short story of the month - i'm lovin' lit · mini-lesson on idioms-all new interactive...

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Short Story of the Month"Just Once" by Thomas Dygard

Table of Contents

Terms of Use 2

Table of Contents 3

List of Activities, Difficulty Levels, and Common Core Alignment 4

Digital Components/Google Classroom Guide 5

Teaching Guide, Rationale, Lesson Plans, and Procedures: EVERYTHING 6-12

Activity 2: Plot Elements Mini-Lesson BONUS 13-17

Activity 4: Vocabulary Guide: Idioms & Context Clues w/Key 18-21

Activity 6: Annotation Guide: Idioms & Vocabulary 22

Activity 7: Story Vocabulary Graphic Organizer w/Key 23-24

Activity 8: Basic Comprehension Quiz (Recall Facts and Details) w Key 25-26

Activity 9: Annotation Guide: Elements of Plot 27

Activity 10: Diagramming a Story Organizer w/Key 28-29

Activity 11: Find Evidence That… Text-Dependent Questions Activity w/Key 30-31

Activity 12: Lesson-Question Examples 6.5 32-34

Activity 13: Story Analysis CCSS 6.5 Application w/Key 35-38

Activity 15: Comprehension Skills Test 39-44

Activity 17: Main Idea & Details INB Lesson 45-46

Activity 18: Informational Text Analysis Practice RI.6.5 w/Key 47-48

Activity 19: Informational Text Analysis Mini-Assessment w/Key 49-50

Activity 20: Essential Question w/Key 51-52

TEKS Alignment 53

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Idioms Interactive Notebook Lesson NEW* RL.6.4, RI.6.4

Activity 2: Plot Pyramid Interactive Notebook Lesson* RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5

Activity 3: BONUS Plot Printables** RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5

Activity 4: Vocabulary Guide: Idioms & Context Clues** RL.6.4, RI.6.4

Activity 5: Journal Activity* RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5

Activity 6: Annotation Guide (Vocabulary)* RL.6.4, RI.6.4

Activity 7: Story Vocabulary Organizer (Review)* RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5

Activity 8: Comprehension Quiz* RL.6.1

Activity 9: Annotation Guide: Plot Analysis** RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5

Activity 10: Plot Elements Graphic Organizer** RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5

Activity 11: Text Evidence: Find Evidence That…** RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5

Activity 12: Lesson–Question Examples CCSS RL.6.5*** RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5

Activity 13: Story Analysis CCSS RL.6.5*** RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5

Activity 14: Genres of Fiction Lesson* RL.6.9

Activity 15: Comprehension Skills Test*** RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5, RL.6.4

Activity 16: Concussion Video Clip & Discussion* SL.6.1, RI.6.7

Activity 17: Main Ideas & Details Lesson Review* RI.6.1, RI.6.3

Activity 18: Nonfiction Article Activity Guide*** RI.6.1, RI.6.3, RI.6.5, RI.6.7

Activity 19: Nonfiction Skills Mini-Assessment** RI.6.1, RI.6.3, RI.6.5, RI.6.7

Activity 20: Essential Question (Putting It All Together)*** RI.6.1, RI.6.3, RI.6.5, RI.6.7



Teacher’s Guide

Activities, Difficulty Levels, and Common Core Alignment


Short Story of the Month“Just Once” by Thomas Dygard

Teacher’s Guide

Instructions for Google Classroom Digital ComponentsAll student activities are available in digital format compatible with Google Classroom. They are available in two formats: Google Slides and Google Forms.

Google SlidesFirst, I have made all student pages (excluding assessments) in Google Slides format. Students can simply add text boxes to any area they wish to type on. To access the Google Slides for Just Once, copy and paste the link below into your browser. *Note that you’ll need to make a copy of the folder or slide before you can use it.* (included in full version only)

Google FormsI have made the assessments available in Google Forms. Here, they are self-grading, and I have set them all up with answer keys so they are ready to go for you. You’ll need to find these two files in your download folder to use Google Forms. The first file contains the links to the Forms, and the second file is explicit instructions for use. Look inside the Google Forms folder.



Teaching Guide, Rationale, Lesson Plans, and ProceduresI have also discussed here how I use each activity and included hints and links to help you, too. I went ahead and mapped out the days for you. Feel free to take or leave what you like. Even if you don’t plan to follow this schedule, I still recommend reading through this section to get the most out of these activities.

