Analyze Plot and Character: Two Roads, Chapters 4 and 5 | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G6:M3:U1:L2

Analyze Plot and Character: Two Roads, Chapters 4 and 5

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.6.1, RL.6.3

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.

  • RL.6.10, W.6.10, SL.6.1, L.6.5a, L.6.5b
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can find the gist of chapters 4 and 5 of Two Roads.
  • I can analyze how Cal responds to and changes due to the events in chapters 4 and 5. (RL.6.3)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket (RL.6.1)
  • Work Time A: Gist on sticky notes
  • Work Time B: Character Window: Chapter 5 (RL.6.1, RL.6.3)
  • Closing and Assessment A: QuickWrite (RL.6.1, W.6.10)
  • Homework A: Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher (RL.6.1, RL.6.3)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RI.6.1 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Read Two Roads, Chapter 4 Excerpt and Chapter 5 - SL.6.1 (25 minutes)

B. Analyze Character: Cal - RL.6.3 (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. QuickWrite: Connect Text to Topic - RL.6.1 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Analyze Character: Fill in the chapters 4-5 row of the Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • RL.6.1 – Opening A: Students complete an entrance ticket in which they use textual evidence from Two Roads to establish context and answer questions about the text.
  • RL.6.3 – Work Time B: Students create a character window to depict the ways in which the narrator of Two Roads, Cal, responds and changes according to challenges described in the text.
  • RL.6.1 – Closing and Assessment A: Students use evidence from the anchor text and from the resources of the previous lesson’s Infer the Topic protocol to support connections between the text and the module topic.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after reading aloud the chapter 4 excerpt during Work Time A, and before students read chapter 5, is available in the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
  • In chapter 5, Cal states that Jim Thorpe, the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States, is one of his biggest heroes. Learn more about Jim Thorpe using encyclopedic resources or picture books, such as Joseph Bruchac’s Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path.
  • Invite students to make character windows with themselves as the subject. They can name a challenge they personally faced, how they responded, and then open their window to reveal what their response conveys about their own personality or values.
  • Chapters 6–8 in the anchor text will not be read in their entirety during class time due to time constraints. Students may wish to read these chapters outside of class and should be encouraged to do so.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous lesson, students were introduced to the module topic through the Infer the Topic protocol and details of the performance task. Students also launched the anchor text, Two Roads, by reading excerpts from chapter 1 and reflecting on what they could infer about the main characters so far.
  • In this lesson, students continue in the anchor text, skipping forward to chapter 4, the point in the novel when the module topic, American Indian boarding schools, becomes clear. As students begin to understand Cal as a character, they track their inferences on a note-catcher focused on RL.6.3 and how the character responds to plot events.

Support All Students

  • Note that there is a differentiated version of the Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2 used in Opening A in the separate Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after reading aloud the chapter 4 excerpt during Work Time A, and before students read chapter 5, is available in the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners ▲
  • In Chapter 5, Cal learns for the first time that he is a Creek Indian. As he processes this new information, he reflects on previously held stereotypes about American Indians, which were reinforced during his school. Although Cal's father quickly corrects those attitudes, descriptions of American Indians as "savage" (page 62) or "enemies of civilization and progress" (page 63) could be upsetting for some students.
  • To support ELLs as they read independently, strategically group developing and stronger readers together. Encourage students to take turns reading aloud to one another, while the other follows along in the text. ▲
  • Consider introducing a Say Something protocol (see the Classroom Protocols document located on the Tools page) as students read together. This will allow for frequent pauses and facilitate opportunities for shared reflection and comprehension checks. Use the Text Guide to determine when these pauses could occur.
  • The character windows were deliberately designed to allow students to draw a window that reflects their personal experiences or their creative imaginations. Encourage students to either draw a window as it would appear in their own homes or that reflects the setting of the novel.

