Brooklyn Boys" by Bethany Hegedus

english language arts Grades Finding Yourself 4-5

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

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Table of Contents 5

Table of Contents

Introduction

Overview What is this unit about?...... 9. What content and concepts will students learn?...... 9 What practices will students use?...... 9 How long will it take to engage students in the unit?...... 9

Unit Outline...... 10

Materials by Task...... 11

TEXT 1: “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak

TASK 1.1: Comprehension...... 15

TASK 1.2: Analysis...... 24

TASK 1.3: Interpretation...... 32

TEXT 2: "Brooklyn Boys" by Bethany Hegedus

TASK 2.1: Comprehension...... 45

TASK 2.2: Analysis...... 54

TASK 2.3: Interpretation...... 60

Writing Across Texts

Lesson...... 71 Task Handout...... 77 Decision Tree Scoring Guide...... 78 Annotated Student Sample 1...... 79 Decision Tree Scoring Guide, Student Sample 1...... 80 Annotated Student Sample 2...... 81 Decision Tree Scoring Guide, Student Sample 2...... 82

Appendix

What is our approach to vocabulary instruction?...... 85 How does the unit provide support for English learners?...... 87 Obtaining Copyright Permission...... 88 Instructional Resources Reader/Writer Notebook...... 89 Reader/Writer Notebook Suggested Feedback System...... 90 Pedagogical Rituals and Routines...... 91 Accountable Talk® Moves and Functions in ELA...... 92 Inquiry-Based Discussion...... 93

Introduction 9

Overview

What is this unit about? In this unit, students will read two texts: “My Corner”1 by Jennifer Szostak and “Brooklyn Boys”2 by Bethany Hegedus. Through the study of these two literary texts, students build their knowledge about point of view and theme. Additionally, students are supported to draw evidence from texts in order to construct written and oral interpretations, analyses, and conclusions.

What content and concepts will students learn? Students will learn about:

• point of view and how it shapes readers’ understanding of characters and events • theme and how themes are supported with evidence from across the text • characteristics of literary interpretations.

What practices will students use? Students are supported to develop practices and habits such as how to:

• comprehend and analyze literary texts with assistance and independently • work from moments in one text and across two texts to develop literary interpretations, analyses, and conclusions • read, reread, annotate, and take notes on sections of texts and texts in their entirety as a means to enhance their understanding within and across texts • draft effective literary interpretations that include a clearly stated claim, textual evidence to support the claim, and explanations that state how the evidence supports the claim • participate in routines such as maintaining a Reader/Writer Notebook, completing quick writes, sharing in pairs/trios, and participating in whole group discussions.

How long will it take to engage students in the unit? This unit spans approximately 10-14 instructional days, assuming 45- to 60-minute classes. The tasks in the unit are designed to be implemented sequentially in order to support students to achieve the instructional goals. As such, the pacing of the lessons will depend on the time students need to achieve these goals.

1 Szostak, J. (2008, February). My corner. Cricket, 35(6), 5-10.

2 Hegedus, B. (2005, July). Brooklyn boys. Cricket, 32(11), 38-42.

Unit Outline3

Overarching Questions • How does point of view change what a reader sees and understands in these stories? • How are themes developed across these stories?

TEXT 1 TEXT 2 “My Corner” “Brooklyn Boys” by Jennifer Szostak by Bethany Hegedus

1.1 Comprehension 2.1 Comprehension • What’s happening in this story? • What’s happening in this story? • Who are the characters and what do you know • Who are the characters and what do you know about them? about them? 1.2 Analysis 2.2 Analysis • What does Szostak’s use of first person point of • What does Hegedus’s use of third person view help a reader see and understand in this limited point of view help a reader see and story? understand in this story? • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and understanding? understanding? 1.3 Interpretation 2.3 Interpretation • Which theme best captures “My Corner”? • Which theme best captures “Brooklyn Boys”? • What are the characteristics of a literary interpretation?

Writing Across Texts Write an essay in which you explain one theme that applies to both “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys.”

3 The questions guiding the work of the unit have been carefully and collaboratively crafted to support student engagement with the texts under study and student achievement of the learning goals of the unit. Changing the language of a question can alter the intellectual rigor and the lesson’s or unit’s intention and purpose.

