Close Read: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M3:U2:L4

Close Read: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.7.3, RL.7.6

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • L.7.4, L.7.5

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can explain how the setting shapes the characters and plot in "The Boy and the Bayonet." (RL.7.3)
  • I can identify the points of view of Bud, Hannah, and "little sister" in "The Boy and the Bayonet." (RL.7.6)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 (L.7.4)
  • Work Time A: "The Boy and the Bayonet" Story Elements note-catcher (RL.7.3, RL.7.6)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - L.7.4 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Close Read: "The Boy and the Bayonet" - RL.7.3, RL.7.6 (35 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Explore Themes: "The Boy and the Bayonet" - RL.7.2 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Answer Questions about "The Boy and the Bayonet," Part I: Students complete Homework: Answer Questions: "The Boy and the Bayonet" to analyze points of view and story elements in the first part of the story.

B. Preread "The Boy and the Bayonet," Part II: Students preread "The Boy and the Bayonet," Part II and look up unfamiliar vocabulary in preparation for studying this excerpt of the story in the next lesson.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • L.7.4 – Opening A: On an entrance ticket, record shared vocabulary and questions students generated while reading the first part of “The Boy and the Bayonet” for homework.
  • RL.7.3 – Work Time A: Students independently read and analyze “The Boy and the Bayonet,” focusing on elements of the story and how they interact.
  • RL.7.6 – Work Time A: Students independently read and analyze “The Boy and the Bayonet,” focusing on different characters points of view and how they compare and develop.
  • RL.7.2– Closing and Assessment A: Students begin to determine and analyze themes in “The Boy and the Bayonet.”
  • In this lesson, students focus on becoming effective learners by collaborating during the close read and persevering independently through answering questions, and collaborating and taking initiative with peers during the protocols.
  • The Think-Pair-Share protocol is used in this lesson. Protocols are an important feature of our curriculum because they are one of the best ways to engage students in discussion, inquiry, critical thinking, and sophisticated communication. A protocol consists of agreed-upon, detailed guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or reporting that ensure equal participation and accountability in learning.
  • In this lesson’s excerpt of “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Bud shows courage as he participates in the competition, while “little sister” and Hannah demonstrate empathy and compassion as they encourage and cheer him on.
  • The dialogue in this story is written in a variety of vernacular English that is different from the variety of standard English used in the narration of the story. Explain to students that it is a strategy writers use to help readers envision the setting and the characters. Also, as necessary, invite students to consider their own varieties of English that they speak with their friends, parents, and teachers. Ask students to write different versions of a dialogue they might have with a friend and then with a teacher. As necessary, model doing so to demonstrate how to leave off endings of words with apostrophes, so “running” becomes “runnin.’”

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Release more responsibility more quickly to students as they comprehend the tasks or concepts. For example: 
    • For homework, in addition to reading and defining unknown vocabulary in the second part of “The Boy and the Bayonet,” encourage students to analyze the interactions between story elements and how the author develops and contrasts differing points of view. Students can use this analysis to be discussion leaders in the following lesson.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In previous lessons, students have focused on analyzing how the elements of a story interact and how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters in a text. In this lesson, students will continue building on these skills by participating in a close read and answering questions independently.

Support All Students

  • At this point, students should be reading the text independently. However, if some or all students need more support, read several pages aloud and release students to read independently, in pairs, or in small groups.
  • The subject matter in this excerpt includes dialogue spoken in a variety of English. Explain to students that this is a strategy writers use to help capture how spoken language sounds in different times and places. Continue to monitor students to determine if issues surface from the content of this chapter that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually. To support students in processing this content, ask: “What habit of character did you use as you read and discussed this story?” Students may need to draw on perseverance, empathy, compassion as they read and discuss this content, being sensitive to their own and others’ reactions to the information presented.
  • Note there is a differentiated version of the Story Elements: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I note-catcher used in Work Time A in the separate Teacher's Guide for English Language Learners. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Review students’ Story Elements: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I note-catcher to ensure understanding.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will transition to reading the next part of the story and answering questions independently, in preparation for their mid-unit assessments.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 at each student's workspace.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout previous modules to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 7.I.A.1, 7.I.B.5, 7.I.B.6, and 7.I.C.10.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson includes a close read of the first part of the short story "The Boy and the Bayonet." The close read is teacher-led and ensures that all students can closely analyze and better comprehend the story.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to answer text-dependent questions throughout the close read. If possible, display the questions and allow longer think-time for ELLs to formulate their responses and discuss them with a partner before sharing out. Doing so will increase their confidence, comprehension, and language use abilities.

Vocabulary

  • admonitory (A)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Academic word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 4, Opening A)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 5, Work Time A)
  • Harlem Renaissance Themes anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 3, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Vocabulary log (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • "The Boy and the Bayonet" (text; one per student; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 3, Closing and Assessment A)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 (example for teacher reference)
  • Close Reading Guide: "The Boy and the Bayonet" (for teacher reference)
  • Story Elements: "The Boy and the Bayonet," Part I note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Harlem Renaissance Themes anchor chart (example for teacher reference)
  • Homework: Answer Questions: "The Boy and the Bayonet," Part I (answers for teacher reference) (see Homework Resources)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 (one per student)
  • Story Elements: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I note-catcher (one per student)
  • Story Elements: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I note-catcher ▲
  • Homework: Questions: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I (one per student; see Homework Resources)

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner - L.7.4 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4.
  • Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses. Add any words students shared to the academic and domain-specific word walls with translations in home languages where appropriate, and invite students to add the word to their vocabulary logs.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.

