Close Reading: Article 17 of the UDHR | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G5:M1:U1:L7

Close Reading: Article 17 of the UDHR

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.5.2: Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
  • RI.5.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
  • RI.5.9: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
  • L.5.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  • L.5.4a: Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  • L.5.4b: Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
  • L.5.4c: Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can answer questions about an article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by referring to the text. (RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.9)
  • I can determine the main ideas and summarize an article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (RI.5.1, RI.5.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Connections between Esperanza Rising and articles of the UDHR on sticky notes
  • Close Reading Note-catcher: Article 17 of the UDHR (RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.9)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Reader: Reviewing Homework Questions (5 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time 

A. Making Connections between the UDHR and "Los Higos" (10 minutes)

B. Guided Close Reading: Article 17 of the UDHR (30 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment 

A. Making Connections between Esperanza Rising, the UDHR, and the Present: A Life like Mine (10 minutes)

4. Homework 

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

B. For ELLs: Complete Language Dive Practice I in your Unit 1 Homework.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this lesson, students make connections between this chapter and the UDHR, looking for evidence of threats to human rights, before digging into Article 17 of the UDHR through a guided close read (RI.5.1, RI.5.4, L.5.4).
  • During the close reading in Work Time B, students participate in a Language Dive conversation that guides them through the meaning of a sentence from Article 17. The conversation invites students to unpack complex syntax--or "academic phrases"--as a necessary component of building both literacy and habits of mind. Invite students to discuss each chunk briefly, but slow down to focus on the underlined subject-predicate structure. Students can then apply their understanding of this structure as they complete future writing and speaking tasks. A consistent Language Dive routine is critical in helping all students learn how to decipher complex sentences and write their own. In addition, Language Dive conversations may hasten overall English language development for ELLs. Note that unlike the connected (but optional) Language Dive for ELLs included in the supporting materials of Lesson 8, this Language Dive is embedded in the Close Reading Guide to benefit all students. 
  • Many articles of the UDHR could be applied to each chapter. Students may make suggestions other than those recorded on the How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference). 
  • After closely reading Article 17 of the UDHR, students find the main ideas and write a summary (RI.5.1, RI.5.1, RI.5.9).
  • At the end of the lesson, students are introduced to A Life like Mine by DK Publishing and make connections between that text and Esperanza in Esperanza Rising. The purpose of this text is to help students understand that home means different things to different people.
  • Continue to use Goal 1 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation. Refer to the Lesson 3 Teaching Notes and see the Tools page for additional information on Conversation Cues.
  • Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently in their heads as the teacher reads Article 17 of the UDHR aloud during Work Time B.
  • The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to human rights. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it. 

How it builds on previous work:

  • In the previous lesson, students read pages 38-57, "Los Higos," of Esperanza Rising. In this lesson, they make connections between this chapter and the UDHR and closely read Article 17 to identify the main ideas and write a summary.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support with writing a summary. Consider placing those who will need additional support in one group to receive teacher support.

Assessment guidance:

  • Review student summaries after the lesson to check whether they are on the right track. Use common issues as teaching points for the whole group in the next lesson.
  • Collect homework from Lesson 6: Esperanza Rising: Questions about "Los Higos."

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will read the next chapter of Esperanza Rising, "Las Guayabas," and then closely read another article of the UDHR to identify the main ideas and to summarize it. 

In Advance

  • Strategically pair students for work in this lesson, with at least one strong reader per pair.
  • Prepare: 
    • Technology necessary to play "The Right to Ownership" for the whole group.
    • Sentence strip chunks for use during the close reading (see supporting materials).
    • Consider providing students with a Language Dive log inside a folder to track Language Dive sentences and structures and collate Language Dive note-catchers. 
  • Review:
    • Preview the Close Reading Guide: Article 17 of the UDHR to familiarize yourself with what will be required of students.
    • Thumb-O-Meter protocol (see Classroom Protocols).
  • Post: Learning targets, How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart, Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart, and Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart.

