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Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014

Unit One – Agency and Independence: Launching Reading with Experienced Readers

Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website: readingandwritingproject.com

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UnitOne–AgencyandIndependence:LaunchingReadingwithExperiencedReadersSeptember(Level3ReadingBenchmark:S)Inthis,thefirstreadingworkshopoftheyear,welaunchthereadingworkshop.Thisyearwearesuggestingthatyoubegintheyearbycombiningaunitthatpushesreaderstoreadwithmoreintellectualindependencewithaclosestudyofcharacters.Manyteachershaveletusknowthatthecharacterunithasprovenextremelypowerful,particularlyintermsofstrengtheningstudents’abilitiestomakeinterpretationsoftexts.Thus,wehavechosentogetfifthgradersoffthestartingblockandintodeepcharacterworkrightatthebeginningoftheyear.Thisisaunitwhichteachesstudentstoreadwithinferenceandinterpretation,developingtext‐basedtheoriesaboutcharactersandsupportingthosetheorieswithevidencefromthetext.Ofcourse,yourstudentshavealreadydonesomeofthisthinkinginthepriorunitandinprioryears,andyou’llwanttohelpthemtransfertheseskillsevenastheylearnnewones.Atthesametimeasyouwillwanttosupportstudentsindeeplyunderstandingcharacters,you’llalsobeworkingtobuildaculturewhichvaluesandsupportsreading‐‐lotsofit.Ifyourstudentshavebeeninreadingworkshopbefore,theywilllikelycomeintoyourroomwell‐attunedtohowtobeamemberofaclasswhichvaluesreading.If,however,yourstudentsarenewtoworkshop,youmightlookatthebookBuildingaReadingLifefromtheUnitsofStudyforTeachingReading,Grades3‐5,forfurthersupportinhowtobuildthatculture.Alargepartofthisunit(thefirstbend,inparticular)leansonMaryEhrenworth’sunit“IntellectualIndependence”fromConstructingCurriculum(UnitsofStudy,Heinemann.)Thisyearwearesuggestingthatthethirdpartofthisunitmightbetaughtasaclubunit.Studentscanworkinpartnershipsduringthesecondpartoftheunitwhichwillsetthemuptoworkinclubsduringthefinalbend.

Welcome to the Unit




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DuringBendOneoftheunit,youwillinviteyourreaderstoauthortheirownreadinglivesandyouwillpulloutallthestopsinanefforttolayafoundationforayearthathelpsallofyourstudentsbecomeavidreaders.Yourstudentswillsharetechniquesthattheyhaveusedinthepasttogetstrongeratworkingtowardagoal,suchaspracticingandhavingamentor.Theywillalsospendsometimeanalyzingtheirownreadinglives,reallyevaluatingandweighingwheretheyareasreaders,andsettingambitiousgoalsforthemselves.InBendTwo,studentswillworktostudycharacters,buildingtheoriesnotonlyaboutthemaincharacterbutaboutallofthecharactersinthestory.Studentswillbegintocompareandcontrastcharactersinstories.ByBendThree,studentswillbereadyfortheambitiousworkoflearningthatauthorsconveyideasthroughthecharacterswhopeopletheirstories.Studentswilldrawonalltheworktheyhavedoneinpreviousyearsaroundthinkingdeeplyandwithnuanceaboutcharacters—consideringwhatacharacterholdsclose,thatcharacter’scomplexities,thewaythatsecondarycharactersactasmirrorsofmaincharacters—todeepentheirabilitiesininference,interpretation,andbeingabletotalkandwritewellaboutreading.Throughouttheunit,studentswillworktobackuptheirthinkingwithquotesandexactdetailsandreferencestothetext.

Overview

EssentialQuestion:HowcanIdrawuponwhatIknowaboutreadinginordertoreadwithgreateragencyandindependence,knowingwhenandhowtodrawuponmyrepertoireofstrategiesasItacklemorecomplextexts?

BendI:LiftingourReadingLivestoaNewLevelHowcanIsetupgoalsformyownreadinglifeandbegintoworkdeliberativelytowardsthosegoals?(approximatelyoneweek)

BendII:BuildingTheoriesAboutCharactersHowcanIdeveloptheoriesnotjustaboutthemaincharactersinanovelbutalsoabouttheminorcharacters,wonderinghowtheyinfluencethemaincharacter?HowcanInoticeotherthingsthatinfluencethemaincharacterstoo,likethesetting,andwonderwhythingsarethewaytheyareinastory?(approximatelyoneweek)

BendIII:StudyingCharacterstoRevealBiggerMeaningsHowcanInoticethatstoriesaremadethewaytheyareonpurposetohighlightcertainthemes?Forexample,howcanInoticethattheauthorsometimeshassetupcontrastingcharactersandsettingsinordertohighlightthemes?(approximatelyoneweek)




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Thisunitaimstostrengthentheworkthatyourstudentsdidinreadingliteraturelastyearandinyear’sprior.Therearemultiplestandardsaddressedthroughout,butthereareafewwewanttoespeciallyhighlight.Bysupportingstudentsinseeingcharactersasdeliberatecreations‐‐setupbyauthorstoconveyideas(includingbysettingupcontrastingcharacters),thisunitworkstohelpstudentsdevelopdeeperunderstandingsofcharactersandithelpsthembeabletocompareandcontrastcharacters,workexpectedbyStandard5.3inReadingLiterature.Inaddition,studentswillbegintoconsiderhowwhothenarratorisshapeshoweventsaretold,workexpectedbyStandard5.6.Thisunitaddressesacademicvocabularybyteachingstudentstheimportanceofchoosingpreciselanguagetoconveytheirmorenuancedideasaboutcharacters(RL5.4).Theunitisdesignedtosupportstudents’abilitiestoinferandtogroundtheirthinkinginquotesaswellasexactdetailsandexamplesfromthetext,astheCommonCoreexpectsoffifthgradersinStandard5.1.Inaddition,thelastbendoftheunitisaimedathelpingstudentsdeterminethemes,noticehowauthorsuselanguage,structureandperspectivetosupportthemes,andthinkabouthowthemesareconveyedthroughdetails,theworkofStandard5.2.

Asyoureadyyourselftoteachthisunit,hereareafewtipsthatyoumightfindhelpful:

FamiliarizeyourselfwithbottomlinestructureslaidoutinOverview Organizeyourlibrary Choosereadaloud(s) Preparetosetuppartnershipsandclubsduringtheunit Locateandpreview“IntellectualIndependence”fromConstructingCurriculum(Units

ofStudy,Heinemann.)

FamiliarizeyourselfwithbottomlinestructureslaidoutinOverviewForthosewhoarenewtoteachingreadingworkshop,theOverviewwillprovidedetailedinformationaboutmatchingreaderstobooks,establishingthehabitofrecordingdatainreadinglogs,providingstudentswithpracticemakingtransitionsfromonepartofthereadingworkshoptoanother,andsoon.Inaddition,theGuidetotheReadingWorkshop,includedintheUnitsofStudyforTeachingReading,Grades3‐5,alsoprovidesinformation

CCSS/LS Standards Addressed in this Unit:

