- Unit 1
- Level 1
- 1 days
- Close Reading, Text Analysis, Identifying Textual Evidence
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Standards Addressed:
- RL.9-10.3
- SL.9-10.1.c
Lesson Materials/Resources
Objectives
Students encounter a new reading standard, RL.9-10.3, and analyze Mirabella’s interactions with the pack using the Character Tracking Tool. Students also encounter the first standard related to speaking and listening, SL.9-10.1, focusing on substandard c.
Assessment/CFU
Student learning is assessed via a Quick Write at the end of the lesson. Students respond to the following prompt, citing textual evidence to support analysis and inferences drawn from the text.
How does Mirabella interact with the rest of the pack?
A High Performance Response should:
Cite specific interactions between the pack and Mirabella (e.g., Mirabella destroys Jeanette’s property when she “snapped through Jeanette’s homework binder” (p. 240). Mirabella also pounces on Claudette at the Debutante Ball because she “intercept[s] [Claudette’s] eye-cry for help” (p. 244) and thinks that Claudette is in danger).
Describe the interactions between the pack and Mirabella (e.g., Mirabella is a source of frustration for the pack because she is adapting so slowly. Mirabella is frequently aggressive and disruptive in her interactions with the rest of the pack, as when she “scratch[es] and scratch[es] at [Jeanette and Claudette], raking her nails along our shins so hard that she [draws] blood” (p. 240). She refuses to adapt to human culture and will communicate with other members of the pack only as a wolf, as when she rolls “belly-up on the cold stone floor, squirming on a bed of spelling-bee worksheets” in front of Jeanette and Claudette (p. 240), or when she “close[s] her jaws around Jeanette’s bald ankle” (p. 241). At the same time, she is very loving towards the rest of the pack. When she realizes that Claudette is in trouble, she tackles her from behind, “barking at unseen cougars, trying to shield [her] with her tiny body” (p. 244).
Opening/Warmup/Connecting Prior Knowledge
Begin by reviewing the agenda and the assessed standard for this lesson: RL.9-10.3. In this lesson, students listen to a masterful reading of the end of the text and analyze how Mirabella interacts with other members of the pack. Students participate in evidence-based discussion and complete a brief writing assignment to close the lesson.
Students look at the agenda.
Instruct students to take out their copies of the 9.1 Common Core Learning Standards Tool. Inform students that in this lesson they begin working with two new standards: RL.9-10.3 and SL.9-10.1.c. Ask students to individually read these standards on their tools and assess their familiarity with and mastery of them.
Students read and assess their familiarity with standards RL.9-10.3 and SL.9-10.1.c.
Instruct students to talk in pairs about what they think standard RL.9-10.3 means. Lead a brief discussion about the standard.
Student responses may include:
o Analyze how characters change during a story
o Notice how these characters interact with other characters
o Analyze how these characters create action in the story
o Think about how these characters contribute to central ideas in the text
Instruct students to talk in pairs about what they think standard SL.9-10.1 means. Lead a brief discussion about the standard.
Student responses may include:
o Begin and participate in a range of discussions with different partners.
o Listen to the ideas of other in order to develop greater understanding.
o Express ideas in a clear and convincing way
Instruct students to talk in pairs about what they think substandard SL.9-10.1.c means. Lead a brief discussion about the standard.
Student responses may include:
o Move discussions forward by asking and answering questions and respectfully disagreeing
o Talk about how the discussion relates to bigger ideas
o Actively bring others into the discussion
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