Analyze Character: Two Roads, Chapters 25 and 26 | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G6:M3:U2:L6

Analyze Character: Two Roads, Chapters 25 and 26

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.5, RL.6.6, L.6.1b, L.6.2a

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.6.1a
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can analyze how the letters fit into the structure of the book and help to develop the plot of Two Roads. (RL.6.3, RL.6.5)
  • I can determine possible themes and how they are conveyed in chapters 25 and 26 of Two Roads. (RL.6.2)
  • I can determine how commas set off a parenthetical element that adds further context to the sentence. (L.6.2a)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket (L.6.1b)
  • Work Time A: Gist on sticky notes
  • Work Time A: Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher (RL.6.1, RL.6.3)
  • Work Time B: Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 note-catcher (RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5, RL.6.6, SL.6.1a, L.6.2a)
  • Closing and Assessment A: Character Window: Pop (RL.6.1, RL.6.3)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - L.6.1b (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Read Two Roads, Chapters 25-26 - RL.6.3, RL.6.5 (25 minutes)

B. Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 - RL.6.3, L.6.2a (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Character Window: Cal - RL.6.3 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Write a Summary and Analyze Point of View: Students complete Homework: Write a Summary and Analyze Point of View: Two Roads, Chapter 26.

B. Independent Research Reading: Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • L.6.1b – Opening A: Students complete an Entrance Ticket in which they determine whether a pronoun used in chapter 25 of the text is intensive or reflexive.
  • RL.6.2 – Work Time A: After reading chapters 25 and 26, students answer questions about the way that these chapters help develop a possible theme in Two Roads.
  • RL.6.3 – Work Time A: Students answer questions about the way that Cal responds to challenging events in the chapter.
  • RL.6.5 – Work Time A: Students answer questions about the way that chapters 25 and 26 function within the larger structure of the text.
  • RL.6.3 – Work Time B: Students participate in a Language Dive in which they analyze how Cal’s character changes as a result of his vision.
  • RL.6.6 – Work Time B: During the Language Dive, students analyze Cal’s point of view toward his own visions.
  • L.6.2a – Work Time B: During the Language Dive, students analyze the use of commas to set off a parenthetical element in the sentence.
  • RL.6.1 – Closing and Assessment A: Students use textual evidence to develop a character window about Cal.
  • RL.6.3 – Closing and Assessment A: Students develop character windows to examine and illustrate what Cal’s visions reveal about his character.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Invite students to research the historical context of the Great Depression and the Bonus Army’s march on Washington, DC. Students can gather primary sources from this time period to better understand the events of the chapters read in this lesson. Following the format of the End of Unit 3 Assessment in which students prepare an oral reflection about a primary source text, students can share their learning and personal reflections.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous lessons, students have been tracking how the characters respond to challenges and change as the plot moves toward a resolution. They have examined, in particular, how Cal grapples with his changing identity as he learns more about his Native American ethnicity. Students continue these practices as they read two more chapters in Two Roads and engage in a Language Dive focused on a sentence that reveals a key development in Cal’s character, especially in terms of his relationship to his Creek identity, which is critical within the larger structure and function of the chapter overall.

Support All Students

  • In Chapter 26, Cal has another vision. In this vision, he imagines Pop and the other veterans in danger as they campaign in Washington. A Language Dive will explore the role of these visions in more detail. The sentence selected for the Language Dive allows students to dig more deeply into the role of Cal's visions, which he says "[connect] him to other people" (p. 275). Cal links the power of his visions to his being Creek. During the Language Dive, encourage students to stay focused on Cal and his own interpretations of this visions, using evidence from the text. Dissuade students from drawing more general and unsubstantiated conclusions about the role of visions in American Indian tribes and communities.
  • The Language Dive focuses around the subject of Cal's “visions” and how he interprets them. Students who enjoy a visual component while learning may be interested in visually representing Cal's visions as a way to better understand them and their role in the story. Using visuals to enhance the Language Dive may be especially useful for ELLs, as it provides them with multiple ways to process key information in the text. ▲
  • Some students may feel nervous about the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment, which requires that they independently read a new chapter of the text. Encourage struggling readers to revisit what they have written on their Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catchers as a way to recall the text's central idea(s) and changes in Cal's character over the course of the novel thus far.

