Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

• RI.6.1 – Work Time A: Students participate in a close read of a new text, “This Is How the Space Race Changed the Great Power Rivalry Forever.” They use textual evidence to answer questions about the text.
• RI.6.2 – Work Time A: During the close read, students identify details that convey central ideas in the text.
• RI.6.4 – Work Time A: During the close read, students determine the meanings and connotations of words as they are used in the text.
• RI.6.6 – Work Time A: During the close read, students analyze the author’s point of view toward the Space Race.
• RI.6.6 – Closing and Assessment A: As part of a culminating task for the close read, students determine the author’s purpose for writing the article and identify words and phrases that indicate that purpose.
• In Work Time A, students participate in a close reading of “This Is How the Space Race Changed the Great Power Rivalry Forever.” During this close read, students focus on determining the meanings of unfamiliar words by utilizing the context, their knowledge of affixes, and reference resources. By gaining a basic understanding of the text, students can then analyze it for the author’s point of view and purpose. The Close Reading Guide lists the text excerpts, key questions to ask students, and instructional moves required. Continue to use discussion protocols (e.g., Think-Pair-Share, Conversation Cues, and total participation techniques) to engage all students in a collaborative discussion about the text.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

• Encourage students to explore the USA Today project “1968: The Year That Transformed the Nation” (http://eled.org/0266) to build more background knowledge of the time period that is the focus of this module. Allow students to decide how they want to demonstrate their learning for their peers (e.g., bulletin board, slide show, or audio recording).

How It Builds on Previous Work

• In the first half of the unit, students read several informational texts, examined primary resources to build context about the Space Race, the major events of this time, and the major players who are often presented as the center of the story. For the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment in the previous lesson, students analyzed an informational text for the author’s point of view and how it was conveyed through key details as well as figurative and connotative language. In the second half of the unit, students continue to examine the scientific, political, and social context of the Space Race through texts that present an argument about this historic time period.

Support All Students

• Students may need additional support with recording their answers on their note-catchers. Group those students together for additional support when necessary.
• During the close read, use strategic combinations of Conversation Cues to help ELLs clarify their ideas, listen carefully to one another, and deepen their thinking. ▲ Some examples are given below:
• “I’ll give you a minute to think and write or sketch.” (Goal 1)
• “So, do you mean ___?” (Goal 1)
• “What in the text makes you think so?” (Goal 3)
• “Who can repeat what your classmate said?” (Goal 2)
• “Who can add on to what your classmate said?” (Goal 4)

Assessment Guidance

• Review students’ Close Read note-catchers to ensure students understand different strategies for determining technical vocabulary and how to use their new learning to infer the author’s point of view toward the Space Race and purpose for writing the article. Remind students that, although this is an argument text, they will not be required to trace the argument in the text until Lesson 7.

Down the Road

• In the next lesson, students will participate in a Language Dive about “This Is How the Space Race Changed the Great Power Rivalry Forever” and read and annotate a new supplemental text for central idea.