Plan a Whole-Book Literary Summary of Maus I | EL Education Curriculum

You are here

Home › Our Curriculum › ELA 2019 Grade 8 › ELA 2019 G8:M3 › ELA 2019 G8:M3:U1 ›

ELA 2019 G8:M3:U1:L9

Plan a Whole-Book Literary Summary of Maus I

In this Lesson

You are here:

Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.8.1, RL.8.2, L.8.1b, L.8.3a

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.8.4, RL.8.10
Download Materials

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can form and use active and passive voice to achieve particular effects. (L.8.1b, L.8.3a)
  • I can track characters, plot, and emerging themes in Maus I. (RL.8.2)
  • I can plan an effective literary (whole-book) summary of Maus I. (RL.8.1, RL.8.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket (RL.8.2)
  • Opening B: 5-Minute Mini Language Dive note-catcher (L.8.1b, L.8.3a)
  • Work Time A: Gist on sticky notes
  • Closing and Assessment A: Whole-Book Literary Summary Writing Plan graphic organizer (RL.8.1, RL.8.2)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RL.8.2 (5 minutes)

B. Mini Language Dive: Model Whole-Book Literary Summary - L.8.3a (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Read Maus I, Chapter 6 (15 minutes)

B. Track Gist, Plot, Character, and Theme: Maus I, Chapter 6 - RL.8.2 (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Plan a Model Whole-Book Literary Summary - RL.8.2 (10 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

  • RL.8.2 – Opening A: Students identify the most important plot details of Maus I in the entrance ticket.
  • L.8.1b – Opening B: Students participate in a Mini Language Dive to explore how active and passive voice are formed.
  • L.8.3a – Opening B: Students participate in a Mini Language Dive to consider how active and passive voice are used to achieve particular effects.
  • RL.8.2 – Work Time B: Students track the gist, plot, and theme of chapter 6 of Maus I.
  • RL.8.2 – Closing and Assessment A: Students independently plan a literary (whole-book) summary of Maus I in preparation for the end of unit assessment in the next lesson.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Students may continue analyzing passive voice by identifying examples in Maus I and writing about the author’s use of passive voice to emphasize the result or recipient of an action.
  • Expand on the work with passive voice by showing examples of passive voice used in news articles and other informational texts. Invite students to find and share texts on the Holocaust and identify the use of passive voice. Students can then write about or discuss why the author chose to use passive voice and experiment with rewriting the sentences in active voice to compare the effects on meaning.
  • Invite students to write an imagined summary of chapter 6 before reading this excerpt from the text as a way of predicting the final events in the text. Students can then read the chapter and compare the actual events with those they predicted.
  • Before or after writing the whole-book summary of Maus I, have students draw one graphic panel for each of the six chapters in the book to create a visual summary of the key events in each chapter of the text.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous lesson, students analyzed a model whole-book literary summary of Summer of the Mariposas from Module 1 and generated criteria of an effective literary summary of an entire book. In this lesson, students will plan their own literary summary of Maus I using the criteria generated in the previous lesson.
  • Students will finish reading Maus I and the tracking of gist, plot, and theme of the anchor text through an analysis of chapter 6.

Support All Students

  • Presenting learning targets in writing, orally, and if possible, accompanied by symbols will help students to understand the language within them. ▲
  • Students may need additional support with recording their answers on their note-catchers. Sit those students in a group together for additional support when necessary. ▲
  • During the Mini Language Dive, group students strategically to ensure all students are supported in exploring the structure and use of active and passive voice in English. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Check student vocabulary logs for accountability in recording vocabulary.
  • Check gist statements to ensure students are recording quick notes about what the text is mostly about.
  • Monitor students as they plan their summary to ensure they organize their ideas based on the criteria of an effective literary (whole-book) summary.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will write the summary of Maus I for the end of unit assessment.

In Advance

  • Prepare Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 9.
  • Distribute Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 9 on each student's desk. As they enter the classroom, invite them to complete their entrance ticket.
  • 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.C.11, 8.I.C.12, 8.II.A.1, and 8.II.A.2.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson includes a Mini Language dive that focuses on a sentence written in active voice from the model summary students analyzed in Lesson 8. The lesson also includes time for students to discuss theme after completing their reading of Maus I and time to plan the summaries they will write in Lesson 10 during the End of Unit 1 Assessment.
  • Students may find it difficult to select appropriate information about plot and theme in Maus I to include in their whole-text summaries. Encourage students to return to the gist notes and other annotations they have made throughout the text, and allow ample time for students to process and plan orally.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Model Whole-Book Summary: Summer of the Mariposas (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 8, Closing and Assessment 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)
  • 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)
  • Criteria for an Effective Whole-Book Literary Summary anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 8, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Maus I (text; one per student; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Holocaust Glossary (one per student, from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 3, Work Time A)
  • Vocabulary logs (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Summarize a Literary Text Rubric handout (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Independent reading journal (one per student; begun in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 9 (answers for teacher reference)
  • 5-Minute Mini Language Dive Guide (for teacher reference)
  • Whole-Book Literary Summary Writing Plan graphic organizer (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 9 (one per student)
  • 5-Minute Mini Language Dive note-catcher (one per student)
  • Synopsis: Maus I, Chapter 6 (one per student)
  • Sticky notes (one per student)
  • Whole-Book Literary Summary Writing Plan graphic organizer (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

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner - RL.8.2 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 9. Refer to Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 9 (answers for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as the previous lessons to review the learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.
  • N/A

 

B. Mini-Language Dive: Model Whole-Book Literary Summary - L.8.3a (5 minutes)

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

"I can form and use active and passive voice to achieve particular effects."

