ELA 2012 G8:M3A:U2:L3

Analyzing a Thematic Concept: The Invisibility of Captives during WW II

Like what you see?

Order printed materials, teacher guides and more.

How to order

Help us improve!

Tell us how the curriculum is working in your classroom and send us corrections or suggestions for improving it.

Leave feedback

Long Term Learning Targets

I can analyze figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. (L.8.5)
I can analyze the development of a theme or a central idea throughout the text (including its relationship to supporting ideas). (RI.8.2)

Supporting Targets

I can analyze word relationships used in Unbroken.
I can analyze the development of a thematic concept in Unbroken.

Ongoing Assessment

Unbroken structured notes, pages 181-188 (from homework)
Understanding Invisibility note-catcher

Agenda

Agenda	Teaching Notes
1. Opening A. Engaging the Reader :Dignity (8 minutes) B. Reviewing Learning Targets (1 minute) 2. Work Time A. Analyzing a Thematic Concept: Invisibility (25 minutes) B. Collecting Evidence: Introduction to the Gathering Textual Evidence Note-Catcher (10 minutes) 3. Closing and Assessment A. Preview Homework (1 minute) 4. Homework A. Read pages 189-190, the summary of pages190-192, and read pages 192-197 in Unbroken. Complete the structured notes.	In this lesson, students further analyze the thematic concept of the invisibility of captives during World War II, introduced in Lesson 2. They study the invisibility of captives from defining invisibility literally as isolation to defining the word figuratively as the loss of dignity or dehumanization. Students are introduced to the Gathering Textual Evidence note-catcher, on which they collect strong textual evidence that exemplifies the invisibility (both isolation and dehumanization) of captives during WWII. Students will use this note-catcher as their primary source of evidence for the informational essay at the end of the unit. Be sure students keep the note-catcher in a safe place so they can access the information for the essay. A sample completed note-catcher may be found in the supporting materials of Lesson 14, for teacher reference. In this lesson, students just begin to fill in page 1 of the note-catcher about Zamperini. Post: Learning targets.

Teaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Reader :Dignity (8 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (1 minute)

2. Work Time

A. Analyzing a Thematic Concept: Invisibility (25 minutes)

B. Collecting Evidence: Introduction to the Gathering Textual Evidence Note-Catcher (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Preview Homework (1 minute)

4. Homework

A. Read pages 189-190, the summary of pages190-192, and read pages 192-197 in Unbroken. Complete the structured notes.

In this lesson, students further analyze the thematic concept of the invisibility of captives during World War II, introduced in Lesson 2. They study the invisibility of captives from defining invisibility literally as isolation to defining the word figuratively as the loss of dignity or dehumanization.
Students are introduced to the Gathering Textual Evidence note-catcher, on which they collect strong textual evidence that exemplifies the invisibility (both isolation and dehumanization) of captives during WWII. Students will use this note-catcher as their primary source of evidence for the informational essay at the end of the unit. Be sure students keep the note-catcher in a safe place so they can access the information for the essay. A sample completed note-catcher may be found in the supporting materials of Lesson 14, for teacher reference. In this lesson, students just begin to fill in page 1 of the note-catcher about Zamperini.
Post: Learning targets.

Vocabulary

figurative; dignity (182)

Materials

Document camera
Dignity word web (one to display)
Unbroken (book; one per student)
Understanding Invisibility note-catcher (from Lesson 2)
Gathering Textual Evidence note-catcher (one per student)
Unbroken structured notes, pages 189-197 (one per student)
Unbroken supported structured notes, pages 189-197 (optional; only for students who need more support)
Unbroken Structured Notes Teacher Guide, pages 189-197 (one for teacher)

Opening

Opening	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Engaging the Reader: Dignity (8 minutes) Invite students to sit with their Pearl Harbor discussion partner. Using a document camera, display the Dignity word web for the entire class to see. Have students reread (independently or with their partner) the last paragraph on page 182 to the page break on page 183. Emphasize that this paragraph is important for understanding how war affects captives during WWII. Hillenbrand pauses from the story to write about dignity. Have students share the definition of dignity that they wrote for homework. Cold call student pairs to share the definition of dignity. Be sure they understand that it means self-respect and to be treated like a human being who matters, whose life is important, who has a sense of self-determination. Point out that Hillenbrand provides some context clues as to what she means by dignity. Have students reread the paragraph, selecting other key words and phrases that help capture the definition of dignity as Hillenbrand uses it. Cold call students to share their answers and record on the left side of the Dignity word web. Listen for them to share: self-respect, sense of self-worth, innermost armament of the soul, the heart of humanness. Next, have students find words or phrases in the text that convey the loss of dignity. Have them share with the class while these are recorded on the right-hand side of the word web. Listen for: dehumanized; cleaved from, cast below mankind; profound wretchedness; loneliness; hope is almost impossible to retain; identity is erased; defined by their captors; defined by their circumstances, humiliation, degradation. Draw students' attention to the first learning target: * "I can analyze word relationships used in Unbroken." Share with students that the word dignity is important in understanding how captives are affected by war. Hillenbrand provides vivid words and phrases that help convey both the ideas of dignity and the loss of dignity.	To further support ELL students, consider providing definitions of challenging vocabulary in students' home language. Resources such as Google Translate and bilingual translation dictionaries can assist with one-word translation.
B. Reviewing Learning Targets (1 minute) Read aloud the second learning target: * "I can analyze the development of a theme in Unbroken." Share with students that today they will learn more about the theme they are studying: the invisibility of captives during WWII

