tribute to his mother by telling the stories of their lives side by side. Each
chapter alternates between James describing his upbringing and transcripts of his mother, Ruth, a white
Jewish born woman, discussing her childhood and life, mostly before James was born. Jamess childhood
took place during the Civil Rights Movement, and his mothers story focuses a lot of growing up within a
strict Jewish family, leaving home, and being in several interracial relationships during the late 1940s.
Understandings:
Students will understand how discrimination and stereotypes can alter peoples lives.
Students will understand how race and culture play a role in shaping identity.
Students will understand some of the history behind discrimination and how that affects the modern day
racism and classism in our society.
Students will be to work toward developing the vocabulary, including facts and reference points, to
discuss discrimination as it appears in our society.
Goals:
Students will use research and historical context to understand concepts presented in the memoir.
Students will be able to determine the central themes of a text and analyze their development through the
text.
Students will participate in both verbal and online discussions to emphasize the importance of class
participation.
Students will learn to listen to and read the thoughts of their classmates and build on the ideas of others.
Assessment Evidence:
Final Assessment: An essay that compares moments of discrimination in James and
Ruths life. How are these moments similar? How are they different? Use evidence from the book
to support your answers.
Performance task: In groups of 3-4, students select a passage of 1-2 pages from the
book that resonated with them. They will prepare a dramatic reading of the passage for the class,
as well as a presentation that gives details to provide context for the passage, tells the
circumstances/ situations that lead up to that point in the book and finally, explains why the group
selected the passage and what their process of selection looked like.
Other evidence:
Research Presentations: In groups, students will research words revolving around the
Jewish culture and the racial movements and issues of the times being explored in this memoir.
There will be about 5 groups, each researching 3 words and preparing a presentation with a
handout for their peers.
Online Journal Entries: Students will be responsible for reflecting in their journals on
Google Classroom every few chapters, with focused journal questions.
Google Classroom discussions: Students will participate in a classroom discussion every few chapters
where they will mostly be discussing how discrimination is manifesting itself in the memoir and how it
affects the characters. On occasion, their Google Classroom posts will be about a video watched in class.
Students will be responsible for commenting on 2 other posts.

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Day 1
In class: Watch
Bryan Stevensons
We Need To Talk
About An Injustice.
Homework: Google
Classroom Post
Dual Narrative
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
classroom post.
Homework: Read 3&4
Interracial
Relationships
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
journaling.
Homework: Read
13&14
Stereotypes:
Drake on SNL
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
classroom post.
Homework: Read
23&24
Continue group
assignment.
Homework: Rough
drafts of essays
due next week
(see day 5).
Day 2
In class: Reading of
Ellen Shaws I Am
But A Mixed Race
Child.
Homework: Journal
entry poem.
Black Panthers
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
journaling
Homework: Read 5&6
Jamess Decisions
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
classroom post.
Homework: Read
15&16
In class: Michael
Jackson: They
Dont Really Care
About Us.
Homework: Read
25& epilogue
In class: Continue
group assignment.
Homework: Rough
drafts of essays
due next week
(see day 5).
Day 3
In class: Begin
group research
project.
Homework:
Continue research.
God is the color of

water
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
classroom post.
Homework: Read 7&8
In class: Kendrick
Lamars Grammy
Performance
Homework: Read
17&18
Revisit I am but a
mixed race child
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
classroom post
Homework: Select
five 1-2 page
selections from the
book that resonated
with you.
In class: Continue
working on group
project.
Presentations due
tomorrow.
Homework:
Presentations due
tomorrow. Rough
drafts of essays
due day 5.
Day 4
In class: Continue
research. One
page hand out due
by the end of the
period.
Homework:
Presentations due
tomorrow.
Fear of the KKK &

lynchings
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
journaling
Homework: Read
9&10
1940s Harlem
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
classroom post.
Homework: Read
19&20
In class: Begin
group assignment.
Homework: Rough
drafts of essays due
next week (see day
5 or week 5).
In class:
Presentation day.
Homework: Rough
drafts of essays
due tomorrow
Day 5
In class:
Presentations.
Books distribution
Homework: Read
1&2.
Experiences of
School
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
classroom post.
Homework: Read
11&12
Identity: James &