Getting Ready




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ontheserhythmsofthereadingworkshop.Puttingbottom‐linestructuresinplaceisessentialtoensuringthattheworkshopflowssmoothlyandthatstudentshavethemostreadingtimepossible.Wehighlyencourageyoutospendabitoftimeatthestartoftheyearestablishingtheseimportantstructures.TheBuildingaReadingLifeProgression(seeAssessmentsection)canalsosupportyouinprioritizingasyouworktoestablishbottomlines.OrganizeyourlibraryThisunitiseasiertoprovisionthansomebecausechildrencangrowideasaboutcharacterswhilereadinganyfictionbookatall,soyoudonotneedaspecializedlibrary.Youwill,however,wantstudentstobereflectiveabouttheirbookchoiceswithinyourgenerallibrary.Youwillneedstudentstochoosenarrativesduringthisunitofstudy—sotheycanpracticetheskillscalledforbytheCommonCoreStateStandardsforLiterature.Althoughyourteachingwillemphasizesomewhatdifferentskillsandstrategiesatdifferentpointsintheunit,throughoutthewholeunit,childrenwillbeengagedinoneconsistenthabit:reading,reading,andreading.Thenumberofbooksyou’dexpectstudentstoreadaweekisdifferentaccordingtothelevelsofthebooksintheirhands.Forexample,readersinLevelKshouldbereadingeighttotenbooksperweek;readersinLevelsL/M,fourtosixperweek;LevelsN/O/P/Q,twotofourperweek;andinLevelsR/S/T,they’llreadfromonetothreeperweek,dependingonthelengthofthebook.Inallcases,they’llbereadingalot—andthismattersmorethananythingelseintheirreadinglives.Choosereadaloud(s)You’llwanttochooseastronganchortexttoaccompanythisunitasaclassreadaloud.Thattextwillthenthreadthroughmuchofyourunit;youcanuseitwhenyouwanttomodelareadingstrategyortogivestudentspracticetryingthatstrategythemselves,workingfirstwiththesupportofawholeclasstextandofeachother.WehavechosenthegorgeouspoeticnovelHomeoftheBravebyKatherineApplegate.ItdoesnothaveaLexilelevel(presumablybecauseofitspoeticstructure),yetitisalevelWGuidedReadingLevelanditsthemesoflossandlovearematureones.ItalsoreferencestheSudaneseCivilWar,thus,thisisatextwell‐suitedtomorematurereaders,suchasyourfifthgraders.SometeachershavealsobroughtabitofnonfictionaroundtheSudaneseCivilWarintoreadaloudtopushstudentstodocross‐textworkastheclassdelvesdeepintothenovel.




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PreparetosetuppartnershipsandclubsduringtheunitDuringthisunit,youwilllaunchreadingpartnerships,remindingreadersthatwedonottravelalonethroughbooks.Inordertoprepareforthesepartnerships,youwillwanttoassessyourstudents(seetheOverviewformoreinformationondeterminingstudents’instructionallevels,andtheAssessmentsectionthatfollowsonmoreinformationaboutassessment)sothatyoucanpaireachstudentwithsomeonewhoisreadatroughlythesamelevel.Ifpossible,pairstudentswithreaderswithsimilartasteinbooks.Readingpartnershipssupportstudentsinmanyways,andespeciallyinreflectingonabook.Yourchildren’sexperienceswiththeirpartnersduringthefirsttwothirdsoftheunitwillbecriticaliftheyaregoingtohavesuccesswithbookclubsinthefinalbendoftheunit.Attheonsetofthisunit,oneoftheimportantthingsthatyouwillteachisthatreadersreaddifferentlywhentheyknowtheywillhaveanopportunitytotalkwithsomeoneaboutthebookstheyarereading.Youmayalsoteachthemthatonewaytomakesurethetextiscentralinabooktalkistobegintheconversationbyparaphrasingandexplainingthetext.Asyourstudentsengageinthiswork,youwillwanttonoticeiftheypointtothetext,quoteit,andincorporateitintotheirresponses.Iftheyneverrefertodetailsorexamplesinthetext,youwillprobablywanttosuggestthattheymaynotbereadingcloselyenough.Youwillfindthatbecausechildrenaretalkingtopartnersduringaportionofthereadingworkshop,theyexternalizetheirreading,givingyoualotofinformationaboutyourtheirrelationshipswiththetextsandthehabitstheyhavedevelopedforrespondingtoandanalyzingnarratives.Acrosstheseweeks,you’llalsogatherinformationaboutstudents’interests,habits,andlevelsandallofthisinformationwillhelpyoumovetowardsestablishinglong‐termpartnerships.Encouragepartnerstoswapbookswitheachother,sothatonereadsabookfirst,andthentheotherreadsit.Thatmeansthatoftentheywillknoweachother’sbook.Ifyouhaveduplicatesofbooksavailable,it’sabsolutelygreatifkidscanreadthesametextasapartner.Thisisespeciallyimportantforreaderswhobenefitfromextrasupport‐‐andthatwillincludereaderswhoarereadingbelowgrade‐level,andalsoreaderswhohavejustbegunreadingbooksataslightlymorecomplexlevelthanthosetheyhadbeenreading.Althoughsame‐bookpartnershipsofferlotsofsupport,readerscanalsotalkacrosstexts,tellingeachotheraboutthecharactersandthemesintheirbooks.Thisyear,wehavesuggestthatduringthethirdbendoftheunit,studentswillbeworkinginbookclubs.This,ofcourse,isentirelyuptoyou.Givingstudentstheopportunitytoreadinthecompanyofothersprovidesthemwithreasonsandsupporttoengageincloser




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readingandinthatway.Thestructureofabookclubalsoistailor‐madetoholdstudentsaccountableforsupportingtheirthinking.Locateandpreview“IntellectualIndependence”fromConstructingCurriculum(UnitsofStudy,Heinemann.)Ourproposalforthisunitfollows(particularlyinthefirstbend)MaryEhrenworth’sunit“IntellectualIndependence.”Alsoknowthatthefinalbendinthisunitisnew,basedontheCCSSandNewYorkState’s2013ELA.You’llneedtoconsolidatethesessionsdetailedinthebook.

You’llwanttowastenotimegettingyourstudentsmatchedtobooksthattheycanreadwithaccuracy,fluencyandcomprehension,andmatchedtopartnerswhocanreadbooksatsimilarlevels.Ifyourstudentshavebeeninreadingworkshopspriortothisyear,hopefullyteacherswillhavesentalongthelevelsoftextdifficultythatstudentswerereadingattheendoffourthgrade.Youcanthenchannelthemtostartreadingbooksatthosesamelevels,andobservetoseewhethertheselevelsseemright.Talktochildrenorsurveythemtolearnabouttheirsummerreading,becauseonceyoulocatethosewhoreadalot,you’llwanttoexpectthattheymaywellbeabletoreadbooksthatareanotchhigherthanthosetheywerereadingattheendofthepreviousyear.thosewhodidnotreadatallinthesummerwillprobablyhavelostground,andmaywellneedtobeginfifthgradereadingbelowwheretheyleftoff.Youwillwanttotalktochildrenaboutthefactthatthegoodnewsisthattheyarenowbackinschoolandcanreadupastorm.Moveheavenandearthtogetthesereadersreadingagain(tryreadingfirstchaptersaloudtothem)andexplainthatyouandtheycantalkinaweekandseeifbythen,they’llbereadytoprogressupalevel.Inordertoassessreaders,youwillpresumablywanttousetheTCRWPassessments(seethewebsite,)althoughwealsostronglyrecommendtheFountasandPinnellassessmentmaterialsandtheDRA.Asalways,you’llwanttobesurethatyoudon’tstopconductingrunningrecordsthemomentastudentreadswith96%accuracy‐‐thismaynotyetbethechild’sceiling,sopushtheyoungstertotryamorecomplextext.Youneedn’trelyonformalassessmentsinordertomatchreaderswithbooks(unlessthisisaschoolpolicy).Youcansimplyputbinsofbooksoutatthecenteroftables,askstudentstoreadbooksthatarejustrightforthem,andwatchtheirlevelsofengagementandtheirfacestoseeiftheyreadwithinvolvement,laughingathumoroussections,wincingat

