Reading Literature about Natural Disasters: Understanding Human Impact through an Analysis of “In the Water Where the City Ends” | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G5:M4:U2:L3

Reading Literature about Natural Disasters: Understanding Human Impact through an Analysis of “In the Water Where the City Ends”

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.
  • RL.5.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
  • RL.5.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
  • RL.5.7: Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
  • RF.5.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
  • 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.5.5c: Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can refer to the text to answer questions about "In the Water Where the City Ends." (RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.4, L.5.4, L.5.5c)
  • I can analyze how visuals in "In the Water Where the City Ends" contribute to the meaning, tone, and beauty of the text. (RL.5.1, RL.5.7)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Text-Dependent Questions: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.4, RL.5.7, L.5.4, L.5.5c)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reading in Triads: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (15 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Answering Questions about the Text: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Analyzing Visuals: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (20 minutes)

4. Homework

A. 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 watch the video and read aloud the song lyrics to
    "In the Water Where the City Ends" in reading triads (RF.5.4). This song is about the tsunami that devastated Japan's Tohoku area after an earthquake in 2011. After reading, students identify the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases (RL.5.4, L.5.4). Note: Although the video accompanying this song is an abstract animation, students may find the representation of devastation to homes and people upsetting. Please preview the video and determine whether any students--such as those who have experienced a natural disaster--need to be prepared in advance to watch it.
  • In Work Time A, students answer text-dependent questions in their reading triads. The purpose of answering these questions is to help students dig deeper into the human impact of a natural disaster, including how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic (RL.5.1, RL.5.2). Students also practice using synonyms, antonyms, and homographs to better understand words (L.5.5c).
  • In the Closing, students analyze how the visuals in the video contribute to the meaning, tone, and beauty (RL.5.7). They then complete a QuickWrite to explain their ideas (RL.5.1, RL.5.7).
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become ethical people by showing respect, empathy, and compassion if classmates are upset by events in the text.
  • Students who finish quickly or require additional challenge can analyze the excerpt of text in the second row of the chart for Question 6 on the text-dependent question sheet, and then add to their QuickWrite.

How this lesson builds on previous work: 

  • In Lessons 1-2, students summarized and analyzed how the visuals contributed to the meaning, tone, and beauty in Eight Days: A Story of Haiti. They complete these same activities in this lesson with the literary text "In the Water Where the City Ends."

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Ensure that students with hearing impairments are provided with the lyrics to the song before it is played for the whole group for the first time in Opening A.
  • Students may need additional support to read the text, answer questions about it, and analyze the visuals. Consider placing students who will need additional support in a group for focused teacher guidance.

Assessment guidance:

  • Review students' QuickWrites to identify common issues to use as whole group teaching points in the next lesson.

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will read and watch a video of a new literary text about a natural disaster. They will answer questions about the text and analyze the visuals for how they contribute to the meaning, tone, and beauty of the text.

In Advance

  • Preview the video in advance and determine whether there are students who may be upset by its content. Consider speaking to families and inviting them to preview the video with their students in advance.
  • Prepare:
    • Technology necessary to play "In the Water Where the City Ends" during Opening A (see Technology and Multimedia).
    • Small label with the song title and writer to attach to a pin and place on the class world map. This needs to be large enough to see, but not so large that it covers up too much of the map.
  • 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.
  • Opening A: Prepare the technology necessary for students to watch the music video and hear a whole group read-aloud of a news article about the song:
  • Music video: White, S. "In the Water Where the City Ends." YouTube. Web. Accessed on 30 Jan. 2017. 
  • News article: Hilton, R. "Japan's Tsunami Recalled in Beautifully Animated Simone White Song." NPR Music. National Public Radio, 11 Mar. 2012. Web. Accessed on 30 Jan. 2017.
  • Closing and Assessment A: Prepare the technology necessary for students to watch the music video in triads if possible

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 5.I.B.6, 5.I.B.7, 5.I.B.8, 5.I.C.12

Important points in the lesson itself 

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by following the same routine as Lessons 1-2 for summarizing a text and analyzing how visuals contribute to the meaning, tone, and beauty of a text; by providing the opportunity for students to work in triads as they answer text-dependent questions and analyze visuals; and by valuing home language and culture, as well as potential countries of origin, by continuing to locate and discuss places on the world map.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to understand the music video and lyrics for "In the Water Where the City Ends," as both are very abstract. Additionally, students may find it difficult to keep pace with the linguistic and cognitive demands of answering the text-dependent questions during Work Time A and analyzing how visuals contribute to the meaning, tone, and beauty of a text in the Closing (see levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support
For lighter support:

  • During Work Time A, challenge students to rephrase the text-dependent questions for classmates who need heavier support.

