lesson 16 teacher’s guide come to nicodemus · pdf filenumber of words: 1,866 lesson 16...

Number of Words: 1,866

L E S S O N 1 6 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

Come to Nicodemusby Barbara Tillman

Fountas-Pinnell Level SHistorical FictionSelection SummaryAunt Sally leaves Tennessee in 1887 to work as a teacher in Nicodemus, Kansas. The Civil War is over and slavery has ended. She wants Benjamin and his family to move to Nicodemus because it is a settlement of former enslaved African Americans who have moved there to enjoy freedoms denied to them in the South.

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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Historical fi ction

Text Structure • First-person narrative organized in eight letters• The action takes place over nine months

Content • Civil rights • Working together, meeting challenges

Themes and Ideas • Starting life in a new place is exciting.• Sometimes you have to take a chance in order to have a better life.

Language and Literary Features

• Conversational language and enthusiastic descriptions• First-person narrator

Sentence Complexity • Many long sentences with formal language• Series commas

Vocabulary • Words that are not defi ned in the text, such as penmanship, blacksmith, slateWords • Multisyllable, challenging words: triumphant, churning, perished, millinery, liveries

Illustrations • Illustrations, sign, and a map with captionsBook and Print Features • Eleven pages of text, dated headings, and illustrations on most pages

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

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Expand Your Vocabulary

correspondence – communication by the exchange of letters, p. 5

demise – the end of existence or activity, p. 12

depot – a railroad station, p. 3economy – the system of

economic activity in a community, p. 9

settlement – establishment of people in a new region, p. 5

Come to Nicodemus by Barbara Tillman

Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge of early settlers to visualize the selection. Build interest by asking a question such as the following: What was life like for early settlers in plains states like Kansas? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Note how the story is told through letters. Tell students that this story is historical fi ction, so the events and places are real, but the characters are not real.

Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions:

Page 3: Explain that this is a story about the experiences of Aunt Sally, a schoolteacher moving to and living in an all-black settlement in Nicodemus, Kansas. Suggested language: The heading tells that the story is written as separate letters written by Aunt Sally to her nephew Benjamin. The story begins on August 3, 1887. Read the last sentence: I will try to write often to share news of my new life and adventures on the great plains of Kansas. Ask: What do you think would be some of the challenges of living in an early settlement in Kansas?

Page 7: Point out the picture of the school. What do you think would be the same about school in 1887 and schools today? What do you think would be different?

Page 9: Make sure students understand that in the 1880s, even though former enslaved people were now free, they were not treated equally in every state. Think about what you know about freed slaves. What was their situation? Could they vote? Could they go to school anywhere they wanted?

Page 12: Point out the map. Explain that the people of Nicodemus wanted the railroad to go through their town. Why is the railroad important? What might happen to the town if the railroad does not go through Nicodemus? Would no railroad cause the town’s demise?

Now go back to the beginning of the story to hear Aunt Sally’s story.

2 Lesson 16: Come to NicodemusGrade 4© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their understanding of the text as needed.

Remind students to use the Monitor/Clarify Strategy , and to fi nd ways to understand parts of the story that are confusing.

Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the book. Suggested language: Have you ever moved to a new place? How did you feel? How did Aunt Sally feel about moving to a new place?

Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:

Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text

• Aunt Sally moves to Nicodemus to teach and fi nd freedom.

• Aunt Sally wants Benjamin and his family to move to Nicodemus to enjoy the freedoms she has.

• Aunt Sally is happy that Benjamin and his family are moving to Nicodemus.

• People who work together can accomplish great things.

• Moving to a new place is scary, but it can be rewarding.

• The dates on the letters explain when the story took place.

• The language of the story sounds very realistic, the way an aunt would write to a nephew in the 1880s.

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choose a few paragraphs from the text to demonstrate

phrased fl uent reading. Remind them to use any cues provided in parentheses to make their reading more lively and realistic.

• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go back to the text to support their ideas.

• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using examples from the text. Remind students that suffi xes can turn a noun into an adjective. The suffi x tic on the word optimistic on page 11 transforms the root noun optimism into an adjective.



Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 16.9.

RespondingHave students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.

Target Comprehension SkillCompare and Contrast

Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that they can examine how

details or ideas are alike or different in a selection. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud

On page 9, the narrator describes what life is like for blacks who live in Tennessee in 1887. She says that blacks cannot own land, cannot go to white schools, and cannot shop in white stores. On page 11, she describes how blacks can own land in Kansas. These details help me understand how blacks are treated differently in Kansas than they are in Tennessee during 1887.