Assessment




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painfulparts.Thentoo,looktoseehowlongtheycankeeptheireyesonthetext.Thissortofobservationcanhelpyoubegincounselingstudentstowardsmoreorlesschallengingtexts,andthisway,bythetimeyousaytotheyoungster,‘Willyoureadmeabitofthat?’thechanceswillbegoodthatthereaderiswell‐matched.WeencourageyoutoalsoassessyourentireclassusingTCRWP’sBuildingaReadingLifeProgression(availabletoProjectschoolsonourwebsite).You’llnoticethatthedocumentisaseriesofflags.Theseflagsrepresentsituationsthatyoumightseeinyourclassroom—notindividualchildren.Theyareawaytotriagetheclass,thinkingthroughtheworkthatthemajorityoftheclassneeds,andneedsnow.Thisdocumentseekstogobeyondreadinglevelintoreadingbehaviors,helpingyoutonoticepatternsandaddressthemsothatchildrenareengagedreaderswhomoveuplevelsoftextcomplexity.Theif...then...statementsundereachflagareintendedtohelpyoutodothisworkanddoitquickly.Astheunitprogresses,andmovesintocharacterwork,youmightwanttodoaverysimpleinitialperformanceassessment.Youandyourcolleaguesmaywanttoagreeuponaread‐aloudtexttouseinsuchanassessment.Planstoppingplacessothateveryteacherreadstothepre‐determinedspot,thenaskschildrentostopandjotinwaysthatshowwhattheyhavegleanedfromthetextaboutcharacters.Forexample,youmightreadabitthenstopandaskchildrentodescribeacharacterortotellwhatthecharacterisdoing,thinkingorfeeling.Thenyoucanreadafewmorepages;thistimeyoumightpausetoaskatanimportantpart:“Whatdoesitmeanwhenthebooksays...?”Attheendofthebook,youcancheckyourchildren’sinterpretationskillsbyasking,“Whatdoyouthinkthestorycanteachyou?”or“Whatdidthecharacterlearn?”Yourteachingcanbecomemuchmoreresponsivebasedonwhatyougleanfromthisassessment.Aremostofyourchildrendescribingcharactersbyjuststatingoneortwoworddescriptorsortraits?Domanychildrenproducetheirownwordsoraretheymoreapttojustretellwhatthecharacterdidorsaid?WestronglyrecommendyouusetheTCRWP’sLiteratureReadingLearningProgressionasaguideforassessingyourchildren’sabilitiestoinferandtointerpretcharacterfeelingsandtraits(www.readingandwritingproject.com).Itshowsyouhowyoucanmovechildrentowardsnextstepsinworkwithcharacters(andinference).Youcanusetherubrictohelpchildrenassessthemselvesandtoworktowardscleargoals,andthenyouwillreassessastheunitunfolds.




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Ifthebiggoaloftheyearistoturnkidsintoavidlifelongreaders,thenitisessentialthatfromdayoneyoucreateanenvironmentthatfostersaloveofreadingandthinking.Asadults,weknowthatatitsverybest,readingiswonderful—itluresustonewworldsandallowsustolivevicariouslythroughcharacterswecometolove,whoseadventuresweshare.Butreadingcanalsobetedious—whenthebookweholdinourhandsistoodifficultortooeasy,orwhenittellsaboutpeopleortopicsthatjustdon'tholdourattention.Theveryfirstthingyou'llwanttoconveytoyourstudents,then,isthatthisyear,readingisgoingtobetheverybestthatitcanbe.And,alongwiththismessage‐‐you’llwanttosendanadditionalmessagetoyourfifthgradersrightatthestartoftheyear‐‐youareinchargeofyourreadinglife.Ofcourse,thisisn'tentirelythecase.You'llassesschildreninformallyduringthesefirstfewweekstomatchthemtobooks,andthensteerthemtowardonestheycanread.Butforchildrentofeelinvestedinreading—andtocometobeindependentreaders—it’sessentialthattheyfeelasenseofownershipoftheirreadinglives,thattheyfeeltheyhaveagency—andthatyousupportthis.And,youcanexplaintoyourstudents,beinginchargeofsomethingmeansthatyouneedtoactivelyworktogetstrongeratit.Onthisfirstday,then,youmightaskstudentstothinkabouttimestheyhaveshownagencyinotherareas‐‐howdidtheygetstrongeratplayingsoccer?Atbeatingthatvideogamethatwassodifficult?Atsinging?Asstudentstalkforafewminutesabouthowtheyhaveshownagencyintheirownlives,youcanthenstopandaskthemtothinkabouthowtheymightapplythesamestrategiesthatweresosuccessfulinhelpingthembeatavideogametoreading.So,forexample,iftobeatavideogame,ifyoupaidcloseattentiontoexactlyhowthebadguysmovedsoyoucouldfigureouthowtobeatthem‐‐then,youmightsuggest,youcouldtrypayingcloseattentiontoexactlyhowacharacterbehavesinordertofigureoutwhatthatcharacteristrulylike.If,togetbetteratsoccer,youfoundextratimeontheweekendtopractice,mightyoucarveoutsomeextraweekendreadingtime?“Today,Iwanttoteachyouthatwheneverapersonwantstoreallybecomemorepowerfulatsomething‐‐anything‐‐thelearnerneedstoconsciouslytakeholdofhisorherownlifeandsay,‘Icandecidetoworkhardatthis.I’minchargeofthis.Startingtoday,I’mgoingtomakedeliberatedecisionsthathelpmelearnthisskillinleapsandboundssothatIcanbe

BendI:LiftingOurReadingLivestoaNewLevel

“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatwheneverapersonwantstoreallybecomemorepowerfulatsomething‐‐anything‐‐thelearnerneedstoconsciouslytakeholdofhisorherownlifeandsay,‘Icandecidetoworkhardatthis.I’minchargeofthis.

Startingtoday,I’mgoingtomakedeliberatedecisionsthathelpmelearnthisskillinleapsandboundssothatIcanbeas

powerfulaspossible.That’scalledhavingagency.Peoplewhohaveagencystrive‐‐theyworkindependentlyandincrediblyhardatsomethinginordertoachieve.”




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aspowerfulaspossible.That’scalledhavingagency.Peoplewhohaveagencystrive‐‐theyworkindependentlyandincrediblyhardatsomethinginordertoachieve.”Onthisfirstday,you’llwanttohelpstudentsseethatagencyisagency,acrossallareasandpushingoneselfcanhappeninallsituations.(YoucanseeSessionIin“IntellectualIndependence”,startingonpage64inConstructingCurriculumtohelpsupportyourteachingofthiswork.)Thiscanalsohelptomakestudentsfeelempoweredwhomightnothaveotherwise‐‐afterall,iftheylearnedtobeatadifficultvideogameorcomposetheirownsongsorrunfifteenblocks‐‐theyshouldfeelreadiedtomeetanewchallenge.Studentscanmoveofftoreadthebooksinthebaggiesyougatheredfromtheirfourthgradeteachers(orfrombinsfullofbooksofdifferentlevelsattheirtable).Inwhatislikelytobeashareoramid‐workshoponthisfirstday,youmightalsodecidetoaskyoungsterstomakealistofresolutionsorreadinggoalsforthemselves,sealthislistinanenvelopeandhavethemrevisititlaterintheschoolyeartoreflectonandmonitortheirprogressasreaders.Studentswillneedamodelforexactlyhowoneapproachesreadingwithagency,soonwhatislikelytobeyourseconddayoftheworkshop,you’llwanttospendsometimesshowingyourfifthgradershowreadingwithagencymeansdrawingonallyoualreadyknowtoreadwithmorepower.Youmightgatherstudentsandsay,“Today,Iwanttoteachyouthatonewayyoucanreadactivelyandwithagencyisbyrelyingonyourknowledgeofhowstoriesgo.Becauseyouknowalotaboutstories,youknowitisimportantthatasyouread,yougettoknowcharactersandlookfortheproblemstheyface,includingthenuancesoftheseproblems.Youalsoknowyouneedtobeawareofhowproblemsareresolvedandhowcharacterschange.”(YoucanseeSessionIIof“IntellectualIndependence”,startingonpage69inConstructingCurriculum,forfurtherdetailsabouthowtoteachthistypeoflesson.)YoumightbegintodemonstratethisworkbyreadingaloudthefirstpageofHomeoftheBraveandshowingstudentshowyouactivelyworktoconstructthestory,byusingwhatyouknowofhowstoriesgo(thisisnotaneasystorytoconstructatthestart).“I’mgoingtoreadthefirstpartofthestoryaloud.Let’susewhatweknowaboutstoriestobereallyactiveparticipantsinthisstory.So,hmm...,whatdoweknowaboutstories?Whatshouldwewatchforfirst?Well,I’mthinkingthatfirstmaybeweshouldgettoknowthecharacters‐‐Let’sbereallyalertfordetailsthatgiveusinformationaboutthem.”Youmightbegintoread,

“Today,Iwanttoteachyouthatonewayyoucanreadactivelyandwithagencyisbyrelyingonyourknowledgeofhowstoriesgo.Becauseyouknowalotaboutstories,youknowitisimportantthatasyouread,yougettoknowcharactersandlookfortheproblemstheyface,includingthenuancesoftheseproblems.Youalsoknowyouneedtobeawareofhowproblemsareresolvedand

howcharacterschange.”




