Close Read: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan" | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M1:U2:L1

Close Read: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan"

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.7.2

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.

  • RI.7.1, RI.7.4, RI.7.10, L.7.4, L.7.6
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine two or more central ideas in "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" article and analyze their development over the course of the text. (RI.7.2)
  • I can write an objective summary of "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" article. (RI.7.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 (RI.7.1)
  • Work Time A: Close Read: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" note-catcher (RI.7.1, RI.7.2)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Close Read: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" - RI.7.2 (25 minutes)

B. Language Dive: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan," Paragraph 10 - RI.7.2 (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Make Connections - RL.7.9 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Selected Response Questions: Students complete Homework: Main Idea and Details: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" to scaffold their understanding about main ideas and details and to prepare for similar questions on the mid-unit assessment.

B. Preread Anchor Text: Students should preread chapter 13 of A Long Walk to Water in preparation for studying the chapter in the next lesson.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • Repeated routines occur in the following:
    • Opening A: Entrance ticket activity introduces answering questions about the novel by using evidence from an informative text.
    • Opening A: Students review learning targets.
    • RI.7.2 – Work Time B: Students determine the central idea of the text by analyzing the structure and meaning of a sentence from “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” in a Language Dive.
  • New skills are introduced in the following:
    • RI.7.2 – Work Time A: Students participate in a close reading of “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan,” an informational text, focusing on identifying main ideas and details in order to write a summary of the article.
  • Students engage in the Think-Pair-Share and Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocols in this lesson. A protocol consists of agreed-upon, detailed guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or reporting that ensure equal participation and accountability in learning. Protocols are an important feature of our curriculum because they are one of the best ways we know to engage students in discussion, inquiry, critical thinking, and sophisticated communication. Students engage in the following new protocol in this lesson (instructions for which appear at the first point of use in the lesson):
    • Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face promotes productive and equitable conversations and provides a method for sharing information and gaining multiple perspectives on a topic through partner interaction. It also has the added advantage of involving movement to appeal to kinesthetic learners.
  • In the article read in this lesson, the lost girls demonstrate perseverance as they work hard in a bad situation. Mr. Mable shows empathy when he says that the girls are truly lost. He understands the difficult situation the girls are in.
  • Also, in this lesson, students focus on working to become ethical people by showing empathy as they reflect on the Lost Girls of Sudan and working to become effective learners by collaborating as they work in pairs or triads throughout the lesson.
  • At the end of the lesson, distribute the Homework Resources (see module or unit download for all homework materials), and review the format of the document and this lesson’s specific assignment with students.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • As students read and discuss the article in Work Time A, engage them in the question of why the Lost Girls were not focused on in the novel. As students discuss connections between the article and the novel, encourage them to begin coming up with other questions they may have about the book that might be answered by similar articles. (RI.7.1)
  • In the Language Dive, students can play with the sentence in a variety of ways, including further discussing the use of the term claim, since it is a complex word that students will encounter again when they learn about writing arguments and has a number of different yet related meanings in different contexts.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous unit, the students began analyzing A Long Walk to Water in detail, focusing especially on the development of themes in the novel. Students also read informational texts about the history and context of the Lost Boys. This lesson continues to build this context and introduces a new facet of the story of the Sudanese war, supporting students in more deeply understanding the characters and events in the novel.

Support All Students

  • The subject matter in this article includes mistreatment of girls as unpaid servants and being married off against their will. Continue to monitor students to determine if there are issues surfacing as a result of the content of this lesson that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually.
  • Students may need additional support with recording their answers on their note-catchers throughout the lesson. Sit those students in a group together for support when necessary.
  • Note there are differentiated versions of the article “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” by Ishbel Matheson used in Work Time A and Close Read: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” note-catcher used in Work Time A in the supporting materials download. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Review students’ Close Read note-catchers from Work Time A to ensure students understand how to identify the main ideas and supporting details of an article.
  • Monitor students during the Make Connections activity to ensure that they are drawing appropriate connections between the informational text and the novel.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will continue reading A Long Walk to Water and will view a video clip from a documentary about the Lost Boys of Sudan.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 at each student's workspace.
  • Strategically group students into pairs or triads for the work in this lesson, with at least one strong reader per group.
  • Preview the Close Reading Guide: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" and Close Read: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" note-catcher to be familiar with what will be required of students.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout previous modules to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supporting English Language Learners

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

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson explicitly teaches students how to recognize and interpret the central idea in an informational text. Explicit instruction in locating a central idea helps ELLs become more adept at navigating academic language and complex content in informational texts.
  • ELLs may find the opening discussion of the distinction between locating central ideas in fictional and informational text challenging because it involves a lot of abstract language. Therefore, additional supports such as the ones listed below may be useful.