  • Tell students they will now participate in a Mini Language Dive to explore active and passive voice in the Model Whole-Book Literary Summary: Summer of the Mariposas.
  • Reread aloud Model Whole-Book Literary Summary: Summer of the Mariposas.
  • Focus students on the sentence below:
    • "Early in the book, La Llorona gives Odilia a magical earring that keeps her and her sisters from danger."
  • Use the 5-Minute Mini Language Dive Guide (for teacher reference) to guide students through a Language Dive conversation about the sentence. Distribute and display the 5-Minute Mini Language Dive note-catcher.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • For extended practice with active and passive voice (L.8.1b, L.8.3a), after the Mini Language Dive in Opening B, invite students to review the model summary for examples of passive voice. Guide students to notice the sentence: Throughout the novel, the theme of maternal love is emphasized through Odilia's relationship with La Llorona, who watches over the Garza sisters like a mother. Engage students in a short discussion of the effect the writer creates by using passive voice in this sentence. (The theme is the focus of the sentence.)

For Heavier Support

  • For additional support with understanding the relationship between sentence structure and meaning, invite students to generate questions that can be answered by the sentence itself. For example, What did La Llorona give? What did it do? Who did she give it to? When did she give it? Breaking down parts of the sentence by detail in this way, can inform students' work with using active and passive voice effectively.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Read Maus I, Chapter 6 (15 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same process as with previous lessons for students to read chapter 6 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 students do not finish reading the chapter within the allotted reading time, distribute Synopsis: Maus I, Chapter 6 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.
  • Gist: Vladek pays Polish friends to hide him and Anja, but the Gestapo capture them and take them to Auschwitz.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"What sacrifices did Vladek and Anja make to stay alive through these oppressive conditions?" (They persevered through starvation, rats, the constant threat of death, and being found and taken to a concentration camp.)

"What can we infer may happen in the next book?" (We know that, against all odds, both Anja and Vladek survive Auschwitz.)

"Why do you think Vladek burns Anja's diaries? Why do you think Art calls him a murderer?" (Vladek cannot bear to remember Anja's experiences of the Holocaust, which eventually drove her to kill herself. But by destroying her journals, Art feels like Vladek has destroyed his mother's memories and thus killed some part of her that Art would like to have known.)

"What additional examples of habits of character were evident in chapter 6 of Maus I?" (Students may mention many examples and answers will vary, but they may note how some people showed compassion as they risked their lives to help Jewish people survive during the Holocaust.)

"What habits of character did you practice while reading and discussing chapter 6 of Maus I?" (Answers will vary, but may include that they practiced using compassion as they worried about the survival of Vladek, Anna, and other Jewish people as they were sent to Auschwitz and respect as they deepened their understanding of the inhumane experiences Jewish people endured during the Holocaust.

For Lighter Support

  • Before reading the final chapter of the novel, invite students to make predictions about how they think the novel will end. This will engage students with the content as they read and look for whether or not their predictions were accurate.

For Heavier Support

  • N/A

B. Track Gist, Plot, Character, and Theme: Maus I, Chapter 6 - RL.8.2 (10 minutes)

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

"I can track characters, plot, and emerging themes in Maus I."

  • Display the Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart.
  • Prompt students to Think-Pair-Share:

"What is the gist of Chapter 6?"

"What are the key events that happened in the plot in Maus I, chapter 6?"

"What have we learned about the development of characters in this chapter?"

  • 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.
  • Focus students on the "Emerging Theme" column of the Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart. Ask a volunteer to read the themes the class has generated for chapters 1-5 of Maus I. Explain to students that today they will plan a summary of Maus I that includes the key details of the plot, as well as a theme that is developed throughout the book. Since the final draft of their summary will be assessed in the next lesson, students should independently use their Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor charts to determine a major theme they will focus on in the summary they will write for the assessment. After the assessment, the class will discuss the most prominent themes of the book.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.
  • N/A

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Plan a Whole-Book Literary Summary - RL.8.2 (10 minutes)

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

"I can plan an effective literary (whole-book) summary of Maus I."

  • Display Criteria for an Effective Whole-Book Literary Summary anchor chart. Ask a volunteer to read the criteria the class generated in Lesson 8. Explain to students that they will plan their summaries of Maus I independently using these criteria to ensure their summaries are effective and they will refer to the Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart to review the gist, plot, and emerging themes of each chapter.
  • Display and distribute Whole-Book Literary Summary Writing Plan graphic organizer. Read the directions aloud and each section in the first column. Instruct students to use this graphic organizer to plan each component of their summary. Remind students that they will use their plans to write their final draft for the end of unit assessment in the next lesson. Emphasize the importance of using the "Emerging Themes" column of the Gist, Plot, Character, and Emerging Theme anchor chart to determine the theme they will focus on in their planning to demonstrate their understanding of the author's message. Refer to the Whole-Book Literary Summary Writing Plan graphic organizer (example for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Circulate as students plan their summaries to ensure students stay on task but work independently as they plan for this assessment. Remind students that they may also reference their Summarize a Literary Text rubric handout.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • To provide additional support during summary planning, encourage students to go chapter by chapter to review key events in the novel before filling in the summary organizer. This will reactivate students' understanding of the story and provide direct support with filling in the synopsis section of the organizer.

For Heavier Support

  • Before students being planning, print and cut the key events included in the synopsis on Whole-Book Literary Summary Writing Plan graphic organizer (example for teacher reference) and distribute to students to put in chronological order. This will help students to review and revisit key events in the novel, which they can then use to inform their summary planning.

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