Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

• RL.6.6 – Opening A: Students add to their Analyze Point of View: Two Roads note-catchers with details from chapter 21.
• RL.6.6 – Work Time A: After reading chapter 22, students answer questions about Cal’s point of view toward his time at Challagi Indian Industrial School.
• L.6.5c – Work Time A: Students answer questions about the connotations of allusions used by the author in chapter 22.
• RL.6.1 – Work Time B: Students use evidence from chapter 22 of the text to analyze the structure and theme of the chapter.
• RL.6.2 – Work Time B: Students examine ways in which the structure of the chapter helps to develop possible themes in the text overall.
• RL.6.5 – Work Time B: Students analyze five sections of chapter 22 and how they function within the larger structure of the chapter.
• RL.6.1 – Closing and Assessment A: Students use evidence from chapter 22 to plan a summary of the chapter.
• RL.6.2 – Closing and Assessment A: Students use a writing planner to plan an objective summary of chapter 22.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

• An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after students read chapter 22 of Two Roads in Work Time A, is available in the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
• Draw attention to the use of allusion in this chapter. Besides allusions to Greek mythology, Cal also mentions that Possum has borrowed his copy of The Call of the Wild. Provide some basic background on this novel by Jack London: Buck, a domesticated dog, is stolen from his home and sold to miners in need of sled dogs to aid them as they travel through the icy Yukon during the Gold Rush. Beaten, starved, and pushed to his limits, Buck has to tap into his primitive side and channel his wolf ancestors to survive the harsh treatment and terrain. After the death of his only friend, Jack Thornton, Buck chooses to leave civilization behind, join a wolf pack, and heed the call of the wild. Invite students to discuss the possible connections between the connotation of The Call of the Wild and Cal’s experiences at the boarding school.

How It Builds on Previous Work

• The previous lesson reinforced work with theme in a close read and Language Dive that both supported students as they determined possible identity-related themes in the text. In this lesson, students examine how the structure of chapter 22 and the use of allusion and connotation all contribute to reveal a theme. Students synthesize this learning by planning a literary summary of the chapter containing the key details and a theme statement, a repeated skill from Modules 1 and 2.

Support All Students

• In Chapter 22, Cal has a brief encounter with an instructor who, “despite the fact that he is an Indian himself” writes Cal "a demerit for typical Indian laziness" (235-236). Later in the chapter, Mr. O’Boyle demonstrates blatant racism when he asks Cal, “‘You like-um them shoes, Chief? You want buy-um?’” (241). These passages illustrates some of the prejudices held towards Indians, and some students may find it offensive. Encourage concerned students to process these experiences from Cal's perspective, using evidence from the text. Consider questions like: How do you think Cal feels about Mr. Handler and Mr. O’Boyle? Why do you think Cal points out that Mr. Handler is himself a North Carolina Cherokee? How might Handler's being Cherokee impact Cal's understanding of this situation? What does Cal’s reaction to Mr. O’Boyle’s mockery reveal about his experiences with these types of encounters?
• To support ELLs during the Analyze Structure activity of Work Time B, strategically assign chapter sections, which vary in length, according to students’ needs. ELLs who need heavier support may wish to be responsible for Section 1, which is the shortest section, or Section 2, which is predominantly a letter from Cal to Pop, written in simple language. Challenge more comfortable readers with the longer and more complex Section 3. ▲

Assessment Guidance

• Encourage students to use their Close Read and Language Dive note-catchers from Unit 2, Lesson 2 to inform their responses on the next row of the Analyze Point of View note-catcher.
• Students can revisit summaries they wrote in Modules 1 and 2 as models for their summary planning in this lesson.
• For homework, students craft a fully developed explanatory paragraph about how Cal’s point of view is present in his inner thoughts but kept hidden in his letter to Pop. Remind students that when answering a prompt that asks about differences, they should be sure to address both topics (the inner thoughts versus the letter). Likewise, if there was a question about a change in Cal’s point of view, they’d talk about what it was previously and then what it is now. Remind students to also use a topic sentence that restates and answers the prompt.

Down the Road

• In the next lesson, students will revisit Language standards by continuing to build their understanding of the different types of and uses for pronouns. The End of Unit 2 Assessment will measure students’ ability to revise their work to recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person, ensure that pronouns are in the proper case, and correct vague pronouns.