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Revised 2011-‐2012

Norwalk – La Mirada Unified School District 8th Grade Language Arts Framework (Unit 1) Revised July 2011

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Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District

8th Grade

Reading Unit of Study

Unit 1: Analyzing Characters and Conflicts Across Texts and Time 18 Instructional Days

2 Flex Days Unit Overview (Descriptor): In this unit students will be exposed to a variety of traditional and contemporary prose and poetry that deal with similar conflicts. Students will compare texts by analyzing characters, setting, conflict, mood, and tone. Students will learn how the setting can play a role in creating conflict and how the setting may contribute to the mood and tone of a piece. They also will extend their knowledge of characterization by analyzing the reactions and motivations of characters from different time periods facing similar situations. Students will demonstrate their understanding of characters and setting through discussions, reflective responses, and analysis of text. This unit of study contains two flex days. Flex days can be used to accommodate testing requirements, to re-teach or extend lessons based on student need, or to make adjustments due to lost instructional time. How this unit builds on previous learning and builds to future learning:

Prior to 8th Grade 8th Grade Future Grades Students were required to: • Identify events that advance the plot and

determine how each event explains past or present action(s) or foreshadows future action(s).

• Identify and analyze recurring themes across traditional and contemporary works.

• Analyze characterization as delineated through a character’s thoughts, words, speech patterns and actions; the narrator’s description; and the thoughts actions and words of other characters.

This year, students will: • Evaluate the structural elements of the plot, the

plot’s development, and the way which conflicts are (or are not) resolved.

• Compare and contrast motivations and reactions of literary characters from different historical eras confronting similar situations or conflicts.

• Analyze the relevance of setting (e.g., place, time, customs) to the mood, tone, and meaning of the text.

Students will be required to: • Compare and contrast the presentation of a

similar theme or topic across genres to explain how the selection of genre shapes the theme or topic.

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Reading - Students will be able to (learning process): The Common Core State Standards for California delineates the skills that students are to learn in order to participate and engage in a range of collaborative discussions. Outcomes listed with an asterisk (*) are taken from the Common Core Standards document. Engage in the rituals and routines of the classroom (independent reading workshop, small group instruction and whole class instruction through read aloud and shared reading) by:

• Understanding the purpose and expectations of: o Independent work time (conferring) o Meeting spaces (moving in and out of

meeting areas) o Group behaviors o Sharing thinking in a variety of group settings

• Using charts around the room to support independence

• Capturing their thinking in a variety of ways (graphic organizers, sticky notes, etc.)

• Selecting books and expanding their reading across genres/authors

• Checking out, maintaining, and rotating classroom library for the community

How do we hold ourselves accountable as we engage in effective group practices?

How do we capture our individual and group thinking in different ways to demonstrate our learning?

How we use the classroom library to make strategic decisions about the books we read?

Reading - Students will be able to (reading process and content): Monitor comprehension while following complex plots

• What do good readers do to make meaning of text?

• How do we track our thinking about texts? • What do we do when meaning breaks down?

Infer and compare characters’ thinking processes and struggles at key decision points in their lives

• What is the main conflict of the story? • How does the character respond? Why? • What does their response reveal about them? • How does ________’s reaction to the conflict

compare to ____________’s? Understand the role of the setting and its impact on mood and tone in realistic and historical fiction

• What is the overall mood and tone of the text? • How does the setting contribute to the mood of the

text?

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Maintain readers notebook by: • Setting goals to increase stamina over time in reading

and writing and to ensure they read the appropriate quantity, range, and depth

• Developing a protocol for self-reflection around reading goals

• Taking notes about the mini-lesson’s big ideas • Keeping a reading log of texts read and a “books on

deck” list • Understanding the purpose for their notebook, and

various sections within it • Knowing the multiple ways to respond to texts

through explicit teacher modeling (questions, comparisons, connections, authors as mentors, etc.) and developing more thoughtful responses

• Maintaining an organized notebook. How do we create our reader’s notebooks so

they reflect our reading lives in 8th grade? How do we become (metacognitive) aware

of our preferences, habits, processes, and growth as readers?

How do we organize our reader’s notebook so that it is accessible and usable?

What are the characteristics of quality reading responses in 8th grade?

*Engage in conversations about reading as an active listener and speaker (whole group, small group, partners) by:

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

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Come to discussions prepared, having read

or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

Pose questions that connect the ideas of several

speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.

Acknowledge new information expressed by

others and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.

