Reading for Gist: “An Incomplete Revolution” | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G4:M3:U1:L7

Reading for Gist: “An Incomplete Revolution”

In this Lesson

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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.4.5: Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
  • L.4.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.4.1f: Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.
  • 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.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine the gist of "An Incomplete Revolution." (RI.4.4, L.4.4)
  • I can determine the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases in "An Incomplete Revolution." (RI.4.4, L.4.4)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Gist statements on text and unfamiliar Vocabulary in Vocabulary logs (RI.4.4, L.4.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Reader: Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak (10 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Reading for Gist Jigsaw: "An Incomplete Revolution" (20 minutes)

B. Language Dive: "An Incomplete Revolution" (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Research Reading Share (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Complete the Language Dive Practice: "An Incomplete Revolution" 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:

  • The lesson begins with a rereading of "The Blacksmith's Slave" from Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak to focus students on the perspective of an enslaved African American in the American Revolution. This may be a sensitive issue for students who have a background of slavery in their family or culture. A time for silent reflection is provided after reading the book to give students time to process the connections they make with the story. Be aware that these connections may be personal, and students are not required to share them.
  • In Work Time A, students read an informational text, "An Incomplete Revolution," about enslaved African Americans in the American Revolution. Note: This article includes the use of the word negroes in quotes made by people at the time. It is important that students are made aware that this is not an appropriate term to use now to describe African American people, but it is included in the article in quotes said by people at that time. The article also uses African American to describe enslaved people; consider using this text as an opportunity to discuss with students that not all enslaved people were African and many may not have identified with being American.
  • In Work Time B, students participate in a Language Dive that guides them through the meaning of a sentence from "An Incomplete Revolution" using the same format as Lesson 5. The focus of this Language Dive is on identifying and fixing run-on sentences (L.4.1f). Students then apply their understanding of the meaning and structure of this sentence as they discuss the reasons for the Revolutionary War, particularly focusing on the perspective of an enslaved African American. See the Tools page for additional information regarding a consistent Language Dive routine.
  • In the Closing, students are guided through a research reading share to hold them accountable for their research reading homework. Consider using the Independent Reading: Sample Plans if you do not have your own independent reading review routines.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become ethical people and working to become effective learners by showing respect as they share reflections, showing integrity as they participate in a research reading review, and by collaborating in triads.

How it builds on previous work:

  • In the previous lesson, students read about the Loyalist and the Patriot perspectives. In this lesson, they zoom in further to begin exploring the perspective of an enslaved person during the American Revolution.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support recording the gist on their note-catchers. Consider preparing pre-written gist statements on sticky notes for students who need additional support and inviting them to place the sticky notes in the right place in the margin of their text based on what they hear from the people they work with.

Assessment guidance:

  • Review students' gist statements to ensure they have a basic understanding of the text before moving into the next lesson.
  • Consider using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Phonics and Word Recognition Checklist (Grade 4) or the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Reading Fluency Checklist to assess students' during Work Time A (see the Tools page).
  • Consider using the Speaking and Listening Informal Assessment: Collaborative Discussion Checklist during the research reading share in the Closing (see the Tools page).
  • Collect Language Dive Practice: "Revolutionary War, Part I" from Lesson 5. Refer to the Language Dive Practice: "Revolutionary War, Part I" (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will closely read "An Incomplete Revolution" to determine the main idea and structure and to write a summary.

In Advance

  • Consider whether any students may be sensitive to the issues that "The Blacksmith's Slave" raises based on cultural background and family history. Consider explaining to families that this will be read aloud to students so that they can appropriately prepare them and discuss it afterward.
  • This topic may be of particular interest to students who may like to read more about slavery. Consider identifying research reading books for students who would like to learn more about this topic.
  • Strategically group students into triads for the work in this lesson, with at least one strong reader in each triad.
  • Prepare: Independent reading review. Consider using the Independent Reading: Sample Plans (see the Tools page).
  • Review the Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (begun in Lesson 5) as necessary.
  • Preview the Language Dive Guide and consider how to invite conversation among students to address the questions and goals suggested under each sentence strip chunk (see supporting Materials). Select from the questions and goals provided to best meet your students' needs.
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-2 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, 4.II.C.6

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by looking closely at the perspective of enslaved African Americans during the Revolutionary War, allowing for reflection and discussion about this potentially sensitive issue, and by providing time to investigate Vocabulary as well as recognize and correct run-on sentences.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to determine the gist of "An Incomplete Revolution" because of the volume of potentially unfamiliar new language. Remind students of the strategies for reading unfamiliar texts and invite them to pat themselves on the back for what they do understand. Assure them that they will have the chance to closely read the text again in the next lesson.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Challenge students to generate questions about "The Blacksmith's Slave" before asking the prepared questions. (Example: "What questions can we ask about this page? Let's see if we can answer them together." (How does the person enslaved by the blacksmith feel about the Revolution? How do we know?)

