Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion: Evidence of Threats to Human Rights in Chapters 4–6 of Esperanza Rising | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G5:M1:U1:L11

Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion: Evidence of Threats to Human Rights in Chapters 4–6 of Esperanza Rising

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.
  • W.5.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
  • W.5.9a: Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how characters interact]").
  • SL.5.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
  • SL.5.1a: Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can quote accurately from the text to make connections between Esperanza Rising and the UDHR. (RL.5.1, RI.5.1)
  • I can prepare for a text-based discussion about evidence of threats to human rights in Esperanza Rising. (RL.5.1, RI.5.1, W.5.9a, SL.5.1a)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion note-catcher (RL.5.1, RI.5.1, W.5.9a, SL.5.1a)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening 

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

B. Engaging the Reader: "Las Cebollas" of Esperanza Rising (20 minutes)

2. Work Time 

A. Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion (25 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.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this lesson, students prepare for a text-based discussion in which they will describe threats to human rights in Chapters 4-6 of Esperanza Rising, using both the Esperanza Rising text and the UDHR, and how those threats made them feel. This is in preparation for the end of unit assessment in Lesson 12, in which students will participate in this discussion (RL.5.1, RI.5.1, W.5.9a, SL.5.1a).
  • The lesson is written for "Las Cebollas" to be a teacher read-aloud, but this can be organized in different ways to meet the needs of your students. For example, students could read the chapter in pairs or triads, taking turns to read, with a teacher-led smaller group of students who need additional support. 
  • 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). 
  • In this lesson, the Structure of Esperanza Rising anchor chart is not updated, as students will be required to do this in Part II of the end of unit assessment in Lesson 12 to assess RL.5.5.
  • At the end of the lesson, students continue to hear A Life like Mine read aloud to make connections with Esperanza in Esperanza Rising. The purpose of this text is to help students understand that home may mean different things to different people.
  • Continue to use Goal 1 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation. 
  • In this lesson, the habit of character focus is on working to become an ethical person. The characteristics that students practice are respect, empathy, and compassion as they prepare for a collaborative discussion in which they discuss how they feel about the threats to human rights.
  • Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently in their heads as the teacher reads "Las Cebollas" from Esperanza Rising during Opening 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 prepared for and participated in a text-based discussion about the threats to human rights in Chapters 1-3. In this lesson, students prepare for the same discussion, but this time about Chapters 4-6. 

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support working independently to prepare for the text-based discussion. Consider grouping those who will find this challenging to work with you. Choose three events in Esperanza Rising to work through together--for example, Miguel describing why the woman is begging, people not being allowed to cross the border into the United States, and Mama and Esperanza having to live with Miguel's family because they don't have a male head of the household.

Assessment guidance:

  • Review students' note-catchers to ensure that they are fully prepared for the discussion in the end of unit assessment in the next lesson. 
  • Consider using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Reading Fluency Checklist as students read Esperanza Rising in Opening B. See the Tools page.
  • Consider using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Phonics and Word Recognition Checklist (Grade 5) as students read Esperanza Rising in Opening B. See the Tools page.

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will complete the End of Unit 1 Assessment. In Part I, they will participate in the text-based discussion. In Part II, they will consider how "Las Cebollas" fits into the overall structure of the novel.

In Advance

  • Strategically pair students for work in this lesson, with at least one strong reader per pair.
  • Review the Red Light, Green Light protocol (see Classroom Protocols).
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A: Students complete their note-catchers using a word-processing tool--for example, a Google Doc.
  • Work Time A: 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.A.1, 5.I.A.3, 5.I.A.4, 5.I.B.5, 5.I.B.6, 5.I.C.11, 5.II.A.1, and 5.II.A.2

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by continuing the pattern of analysis of Esperanza Rising using the Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion note-catcher and the How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart to make connections to the UDHR and A Life like Mine. Moreover, students build on their text-based discussion skills.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to process the volume of unfamiliar language in the new chapter of Esperanza Rising and A Life like Mine and their notes on preceding chapters to complete the Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion note-catcher. Consider highlighting, rereading, and thinking aloud key portions of each (see "Levels of support" and Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Invite a student to paraphrase the key points of pages 100-121 of Esperanza Rising and Article 22 in more comprehensible language for those who need heavier support.
  • In Opening B, challenge students to generate questions about the sentence in Esperanza Rising before asking the prepared questions. (Example: "What questions can we ask about this sentence? Let's see if we can answer them together.")
  • Encourage students to add to the graphic organizer they created in Lesson 2 to track (and illustrate) the main events of pages 100-121 of Esperanza Rising against the structure of the story. Ask them how they might incorporate Article 22, A Life like Mine, and their feelings. Invite them to explain their graphic organizer to students who need heavier support.