For heavier support:

  • Consider viewing and discussing the music video "In the Water Where the City Ends" with students before this lesson, as the video is very abstract. Additionally, consider paraphrasing each verse of the song for students, as the words are disjointed and often do not make much sense. This will support students in comprehending the visuals in the music video and the song lyrics, allowing them to contribute to the daily learning targets in this lesson.
  • During Work Time A, consider cutting up the ideas in Question 5e of the text-dependent questions to create paragraph strips. Invite students to physically organize the ideas in the correct order instead of numbering them, similar to how they have organized paragraph strips in previous units. For even heavier support, consider removing the ideas that will not be used.
  • During the Closing, consider providing sentence frames for students to use in their QuickWrites for text-dependent Question 6. Example:
  • The song _________ by ___________ is about _______________. The visuals in the video contribute to the meaning of the song because ____________. Additionally, __________. The tone of the song is ____________, and the visuals contribute to helping us understand this tone through ______________. The visuals contribute to the beauty of the song by ___________. For example, _________________________.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Similar to Unit 1, this lesson offers a variety of visual anchors to cue students' thinking. Continue to support students by creating additional or individual anchor charts for reference and by charting student responses during whole class discussions to aid with comprehension.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Facilitate student management of information and resources by allowing them to identify unknown words and record them in their vocabulary log. Consider offering scaffolds when answering questions about the text, similar to previous units.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Invite students to reflect on their learning from Lessons 1-2. This supports them in understanding the value and relevance of the activities in this lesson and encourages sustained effort in learning.

Vocabulary

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

  • lyrics, visuals, meaning, tone, beauty (L)
  • right, divisible, formation (T)

Materials

  • "In the Water Where the City Ends" (music video; play in entirety; see Technology and Multimedia)
  • World map (from Module 1; one to display)
  • Labeled pin (one to display; see Teaching Notes)
  • Compass points (from Module 1; one to display)
  • "In the Water Where the City Ends" (song lyrics; one per student)
  • Fluent Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Sticky notes (10 per triad)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Academic Word Wall (begun in Module 1)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1)
  • Vocabulary logs (from Module 1; one per student)
  • "Japan's Tsunami Recalled in Beautifully Animated Simone White Song" (one to display; see Technology and Multimedia)
  • Text-Dependent Questions: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (one per student)
  • Text-Dependent Questions: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (example, for teacher reference)
  • Devices (one per triad; see Technology and Multimedia

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. Reading in Triads: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (15 minutes)

  • Invite students to get into the same reading triads as Lessons 1-2 and label themselves A, B, and C.
  • Remind students that in this unit they are focusing on the impact of natural disasters on humans. Tell students that humans write about their responses to natural disasters in different ways. Some write stories, like Edwidge Danticat and Eight Days: A Story of Haiti, some write poems, and some write songs.
  • Tell students they are going to hear a song by an American woman named Simone White and watch a video made to accompany the song by a Japanese man, Hideyuki Katsumata. Play "In the Water Where the City Ends."
  • Think-Triad-Share:

"Having watched the video and listened to the song, what do you think this song is about?" (Responses will vary, but may include: some kind of flood or water destruction.)

  • Tell students that this song was written about a tsunami that struck the Tohoku area of Japan after a big earthquake in 2011. Invite those who studied tsunamis in Unit 1 to briefly share what a tsunami is with the whole group.
  • Invite students to spend 2 or 3 minutes silently reflecting. Students can choose to sketch, journal, or sit and think silently.
  • Focus students on the world map and follow the routine from the Opening of Lesson 1 to place the labeled pin on Japan using the compass points.
    • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Where is Japan on the map?" (Responses will vary.)

    • Place the labeled pin on Japan and tell students that it is in the continent of Asia.
    • Display the compass points. Tell students they can use compass points to explain where places are. Read through each of the compass points.
    • Point to the pin marking your location.
    • Turn and Talk, and cold call students to share out:

"Which continent do we live on?" (Responses will vary.)
"Where are we in relation to Japan?" (Responses will vary, but students should use the compass points.)
"Has anyone had any experience with Japan that you would like to share?" (Japan may be the country of origin for some students.)