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Standards addressed: Reading: LRA 3.2 Evaluate the structural elements of the plot, the plot’s development, and the way in which conflicts are (or are not) resolved. LRA 3.3 Compare and contrast motivations and reactions of literary characters from different historical eras confronting similar situations or conflicts. LRA 3.4 Analyze the relevance of setting (e.g., place, time, customs) to the mood, tone, and meaning of the text. LRA 3.5 Identify and analyze recurring themes across traditional and contemporary works. Common Core Language Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

4.a: Use context (the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Assessment (Diagnostic, Formative, Summative):

Diagnostic: • CST Results (previous year’s results) • Previous Year’s Benchmark Data • CELDT Scores • Reading Survey (Teacher Created) • Pre-Unit Reading Goal(s) • District-wide Unit 1 Diagnostic Assessment

Formative: • Reader’s Notebook • Conferring records • Observational assessments • Exit Slips/Sticky Notes • Marginalia or any written responses • Teacher-created assessments • Benchmark Assessment

Summative:

• District-wide Unit 1 Summative Assessment • Reflect on Revise Reading Goals

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Academic Vocabulary and Language Study: Academic Language Development Unit Terms:

• Relevance • Reactions • Tone • Mood • Conflict • Contribute

The words listed above are critical for students to be able to decode, understand, and apply during this unit of study. Students will be expected to use these words when talking and writing about the content throughout the unit of study. Frayer Model: The Frayer Model is an adaptation of the concept map. The framework of the Frayer Model includes: The concept word, examples of the concept word, and non-examples of the concept word and non-examples of the concept word (see attached graphic organizer). It is important to include both examples and non-examples, so students are able to identify what the concept word is and what the concept word is not. The Frayer Model is one way to explicitly teach the words above. While being appropriate for all students, the Frayer Model is an important accommodation for ELL students. These students will be more successful throughout the unit if they have a strong working knowledge of the words above, so using the Frayer Model is suggested strategy to accomplish this goal. The Frayer Model should be co-created with students and can be used before, during, and/or after the lesson.

Professional Resources: Notebook Know How by Aimee Buckner Guiding Readers and Writers by Fountas & Pinnell The Continuum of Literacy Learning by Fountas & Pinnell Writing a Life: Teaching Memoir by Katherine Bomer Teaching Reading in Middle School by Laura Robb Word Wise and Content Rich by Douglas Fisher Vocabulary Their Way: Word Study with Middle and Secondary Students by Shane Templeton Suggested Texts: “Carrots” by Adam Bagdasarian “Everything Will Be Okay” by James Howe excerpt from “The Odyssey” by Homer “Survival on the Atlantic from Adrift: Seventy Six Days Lost at Sea” by Steven Callahan “In Response to Executive Order 9066: All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to Relocation Centers” by Dwight Okita “Breakfast in Virginia” by Langston Hughes

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ELL Accommodations: The suggested sentence frames below are intended to support students during academic discussions, enabling them to internalize the academic language development (ALD) unit terms as well as language structures. Sentence Frames: Both _____________ and ______________ confront the conflict of __________________________. Both the narrator in the poem “Executive Order” and Corporal Williams in “Breakfast in Virginia” are confronted with the issue of racism.

While ________________ reacts by ______________, _____________ _________________________. While Adam reacts by forgiving his father, James makes it clear that he does not want to be like his father.

Although __________ and _________ are both portrayed ________________, __________________. Although Adam and James are both portrayed as children who have been hurt by their father, Adam seems to be more forgiving, whereas James makes it clear that he doesn’t want to be like his father.

The mood of ________________ feels _____________ because _____________________________________. The mood of Adrift feels desperate because the narrator is fighting for survival. For example he’s stuck at sea with very little food and water with sharks swimming around his raft, all while the sun beats down on him.

The author creates this mood by ________________. The author creates a mood of desperation through words such as roasting, arid, succumb, beating down and gulping. “The sun beats down, roasting my arid body”, “As I succumb to drowsiness, fantasies” and “Gulping a half pint of water.”

CST and Benchmark Considerations: LRA 3.2 Evaluate the structural elements of the plot, the plot’s development, and the way in which conflicts are (or are not) resolved.

• In “______,” what causes the speaker to recall a memory? • Which excerpt reveals _______________? • In paragraph 6, why does the author _________? • Aunt Charlotte tells the story of her father in order to… • How does ________ react to _____________?

LRA 3.3 Compare and contrast motivations and reactions of literary characters from different historical eras confronting similar situations or conflicts.

• How does the first speaker resemble the character in the other text?