the Shilskys
In class: Rotate
between reading
discussion and
journal.
Homework: Read
21&22
Continue group
assignment.
Homework: Rough
drafts of essays due
next week (see day
5 or week 5).
In class:
Peer edit
workshop day.
Homework: Final
Drafts due next
class.
Week 1: Research & Introduction
Day 1:
In class: Introduce essential question and provide students a brief synopsis/ preview of James McBride's
The Color Of Water. Students watch Bryan Stevensons Ted Talk: We Need To Talk About An Injustice,
examining it through a lens of discrimination. We will discuss the facts provided in the video and how they
relate to the essential question of how discrimination shapes our lives.
Homework: To gather a deeper understanding for what will be done throughout their reading, students will
contribute to a Google Classroom discussion about the Ted Talk, providing one interesting fact they
remembered and how it related to the theme of discrimination.
Day 2:
In class: Define memoir. Discuss the benefits and dangers of memoir.
We will do a class reading of Ellen Shaws I Am But A Mixed Race Child. After our reading, we will do a
text rendering of the poem. Students will share in small groups their initial reactions and thoughts about
the poem, and then share out to the class for an opportunity for class discussion.
Homework: To gather a deeper understanding of what will be done throughout their reading, students will
write a reflective journal entry asking students to reflect on the following question: What does the poet
mean when she asks How can I be both?
Day 3:
In class: Students will break up into 5 groups (about 5-6 students per group) and will be randomly
assigned 3 words relating to Jewish culture and racial movements/ issues to research, present and create
a hand out on for their peers. Students will begin their research and decide what to include and how to
present their data.
Homework: Continue research.
Day 4:
In class: Students continue research. One page hand out due by the end of the period.
Homework: Put together presentation for tomorrow. Presentations will be given in class.
Day 5: In class: Student group presentation and distribution of handouts.
Books will be distributed to students.
Homework: Read chapters 1&2.
Week 2: Reading, Journals, Discussions
Day 1: Class will be broken into two sections and rotate halfway through. One section will be working on
crafting their Google Classroom posts to the question (which will be the same for almost every post):
What is one memorable thing from the chapters you have read? How do these chapters relate to the
theme of discrimination? The other section will be having a discussion in which we introduce the essay
question, so students can take notes at they read. We will also talk about the double narrative of telling
James and his mothers story. Halfway through the class, we will rotate sections.
Homework: Read chapters 3&4
writing in their journals, responding to the following prompt: James states, ...there was a part of me that
feared black power very deeply... Explain what you think James meant by this and whether or not his fear
was justified. Relate this fear to what has been going on with the Black Lives Matter movement in our
media.The other section will be having a discussion on the Black Panthers using the article The Black
Panthers: Revolutionaries, Free Breakfast Pioneers paired with a photo from a Black Panthers coloring
book. Halfway through the class, we will rotate sections.
theme of discrimination? The other section will be having a discussion about the title of the book and how
it appears in this week's reading. Halfway through the class, we will rotate sections.
writing in their journals, responding to the following prompt: Ruths brother, Sam, and Jamess sister,
Helen, both left home as teenagers. Compare and contrast these two characters and their motives for
leaving home. The other section will be having a discussion about the fear of the KKK, read Photograph:
The Lynching by Lucille Clifton and look at a lynching postcard. Halfway through the class, we will rotate
sections.
theme of discrimination? The other section will be having a discussion in which students compare and
contrast the school experiences of James and his mother. Halfway through the class, we will rotate
sections.
Week 3: Reading, Journals, Discussions
writing in their journals, responding to the following prompt: Write a reaction to Jamess step father.
Consider his adoption of Ruths children, their living arrangement, and his relationship with James. The
other section will be having a discussion on Ruths relationship with her mother and how this is reflected
in her knowledge of Ruths relationship with Peter. Halfway through the class, we will rotate sections.
theme of discrimination? The other section will be having a discussion about some key events about
James summer visits to Kentucky and how they have shaped his decisions. Halfway through the class,
we will rotate sections.
Day 3: As a class, we will watch Kendrick Lamars Grammy Performance and discuss the lyrics, as well
as the visual elements of the performance.
crafting their Google Classroom posts to the prompt: Think about the tone and the theme of Kendrick
Lamar's performance. Describe how this performance relates to The Color Of Water. Use specific
examples from both the video we watched and the book. The other section will be having a discussion
around Ruths place in Harlem, using photos of 1940s Harlem to help students visualize the setting.
Halfway through the class, we will rotate sections.
writing in their journals, responding to the following prompt: Why was Dee Dee so set on having Rachel
stay in Suffolk and not return to New York? Why did Rachel make a promise she knew she would not
keep? The other section will be having a discussion about what James has discovered about the Shilskys
and how these discoveries might have made him feel. Halfway through the class, we will rotate sections.
Week 4: Reading, Journals, Discussions and group projects