For heavier support:

  • Consider enlarging "An Incomplete Revolution" and posting it in a central location for students to reference throughout the unit. While reading for gist in Work Time A, make notes in the margins. In addition to writing key words or notes that correspond with each paragraph, consider sketching pictures to support comprehension.
  • When reading for gist, stop often to check for comprehension. When necessary, invite a proficient student to paraphrase the events in more comprehensible language. Encourage students to act out and sketch key sentences.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): In this lesson, students are introduced to "An Incomplete Revolution." Students first listen to a read-aloud of this informational text, then focus on one section of the text to determine the gist and identify unfamiliar Vocabulary. For students who may need additional support determining the gist, consider highlighting or underlining key phrases in their section in advance. This lifts the gist up for them as they read independently in preparation for sharing with classmates in the jigsaw activity.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support students in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Invite students to reflect on their learning from previous lessons with Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak. This supports students in understanding the value and relevance of the activities in this lesson. Provide support for students who may need additional guidance in peer interactions and collaboration by offering prompts or sentence frames. To support students who may need additional support in sustaining effort and/or attention, provide opportunities for restating the goal. 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)

  • gist (L)

Materials

  • Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak (from Lesson 1; one to display; for teacher read-aloud)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • "An Incomplete Revolution" (one per student and one to display)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Vocabulary logs (from Module 1; one per student)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Academic Word Wall (begun in Module 1; added to during Work Time A)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Lesson 1; added to during Work Time A)
  • "An Incomplete Revolution" (example, for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive Guide: "An Incomplete Revolution" (for teacher reference)
    • Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (begun in Lesson 5; add to during Work Time B)
    • Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
    • Language Dive Chunk Chart: Revolutionary War: "An Incomplete Revolution" (for teacher reference)
    • Language Dive Note-catcher: "An Incomplete Revolution" (one per student and one to display)
    • Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: "An Incomplete Revolution" (one to display)
    • Blue and red markers (one set per student)
  • Independent Reading: Sample Plans (for teacher reference; see the Tools page)
  • Language Dive Practice: "Revolutionary War, Part I" (answers, for teacher reference)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

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.

Download this Lesson's Assessment

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engaging the Reader: Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak (10 minutes)

  • Group students into triads and invite students to label themselves A, B, and C.
  • As needed, review what happened in Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak.
  • Display and reread aloud "The Blacksmith's Slave" page.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you know from reading this page?" (Independence from Britain won't change anything for him, since it won't give him his freedom.)

"What does the word seized tell you?" (that he was taken by force)

"What does this page of the text tell you about what an enslaved person is?" (someone who is taken by force by someone else)

  • Invite students to spend 3 minutes reflecting silently.
  • Direct students' attention to the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart and review what showing respect looks and sounds like. Be prepared to discuss any issues students feel they need to discuss further. Use the informational text about each place/person in the back of the book as a common text for discussing any sensitive issues that arise.
  • Think-Triad-Share:

"From what you have read so far, how do you think the freedom of the person enslaved by the blacksmith is different from the freedom the men who sit in the shop talk about?" (The men who sit in the shop are talking about freedom from Britain, while the person enslaved by the blacksmith wants personal freedom.)

"Is he a Patriot or a Loyalist?" (He doesn't seem to be either, although he doesn't think that freedom from Britain will solve his problems.)

  • If productive, cue students to compare ideas:

"How is what _____said the same as/different from what _____ said? I'll give you time to think and write." (Responses will vary.)

  • Remind students that in the American Revolution there were Patriots and Loyalists, and there were also those in between who didn't have strong beliefs either way.
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Before reading, provide white boards and dry-erase markers as an option for students to record (in drawing or writing) their ideas. This will also help scaffold active listening for key details. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For ELLs: (Noticing Incomplete Sentences: Asking Questions) Display the line "Freedom for them, but not for me." Invite students to ask the questions from the Writing Complete Sentences anchor chart to determine whether the displayed line is a complete sentence. (no, because it doesn't have a subject or a verb) Ask:

"Can you use your own words to say this line as a complete sentence?" (Responses will vary, but may include: They talk about freedom for them, but not for me.)

Invite students to identify the subject and the predicate in the complete sentences they suggest.

"Can you use your own words to say this line as a complete sentence?" (Responses will vary, but may include: They talk about freedom for them, but not for me.)

Invite students to identify the subject and the predicate in the complete sentences they suggest.

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

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

"I can determine the gist of 'An Incomplete Revolution.'"

"I can determine the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases in 'An Incomplete Revolution.'"

