Analyze Point of View and Habits of Character | EL Education Curriculum

You are here

Home › Our Curriculum › ELA 2019 Grade 6 › ELA 2019 G6:M4 › ELA 2019 G6:M4:U2 ›

ELA 2019 G6:M4:U2:L6

Analyze Point of View and Habits of Character

In this Lesson

You are here:

Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.6.1, RI.6.6, RI.6.8, W.6.1b

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.

  • RI.6.10, W.6.10
Download Materials

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine the author's point of view toward Dorothy Vaughan in Hidden Figures. (RI.6.6)
  • I can use evidence and reasoning to support a claim about Dorothy Vaughan. (W.6.1b)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 6 (RI.6.1, RI.6.8, W.6.1b, W.6.10)
  • Work Time A: Gist on sticky notes
  • Work Time C: Dorothy Vaughan: Habits of Character Claim (RI.6.1, W.6.1b, W.6.10)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RI.6.8 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Read Hidden Figures, Chapter 8 (10 minutes)

B. Chalk Talk: Habits of Character - RI.6.6 (15 minutes)

C. Write a Claim: Vaughan's Habits of Character - W.6.1b (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Remarkable Accomplishments: Dorothy Vaughan (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. 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

  • RI.6.8 - Opening A: Students complete an entrance ticket in which they read an excerpt from chapter 5 of Hidden Figures and then identify a claim that could best be supported by that excerpt.
  • RI.6.1 - Work Time B: Students use evidence from the text to answer questions about the text during a Chalk Talk protocol.
  • RI.6.6 - Work Time B: After participating in a Chalk Talk protocol, students answer questions about the author's point of view toward Dorothy Vaughan.
  • RI.6.1 - Work Time C: Students use evidence from the text to support a claim about Dorothy's habits of character in the text.
  • W.6.1b - Work Time C: Students generate a claim about Dorothy's habits of character. They support their claim with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Invite students to create a Habits Tracker for themselves. Challenge students to document daily how they have exhibited a habit of character in a positive way. This practice can have a positive socio-emotional impact on students as they reflect on their interactions with others. Further the challenge by encouraging a text-to-self discussion in which the students draw connections between themselves and the figures in the text.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • Students began exploring authors' point of view in Unit 1 while reading supplemental texts about the Space Race. This lesson continues to analyze the author's point of view by applying it to the module's anchor text. This lesson focuses on how the author implicitly lifts up habits of character that Dorothy Vaughan exemplifies in order to convey a specific point of view toward the women featured in the text. Students also practiced tracing an argument in Unit 1, identifying an author's claim and the supporting reasons and evidence. In this lesson, students compose claims about Dorothy Vaughan's habits of character based on the textual evidence students examine during the Chalk Talk protocol.

Support All Students

  • Chapter 8 describes the end of World War II and points out that some of the hiring policies reverted to what they had been before the war (i.e., discriminatory against women and/or African Americans). Some quotes in the chapter use outdated language or reflect problematic attitudes of the time; for example, a female journalist is quoted as saying that "'Many husbands will return home to find that the helpless little wives they left behind have become grown, independent women.'" Encourage students to approach these passages with a critical eye and attention to the way in which some attitudes, and the language that describes them, have changed.

Assessment Guidance

  • Monitor the types of responses students add during the Chalk Talk protocol. Students should be able to connect their understanding of habits of character with their comprehension of the text.
  • Collect and review the Dorothy Vaughan: Habits of Character Claim handout to ensure students can accurately compose a claim, choose relevant evidence, and develop logical reasoning.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students complete the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment. Students will read two short sections of chapter 9 in their anchor text, Hidden Figures, and answer selected response and short answer questions about the argument the author makes in the text, as well as the author's point of view toward Dorothy.

