Maus I: Dialogue, Tone, and Character | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G8:M3:U1:L5

Maus I: Dialogue, Tone, and Character

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.4, L.8.1b, L.8.3a, L.8.4

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.8.10, SL.8.1, L.8.6
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can analyze how dialogue between characters and incidents in Maus I reveal aspects of character or provoke a decision. (RL.8.1, RL.8.3)
  • I can analyze how specific word choices impact meaning and tone in Maus I. (RL.8.1, RL.8.4)
  • I can track gist, plot, and characterization in Maus I. (RL.8.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket (L.8.4)
  • Work Time A: Gist on sticky notes, Maus I, chapter 2
  • Work Time B: Language Dive: Maus I, Page 36, Panel 3 note-catcher (RL.8.3, RL.8.4, L.8.1b, L.8.3a)
  • Closing and Assessment A: Text-Dependent Questions, Maus I, chapter 2 (RL.8.3, RL.8.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - L.8.4 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Read Maus I, Chapter 2: Track Gist and Plot (15 minutes)

B. Language Dive: Maus I, Chapter 2 - RL.8.4 (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Text-Dependent Questions and Characterization - RL.8.3 (15 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Preread Anchor Text: Students preread chapter 3 in Maus I in preparation for reading the chapter in the next lesson.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • L.8.4 – Opening A: Students determine the meaning of the word agency and discuss its application to their own life and to the characters in Maus I.
  • RL.8.3 – Work Time B: Students participate in a Language Dive to explore how an incident in the story propels the action.
  • RL.8.4 – Work Time B: Students participate in a Language Dive to explore how the meaning of figurative language in a sentence impacts tone.
  • L.8.1b – Work Time B: Students participate in a Language Dive to examine how the passive voice is formed.
  • L.8.3a – Work Time B: Students participate in a Language Dive to consider how the use of the passive voice achieves the effect of emphasizing the object of a verb.
  • RL.8.3 – Closing and Assessment A: Students answer text-dependent questions analyzing how particular lines of dialogue and incidents reveal aspects of a character or provoke a decision in Maus I, chapter 2.
  • RL.8.4 – Closing and Assessment A: While answering their text-dependent questions, students analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone in Maus I, chapter 2.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become ethical people by showing respect and empathy as they reflect on Vladek’s life in Maus I and working to become effective learners by collaborating as they work in pairs throughout the lesson.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Continue to encourage students to read another graphic novel on their own in order to further explore this medium.
  • As students read and learn more about the events of the Holocaust in Maus I, invite students to research particular aspects of this time period that are of interest to them. Consider providing questions like the following to guide this exploration:
    • How did people view ________ during World War II?
    • How did ______________ impact daily life during the Holocaust?
  • If students carried out the suggested extension in Lesson 4 and generated close read questions about tone, aspects of character, and vocabulary for Maus I, chapter 2, invite them to share these questions with small groups after reading this chapter in Work Time A.
  • To reinforce students’ understanding of the language structures explored during the Language Dive in Work Time B, invite students to find examples of the following in Maus I, their Independent Research Reading texts, and other texts they have read while building background knowledge about the Holocaust:
    • Active voice used to emphasize the subject of a sentence carrying out an action
    • Passive voice used to emphasize the object of a sentence to place a focus on the result or recipient of an action
    • The use of a dash to connect two clauses
    • The use of an exclamation point at the end of a sentence

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In Lesson 4, students participated in a close read focused on tone, dialogue, and character. Students also discussed and tracked information on characters and plot in Maus I. In Lesson 5, students continue deepening their understanding of tone, looking closely at dialogue as a way of revealing additional aspects of character, and practice tracking information on characters, plot, and emerging theme.