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time B: "The Right to Ownership." Video. Youth for Human Rights. Youth for Human Rights, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
  • Work Time B: For students who will benefit from hearing the texts read aloud multiple times, consider using a text-to-speech tool like Natural Reader, SpeakIt! for Google Chrome, or the Safari reader. Note that to use a web-based text-to-speech tool like SpeakIt! or Safari reader, you will need to create an online doc, such as a Google Doc, containing the text.
  • Work Time B: Students complete their note-catchers in a word processing document--for example, a Google Doc--using Speech to Text facilities activated on devices or using an app or software such as Dictation.io.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 5.I.B.6, 5.I.B.7, 5.I.B.8, and 5.II.C.7

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by providing time during a close read to investigate the language of Article 17 of the UDHR. Students also expand their interaction around human rights connections by discussing Esperanza Rising and the UDHR in the light of a simpler, illustrated text, A Life like Mine.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to complete the complex close read in the amount of time allotted. Consider focusing on fewer sections of Article 17--for example, just Sections 1 and 2 (see "Levels of support" below and Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Invite a student to paraphrase the key points of Article 17in more comprehensible language for those who need heavier support.
  • Encourage students to identify sentences with redundant information that could be condensed in their summaries. (Example: Article 17 discusses property. It says that we have the right to own things. > Article 17 protects our ownership of property.)
  • Invite students to read one another's summary and evaluate how well their partner has used evidence to support the main idea. Encourage them to suggest stronger quotes where appropriate.

For heavier support:

  • In Opening A, consider practicing a discussion of at least the first homework question with students beforehand. 
  • During the reading of Esperanza Rising and A Life like Mine, as well as the close reading of Article 17, stop often to check for comprehension. Dictate key sentences for students to recite so that they practice using verbal language. Encourage students to act out and sketch key sentences. 
  • Transform the investigation of the How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart into a kinesthetic activity. Copy the new cells of the anchor chart onto separate cards or sticky notes. Students can paste the cards into the correct location on the anchor chart.
  • In Work Time B, prepare a close version of a model summary for students to complete. For additional support, provide a word bank consisting of the words and phrases you omitted from the cloze version.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Throughout this unit, students make connections between Esperanza Rising and the UDHR. To support comprehension and make your expectations explicit, provide multiple representations of this connection. For instance, whenever a learning support requires making a connection between the two texts, provide a symbol, word, or phrase that shows the connection (see the Meeting Students' Needs column).
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Students who may need additional support with reading can benefit from engaging with the unfamiliar text in different ways. Consider highlighting key portions of the text and asking students to identify how they are examples of threats to human rights. This way, students will not get bogged down excavating the text as a hindrance to increased comprehension.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): In the Opening, students share their homework responses from the previous day. Help to make an inclusive and supportive classroom environment by telling students that it is okay if they have different answers. They are working in a triad to combine their ideas to make them even richer and more complex.

Vocabulary

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

  • threatened (L)
  • association, arbitrarily, deprived (T)

Materials

  • Esperanza Rising (from Lesson 2; one per student)
  • Homework: Esperanza Rising: Questions about "Los Higos" (one per student)
  • Homework: Esperanza Rising: Questions about "Los Higos" (example, for teacher reference)
  • Simplified version of the UDHR (from Lesson 4; one per student)
  • How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart (begun in Lesson 4)
  • How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Sticky notes (three per student)
  • Quoting Accurately from the Text handout (from Lesson 5; one per student and one to display)
  • "The Right to Ownership"(video; play in entirety; see Teaching Notes)
  • Article 17 of the UDHR (one per student)
  • Close Reading Guide: Article 17 of the UDHR (for teacher reference)
    • Close Reading Note-catcher: Article 17 of the UDHR (one per student)
    • Close Reading Note-catcher: Article 17 of the UDHR (example, for teacher reference)
    • Sentence strip chunks (one to display)
    • Blue and red markers (one of each per student)
    • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2)
    • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart (begun in Lesson 5)
    • Criteria for an Effective Summary anchor chart (begun in Lesson 6)
    • Model Summary: Article 16 of the UDHR (from Lesson 6; one per student)
  • Vocabulary logs (from Lesson 3; one per student and one to display)
  • Academic Word Wall (begun in Lesson 1)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Lesson 3)
  • A Life like Mine (one for teacher read-aloud)