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“Snow.Whentheflyingboatreturnstoearthatlast,Iopenmyeyesandgazeouttheroundwindow.Whatisallthewhite?Iwhisper.Whereisalltheworld?Hmm...I’llbehonest.I’mabitconfused,aren’tyou?Flyingboat?Allthewhite?Maybethewhiteissnow?I’mnotsure.ButIknowasbooksgetmorecomplexthatsometimesauthorswantthereadertobeconfusedatthestartforimportantreasons.Let’sholdontoourquestionsandreadabitmore.Thehelpingmangreetsmeandtherearemanylinesandquestionsandpiecesofpaper.AtlastIfollowhimoutside.Wecallthatsnow,hesays.Isn’titbeautiful?Doyoulikethecold?Ahha!Thewhitewassnow.Let’stryagaintofigureoutwhatweknow.Sosomeone‐‐thenarrator,whoislikelythemaincharacterhascometoaplacethatisverysnowy.Andheorshehasneverseensnowbeforebecauseitsays,”(hereyoumightputthebookonthedocumentcamerasostudentscanseethetext)‘wecallthatsnow’.Sothemaincharacterhasneverseensnow.So,nowI’mthinkingthatmaybethe‘flyingboat’issomethingelsethatthemaincharacterisconfusedaboutanddoesn’tknowwhattocallit.Maybeit’ssomethingthereadermightknow‐‐likewhatelseflies?Likeanairplane,maybe?So,sofar,themaincharacterseemslikesomeonewhoisconfusedbythesnowandthepaperworkandhascometoanewplace,whichmaybewillbethecentralproblem.”Youmightstophereandthenreadtherestofthefirstpoem,lettingstudentsconstructthestorywithyounow,lettingthemstopandtalkandfillinmoreofthegaps.YoumighthearthemnowdiscussingthatKekisthemaincharacter‐‐thathehascometoAmericaandheisalonewiththismanwhoseemstobehelpinghim.Whereishisfamily?WhyhashecometoAmerica?Wherehasheleft?Youcanremindstudentsthatconstructingstoriesisactiveworkandtheyneedtobethisactivewhentheyreadtheirownstoriesaswellandsendthemofftoreadwithagency.Remindthemtousealltheyknowaboutinferringaboutcharactersandproblemsandsettingdetails,inadditiontootherstrategiestobeactivereaders.




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Asstudentsworkonthisday,youmightevenputupsomechartsyouhaveborrowedfromfourthgradeteachersfromlastyearandletstudentsknowthattheseshouldlookfamiliartothem.Youmightalsomakesurethateverytablebaskethassomepost‐its.Remindstudentsthattheyshouldbedrawingoneverythingtheyalreadyknowaboutcharactersandreadingliterature.You’llwanttoseethemalreadypullingoutpostits;jottingideasaboutcharacters,markingtextevidencetosupporttheseideas,andreadingnoseinthebook.Thesearelessonsyourstudentshavehadinpreviousyears.Youwillwanttosettheexpectationfromthestartthatreadingwithagencymeansrememberinganddrawingonallyouhavealreadylearned.Takeafewminutestowatchyourstudentsworkingandconsiderhowmuchtheyareshowingthattheyaredrawingonpastlearning.Youwilllikelyseethattherearelessonsyouwillneedtoreview;workthatstudentswillneedtohelpthemstrengthenprerequisiteskillstotheworktheywilldothisyear.ThisisatimeyoumighthavetheBuildingaReadingLifeContinuuminyourhandandsurveyyourwholeclassquickly.Dostudentsholdbooksclose?Dotheywidentheireyesastheyreadanexcitingpart,almostsubconsciously?Ordotheygetuptosharpenpencilsandflippageswithmanyaglanceattheclock?Ifyourclassasawholeseemstolackindependenceandengagement,that’saredflagsituation,andyou’lldefinitelywanttosupportbottomlinesbeforeanythingelse.WehighlyencourageyoutoturntoBuildingaReadingLifefromUnitsofStudytosupportinhelpingyoutogetreaderswelcomingbooksandreadingtolosethemselvesinthestory.So,whilechancesaregoodthatyourfifthgradersalreadyhavesomestrategiesforfindingjust‐rightbooks,forloggingthenumberofpagesreadeachdayandforsettingpersonalreadinggoals,youmaystillseewaysthatyouneedtoworkonbottomlines.Forinstance,evenasyouexpectreaderstohaveexperienceandpracticeatrecognizingwhenabookisjustright,you’llstillwanttopushuptheirthoughtfulnessaroundbookchoice.‘Thereismoretochoosingabookthatjustcheckingofitistooeasyortoohard,’youmightsay.‘Asmartwaytochoosewhattoreadistodosomeresearch.’Encouragereaderstoresearchabookbyauthor,toweighalltheyknowaboutanauthorfromhavingreadotherbooksbyhimorher,toresearchthelistoftitlesbythisauthortogetafeelfortheirpreferredtopics,styleorgenre.Alertthemtonoticewhetherabooktheyenjoyedisoneinaseriesandurgethemtoresearchandhuntfortheremainingtitlesinthatseries.Youcoulddirectreaderstoresearchpossibletitlesofinterestbyobtainingrecommendationsfromotherreaderse.g.bylookingupnamesoftheperson/swhoborrowedabookpreviouslyandinterviewingthem.Ifyourclasshasinternet,youmayevenshowcasewebsitessuchaswww.whatshouldireadnext.comorwww.librarything.comthatletreadersenterabooktheylovedtofindrecommendationsforothertitlesthataresimilarinthemeorstyle.(YoucanseeSessionIII,startingonpage76,forfurthersupportinteachingthislesson.)




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Readerscandobookbuzzesduringamidworkshoporashare,buzzingtoeachotherwithbookrecommendationsandauthorandseriessuggestions.(SeeBuildingaReadingLifefromtheUnitsofStudyforfurthersupportinhowstudentscanintroduceeachothertobooks.)Asyouhelpstudentsmaketheirreadinglivesmatter,you'llwanttorolloutthereadingtoolsthataccompanytheworkofthisunit.ManyteachersfindithelpfulforstudentstokeepaReadingPortfolio,aplacewherereaders’“stuff”accumulates.Inthisportfolio,readerskeeptheirreadinglogsoftitles,levels,pages,andminutes.(CheckoutSessionIV,startingonpage81inConstructingCurriculumforideasabouthowtorolloutthiswork.)

(TheShareinSession2onpage36ofBuildingaReadingLifecanalsohelpyouseehowestablishreadinglogs‐‐inparticular,ifyourstudentsarenewtotheworkshop.Thechartonpage43ofthatbookcanhelpyouseesomequestionsstudentsmightasktoreflectontheirdataandyoucanviewthevideoclipontheDVDthataccompaniestheseriesofstudentsanalyzingtheirownlogstogether.)Eventhoughyourfifthgraderswilllikelyhavecreatedreadinglogsbefore,you’llwanttore‐establishthatlogsaren’tmerelytoolsforrecordingbutforreflecting:“HowmuchdoIreadatschoolversusathome?DoIreadsomegenresmoreslowlythanothers?IsadropinreadingvolumehappeningbecauseImovedtoahigherreadinglevel?”Explainthatthereadinglogisalsoaplacetosetandtrackgoals:“IwillreadXbooksthismonth.I’mgoingtoreadthisgenre,orwithinthisseries,orbythisauthor.”You’llwanttoperiodicallyremindstudentstotakeafewminutestoupdateandreflectoffoftheirlogslaterintheunit,perhapsaskingpartnerstosharetheirlogs,talkabouttheirprogressandpointoutpatternstheyseeineachother’sreadinglives.Talkingaboutandplanningthemanagementoftheirreadingwithafriendisimportant,notjustfortrackinggoalsschedulesbutinordertosolidifychildren’simageofthemselvesasreaderswithinacommunityofotherreaders.“Takecareofyourlogs,makesuretheyreflectwhoyouareasareader”isgoodadvice,becauseyou’llwantchildrentoowntheirprocess.Meanwhile,youwillalsowanttocollectandstudysomeofyourstudents’stop‐and‐jots.Forexample,ifyouwanttoknowabitabouthowreaderstheorizeaboutcharacters,youcanpauseinthemidstofareadaloud,askthemtostopandjottheirideasaboutthecharacter,andthenyoucancollecttheworkeachreaderdidthatday(withthechild'snameonthework)andsortit.You'llwanttoaskyourself,“Whoisparticularlystrongatthis,andwhatexactlydidthosestrongreadersdo?”and“Whoseemstostrugglewiththis,andwhatdothosestudentstendtodowhenaskedtodothiswork?”Onceyoubeginto