Support All Students

  • Pair students (especially ELLs) thoughtfully for pair share to build supportive and safe exchange. Vary these partners throughout the unit to expose students to diverse perspectives one-on-one. ▲
  • Presenting learning targets in writing, orally, and if possible, accompanied by symbols will help students to understand the language within them. ▲
  • Note that chapter 2 of Maus I brings up potentially sensitive topics such as depression, religious discrimination, war, and images of swastikas. Some students and their families may find these topics to be upsetting or in conflict with their values. Allow for time to process and respond to these topics during individual, small group, or full class discussion, and reach out to families as needed.
  • In Work Time A, students will work in triads to read sections of Maus I aloud to one another in a Readers Theater style. Reading this text aloud will help students deepen their understanding of the character and theme development, while supporting them to read fluently with expression and with the intended tone. Preselect the triads for this work time, pairing students who may need more support with more fluent readers.
  • Students may need additional support with the selected and constructed response questions in Closing and Assessment A. Spend time discussing how to tackle these types of questions, and provide supportive groupings with easy access to additional support when necessary.
  • The non-standard dialect in dialogue may be difficult for some students to interpret or may be misleading for ELLs. Be clear about Vladek's use of English and that it is not his home language. ▲
  • Provide choice in how to carry out the reading portion of the lesson: some students may prefer to read independently and silently, while others (especially ELLs) may wish to read aloud in groups, while others may wish to read silently for a few pages and then process with a group. This format of choice could potentially be built into the reading time within each lesson. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Review gist notes to ensure students understand important aspects of gist, plot, and character from chapter 2 in Maus I.
  • Review the text-dependent questions from Closing and Assessment A, looking for a deepening understanding of how dialogue and incidents in the book reveal aspects of character or provoke a decision.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will continue to track gist, plot, and characterization to find emerging themes as they read chapter 3 of Maus I. Students will also continue to analyze how particular lines of dialogue and incidents in a story reveal aspects of a character or provoke a decision and the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone as they complete text-dependent questions independently.

In Advance

  • Prepare
    • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 5
    • Synopsis: Maus I, Chapter 2
    • Text-Dependent Questions: Maus I, Chapter 2
  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 5 at each student's workspace.
  • Review Maus I, chapter 2; the Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart; and the Text Guide: Maus I to become familiar with important content and themes students will be discussing in Work Time A and Closing and Assessment A.
  • 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 8.I.B.6, 8.I.B.8, and 8.II.A.1. 

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson includes supported in-class reading of Maus I, a Language Dive on a sentence from Maus I, chapter 2. This Language Dive will allow students to explore RL.8.3, RL.8.4, and L.8.1b and L.8.3a. After the Language Dive, students will continue to work with emerging themes, tone, and dialogue. Students will answer text-dependent questions that are closely aligned with questions on the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment. During the Language Dive, students will be introduced to the Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart and a new Language Dive format that gives students greater autonomy in carrying out an analysis of a sentence.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to navigate the new format used during the Language Dive, as it requires a great deal of autonomy. Remind students that it can take time to adjust to new practices, and offer support as they take increasing ownership of Language Dive thinking and tasks. Encourage students to be selective in how they spend their time during small-group portions of the Language Dive, and remind them that they may not have a chance to discuss all of the possible questions. Group students strategically to ensure that ELLs are paired with supportive and proficient peers who can help to guide the analysis within the dive and the process itself. Students may also find it challenging to adjust to the new Language Dive format.

Vocabulary

  • agency (A)
  • communism, communist, conspirations, sanatorium (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Academic word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Text Guide: Maus I (for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time C)
  • Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time D)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 4, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 4, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Maus I (text; one per student; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Vocabulary logs (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Holocaust Glossary (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 3, Work Time A)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 5 (answers for teacher reference) 
  • Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (example for teacher reference)
  • Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (one for display)
  • Language Dive Guide: Maus I, Page 36, Panel 3 (for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive: Maus I, Page 36, Panel 3 Sentence Chunk Chart (for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive: Maus I, Page 36, Panel 3 note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Text-Dependent Questions: Maus I, Chapter 2 (answers for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 5 (one per student)
  • Synopsis: Maus I, Chapter 2 (one per student)
  • Sticky notes (one per student)
  • Language Dive: Maus I, Page 36, Panel 3 note-catcher (one per student)
  • Language Dive: Maus I, Page 36, Panel 3 sentence chunk strips (one per group)
  • Text-Dependent Questions: Maus I, Chapter 2 (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 - L.8.4 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 5.
  • Prompt students to Turn and Talk about their answers to the entrance ticket. Cold-call on students to share out and clarify any misconceptions. Refer to the Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 5 (answers for teacher reference).
  • Prompt students to add the word agency to their vocabulary logs, and add it to the academic word wall. Explain to students that today they will continue exploring gist, plot, and character in their anchor text, Maus I.
  • 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 or the same as previous lessons.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Read Maus I, Chapter 2: Track Gist and Plot (15 minutes)

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

"I can track gist, plot, and characterization in Maus I."