For heavier support:

  • During the reading of Esperanza Rising, 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 Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion note-catcher into a kinesthetic activity. Copy completed cells of the note-catcher onto separate cards or sticky notes. Students can paste the cards into the correct location on the note-catcher.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Because each lesson builds on comprehension established in previous lessons, provide opportunities for students who need additional support with memory to engage with the text in multiple ways. Consider having students summarize with a partner the reading from the previous lesson. Also consider preparing scaffolded questions to review the rising action already covered in the text.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Students who may need additional support with expressive language can benefit from scaffolds that facilitate communication. Consider having intermediate students create sentence frames that are appropriate for text-based discussions. Then, students who need more support can refer to these frames during the discussion.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Help facilitate reflection for students so that they can see the progress they have made throughout the unit. Give specific positive feedback on their hard work and frame the text-based discussion as a way to convey all that they have learned. 

Vocabulary

N/A

Materials

  • Esperanza Rising (from Lesson 2; one per student)
  • Spanish/English Dictionary anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2; added to during Opening B)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2)
  • Experiences with Threats against Human Rights anchor chart (begun in Lesson 3)
  • End of Unit 1 Assessment prompt (one per student and one to display; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion note-catcher (one per student and one to display)
  • How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart (begun in Lesson 4; added to during Work Time A; see supporting materials)
  • How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Quoting Accurately from the Text handout (from Lesson 5; one per student and one to display)
  • Simplified version of the UDHR (from Lesson 4; one per student)
  • Red, yellow, and green objects (one of each per student)
  • A Life like Mine (from Lesson 7; 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. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

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

"I can quote accurately from the text to make connections between Esperanza Rising and the UDHR."

"I can prepare for a text-based discussion about evidence of threats to human rights in Esperanza Rising."

  • Remind students that they should be familiar with these learning targets by now, as they have seen them multiple times.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with writing: Underline the prepositions in the learning targets. Say: "I wonder what these words are and what their purpose is. How can we use them in our writing? What happens if I remove them?" Tell students you will give them time to think and discuss with their partner. (from, between, for, about, of, to, in; prepositions; they are words we can use to show a relationship between a noun and another part of the sentence, e.g., quote from the text. They help us to connect nouns with ideas. They can help us make longer, more efficient sentences by adding on nouns instead of writing additional, separate sentences. If we remove them, we lose the relationship and have a long string of verbs and nouns that are difficult to make sense of.) (MMR)
  • Engage students by giving specific positive praise on all the hard work they have done in this unit and emphasize their upcoming opportunity to show it. (MME)

B. Engaging the Reader: "Las Cebollas" of Esperanza Rising (20 minutes)

  • Invite students to retrieve their copies of Esperanza Rising and turn to page 100, "Las Cebollas." 
  • Begin by pointing out the title of this chapter and select volunteers to share what "Las Cebollas" means in English and how they know. (onions; it says so underneath "Las Cebollas")
  • Add Las Cebollas to the Spanish/English Dictionary anchor chart.
  • Invite students to follow along, reading silently in their heads as you read aloud pages 100-121, adding words to the Spanish/English Dictionary anchor chart as they come up. Invite Spanish speakers to provide the translation and to record the Spanish on the anchor chart.
  • After reading, invite students to reflect on the following question by thinking, writing, or drawing. Students must be silent when they do this:

"What did this part of the story make you think about?"

  • After 3 minutes, refocus whole group.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart and remind them of the habit of character recorded: respect, as some students may be sharing out things that are very personal and meaningful to them. 
  • Invite volunteers to share out what this part of the story made them think about. Do not force anyone to share their ideas with the group.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart and remind them of the habit of character recorded: respect, as some students may be sharing out things that are very personal and meaningful to them. 
  • Invite volunteers to share out what this part of the story made them think about. Do not force anyone to share their ideas with the group.
  • As students share out, capture any threats against human rights they share on the Experiences with Threats against Human Rights anchor chart.
  • Ask students to turn and talk to their partner, and then cold call students to share out:

"What is the gist of this chapter?" (Esperanza and Mama arrive at the camp, and Mama begins work while Esperanza stays at home to look after the babies, which involves learning new skills, such as doing laundry.)