Materials by Task

Task Materials

• “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak • Handout: Comprehension of “My Corner” • Questioning the Author Lesson for “My Corner” 1.1 • Chart: “My Corner” Characters and Events • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers • “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak • Handout: Getting to Know Tia (two-page handout that includes the Getting to Know Tia graphic organizer) 1.2 • Chart: Rewriting Scenes • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers • “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak • Handout: Theme: “My Corner” (two-page handout that includes the Theme: “My Corner” graphic organizer) 1.3 • Chart: Theme • Chart: Supporting Positions • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers • “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus • Handout: Comprehension of “Brooklyn Boys” • Questioning the Author Lesson for “Brooklyn Boys” 2.1 • Chart: “Brooklyn Boys” Characters and Events • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers • “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus • Handout: Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” (two-page handout that 2.2 includes the Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” graphic organizer) • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers • “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus • Handout: Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” (two-page handout that includes the 2.3 Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” graphic organizer) • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers • “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak • “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus • Handout: Writing Across Texts Writng Across Texts • Handout: Writing Across Texts: Decision Tree Scoring Guide • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers

Overarching Questions • How does point of view change what a reader sees and understands in these stories? • How are themes developed across these stories? TEXT 1 TEXT 2 “My Corner” “Brooklyn Boys” by Jennifer Szostak by Bethany Hegedus 1.1 Comprehension 2.1 Comprehension • What’s happening in this story? • What’s happening in this story? • Who are the characters and what do you know • Who are the characters and what do you know about them? about them? 1.2 Analysis 2.2 Analysis • What does Szostak’s use of first person point of • What does Hegedus’s use of third person view help a reader see and understand in this limited point of view help a reader see and story? understand in this story? • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and understanding? understanding? 1.3 Interpretation 2.3 Interpretation • Which theme best captures “My Corner”? • Which theme best captures “Brooklyn Boys”? • What are the characteristics of a literary interpretation? Writing Across Texts Write an essay in which you explain one theme that applies to both “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys.”

“My Corner” 15

Comprehension TASK 1.1 • What’s happening in this story? • Who are the characters and what do you know about them?

Situating the Task Duration TEXT 1 1-2 class sessions “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak 1.1 Comprehension Why This Task Now? • What’s happening in this story? This first task asks students to read “My Corner” • Who are the characters and what do you know to understand what’s happening in the story and about them? identify what they know about the characters. 1.2 Analysis This is the first of several readings students will • What does Szostak’s use of first person point of do of this text. The purpose of this task is for view help a reader see and understand in this students to get the gist of Szostak’s story so that story? they have a foundation from which to work for • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and later tasks. understanding? 1.3 Interpretation • Which theme best captures “My Corner”? • What are the characteristics of a literary interpretation?

Materials • “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak • Handout: Comprehension of “My Corner” • Questioning the Author Lesson for “My Corner” • Chart: “My Corner” Characters and Events • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers

TASK Teaching Approach 1.1 Setting Up the Unit: Whole Group (5-7 minutes) Purpose: To introduce students to the Finding Yourself unit, including the unit’s texts and overarching questions.

• Introduce students to the Finding Yourself unit. • Tell students that over the next two weeks they will read, write about, and discuss two short stories. o The first text, “My Corner,” by Jennifer Szostak, was published in 2008 inCricket magazine. o The second text, “Brooklyn Boys,” by Bethany Hegedus, was published in 2005 in Cricket magazine. • Share the two overarching questions that guide the work in the unit: o How does point of view change what a reader sees and understands in these stories? o How are themes developed across these stories?

Teacher Note “My Corner” was placed first in this unit for two reasons:

1. It’s shorter than “Brooklyn Boys,” and provides an opportunity for students to find success in reading all or part of a literary text independently. 2. It’s a linear story. “Brooklyn Boys,” on the other hand, jumps time and requires the reader to understand that the events that happen in the story don’t take place within the same day.

Setting Up the Task: Whole Group (3-5 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with clear directions and expectations for the comprehension task on “My Corner.”

• Provide students with the handout titled Comprehension of “My Corner” (found on page 20). • Review the “Purpose” and “Task” sections with students, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and clarify expectations.

20 "My Corner”

TASK Comprehension of “My Corner” 1.1

Purpose Today you will read “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak for the first time. The purpose of today’s reading is for you to get a basic understanding of the characters and events in the story. This will help you with later tasks when you will take a closer look at point of view and the themes in this story.

Task Step 1: Individual Work

• As you read “My Corner,” think about the following questions: • What’s happening in this story? • Who are the characters and what do you know about them?