Assessment Guidance

  • Ensure that students understand how the symbol of the window relates to their work with character analysis. Just as the curtains on a window can be pulled back to reveal something on the other side, so too does a character’s actions and words reveal something about their values or personality. Students can use this concrete image to represent what readers do when they analyze a text.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will build background knowledge about the origins of Native American boarding schools by reading an infamous speech by Captain Henry Pratt, an advocate for “civilizing” Native Americans. Students will identify Pratt's point of view and how it’s conveyed in the text.

In Advance

  • Read chapters 4 and 5 of Two Roads in advance to identify plot points and vocabulary that may require clarification or sensitivity.
  • Strategically group students into triads for Work Time B.
  • Prior to class, create the Model Character Window: Chapter 4. Refer to the Instructions for Character Window for guidance on creating this material.
    • Fold an 8.5" x 11'' piece of card stock or construction paper in half widthwise and turn sideways so the top flap flips up. Draw a simple picture of a window on the top flap. Write the model responses (see Teaching Notes) on the window side. "Open" the window to reveal the bottom flap. Write the model response in the blank spot on the bottom flap.
  • Gather card stock or construction paper and colored pencils or markers for students to create their character windows in Work Time B.
  • As an extension of the activity during Work Time B, consider making the windows more realistic by constructing them to open like a shutter. Distribute two large index cards, scissors, and two small pieces of tape to groups. Invite triads to make a simple drawing of a window on one index card along with the information related to character development (see Teaching Notes). Direct students to cut the window card down the middle and tape the outside edges to the blank index card. Demonstrate how the tape acts as a hinge so the window opens to reveal the blank index card where groups would record their revelation.
  • Note that the Teaching Notes suggest giving students only a half sheet of paper to save on materials. If students need more room to write, consider distributing a full sheet of paper to triads instead.
  • Review the student tasks and example answers to get familiar with what students will be required to do in the lesson. Note especially that students only read two short excerpts from chapter 4 of Two Roads in this lesson.
  • Prepare copies of handouts for students (see Materials list).
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A: Students may keep their gist notes in a digital format using an online word processing tool.
  • Work Time B: Use a brief, engaging video online about character development and analysis to help students better understand this concept in a visual way.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 6.I.B.6, 6.I.B.8, and 6.II.A.1.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson uses a Character Window activity to help students understand Cal's responses to challenges in chapters 4 and 5 of Two Roads. First the purpose is explained and the creation of a character window is modeled; then, students work independently to generate their own using evidence from the text. The visual and kinesthetic elements of the character window help students clarify connections across ideas in the text, which may be especially valuable for ELLs. Lesson 2 also features the first optional Mini Language Dive of Module 3; Mini Language Dives are 5-minute tasks that support students' understanding of the text and improve students' abilities to understand and independently replicate the useful linguistic structures they encounter.
  • In an effort to save time and to highlight the most relevant sections of the text, this module omits some of the earliest chapters of Two Roads. Although chapters have been carefully excerpted and lessons thoughtfully scaffolded, ELLs may still find it challenging at first to derive sufficient context for understanding the text from the short excerpts read aloud in class. Strongly encourage students to read the excerpted chapters in their entirety on their own and generate some sort of visual (e.g., a mental map) to track key ideas and characters. For the chapters read in class, help students maximize the chapter synopses as a tool to support comprehension and situate new content within the larger context of the novel.

Vocabulary

  • afterward (A)
  • afterword (DS)

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, Work Time A)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Gist anchor chart: Two Roads (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Gist anchor chart: Two Roads (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Two Roads (text; one per student; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Vocabulary log (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2 (example for teacher reference)
  • Text Guide: Two Roads (for teacher reference)
  • Instructions for Character Window (for teacher reference)
  • Model Character Window: Chapter 4 (see In Advance)
  • Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • QuickWrite: Connect Text to Topic (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2 (one per student)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2 ▲
  • Synopsis: Two Roads, Chapters 4–8 (one per student and one for display)
  • Sticky notes (one per student)
  • Colored paper or card stock (one half sheet per triad)
  • Colored pencils or markers (several per triad)
  • Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher (one per student)
  • QuickWrite: Connect Text to Topic (one per student)