  • Distribute the "In the Water Where the City Ends" song lyrics. Tell students that the words to a song are called the lyrics.
  • Direct students' attention to the Fluent Readers Do These Things anchor chart and tell them that they are going to read the song lyrics aloud, thinking about reading fluently and accurately.
  • Emphasize that students do not need to read the same amount of the song--a stronger reader can read the entire song, while other students may choose to read parts, but it is important that everyone has a chance to read aloud and that students support each other.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart and remind them again of the respect, compassion, and empathy habits and to practice those as they read the song lyrics aloud in their reading triads in this lesson.
  • Use the routine from Opening A of Lesson 1 to guide students through reading the song lyrics and identifying unfamiliar words with their triads, and then debriefing the words as a whole group:
    • Distribute sticky notes.
    • Invite students to select one member of the triad to record unfamiliar words on sticky notes as they read. Emphasize that this means stopping after a student has finished reading to discuss which words are unfamiliar to everyone in the triad and then recording those words.
    • Post and review the directions for reading and identifying unfamiliar words as needed.
    • Invite triads to begin reading.
    • When all students have had a chance to read aloud, refocus whole group.
    • Identify words all triads identified as unfamiliar. Refer students to the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and select volunteers to help you determine the meaning. Add the words to the Academic and Domain-Specific Word Walls with translations in home languages and invite students to add the words to their vocabulary logs.
    • Invite students to do the same with any other words on their sticky notes that were not discussed as a class.
  • Display and read aloud "Japan's Tsunami Recalled in Beautifully Animated Simone White Song" to provide some context and understanding of the song.
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: After reading the article aloud, invite students to summarize it in less than 1 minute to a partner. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: (Providing Context) Consider reading aloud the article "Japan's Tsunami Recalled in Beautifully Animated Simone White Song" before students view the music video "In the Water Where the City Ends. "This provides students with additional context for the song and better prepares them for encountering and understanding the song?s disjointed words and chaotic images.
  • For ELLs: (Focusing on Gist) Before playing the music video or distributing the song lyrics for "In the Water Where the City Ends," explicitly point out that the video is abstract and that the lyrics don't make much sense or follow a sequence, making both the video and the lyrics difficult to understand. Assure students that they don't need to understand everything about the video or song lyrics, and instead they should focus on gist, noting how the visuals and lyrics contribute to the song?s overall meaning and tone

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes) 

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

"I can refer to the text to answer questions about 'In the Water Where the City Ends.'"
"I can analyze how visuals in 'In the Water Where the City Ends' contribute to the meaning, tone, and beauty of the text."

  • Focus students on the first target and remind them that they referred back to the text to answer questions about Eight Days: A Story of Haiti in the previous lessons.
  • Focus students on the second learning target and remind them that they saw this learning target for Eight Days: A Story of Haiti in the previous lesson. Review the meaning of visuals, meaning,tone,and beauty as needed.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with motivation: (Recalling Prior Work: Learning Targets) Invite students to discuss how they worked toward similar targets with Eight Days: A Story of Haiti in the previous lessons. (MME)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Answering Questions about the Text: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (20 minutes)

  • Tell students that they are now going to dig deeper into the text to build a better understanding of the human impact of the Tohoku tsunami.
  • Distribute Text-Dependent Questions: "In the Water Where the City Ends." Tell students they are going to work in their triads, reading the question, rereading the appropriate part of the text, and then discussing the answer to each question before recording a response.
  • Point out the "stop" line on the question paper and emphasize that they should stop when they get to this line. After this line, they will need to be able to view the video.
  • Invite students to begin working and circulate to support them.Refer to the Text-Dependent Questions: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (example, for teacher reference) and ask questions to guide student thinking:
    • "What in the text makes you think this?"
  • When 3 minutes remain, refocus whole group and use total participation techniques to select students to share out. Continue to refer to the Text-Dependent Questions: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (example, for teacher reference) to confirm student responses and invite students to revise their answers accordingly.
  • 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 ELLs and students who may need additional support with planning: (Modeling and Thinking Aloud: Text-Dependent Questions) Consider modeling and thinking aloud the process for completing the text-dependent questions by explicitly showing how to return to the text and think about what each question is asking before writing your answer. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: (Homograph, Synonym, and Antonym Practice) In preparation for Question 2 of the text-dependent questions, invite students to play the homograph/synonym/antonym game introduced in Lesson 1 (see ?For heavier support?). Challenge students to see how many index cards they can discuss in 40 seconds!