These lessons and activities were designed to meet the needs of sixth graders early in the school year. The stories, activities, questions, and assessments will become increasingly rigorous and challenging as we progress through the year.

Teacher’s Guide

Day 11. Activity 1: 15-30 minutesMini-lesson on Idioms - ALL NEW interactive notebook lesson. Look for separate file titled “Idioms INB Lesson.pdf” in download folder. See complete lesson instructions (with optional video clip) and assembly directions on page 2 of file.2. Activity 2: 35-50 minutesPlot Pyramid Complete Interactive Notebook LessonMy sixth graders are typically learning these terms for the first time with me so I really break out all the bells and whistles with the interactive notebook pyramid and lesson. You should DEFINITELY let your students view this song/video and watch/sing it everyday for a week or two, and then watch it again every now and then when you want students to diagram a story. Mine LOVE it every year and beg for it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpfbSJjOQxcI also recommend not skipping the Goldilocks activity included. My students glue this graphic organizer into their notebooks on the left side of the page that has the plot pyramid glued onto it. You might also consider using the graphic organizer from Activity 10 for the Goldilocks story if your students need lots of help and prompting with diagramming a story.

Activity 1

Activity 2



Teacher’s Guide

Day 21. Activity 3: 25-35 minutesPlot printables – excellent for practicing Elements of Plot and diagramming a story, includes one 20-item practice and one 20-item assessment.If you prefer a digital activity, you can download these as free self-grading forms here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/GOOGLE-FORMS-Literature-Assessments-and-Practice-Worksheets-FREE-33485272. Activity 4: 20-30 minutesVocabulary Guide (Idioms and Context Clues) – this should be used as a practice to introduce students to the selection vocabulary and NOT as an assessment unless using at the end of the unit and after students have been exposed to, discussed, and practiced using the words and idioms contained. I always include one or two items in the final assessment that deal with the vocabulary skill learned.

Day 31. Activity 5: 5-10 minutesAnticipatory Set – Journal prompts. I’ve included two to choose from. Find those in the PPT Slides file named Journal Prompt Slides.2. Activity 6: 20-30 minutesFirst read – consider annotating vocabulary. Annotation guide included, using words and idioms from Vocabulary Guide completed in Activity 4. Other than vocabulary, read for understanding. Some students not familiar with sports terms may benefit from class discussion as you read for things like what a fourth down means, etc. Access story here: https://goo.gl/9Ne67P3. Activity 7: 20-30 minutesStory Vocabulary Analysis – Students complete graphic organizer, same information as completed for last unit, Stray. Assuming this is a review for your students and they should be proficient by now, consider taking this as an assessment and/or having students complete independently.

Activity 3Activity 3

Activity 4

Activity 5

Activity 6

Activity 7


Teacher’s Guide

Day 41. Activity 8: 20 minutesComprehension Quiz – Basic Comprehension (Recall Facts) This quiz checks for basic comprehension and recall of the story. There are no higher order thinking questions on this quiz, no inferring, no analyzing, no drawing conclusions, etc. so I do not recommend that students use a copy of the story for this quiz unless they need that as a testing accommodation. Alternate Use – Use this as a cold read opportunity after students complete the first read independently.2. Activity 9: 20-30 minutesAnnotation Guide for second read – annotate for plot elements. I color code these the same as I do for the foldable: purple for exposition, blue for inciting incident, green for rising actions, yellow for climax, orange for falling action, and red for resolution.3. Activity 10: 10-15 minutesComplete Plot Diagram – this will be very simple after you’ve already annotated the story; if you skipped Activity 9, though, this will be considerably more difficult. Activity 5