In Advance

  • Read chapter 8 of Hidden Figures in advance to identify plot points and vocabulary that may require clarification or sensitivity.
  • Be sure to display the habits of character anchor charts. The anchor charts will serve as a valuable resource as students connect Dorothy Vaughan's life experiences with habits of character during the Chalk Talk protocol in Work Time B.
  • Give one student the title of Habit Monitor. During the Chalk Talk, students are asked to practice integrity by keeping a silent environment as everyone reads and responds to the paraphrased text chunks. Empower the Habit Monitor to respectfully remind peers of the expectation.
  • Prepare the Chalk Talk Text Chunks: Dorothy Vaughan. Cut out each text chunk. Glue or tape each chunk to a piece of chart paper. Display the chart paper around the classroom. Leave space on the chart paper for students to add their responses on sticky notes.
  • 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 B: The Chalk Talk text chunks could be housed in a collaborative online document, such as http://eled.org/0158. Students may add their responses to the document so the responses are captured and can be preserved. 

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 6.I.A.2, 6.I.A.3, 6.I.B.6, and 6.II.C.6.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson features a Chalk Talk protocol, which gives students time to process their ideas privately before sharing them aloud. Students then write a claim about which habit of character Dorothy Vaughan most exemplifies. They use evidence and reasoning to support their claim. This process prepares students for similar work on the mid-unit assessment of the following lesson, as well as during the collaborative and independent essay writing of Unit 3.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to independently generate responses to the Chalk Talk questions. If productive, consider introducing a collaborative version of the protocol, in which students respond to the questions in small groups, with each group using a different-color marker. This version of a Chalk Talk may help students who need heavier support to solidify and articulate their ideas. Note that in this variation, students will not work silently; discussion among group members is key.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Text Guide: Hidden Figures (Young Readers' Edition) (for teacher reference) (from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Gists: Hidden Figures anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Gists: Hidden Figures anchor chart (one for display; from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Work to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 8, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Equity sticks (from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Remarkable Accomplishments anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Remarkable Accomplishments anchor chart (one for display; from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Hidden Figures (Young Readers' Edition) (text; one per student; from Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • 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)
  • Chalk Talk Directions: Dorothy Vaughan (one for display)
  • Chalk Talk Text Chunks: Dorothy Vaughan (example for teacher reference)
  • Chalk Talk Text Chunks: Dorothy Vaughan (for display; see In Advance)
  • Dorothy Vaughan: Habits of Character Claim (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 6 (one per student)
  • Sticky notes (six per student)
  • Synopsis: Hidden Figures, Chapter 8 (one per student)
  • Dorothy Vaughan: Habits of Character Claim (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.6.8 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as in 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. Students will also need their anchor text, Hidden Figures.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as in the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as previous lessons.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Read Hidden Figures, Chapter 8 (10 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Read chapter 8 in the anchor text. Use the Text Guide: Hidden Figures for comprehension and vocabulary questions as needed. Students who are ready to read independently or in small groups should be released to do so. Students continue to record the gist on sticky notes, unpack and record unfamiliar vocabulary, update the Gists: Hidden Figures anchor chart, and reflect on their reading as they choose. Students continue to identify how key individuals in the text demonstrate habits of character. Refer to the Gists: Hidden Figures anchor chart (example for teacher reference) and chapter synopsis as needed, as well as any other appropriate resources.
  • Gist of chapter 8: The war ended and Dorothy Vaughan's job at NACA was not guaranteed to last, but she leased an apartment and moved her children to Newport News.
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.
  • N/A

B. Chalk Talk: Habits of Character - RI.6.6 (15 minutes)

  • Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can determine the author's point of view toward Dorothy Vaughan in Hidden Figures."

