Unit 4: Connections that Shape Us: Family, Culture & Identity

how blood works as a biological connection and as a symbol of family, heritage, and shared history.

how culture shapes identity through shared language, traditions, and ways of seeing the world.

how people navigate identity and belonging when moving between two cultures or communities.

how authors use storytelling to explore what connects us to the people and places that shaped us.

Analyze how blood functions as both a biological process and a literary symbol of family connection, identity, and shared heritage.

Evaluate how the author uses imagery, figurative language, and verse structure to convey emotion, theme, and cultural meaning.

Interpret how culture, heritage, and bicultural experience shape identity and belonging in the text.

Analyze how recurring motifs—including blood, color, and heroism—develop themes of connection, loss, and becoming across the novel.

How does the novel use blood as a symbol of connection, family, and loss—and how does the science of blood deepen this meaning?

How do imagery, figurative language, and verse structure convey emotion and reveal character?

How does culture—through language, tradition, and shared experience—shape a person's identity and sense of belonging?

What does it mean to navigate life between two cultures, and how does the narrator make sense of both worlds?

Investigation 1: What is blood, and how does it work as a symbol of both family ties and our shared humanity?

Investigation 2: What is culture, and how does it shape our identity and sense of belonging especially when we move between more than one world?