Step 2: Partner Work

• Create a chart like the one below. • Share and talk about the characters in the story. List the characters in the text in the left column of the chart and what you know about them in the right column, including the line numbers that support what you know. • Share and talk about what happens in the story. Then, in the bottom row of your chart, write a summary by adding a few sentences about what happens in the story.

Characters What You Know About Them

What is happening in the story?

Important TASK We have provided a Questioning the Author (QtA) lesson for the entire text (see page 21). These 1.1 text-based questions guide students through the reading of the text, asking them to pause periodically to discuss what’s going on, what they’re learning about the characters, and how what they’re learning connects to what they’ve already read in this text. We recommend that you use the questions as written. These questions have been crafted to support students’ understanding of the text and prepare them for the work that follows. Moving away from the questions may prevent students from fully getting the gist of the text and being prepared to tackle later tasks.

Preparing Students to Read: Whole Group (15-20 minutes) Purpose: To provide support for students’ text comprehension by engaging them in a Questioning the Author (QtA) discussion before releasing the task to students for independent work.

• Tell students that you will read “My Corner” aloud as they follow along on their copy. Let students know that they will be participating in a QtA discussion where you will stop reading after every one or two paragraphs so they can discuss what they are learning. • Remind students of the two questions they should keep in mind while reading: o What’s happening in this story? o Who are the characters and what do you know about them? • Begin reading aloud using the QtA lesson (found on page 21) to guide the reading and discussion. • Each time you pause in the reading to pose questions using the QtA lesson, ask students to quickly share o what’s happening in the story o who the characters are and what they’ve learned about them.

Differentiation Not all students will need to have the entire text read aloud to them using the QtA lesson. We recommend that you use the QtA lesson through line 43, and then determine whether students are able to finish the rest of the text independently.

• If you find that students have the gist of the text by line 43, have them finish the reading on their own. If not, read another section aloud to the whole group using the QtA lesson and repeat the steps above until students are ready to read the remaining text independently. • If you feel that some students will be unable to read the text independently, continue using the QtA lesson with that group of students while the other students finish reading the text independently. • If students do read independently, share the following tips with them. Tell them that if they begin to feel confused or frustrated while reading, stop reading and try the following: o Recap: Try to restate what you’ve read by saying something to yourself like: “What the author is telling me is. . .” When you are able to restate what you read, write down a few words in the margin to help you remember your thinking. o Reread and recap: If you can’t recap what you’ve read on the first try, reread that section and try again. o Move on: If you still can’t say back what you’ve read, move on. You can ask a partner to help you make sense of that part once you’ve finished reading the text. • Keep these tips displayed or provide them to students as a handout to remind students of the things they can do to independently understand the text.

TASK Monitoring Independent Reading: Individual Work (15 minutes) Purpose: To give students practice in reading a text on their own after they’ve been provided some support 1.1 for that process with the beginning of the text.

• Ask students to finish reading “My Corner,” following the directions for Step 1 on theComprehension of “My Corner” handout. • As students are reading, circulate around the room to monitor students’ progress. Be on the lookout for students who are having difficulty with staying focused or marking the text. If necessary, pull small groups of students together to read the text.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (7-10 minutes) Purpose: To provide a safe environment with high accountability for students to share their ideas and hear the ideas of others.

• Ask students to work with a partner on Step 2 of the Comprehension of “My Corner” handout. • Circulate around the room to monitor students’ progress. Be on the lookout for students who are having difficulty getting started, moving beyond talking about the events in the story, or identifying the characters. • Monitor students’ ideas during the pair work. Make mental notes of students’ misunderstandings about the text. Use this knowledge to determine points that might need to be clarified during the class discussion.

Guiding Students to Consensus: Whole Group (10-15 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to reach a common understanding about the events and characters in the text.

• Bring students together as a whole group. • Invite pairs to share their notes about the characters and what they think happens in the story. There are different ways to have students share what they learned. o You might ask one pair to share their chart and notes, and as they share, ask others to agree, disagree, or add onto what is said until all characters have been explored. o Another option is to invite students to share in any order, making sure that all students have an opportunity to contribute their ideas. • Record students’ responses on a chart that you title “My Corner” Characters and Events. • Finally, ask students about their reaction to the story. Consider using the following questions to guide the discussion: What did you think about the story? Did you like it? Why or why not? What questions do you have about it? • Support students to explain their responses. You might consider using students’ text-based questions as the basis for discussion now or in later lessons.

Learning Target TASK Below is one example of how students may respond to the task questions. Work with students 1.1 to capture the important ideas about the characters rather than restating all the details in the text. It’s fine at this point if students aren’t capturing everything that is written below. They will have additional opportunities to expand their understanding of the text in subsequent tasks.