• The speaker in texts A and B both… • Although _______and _________ are portrayed differently,

what do they have in common? • Although __________and _________are both modern

writers, which of these references in this story is reminiscent of an earlier historical period?

• Both ______ and _______ are LRA 3.4 Analyze the relevance of setting (e.g., place, time, customs) to the mood, tone, and meaning of the text.

• In __________ the description of the child squeezing into the cave is intended to…

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Think-Pair Share: During this unit, students will be introduced to the Think-Pair Share strategy. The strategy would be most appropriate for use during Day 10 and Day 12 of this unit. These days fall after the skills that are being taught have been modeled by the teacher and practiced through shorter partner talk opportunities. During days 10 and 12, students will work with a partner to practice the language and thinking skills that have been modeled. See daily lessons for information about the introduction, facilitation, and suggested questions or prompts for Think-Pair-Share during this unit. Reciprocal Teaching: The Reciprocal Teaching strategy is introduced in a future unit.

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Days 1-5: Standards: LRA 3.2 Evaluate the structural elements of the plot, the plot’s development, and the way in which conflicts are (or are not) resolved. Guiding Questions:

• What do good readers do to make meaning of text? • How do we track our thinking about texts? • What do we do when meaning breaks down?

Indicators: At the end days 1-5, students will have:

Taken a diagnostic assessment Brainstormed expectations for classroom discussions Organized their readers’ notebook Used marginalia to track their thinking about their independent reading books Identified unknown words from their independent reading books Categorized their marginalia

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Day 1 Objective: Students will complete a diagnostic assessment and select an independent reading book. Mini-Lesson: Discuss procedures, expectations, and purposes of the diagnostic reading assessment. Independent Practice: Students take diagnostic assessment. Suggestion: Teacher may want to use the remainder of the day to establish library protocols and to provide students the opportunity to select an independent reading book. Closing: Teacher selects 3-5 students to share the books they have chosen.

Materials: Diagnostic Assessment

Interviewing a Book • Does the title sound interesting? • What do I know about the author? • Does the blurb on the back of the

book sound interesting? • Is the book a genre I like to read?

Some books have words such as “Mystery,” “Memoir,” or “Fiction” in the corner of the back covers.

• Has the book won any awards? • Is the book too hard? I will try the

beginning and read a page from the middle to decide.

• Be able to explain why you chose the book.

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Day 2 Objective: • Students will brainstorm expectations for class discussions by co-creating a

chart. • Students will make meaning of their independent reading books by

recording thinking on post-it notes. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Today we are beginning a unit that takes a close look at characters and themes across texts and time. We will read several traditional and contemporary works of literature that address similar conflicts. Mini-Lesson • Teacher introduces Co-created Chart A. • Students begin to brainstorm expectations for classroom discussions on a post-it/chart. • Teacher and students determine behavioral/participation expectations in

order to maintain an effective community of learners and develop a chart to hold everyone accountable.

Shared Reading: • Teacher and students make meaning of the text by stopping and checking

for understanding with open-ended questions. For example: o What’s going on? o What’s happening now? o What are we learning about _________? o What does that make you think?

• Teachers will track their thinking about a text by modeling the marginalia strategy using post-it notes for students.

• Teacher and students Co-create Chart B.

Suggested Text: “Carrots” by Adam Bagdassarian Co-created Chart A:

My role as an active listener and speaker.

Listening -Make eye-contact -Think about what the speaker is communicating to determine a response. -Hold back my thoughts when someone is speaking. -Ask questions to clarify or seek information. -Rephrase or restate speaker’s ideas. -Add on to speaker’s ideas.

Speaking -Use appropriate volume -Express a complete thought -Use academic language -Stay on the topic -Respond to peer’s ideas -Ask questions to clarify or seek additional information -Use evidence from the text to support thinking -Support reactions with evidence.

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Independent Reading: • Students will make meaning of their independent reading books by

recording thinking on post-it notes using the marginalia strategy. • Teacher confers with students. Closing: • Teacher highlights the good work of students noticed while conferring. • Students briefly explain what is happening in their book and share post-it

notes with partners. Note: It is important for students to have a consistent partner in order to support them in engaging in more meaningful conversations.

Co-created Chart B: What do good readers do to make meaning

of texts?

• Ask Questions • Make Connections • Make Predictions • React both positively and negatively • Summarize by noting important

ideas/events • Notice Author’s Craft • Note lines/words that stand out • Use context to understand unfamiliar

vocabulary • Activate prior knowledge • Visualize • etc.