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Analyzing Visuals: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (20 minutes) 

  • If possible, set triads up on devicesto replay the video "In the Water Where the City Ends" as many times as necessary. To minimize noise distractions, encourage students to keep the sound very low. Remind them that they have a printed copy of the lyrics, so they can refer to that as they need to. If this isn't possible, play the video on repeat for the whole group to watch in order to complete the next activity.
  • Focus students on the question under the stop line:
    • "How do the visuals in the 'In the Water Where the City Ends' video contribute to the meaning, tone, and beauty of the text?"
  • Remind students that they answered a similar prompt about Eight Days: A Story of Haiti.
  • Focus students on the chart on their question sheet and the two excerpts of text and remind them they filled out the same chart whole group on the board for Eight Days: A Story of Haiti in the previous lesson. Tell students they are going to focus on the excerpt in the first row, and then if they finish quickly they will move on to the excerpt of text in the second row.
  • Select a student to read the first excerpt of text aloud in the first row of the chart.
  • Focus students on the text. Think-Triad-Share:

"What do the words mean here? What are they saying?" (about a station doorway in the water at the end of the city)
"What is the tone of this text? What is the attitude of the author toward this event?"(Responses will vary, but may include: The tone is mournful and upset.)
"What is beautiful about the words?" (Responses will vary, but may include: The words are beautiful because they are simple.)

  • Invite students to make notes in the Meaning, Tone, and Beauty columns of their chart. Continue to refer to the Text-Dependent Questions: "In the Water Where the City Ends" (example, for teacher reference) as necessary. Remind students that the chart is just to organize their thinking and catch notes in preparation for writing. They do not need to write in complete sentences.
  • Find where these lyrics are sung in the music video (approx. 0:34-0:50) and invite students to consider the following question as they watch the video whole group, and then Think-Triad-Share:

"How do the visuals contribute to the meaning of a station doorway in the water?"(Responses will vary, but may include: The visuals show train lines, so we know it is a train station being described, and they also show water flooding in with a big wave. This helps us understand a tsunami that covered buildings like the station, which is why the doorway is in the water.)
Conversation Cue: "Can you give an example?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to make notes in the Meaning column of their chart.
  • Replay the excerpt of the video and invite students to consider the following question as they watch, and then Think-Triad-Share:

"How do the visuals help you to understand the mournful tone?" (Visuals communicate the mournful tone with a person and building being covered by water. We feel sad for the person.)
Conversation Cue: "Can you give an example?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to make notes in the Tone column of their chart.
  • Replay the excerpt of the video and, as students watch, invite them to consider the following question, and then Think-Triad-Share:

"How do the visuals contribute to the simple beauty of the words?" (Responses will vary, but may include: The black and white line drawing is also beautiful because of its simplicity.)
Conversation Cue: "Can you give an example?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to make notes in the Beauty column of their chart.
  • Tell students they can find the film artist and director on the information under the video and point out where. If triads do not have their own devices, record the name of the film artist and director on the board: Hideyuki Katsumata.
  • Think-Triad-Share:

"How would you answer the final question on your question sheet using the notes on your chart?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to work in triads to write their responses on their text-dependent questions Remind them to say sentences out loud to their triad before writing if they need to and to move on to analyze the next excerpt of text in the second row if they have time.
  • Circulate to support students and to remind them to use evidence from the text to support their claims.
  • When 2 minutes remain, refocus whole group. 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 showing respect, compassion, and empathy
  • For students who may need additional support with fine motor skills: Provide options for expression by offering a template that includes lines in each box. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: (Tone T-Chart: Reviewing and Adding Examples) Invite students to review examples of tone on the Tone T-Chart (see Lesson 2, "For heavier support") and to practice correlating tone to familiar words and images before doing the same with the music video and lyrics for "In the Water Where the City Ends." Encourage students to practice with tones not written on the Tone T-Chart and add them as examples to reference throughout the unit.

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with written expression: (Oral Response) Read aloud, discuss, and respond to your prompt orally, either with a partner, family member, or student from Grades 4 or 6, or record an audio response. (MMAE)

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