theme of discrimination? The other section will be having a discussion on Drakes SNL video about being
black and Jewish and have students observe the stereotypes, truths, and relation to the memoir. Halfway
through the class, we will rotate sections.
Day 2: As a class, we will be watching Michael Jacksons They Dont Really Care About Us (prison
version). Students will be asked to watch the video and think of what images stick with them. They will
also be asked to think about the role the government plays in the message Michael Jackson is conveying
through his images and lyrics. We will discuss the video together.
Homework: Read chapters 25& Epilogue
crafting their Google Classroom posts to the question: In his song, Michael Jackson said, "They don't
really care about us." What do you think he meant by this? Describe a character in The Color of Water
who might feel that "they don't really care about us." Who is the "us" and the "they" in your character's
life? The other section will be having a discussion where we revisit Ellen Shaws I Am But A Mixed Race
Child, and discuss its relation to the memoir now that we have completed. Halfway through the class, we
will rotate sections.
Homework: Come into class with at least five 1-2 page selections from the book that resonated with you.
Day 4: In class: Explain performance task to students. Students will create groups of 2-4 to discuss the
passages they have selected. Each student will share their 3 favorite passages of those selected for
homework and reasons why these passages resonated with them so intensely. Groups will do this with
the intention of trying to select one passage to complete their group performance task around.
Homework: Rough drafts of essays due next week (see day 5 or week 5).
Day 5: Students will meet up with their groups to finalize passage and begin working on group project.
Homework: Rough drafts of essays due next week (see day 5 or week 5).
Week 5: Group projects, essay writing and editing
Day 1: Students will meet up with their groups and continue working on group project.
Homework: Rough drafts of essays due day 5.
Day 2: Students will meet up with their groups and continue working on group project.
Day 3: Students will meet up with their groups and continue working on group project. Dramatic reading of
passage and presentation due tomorrow in class.
Day 4: Presentation day.
Homework: Rough drafts of essays due tomorrow
Day 5: Peer edit workshop day.
Homework: Final Drafts due next class.
Assessments:
The Color of Water by James McBride Group Research Presentations:
In your groups, you will research words revolving around the Jewish culture and the racial movements
and issues of the times being explored in this memoir. You will be researching your 3 assigned words,
preparing a short presentation explaining your words for the class along with a handout.
These are the words from which you will be assigned. Look for your group number to see which words
you will work with:
Group 1:
1) Orthodox Jew
2) kaddish
3) shivah (shiva)
Group 2:
4) tallit (tallis)
5) Holocaust
6) Yiddish
Group 3:
7) kosher
8) Passover
9) Haggadah
Group 4:
10) Bar mitzvah
11) Hasidic
12) yarmulkes (kippah)
Group 5:
13) The Civil Rights Movement
14) The Black Panthers
15) Huey Newton & Bobby Seale
The Color of Water by James McBride Group Assignment:
In groups of 3-4, students select a passage of 1-2 pages from the book that resonated with you. Prepare
a dramatic reading of the passage for the class, as well as a presentation that gives details to provide
context for the passage, tells the circumstances/ situations that lead up to that point in the book and
finally, explains why your group selected the passage and what the process of selection looked like.
Everyone in your group should contribute equally, but it could help to have assigned jobs. Think about
who in your group will perform, who will record ideas, and who will be responsible for what during the
presentation. EVERYONE will be responsible for participating in the presentation.
The Color of Water by James McBride Essay Assignment:
Write an essay that compares moments of discrimination in James and Ruths life. How are these
moments similar? How are they different? Use evidence from the book to support your answers.
Lesson Plans:
Week 1, Day 1
The Color of Water by James McBride
9th Grade English
60 minutes
Miss Schneider
Overview:
Students will be given a do-now about a discrimination.
We will watch Bryan Stevensons TEDTalk.
We will discuss interesting facts, statistics, and stories shared and how they relate to the theme.
Goals and Objectives:
Through the TEDTalk and discussion, students will be introduced to the topic of discrimination, which we
will use as a lens while reading James McBrides The Color of Water.
Standards:
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences and conclusions based on an authors explicit assumptions and beliefs about a subject.
Identify and/or explain stated or implied main ideas and relevant supporting details from a text.
Materials:
Projector
TEDTalk & transcription
Procedures:
Opener:
Do Now- Define discrimination. Write about a time you witnessed or experiences discrimination.
Body of the Lesson:
Discuss Do-Now by having students share their answers in small groups, and come together as a group
to discuss. (15 mins)
Transition to Bryan Stevensons We Need To Talk About An Injustice. I will provide students with some
background information on Bryan Stevenson. Students will be asked to write down interesting facts and
statistics and come up with a statement of theme. (25 mins)
After the TEDTalk, we will come together as a group and share what they wrote down, how they reacted
to the information given and what they think Bryan Stevensons message is. (15 mins)
Conclusion:
I will conclude by explaining the homework to students. Students will contribute to a Google Classroom
discussion about the TEDTalk, providing one interesting fact they remembered and how it related to the
theme of discrimination. They will be responsible for commenting on at least two other posts. (5 mins)
Summative Assessment/ Evaluation:
Students will submit their Google Classroom posts on the TedTalk.
Week 1, Day 2
9th Grade English
60 minutes
Miss Schneider
Overview:
Students will be given a do-now about memoir.
We will discuss memoir and read I Am But A Mixed Race Child by Ellen Shaw.
Students will discuss the poem in small groups, ending in a large group discussion.
Students will understand what memoir is
Standards:
Materials:
Poem
Procedures:
Opener:
Do Now- What is nonfiction writing? What is memoir? Do you think there is a difference between memoir
and an autobiography is? Why or why not?
Body of the Lesson:
Discuss Do-Now by having students share their answers in small groups, and come together as a group
to discuss. (15 mins)