For Lighter Support

  • Encourage students to extend their vocabulary learning by using the words in sentences and then sharing their words and sentences with a partner. Doing so will not only ensure that students have another chance to reinforce the vocabulary they identified while reading but also to learn new vocabulary from their peers.

For Heavier Support

  • Encourage students to extend their vocabulary learning by illustrating the words if possible and then sharing their words and illustrations with a partner. Doing so will not only ensure that students have another chance to reinforce the vocabulary they identified while reading but also to learn new vocabulary from their peers.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Close Read: “The Boy and the Bayonet” – RL.7.3, RL.7.6 (35 minutes)

  • Review appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can explain how the setting shapes the characters and plot in ‘The Boy and the Bayonet.’”

“I can identify the points of view of Bud, Hannah, and ‘little sister’ in ‘The Boy and the Bayonet.’”

  • Focus students on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and remind them that digging into the text deeper can help them understand it better, so they are going to dig deeper into an excerpt of the text through close reading.
  • Move students into predetermined triads.
  • Direct students’ attention to the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and review what collaboration looks and sounds like.
  • Use Close Reading Guide: “The Boy and the Bayonet” to set the purpose of the close read and to guide students through a close read of this excerpt. Refer to the guide for how to integrate the following:
    • “The Boy and the Bayonet” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
    • Story Elements: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I note-catcher
    • Story Elements: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I note-catcher ▲ as necessary. The differentiated note-catcher supports students’ writing and comprehension with sentence frames. ▲
  • Refer to Story Elements: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.
  • Ask:

“What habits of character did you see in this excerpt? Who demonstrated them? What did they look/sound like?” (Possible response: Bud shows courage as he participates in the competition. “Little sister” and Hannah demonstrate empathy and compassion as they encourage and cheer on Bud.)

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time A, if time allows, encourage students to work in small groups to create a comic strip or graphic panel version of the first part of the story. Challenge students to include dialogue and descriptions in the panels. If necessary, display a graphic novel panel for students to understand the form. Illustrating the scenes of the story will reinforce their comprehension of the characters, setting, and plot events.

For Heavier Support

  • In Work Time A, if time allows, encourage students to work in small groups to create a comic strip or graphic panel version of the first part of the story. If necessary, display a graphic novel panel for students to understand the form. Illustrating the scenes of the story will engage students and increase their comprehension of the characters, setting, and plot events.
  • Also in Work Time A, encourage students to use the Story Elements: “The Boy and the Bayonet,” Part I note-catcher . This resource includes sentence frames that support students in comprehension and writing about the interactions of story elements and how the author develops points of view.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Explore Themes: "The Boy and the Bayonet" - RL.7.2 (5 minutes)

  • Display and draw students' attention to the Harlem Renaissance Themes anchor chart. Ask students to Think-Pair-Share about a theme they see emerging in this section of text:

"What do you think the text is mostly about at this point?" (Possible response: Bud seems to be preparing for a big day, which he has been working hard at for some time.)

"What theme could be emerging or beginning to develop at this point in the text?" (Possible response: A possible theme of the text is that hard work will pay off.) 

"What questions do you have about what is happening and what is to come in the text?" (Possible response: I am curious to see what will happen at the "drills" and what exactly they are.)

  • Add student responses for possible themes to the anchor chart. Tell students that they will revisit these emerging themes once they are done reading the story to see if they would like to classify them as themes of the story and to see what evidence there is to support these themes. Refer to the Harlem Renaissance Themes anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

For Lighter Support

  • Allow students extra think-time to identify a theme in the story. As necessary, prompt with questions such as
    • What does the story tell us about hard work?

For Heavier Support

  • Provide students with a sentence frame to share their thoughts about theme, so that they have the language structures for comprehension and to participate fully in the discussion:
    • The author's message is that hard work ____.

Homework

HomeworkLevels of Support

A. Answer Questions about "The Boy and the Bayonet," Part I

  • Students complete Homework: Answer Questions: "The Boy and the Bayonet" to analyze points of view and story elements in the first part of the story.

B. Preread "The Boy and the Bayonet," Part II

  • Students preread "The Boy and the Bayonet," Part II and look up unfamiliar vocabulary in preparation for studying this excerpt of the story in the next lesson.

For Lighter Support

  • Before students leave class, ask them to read the homework assignments and discuss them with a partner. Also, remind students to use their prereading strategies as they read the second part of the story. Doing so will ensure comprehension and retention of important details.

For Heavier Support

  • Before students leave class, review the homework assignments and ensure that students understand that they will answer questions and preread the second part of the short story "The Boy and the Bayonet." Also, remind students to use their prereading strategies.

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