“My Corner” Characters and Events Characters What You Know About Them Tia • Says that 71st and Prospect is her corner. She sees this corner of land as a treasure box of nature. (lines 1; 3-4) • Lives in an apartment with her Mama, sisters, and brothers, and she runs down to her corner to get away from the chaos of living with all of them. (lines 5-7) • Is upset when she finds out that the city plans to pave over her corner and decides to go out and protest the planned parking lot. (lines 20; 31- 32) • Decides that she’s the “one who needs to make some noise,” and explains to a reporter the reasons why the corner needs to be saved. The article inspires others in Tia’s neighborhood to join her in her fight to save the corner. (lines 56-60; 70-76) • Is nervous to speak to people from the city about the corner, but she does, and her corner is saved. (lines 84-89; 100-101) • Decides, a year later, that she needs to fight for other vacant lots to be saved. (lines 113-114) Mama • Tia’s mother. She tells Tia that the city plans to pave over Tia’s corner. (lines 18-19) • Comes down to the corner with Tia’s brothers and sisters to support her in protesting the parking lot. (lines 44-45) • Tells Tia to feel proud of herself for standing up for what she believes in. (lines 96-97) • Breaks the news that Tia saved the corner. (lines 99-101) Mrs. DiRisio • A local store owner. (line 37) • Doesn’t want Tia protesting the parking lot and tells Tia to go home. (lines 37-41) • Is in the audience when Tia gives her speech to the city council. (line 86) Sara Bennett • A reporter from the Tribune that comes to interview Tia. (lines 55-57) • When Tia sees Sara at the city council meeting, Tia thinks that Sara secretly supports Tia’s cause. (lines 89-90) What is happening in the story? Tia spends a lot of time enjoying the nature in an abandoned lot next to her apartment building (lines 5-14). When Tia’s mother tells her that the city plans to pave the corner to make a parking lot (lines 18-19), Tia decides to protest and her family and neighbors join her, but the local shop owners are not happy (lines 31-32; 37-41; 44-45; 71-76). After Tia speaks in front of the city council (lines 87-89), the city decides not to pave the corner, and the corner becomes a nature preserve (lines 100-101; 108-109). Tia decides that she needs to work to protect more vacant land. (lines 113-114).

TASK Comprehension of “My Corner” 1.1

Task Step 1: Individual Work

• As you read “My Corner,” think about the following questions: a. What’s happening in this story? b. Who are the characters and what do you know about them?

Step 2: Partner Work

Characters What You Know About Them

What is happening in the story?

Questioning the Author Lesson for “My Corner” TASK As you read “My Corner,” engage students in a discussion of the text by asking them to respond to the questions below. These questions are designed to stop the reading periodically so students can build 1.1 meaning and make connections among the ideas in the text. It might be helpful to occasionally ask students for a recap of what you’ve read so far in the text. It is important that all students are keeping up with the big ideas in the text, building meaning, and making connections across the text.

Teacher Note Some teachers find it helpful to prepare the discussion questions and notes on the corresponding pages of the text. Questions can be handwritten on the page or prepared on sticky notes.

Read Lines Say and/or Ask Elicit Notes/Options We will begin our unit by reading the first story, “My Corner.” 1-4 What did we find out in this The narrator thinks her corner is a Although this is a first paragraph? treasure box, but no one else pays short paragraph, it attention to it. sets the stage for the importance of “the corner.” 5-17 How does this information Tia goes to her corner to escape connect with what we already her apartment because the corner read? is quiet and full of nature. Other people don’t respect the corner and throw their trash there. 18-30 What’s going on? Tia finds out that the city wants to pave over her corner and it makes Follow ups (if needed): her upset. Tia’s mother tells her that How did Tia handle Mama’s Tia should make some noise about news? What does Mama think how she feels and Tia knows that of the city’s plan? she has to do something. 31-43 What happened in this Tia takes a chair and sign to her section? corner to protest, but people just walk by and Tia does not think that Follow up: How is Tia’s plan they care. Mrs. DiRisio, a shop working? owner, tells Tia to go home and is If needed: What’s the problem? mad that she is protesting.