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Day 3 Objective: • Students will organize their reader’s notebooks. • Students will identify unknown vocabulary in their independent reading book by

recording the word, title of the book, and page number in their reader’s notebooks. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Yesterday we began recording our thinking in our independent reading books using post-it notes. Today we will organize our reader’s notebook so we can have another place to record our thinking about our reading. Mini-lesson: • Teacher introduces co-created chart • Model how to organize a reader’s notebook (organization is teacher preference).

Possible suggestions: o Authentic response to text o Mini-lesson notes o Reading Log o Goal Setting Section o Table of Contents/Numbered pages/Dated entries o Conferring Section o Word Work/Vocabulary Section – “Word Nerd Wednesday”

Independent Practice: • Students will identify unknown vocabulary in their independent reading book by

recording the word, title of the book, and page number in their reader’s notebooks. (Student’s will use these words for next Wednesday’s lesson)

o Teacher may also want students to record favorite words and phrases in their reader’s notebooks.

Closing: • Students share unknown words with a partner. • Teacher instructs students to bring notebooks home and personalize them.

Materials: Reader’s Notebook Co-Created Chart

What are the expectations and purposes of our reader’s notebooks? • Academic Focus • Keep notebook intact and orderly • Place to record your thinking around

texts we read • Apply skills/strategies learned in class • Shows growth over time • Place to record independent reading

selections • Includes reading goals and later, revised

goals

* Not an exhaustive list

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Day 4 Objective: Students will make meaning of their independent reading books by recording thinking on post-it notes. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) This week we have been making meaning of text as a class and independently. Today we will continue to make meaning of a text and ask ourselves, “What do we do when meaning breaks down?”

Shared Reading: • Teacher introduces the Anchor Chart. • Teacher and students make meaning of the text by stopping and checking

for understanding with open-ended questions. For example: o What’s going on? o What’s happening now? o What are we learning about _________? o What does that make you think?

• Teacher tracks their thinking about a text by using the marginalia strategy. • Teacher thinks aloud about a place in the text where meaning breaks down

and uses the anchor chart to guide their thinking. Independent Reading: • Students will make meaning of their independent reading books by

recording thinking on post-it notes using the marginalia strategy. • Teacher confers with students. Closing: • Teacher highlights the good work of students noticed while conferring. • Students briefly explain what is happening in their book and share post-it

notes with partners.

Suggested Text(s): “Everything Will Be Okay” by James Howe

Good readers notice when they stop “getting it.” Readers do the following things when they realize they are having a problem. • Readers notice when a problem has

come up – They figure out what the problem is and do something about it.

• Reread – Readers reread a

sentence, a paragraph, or even a chapter when they realize they are confused.

• Read Ahead – Sometimes readers

read on to see if it helps clear things up.

• Stop and Think – Readers stop to ask

themselves questions – and go back and look for answers on earlier pages in a text.

• When all else fails, ask for help

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Day 5 Objective: Students will analyze their marginalia by sorting their post-it notes into categories and sharing their findings. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Yesterday, we began to make meaning of the first half of “Everything Will Be Okay” using the marginalia strategy to track our thinking. Today, we will continue yesterday’s work and take it a step further by analyzing our marginalia to better understand ourselves as readers and know how we can improve. Shared Reading: • Teacher and students make meaning of the remainder

of the text by stopping and checking for understanding with open-ended questions. For example:

o What’s going on? o What’s happening now? o What are we learning about _________? o What does that make you think?

• Teachers will continue to track their thinking about a text by modeling the marginalia strategy using post-it notes for students.

• Teacher models how to categorize their post it notes in their reader’s notebook. Teacher will use the anchor chart to think aloud about what categories they are noticing in their thinking i.e., what this says about them as a reader, what strategies they are not using, what they need to be mindful of the next time they read.

Suggested Text(s): “Everything Will Be Okay” by James Howe

What do good readers do to make meaning of texts?

• Ask Questions • Make Connections • Make Predictions • React both positively and negatively • Summarize by noting important ideas/events • Notice Author’s Craft • Note lines/words that stand out • Use context to understand unfamiliar vocabulary • Activate prior knowledge • Visualize • etc. •

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Independent Reading/Practice: • Students will make meaning of their independent

reading books by recording thinking on post-it notes using the marginalia strategy.

• Teacher confers with students. • At the end of independent reading, students will sort

their post-it notes into categories in their reader’s notebooks and begin to analyze their thinking.

Closing: • Students share findings with partners. • Teacher selects students to share what they have

learned about themselves as readers through the analysis of their post-it notes.

Sample Marginalia Sort:

Marginalia Analysis: In the above example, the reader made notes on writer’s craft, asked questions and reacted to events in the text. The reader was aware they did not make connections or inferences about character and will be mindful to employ these strategies as they continue reading.