Vocabulary

  • central ideas, commodity, dominated, summarize (A)
  • human rights violations (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Academic word wall (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B) 
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 4, Opening A)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (one for display; begun in Unit 1, Lesson 5, Work Time A)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (example for teacher reference) 
  • Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening B)
  • Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening B)
  • Questions about A Long Walk to Water anchor chart (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time A)
  • Vocabulary log (one per student; from Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • A Long Walk to Water (text; one per student; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Online or print dictionaries (including ELL and home language dictionaries; one per small group of students)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 (answers for teacher reference)

  • Criteria of an Effective Informative Summary anchor chart (for teacher reference) (one for display)
  • Close Reading Guide: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" (for teacher reference)
  • Close Read: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive Guide: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan," Paragraph 10 (for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan," Paragraph 10 note-catcher (for teacher reference)
  • Make Connections note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Homework Resources (for Families) (answers for teacher reference; see unit download) (See full module or unit download for all homework materials.)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 (one per student)
  • “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” by Ishbel Matheson (text; one per student and one for display)
  • “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” by Ishbel Matheson ▲
  • Close Read: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” note-catcher (one per student and one for display)
  • Close Read: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” note-catcher ▲
  • Language Dive: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan,” Paragraph 10 sentence chunk strips (one per pair of students and one for display)
  • Language Dive: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan,” Paragraph 10 note-catcher (one per student and one for display)
  • Make Connections note-catcher (one per student and one for display)
  • Homework Resources (for Families) (one for display and one per student; see unit download)
  • Homework: Main Idea and Details: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” (one per student; see unit download). (See full module or unit download for all homework materials.)

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

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1. Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses. Explain to students that they will see which questions the article answers as they closely read it in this lesson.
  • Repeated routine: follow the same routine as with 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 in previous lessons.
  • With student support, record the meaning of the phrase central ideas (the main point[s] an author is making and wants the reader to take away) and the word summarize (to give a brief statement of the main points) on the academic word wall, with translations in students' home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above each key term to scaffold students' understanding.
  • Lead a brief discussion about the meaning of central ideas in a literary text. First, point out that the word ideas is plural. Tell students that there is often more than one central idea in a text, which is why the learning target says "central ideas" rather than just "central idea."
  • Engage students in a discussion of central ideas in informational texts as compared to central ideas and themes in literary texts. Ask:

"How are central ideas and themes the same in literary and informational texts, and how they are different?" (In literary texts, the author develops themes and central ideas through the characters, settings, description, and plot, but in informational texts, the author uses different tools, like interviews, historical information, and different kinds of evidence. But in both cases, central ideas are what the books or articles are mostly about. In literary texts, themes are also about a message or a statement the author is trying to make about the world outside the book.)

For Lighter Support

  • In the opening discussion of the difference between finding the central idea or theme in informational and fictional texts, use a visual analogy to make this discussion more comprehensible to ELLs, who may find following a discussion with unfamiliar academic language difficult without a supporting visual analogy. For example, contrast a photograph of people doing something in a real landscape against an illustration of people doing something in a fantastic made-up landscape. Ask students to describe the central idea or theme for each picture. Then invite them to point out how figuring out the main idea or theme for the photograph is similar to figuring out the main idea in an informational article, and how figuring out the main idea or theme in the illustration is similar to figuring out the main idea or theme in a literary text. To further support metacognitive language development, ask students to discuss how using a visual analogy helps them understand complex text structures. In general, using visual analogies to convey complex concepts supports language development by giving students a chance to very directly and immediately understand a concept through sight, and then bring their own language to the concept.

For Heavier Support

  • Extend the process described at left by following it up with a Pair Share in which partners discuss the main ideas and themes of a different set of photos and illustrations. In addition to supporting ELLs' comprehension of the opening task about central ideas, this activity also develops their listening and speaking skills by giving them opportunities to speak about a complex concept with a peer.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Close Read: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” – RI.7.2 (25 minutes)

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

“I can determine two or more central ideas in ‘The “Lost Girls” of Sudan’ article and analyze their development over the course of the text.”

“I can write an objective summary of ‘The “Lost Girls” of Sudan’ article.”

