Analyze Point of View: Two Roads, Chapter 9 | EL Education Curriculum

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.6.1, RL.6.6, RI.6.2

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

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can find the gist of chapter 9 of Two Roads.
  • I can analyze Pop's point of view in chapter 9 and how it is developed by the author. (RL.6.6)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket (RI.6.2)
  • Work Time A: Gist on sticky notes
  • Work Time B: Analyze Point of View: Two Roads note-catcher (RL.6.1, RL.6.6)
  • Closing and Assessment A: QuickWrite: Pop's Point of View (RL.6.1, RL.6.6, W.6.10)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RI.6.2 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Read Two Roads, Chapter 9 - RL.6.1 (20 minutes)

B. Analyze Point of View - RL.6.6 (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. QuickWrite: Pop's Point of View - RL.6.6 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Preread Anchor Text: Students preread chapters 10 and 11 in Two Roads in preparation for studying these chapters in the next lesson.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • RI.6.2 - Opening A: Students complete an entrance ticket in which they select a summary statement that best represents the central idea of an excerpt from the afterword of Two Roads.
  • RL.6.1 - Work Time B: Students gather textual evidence from Two Roads and begin completing their Analyze Point of View: Two Roads note-catchers.
  • RL.6.6 - Work Time B: Students begin their Analyze Point of View: Two Roads note-catchers, explaining how the author develops the point of view of key characters in the text.
  • RL.6.6 - Closing and Assessment A: Students complete a QuickWrite to examine Pop's point of view toward American Indian boarding schools.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • In Grade 7, RL.7 requires students to not only identify a character's point of view but also contrast that point of view with those of different characters or narrators in the text. Encourage students who are ready to expand their discussion of point of view by adding this extra step of comparing and contrasting the points of view of other characters or authors of other texts on the same subject.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the first half of the unit, students built background knowledge on American Indian boarding schools by examining primary source informational texts, determining the author's point of view, and explaining how point of view is conveyed through details in the text. In the second half of the unit, students return to the anchor text, tracking how the main character, Cal, responds to challenges and changes over the course of the novel and how the character's points of view are conveyed through different methods by the author.

Support All Students

  • In Chapter 9 of Two Roads, there is a brief reference to abuse of girls at Challagi Indian Industrial School (page 108). Although Two Roads is fictional, sexual abuse did occur at American Indian boarding schools. In the text, the abuse is only alluded to and not described in detail, but it may still be upsetting or confusing for students. For this reason, pages 108-109 from "He pauses . . . " to " . . . hand over his face" has been removed from in-class reading time. Removing this section will not interfere with comprehension and will shield students from a particularly troubling excerpt. Be open to students' questions and comments about the traumatic experiences described in the novel and in supplementary texts. Present the QuickWrite in Closing and Assessment A as an opportunity for students to safely express feelings they may have about this chapter.
  • Though Two Roads features several female characters, none of the story's core or most developed characters are female, which may feel exclusionary to female students. Consider ways throughout the module to occasionally reframe the text to consider female perspectives. One way to do this may be to invite students to rewrite short scenes from the text from the perspective of Zitkala-Sa, whose first-person narratives students read during a close read in Lesson 4 and during the mid-unit assessment of Lesson 7. This remediation exercise amplifies the voice of a female narrator and reinforces point-of-view work (RL.6.6).
  • In this lesson, students are introduced to a new note-catcher. Switching to a different note-catcher intended to capture different details and information than previously analyzed may be a challenge for some developing readers and writers. By seeing the new note-catcher modeled ahead of time with a familiar portion of the text, students will have a clearer sense of the note-catcher's purpose.

Assessment Guidance

  • Use the Read-Collect-Connect pattern to help students determine a character's point of view. Collect the QuickWrite from Closing and Assessment A in this lesson to track students' progress towards mastery of RL.6.6. This QuickWrite can also serve to show their comprehension of the anchor text's plot so far (RL.6.3).

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students continue their analysis of the plot as they read chapters 10 and 11, tracking how Cal responds and changes as his character is developed. Students will also engage in a Language Dive of a key sentence from these chapters, examining how it contributes to the development of the plot.