Whole class reading (line by line) of I Am But A Mixed Race Child by Ellen Shaw. Then we will do a text
rendering (one line, one phrase, one word) as a class. (15 mins)
After the text rendering, students will break into small groups, discuss their reactions to the poem, what
they think the poem means, and focusing on the idea of both. (10 mins)
We will come together as a group and students will share out their findings from their group discussions.
(10 mins)
Conclusion:
I will conclude by explaining the homework to students. Students will write a reflective journal entry asking
students to reflect on the following question: What does the poet mean when she asks How can I be
both? (5 mins)
Students will submit their journal entries on the poem.
Week 2, Day 1:
9th Grade English
60 minutes
Miss Schneider
Overview:
Students will be separated into two groups, one reading group and one writing group.
In writing, students will be making a post on Google Classroom. In reading, we will be having a discussion
on the double narrative within The Color of Water.
We will rotate sections halfway through the class.
Students will understand how discrimination plays a role in this memoir.
Students will understand why James McBride is telling both his and his mothers story.
Standards:
Materials:
Chromebooks
The Color of Water
Procedures:
Opener:
Students will get into their assigned groups. I will explain to students their assigned work for each group.
(10 mins)
Body of the Lesson:
In reading: I will hand out essay question, so students can start taking notes and making annotations now.
I will sit with the reading group and facilitate a discussion on the double narrative of telling James and his
mothers story, asking students to voice their opinion about this choice and how it might affect their
understanding of Jamess story. (20 mins, rotate)
In writing: will be working on crafting their Google Classroom posts to the question (which will be the
same for almost every post): What is one memorable thing from the chapters you have read? How do
these chapters relate to the theme of discrimination? They will also be responsible for making 2
comments on other posts. (20 mins, rotate)
Conclusion:
I will conclude by explaining the homework to students: read chapters 3&4 (5 mins)
Students will submit their Google Classroom posts, as well as comments on two other posts.
Week 2, Day 4
9th Grade English
60 minutes
Miss Schneider
Overview:
In writing, students will be writing in their reading journals. In reading, we will be having a discussion on
the the fear of the KKK.
Students will understand the motivations of characters.
Students will understand how racism can affect the lives of others.
Standards:
Materials:
Chromebooks
Projector
The Color of Water
Lynching Poem
Lynching photo
Procedures:
Opener:
(5 mins)
Body of the Lesson:
In reading: I will hand out a copy of the poem Photograph: The Lynching by Lucille Clifton and we will
read it together as a group. We will then look at a cropped version of a lynching postcard. Using these two
texts, I will sit with the reading group and facilitate a discussion the fear of the KKK and how it has
manifested in the story so far. (25 mins, rotate)
In writing: will be writing in their journals, responding to the following prompt: Ruths brother, Sam, and
Jamess sister, Helen, both left home as teenagers. Compare and contrast these two characters and their
motives for leaving home. (25 mins, rotate)
Conclusion:
Students will submit their reading journals.
Week 3, Day 4:
9th Grade English
60 minutes
Miss Schneider
Overview:
about Ruth in 1940s Harlem.
Students will understand more about racial tensions in history.
Standards:
Materials:
Chromebooks
The Color of Water
Photos of 1940s Harlem
Procedures:
Opener:
(5 mins)
Body of the Lesson:
In reading: I will sit with the reading group and facilitate a discussion around Ruths place in Harlem, using
photos of 1940s Harlem to help students visualize the setting. (25 mins, rotate)
In writing: will be working on crafting their Google Classroom posts to the prompt: Think about the tone
and the theme of Kendrick Lamar's performance. Describe how this performance relates to The Color Of
Water. Use specific examples from both the video we watched and the book.
They will also be responsible for making 2 comments on other posts. (25 mins, rotate)
Conclusion:
Week 4, Day 1
9th Grade English
60 minutes
Miss Schneider
Overview:
on the double narrative within The Color of Water.
Students will understand how stereotypes play into discrimination.
Standards:
Materials:
Chromebooks
The Color of Water
Projector
Procedures:
Opener:
(5 mins)
Body of the Lesson:
In reading: I will hand out essay question, so students can start taking notes and making annotations now.
I will sit with the reading group and facilitate a discussion on Drakes SNL video about being black and
Jewish and have students observe the stereotypes, truths, and relation to the memoir. Students will be
asked specifically to look at the stereotypes in the video and consider how they may add to discrimination.
(20 mins, rotate)
In writing: will be working on crafting their Google Classroom posts to the question (which will be the
same for almost every post): What is one memorable thing from the chapters you have read? How do
these chapters relate to the theme of discrimination? They will also be responsible for making 2
comments on other posts. (20 mins, rotate)
Conclusion:
Images: (Black Panthers Coloring Book, 3 images from 1940s Harlem, and cropped lynching postcard
photo)
Texts:
The Black Panthers: Revolutionaries, Free Breakfast Pioneers by Andrea King Collier:
http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/04/the-black-panthers-revolutionaries-free-breakfastpioneers/
Videos (transcripts provided):
Bryan Stevensons TEDTalk, We Need To Talk About an Injustice
https://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice?language=en
Kendrick Lamars Grammy Performance:
http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/15/11004624/grammys-2016-watch-kendrick-lamar-perform-alright-theblacker-the-berry
Michael Jacksons They Dont Really Care About Us Prison Version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1pqi8vjTLY
Drake SNL Video:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/01/19/watch-drake-get-in-touch-with-his-jewish-and-black-roots-on-snl/
Poems:
The Photograph: A Lynching - Poem by Lucille Clifton
is it the cut glass
of their eyes
looking up toward
the new gnarled branch
of the black man
hanging from a tree?
is it the white milk pleated
collar of the woman
smiling toward the camera,
her fingers loose around
a christian cross drooping
against her breast?
is it all of us
captured by history into an
accurate album? will we be
required to view it together
under a gathering sky?
I am But A Mixed Race Child by Ellen Shaw