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same process as with previous lessons for students to read chapter 2 of Maus I, using the Text Guide: Maus I (for teacher reference). Instruct students to read the chapter independently and support struggling students as needed. Remind students that they can refer to their Holocaust Glossary if they encounter domain-specific vocabulary they do not understand. If time, have students form triads and read pages 34-35 aloud in a Readers Theater format to practice using tone.
  • If students do not finish reading the chapter within the allotted reading time, distribute Synopsis: Maus I, Chapter 2 to each student to review the key details from the chapter. Then have students identify the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary, reflect on their reading as they choose, and record the gist on sticky notes using the following resources as appropriate: vocabulary logs and Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart.
  • With students' support, record the meaning of communism (a type of government as well as an economic system [a way of creating and sharing wealth]), communist (a system of government in which individual people do not own land, factories, or machinery, but rather the government or the whole community owns these things and in which everyone is supposed to share the wealth that they create), conspirations (the act or action of plotting or secretly combining), and sanatorium (a hospital for recuperation or for the treatment of chronic diseases) on the domain-specific word wall, with translations in students' home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above the word to scaffold students' understanding. Invite students to record this word in their vocabulary logs.
  • Refer to the Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart.
  • Prompt students to Think-Pair-Share:

"What is the gist of chapter 2?" (The Nazi party murders Jews and starts a war.)

"What are the key events that happened in the plot in Maus I, chapter 2?" (Anja passes communist documents, has a breakdown, goes to a sanatorium for treatment; Nazis are killing Jewish people; Vladek is drafted.) 

  • Cold-call students to share out and add to the key plot elements section of the anchor chart. Refer to the Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as needed, and clarify any misconceptions.
  • Explain that what characters say and do and the tone with which they speak often reveal a lot about their character. After students work with the text-dependent questions, they will come back to this chart and see if there is anything they continue to notice about Vladek's character in this chapter, or if there is anything new.
  • Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

"What examples of habits of character were evident in this chapter?" (Answers will vary, but may mention how Vladek showed compassion as he supported his wife after her breakdown.)

  • Remind students that over the course of this unit, they will continue to track gist, plot elements, and, when appropriate, emerging themes.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • N/A

For Heavier Support

  • Before Work Time A, have students review the chapter by reviewing the chapter synopsis in advance of the in-class reading. Engage students in a short discussion to review the key events that they will read about. Previewing in this way will help to deepen students' comprehension as they read.

B. Language Dive: Maus I, Chapter 2 – RL.8.4 (10 minutes)

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

“I can analyze how specific word choices impact meaning and tone in Maus I.”

  • Tell students they will now participate in a Language Dive with a change in process. Turn and Talk:

“What do you remember about teacher and student roles in the most recent Language Dive from Module 2?” (It was teacher-led, with the teacher asking questions about the sentence strip chunks and the students responding.)

  • Let students know that going forward they will be invited to be more independent as they think and discuss the chunks in their groupings. Reassure students that their conversations will continue to be supported as they grapple in the Language Dive.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

“Think about our work with Language Dives. What questions do we ask about the sentences? What questions do we ask about the chunks? What questions do we ask about the words?” Tell students they will have time to think and discuss with their partner. (Responses will vary.)

  • As students share out, capture their responses on 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. Ensure students understand how to use these questions, pointing out that the questions underlined on the anchor chart are questions that students should always ask when they dive into a sentence.
  • Say:

“How will thinking of our own questions for a Language Dive help us during a Language Dive?” Tell students you will give them time to think and discuss with a partner. (The questions will help jog our thinking about important language features in the sentence.)

