Establishing Reading Routines: Divided Loyalties Act I, Scene 1 | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G4:M3:U2:L1

Establishing Reading Routines: Divided Loyalties Act I, Scene 1

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RL.4.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
  • RL.4.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
  • RI.4.10: By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
  • SL.4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
  • 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 and the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases in Act I, Scene 1 of Divided Loyalties. (RL.4.1, RL.4.4, L.4.4)
  • I can make connections between Act I, Scene 1 of Divided Loyalties and the informational texts from Unit 1. (RL.4.1)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Divided Loyalties Gist note-catcher (RL.4.1, RL.4.4, L.4.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Introducing Divided Loyalties (10 minutes)

B. Reading Aloud and Determining the Gist: Divided Loyalties, Act I, Scene 1 (25 minutes)

C. Making Connections between Divided Loyalties and Unit 1 Texts (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Research Reading Share (10 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 this lesson, students begin reading Divided Loyalties by Gare Thompson, a play about a family during the American Revolution. Students were introduced to the informational sections of this text in the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment and also built considerable background knowledge about the American Revolution by reading informational texts throughout Unit 1. As a result, they will not reread those pages in this unit.
  • The routine in Work Time B of students reading and acting out different parts while the other students follow along silently in their heads, and then determining the gist and the meaning of unfamiliar Vocabulary, will be repeated in each lesson until students have finished reading the book. Attend to the routines in this lesson to apply them to subsequent lessons.
  • 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 (see the Tools page) if you do not have your own independent reading review routines.
  • In this lesson, students continue to focus on working to become ethical people and working to become effective learners by collaborating as they work in pairs and showing respect as they reflect on the play.
  • Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently as the teacher and other students read Divided Loyalties aloud during Work Time B.
  • The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their Vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to the American Revolution. By participating in this volume of reading over 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 unit, students read informational texts to build background knowledge about the American Revolution and the perspectives of different groups of people in the American Revolution. In this lesson, students connect their reading of Divided Loyalties back to the informational texts they read in Unit 1.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support rereading the text to find the gist. Pair students strategically to ensure that each pair contains at least one strong reader and consider grouping students who may need additional teacher-led support together in one area of the room.

Assessment guidance:

  • Listen to students' book discussions to identify common issues that can be used as whole group teaching points against the criteria recorded on the Discussion Norms anchor chart.
  • 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).

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will read the next scene of the play and will then analyze characters' reactions to an event using details from the text.

In Advance

  • Strategically pair students for determining the gist, with at least one strong reader per pair.
  • Prepare:
    • A small label with the title of the book, Divided Loyalties, to attach to a pin and place on the world map. This must be large enough to see but not too large to cover up too much of the map.
    • An independent reading review. Consider using the Independent Reading: Sample Plans (see the Tools page).
  • 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.5, 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.7, 4.I.B.8

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by pairing students throughout the lesson and allowing time for discussion during each task; explicitly discussing the text structure of a play before beginning to read; inviting volunteers to act out the play; and providing time to investigate Vocabulary.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to determine the gist of Act I, Scene 1 of Divided Loyalties, given the potentially unfamiliar text structure. Additionally, they may find the amount of unfamiliar language overwhelming. During the reading for gist, stop often to check for comprehension. As students investigate unfamiliar Vocabulary, support them in using affixes and root words to help determine meaning. See specific supports in the Meeting Students' Needs column.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Invite students to create sentence frames to support making connections during Work Time C. Invite students who need heavier support to use the frames.

For heavier support:

  • Consider creating a Character Chart with a picture of each character in Divided Loyalties, similar to the Colonist Chart in Unit 1, for students to use throughout the unit. Create four columns on the chart. Label the first column "Character"; the second, "About the Character"; the third, "What the Character Does and Says"; and the fourth, "What the Character Thinks and Feels." Add to this chart as students build knowledge about the characters and their perspectives on the American Revolution. This will support students in comprehending the text, building feelings Vocabulary, and analyzing characters in preparation for writing descriptive paragraphs in future lessons.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): In this lesson, students interact with Divided Loyalties. Some may be overwhelmed by too much print on a page. For these students, offer a copy of the text with smaller sections on a page. Additionally, consider offering enlarged text on the copy for students who may benefit from this option for perception.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): This lesson offers several opportunities for students to engage in discussion with partners. For those who may need additional support with expressive language, facilitate communication by providing sentence frames to help them organize their thoughts. This way, all students can benefit from peer interaction.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Since this is a unit about reading, students who may have needed additional support with reading in the past may lack engagement. Encourage students by reminding them that everyone has reading goals that they are working toward. Emphasize that all students will grow and improve in their reading throughout this unit.