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Days 6-10: Standards: LRA 3.2 Evaluate the structural elements of the plot (subplots, parallel episodes, climax), the plot’s development, and the way in which conflicts are or are not addressed and resolved. LRA 3.3 Compare and contrast motivations and reactions of literary characters from different historical eras confronting similar situations or conflicts. LRA 3.4 Analyze the relevance of setting (e.g., place, time, customs) to the mood, tone, and meaning of the text. Guiding Questions:

• What do good readers do to make meaning of text? • How do we track our thinking about texts? • What do we do when meaning breaks down? • What is the main conflict of the story? • How does the character respond? Why? • What does their response reveal about them? • How does ________’s reaction to the conflict compare to ____________’s? • What is the overall mood and tone of the text? • How does the setting contribute to the mood of the text?

Indicators: At the end of days 6-10, students will have:

Written an authentic response about a character in their independent reading book Used marginalia to track their thinking about their independent reading books Used context clues to determine the meaning of self selected words Created a reading goal based on their marginalia analysis Written a reflective response about who they are as readers

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Day 6 Objective: Students will write an authentic response to their independent reading book in their reader’s notebook. Opening: Last week we read two stories about characters dealing with a similar conflict. Today we will be focusing on the question “How do characters confront conflict?” We, just like characters, will find ourselves in different situations and confronting a variety of conflicts throughout our lives; how we handle these conflicts reveals a lot about who we are. Throughout this unit we will examine the situations characters find themselves in, how they handle situations, and what this reveals about them. Mini-lesson: • Teacher introduces Anchor Chart A • Teacher uses the guiding questions to facilitate a conversation about the

text “Everything Will Be Okay” and “Carrots”. • Teacher models how to compare the reactions of two literary characters by

thinking aloud. Mini-Lesson: • Students bring reader’s notebooks and independent reading books to the

front. • Introduce Anchor Chart B - “Ways Readers Respond to Text” • Teacher models how to write an authentic response using a text read in class

or their independent reading book.

Example: Elaborating on a Post-it Note

“Night of the Twister” This book is filled with sad things.

Suggested Text(s): “Everything Will Be Okay” by James Howe “Carrots” by Adam Bagdassarian Anchor Chart A:

Good readers analyze how characters confront conflict by asking…

• What is the conflict? • How does the character respond? Why? • What does their response reveal about them? Compare: • How does ________’s reaction to the conflict

compare to ____________’s?

Anchor Chart B:

Ways readers respond to text… -Readers reaction -What you visualize -Draw a sketch and explain -Elaborate on an idea from your post it notes -Demonstrate a change in thinking -Lifting a line or favorite quote -Analyze author’s craft -Make connections -Imitate the text -Question -Write a review of the book - opinion

*Not an exhaustive list

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o Response: “I think there has to be a happy ending, because rig ht now it isn’t so happy and there has got to be a solution! Right now I’m worried about Dan’s dad and grandparents and if there is going to be a tornado anywhere else. I would be scared if everything in my neighborhood was gone. No more pool, no more swings, no more graves, no more creek, and no more forts! It would be sad to know that my whole life was just ripped to shreds – all my memories of riding bikes, berry wars, water balloon fights and kickball….all gone.” (Buckner, pg. 35)

• Send off move: Students decide how they are going to respond to their text, write it in their reader’s notebook and show the teacher before returning to their desks.

Independent Practice: • Students will write an authentic response to their independent reading book

in their reader’s notebook. • Teacher confers with students or works with a small group. Closing: • Teacher highlights 2-3 quality responses that demonstrate depth of thinking.

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Day 7 Objective: Students will analyze the characters reaction to the conflict in their independent reading books by recording thinking on post-it notes. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Yesterday we discussed the reactions of two literary characters confronting similar conflicts. Today we will continue to make meaning of a new text and begin to explore the role of the setting. Shared Reading: • Teacher revisits anchor chart. • Teacher and students make meaning of an excerpt from “the Odyssey” and

explore the role of the setting. • Teacher gives students an opportunity to use the anchor chart and answer

the question: What did I do to make meaning of the text? *Note: This is an opportunity for students to be metacognitive about how they make meaning of difficult texts.

Independent Reading: • Students read their independent reading books and track their thinking using

post-it notes. • Teacher confers with students about the characters and/or the role of the

setting in their independent reading books. Closing: • Teacher highlights the good work of students noticed while conferring. • Students briefly explain what is happening in their book and share post-it

notes with partners.