  • Reread page 36 of Maus I.
  • Focus students on the sentence below:
    • “Brace yourself—The Bielsko factory has been robbed!”
  • Use the Language Dive Guide: Maus I, Page 36, Panel 3 (for teacher reference) and Language Dive: Maus I, Page 36, Panel 3 Sentence Chunk Chart to guide students through a Language Dive conversation about the sentence. Distribute and display the Language Dive: Maus I, Page 36, Panel 3 note-catcher and the Language Dive: Maus I, Page 36, Panel 3 sentence chunk strips.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • After Work Time B, extend work with the Language Dive sentence for continued practice with sentence moods (L.8.1c). Lessons in Module 3 will include direct instruction on this topic, but students may benefit from occasional practice with this concept in advance. Display the five English moods (indicative, imperative, interrogative, subjunctive, conditional). Explain that there are two clauses separated by a dash, and invite students to determine which two moods the sentence from the Language Dive is written in (imperative and indicative). Follow up by presenting students with three options for how the second part of this sentence would be written using the interrogative mood (Has the Bielsko Factory been robbed? Has been the Bielsko Factory robbed? Robbed has the Bielsko Factory been?) and have them select the correct option. This work will help students to continue to notice sentence structure, which will help students in both reading and writing tasks throughout the module.

For Heavier Support

  • After Work Time B, extend work with the Language Dive sentence for continued practice with sentence moods (L.8.1c). Lessons in Module 3 will include direct instruction on this topic, but students may benefit from occasional practice with this concept in advance. Display the five English moods (indicative, imperative, interrogative, subjunctive, conditional). Explain that there are two clauses separated by a dash, and invite students to determine which two moods the sentence from the Language Dive is written in (imperative and indicative). Follow up by asking students to write the second clause of this sentence as a question in the interrogative mood. (Has the Bielsko factory been robbed?) This work will help students to continue to notice sentence structure, which will help students in both reading and writing tasks throughout the module.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Text-Dependent Questions and Characterization - RL.8.3 (15 minutes)

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

"I can analyze how dialogue between characters and incidents in Maus I reveal aspects of character or provoke a decision."

"I can analyze how specific word choices impact meaning and tone in Maus I."

"I can track gist, plot, and characterization in Maus I."

  • Distribute and display the Text-Dependent Questions: Maus I, Chapter 2, and have students join a new partner. Explain that students will continue looking closely at the dialogue in Maus I trying to determine what additional information it reveals about aspects of character.
  • Point partners to question 5, and read it aloud while students follow along. Tell students that this question contains an ellipsis. Prompt students to Turn and Talk, reminding their partner the role an ellipsis plays in a sentence. (Ellipses can denote hesitation, suspense, a change of mood, or thoughts trailing off. Ellipses may also indicate a pause in an otherwise straightforward sentence.)
  • Direct partners to work through the selected response and short answer questions, completing questions 1-4 together.
  • Circulate and provide support as needed, referring to Text-Dependent Questions: Maus I, Chapter 2 (answers for teacher reference).
  • Refer students back to the Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart. 
  • Prompt students to Think-Pair-Share:

"What have we learned about the development of characters in this chapter? How does Vladek show agency in this chapter?" (He shows agency by taking care of himself medically, and when he cares for Anja, supporting her health.)

  • Cold-call students to share out and add to the character development and analysis section of the anchor chart. Refer to the Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart (for teacher reference) as needed, and clarify any misconceptions.
  • Direct partners back to their text-dependent questions and ask them to read the first part of question 5 together. Invite students to answer the selected response question, and discuss with students how Vladek's dialogue contributed to a calming tone.
  • Prompt students to move on to the second part of question 5, reading it aloud as partners, clearly noting what the question is asking, reading the exemplar response, and filling out the "What job is this sentence doing?" section.
  • Review question 5 by focusing on the "What job is this sentence doing?" section. Use total participation techniques to insure that students grasp the role each sentence plays in the response.
  • Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

"How does seeing an exemplar response and then deconstructing it like you did in question 5 help you write a response to a similar question?" (Students might identify that examining each part of the response and naming the role it plays helps them know the pieces of a complete response to this type of question.)

  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

For Lighter Support

  • After students have completed the text-dependent questions, invite them to work in groups to generate their own questions about tone and aspects of character in Maus I, chapter 2, for their peers. Challenge students to follow the same format as the text-dependent questions they answered. This will draw students' attention to the types of questions they can expect to be asked on the assessment and provide practice with analyzing the task at hand while also providing an additional opportunity to analyze dialogue in the text. Allow groups of students to exchange questions and review answers as a whole class, as time allows.

For Heavier Support

  • N/A

Homework

Homework

A. Preread Anchor Text

  • Students preread chapter 3 in Maus I in preparation for studying this chapter in the next lesson.

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