In Advance

  • Preread chapter 9 of Two Roads and the selected excerpts from the Afterword. Identify potentially challenging vocabulary or plot points.
  • Review the Read-Collect-Connect mnemonic used in Work Time B to teach point of view. Think of possible hand motions that could be used to represent each of the steps and ingrain learning.
  • Review the Roving Reporters activity from Work Time B. Determine in advance which students are best equipped to choose the strongest evidence of Pop's point of view and assign them as the Roving Reporters.
  • Review the new materials used in this lesson to ensure clarity about what students will need to know and be able to do.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A: Primary source photographs of American Indian boarding schools can provide a visual aid to accompany the descriptions provided in chapter 9. Gather appropriate images from a digital archive, such as http://eled.org/0196 to help students visualize the scenes in this chapter.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 6.I.B.6, 6.I.B.7, and 6.I.B.8.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson supports ELLs by scaffolding a return to the anchor text at chapter 9. The lesson illuminates key connections across the texts students have read and across the skills they have practiced. For example, in chapter 9, Cal's father, Pop, references the Meriam Report, and students are asked to explain how Pop's point of view toward the Meriam Report is indicated in the text. This overlap of content and revisiting of skills-work is very supportive of ELLs as they develop deeper understandings of critical ideas in the module.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to understand a key moment in the plot of the anchor text, which emerges in chapter 9: Pop's decision to send Cal to Challagi Indian Industrial School. Since students have, by this point in the unit, learned a great deal about the emotional, physical, and identity damage inflicted by American Indian boarding schools, Pop's decision may be confusing for students and, for developing readers, lead to other misunderstandings about the nature of Pop's character or of Pop's relationship with Cal. A QuickWrite in Closing and Assessment A aims to help students make sense of Pop's choice using textual evidence. If time allows, create space for students to discuss their ideas aloud in small groups as well.

Vocabulary

  • deliberately, roving (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)
  • Text Guide: Two Roads (for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time A)
  • 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)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Author's Methods anchor chart (one for display; from Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time B)
  • Two Roads (text; one per student; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Vocabulary logs (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 8 (answer for teacher reference)
  • Analyze Point of View: Two Roads note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • QuickWrite: Pop's Point of View (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 8 (one per student)
  • Synopsis: Two Roads, Chapter 9 (one per student and one for display)
  • Sticky notes (two per student)
  • Analyze Point of View: Two Roads note-catcher (one per student)
  • QuickWrite: Pop's Point of View (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

Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RI.6.2 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as previous lessons to distribute and review the Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 8. Students will also need their anchor text, Two Roads. Refer to the Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 8 (answer for teacher reference) for possible responses.
  • Focus students on this sentence from the excerpt: "Why, if life at Indian boarding school was so draconian, would Jim Thorpe in real life and Will Blackbird in my novel deliberately send their sons to an Indian boarding school?"
  • Point students to the word deliberately.
  • Ask:

"What does deliberately mean? What context clues help us to understand this word?" (Deliberately means intentionally or purposely. The context helps because it first explains all the bad things about the boarding schools and then gives two examples of fathers who sent their sons there anyway. The author also uses words like "yet" and "even though" to show a contrast between Thorpe and Blackbird's choice and what was described in the previous sentence: "taken by force.")

  • Add deliberately to the academic word wall while students add it to their 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.

Work Time

Work Time

A. Read Two Roads, Chapter 9 – RL.6.1 (20 minutes)

  • Invite students to turn to chapter 9, page 103, in their text. Explain that chapters 6–8 will not be read in class, and skipping them will not impede students’ comprehension of the novel. Encourage students to read these chapters outside of class, if possible.
  • Read aloud chapter 9 as students read along silently. Note that one excerpt from this chapter will be omitted due to the sensitive nature of the content. Skip pages 108–109 from "He pauses . . . " to " . . . hand over his face." 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.
  • Use the Text Guide: Two Roads for comprehension and vocabulary questions as needed.
  • Use Synopsis: Two Roads, Chapter 9 to review and note key details for this chapter. This will help to complete students’ understanding of the events, especially if they are not able to complete all of the reading.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

“What is the gist of chapter 9?” (Pop shares some of his memories of Indian boarding school —some good, some bad. He hopes that the school will have improved since the publication of the Meriam Report.)

  • Record this on the Gist anchor chart: Two Roads. Distribute sticky notes for students to record their gist statement and place in their texts. Refer to the Gist anchor chart: Two Roads (example for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • 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. ▲
  • Invite students to reflect on the chapter through the lens of habits of character.
  • Turn and Talk:

“What habits of character are displayed by the characters in this chapter?” (Answers will vary, but may include: Pop shows compassion towards Cal when he reassures Cal that he will be fine at school, giving Cal advice and filling him in on what to expect.)

  • Direct students back to page 107 of their anchor text. Reread from page 107, starting at “‘I doubt it’s that bad. . .” and ending on page 108 at “‘. . . the Meriam Report said.’”
  • Turn and Talk:

“How does our reading of the actual Meriam Report add to our understanding of this excerpt from the text?” (We now have the background information we need to understand the references that Pop is making.)

“What is Pop’s point of view toward the Meriam Report?” (He assumes that it will have made a difference at American Indian boarding schools because it highlighted the awful conditions of the schools.)

