Spark

Lesson 2: Building Background Knowledge: When Dreams Wait

California CCSS: Focus Standards

Analyze how word choice, punctuation, line breaks, and format shape meaning in “Harlem.”
Explain how a dream may be deferred by using evidence from a photograph and a poem, including precise words such as deferred, punctuation, line break, and tone.
Read a poem aloud with attention to punctuation, pause, and phrasing.

How do our dreams shape who we are, and how do historical circumstances shape what becomes possible?
How can understanding the experiences of others help us think critically about fairness and opportunity?

Short-Form Text

“Harlem”

Langston Hughes

Short-Form Text

Black Americans and the Racist Architecture Of Homeownership

Ailsa Chang, Christopher Intagliata, Jonaki Mehta, NPR

Short-Form Text

Striking Black and White Photos Capture the Black Experience in 1940s South Side Chicago

Edwin Rosskam, Library of Congress