Practice the SkillEncourage students to share their examples of another story in which two places can be compared and contrasted.

Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

Assessment Prompts• What can readers tell about how life was better in Kansas for blacks during 1887?

• In the second paragraph on page 8, what does the word swelled mean?

• One idea present in this selection is that

_______________________________.



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text Why did Aunt Sally move to Kansas?

2. Think within the text Contrast life for former slaves in

Kansas after the Civil War with the life of former slaves in

Tennessee.

3. Think beyond the text After the railroads were built, it

became easier to travel and move supplies across the country.

How have other forms of transportation changed life in the

United States?

4. Think about the text Why do you think the author uses

letters to describe a Kansas settlement?

Making Connections Imagine you are Benjamin and you are reading Aunt Sally’s letters. Write a letter back to her describing your reaction to the new settlement and your plans.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

11Critical Thinking© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Lesson 16B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 1 6 . 9

Grade 4, Unit 4: Never Give Up!

Name Date

Come to NicodemusCritical Thinking

It was advertised as the Promised Land with much opportunity.

In Kansas, African Americans can live safely, have good jobs, and farm and own

their land. In Tennessee, they cannot own land and must pay unfair prices for

farm supplies. They are mistreated or even killed.

The car lets people go farther from home than they could by walking or horseback.

People can see their friends and family more easily. Planes can make trips in a

day that used to take months.

It lets the reader learn about Nicodemus from the point of view of someone who is

experiencing it.

Possible responses shown.

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First Pass

English Language DevelopmentReading Support Make sure the text matches the students’ reading level. Language and content should be accessible with regular teaching support.

Cultural Support This story is about what life was like for former enslaved people after the Civil War. The topics of Civil War, slavery, and what happened after the Civil War might be unfamiliar. Explain that states in the north and south fought a war that ended slavery. Explain that the states in the north won the war and the enslaved people were freed. Describe that many of the enslaved people left the south to fi nd a better life. Point out that although the enslaved people were free, many states did not give blacks the same rights as white people.

Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.

Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced

Speaker 1: Who is telling the story?

Speaker 2: Aunt Sally

Speaker 1: Who is Benjamin?

Speaker 2: Aunt Sally’s nephew

Speaker 1: Where did Aunt Sally move to?

Speaker 2: Nicodemus, Kansas

Speaker 1: What is the main thing Aunt Sally likes about living in Nicodemus?

Speaker 2: She likes how people help each other.

Speaker 1: Why did Aunt Sally move to Nicodemus?

Speaker 2: She wanted more freedom than she had in Tennessee.

Speaker 1: Why does Aunt Sally think Benjamin and his family should move to Nicodemus?

Speaker 2: She thinks they will enjoy the freedom of owning land and voting. She thinks they will be safe there.



Name Date

Come to NicodemusThinking Beyond the Text

Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in two or three paragraphs.

Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

On page 3, Aunt Sally says that Nicodemus is called the Promised Land. What does Aunt Sally mean? In what ways do you think Nicodemus, Kansas was the Promised Land? In what ways was it not?



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text Why did Aunt Sally move to Kansas?

2. Think within the text Contrast life for former slaves in

Kansas after the Civil War with the life of former slaves in

Tennessee.

3. Think beyond the text After the railroads were built, it

became easier to travel and move supplies across the country.

How have other forms of transportation changed life in the

United States?

4. Think about the text Why do you think the author uses

letters to describe a Kansas settlement?

Making Connections Imagine you are Benjamin and you are reading Aunt Sally’s letters. Write a letter back to her describing your reaction to the new settlement and your plans.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Lesson 16B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 1 6 . 9

Name Date

Come To NicodemusCritical Thinking



1413

956

Student Date Lesson 16

B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 1 6 . 1 3

Running Record Form

Come to NicodemusRunning Record Form

Come to Nicodemus • LEVEL S

Behavior Code Error

Read word correctly ✓cat 0

Repeated word, sentence, or phrase

®cat

0

Omission —cat 1

Behavior Code Error

Substitution cutcat 1

Self-corrects cut sccat 0

Insertion the

ˆcat 1

Word told Tcat 1

page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections

7 Dear Benjamin,

Your letter arrived! Thank you for news of family and friends. I

miss everyone but am happy in my new life in Kansas.

From your letter, I can tell you are filled with curiosity about

our school, which is not very different from your school except

that it is part of a building that also houses the post office and

a hotel. Townspeople made every single desk. We have a new

slate board, a sizable supply of chalk, and two erasers. We

have no bell tower; instead I call students with a hand bell.

They come promptly.

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read

correctly/99 × 100)

%

Total Self- Corrections



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