Vocabulary

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

  • act, scene, connections (L)
  • Divided Loyalties, content-based fiction (T)

Materials

  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Divided Loyalties (one per student)
  • Discussion Norms anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • I Notice/I Wonder anchor chart (new; co-created with students during Work Time A)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Divided Loyalties Gist note-catcher (one per student)
  • Vocabulary log (from Module 1; one per student)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Divided Loyalties Gist note-catcher (example, for teacher reference)
  • Academic Word Wall (begun in Module 1; added to during Work Time B)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1; added to during Work Time B)
  • Pin and label (see Teaching Notes; one for display)
  • World map (from Module 1; one for display)
  • Informational texts from Unit 1 (from Unit 1; one of each per student):
    • "Revolutionary War, Part I" (from Unit 1, Lesson 2)
    • "Loyalists" (from Unit 1, Lesson 4)
    • "An Incomplete Revolution" (from Unit 1, Lesson 7)
    • "American Indians and the American Revolution" (from Unit 1, Lesson 9)
  • Independent Reading: Sample Plans (for teacher reference; see the Tools Tools page)

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.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

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

"I can determine the gist and the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases in Act I, Scene 1 of Divided Loyalties."

"I can make connections between Act I, Scene 1 of Divided Loyalties and the informational texts from Unit 1."

  • Remind students that they have seen the first two learning targets many times in the previous unit for other texts.
  • Underline the words Act I, Scene 1 in the first learning target.
  • Invite students to refer to the Vocabulary strategies listed on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and Turn and Talk:

"What do these words mean? What is an act? What is a scene?" (A play is divided into acts, which are big sections sort of like chapters, and a scene is a part of the play or movie when there is continuous action--there isn't a change to another setting or another time of day, for example.)

"What does this tell you about Divided Loyalties? Does anyone have any idea what kind of text this might be?" (Students may or may not know that these words tell us it is a play. If students don't know, don't tell them.)

  • Underline the word connections in the second learning target.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What are connections? If you are going to be making connections to the informational texts from Unit 1, what do you think you will be doing?" (making links between the two texts)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension and engagement: (Working toward Same Learning Target) Invite students to share one way they worked toward similar learning targets in Unit 1. (MMR, MME)
  • For ELLs: (Stopping between Learning Targets) Consider reading one learning target at a time, stopping after each one to ask students what they think they will be doing in this lesson.
  • For ELLs: (Noticing Articles) After asking the question "What is an act?" invite students to notice the article an before act. Invite them to discuss whether this makes act a noun or a verb and to consider how this might change their response. (An signals that what follows will be a noun, so it can't mean "to do something" or "to perform a fictional role," as they may have otherwise considered.)
  • For ELLs: (Morphology: Affixes and Root Words) Invite ELLs to notice a common root word or affix in the word connection to determine its meaning. (root=connect [to join together]; affix=ion [the act of]; connection=the act of joining together, or making links between, the two texts) Explain that students will continue to use affixes and roots throughout the unit to determine the meaning of new words and phrases.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Introducing Divided Loyalties (10 minutes)

  • Distribute Divided Loyalties.
  • Remind students that they read some of the pages in this book in their Mid-Unit 1 Assessment.
  • Focus students on the cover. Turn and Talk:

"What does Divided Loyalties mean?" (who or what you are loyal to is divided with a loyalty to someone or something else)

"What do you think this book is about? Why? What on the cover makes you think so?" (about a family during the American Revolution; it says so)

"What is content-based fiction?" (a made-up story about a particular topic)

  • Give students 3 minutes to look through the book in silence to notice and wonder.
  • Refocus the group. Remind students of the Discussion Norms anchor chart and that they should follow these norms whenever they are going to discuss.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you notice and wonder about the text?"

  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group. As students share out, capture their responses on the I Notice/I Wonder anchor chart. Possible suggestions:
    • I notice that instead of chapters, the book is divided into acts and scenes.
    • I notice that at the beginning of each act, it gives the setting: the place, the state, and the year(s).
    • I notice that the story is told through dialogue.
    • I notice that character actions are described in parentheses.
    • I wonder how to read this.
    • I wonder what happens.
  • Confirm that this is a play and that many of the things they noticed are characteristics of plays. Underline characteristics of plays, such as acts and scenes, setting, dialogue, character actions.
  • Ask students to turn to pages 6-7.
  • Read aloud, or invite students to read aloud for the whole group, the description of each of the characters as the students read along silently in their heads.
  • Focus students on the cover. Turn and Talk:

"From what you have read about the characters, what connections are you making to the title Divided Loyalties?" (Responses will vary, but may include: I can see that Robert and his son William support different sides of the American Revolution. Robert is a Loyalist, and William is a Patriot.)
  • For students who may need additional support with verbal expression: Offer scaffolded prompts for notices and wonders. Examples:

"What did you notice about the way the book is divided into sections?"

"What did you notice about the beginning of each act?"

"What did you notice about the characters' actions?"

"What do you wonder about as you think about reading this text?" (MMAE)

  • For ELLs: (Character Chart: Charting Responses) Introduce students to the Character Chart (see "for heavier support"). In the first column of the chart, write the characters' names and sketch their pictures; in the second column, chart important bullet points about each character. (Example: Mary=mother; loyal to Great Britain) Invite students to refer to this chart as they make connections to the title Divided Loyalties and explain that it will be added to throughout the unit as students learn more about each character.

