Lesson Plan - Border in Focus

Engage and Build Media Literacy

Have students choose an image from Ekansh Tambe’s collections at instagram.com/ekt_photos or thousandwords-photography.squarespace.com. Ask: Why did you choose that photo? What does it show? What do you wonder about it? Discuss responses and explain that students will read about the photographer.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently. Ask students to underline or highlight three important details about the U.S.-Mexico border.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• Who is Ekansh Tambe? What project did he decide to undertake? (Central Ideas)
Ekansh Tambe is a 16-year-old in Texas. As a middle schooler, he decided to explore the U.S.-Mexico border. He took photos and interviewed people. He’s published a book, exhibited pictures, and given speeches.

• What is the U.S.-Mexico border like? How has it changed over time? (Key Details)
The border is about 1,900 miles long and stretches along the Rio Grande and across mountains, deserts, and cities. It was mostly unmarked until the first fences were built along it in the early 1900s. Now, there are about 700 miles of human-made barriers to try to stop people from crossing it without permission.

• What does Ekansh mean when he says “She won my heart” about a woman who told him about crossing the border illegally? (Figurative Language)
Ekansh means that he feels affection and empathy for the woman in Texas who gave him a tour of her town.

Watch a Video

Before watching “The Border Wall,” share these questions for students to think about as they watch: How does the video add to your understanding of the article? How do the article and the video use different approaches to give information about the same topic?

Practice Direction and Distance

Have students answer the questions about the map on page 25 independently or in groups. Use the Direction and Distance lesson from our Map Skills Boot Camp to give students more practice. The full curriculum of 13 lessons is at junior.scholastic.com/mapskills.