Activity 8

Activity 9

Activity 10




Teacher’s Guide

Day 51. Activity 11: 15 minutesFind Evidence That… - This activity expands on the text evidence practice students completed last week. It is practice building up to having students answer questions with the ACE method – look for that lesson in Oct. or Nov. I love this activity though because students seem to be successful when they are “looking for evidence that…” proves the statement, and they can fall back on this when they’re using the ACE method.2. Activity 12: 35-45 minutes – PLEASE READ BELOWQuestions Guide for 6.5 – This is actually an interactive notebook page in Quick Notes format, which means there’s no tricky folding, etc. – just simply fill out and glue into notebook, OR glue pre-filled version into notebook.When it comes to questions that students will have to answer on standardized assessments that deal with Common Core, this is absolutely the ONLY way I’ve found to make sure all of my students know how to answer those questions successfully, and that is by teaching question types explicitly. This page DEFINITELY goes into your students’ interactive notebooks. If you don’t use INBs, you really need to find a way to ensure that students have this page (as well as future questioning guides in upcoming units) glued or held somewhere. When it comes to keeping these together, you don’t need to. Simply enter into the table of contents “Questioning Guide 6.5” or something similar, and use the second page of the interactive notebook (page following the table of contents, saved at beginning of year) to break down the types of questions further. Didn’t skip? Use any page, just label in the TOC so students can find it. Here’s how that would look so far, and the next Questioning Guide will be entered below this information with specific questions listed so that students can find help for any specific question in the future.

Activity 11

Activity 12



Teacher’s Guide

Day 6

Day 71. Activity 15: Comprehension Skills TestComprehension Analysis Test (30 minutes)This comprehension test is designed to be taken with accessto the story. You may choose to give your students a non-annotated version of the story. Allowing use of the versiona student annotated may be a testing accommodation. Ialways let my students use the story here because I want toknow if they can analyze a story, not memorize details fromit (we did that for the basic quiz).

Activity 13

1. Activity 13: 35-45 minutesStory Analysis for 6.5 Questions - This activity puts into action strategies taught in Activity. 12. Students practice answering questions for RL.6.5 standard in the same format they’ll see them on the state/CCSS assessment. This activity gives students REPEATED practice answering the same question multiple times for different parts of the same story. I have found that if you try to cover this standard by answering one of these questions per story or in isolation, students struggle big time and never really catch on. So, this is the only way I have found to explicitly teach and practice. I’ll include more of these guides in subsequent units for the hardest questions students have to answer whenever this format makes sense. Definitely look for ways to practice this between my units with whatever you’re reading. I’ve included these questions again in this unit for the Informational Text Activity from article as well.2. Activity 14: 10-15 minutesGenres of Fiction INB Lesson – I have my students only START this template now – we only glue down and write in the notes for realistic fiction and talk about how both stories (Just Once and Stray) fit all of the criteria listed. Save the rest of the tabs in your pocket and I’ll include those parts in later units when we read those genres. Or, have students glue down all tabs now, but just wait to write in the notes when you read something that fits those genres so that students can make those connections immediately. Look for separate Genres file.

Activity 14

Activity 15



Teacher’s Guide

Day 81. Activity 16: 20-30 minutesNFL Hardest Hits Video Compilation, Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FwOEhkHilwBackup download link: https://goo.gl/CK1TJhBreak out the Essential Question early (Activity 20) and answer the first two questions now – the first question about the story and the second question about the video. I didn’t make a separate thinking or viewing guide for this clip since time is already overextended here. See my answer for how to guide your students’ thinking with the video clip. They are supposed to discover that our society sees serious injury by athletes as entertainment. What do you udo when you’re watching and something like this happens? At my house, we pause, rewind, call others into the room, and scoff at it. Sometimes we rewind multiple times to see it in slow motion…2. Activity 17: 20-30 minutesComplete this interactive notebook activity to review main idea/details and paragraph structure. Complete the outline and considergluing both into interactive notebook. I have my students color-codethe same way I color-coded your answer key.

Day 91. Activity 18: 45-60 minutesRead “Playing Through the Pain” article found online here:https://choices.scholastic.com/story/playing-through-painor backup download link: https://goo.gl/kpLTMzAnd complete Informational Text Analysis Practice. Students are answering the same types of questions as they did with the story for 6.5, except these are informational text because the standards are nearly identical.

Activity 16

Activity 17

Activity 18



Teacher’s Guide

Day 101. Activity 19: 20-30 minutesInformational Text Mini-Assessment – consider using this as a grade or simply to assess your students’ understanding of these questions to determine if they need more practice in this area. This is a little easier than what they completed in Activity 18 because it’s multiple choice instead of constructed response.2. Activity 20: 20-30 minutesEssential Question – pick up where you left off, assuming you started it during Activity 16. This one ties it all together and give students the opportunity to synthesize information from various sources, consider deeply, and answer a really hard question. I include this activity with each unit.