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: Reviewing Homework Questions (5 minutes)

  • Invite students to get into triads and label themselves A, B, and C.
  • Invite students to retrieve their copies of Esperanza Rising and their Homework: Esperanza Rising: Questions about "Los Higos." 
  • Tell them they are going to share what they wrote with their triad.
  • Focus students on the first question and invite partner A to share answers with triads first, then partner B, then partner C.
  • Repeat with each question, each time asking a different student to go first.
  • Circulate to support students as they share. Refer to Homework: Esperanza Rising: Questions about "Los Higos" (example, for teacher reference) as necessary to clarify any misconceptions.
  • Refocus whole group. Invite students to turn and talk with their triad, and then cold call students to share out:

"What happened in this chapter, 'Los Higos'?" (Esperanza's house was burned down, and she and her mother decided to move to the United States with Miguel and his family.)

"How do you feel about what happened? Did you think it was right or wrong? Why?" (Responses may vary, but may include: It is wrong that Esperanza's house was burned to the ground, and also it was very dangerous, as they could have been killed.)
  • For students who may need additional support with expressive language: To reduce anxiety about sharing in public and to benefit from peer models, have them answer their questions second or third in the triad. (MMAE, MME)
  • Remind students that they may have different answers and that is okay. They are working with their partners to put their heads together to find the best answer. (MME)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Move students into pairs and invite them to label themselves A and B.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and select a volunteer to read them aloud: 

"I can answer questions about an article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by referring to the text."

"I can determine the main ideas and summarize an article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

  • Tell students that in this lesson they will make connections between "Los Higos" and the UDHR, and then dig into an article of the UDHR that is connected to this chapter of Esperanza Rising. Tell students that the article is not numbered in these learning targets so as not to give it away before they have had a chance to make connections themselves.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with memory: Invite students to recall how they referred to the text to answer a question about Article 23 in Lesson 5. (MMR)
  • Provide differentiated mentors by purposefully pre-selecting student partnerships. Consider meeting with students in advance to coach them to share their thought process with their partner. (MMAE)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Making Connections between the UDHR and "Los Higos" (10 minutes)

  • Invite students to retrieve their simplified version of the UDHR.
  • Post the following question and tell students they are going to have 5 minutes to work with their partner to look over the simplified UDHR text and "Los Higos" in Esperanza Rising and answer this question:

"Which human rights have been threatened in 'Los Higos'?" 

  • Focus students on the How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart.
  • Remind them what the word threatened means.
  • Tell students that when they find an instance of this, they need to record the number of the article that it goes against on a sticky note and stick it in their book to remind them.
  • Distribute sticky notes.
  • After 5 minutes, refocus whole group. Invite students to retrieve their Quoting Accurately from the Text handout and quickly review it.
  • Cold call students to share out. Encourage them to provide you with accurate quotes from the text. As students share out, capture their responses on the anchor chart. Refer to How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: To provide heavier support, when a learning target requires students to make connections between Esperanza Rising and the UDHR, display a note that symbolizes the learning target and say the learning target. Example:
    • "Los Higos" <-> Articles 3, 17 (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading: Consider marking key sections of the chapter and asking students why these sections illustrate threats to human rights. (MMR, MMAE)

B. Guided Close Reading: Article 17 of the UDHR (30 minutes) 

  • Read page 43 from "Mama, Abuelita, and Esperanza ..." to "... uncles had arranged the fire" while students read along silently in their heads.
  • Ensure students understand that in this chapter, Esperanza's house is deliberately burned down and that this threatens human rights and goes against many of the articles of the UDHR.
  • Play the video "The Right to Ownership."
  • Invite students to turn and talk to their partner, and then cold call students to share out:

"From this video, what do you think you will see in this article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?" (Responses will vary, but may include: having the right to own your own things.)