  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

B. Analyze Point of View - RL.6.6 (15 minutes)

  • Remind students that over the past several lessons, they have been analyzing an author's point of view demonstrated in an informational text. Now, they will apply that same skill to the anchor text. Remind students that they have done this work before in Module 1 when they read The Lightning Thief.
  • Distribute and display the Analyze Point of View: Two Roads note-catcher. Read the directions and column headings. Point out that the mnemonic Read-Collect-Connect, indicated in the column headings, can be used to help students remember the steps for determining a character's point of view and analyze how it was developed by the author. Invite students to create hand motions for each to ingrain the steps.
  • Explain that the class will work collaboratively to fill in the first row of the note-catcher. In the READ column, point out that the chapter number (9) and the name of the character whose point of view they will analyze (Pop) are already included.
  • Distribute sticky notes, one per student.
  • State aloud the question for which they need to collect evidence from this chapter:

"What is Pop's point of view towards Challagi Indian Industrial School?"

  • Explain that this chapter contains several pieces of information that could answer this question. Each student is only required to collect one piece of evidence and record it on their sticky notes. Students should not include their name on the sticky note. Select three students to be the "Roving Reporters" who refrain from recording evidence at this stage. Explain that to rove means to wander or roam.
  • Invite all other students to begin collecting their one piece of evidence. As they finish filling in their sticky note, they should stick it to the board or another prominently displayed area of the classroom. Direct the Roving Reporters to roam around the board reading each of the sticky notes silently and looking for the strongest three pieces of evidence that answer the prompt.
  • Once the Roving Reporters have made their selections, direct them to read them aloud. Then, add the evidence to the displayed Analyze Point of View: Two Roads note-catcher, and direct students to do the same.
  • Focus students on the Author's Methods anchor chart. Remind students that writers use various methods to develop characters and their point of view in a text. Guide students to notice that, in this chapter, the main way the author developed Pop's point of view was through his dialogue. Add this to the COLLECT column of the note-catcher.
  • Focus students on the final column of the note-catcher. Think-Pair-Share:

"Connect all of this evidence together. What is Pop's point of view towards Challagi?"

  • Circulate and aid students in condensing their responses into a succinct statement. Add this statement in the CONNECT column of the displayed Analyze Point of View: Two Roads note-catcher, and direct students to do the same. Refer to the Analyze Point of View: Two Roads note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. QuickWrite: Pop's Point of View - RL.6.6 (5 minutes)

  • Distribute the QuickWrite: Pop's Point of View handout.
  • Read aloud the prompt:
    • "Why would Pop deliberately send Cal to an American Indian boarding school? How does his point of view toward the school explain his decision?"
  • Remind students that they already determined the meaning of the word deliberately (intentionally; purposely), and it is used again in the prompt.
  • Direct students to retrieve their anchor text, and turn to page 318 in the Afterword.
  • Read the first two paragraphs on page 318 aloud as students follow along, starting at "Some already knew. . ." and ending at ". . . could hear them."
  • Pause and invite students to begin writing.
  • With one minute left, refocus students. Collect the QuickWrite: Pop's Point of View, and review it later for misconceptions that need to be addressed. Refer to QuickWrite: Pop's Point of View (example for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their habit of character focus for this lesson.

For Lighter Support

  • In the next lesson, students will participate in a Language Dive using a sentence from chapter 11 of Two Roads. Provide ELLs with the Language Dive sentence ahead of time. Invite students who need lighter support to predict some of the questions that the Language Dive may ask. This will improve students' metacognition and challenge their awareness of the most interesting or meaningful elements of the sentence.

For Heavier Support

  • In the next lesson, students will participate in a Language Dive using a sentence from chapter 11 of Two Roads. Provide ELLs with the Language Dive sentence ahead of time. Encourage students who need heavier support to independently reflect on this sentence and its meaning before the next lesson. Students may also wish to add any unknown vocabulary to their vocabulary logs (e.g., throbbing; knotted; rope).

Homework

HomeworkLevels of Support

A. Preread Anchor Text

  • Students preread chapters 10 and 11 in Two Roads in preparation for studying these chapters in the next lesson.

For Lighter Support

  • This is the first lesson in Module 3 that asks students to preread chapters from the anchor text as homework before reading the chapters together in class. Invite students who need lighter support to generate a list of strategies they can use when prereading on their own. These may include:
    • Write questions for the author on sticky notes in the margins of the text.
    • Predict questions that may be asked in class (e.g., about point of view) and practice answering them.
    • Track unfamiliar vocabulary words not only for their denotation, but also for their connotation.

For Heavier Support

  • This is the first lesson in Module 3 that asks students to preread chapters from the anchor text as homework before reading the chapters together in class. Develop a list of prereading strategies that students who need heavier support can use when prereading on their own. These may include:
    • Use a learner's dictionary to verify the meaning of unfamiliar words.
    • Skim and scan for the names of key characters, places, or events.
    • Isolate and read the first sentences of each paragraph in the chapter, noting important plot details.

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