Assessment Guidance

  • Allow students to reference their notes on intensive and reflexive pronouns to help them complete the entrance ticket.
  • This is the last lesson before the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment. Ensure that students have had enough practice with describing character changes, determining central idea and theme, and writing a summary before the assessment. As necessary, isolate discrete skills students still need practice with to shore up any misunderstandings.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will take the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment. In the second half of Unit 2, students finish reading Two Roads and practice narrative letter writing, which serves as an opportunity to revise their writing for correct pronoun usage and as a means to gather evidence for the literary argument essay they write in Unit 3.

In Advance

  • Preread chapters 25 and 26 of Two Roads to identify potentially challenging vocabulary or plot points.
  • Preview the Language Dive Guide: Two Roads, Page 275 and Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 note-catcher to become familiar with what will be required of students.
  • Strategically arrange students into triads for the character window activity in Closing and Assessment A.
  • Review the new materials used in this lesson to ensure clarity about what students will need to know and be able to do.
  • 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 can create a physical or digital timeline to track how the main character, Cal, has changed and responded to challenges over the course of the novel so far.
  • Work Time A: Display photographs and other primary source materials to help students better understand the actions of the Bonus Army and the historical events described in the chapters read in this lesson.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 6.I.A.1, 6.I.B.6, 6.I.B.8, 6.II.A.1, 6.II.B.5, and 6.II.C.6.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson includes a Language Dive to help students more deeply analyze Cal’s development as a character and examine the way commas are used in the sentence to set off an elaborative portion of the sentence. The use of commas, dashes, and parentheses to frame parenthetical elements in a sentence is connected to a key Language standard (L.6.2a); students will receive direct instruction related to this standard in Module 4. Participating in a Language Dive that previews later language work supports ELLs by providing opportunities for low-stakes practice that students can build upon later.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to understand the way in which chapter 26 marks a critical development in the plot of Two Roads. This is the chapter in which Cal’s vision leads him to the decision to run away from Challagi and find Pop. The Language Dive invites attention to a key moment in this chapter and facilitates a “pause” that will help students process the impact of this moment. Consider, too, strategically using the Synopsis: Two Roads, Chapters 25–26 for additional student support. If time allows after Work Time A, encourage students who need lighter support to star the most important bullets on the chapter 26 synopsis, based on their understanding of the chapter. These stars can be shared with students who need heavier support to help guide their attention to the most impactful events of the chapter.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Paragraph Planner: Two Roads, Chapter 24 (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 5, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Text Guide: Two Roads (for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time A)
  • Gist anchor chart: Two Roads (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Gist anchor chart: Two Roads (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Determine Themes: Two Roads anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Determine Themes: Two Roads anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time B)
  • Questions We Can Ask During a Language Dive anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 9, Work Time B)
  • Questions We Can Ask During a Language Dive anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 9, Work Time B)
  • Instructions for Character Window(for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time B)
  • Paragraph Planner: Two Roads, Chapter 24 (one per student; from Module 3, Lesson 5, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Two Roads (text; one per student; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time B)
  • Independent reading journal (one per student; begun in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 6 (example for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive Guide: Two Roads, Page 275 (for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 Sentence Chunk Chart (for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive Guide: Two Roads, Page 275 sentence chunk strips (one per pair or group of students)
  • Homework: Write a Summary and Analyze Point of View: Two Roads, Chapter 26 (example for teacher reference) (see Homework Resources)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 6 (one per student)
  • Sticky notes (two per student)
  • Synopsis: Two Roads, Chapters 25-26 (one per student)
  • Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 note-catcher (one per student)
  • Card stock or construction paper (one per triad)
  • Colored pencils or markers (several per triad)
  • Homework: Write a Summary and Analyze Point of View: Two Roads, Chapter 26 (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