  • If students are confused about why they aren't updating the structure anchor chart, explain that this will be part of their end of unit assessment in the next lesson.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with memory: For ELLs: (Summarizing) Before reading, invite students to summarize the first six chapters of Esperanza Rising in 1 minute or less (with feedback) and then again in 30 seconds or less with a partner. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: In preparation for the End of Unit 1 Assessment, consider discussing pages 110-115 in light of Isabel's attitude toward her responsibilities and toward Esperanza's naivete. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Mini Language Dive: Ask students about the meaning of chunks from a key sentence of this chapter of Esperanza Rising. Write and display student responses next to the chunks. (MMR) Examples:
    • "Place your finger on this sentence: This is a family camp so we must have a male head of household to live and work here. Read the sentence aloud as students follow along.
    • "What is the gist of this sentence?" (Responses will vary.)
    • "Place your finger on male head of household. What is the meaning of this phrase? Who is the head of your household?" (the man who is responsible for the family living and working in the camp)
    • "Place your finger on so. I wonder why the author wrote the word so. Are there other meanings for so? How can we use so in our writing?" Tell students you will give them time to think and discuss with their partner. (So is a conjunction that joins two independent clauses and signals that the author will introduce a clause that discusses the result, consequence, or effect of the other clause. So links two complete sentences into one more sophisticated one that shows a result. So has many meanings--another common meaning is the adverb meaning "to a great degree," much like very, e.g., "I'm so tired." We can use so as a conjunction to join two independent clauses and signal that we will give a result. We can also use so as an adverb to emphasize an adjective or another adverb.)
    • "What is the result of the camp only being for families?" (They must have a male head of household or they can't live and work there.)
    • "In this camp, can a family be only women? What, in the sentence, makes you think so? How do you feel about this rule?" Tell students that you will give them time to think and write or sketch. Invite students to share their feelings only if they wish to. (No. It says they must have a male head of household.)
    • "Can you complete this sentence with something from your life? 'The place where I live is _____, so _____.'" Tell students you will give them time to think and discuss with their partner. (Responses will vary, but may include: The place where I live is near school, so my sisters and I can walk.)
    • "Now what do you think is the gist of this sentence?" (People who live and work in this family camp must live with a man who takes responsibility for them.)
    • "What connection can you make between your understanding of this sentence and your understanding of human rights?" (Esperanza and Mama don't have a place to live unless they lie and say they are related to Alfonso--Article 22.)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion (25 minutes)