“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatpowerfulreadersuseartifactstohelpthemreflectonandimprovetheirreadinglives.Oneartifactthatisincrediblyusefulasatoolforreflectionisthereadinglog,whichhelpsyoukeeptrackofhowreadingisgoingforyou.It’sconcise,it’seasytosustain,andithastonsofinformationthatletsyoureflectwiselyonyourselvesas

readers.”




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identifythequalitiesthatmakeworkeffective,youcanexplicitlyteachthosequalities.Thissortofworkneedstoaccumulateinastudent’sreadingportfolioandbejuxtaposedwithsimilarworkthestudentdoesseveralweekslater.SomeTCRWPteachershavestudentsstartareader’snotebook,wheretheykeeptheirjottings,andthat,alongwiththeirreadinglogandothermaterials,canallbepartoftheirReadingPortfolio.Wealsohighlyencourageyoutokeepaclassreadingnotebook.Yourclassnotebookcanbeaco‐constructionwithyourstudentsfromtheclassreadaloud‐‐fullofpostits,largerentries,flashdraftessays,sketches,maps,charts,andsoon.

BendTwo‐BuildingTheoriesaboutCharactersBynowstudentsshouldbereadingforlongerperiodsoftime,turningthepagesofonebookafteranotheratanicerateandstoppingandjottingonpostits.Asasecondmajorgoalforthisunitisthatstudentsdivedeeplyintostudyingcharacters,youmightnowmovetoremindingthemthatreaderspayattentiontodetailsastheyreadtobuildtheoriesaboutcharacters.Ratherthantellingstudentsplaceswhichareespeciallyworthwhiletopauseandthinkoverinordertobuildtheories,youmightinvolvereadersinaquickinquirytobeginthisbend.Studentscanturnandtalkanddiscussplacestheyhavelearnedwhichactasespeciallyeffectivewindowsintowhothecharacteris.Youmighthearthemsaythingslike:

Readersstudyacharacter’sactions,realizingthesearewindowsontothatcharacter Readersstudyacharacter’sinnerthinkinganddialogue,asthatshowsalotabout

thecharacterasaperson Readersstudynotjustwhatacharacterdoes,thinks,andsays,buthowthe

characterdoesthesethings Readersstudythewaythecharacterinteractswithothers‐‐whatkindoffriendis

thisperson?Isheorshealeader?Afollower? Readersstudyhowacharacterrespondstotrouble.“Whenwegooverthebumps,

what’sinsidespillsout.” Readersstudywhenacharactermakes/doesnotmakeachoice,astheseturning

pointsshowalotaboutacharacter.

Ofcourse,you’llalreadyhavethesethoughtsinmindsoyoucanguidereaderstoconsiderthem,andyoucanevenjotahastychartand“create”amuchbetteroneafterthelesson.

BendII:BuildingTheoriesAboutCharacters

“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatjustasmostofusnoticepeoplearoundusdoingstuffandwegrowtheoriesaboutthem,so,too,readersnoticecharactersinbooksdoingstuff,sayingstuff,andgrowtheoriesorhunchesaboutthosecharacters.”




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Knowthatthissamechartwaslikelyhanginginyourstudents’fourthgradeclassroomandyouwanttomakethatdeliberateconnection.(Andindoingso,you’llbelettingreadersknow,again,thatyouexpectthemtodrawonpreviouslearning.)Now,youmightgiveaquickchancetopracticethiswork,perhapsmoredeeplypushingstudentstoconsiderKek,themaincharacterfromHomeoftheBrave.RemindreadersthattheyhavelearnedtoreachforpreciselanguagetodescribecharacterssoifstudentssaythatKekisshy‐‐pointthemtowardyourchartonnuancedlanguagehangingabovethemeetingareaandremindthemthatpeoplecanbeshyortimidorunsureorhesitant.Youwillbeexpectingthatreadershavealreadyhadmuchworkwithtraitsinpreviousyearsandyouwillnotwanttospendalotoftimere‐teachingthis(unlessyouneedto).Yet,pushingstudentsfornuancedlanguage,forthejustrightwordstosaywhattheyarethinking,willlikelybeworkyouwilltacklerepeatedly,acrosstheyear.Inyourreadalouds,itwillbeimportanttomodeltalkingandwritingaboutthecharacterswithpreciselanguageandshowingstudentshowyoureviseyourwordsinordertobemoreexact.Inwhatislikelytobeyourmid‐workshoporshareonthisday,you’llwanttoremindyourreadersthattherearetimeswhenacharacteractsoutofcharacterandthatitisimportanttobealerttothesetimes‐‐thiswilloftenmeanthatthereader’sinitialtheoryaboutthecharacterwasn’tcomplexenough.Perhapsthatcharacterisnotalwaysshy‐‐perhapssheisshyaroundgrownupsshedoesn’tknow,andtotallydifferentwithherownclosefriends.Youmightpointouttostudentsthat,justasinlifepeoplearenotpurelygoodorpurelyevil,neitherarecharacters.Youmightstartbysayingsomethinglike,“Iwanttoemphasizethatitisimportanttokeepinmindthatcharactersarecomplicated;theyarenotjustoneway.Andhere’sakeypoint:Togrownuancedandcomplexideasaboutcharacters,ithelpstothinkdeeplyabouttimeswhenapersonactedoutofcharacter.”Youmightreadabitofpage26ofHomeoftheBrave:“IwillbeOK,Isay,usingmybestEnglishwords.SoonIwillmakesnowballs.”ThisseemstotallyoutofcharacterforKek,aboywhohasbeennoticinghowcoldandlonelythesnowis,butstudentscannoticehowheispretendingtobehappyhere‐‐“ImakeabiggrinsomynewfriendDavewillnotworry.Iwonderifhecantellitisapretendingsmile.”AmorenuancedtheoryofKekmightbemorethan‐‐‐Kekislonelyandunhappytobeinthisnewplace‐‐perhaps,Kektriestomakethebestofthings.Studentscanholdontothistheorytoseethattheorywillbethecasethroughouttherestofthetext.Overthenextfewdays,you’llwanttoaimforhelpingyourstudentstodevelopnuancedtheories,whichmeansthatyou’lllikelywanttohelpthemremembertobeopentorevisionofthinking.Teachstudentsthatreaderscanmoveforwardintheirtexts,thinking,“Dothesenewsectionsofthetextconfirmorchallengemyideasaboutthecharacter?”Youmayteachchildrentothinkbetweenseveralrelatedsectionsofatext—say,apassageatthestart,oneatthemiddle,andoneattheend—totalkandthinkveryspecificallyaboutacharacter’sevolutionacrossthestoryline.YoumaywanttorefertosessionXstartingon




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page40inVolumeIIofFollowingCharactersIntoMeaningforsupportinteachingthislesson.Tofurthersupportyourstudents’abilitiestomakeinferencesaboutcharactersandaboutthetext,asStandardOneinReadingLiteratureasksofthem,youmightalsoteachthemtoaskthemselvesandotherstext‐basedquestionssuchas:

Whichsentencefromthestoryexplainshowitcouldbethat_____________(inferenceaboutacharacter’sactions)?