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Engaging the Reader: Dignity (8 minutes)

Invite students to sit with their Pearl Harbor discussion partner. Using a document camera, display the Dignity word web for the entire class to see.
Have students reread (independently or with their partner) the last paragraph on page 182 to the page break on page 183.
Emphasize that this paragraph is important for understanding how war affects captives during WWII. Hillenbrand pauses from the story to write about dignity.
Have students share the definition of dignity that they wrote for homework.
Cold call student pairs to share the definition of dignity. Be sure they understand that it means self-respect and to be treated like a human being who matters, whose life is important, who has a sense of self-determination.
Point out that Hillenbrand provides some context clues as to what she means by dignity. Have students reread the paragraph, selecting other key words and phrases that help capture the definition of dignity as Hillenbrand uses it.
Cold call students to share their answers and record on the left side of the Dignity word web. Listen for them to share: self-respect, sense of self-worth, innermost armament of the soul, the heart of humanness.
Next, have students find words or phrases in the text that convey the loss of dignity. Have them share with the class while these are recorded on the right-hand side of the word web. Listen for: dehumanized; cleaved from, cast below mankind; profound wretchedness; loneliness; hope is almost impossible to retain; identity is erased; defined by their captors; defined by their circumstances, humiliation, degradation.
Draw students' attention to the first learning target:

* "I can analyze word relationships used in Unbroken."

Share with students that the word dignity is important in understanding how captives are affected by war. Hillenbrand provides vivid words and phrases that help convey both the ideas of dignity and the loss of dignity.

To further support ELL students, consider providing definitions of challenging vocabulary in students' home language. Resources such as Google Translate and bilingual translation dictionaries can assist with one-word translation.

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (1 minute)

Read aloud the second learning target:

* "I can analyze the development of a theme in Unbroken."

Share with students that today they will learn more about the theme they are studying: the invisibility of captives during WWII

Work Time

Work Time	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Analyzing a Thematic Concept: Invisibility (25 minutes) Be sure students have their book, *Unbroken. Focus students on the Dignity word web. Draw their attention to the phrase "identity is erased." Ask: "How does this phrase relate to the theme of invisibility?" Have students Think-Pair-Share. After several minutes, cold call student pairs to share their answers. Listen for them to recognize that this phrase is related to invisibility in that when an identity is erased, the person becomes, in a sense, invisible to himself so that he can no longer see himself or act himself. Clarify to students that this is different from what they talked about in the previous lesson. Have students take out their Understanding Invisibility note-catcher. Remind them that they defined and provided examples of invisibility in a literal sense. The examples from yesterday had to do with external invisibility and being isolated from the outside world. In today's example, however, the loss of dignity or the phrase "identity is erased" is a figurative sense of invisibility (review the term "figurative" if needed). Here, invisibility is what may happen inside a captive when his or her dignity, identity, and self-worth is stripped away. Invite students to work with their partner to provide a figurative definition of invisibility on the Understanding Invisibility note-catcher. After a few minutes, cold call student pairs to share the definition they came up with. Listen for them to understand this to mean that identity, self-determination, agency, self-worth, humanness is erased. Next, have students work in pairs to find four strong examples of how captors tried to make Louie figuratively invisible. After several minutes, cold call student pairs to share their examples. Listen for examples of dehumanization and isolation.	Graphic organizers and recording forms engage students more actively and provide necessary scaffolding that is especially critical for learners with lower levels of language proficiency and/or learning. Additional modeling may be required. Modeling provides a clear vision of the expectation for students.
B. Collecting Evidence: Introduction to the Gathering Textual Evidence Note-catcher (10 minutes) Using the document camera, display the Gathering Textual Evidence note-catcher and distribute one to each student. Explain that as they read Unbroken and other texts, they will collect the strongest examples of the thematic concept of how captors try to make the captive invisible, and in this case, how the Japanese guards try to make the American POWs invisible. They will use the evidence they collect for the essay at the end of the unit, so be sure to keep it in a safe place. Orient students to page 1 of the note-catcher (they will complete page 2 later in the unit) by reviewing each of the columns. Clarify as needed. Explain that they will use the last column later in the unit, when they plan to write the essay. Have students work independently to select the strongest evidence from their Understanding Invisibility note-catcher add it to the first four columns of the Gathering Textual Evidence note-catcher. Circulate to observe students' work and support as needed.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Analyzing a Thematic Concept: Invisibility (25 minutes)