  • Distribute and display the End of Unit 1 Assessment prompt. Invite students to follow along, reading silently in their heads as you read it aloud. Answer clarifying questions.
  • Distribute and display the Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion note-catcher. Remind students that they saw this note-catcher in the previous lesson when they had a text-based discussion about the threats to human rights in Chapters 1-3. 
  • Read the questions at the top of the note-catcher aloud for the group:
    • "How were the human rights of the characters in Chapters 4-6 of Esperanza Rising threatened?" 
    • "How did it make you feel? Why?"
  • Emphasize that these are the same questions as the previous lesson, but this time, students will be thinking about Chapters 4-6. 
  • Focus students on the How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart. Point out that the threats to human rights for "Los Melones" and "Las Cebollas" have not yet been added to the anchor chart. Tell students that they will update this anchor chart after they have prepared for the discussion.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart.
  • Remind students that sometimes the things we discuss in class or the texts we read can upset some students. Explain that sometimes this can come as a result of their previous experiences or their family background. Remind them that they have already been working hard on being respectful of this and have also learned about empathy and compassion.
  • Point out that, again, there are only three rows on the Preparing for a Text-Based Discussion note-catcher. This is because they are going to choose three examples of threats to human rights in Chapters 4-6 that were particularly meaningful to them. Explain that this means they will have had an emotional response, such as anger, disgust, disappointment, sadness. Explain that this emotional response could come from their own experiences or just as a reaction to the text. 
  • Ensure students understand that they also need to be able to justify why they feel the way they feel. 
  • Invite students to retrieve their Quoting Accurately from the Text handout and remind them to use it to quote accurately from Esperanza Rising and the simplified version of the UDHR. Tell them that if they wish to use the actual articles of the UDHR that they have closely read rather than the simplified versions, this is fine, as long as they quote accurately from the text and make clear connections to characters in Esperanza Rising. 
  • Tell students they have the option of working alone or with a partner. Emphasize that as this contains a personal response, students may wish to do this alone, but invite those who want to work with someone to move to a certain area of the room to pair up with someone else who wants to work with a partner.
  • Invite students to begin working.
  • Circulate to support students in completing their note-catcher.
  • After 20 minutes, refocus whole group and cold call students to help you update the How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart. Refer to How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Distribute red, yellow, and green objects.
  • Tell students they are now going to use the Red Light, Green Light protocol to reflect on their progress toward the first two learning targets. Remind them that they used this protocol in Lesson 8 and review as necessary. Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.
  • Guide students through the protocol using the first learning target.
  • Note students showing red or yellow objects so you can check in with them in the next lessons when this learning target is revisited.
  • Repeat this process with the second learning target.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Repeat and rephrase the assessment prompt. (Example: "How were the human rights of the characters in Chapters 4-6 of Esperanza Rising threatened?" > "Think about the characters in Chapters 4-6 of Esperanza Rising. Give examples and details of how their human rights were in danger.") (MMR)
  • For ELLs: Consider inviting students to verbally "complete" the note-catcher in home language groupings, focusing more on the discussion of emotions, events, and connections to human rights than on writing. They can then focus on writing notes in their home language or English, or making sketches as placeholders, and finally discussing in English.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with expressive language: Remind students of the discussion frame they used in Lesson 11. Ask them to point out the referents that provide cohesion (e.g., pronouns, nominalizations) and how this frame differs from other types of speaking and writing. Invite them to identify areas they'd like to revise in the frame to offer better support during the End of Unit 1 Assessment. Invite them to take the frame one step further by reflecting how they can use the frame in association with the Discussion Norms anchor chart. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with memory: Review the learning targets introduced in Opening A. Ask students to give specific examples of how they worked toward achieving them in Work Time A. Invite students to rephrase the targets now that they have two lessons' worth of experience preparing for a text-based discussion. (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.
  • Remind students that A Life like Mine is based on a set of rights, like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that were written especially for children, called the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 
  • Invite students to turn and talk with their partner, and then cold call students to share out:

"How did Esperanza feel about their new home?" (She didn't like it because it was small and they were sharing with other people.)

"Was this a threat to their human rights? Why/why not?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Yes, because they don't have a bathroom in the house.)

  • Reread pages 26-29 of A Life like Mine and go through the checklist on page 28 against what we know about Esperanza to determine which of those things we know she has and which we know she doesn't, or aren't sure about.
  • Read pages 30-33 of A Life like Mine and ensure that students get to see the photographs.
  • Invite students to Think-Pair-Share with their partner, leaving adequate time for partners to think, to ask each other the question, and share: 

"What were these pages about?" (Student responses may vary, but could include that they're about types of houses people live in around the world.)

"Do you still think the cabin is a threat to their human rights?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Yes, because there isn't adequate space for the number of people or adults who can care for the children during the day.)

  • If productive, cue students to expand the conversation by saying more:

"Can you say more about that?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Emphasize to students that although the cabin Esperanza lives in may be very different from the conditions she lived in in Mexico, and it may be similar to or different from the experiences they have at home, there are lots of different kinds of homes. 
  • Guide students through the Red Light, Green Light protocol to self-assess against how well they showed respect, empathy, and compassion in this lesson.
  • 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)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with expressive language skills: To provide lighter support, invite intermediate students to create a variety of alternative sentence frames to respond to questions. Invite students who need heavier support to use the frames. (MMAE) (Examples: Yes, I still feel strongly that the cabin is a human rights threat because _____. / No. In my opinion, the cabin doesn't threaten their human rights. There is _____.)
  • 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, MMAE)

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 reading and writing: Refer to the suggested homework support in Lesson 2. (MMAE, MMR)

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