Activity 19

Activity 20


“Just Once” by Thomas DygardShort Story of the Month Vocabulary

Focus: Idioms, Using Context Clues

Activity 4

Idioms & Context CluesEach sentence below contains an underlined idiom from the story. For each item, the first sentence comes directly from the story. The second sentence gives additional clues about the idiom’s meaning. Use the clues from both sentences to determine the best meaning for each idiom.

1. But the Moose had a hang-up. Mom doesn’t believe in superstitions, but Dad can’t get over his hang-up about something bad happening on Friday the 13th.

a. suspicious activityb. problem or concern, often obsessed overc. disconnect a phone call

2. He didn’t go public with his hang-up until the sixth game of the season.The detective decided it was time to go public with the suspect’s photo, hoping the public would help in finding the dangerous man.

a. reveal something to the public that was previously privateb. visit a place that is open to the publicc. a door is always open

3. The Benton Heights Tigers were duck soup for the Bears, as everyone knew they would be. Max was overqualified and knew he had the necessary experience, so getting the job was going to be duck soup.

a. an easily accomplished taskb. requiring great strength or determinationc. a trick or a trap laid out for an enemy

4. They all zeroed in on him, the Moose alone.The attentive doctor quickly zeroed in on his problem and offered a simple remedy.

a. worthless or not worth effortb. determine something is not a problemc. directed attention to one particular thing

Which idiom from the story means nearly the same thing as the underlined idiom in the sentence below?

5. This was going to be a cakewalk; the Moose was going to score a touchdown.a. hang-up b. go public c. duck soup d. zeroed in


"Just Once" by Thomas DygardShort Story of the Month Reading Literature

Skill: Finding Text Evidence

Activity 11

Find Evidence That…Find text evidence that proves each statement and write it in the space provided. Then, explain how the text evidence you found proves the statement. See the example.

Cite specific evidence from the text:

Example: Moose was an accomplished football player.

Now in his senior season, the Moose had twice been named to the all conference team and was considered a cinch for all-state.

Possible answers; some will vary

Explain:

Only the best football players are named to the all conference team. Being considered a cinch for all-state is even further proof that Moose has excellent football skills.


1. Jerry appreciated the hard work Moose did for him on the football field.

After circling in the end zone a moment while the cheers echoed through the night, Jerry did run across and hug the Moose, that’s true. Jerry knew who had made the touchdown possible.

Explain:

Jerry hugged Moose because he knew that if Moose hadn’t blocked for him, there’s no way he could have scored the touchdown.


2. Coach Williams was at first annoyed by Moose’s request.

Coach Williams was good at quick recoveries, as any high school football coach had better be. He gave a tolerant smile and a little nod and said, “You keep right on blocking, son.”

Explain:

A tolerant smile implies that the coach was putting up with Moose being foolish, but he wasn’t happy about it. Then, he reminded Moose that he needed to keep doing his job, blocking.


3. Dan Blevins thought Moose’s idea was ridiculous.

”But, look, what about Joe Wright at guard, Bill Slocum at right tackle, even Herbie Watson at center. They might all want to carry the ball. What are we going to do—take turns? It doesn’t work that way.”

Explain:

Dan brings up the fact that everyone on the football team who doesn’t carry the ball most likely would love to, but that isn’t how football works. Every player has to do his own job.


4. The Bedford City fans wanted Moose to carry the ball.

Coach Williams looked irritated when the crowd on a couple of occasions broke into a chant: “Give the Moose the ball! Give the Moose the ball!”

Explain:

The fans were chanting “Give Moose the ball” because they knew this was the perfect time to take a risk, like letting Moose carry the ball.


"Just Once" by Thomas DygardShort Story of the Month Reading Literature

Skill: Story Analysis

Activity 13

Story Analysis: Plot DevelopmentRead and think carefully about the question. Look at the example and use that to help you answer the question for each event.

Thinking Help: Why is this event important to the story? What does it show, establish, explain, or lead to? What happens as a result of it being in the story?

How does the event contribute to the development of the plot?

This event is important to the story because it is the first major rising action. It establishes Moose’s goal and sets his plan in motion. This is the first step Moose takes in pursuing his dream of carrying the ball. Without having told his coach, that never could have happened.