Be sure students have their book, Unbroken. Focus students on the Dignity word web. Draw their attention to the phrase "identity is erased." Ask:

* "How does this phrase relate to the theme of invisibility?"

Have students Think-Pair-Share.
After several minutes, cold call student pairs to share their answers. Listen for them to recognize that this phrase is related to invisibility in that when an identity is erased, the person becomes, in a sense, invisible to himself so that he can no longer see himself or act himself.
Clarify to students that this is different from what they talked about in the previous lesson. Have students take out their Understanding Invisibility note-catcher. Remind them that they defined and provided examples of invisibility in a literal sense. The examples from yesterday had to do with external invisibility and being isolated from the outside world.
In today's example, however, the loss of dignity or the phrase "identity is erased" is a figurative sense of invisibility (review the term "figurative" if needed). Here, invisibility is what may happen inside a captive when his or her dignity, identity, and self-worth is stripped away.
Invite students to work with their partner to provide a figurative definition of invisibility on the Understanding Invisibility note-catcher.
After a few minutes, cold call student pairs to share the definition they came up with. Listen for them to understand this to mean that identity, self-determination, agency, self-worth, humanness is erased.
Next, have students work in pairs to find four strong examples of how captors tried to make Louie figuratively invisible.
After several minutes, cold call student pairs to share their examples. Listen for examples of dehumanization and isolation.

Graphic organizers and recording forms engage students more actively and provide necessary scaffolding that is especially critical for learners with lower levels of language proficiency and/or learning.
Additional modeling may be required. Modeling provides a clear vision of the expectation for students.

B. Collecting Evidence: Introduction to the Gathering Textual Evidence Note-catcher (10 minutes)

Using the document camera, display the Gathering Textual Evidence note-catcher and distribute one to each student. Explain that as they read Unbroken and other texts, they will collect the strongest examples of the thematic concept of how captors try to make the captive invisible, and in this case, how the Japanese guards try to make the American POWs invisible. They will use the evidence they collect for the essay at the end of the unit, so be sure to keep it in a safe place.
Orient students to page 1 of the note-catcher (they will complete page 2 later in the unit) by reviewing each of the columns. Clarify as needed. Explain that they will use the last column later in the unit, when they plan to write the essay.
Have students work independently to select the strongest evidence from their Understanding Invisibility note-catcher add it to the first four columns of the Gathering Textual Evidence note-catcher. Circulate to observe students' work and support as needed.

Closing & Assessments

Closing
A Preview Homework (1 minute) Distribute the Unbroken structured notes, pages 189-197, as well as the Unbroken supported structured notes, pages 189-197 as needed, keeping a copy of the Unbroken Structured Notes Teacher Guide, pages 189-197(for teacher reference). Preview the homework. Read the focus question aloud: * "On page 196, Hillenbrand uses an example from Frederick Douglass's autobiography. How does this allusion to an American slave help the reader understand Louie's experiences? Cite the strongest evidence from the text to support your thinking."

Closing

A Preview Homework (1 minute)

Distribute the Unbroken structured notes, pages 189-197, as well as the Unbroken supported structured notes, pages 189-197 as needed, keeping a copy of the Unbroken Structured Notes Teacher Guide, pages 189-197(for teacher reference).
Preview the homework. Read the focus question aloud:

* "On page 196, Hillenbrand uses an example from Frederick Douglass's autobiography. How does this allusion to an American slave help the reader understand Louie's experiences? Cite the strongest evidence from the text to support your thinking."

Homework

Homework
Read pages 189-190, the summary of pages 190-193, and read pages 193-197 in Unbroken. Complete the structured notes. Teaching Note: Be sure to save the Dignity word web to use in Unit 3, Lesson 1.

Created by EL Education, on behalf of Public Consulting Group, Inc.
© Public Consulting Group, Inc., with a perpetual license granted to EL Education, Inc.

EL Education Curriculum