Opening

A. Engage the Learner - L.6.1b (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as previous lessons to distribute and review the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 6. Refer to the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 6 (example for teacher reference) for possible responses.
  • Focus students on another sentence from chapter 25 of Two Roads:
    • "He's also been negotiating for us with the police chief here, a Mr. Pelham Glassford who is a vet himself, a good egg, and sympathetic to our cause" (267).
  • Reread the paragraph in which the sentence appears. Turn and Talk:

"What does the sentence mean?" (Walter H. Waters is cooperating with Mr. Pelham Glassford. The negotiations are promising because even though the police chief could be at odds with the Bonus Army, he, instead, cares about their concerns. Glassford is similar to the men in the Bonus Army.)

  • Point out that himself is being used as an intensive pronoun. It could be removed from the sentence and the sentence would still make sense.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What does this pronoun add to this sentence?" (It emphasizes that Glassford is also a veteran. Because he is also a veteran, he is sympathetic to the concerns of the Bonus Army.)

  • Ensure that students understand the distinction between intensive and reflexive pronouns, and clarify any misconceptions.
  • Using a preferred classroom routine, collect or review the literary analysis paragraphs students composed for homework on their Paragraph Planner: Two Roads, Chapter 24. Refer to Paragraph Planner: Two Roads, Chapter 24 (example for teacher reference).
  • 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 TimeLevels of Support

A. Read Two Roads, Chapters 25-26 - RL.6.3, RL.6.5 (25 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Read chapters 25 and 26 of the text, using Text Guide: Two Roads (for teacher reference) for comprehension and vocabulary questions as needed. Students who are ready to read independently or in small groups should be released to this independence. Students continue to record the gist on sticky notes, update the Gist anchor chart: Two Roads, unpack and record unfamiliar vocabulary, and reflect on their reading as they choose. Students continue to identify how characters in the text demonstrate habits of character. Refer to the Gist anchor chart: Two Roads (example for teacher reference) and chapter synopsis as needed, as well as any other appropriate resources.
  • Gist of chapter 25: Cal enjoys working with the horses at school. Cal finally hears from his father who, with other veterans, has set up a tent city in Washington DC.
  • Gist of chapter 26: Pop asks the school to keep Cal over the summer. Cal has a vision that something terrible will happen to his father.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"How do Pop's letters function within the structure of the chapter? How do the letters help to develop the plot of Two Roads?" (The letters provide Pop's words and help the reader understand what's happening in Washington and how those events might impact Cal back at Challagi. Without the inclusion of these letters, Cal wouldn't know what or how Pop was doing and the reader would be missing an important part of the plot.)

"How does the way Cal responds to the challenging events in chapters 25 and 26 help to develop our understanding of his character?" (As usual, Cal hides his true feelings and tries to be a good son and student. He is upset but he tries to make the best of things. In chapter 26, however, Cal has another vision, a different kind of vision that scares him and makes him think Pop is not safe. As we have seen before, Cal is putting his concern for others above his concern for himself.)

"How do these chapters help to develop a possible theme of Two Roads?" (These chapters help to convey the theme that family members take care of each other, even when it requires self-sacrifice. Cal and Pop are both sacrificing their time together to make things better in the future for themselves and for others. It also seems to convey the theme that people have the power to enact change in their country by challenging those in positions of power. Pop and the Bonus Army are challenging the government and hope to be successful.)