Suggested Text(s): from the Odyssey by Homer Anchor Chart:

Good readers notice when they stop “getting it.” Readers do the following things when they realize they are having a problem. • Readers notice when a problem has

come up – They figure out what the problem is and do something about it.

• Reread – Readers reread a

sentence, a paragraph, or even a chapter when they realize they’re confused.

• Read Ahead – Sometimes readers

read on to see if it helps clear things up.

• Stop and Think – Readers stop to ask

themselves questions – and go back and look for answers on other earlier pages in a text.

• When all else fails, ask for help

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Day 8 Objective: Students will determine the meaning of unknown words in their independent reading book by using context clues and recording a definition in their own words in their reader’s notebooks. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Last Wednesday we identified unknown words in our novels and recorded them in our reader’s notebooks. Today we will bring our novels and our reader’s notebooks with the unknown words to the front and continue the work we began last week. Mini-Lesson: • Teacher introduces the anchor chart. • Teacher thinks aloud about how they used context

clues to uncover the meaning of the unknown word. • Teacher writes a definition in his/her own words in their

reader’s notebook. • Repeat the process with the class for the second

example. • Release the process to the students in partners for the

third example. Independent Practice: • Using the unknown words students recorded last week,

students will determine the meaning of the unknown word(s) by using context clues and recording a definition in their own words in their reader’s notebooks.

• Students will independently read when finished and repeat the process for any unknown words encountered during the day’s reading.

Anchor Chart: Good readers and thinkers use a variety of strategies to determine the meaning of unknown words. We consider… Looking outside the word:

1. The overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph

2. A word’s function (verb, adjective, etc.) within a sentence Looking inside the word:

3. Morphology and word parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots, cognates, word families)

Looking beyond the word: 4. Use resources: Dictionary, thesaurus, internet, etc.

Reader’s Notebook: The text says… My definition…

“You watch.” He grips the bars hard, and his eyes drill into me.

“You watch for a chance to strike against the murdering, thieving lobsterbacks. Be vigilant, and your chance will come.” The Keeping Room by Anna Myers, page 76 I Do

vigilant = to watch very carefully or to be alert for the right moment

Snow melted into mud. The white mountain next to the driveway dwindled to a hill. Blue Sky, Butterfly by Jean Van Leeuwen, page 48 We Do

dwindled =

The seafood is different from what we ate at home. Captain Sibsey loathes the lobsters and says, “Such crawly things are unfit for human consumption.”

Stranded at Plimouth Plantation, 1626 by Gary Bowen, page 8 You Do (in partners)

loathes = consumption =

Note: Teacher may want to pull student examples from Day 3.

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• Teacher confers with students and asks them to think aloud how they used context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words.

Closing: • Teacher highlights the day’s work • Teacher calls on predetermined students to think aloud

about how they discovered the meaning of their unknown word.

Note: The word solving strategies learned on word work Wednesdays should continue to be modeled during shared reading and released to students during guiding and independent reading.

Sample Think Aloud: “The sentence with vigilant doesn’t give me good clues, so I better reread the sentences that came before. [I reread these aloud.] Two times the author repeats the phrase you watch and he says I should watch for the chance to strike against the lobsterback. And chance is repeated in the sentence with vigilant. So vigilant must mean to watch very carefully – to be alert for the right moment.”

from Teaching Reading in Middle School by Laura Robb, page 139

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Day 9 Objective: Students will analyze their strengths and weaknesses as readers by sorting their post-it notes into categories, writing a response and setting a reading goal. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) This week we began looking at the role of the setting in stories. Today we will continue that work with Survival on the Atlantic from Adrift: Seventy Six Days Lost at Sea. Shared Reading: • Teacher and students make meaning of the first half of the text. • At each stopping point, students stop-and-jot what they are thinking about

what the setting is contributing to the text. Mini-lesson: • Teacher models how to categorize their post it notes in their reader’s

notebook. Teacher will think aloud and write a reflection to the following question: What am I learning about myself as a reader?

Independent Practice: • Students will sort their post-it notes into categories in their reader’s notebooks

and write a reflection to the following question: What am I learning about myself as a reader?

• Students will set a reading goal on an Exit Card. Closing: • Teacher selects students to share what they have learned about themselves

as readers through the analysis of their post-it notes.

Suggested Text(s): Survival on the Atlantic from Adrift: Seventy Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan Reader’s Notebook Entry:

Exit Card:

Name: Date: Write a reading goal based on your reading reflection.