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 – RL.6.1 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as previous lessons to distribute and review the Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2 or the optional Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2 ▲. Refer to the Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2 (example for teacher reference) for possible responses. Students will also need their anchor text, Two Roads.
  • Refocus whole group. Explain that the author included an Afterword in the novel to provide historical background for the text. Break down the word Afterword into two parts: after and word.
  • Ask:

“Based on what you know about these two words, what do you think Afterword means?” (a concluding section in a book; a section after the main words, or text, of the book)

  • Clarify that afterword is different than the word afterward with which students may be familiar. Clarify the difference in the words (Afterword is a noun; afterward is an adverb meaning at a later time.) Add these words to the domain-specific and academic word walls and to students’ vocabulary logs.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar to or the same as previous lessons. Invite students to choose a habit of character focus for themselves for this lesson.

For Lighter Support

  •  N/A

For Heavier Support

  • During Opening A, invite students who need heavier support to use the Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2 ▲. This resource features a glossary of key terms to support students’ understanding of the text excerpt and sentence starters to guide students’ writing.

    Work Time

    Work TimeLevels of Support

    A. Read Two Roads, Chapter 4 Excerpt and Chapter 5 – SL.6.1 (25 minutes)

    • Invite students to turn to page 57 in their text. As students read along silently, read aloud pages 57–60 of chapter 4, starting at the bottom of page 57, “VETS MARCHING ON D.C.” Continue reading through chapter 5. Note that while students may read in small groups or individually in future lessons, students will benefit from this initial introduction to the text as a whole class.
    • Read aloud the selected excerpt, using the Text Guide: Two Roads for comprehension and vocabulary questions as needed.
    • Invite a student to paraphrase the key points in more comprehensible language for those who need heavier support. ▲
    • Use the Synopsis: Two Roads, Chapters 4–8 to review and note key details for these chapters. This will help to complete students’ understanding of the events, especially if they are not able to finish all of the reading.
    • Think-Pair-Share:

    “What is the gist of this part of chapter 4?” (Pop announces that Cal needs to get back to school, except this time he will be attending Indian school.)

    “What is the gist of chapter 5? What is this chapter mostly about?” (Cal learns that his father is Creek Indian. Pop shares stories of his time as a student at Indian boarding school. Cal struggles with his new identity.)

    • Record this on the Gist anchor chart: Two Roads. Distribute sticky notes for students to record the gist and place in their texts. Refer to the Gist anchor chart: Two Roads (example for teacher reference) as necessary.
    • Focus students on this sentence from page 62, and read it aloud:
      • “I feel like I’m standing with my feet stuck in mud, with water rising around me.”
    • Cold-call a student, and ask:

    “What type of figurative language does the author use in this sentence?” (simile)

    • Turn and Talk:

    “How does this use of simile reveal how Cal is feeling?” (It shows that he is feeling helpless and paralyzed after learning that he will be sent to Indian school. Being stuck in mud would hinder someone from being able to move, but water rising around you heightens the concern because of the risk of drowning. Cal not only feels stuck with Pop’s decision to send him to Indian school, but he feels overwhelmed by the fear of the unknown at the school.)