TASK Read Lines Say and/or Ask Elicit Notes/Options 1.1 44-64 Now, how are things going Things start looking a little better There are two with Tia’s plan? for Tia because her family comes important ideas in down to the corner to help her this scene. Make Follow up: Okay, you protest and a reporter stops by to sure students mentioned that Tia’s family get Tia’s story. understand that came to the corner. What Tia’s family has does that tell us about Tia’s Tia’s family coming to the corner come to support her, relationship with her family? tells us that they care about Tia and and a newspaper want to support her. reporter has stopped by to write a story. 65-77 How does what we just read The article about Tia inspires Tia’s fit in with what happened in friends and neighbors to understand our last section? the importance of the corner and they come out to support Tia’s Follow up: What does Tia protest. mean when she says, “This isn’t just my corner anymore. Tia means that others have seen This is our corner.”? the importance of keeping the corner as it is and have joined with Tia to support keeping the corner unpaved. 78-83 This was a short paragraph, Lots of people have come out in Pause here to but what was the important support of keeping the corner as it emphasize that idea? is. Mrs. DiRisio is still not happy Mrs. DiRisio is still about the protest though. fighting against the city’s plan, although Tia has garnered the support of most of the community. 84-103 What did we find out here? Tia is asked to speak to the city council about why the corner should Follow up (If needed): How did be saved. She’s nervous, but she things turn out? does it. Tia finds out later that night that the city council voted to save the corner!

Read Lines Say and/or Ask Elicit Notes/Options TASK 104-114 How does this last section add We find out that after a year, In addition to asking 1.1 to what we just talked about? the corner has become a nature the questions that preserve and Tia’s idea to put in a support students’ Follow ups: What does bench and garden are happening. understanding of Tia mean when she says, Tia plans to try to protect more how things turned “My corner isn’t just mine pieces of land. out for Tia and anymore.”? the community, People in the community are What does the last line mean? it’s important they coming to the corner to appreciate appreciate the last “There’s a vacant lot down nature; it’s not just Tia anymore. on 73rd Street that could use line. some cleanin’ up . . .” Tia has decided that she wants to try to create more nature preserves in the neighborhood.

TASK Analysis 1.2 • What does Szostak’s use of first person point of view help a reader see and understand in this story? • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and understanding?

Situating the Task Duration TEXT 1 1-2 class sessions “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak 1.1 Comprehension Why This Task Now? • What’s happening in this story? Now that students have read the text to get the • Who are the characters and what do you know gist of the events and the characters, they are about them? ready to take a more focused look at the effect 1.2 Analysis point of view has on the story. The purposes of • What does Szostak’s use of first person point of this second task are for students to view help a reader see and understand in this • understand that first person point of view story? exposes the reader to only one character’s • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and thoughts, feelings, and experiences. understanding? • understand how the story might change 1.3 Interpretation if the story was told from a different • Which theme best captures “My Corner”? character’s point of view. • What are the characteristics of a literary interpretation?

Materials • “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak • Handout: Getting to Know Tia (two-page handout that includes the Getting to Know Tia graphic organizer) • Chart: Rewriting Scenes • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers

Teaching Approach TASK Setting Up the Task: Whole Group (3 minutes) 1.2 Purpose: To provide students with clear directions and expectations for the next task on “My Corner” in which they will examine point of view.

• Provide students with the handout titled Getting to Know Tia (found on page 30). This is a two-page handout that includes a graphic organizer.

30 "My Corner”

TASK Getting to Know Tia 1.2

Purpose Today you will reread “My Corner” to study the use of first person point of view. The purpose of this second task is for you to consider what first person point of view helps you to see and understand about the events and characters, and what it prevents you from seeing and understanding. Task Step 1: Partner Work

“My Corner” is told from first person point of view. When a story is written in first person point of view, the reader knows only the thoughts and feelings of a single character. Revisit the text and your “My Corner” Characters and Events chart to help you complete the Getting to Know Tia organizer.

• Use the left column to take notes on what you know from Tia’s narration of the story. • Use the right column to take notes on what you don’t know in the story.

When you’ve completed your organizer, discuss your responses to the following questions: • What does first person point of view help you to see and understand in this story? • What does first person point of view prevent you from seeing and understanding? Step 2: Partner Work Select a scene from “My Corner.” Retell that scene from another character’s point of view. When you’ve completed your scene, compose a quick write in response to the following question:

• How does point of view change what the reader sees and understands in a story? Be prepared to share your scene and your responses to the above questions with your classmates.

• Review the “Purpose” and “Task” sections, giving students an opportunity to ask questions and clarify expectations.

Access Prior Knowledge: Whole Group (5-7 minutes) Purpose: To assess what students understand about point of view and to fill in the gaps in their understanding before asking students to work with point of view in pairs and individually.

