Answering Questions about a Text: “The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison” | EL Education Curriculum

You are here

Home › Our Curriculum › ELA Grade 4 › ELA G4:M4 › ELA G4:M4:U1 ›

ELA G4:M4:U1:L8

Answering Questions about a Text: “The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison”

In this Lesson

You are here:

These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.4.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
  • RI.4.6: Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.
  • L.4.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Download Materials

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can use the text to answer questions about an excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison." (RI.4.1, RI.4.4, L.4.4)
  • I can compare and contrast a firsthand account to a secondhand account of an event. (RI.4.6)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Answering Questions about a Text: An Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" (RI.4.1, RI.4.4, RI.4.6, L.4.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Reader: "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" (5 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Answering Questions about a Text: An Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" (30 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment 

A. Comparing a Firsthand and a Secondhand Account (20 minutes)

4. Homework

A. For ELLs: Complete Language Dive Practice: "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House" in your Unit 1 Homework.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In Opening A, students hear a read-aloud of a firsthand account of a suffragist picketing the White House, which they reread in their reading triads in Work Time A in order to answer questions about the text (RL.4.1, RI.4.1, RI.4.4, L.4.4). Rather than being guided by the teacher to closely read the text and answer questions about it, students work in reading triads to answer questions in order to gradually release them and prepare them for the end of unit assessment, in which they will independently read a new firsthand account and compare it to a secondhand account.
  • In the Closing, students compare this firsthand account of picketing the White House with the secondhand account they read in the previous lesson (RI.4.6).
  • In this lesson, students continue to focus on working to become ethical people by showing respect, compassion, and empathy if their classmates are upset by events in the text.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Lesson 7, students read Chapter 6 of The Hope Chest and learned about how Alice Paul picketed the White House for woman suffrage. They then read a secondhand account of this event, and in this lesson they read a firsthand account of the event in order to compare the firsthand and secondhand accounts.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support to answer questions about the text. Consider grouping students who need additional support for focused teacher guidance.

Assessment guidance:

  • Review students' Answering Questions about a Text: An Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison," particularly the final question comparing firsthand and secondhand accounts, to determine common issues to use as whole group teaching points before the end of unit assessment in Lesson 10.

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will read the next chapter of The Hope Chest as well as a secondhand of a real-life event linked to a significant event in the chapter. Note that the chapter and the secondhand account are about segregation--specifically, public transport. Consider preparing students who may be sensitive about this issue before reading the chapter and the informational text.

In Advance

  • Preview the Language Dive Guide and consider how to invite conversation among students to address the language goals suggested under each sentence strip chunk (see supporting materials). Select from the language goals provided to best meet your students' needs.
  • Review the Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart as needed (begun in Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 5).
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-3 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 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.8

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of content by reading a firsthand account of a suffragist who was arrested while picketing in front of the White House, and comparing it to the secondhand account from the previous lesson of the same event. The class and small group discussions, along with the explicit comparison of the accounts, provide ELLs with excellent preparation for the end of unit assessment.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to make connections between the events described in "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" and the text from the previous lesson, "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House." Additionally, students may find it challenging to compare and contrast the two accounts without explicit modeling and practice (see Levels of support and Meeting Students' Needs).
  • In Work Time A of this lesson, ELLs may participate in Day 2 of an optional two-day Language Dive begun in Lesson 7 that guides them through the meaning of a sentence from "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House." The focus of this Language Dive is on using prepositional phrases (L.4.1e) to describe the cause of something. Students then apply their understanding of the meaning and structure of this sentence when comparing and contrasting firsthand and secondhand accounts in Lesson 8 and during the End of Unit 1 Assessment. Refer to the Tools page for additional information regarding a consistent Language Dive routine.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • During Work Time A, challenge students to think of synonyms for the vocabulary words on their Answering Questions about a Text: An Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" handout.
  • Challenge students to create sentence frames for students who need heavier support to use when comparing accounts. Display these frames for students to reference during the Closing.

For heavier support:

  • During the Closing, encourage students to use the displayed sentence frames created by more proficient students (see For lighter support) when comparing and contrasting the accounts in triads and when recording their thinking on their note-catchers. 

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): In this lesson, students answer questions about an excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison." This transfer of information into knowledge as students compare firsthand and secondhand accounts requires metacognitive skills and strategies. Recall that some students may need support with summarizing, connecting, and remembering the information presented.  
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to remove any possible barriers for accessing the text in this lesson. Recall that some students may benefit from more scaffolding with the text and with their own strategy development.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to provide support for students who may need additional guidance in peer interactions and collaboration. To support students who may need additional support in sustaining effort and/or attention, provide opportunities for restating the goal. Recall that in doing so, students are able to maintain focus for completing the activity.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

  • firsthand and secondhand account, compare and contrast (L)
  • woman suffrage, suffragists, picket, envoys, democracy, publicity (T)

Materials

  • Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" (one per student and one to display)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Answering Questions about a Text: An Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" (one per student)
  • Answering Questions about a Text: An Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" (example, for teacher reference)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Close Reading Note-catcher: "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House" (from Lesson 7; one per student)
  • Language Dive Guide: "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House" (from Lesson 7; optional; for ELLs; for teacher reference)
    • Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (begun in Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 7)
    • Language Dive Chunk Chart: "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House" (from Lesson 7; optional; for ELLs; for teacher reference)
    • Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House" (from Lesson 7; optional; for ELLs; one to display)
    • Language Dive Note-catcher: "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House" (from Lesson 7; optional; for ELLs; one per student and one to display)
  • Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts anchor chart (begun in Lesson 7; added to during the Closing; see supporting materials)
  • Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts anchor chart (begun in Lesson 7; example, for teacher reference)

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 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 their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engaging the Reader: "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" (5 minutes)

  • Invite students to get into their reading triads.
  • Distribute and display the Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison."
  • Invite students to take 1 minute to look at the text. Turn and Talk:

"What do you notice? What do you wonder?" (Responses will vary, but may include: It is either a play or an interview. Who are the people?)