Whichsentencefromthestoryexplainswhy______? Readthesesentencesfromthestory.Basedonthesesentences,withwhich

statementwould____(oneofthecharacters)mostlikelyagree?(Forfurtherquestionstoaddressthisstandard,youcanseetheTCRWP’sdocument‐‐TeachingTowardtheDemandsoftheCCSSwhichisavailabletoschoolswhoworkwiththeProjectclosely.)Yourstudents’notebooksandbookswillbeburstingwithjottingsandPost‐its.Youmightwanttobeginwithasessiononpausinginthemidstofreadingtoorganizeone’sthoughts.ChildrenmightsortPost‐itsintopilesthatareaboutoneparticularcharacter,event,orrelationshipinthebook.YoumightthenteachyourstudentsthattheycanlookforpatternsandnewideaswithinthisstackofrelatedPost‐its.Youmightsaysomethinglike,“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatwhenreaderslookataseriesofideasaboutabook(orsetofbooks)theyaskthemselves,‘Whatdothesehaveincommon?Whatisdifferentabouttheseideas?IfIwasgettingtoknowsomeoneandtheseweremyobservationsofthem,howwouldIthinkaboutthem?’andthentheyusetheanswerstocreateatheory.”Oncechildrenhavedevelopedacoupleoftheories,theycanrevisitearlierpartsofthetextinlightoftheirtheories.Astheyhavedoneinpreviousyears,theycanalsoreadforward,gatheringmoreevidencetosupporttheirtheories,makingindividualtheorycharts.Soyoumightnowgatherstudentstolookoversomeoftheclass’postitsfromthereadaloud.

“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatwhenreaderslookataseriesof

ideasaboutabook(orsetofbooks)theyaskthemselves,‘Whatdothesehaveincommon?Whatisdifferentabouttheseideas?IfIwasgettingtoknowsomeoneandtheseweremyobservationsofthem,howwouldIthinkaboutthem?’andthentheyusetheanswerstocreateatheory.”

Unit O

StudentsdotheseKek.

Somepo

It’simpoCCSSexpAsstudesomecen

W W H W

ch

Youmighimagesoanyofth

Hom

*Kesee*Ke

ROne – Agen

scansortthecondandt

ossiblenew

ortantthatypects.

entscontinuntralquestiWhatdoesthWhataresomHowdoesthWhatresourhallengesan

htalsoteacofsymbols‐‐hesemetaph

meoftheBr Kekrefu Kekdoe Kekisve Kekstill

ekisthekindwhenheisuekseemstoa

TeachersReading Curcy and Inde

Do no

hroughtheshirdandth

theories:

yourfifthgr

uewithinterions:hischaractemeoftheobischaracterrcesdoesthndreachthe

hstudentst‐snakes,plahorsworkfo

raveusestoevenesn’tletotheeryawareoflhashope,e

dofpersonwunhappy.alwaysputs

s College Rerricular Caependence:

ot duplicate. Freadingand

20

eandnoticeeycancons

raderspush

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erwant?bstaclestharrespondtoecharacteregoals?

tousemetaants,thesunortheirown

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eading and alendar, Fift

Launching

For copies, visdwritingprojeDRAFT

013-2014 ©

ethatthefisiderwhatn

themselves

ork,youmig

thavebeenothoseobstdrawupon

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gativethingoncernsersareunhahehasbeen

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Unit O

YouarelcharactepreviousnotwithwanttotrolesandandsayacomparecharacteTosuppocharactegenerouinvolvedbegintomightreBraveheDuringastudentscharacteBrave.WhowAmawayfrouppagesquoteththroughtoexplaiperhaps,

H D

*Kemig

ROne – Agen

likelytoseeer‐‐afterall‐slearninganhoutinfluenteachyouthdinfluenceandhowtheandcontraerislikeand

ortstudentsersaresimilsthananothdintrouble?considerhoeadthepoemereandlets

amid‐workssthatjustasersandthesWhatroledoericainthisomallhekns4‐5(fromhatshowshotheunkindinwhythat,butacross

HowaretheDoesthesett

ekisalittlelghtbethene


Do no

estudentsg‐they’vedondremindtce.Youmighatthemainthestory.Reyinteractwastcharactedhowthech

s,youmightlaranddiffeher?Morec?Morelikelyowinteractimwhichbegstudentscon

shoponthisscharactersstory.Studeoesitplayinsstoryisalnowsandlovthefirstpoeowthesettiblanketofwquoteissigwhathasb

characterstinginyour

likeanostricegativetruth



20

growingfairnethisworthemthatothtgatheryoncharacterReadersnotiwitheachoersyouhaveharactersre

taskstudenerentfromecompassionytobeimpuionsrevealginsonpagensiderKeka

sday,youmsinfluenceeentscanconnthestory?andofstranves.Itisawem)onthenginfluencwhite”or“Thgnificanttohbeenreadso

similarandrbookinflue

chwithhishhsoherefus


Launching


013-2014 ©

rlysophisticrkbefore.Nothercharacourstudentisnotanislicewhatchaother.Wheneabetterseelatetoeach

ntstoconsideachother.Inate?Lesswulsive?Studeachcharace123ofHoandGanwar

mightextendeachother,nsidertheseHowdoesingenesstoKworldwheredocumentcesKek.StudhisAmericahowKekvieofar.

ddifferentfrencethema

headinthessestoackno



catedtheoriow,you’llwcterspeopletsandsaysoland.Alloftaractersdonyouenseofwhahother.”

derhowIsonemorewillingtogetdentscancter.Youmeoftherastheyint

dthisworksodoestheettingofAmitinfluenceKek‐‐alandeheisastracameraanddentsmightishardworewsAmeric

romeachotaincharacte

sand.Hedoeowledgeit.


e:

iesaboutthwanttoexteethestoryaomethingliktheotherch

t

et

teracttogeth

evenfurtheesettingoftemericainHoKek?Studethatremindanger.Youmaskstudentsay,“Deadrk”andyouca,notjusti

ther?er?

esn’twantt

Todaymainchtheothinfluenwhatchtheyintyoucomyouhchar

chara

nced Reade

hemainndtheirandsettingske,“TodayIharacterspl

her.

ertoremindeninfluenceomeoftheentscandiscdshimheismightalsopntstofindadgrasspokescanpushthinthisonep

tofacewhat

Iwanttoteacharacterisnotahercharacterspncethestory.Reharactersdoandteractwitheachmpareandcontrhaveabetterseracterislikeanactersrelatetoe

ers

17

areIlay

dethe

cusssput

shempart

t

hyouthattheanisland.Allofplayrolesandeadersnoticedsayandhowhother.Whenrastcharactersnseofwhatndhowtheeachother.”




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Whatroledoesthesettinginyourstoryplay?Howdoesitinfluencethedifferent

characters?Astwoweekscometoanend,youmighthelpstudentstoputsomeofthesenuancedideastopaperinmoreformalways.Atthisearlypointintheyear(abouttwoweeksintotheschoolyear)youhavelikelynotyetdoneaperformanceassessment,sothismightbeagoodtimetopauseduringyourreadaloudandembedafewquestions,askingstudentstowriteonlooseleaforlargepostitsandcollectingthesetostudystudents’writingaboutreading.Asyourfifthgradersareexpectedtoquoteaccuratelytobackuptheirideas,you’lllikelywanttomakecopiesofafewpoemsfromthebookavailabletothemandthenaskthemtowritefastandfuriouslydowntheirpaper.