"The video shows things people own. What are some things that you own?" (Responses will vary, but may include: clothing, pencils, food.)

  • Distribute and display Article 17 of the UDHR.
  • Distribute Close Reading Note-catcher: Article 17 of the UDHR.
  • Guide students through the Close Reading Guide: Article 17 of the UDHR (for teacher reference). Refer to the guide for how to integrate the following:
    • Close Reading Note-catcher: Article 17 of the UDHR
    • Close Reading Note-catcher: Article 17 of the UDHR (example, for teacher reference)
    • Sentence strip chunks
    • Blue and red markers
    • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart
    • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart
    • Criteria for an Effective Summary anchor chart
    • Quoting Accurately from the Text handout
    • Model Summary: Article 16 of the UDHR
  • Invite students to add any new words to their vocabulary logs, add to the academic word wall and domain-specific word wall, and invite students to add translations in native languages.
  • Refocus whole group and remind students that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is also something we should follow in our behavior and actions toward one another, as we should all respect each other's human rights. Ask students to turn and talk with their partner, and then cold call students to share their responses with the whole group:

"From watching the video and reading this article, what have you learned about how to treat others?" (It isn't right to take someone's things away from them without good reason.)

  • If productive, cue students to clarify the conversation by confirming what they mean:

"So, do you mean _____?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Tell students they are now going to use the Thumb-O-Meter protocol to reflect on their progress toward the learning targets. Remind them that they used this protocol in Lesson 4 and review as necessary. Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol. 
  • Guide students through the Thumb-O-Meter protocol using the first learning target. Scan the responses and make a note of students who may need more support with this moving forward.
  • Repeat this process with the second learning target.
  • For ELLs: Consider continuing with home language groups and inviting students to watch the video or read the text in one of the many home languages provided at the Youth for Human Rights website.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: In preparation for the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, remind students of the strategies for reading unfamiliar texts introduced in Lesson 1. Invite them to notice parallels between the strategies and the close reading process. Ask them to discuss which strategies are most helpful to them and why. (Example: One strategy is to chunk the text into manageable amounts; the close reading takes Article 17 chunk by chunk.) (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with memory and/or writing: In preparation for the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment, invite students to use the summary paragraph frame they worked with in Lesson 6 and add a phrase bank for Article 17. Remind them to recall the writing errors they discussed in Lesson 6 and try to avoid them here. (MMR)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Making Connections between Esperanza Rising, the UDHR, and the Present: A Life like Mine (10 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Show students the cover of A Life like Mine. Tell them that this book is based on a set of rights, like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that were written especially for children. It is called the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 
  • Tell students that they will read parts of this book as they become relevant through the events in Esperanza Rising.
  • Display page 26 and invite students to follow along, chorally reading with you as you read pages 26-29 aloud. 
  • Invite students to Think-Pair-Share, leaving adequate time for partners to think, to ask each other the question, and share: 

"What are these pages about?" (Student responses may vary, but could include that they're about different kinds of homes.)

"What connections can you make between what we just read in this book and the events in Esperanza Rising?" (Esperanza no longer has a home because it has been burned down.)

"How did the strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart help you to better understand the text?" (Responses will vary.)

  • If productive, cue students to clarify the conversation by confirming what they mean:

"So, do you mean _____?" (Responses will vary.)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading: To provide heavier support, point to the parts of the pictures in A Life like Mine as you read the corresponding words. Invite students to repeat the words after you. (MMR)

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

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

B. For ELLs: Complete Language Dive Practice I in your Unit 1 Homework.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading and writing: Refer to the suggested homework support in Lesson 2. (MMAE, MMR)

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