• Invite several students to explain what point of view is and what it does in a story. • If students don’t mention that point of view both highlights and hides information, take a minute to remind students about the concept of point of view. You might, for example, compare point of view to photography or film, and talk about the way that a camera captures action or an image and how the images it captures are shaped by where the person with the camera is standing—in other words, by his or her point of view. (For example, “If I stand here, the camera captures x and y; but if I stand here it misses x, but captures z.”) • Tell students that a key decision that a writer makes when telling a story is deciding on the point of view. A story’s point of view determines what a writer reveals or hides from readers. It determines how and what we get to know about the characters and how the story unfolds. The story’s point of view allows you to see some things, and hides other things. • If students have prior experience with point of view, ask them to state the point of view of this story and how they know the story is being told from that point of view. Students should understand that this story is told from first person point of view, meaning that the main character is telling the story. They should also know that the narrator using pronouns such as “I,” “me,” and “my” are clues that the story is being told in first person.

TASK Modeling Thinking and Process: Whole Group (5-7 minutes) Purpose: To give students the opportunity to work as a whole group to identify what first person point of 1.2 view helps them to see and understand and what it prevents them from seeing and understanding prior to being asked to do similar work in pairs.

• Tell students that you are going to work together to do two things: (1) explain what first person point of view helps you to see and understand in the story, and (2) explain what first person point of view prevents you from seeing and understanding. • Display the Getting to Know Tia organizer and an enlarged copy of the text. • Tell students that you are going to reread aloud from line 1 to line 28 and that students should listen for what they can see and understand in that section and what they are prevented from seeing and understanding. (See the Learning Target below for some possible ideas.) • When you’ve finished reading, ask students what they could see and understand. Write students’ thinking in the left column of the organizer. • Next, ask students to explain what they can’t see and understand. If students need help with this, ask them to think about other characters in the scene and if we really know how they feel and what they are thinking. Add student thinking to the right column of the organizer.

Differentiation If you find that students can explain what first person point of view allows them to see and understand and what it prevents them from seeing and understanding, have them work with a partner on Step 1 of the Getting to Know Tia handout with the rest of the text.

For students who need additional support, continue rereading the text aloud and asking students to explain what they can see and understand and what they are prevented from seeing and understanding as outlined above until you find they are ready to tackle the text in pairs.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (7-10 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to work in pairs to explain what first person point of view helps them to see in this story and what it prevents them from seeing.

• Ask students to complete Step 1 of the Getting to Know Tia handout. • Circulate around the room to monitor students’ progress. Be on the lookout for students who are having difficulty getting started or getting beyond discussing what first person point of view helps them to see and understand. • Make mental notes of pairs who have particularly interesting or insightful ideas about what first person point of view helps them to see and understand and what it prevents them from seeing and understanding.

Facilitating Student Sensemaking: Whole Group (7-10 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to share their thinking with the whole group and to come to a shared understanding of what first person point of view helps them to see and understand and what it prevents them from seeing and understanding.

• Ask pairs to share their responses to the questions in Step 1. • As students share, encourage others to agree or disagree, and to ask questions. • Capture students’ thinking on the class Getting to Know Tia organizer.

Learning Target TASK Below is one possible way to respond to the task questions. Students may say something 1.2 different or have more to say, and that’s fine. What’s important here is that students are able to support their responses with evidence from the text.

Getting to Know Tia What Does First Person Point of What Does First Person Point of View View Prevent You From Seeing and Allow You to See and Understand? Understanding? • I can see that Tia loves her corner • I don’t understand why the city has because it’s full of plants and animals decided to pave over the corner. (lines and because it’s peaceful. (lines 7-14) 18-19) • I can see that Tia wants to save the • I don’t know if Mrs. DiRisio is really mad corner, but that she can see that others at Tia, or how she really feels about the don’t want it saved. I also understand corner being paved. (lines 37-41) that Tia thinks that Mrs. DiRisio is mad • I can’t see why Sara Bennett was at the at her for trying to save the corner. corner. I don’t know if she was told to (lines 31-41) go there and I don’t know who told her. • I know that Tia is nervous when she has (lines 53-64) to give her speech to the city and gets • I can’t see what Tia’s friends and more nervous when she hears others neighbors thought about the corner tell why the corner should be paved. before the article about Tia came out. (lines 86-95) (lines 73-76) • I know that Tia is excited when the city • I don’t see how the store owners felt votes to keep the corner and is inspired when the city voted to keep the corner to work to save other patches of land in and not pave it. (lines 91-95; 100-101) her neighborhood. (lines 106-114)

Modeling Thinking and Process: Whole Group (5-7 minutes) Purpose: To give students the opportunity to work as a whole group to identify what first person point of view helps them to see and understand and what it prevents them from seeing and understanding prior to being asked to do similar work in pairs.