  • Remind students that they have seen these learning targets in previous lessons in this unit. Review gist (what the text is mostly about).
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension and engagement: (Working toward Same Learning Target) Invite students to discuss one way that they worked toward similar learning targets in previous lessons. (MMR, MME)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reading for Gist Jigsaw: "An Incomplete Revolution" (20 minutes)

  • Distribute and display "An Incomplete Revolution" and read it aloud.
  • Think-Triad-Share:

"What is this text about?" (enslaved African Americans during the American Revolution)

  • Focus students on the use of the word negroes in the text. Emphasize that this is a term used in those times to describe African Americans, but it is a derogatory and disrespectful term, so we do not use it today. Ensure students understand that the only reason it has been used in this article is because it is in quotes made by people at the time, and we can't change what they said.
  • Give each triad a number from 1-5. When possible, ensure an equal amount of triads with each number. Tell students that this is a long text, so each triad is going to read a different section of the text to determine the gist and the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases:
    • 1 will read the Opening four paragraphs up to "The Struggle Begins" subheading.
    • 2 will read "The Struggle Begins."
    • 3 will read "An Offer of Freedom."
    • 4 will read "Patriot Soldiers."
    • 5 will read "Free at Last."
  • Remind students to circle unfamiliar words and phrases in their section of text and to use the Vocabulary strategies listed on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to determine the meaning of the words. Remind students to record new Vocabulary in their Vocabulary logs.
  • Direct students' attention to the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and review what collaboration looks and sounds like, as necessary.
  • After 8 minutes, refocus whole group. Tell students that they are now going to move around the room to share their gist and the meaning of unfamiliar Vocabulary with those who have read other sections of text. As they move, rather than talking to show which section of text they read, they will hold up on their fingers the number of the section.
  • Invite students to hold up their number on their fingers and to move around the room to find someone who read a different section. Give students 1 minute each to share. Encourage them to record what they learn from their partner on their text and in their Vocabulary logs.
  • Invite students to move on to find someone who read another section of the text. Repeat until students have met with someone who read each section.
  • Refocus the group and add any new words to the Academic Word Wall and Domain-Specific Word Wall. Invite students to add translations in native languages.
  • Refocus the group and invite students to share the gist. Refer to the "An Incomplete Revolution" (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For students who may need additional support with oral language and processing: Pair students with strategic partners to ensure that they have strong, politely helpful models to support their efforts in reading aloud. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: (Assigning Manageable Sections of Text) To make the reading and amount of new Vocabulary more manageable, consider assigning ELLs shorter sections of "An Incomplete Revolution" (Sections 2 and 5, for example) to read for gist.
  • For ELLs: (Reading Unfamiliar Texts) In preparation for the end of unit assessment, help students identify strategies for reading unfamiliar texts. Invite them to practice these strategies when reading for gist. Examples:
    • Chunk the text into manageable amounts (e.g., sentences or paragraphs).
    • Circle unfamiliar words.
    • Use context or a dictionary to define unfamiliar words.
    • Annotate unfamiliar words with synonyms.
    • Underline important people, places, and things.
    • Read aloud.
    • Read repeatedly.
    • Silently paraphrase the chunks.
    • Summarize what you read for someone else, perhaps first in your home language.
  • For ELLs: (Using Cognates to Figure out Unfamiliar Words) When discussing strategies for figuring out the meanings of unfamiliar words, suggest thinking about similar words in other languages students might know (cognates). (Example: "Emancipation in Spanish is emancipacion. That sounds so similar. So if you know the meaning of emancipacion, that might give you one clue about what emancipation means.")

B. Language Dive: "An Incomplete Revolution" (15 minutes)

  • Tell students they will now participate in a Language Dive using the same format as Lesson 5.
  • Focus students' attention on the Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart and remind them that they thought of their own questions to ask during a Language Dive. Refer to the Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Reread the seventh paragraph of "An Incomplete Revolution."
  • Focus on the sentence:
    • "Many African Americans, however, fought because they wanted freedom from slavery."
  • Use the Language Dive Guide: "An Incomplete Revolution" and Language Dive Chunk Chart: "An Incomplete Revolution" to guide students through a Language Dive of the sentence. Distribute and display the Language Dive Note-catcher: "An Incomplete Revolution" and Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: "An Incomplete Revolution."

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Research Reading Share (10 minutes)

  • Focus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart and remind them specifically of integrity. In the context of research reading homework, this means trying to do it each day, even when it is tough to do so, and if it isn't possible, being honest when recording the dates and pages read in their journals.
  • Refer to the Independent Reading: Sample Plans to guide students through a research reading review or use your own review.
  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the learning targets and against how well they collaborated and showed respect and integrity.
  • Collect the Language Dive Practice: "Revolutionary War, Part I" homework from Lesson 5. Refer to the Language Dive Practice: "Revolutionary War, Part I" (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For students who may need additional support with Vocabulary comprehension: Support understanding by asking students to share a time when they showed integrity. Ask:

"When did you show integrity?"

"Can you think of a time it was hard to do the right thing, but you did it anyway?" (MMR)

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs
  • Complete the Language Dive Practice: "An Incomplete Revolution" in your Unit 1 homework.
  • 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 writing: (Oral Response) Students may benefit from discussing and responding to their prompt orally, either with a partner or family member or by recording their response. (MMAE) (MMAE) (MMR)

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