B. Reading Aloud and Determining the Gist: Divided Loyalties, Act I, Scene 1 (25 minutes)

  • Invite students to turn to page 9 and read aloud the act, setting, and scene.
  • Invite students to help you skim through Act I, Scene 1 to determine the different characters they will need. List the characters on the board.
  • Write volunteers' names next to each of the characters.
  • Invite the volunteers to begin reading and acting out the play while the other students read along silently in their heads. Where there are actions in parentheses, remind the applicable student(s).
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you know from the first scene? What happened?" (Responses will vary, but may include: This is set after the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre, as both of those events are described, and Robert and Mary have very different views on the American Revolution than William.)

  • Invite students to spend 3 minutes reflecting silently. Reflection can include thinking or writing/drawing on paper.
  • Refocus whole group and direct students' attention to the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart and review the characteristic of respect. Emphasize that students do not need to share out if they wish not to, but invite those who feel comfortable to share.
  • Distribute the Divided Loyalties Gist note-catcher. Tell students that they are going to work in pairs to find the gist of Act I, Scene 1 and determine the meaning of any unfamiliar Vocabulary. Remind students that when you find the gist, you determine what the text is mostly about.
  • Remind students of the Vocabulary strategies listed on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and to record new Vocabulary in their Vocabulary logs.
  • Direct students' attention to the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and remind them what collaboration looks and sounds like.
  • Invite students to begin working with their partner.
  • Circulate to support pairs as they work to determine the gist and the meaning of unfamiliar Vocabulary.
  • When 3 minutes remain, refocus whole group. Use total participation techniques to select students to share their gist statements and the meaning of any unfamiliar Vocabulary with the whole group. Refer to the Divided Loyalties Gist note-catcher (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Record new Vocabulary on the Academic Word Wall and the Domain-Specific Word Wall.
  • Turn and Talk:

"Where does this play take place? How do you know?" (Burlington, New Jersey; it says so on page 9 of the text.)

  • Add the pin and label to Burlington, New Jersey on the world map.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support determining the gist: (Key Phrases) Consider highlighting or underlining key phrases in their individual copy of Divided Loyalties in advance. This lifts the gist up for them as they read along. (MMR)
  • For students who may need additional support with fine motor skills: Offer choice with the graphic organizer by providing a template that includes lines within the boxes. (MMR, MME)
  • For ELLs: (Character Chart: Referencing) Invite students to reference the Character Chart (see "for heavier support") as they name the characters in Act I, Scene 1, sharing something they know about each character before beginning to read. Provide sentence frames for support. (Example: Robert is the father. His loyalty is to Great Britain.)
  • For ELLs: (Questions to Support Gist) Consider asking students specific questions to support them in determining the gist. For example, "What happened in this scene? How did the characters react?"
  • For ELLs: (Morphology: Suffixes) Refer students to the Colonist Chart created in Unit 1 (see "for heavier support" in Lesson 1), reminding them of the suffix -er in many of the colonists' titles (printer, baker, shoemaker). Explain that the suffix -or signals the same meaning as -er (a person who does something) and encourage students to use this knowledge as they determine the meaning of some of the unfamiliar Vocabulary from Divided Loyalties (governor, traitor, rabble-rouser).

C. Making Connections between Divided Loyalties and Unit 1 Texts (10 minutes)

  • Invite students to retrieve their informational texts from Unit 1 and to spend a few minutes working with their partner to make connections between Act I, Scene 1 of Divided Loyalties and the information in those texts.
  • Use total participation techniques to select students to share their responses with the whole group. Listen for students to make connections to what the Loyalists and Patriots believed, to the Boston Tea Party, to the Boston Massacre, and to William Franklin.
  • For students who may need additional support with oral language and processing: Pair students with strategic partners to ensure that they have a strong, politely helpful partner to support their efforts in sharing their thinking and listening to their partner to make connections. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: (Displaying a Map: Activating Schema) Display the map of the world from Unit 1. Invite students to identify Britain and the 13 colonies on the map, as well as Burlington, New Jersey, where Divided Loyalties takes place. This will ground them in a physical context to support the connections they are making.
  • For ELLs: (Jigsaw Learning) Use jigsaw learning. Allow students to be responsible for different informational texts from Unit 1, and then report back to the larger group about the connections they made. If each group is responsible for a different text from Unit 1, then all students should be able to make connections between Divided Loyalties and each of the informational texts after they come together to share as a class.

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 journal.
  • Refer to the Independent Reading: Sample Plans to guide students through a research reading share.
  • 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 did collaborating and showing respect and integrity.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing their thinking for verbal expression: (Meeting in Advance) Consider meeting with students in advance to prep them for the research reading share and minimize the threat associated with sharing. (MMAE, MME)

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs
  • 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) (MMR)
  • For students who may need additional support with reading: Support students in selecting a prompt to respond to, rephrasing the prompt, and thinking aloud possible responses. (MMR)

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