    • Invite students to share any new words, adding any unfamiliar words to their vocabulary logs. Add any new words to the academic word wall and domain-specific word wall, and invite students to add translations in native languages. ▲
    • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

    For Lighter Support

    • In Work Time A, after students read the chapter 4 excerpt of Two Roads, invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to examine the way in which words can be emphasized to enhance meaning (L.6.3a) and to illuminate a character's attitudes toward a critical moment in the text (RL.6.3). This Mini Language Dive also gives students the opportunity to practice adapting their speech to different contexts, using intonation appropriately and strategically (SL.6.6).
    • Develop an extension activity using the sentence from the Mini Language Dive suggested during Work Time A: "Now that I am going to Washington." Invite students to reread pages 58-59 and note other ways in which the author draws attention to the characters' strategic or emphatic use of intonation. For example, students may wish to explore Pop's unique way of exclaiming "'Wash-ing-ton!'" on page 58, or examine Cal's private concern about Pop's language use on page 59: "Now I am confused, especially because of the way he emphasized that one word I." Students can work in small groups to discuss the author's purpose; alternatively, they can generate their own Mini Language Dives that focus on one of these sentences.

    For Heavier Support

    •  N/A

    B. Analyze Character: Cal – RL.6.3 (10 minutes)

    • Display the Model Character Window: Chapter 4 (constructed prior to class).
    • Say:

    “The way a character responds to challenges can reveal something about them—their values, morals, personality, ways they are changing, etc. Their words and actions can be like a window, revealing the character’s values and morals. When the reader takes note of the way a character adapts and responds to challenges, we can think about the text more deeply.”

    • Model an example. Read aloud the posted statement on one window pane of the Character Window:

    “Pop says that he will go to Washington DC without Cal. Cal will go to school instead.”

    • Explain that this is one challenge that Cal faces at the end of chapter 4. Invite students to look for words or phrases in the text that explain how Cal responds to this challenge. These can be direct quotes or paraphrases. Add these words and phrases to the other window pane (“confused” “befuddled,” “baffled,” asks himself several questions to try to understand what Pop is talking about).
    • “Open” the window by lifting up the window flap. Read aloud the “revelation” written on the bottom flap of the model:

    “Cal is nervous about being separated from his father because they are supposed to take care of each other.”

    • Explain that this is what Cal’s response to this challenge reveals about his character.
    • Group students into triads. Distribute a half sheet of card stock or construction paper and colored pencils or markers. Display the Instructions for Character Window (for teacher reference) to guide students in constructing their own windows. Direct groups to fold the paper in half widthwise. Invite groups to make a simple drawing of a window on the outside flap. Demonstrate how students should be able to “open” the window to reveal the blank side underneath by lifting up the top flap. Direct students to write a challenge Cal faces in chapter 5 and how he responds to this challenge on the window on the inside flap. On the underside (inside of the window), triads should write what Cal’s response reveals about him.
    • Circulate and monitor, clarifying any misconceptions. Once triads have finished constructing their character windows, invite groups to share. Display the character windows around the room.
    • Distribute the Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher. Explain that, for homework, students will fill in the first row of the note-catcher with one of the examples shared during this activity. Refer to the Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher (example for teacher reference).
    • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

    For Lighter Support

    •  N/A

    For Heavier Support

    • At the end of Work Time B, as students share their character windows with the class, use strategic combinations of Conversation Cues to support and challenge students' thinking. For example:
      • Goal 1. Can you say more about that?
      • Goal 2. Who can repeat what your classmate said?
      • Goal 3. How does our discussion add to your understanding of Cal's character development in Two Roads?
      • Goal 4. Who can explain why your classmate came up with that response?

    Closing & Assessments

    Closing

    A. QuickWrite: Connect Text to Topic - RL.6.1 (5 minutes)

    • Distribute QuickWrite: Connect Text to Topic, and read aloud the prompt at the top:
      • "Based on the Infer the Topic resources from the previous lesson, how do you think this novel will connect to the topic of American Indian boarding schools? Cite specific examples."
    • Repeat or rephrase the prompt as necessary. Direct students to begin writing and to write continuously for the whole time.
    • After 4 minutes, collect the QuickWrite to review later for any misconceptions. Refer to QuickWrite: Connect Text to Topic (example for teacher reference).
    • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their habit of character focus for this lesson.

    Homework

    Homework

    A. Analyze Character

    • Fill in the chapters 4-5 row of the Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher.

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