ExampleEvent 1: Moose finally goes public with his hang-up and tells Coach Williams that he wants to carry the ball.

Event 2: The Bears played so well they were ahead of the Tigers 42-0 by the end of the third quarter.

Event 3: On a few different occasions, the crowd broke into the chant, “Give Moose the ball! Give Moose the ball!”

Event 4: Moose cradled the ball, ran a few steps, looked up and said, “Whoa!”

2


“Just Once” by Thomas DygardShort Story of the Month Informational Text

Skills: Analyze Informational Text

Activity 18

Informational Text Analysis - PracticeRead the article, “Playing Through the Pain.” Then, use the article to answer questions 1-2.

1. Why did the author include this sentence in the first paragraph? Her team had won every competition that season, earning glory for their clean style and eye-popping acrobatics.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

2. Why did the author include this sentence in the last paragraph? Last year, she was crowned Miss Teen Minnesota and became a spokesperson for the National Center for Sports Safety.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

The author included this sentence to show the reader that cheerleading was a serious sport for Gabby and she was under pressure to perform.

The author included this sentence to show the reader how Gabby has overcome her injury and uses her experience to help others.

Main Idea: Warrior culture is a major factor in the dangers of youth sports. Supporting Detail 1: ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________Supporting Detail 2: ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________Supporting Detail 3: ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Read the main idea from the article below. Then, find three details from the story that support the main idea and write them in the spaces provided.

only half of high school football players said they would actually stop if they experienced symptoms of a concussion

loyalty to teammates matters more than personal health

persevering through injury is considered heroic

Read the three details from the article below. Then, determine the main idea and write it on the line.

Main Idea: ________________________________________________________________________Supporting Detail 1: Her right arm was paralyzed.Supporting Detail 2: She was in constant pain.Supporting Detail 3: She had spinal surgery.

Gabby had sustained severe nerve damage.


Short Story of the Month

Activity 20

Essential QuestionSkill: Integrate Information

from Varied Formats

1. Think about the short story, Just Once, as well as your own experiences. What are some positive things that can come out of playing youth sports?

2. View the Hardest Hits Compilation. What is a common attitude about serious sports injuries like these, and why is it dangerous?

3. Read Playing Through the Pain. What is warrior culture, and why is it a problem? How does it make youth sports more dangerous?

EQ: Should children and teens be allowed to play dangerous sports?

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Idioms Interactive Notebook Lesson NEW* ELAR 8(A)

Activity 2: Plot Pyramid Interactive Notebook Lesson* ELAR 6(A)

Activity 3: BONUS Plot Printables** ELAR 6(A)

Activity 4: Vocabulary Guide: Idioms & Context Clues** ELAR 2(B), 8(A)

Activity 5: Journal Activity/Discussion* ELAR 26(A)

Activity 6: Annotation Guide (Vocabulary)* ELAR 2(B)

Activity 7: Story Vocabulary Organizer (Review)* ELAR 6(A)

Activity 8: Comprehension Quiz* ELAR 6(A)

Activity 9: Annotation Guide: Plot Analysis** ELAR 6(A), 3

Activity 10: Plot Elements Graphic Organizer** ELAR 6(A), 3

Activity 11: Text Evidence: Find Evidence That…** ELAR 6(A), 3

Activity 12: Lesson–Question Examples CCSS RL.6.5*** ELAR 6(A), 3

Activity 13: Story Analysis CCSS RL.6.5*** ELAR 6(A), 3

Activity 14: Genres of Fiction Lesson* ELAR 3

Activity 15: Comprehension Skills Test*** ELAR 6(A), 2(B), 8(A)

Activity 16: Concussion Video Clip & Discussion* ELAR 9(A), 10(A), 10(D)

Activity 17: Main Ideas & Details Lesson Review* ELAR 9(A), 10(A)

Activity 18: Nonfiction Article Activity Guide*** ELAR 9(A), 10(A), 13(B)

Activity 19: Nonfiction Skills Mini-Assessment** ELAR 9(A), 10(A)

Activity 20: Essential Question (Putting It All Together)*** ELAR 9(A), 10(A), 10(D)



Teacher’s Guide

Activities, Difficulty Levels, and TEKS Alignment

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