  • Update the Determine Themes: Two Roads anchor chart with student responses to the theme question. Refer to the Determine Themes: Two Roads anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Refocus students, and direct them to retrieve their Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher. Instruct students to fill in the row for chapters 25-26 using the examples discussed. Using a total participation technique, invite students to share their responses. Refer to Analyze Character: Two Roads (example for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.
  • N/A

B. Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 - RL.6.3, L.6.2a (10 minutes)

  • Tell students they will now participate in a Language Dive to determine possible themes that emerge in chapter 26 of Two Roads, analyze the development of Cal's character, and examine the use of commas to set off parenthetical elements in a sentence. Remind students that the process of Language Dives in Modules 3 and 4 will be different from the Dive process of earlier modules.
  • Display the Questions We Can Ask During a Language Dive anchor chart. Refer to the Questions We Can Ask During a Language Dive anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Tell students they will now begin the Language Dive. Reread aloud the excerpt from Two Roads on page 275, beginning with "I know if I tell them what I just saw . . ." and ending with ". . . even before I was alive on this earth."
  • Focus students on the sentence:
    • "I know, partially from what I've learned about being Creek and partially because a part of me has always known, that my dreams are connecting me to other people."
  • Use the Language Dive Guide: Two Roads, Page 275 and the Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 Sentence Chunk Chart to guide students through a Language Dive conversation about the sentence. Distribute and display the Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 note-catcher, and the Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 sentence chunk strips. Refer to the Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • As an extension to the Language Dive of Work Time B, and in order to reinforce work with Grade 5 Language standards surrounding perfect verb tenses (L.5.1b), invite students who need heavier support to more closely analyze the author's use of the present perfect in the Language Dive sentence. Display the author's two uses of the present perfect: what I've learned about being Creek / a part of me has always known. In pairs or triads, students can generate a Mini Language Dive based on the chunks, or discuss their answers to the following questions:
    • When do we use verbs in the present perfect?
    • What does the author's use of the present perfect tell us about these chunks?
    • How would the meaning change if the author had written "what I learned about being Creek" or "a part of me always knew"?

For Heavier Support

  • As an extension to the Language Dive of Work Time B, and in order to reinforce work with Grade 5 Language standards surrounding perfect verb tenses (L.5.1b), display one or two examples of a typical present perfect construction as a reminder (e.g., "I've known her since I was 5"; "My family has always lived downtown"). Then, invite students who need heavier support to underline the two examples of the present perfect in the Language Dive sentence.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Character Window: Cal - RL.6.3 (5 minutes)

  • Tell students that they are going to create another character window like they did in Unit 1, Lessons 2 and 13. Remind students that character windows help readers visualize the way that a character's words and actions can reveal something about who they are.
  • Explain that students are going to create a character window to examine what Cal's visions reveal about his character.
  • Group students into triads. Distribute a half sheet of card stock or construction paper and colored pencils or markers. Direct groups to fold the paper in half widthwise. Invite groups to make a simple drawing of a window on the outside of the paper. Remind students of how they should be able to "open" the window to reveal the blank side underneath by lifting up the top layer. Refer to the Instructions for Character Window (for teacher reference) for instructions on constructing the window as needed.
  • On the outside window, invite students to record details of one of Cal's visions and how he responds to this vision. (Challenge: Cal has a disturbing vision that Pop may be in trouble. Response: Cal and his gang decide to finally do something about the concern. Revelation: Cal puts his concern for others above his concern for himself.)
  • "Open" the window by lifting up the window flap. On the underside, or 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.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their habit of character focus for this lesson.

For Lighter Support

  • In preparation for the mid-unit assessment of the following lesson, revisit a variation of the frame from the Practice section of the Lesson 2 Language Dive: "Cal ___, but it didn't mean that he ___." Invite students who need lighter support to make this sentence true by completing it with information from chapter 25 or 26. Remind students that frames like these can be very useful when writing summaries like the one they will write on the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment.

For Heavier Support

  • In preparation for the mid-unit assessment of the following lesson, revisit a variation of the frame from the Practice section of the Lesson 2 Language Dive: "Cal ___, but it didn't mean that he ___." Present students who need heavier support with a complete sentence that uses this frame and describes chapter 25 or 26 (e.g., Cal had had visions before, but it didn't mean that wasn't paying attention to this one). Remind students that frames like these can be very useful when writing summaries like the one they will write on the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment.

Homework

Homework

A. Write a Summary and Analyze Point of View

  • Students complete Homework: Write a Summary and Analyze Point of View: Two Roads, Chapter 26.

B. Independent Research Reading

  • Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

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