Whilethesecondbendworkedonsupportingreaders’needtoinferdetailsaboutthecharactersandplotsthattheauthorsuggestsbutdoesnotexplicitlystate,thisthirdbendwillsupportchildren’sabilitytointerpretthebiggerideasandmeaningsofthestory.Tobeginthiscomplexwork,youmightasstudentstofocusnotjustonnewideasthattheyhaveabouttheircharacters,butalsoonwhatlessonsthecharacterislearninginthisstory.Byaskingthemselves,“WhatdoesKeklearnaboutbelonginginHomeoftheBrave?”or“HowdoesKeklearntodealwithloss?”studentscan,bystandingontheirstronginferences,beginthinkingaboutbiglessonstheauthormightwantreaderstolearn.Inthis,theywillbeveryclosetostudyingthemes.You’llwanttoteachthatthevariouspeoplewemeetinourbooksdon’tsaunterintothestorybyaccident,thatacharacterisdeliberatelycraftedbytheauthortoadvancecertainideas.“Anauthorcreatesacharacteronpurpose.Oftentheauthorusesthecharactertotellussomethingbigabouthumanrelationshipsandaboutourworld.”Invitereaderstonoticewhattheauthormightbeusingacharactertosay.Yourread‐aloudtextoughttoprovideplentyofopportunitiesforsuchanalysis.InHomeoftheBrave,forinstance,KatherineApplegatehascreatedKektostandforsomanythings:Heisanimmigrantforwhomthecultureandlanguagearebrandnew.Heisasurvivorofwar,alonewithouthisparents.You’llpointoutthatApplegateusesKektosaysomethingaboutwar,aboutmigrationandabouthomesickness.Ofcourse,asstudentsbeginthisharderthematicwork,theymaygobacktosimplerideas,suchas“Keklearnsthatfriendshelpyou.”Whileforsomestudentsthismaybean

BendIII:CharactersConveyLargerMeanings

“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatsometimesreadersthink

thematicallybyfirstnamingtheproblemsthatacharacterfacesinabook,thenasking,‘What

lessonsdoesthecharacterlearnabout(theproblem)?’”




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appropriategoal,forotherswewillwanttogobacktothepromptsandpartnershipsthathelpstudentstothinkinbigger,better,morecomplexways.YoumayusetheLiteratureReadingContinuumtosupportthiswork.Notethatifastudenttendstosimplynameatopic,ratherthanalessonorthemeyoumayteachstudentstoaskthemselves,“Whatlessondoesthecharacterlearnabout(thetopic)?”Ifastudentisbeginningtoidentifyamorecomplexlessoninastoryyoumayteachthemtokeepaneyeoutformultiplelessonsinastory.And,ofcourse,asstudentsdeterminethemes,you’lllikelycontinuetoneedtopushthemtogroundtheirthinkingintextevidence.Youmayneedtohelpstudentstoseethatsomedetails(thosethatrelatetothecentralproblem,forexample)aremostimportantindeterminingthetheme.Herearesomequestionsthatyoumightteachstudentstoaskthemselvesandothers:

Whatisthecharacter’scentralprobleminthisscene?Howdoesthatrelatetotheme(s)ofthisstory?

Whichofthedetailsabout____seemsmostimportanttothereader’sunderstandingofher?Howdothosedetailshelpconveytheme(s)?

Whichdetailinthisscenebesthelpstoshowathemeofthisstory?

Youmightalsohelpstudentsseethattheycangobacktothechartongrowingideasaboutcharacterstoseethatthoseverysamestrategiescanhelpthemtoconsiderthemes.Thatis,studentscanstudyachoiceacharactermakes(ordoesn’tmake)andaskwhatthatsaysaboutthecharacter.However,areadercanalsoaskwhatlessonsthereadercanlearnfromthischoice?Orwhatmessagetheauthormightbesendingthroughthischoice?Thatsometimesinlife,people(notjustthisonecharacter)...

Howdoesthecharacterrespondto....?Whatcanwelearnfromthatresponse?

Sostudentsmightlookatthesamepostitsasbeforeandnowthinkaboutwhatlessonscanbelearned.

Unit O

andnow

Atthispnotbeenpreviousinbecomtheyknobookgetofcruciacontinuebookschdifficultychalleng

Hom

*Kesee*Ke*Kemig

*Sooth*Ev

ROne – Agen

w,perhaps...

ointintheunalready)ansly.Inwhatmingmoremowwhentotshard,readalstrategiesetopushstuhallenging.Yyandseeifge.

meoftheBr

Kekrefu Kekdoe Kekisve Kekstill ekisthekindwhenheisuekalwayspuekisalittlelghtbethene

metimespeoersvenwhenyou


Do no

unit,studenndsomemaisprobablymetacognitivdrawonstrdersworkeyoualreadudents’agenYoucanchatheycanthi

rave

usestoevenesn’tletotheeryawareoflhashope,e

dofpersonwunhappy.utsothersfirlikeanostricegativetruth

oplewhoha

uhavebeen



20

ntsarelikelyaylikelybeyashareintveaboutwhrategiesforevenharderyknowthatncyandindarttheirideainkoforinv

thinkofnegersseehiscoofwhenotheeventhough

whomayno

rstandholdschwithhishhsoherefus

avebeenthe

throughmu


Launching


013-2014 ©

yallassesseinmorecomthispartofhatmakesfodealingwitr.Onewayythelpyouwdependenceasandcanaventastrate

gativethingoncernsersareunhahehasbeen

talwaysbe

dsinhisownheadinthessestoackno

emosthurta

uchpain,yo



edandmatcmplextextstheunit,yoforachallenthdifficultyyoutodothworkthrougbyaskingtaskstudentegytouseto

gs

appy(likethnthroughso

optimisticb

concerns.sand.Hedoeowledgeit.

arethemos

oucanholdo


e:

chedtotextsthantheyhoumightinvngingtextory.Youmightisistousetghdifficultythemtodisctstotrytocohelpthem

hecow)omuchpain

buthedoesn

esn’twantt

tsensitiveto

ontohope

nced Reade

s(iftheyhahavebeenvolvestudenrpartoftextsay,“Whentherepertoiy.”Youcancusswhatmhooseonemovercome

n

n’tletothers

tofacewhat

othepainof

ers

20

ave

ntsxtsontheire

makes

that

s

t

f




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Studentsmightsay,forexample,thatunfamiliarwordsmakeastorydifficult.Theymightdeterminethatithelpstoenvisionwhatishappeningatthatpartofthestoryandthenfigureoutwhatwordmightmakesenseinthatpart.Otherstudentsmightofferthatithelpstolookatthewordtoseeiftherearepartsthatyourecognize(suchascommonprefixesorsuffixes)thatmighthelpyoufigureoutwhatitmeans.Youcanrallystudentstorecognizewhenbooksgetdifficultandtoconsiderwhatstrategiestheycanusetodealwiththosedifficulties.Youmayseeasyouconferandlookthroughstudents’postitsandreadingnotebooks,thattheyarehavingsomepredictableproblems.Asstudentsencounterslightlymorecomplexbooks,theymayhavemoretroubleholdingontothestory.Ifthatisthecase,youmaywanttopullsomesmallgroupsorconferintodealingwithdifficulty.Onemajoraiminthisworkwouldbetohelpstudentstodrawuponandstrengthenskillstheyhavelearnedinenvisionmenttohelpthemstayintheworldofthestory.Somethingsyoumightteach(youcansee“IntellectualIndependence”‐‐partII‐‐forfurthersupportinteachingthiswork):

Readers,thekindsofbooksyouarereadingnowdemandimaginativereaders,readerswhowillpauseandcreatethosevividimages.Onewayweconstructthoseimagesistoworkhardatreleasingourimaginationsasweread,payingattentiontodetailsinthestoryandfillinginwithmoreimaginedsights,sounds,andatmosphereuntilit’sasifwecanenvisionthemomentasasceneinafilm.”

Readersarealerttoshiftsintimeandplace,andweimaginethemomentsinbetweenthescenesthatarewritteninthestorieswearereading.Readersoftenfindithelpfultoturntosettingclubstoseeiftimehaspassedorthesettinghaschanged‐‐thenweknowthatwehaveimaginativeworktodoifwewantthestorytokeepmakingsense.”

Youmightalsoseethatstudentsarenotpushingthemselvestoconnectallpartsofthetexts,oftenlosingwhathashappenedearlierinthestoryandhowitconnectstowhatcomeslater.Youmightpullasmallgroupandsay,“Onewaythestoriesyouarereadingwillgetmorecomplicatedisthattherewillbereferencestootherpartsofthebookortoanearlierbookintheseries,andreadersneedtoworkhardertounderstandthereferencesandseethemeaningfulconnectionsbetweenpartsofastory.Thingsthataresaidorthathappeninonepartofthestorymayrefertoearlierevents,earlierparts‐‐andtheseeventsorpartsmaybeseparatedbymanypages.”