What do I know?
I am but a mixed raced child
They say I must be confused
Mustn't know who
I am
They say I have wild ideas
Believing I can be black and white
At the same time
Never, they say can it be both day and night
They call me coconut
Say that my skin is the colour of Jamaica's mud
But inside I am white
That I think I am better than them
With all of my airs and graces
How can I be both?
When one half of me
Enslaved the other
They say I don't know my history
That my mother land
Covered my father land in tears
They say I am but a tool
A pawn to weaken the blood of the race
Weakened features to change to face
Of my people
I am just another way to oppress them
Fight against it, they say
Stay true to your roots
What do I know?
This mixed raced child
I could teach many a thing or two
My heart beats a reggae rhythm
And my feet walk proudly on England's earth
Made from love despite
The past battles and fights
I see the best in both people
I feel pride for both countries
Because they combine in me
I am a complete person
I am not confused
I am not two halves that don't
Fit together
I am a mixed raced child

And I know who I am

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Miss Schneiders unit on

The Color Of Water by James McBride (5 weeks)

God is the color of

Fear of the KKK &

Identity: James &

Week 1: Research & Introduction

Week 4: Reading, Journals, Discussions and group projects

9th Grade English

9th Grade English

9th Grade English

9th Grade English

9th Grade English

9th Grade English

I am But A Mixed Race Child by Ellen Shaw

I am a mixed raced child

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