  • Focus students on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart, and remind them that digging into the text deeper can help them understand it better, so they are going to dig deeper into an excerpt from the text through close reading. Also, display the Criteria of an Effective Informative Summary anchor chart, which students can consult as they write their summaries at the end of the close reading.
  • Move students into predetermined triads.
  • Direct students’ attention to the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, and review what collaboration looks and sounds like. Inform students that they will have the opportunity to practice collaboration during the close reading. Also, direct students’ attention to the Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart, and review what it means to show empathy. Inform students that they will have the opportunity to practice empathy as they read about the Lost Girls of Sudan.
  • Display and distribute the “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” by Ishbel Matheson text and “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” by Ishbel Matheson ▲ text as necessary for students who need extra support. The differentiated text supports students’ understanding with gists for each section. ▲
  • Use Close Reading Guide: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” (for teacher reference) to set the purpose of the close read and to guide students through a close reading of this excerpt. Refer to the guide for how to integrate the following:
    • Close Read: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” note-catcher and Close Read: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” note-catcher ▲ as necessary for students who need extra support. The differentiated note-catcher supports students’ understanding and analysis with central ideas and sentence starters. ▲
  • After guiding students through the close read of the article, ask them to Think-Pair-Share:

“Which habit of character did you see in this article? Who demonstrated them? What did they look or sound like?” (Possible response: The lost girls demonstrate perseverance as they work hard in a bad situation. Mr. Mable shows empathy when he says that the girls are truly lost. He understands the difficult situation the girls are in.)

  • Refer to Close Read: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary. Students can use their vocabulary logs to record vocabulary they learn during the close reading.
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • Instead of distributing vocabulary logs for students to fill in, provide a list of definitions for difficult words in the article to use as a kind of glossary, and highlight the words defined in the article itself. Glossing unfamiliar vocabulary supports ELLs by providing them with definitions for words they may not know or know only partially.
  • Use the differentiated note-catcher with central ideas filled in. The differentiated note-catcher focuses and narrows the scope of the task to scaffold ELLs, who may not understand all the language in the video.

For Heavier Support

  • During Work Time A, distribute a partially completed copy of the "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" note-catcher to support ELLs, who may not be familiar with the language necessary to connect the abstract concepts in the note-catcher's header with specific examples from the text.
  • Refer to the provided examples in "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" note-catcher, and select one or two to include in students' note-catchers for reference. Explain the examples and why they are there while distributing the note-catcher.

B. Language Dive: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan,” Paragraph 10 – RI.7.2 (10 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to facilitate a Language Dive with the following sentence:

“But while many of the boys—who became known as the ‘Lost Boys’—were resettled in the United States, the girls’ claim for equal treatment was overlooked.”

  • Use the accompanying materials to facilitate the Language Dive:
    • Language Dive Guide: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan,” Paragraph 10 (for teacher reference)
    • Language Dive: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan,” Paragraph 10 sentence chunk strips
    • Language Dive: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan,” Paragraph 10 note-catcher
    • Language Dive: “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan,” Paragraph 10 note-catcher (for teacher reference)
  • N/A

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Make Connections - RL.7.9 (5 minutes)

  • Display the Questions about A Long Walk to Water anchor chart from Unit 1. Guide students through the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol so they can discuss with a partner which questions from the chart were answered by the article. Students can draw on their responses on the entrance ticket. 
  • Use the following steps to guide students through an intentional Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face:
    1. Have students find a partner and stand back-to-back, being respectful of personal space.
    2. Have students wait for the question that they will be asked to discuss with their partner.
    3. Have students think about what they want to share and how they might best express themselves.
    4. Say, "Face-to-Face," and have students turn, face their partners, and decide who will share first if not already indicated.
    5. Have students listen carefully when their partner is speaking, and be sure to make eye contact.
    6. Give the signal for students to find a new partner, stand back-to-back, and wait for a new question.
    7. Repeat for as many rounds as appropriate or needed.
  • Have students record the question(s) and how it was answered by the article "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" on their Make Connections note-catcher. Ask volunteers to share their responses with the class, recording them on the anchor chart to support all students.

Homework

Homework

A. Selected Response Questions

  • Students complete Homework: Main Idea and Details: "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" to scaffold their understanding about main ideas and details and to prepare for similar questions on the mid-unit assessment.

B. Preread Anchor Text 

Students should preread chapter 13 of A Long Walk to Water in preparation for studying the chapter in the next lesson.

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