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Day 10 Objective: Students analyze the mood and tone of their independent reading book by tracking their thinking in their reader’s notebook. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) This week we have been learning how the setting can play a role in the conflict. Today we will learn how authors use language to create a mood and tone. The mood of a text is the overall feeling the reader gets while reading the text. The tone is the author's attitude towards a subject revealed through word choice and/or punctuation. As we are reading today, I want you to think about how you feel while you are reading? (Anxious, afraid, calm, happy, sympathetic, etc.) Why am I feeling this way? Shared Reading: • Teacher introduces the anchor chart. • Teacher and students make meaning of the last half of the text. Think-Pair

Share • Teacher models how to find the mood and tone of the text by thinking aloud

about the words the author uses. Consider the question: How does the setting contribute to the mood? Does it?

Independent Reading: • Students make meaning of their independent reading book by tracking their

thinking in their reader’s notebook. • Students try on the thinking work modeled by the teacher during the shared

reading. • Teacher confers or works in a small group. Closing: • Teacher highlights the good work of students noticed while conferring.

Suggested Text(s): Survival on the Atlantic from Adrift: Seventy Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan Good readers allow themselves to be affected by what they read. 1. What is the overall mood of the text?

(overall feeling the reader gets) 2. What does the author do to make you

feel this way? (tone/author’s attitude is revealed through word choice)

3. How does the setting contribute to the

mood of the text?

Sample Think Aloud: “The mood of Adrift feels desperate because the narrator is fighting for survival. For example he’s stuck at sea with very little food and water with sharks swimming around his raft, all while the sun beats down on him. The author creates a mood of desperation through words such as roasting, arid, succumb, beating down and gulping. “The sun beats down, roasting my arid body”, “As I succumb to drowsiness, fantasies” and “Gulping a half pint of water.” The setting does contribute to the mood because he is stranded in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight.”

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Written a response comparing two literary characters Analyzed two texts, prepared for, and engaged in group discussion Use context clues to determine the meaning of self-selected words

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Day 11 Objective: Students will compare the reactions of two literary characters by writing a response in their reader’s notebooks. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Last week I modeled for you how I compare two literary characters. We have recently finished two more texts with characters confronting similar situations. Today is your turn to demonstrate how you compare characters. Mini-Lesson: • Teacher revisits Day 6 work and the anchor chart. Independent Practice: • Students will compare the reactions of two literary characters by writing a

response to the following questions in their reader’s notebooks. o How does Odysseus’s reaction of being trapped at sea, compare

to Steve Callahan’s reaction? o How do I confront conflict in my own life?

• Teacher confers with students or works with a small group. • Students share responses with a partner Closing: • Teacher selects 2-3 students to share responses

Suggested Text(s): Survival on the Atlantic from Adrift: Seventy Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan Suggested Independent Practice Texts: Survival on the Atlantic from Adrift: Seventy Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan from the Odyssey by Homer Anchor Chart:

Good readers analyze how characters confront conflict by asking…

• What is the conflict? • How does the character respond? Why? • What does their response reveal about them? Compare: • How does ________’s reaction to the conflict

compare to ____________’s?

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Day 12 Objective: Students will analyze a poem by preparing notes and questions for a future discussion.

Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Throughout this unit we have been studying characters and conflict across texts and time. For the rest of the unit, you will demonstrate what good readers do. Shared Reading: • Teacher and students make meaning of the poem, “In Response to

Executive Order 9066” by Dwight Okita. • Teacher facilitates a discussion around the work done over course of the

unit. Think-Pair Share • Teacher models how to prepare for a class discussion by jotting discussion

notes in their reader’s notebook. Discussion notes may include: o Answers to guiding questions from the unit o Questions o Confusing parts/sections/lines o Standout lines/quotes o Connections o What’s worth talking about? o New understandings, etc.

Guided/Independent Practice: • Students will analyze the poem “Airborne Elegy” by preparing notes and

questions for a future discussion. • Teacher confers with students or works with a small group. Closing: • What did we do as readers and thinkers today?

Suggested Text: “In Response to Executive Order 9066: All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to Relocation Centers” by Dwight Okita Student Text: “Airborne Elegy” by Adrian Hode-Reddick

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Day 13 Objective: Students will determine the meaning of an unknown word(s) in their independent reading book by using context clues and recording a definition in their own words in their reader’s notebooks. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Last Wednesday we used context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words in our novels. Today we will continue this work by bringing our novels and our reader’s notebooks to the front and continue the work we began last week. Mini-Lesson: • Teacher revisits anchor chart. • Repeat Day 8 lesson. • Send off move: Before students return to their seats, instruct

them to mark an unknown word in their novel with a post it. Independent Practice: • Students will determine the meaning of the unknown word(s)

by using context clues and recording a definition in their own words in their reader’s notebooks.