• Explain to students that you are going to work together to rewrite a scene from “My Corner” using the point of view of another character. • Reread lines 52-64. Ask students to state what that section of text helps them to see and understand, and if there is a character that could provide another point of view on the scene. • Explain that you are going to work to rewrite the scene from Sara’s point of view. Think aloud with students as you consider why Sara might have decided to interview Tia, what Sara thinks about Tia, and what Sara wants to achieve with her article. • Begin rewriting the scene. Ask students to provide input on what they think might happen next and why. See the Learning Target for one possible way to rewrite the scene. • Finally, ask students to explain what you had to know and do to rewrite the scene. Capture student thinking in a chart titled Rewriting Scenes. Display the chart for students to refer back to as they complete Step 2 of the Getting to Know Tia task.

TASK Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (10 minutes) 1.2 Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to work with a partner to retell a scene from “My Corner.” • Ask students to complete Step 2 of the Getting to Know Tia handout. • Circulate around the room to monitor students’ progress. Be on the lookout for students who are having difficulty getting started.

Differentiation If you find that students are having trouble retelling a scene, work with students in small groups to think through the following questions:

• Begin by asking students, “Where is a place in the story where we might benefit from understanding what another character is thinking and feeling?” • If students are having trouble locating a place in the text, direct students’ attention to lines 37-41. Reread the section aloud and ask students, “What might Mrs. DiRisio be thinking here?” Model rewriting the scene from Mrs. DiRisio’s point of view, incorporating students’ ideas into your rewritten scene in much the same way as you did with the whole group model. Ask students to compare the two scenes and to state the similarities and differences they notice and why those similarities and differences exist.

If you find that as students write they are mostly switching out names and pronouns, remind students that part of writing from a character’s point of view is knowing what the character is thinking and feeling. Push students to add character thoughts and feelings to their retelling of a scene.

Facilitating Student Sensemaking: Small Group (15 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to share their retellings and to discuss how focusing on a different character changes what the reader sees and understands.

• Ask students to get into small groups to share their writing. • After each student shares, groups should discuss the question on the task sheet. • Circulate around the room to listen in on student conversations. Make mental notes of students or groups who have particularly interesting scenes. Ask those students if they would be willing to share their writing and thoughts with the whole group.

Facilitating Student Sharing: Whole Group (5-7 minutes) Purposes: To enable students to experience multiple retellings, to hear what the writers did and thought about to compose their retellings, and to discuss similarities and differences in the retellings and why they think those similarities and differences exist.

• Invite those students whom you identified previously as doing a fairly good job retelling a scene to share their scenes with the class one at a time. Students should also share their responses to the Step 2 question. Add student thinking to the bottom of the class Getting to Know Tia organizer. • Finally, wrap up the lesson by asking students to discuss the following question: o Now that you’ve looked at point of view in “My Corner,” what conclusions can you draw about point of view? • As students respond, add their thinking to the bottom of the class Getting to Know Tia organizer.

Learning Target TASK Below is one example of how a scene may be rewritten. Students may select other scenes to 1.2 rewrite or may rewrite this scene in a different way, but what’s important is that students can articulate that the change in point of view changes what they see and understand in the scene.

I’m a reporter from the Tribune and I like to cover local neighborhood stories. I had been walking around the corner of 71st and Prospect when I noticed a young girl and her family sitting in the abandoned lot with signs that said, “No Parking Lot! Save Our Nature!” I took a few pictures and decided to go and investigate.

I smile at the girl, who looks no more than 10 or 11, and introduce myself, “I’m Sara Bennett from the Tribune. Can I talk to you?” After getting permission from her mother, the girl walks over and starts talking—a lot! I can tell she really loves this corner and is passionate about saving it. My story will have to show how important this lot is to Tia; I am rooting for her to win this fight.

TASK Getting to Know Tia 1.2

Task Step 1: Partner Work

• Use the left column to take notes on what you know from Tia’s narration of the story. • Use the right column to take notes on what you don’t know in the story.

When you’ve completed your organizer, discuss your responses to the following questions:

• What does first person point of view help you to see and understand in this story? • What does first person point of view prevent you from seeing and understanding?

Step 2: Partner Work

Select a scene from “My Corner.” Retell that scene from another character’s point of view.