  • Focus student attention on the chart paper attached to the wall. Point out that each chart paper describes an event from Hidden Figures as well as the focus question: which habit of character does Vaughan display through her choices in this part of the text?
  • Students will respond to this question as they participate in a Chalk Talk protocol.
  • Display the Chalk Talk Directions: Dorothy Vaughan. Read the instructions aloud. Answer any clarifying questions about the protocol's process.
  • Remind students that the habit of character they will personally focus on is integrity. The protocol is to be completed in silence until they are instructed to share their thinking. Explain to students that remaining silent is the right thing to do in order to give everybody an opportunity to read, think, and respond in a positive, supporting environment.
  • Direct students to the Chalk Talk Text Chunks: Dorothy Vaughan chart where they will begin the protocol and ensure they know to which direction they will rotate when given the signal. Students will also need five sticky notes and a writing utensil.
  • Display the three habits of character anchor charts for students to use as reference during the protocol.
  • Invite students to begin. Circulate and monitor the written student responses. Be sure to keep time so that students can rotate to all pieces of chart paper. Refer to Chalk Talk Text Chunks: Dorothy Vaughan (example for teacher reference).
  • Regain student focus. Cold-call students to share their responses.
  • Point out that, in the text, the author does not specifically name the habits of character that Vaughan demonstrates.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"How does the author implicitly call the reader's attention to the habits of character?" (The author selects specific moments in Vaughan's life to share with the reader. The author reports and describes situations in Vaughan's life that shine a light on the habits of character evident in Vaughan's actions. The reader draw inferences about the habits of character based on the examples the author provides.)

"What is the author's point of view toward Dorothy Vaughan based on the text chunks we analyzed?" (The author respects what Vaughan has done in her professional life as well as her personal life.)

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

For Lighter Support

  • After the Chalk Talk of Work Time B, strategically use combinations of Conversation Cues to invite students who need lighter support to report their ideas from the Chalk Talk and expand upon their classmates' ideas:
    • "Who can repeat what your classmate wrote in your own words?" (Goal 2)
    • "Can you explain why your classmate came up with that response?" (Goal 4)
    • "Can you add on to what your classmate wrote?" (Goal 4)

For Heavier Support

  • During the Chalk Talk of Work Time B, allow students who need heavier support to respond to their classmates' comments with simple symbols (e.g., a star next to comments they agree with; a question mark next to comments they don't understand) rather than written responses.
  • After the Chalk Talk of Work Time B, strategically use combinations of Conversation Cues to invite students who need heavier support to report their ideas from the Chalk Talk and demonstrate understanding of their classmates' ideas:
    • "Who can repeat what your classmate wrote?" (Goal 2)
    • "Do you agree or disagree with what your classmate wrote? Why?" (Goal 4)
    • "Can you say more about that?" (Goal 1)

C. Write a Claim: Vaughan's Habits of Character - W.6.1b (10 minutes)

  • Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can use evidence and reasoning to support a claim about Dorothy Vaughan."

  • Explain to students that they will use the information presented and discussed in the Chalk Talk protocol to make and support a claim about Dorothy Vaughan.
  • Distribute Dorothy Vaughan: Habits of Character Claim. Invite students to read along silently as the directions are read aloud. Answer any student questions to help clarify the task. Remind students to use complete sentences, as they would when filling in a writing planner for a longer constructed response.
  • Inform students that they will work independently on the assignment. They should refer to the Chalk Talk Resources to inform their work.
  • Invite students to begin. Circulate to monitor student progress. Assist students who seem to be struggling to write a claim or synthesize their evidence into logical reasoning.
  • Regain student focus. Use equity sticks to select two students to share their claim, evidence, and reasoning. Refer to Dorothy Vaughan: Habits of Character Claim (example for teacher reference).
  • Collect the assignment. Be sure to review the assignment, and plan to touch base with students who need further instruction and practice with composing a claim, selecting evidence, or expressing their reasoning.
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.
  • N/A

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Remarkable Accomplishments: Dorothy Vaughan (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Remarkable Accomplishments anchor chart. Remind students that the main purpose for studying Hidden Figures is to highlight the outstanding achievements of the women who are the focus of the text.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"Based on our learning in this lesson, what additions should we make to the anchor chart? What else did Vaughan accomplish that was remarkable? Explain why the accomplishment is remarkable."

  • Choose a total participation technique to gather responses. Document student responses on the anchor chart. Refer to the Remarkable Accomplishments anchor chart (example for teacher reference) for guidance.
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on integrity as the habit of character focus for the lesson.

Homework

Homework

A. 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.

Copyright © 2013-2024 by EL Education, New York, NY.

Get updates about our new K-5 curriculum as new materials and tools debut.

Sign Up

Help us improve our curriculum.

Tell us what’s going well, share your concerns and feedback.

Terms of use. To learn more about EL Education, visit eleducation.org

Leave feedback