  • Read the text aloud.
  • Think-Triad-Share:

"What is the gist of this text? What is it mostly about?" (A suffragist who picketed the White House and was arrested for it is interviewed.)

"From the text, who do you think the people are?" (Responses will vary, but may include: a reporter, Gluck, and a suffragist, Kettler.)

  • Tell students that this was an interview with a suffragist called Ernestine Hara Kettler, who was one of the women who picketed the White House with Alice Paul.
  • Direct students' attention to the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart, and review respect, compassion, and empathy as needed.
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Consider highlighting key phrases or words in student copies of the text to scaffold identification of the gist. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: (Activating Prior Knowledge) Before reading, consider activating students' prior knowledge by encouraging them to recall what they've learned about Alice Paul and the suffragists from reading The Hope Chest and "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House." Invite students to share their thinking with an elbow partner.

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and select a volunteer to read them aloud:

"I can use the text to answer questions about an excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison."

"I can compare and contrast a firsthand account to a secondhand account of an event."

  • Remind students they have seen the first learning target in regard to The Hope Chest in previous lessons.
  • Focus students on the second learning target. Review what firsthand and secondhand accounts are. Underline the words compare and contrast. Turn and Talk:

"When you compare and contrast, what do you do?" (analyze the similarities and the differences between the two accounts)

  • Tell students that in this lesson they will read a new text about the same event they read about in the previous lesson. Turn and Talk:

"What event did you read about in the previous lesson? Why?" (a secondhand account of women picketing the White House for woman suffrage because it came up in Chapter 6 of The Hope Chest)
  • For ELLs: (Summarizing the Targets) Ask students to summarize and then to personalize the learning targets.
  • For ELLs: (Practicing with Concrete Examples) Review the first- and secondhand account examples shared by students in Opening B of the previous lesson and invite students to compare and contrast the accounts. Provide sentence frames for support. (Example: One way the accounts are similar is _______. One way the accounts are different is ________). (See Meeting Students' Needs, Lesson 8, Opening B). 

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Answering Questions about a Text: An Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" (30 minutes)

  • Distribute Answering Questions about a Text: An Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison."
  • Tell students they are going to work in triads to reread the text in order to answer the questions. Focus students on the dotted line and the words "stop here" on their handout. Tell them to stop working when they reach this line. They will discuss the remaining questions as a class.
  • Remind students of the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and the Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart.
  • Invite students to retrieve their Close Reading Note-catcher:"Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House" from the previous lesson, because they will need this text.
  • Circulate to support students in rereading the excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison"and answering the questions.
  • When 5 minutes remain, refocus whole group and use total participation techniques to select students to share out their answers. Refer to Answering Questions about a Text: An Excerpt of "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" (example, for teacher reference) and invite students to revise their answers as necessary.
  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the first learning target.
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Provide copies of the question papers with visual cues above key words or phrases to scaffold understanding. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: (Reading Questions First) Invite students to read the questions on the Close Reading note-catcher before reading the text. Encourage them to then think about the questions as they read the text, and to take brief notes in the margin of the note-catcher as they encounter information that will help them answer the questions.
  • For ELLs: (Reading Text Twice) Encourage students to read the text at least twice before answering the questions on the note-catcher.
  • For ELLs: (Language Dive) During or after Work Time A, guide students through Day 2 of a two-day Language Dive. Refer to Day 1 of Language Dive Guide:"Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House," Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart, and Language Dive Chunk Chart: "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House." Distribute and display Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House" and Language Dive Note-catcher: "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House."

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Comparing a Firsthand and a Secondhand Account (20 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts anchor chart. Think-Triad-Share:

"Is this a firsthand or secondhand account? How do you know?" (firsthand because it's an interview with someone who was there, and there are I, me, and we pronouns)

  • Invite students to find examples that indicate it is a firsthand account in the text and add them under the "Examples from text" subheading. Refer to Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Invite students to continue to refer to their "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House" text from the previous lesson.
  • Think-Triad-Share:

"What do you learn from the firsthand account that you don't learn from the secondhand account?" (how someone involved was affected by the event and felt about it)

"What do you learn from the secondhand account that you don't learn from the firsthand?" (more general facts across time, such as how the signs became more demanding and how signs were made specifically to get the attention of the Russian envoys)

  • Invite students to work in triads to answer the final questions below the line on their handouts.
  • Circulate to support students in rereading the text and answering the questions.
  • When 5 minutes remain, refocus whole group and use total participation techniques to select students to share out their answers. Continue to refer to Answering Questions about a Text: "The Suffragists: From Tea-Parties to Prison" (example, for teacher reference) and invite students to revise their answers as necessary.
  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the second learning target and how well they did with showing respect, empathy, and compassion.
  • For students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for written expression: Invite students to first orally share the sentences they plan to write. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: (Modeling and Thinking Aloud: Comparing and Contrasting Accounts) Consider modeling and thinking aloud the process of comparing and contrasting the firsthand and secondhand accounts for students before inviting them to do so in triads.
  • For ELLs: (Verbal Writing Practice) Allow students to discuss and rehearse their sentences for comparing and contrasting the accounts before writing.

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. For ELLs: Complete Language Dive Practice: "Ten Suffragists Arrested while Picketing at the White House" in your Unit 1 Homework.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.
  • For ELLs: (Oral Response) Read aloud, discuss, and respond to your prompt orally with a partner, a family member, or a student from Grades 3 or 5, or record an audio response.

Copyright © 2013-2025 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