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Asyouworkinsmallgroupstohelpstudentsholdontoandsynthesizetheirmorecomplextexts,you’lllikelycontinuetopushstudentstodeepentheirinterpretationskillsduringyourwholegrouplessons.Knowthatstudentswillhavemultipleopportunitiestostudyhowauthorsdevelopthemesacrossthisyear.Theywillconsiderhowauthorscreatemood/tonethroughkeydetailsofsettingandotherstoryelementsinthehistoricalfictionunit,theywillstudytherolesthatcharactersplayduringthefantasyunit,theywillanalyzehowdifferentauthorsapproachthesamesocialissuesinthespringsocialissuesandcurrenteventsunitandevenhowthesameauthormighttacklearecurringthemeinmanyofherbooksduringtheirfinalauthorstudiesunit.Atthispoint,you’llwanttogivestudentssomelensesforseeinghowauthorsdevelopthemesandknowthatinotherunits,you’llprovideadditionallenses.(Andyou’llwanttobeonthelookoutforthosepartsofthecurriculumcalendarsforthoseunits.)Fornow,you’llwanttoaimtogetyourstudentstoseethatauthorscreatecharacters‐‐theyarenotrealpeople.Theyarecreatedtohelpconveyideasandlargerthemesandmeanings.Youmightgatheryourstudentstosay,“TodayIwanttoremindyouthatcharactersareactuallynotrealpeople.Theauthormadethecharactersands/hemadethecharactersbelikethisonpurpose.Theauthormadedifferentcharactersinthestoryfordifferentreasons,soitishelpfultothink,‘Iwonderwhytheauthormighthavemadethedecisiontomakethecharacterssimilaranddifferentintheseways?’”Youmightinvolvestudentsinnowrereadingpage123ofHomeoftheBraveandreconsideringKekandGanwarasdeliberatelycreatedcontrasts.Whatroledoeseachplayinforwardingthelarger,complicatedideasofthestory?InHomeoftheBrave,forinstance,eventhoughKekandGanwarsharecommonrootsandhistory,KatherineApplegatemakessuretheyhavesignificantcontrasts.WhereKekisaproactiveprotagonistofchangeandinitiative,Ganwarislistlessanddefeatedinthisnewcountry.Askchildren,similarly,tonoticeathesisandantithesisofcharacterintheirownbooks.Youmightsay:“Sometimes,theauthorcreatesasidecharacterwhomayshareacommonhistorybutwhoisadirectcontrasttothemaincharacter.Often,thiscontrastisdisplayedthroughbehaviorandattitude.”Forstudentswhoarehavingdifficulty,youmightshowsomefamouscontrastingduosandaskstudentstothinkabouthoweachcharacterplaysaroleinforwardingtheideas.Ifyouchoosesimplertexts‐‐studentswillbefreetothinkthroughthecomplexityoftheideas.

“TodayIwanttoremindyouthatcharactersareactuallynotrealpeople.Theauthormadethecharactersands/hemadethecharactersbelikethisonpurpose.Theauthormadedifferentcharactersinthestoryfordifferentreasons,soitishelpfultothink,‘Iwonderwhytheauthormighthavemadethedecisiontomakethe

characterssimilaranddifferentintheseways?’”




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Youwantcharactersaboutwhomthecontrastisclearlyevident‐‐subtlecontrastscancomelater.Fornow,youwantasovertexamplesaspossible.Afewpossibilities:

ErnieandBert‐‐ThatfamousduofromSesameStreet‐‐ErnieisthecarefreespiritwhileBertisseriousandtightlywound‐‐youcanshowashortclipandaskstudentswhatmessagesareforwardedandhowdoeseachcharacterhelptoconveythatmessage?Moreover,howdoesthecontrastbetweenthecharactershelptoconveythatmessage?

FrogandToad‐‐Readanystorywhichfeaturesthem‐‐‐itistheircontrastingpersonalitiesthathelptoconveythelargermessages.Whatroledoeseachcharacterplay?Howdoesthecontrasthelptoconveythemessagesandthemes?

GoofusandGallant‐‐justuseGoogleimagesandyou’llhavemultiplechoices‐‐this

duoteacheslessonsthroughtheircontrasts.Forexample,GoofusrunswithscissorsandGallantpointsthemdown‐‐whatlessonisbeingtaught?Whatroledoeseachcharacterplay?Howdoesthecontrastrevealthelargermessage?(Andwhatroledothenamesofthecharactersplayinforwardingthosemessages?)(Thesearecomics‐‐‐sotheywillbelikelyalsobehelpfultostudentswhoaremorevisuallearners.)

Asstudentsbegintoconsiderhowauthorssetupcontrastsbetweencharacterstohelprevealthemes,youmightalsopushthemtoconsidertheroleofothercontrasts‐‐‐suchascontrastingsettings.HowdoesthecontrastbetweenAmericaandSudanhelptorevealthelargermessagesofthestory,forexample?(Tosupportstudentswhomightneedmorevisualsupport,youmightshowtheclipfromWizardofOzwhenDorothygoesfromKansastoOz‐‐‐eventhecoloroftheworldchanges.Studentsmightthinkaboutthemoodofonesettingvs.another.Tochallengestudentsevenfurtheryoumightpushthemtothinkabouthowthedeliberatecontrasthelpstoconveyalargermessageaboutbelongingandhome.EvenwhileamulticoloredOzlushwithflowersandmunchkinsseemssoappealing,itturnsouthomeinKansasisn’treallydullafterall‐‐it’sdearandthere’snoplacelikeit.)Youcanteachstudentstoaskthemselvesandotherssomequestions:

Howdoesthemoodofthestorychangewhenthesettingshiftsfrom____to___? Animportantcontrastinthestoryisbetween____and____?Whatisthiscontrast

helpingtoshow?




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Astheunitcomestoaclose,youmightshowstudentsonemorelenstousetoconsiderhowcharactersreveallargermeanings.Youmightteachstudentsthatauthorsdeliberatelychosetheirnarratorsasawaytohelpreadersunderstandthelargermessagesofthestory.Youmighthavestudentsgatheratthemeetingareaandsitwiththeirclubs(orpartners)forthislesson.Clubs/Partnerscanfirstdiscussthechoiceofnarratorfortheclassreadaloud:HowmightthestoryHomeoftheBravebedifferentifKekwasn’ttheonenarratingit?WhatifwewerehearingthisstorythroughDave’svoiceoreventhevoiceofthegauntAmericancow?Howmightthethemeofthestoryhavechangedifthenarratorchanged?IfGanwarhadbeenthenarrator,mightthissamestoryhavehadaslightlydifferentmessage?Youmightprovideasecondactiveinvolvementtoday,nowaskingclubstodiscusstheirowncurrentnovelandwhoistellingthatstory.Toclosetheunit,youmightrallystudentsaroundcraftingaquickliteraryessay,worktheyhavelearnedtodoinfourthgrade.Youmightputupachartwithessaypromptsandaskstudentstowriteabouthowathemehasbeenconveyedintheclassreadaloud.You’lllikelywanttogivestudentsbackthecopiesofthepoemstheylookedatforthequickperformanceassessmentattheendofbendtwoorotherssothattheycanquoteaccurately.AcentralmessageofHomeoftheBraveis...Onewaytheauthorhasconveyedthisthemeisthrough...Anotherwaytheauthorhasconveyedthisthemeisthrough...Sonow,I’mstartingtorealize...

“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatthetellerofthestoryinfluenceshowitistold.Authorsmakedeliberate

choicesaboutwhotellsthestorysothattheycanconveylarger

messages.Onewaytothinkabouthowthechoiceofnarratorhas

influencedthestoryistoconsiderhowitmightbedifferentiftold

throughanothercharacter’spointofview.”

welcome to the unitk164.weebly.com/uploads/8/5/5/4/8554966/fifth_grade_unit_01_-_agenc… · 1 unit...

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