• Students will independently read when finished and repeat the process for any unknown words encountered during the day’s reading.

• Teacher confers with students and asks them to think aloud how they used context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words.

Closing: • Teacher highlights the day’s work • Teacher calls on predetermined students to think aloud about

how they discovered the meaning of their unknown word.

Anchor Chart: Good readers and thinkers use a variety of strategies to determine the meaning of unknown words. We consider… Looking outside the word:

1. The overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph

2. A word’s function (verb, adjective, etc.) within a sentence

Looking inside the word:

3. Morphology and word parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots, cognates, word families)

Looking beyond the word: 4. Use resources: Dictionary, thesaurus, internet, etc.

Reader’s Notebook:

The text says… My definition… Teacher selected sentence(s) with unknown word. I Do

Teacher selected sentence(s) with unknown word. We Do

Teacher selected sentence(s) with unknown word. You Do (in partners)

Note: Teacher may want to pull student examples.

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Day 14 Objective: Students will analyze a narrative text by preparing notes and questions for a future discussion. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Throughout this unit we have been studying characters and conflict across texts and time. Today, you will continue to demonstrate what good readers do in order to access the content you have learned. Shared Reading: • Teacher and students make meaning of the first half of “Breakfast in Virginia” Independent Practice: • Students will analyze the narrative text “A Sorrowful Good-bye” by preparing

notes and questions for a future discussion. Discussion notes may include: o Answers to guiding questions from the unit o Questions o Confusing parts/sections/lines o Standout lines/quotes o Connections o What’s worth talking about? o New understandings, etc.

• Students read their independent reading book. • Teacher confers with students or works with a small group. Closing: • Teacher or students summarize the day’s work.

Suggested Text: “Breakfast in Virginia” by Langston Hughes Student Text: “A Sorrowful Good-bye” by Andrea W.

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Day 15 Objective: Students compare previously read texts using the guiding questions from the unit to engage a class discussion. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Throughout this unit we have been studying characters and conflict across texts and time. Today, you will continue to demonstrate what good readers do in order to access the content you have learned. Shared Reading: • Teacher and students make meaning of the second half of “Breakfast in

Virginia” • Teacher and students compare “In Response to Executive Order 9066” to

“Breakfast in Virginia” Whole Group or Small Group Discussion: • Students review discussion notes for “Airborne Elegy” and “A Sorrowful Good-

bye”. • Students work in small groups to discuss the texts. Closing: • Teacher highlights the good work of students noticed while conferring

Suggested Texts: “Breakfast in Virginia” by Langston Hughes “In Response to Executive Order 9066” by Dwight Okita Student Texts: “Airborne Elegy” by Adrian Hode-Reddick “A Sorrowful Good-bye” by Andrea W. Guiding Questions: • What is the main conflict of the story? • How does the character respond?

Why? • What does their response reveal about

them? • How does ________’s reaction to the

conflict compare to ____________’s? • What is the overall mood and tone of

the text? • How does the setting contribute to the

mood of the text?

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Taken a Greek and Latin roots and affixes diagnostic assessment Analyzed how test makers will assess them standards addressed Taken a summative assessment

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Day 16 FLEX DAY

Day 17 FLEX DAY

Day 18 Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of Greek and Latin roots by completing a diagnostic assessment Independent Practice: • Students will complete the Diagnostic Assessment. • Students can independently read until the entire class has completed the

test.

Materials: Roots Diagnostic Assessment

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Day 19 Objective: Students will analyze two CST released texts by answering questions and defending their answers. Opening: (Link-Purpose-Expectation) Throughout this unit we have been comparing characters and conflicts across texts and time. Today, we will analyze how test makers will test us on these concepts. Mini-lesson: • Teacher explains to students that test makers ask questions in different ways. Independent Practice: • Students will analyze two CST Released texts by answering questions and

defending their answers. • Teacher facilitates a discussion about the answers to the questions. Closing: • Teacher recaps the work of the unit and reminds students to revisit their

notebooks for the summative assessment.

Suggested Texts: “Aunt Charlotte Said” by Kim R. Stafford Excerpt from “House Made of Dawn” by N. Scott Momaday

Day 20 Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of the standards addressed in this unit by completing a Summative Assessment. Independent Work: • Students will complete the Summative Assessment. • Students can independently read until the entire class has completed the

test.

Materials: Summative Assessment

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