April+20+-+24,+2015

__ Synopsis __
Slam!” is a young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers. The story revolves around the efforts of seventeen year-old Greg “Slam” Harris to play basketball, while maintaining his academics and his personal life. Slam lives in Harlem and attends the prestigious magnet school Latimer in the South Bronx. The school is predominantly white. It has a failing basketball program. Slam is attending Latimer as part of a policy that enables schools to become more diverse. =__ Themes __= The story is about the life, challenges, and growth and coming of age.

**__RIF:__** Reading Literature – Slam by Walter Dean Myers **__Word of the Week__:** fortuitous (adj.) happening by lucky accident **__Quote of the Week__** : "Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” __[|Bobby Unser]__ **__Essential Question:__** Why are sports and athletes so important in American culture?
 * __ SWBAT: __**
 * LAFS.8.RI.1.3 Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
 * LAFS.8.RI.1.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text
 * LAFS.8.RI.3.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
 * LAFS.8.RI.2.5 Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.
 * LAFS.8.RI.2.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoint

__** This Week's Schedule of Activities: **__