When you’ve completed your scene, compose a quick write in response to the following question:

• How does point of view change what the reader sees and understands in a story?

Be prepared to share your scene and your responses to the above questions with your classmates.

TASK 1.2

You From Seeing and Understanding? You What Does First Person Point of View Prevent What Does First Person Point of View

Getting to Know Tia Know to Getting Allow You to See and Understand? Allow You What Does First Person Point of View What Does First Person Point of View

TASK Interpretation 1.3 • Which theme best captures “My Corner”? • What are the characteristics of a literary interpretation?

Situating the Task Duration TEXT 1 2 class sessions “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak 1.1 Comprehension Why This Task Now? • What’s happening in this story? Building from the work students have done to • Who are the characters and what do you know comprehend and analyze “My Corner,” this task about them? asks students to determine and write about 1.2 Analysis themes in the text. The purposes of this third • What does Szostak’s use of first person point of task are for students to view help a reader see and understand in this • understand that themes are supported by story? evidence from across the text • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and • develop an understanding of how to write a understanding? literary interpretation that 1.3 Interpretation o makes a claim • Which theme best captures “My Corner”? o supports the claim with evidence from • What are the characteristics of a literary across the text interpretation? o includes explanations of how the evidence supports or links to the claim. This task scaffolds to the Writing Across Texts task.

Materials • “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak • Handout: Theme: “My Corner” (two-page handout that includes the Theme: “My Corner” graphic organizer) • Chart: Theme • Chart: Supporting Positions • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers

Teaching Approach TASK Setting Up the Task: Whole Group (3 minutes) 1.3 Purpose: To provide students with clear directions and expectations for the next task on “My Corner,” in which they will examine the themes in the text.

• Provide students with the handout titled Theme: “My Corner” (found on page 40). This is a two-page handout that includes a graphic organizer.

40 "My Corner”

TASK Theme: “My Corner” 1.3 Purpose Becoming a good reader involves more than close and careful reading. When reading stories, it also is important to think about the larger ideas in the text. The purposes of this task are for you to understand that themes are supported by evidence from across the text and to use evidence from across the text to support your idea about the theme that best captures “My Corner.” Task Step 1: Partner Work

Work with a partner to complete the Theme: “My Corner” organizer. • In the left column, brainstorm a list of the big ideas in the story. • In the middle column, write the evidence and line numbers that support what you consider to be the big ideas in the story. • In the right column, try your hand at crafting theme statements. As you write these statements, keep in mind that a text’s themes help us to answer the question, “What is the writer saying about the big idea or topic?” Step 2: Pair Work—Literary Interpretation Compose a quick write in response to the following prompt: • Select the theme statement that you think best captures “My Corner.” Then write a literary interpretation in which you support your claim about the theme statement using evidence from the text. A good literary interpretation does three things: o makes a claim o supports the claim with evidence from across the text o includes explanations of how the evidence supports or links to the claim.

• Review the “Purpose” and “Task” sections with students, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and clarify expectations.

Access Prior Knowledge: Whole Group (5 minutes) Purpose: To assess what students know about themes prior to asking them to determine the themes in “My Corner.”

• Ask students to complete a quick write in response to the following questions: o What is a theme? o How do you determine themes in a text? • After students have had a couple of minutes to write, invite students to share their responses. As students share, encourage others to agree, disagree, or add on to what is being said. Capture student thinking on a chart with the title Theme. Address misconceptions as they arise and fill in student thinking as needed. Keep the Theme chart posted as support for students as they work through this task.

Teacher Note Make sure that students understand that a theme is best expressed as a full sentence rather than as a single word, and is developed across an entire text. Students are usually able to provide a single-word topic for a text but often need practice expressing themes as statements. For example:

• “Friendship” is a topic, not a theme. A theme statement about friendship might be something like: “Friendship takes work and may not always be easy.” • “Love” is a topic, not a theme. A theme statement about love might be something like: “Having someone who loves you makes life more enjoyable.”

TASK Modeling Thinking and Process: Whole Group (5-7 minutes) Purpose: To model for students the process of identifying the themes in “My Corner” before asking them to 1.3 complete the work with a partner.

• Tell students that one way to identify a theme in a story is to first identify the big ideas in the story. Tell them you are going to work together to identify one of the big ideas in “My Corner.” • Display an enlarged version of the Theme: “My Corner” organizer. • Ask students to volunteer a big idea from the story. Then select one of their ideas to use as a model. Work with students to find evidence to support that big idea and add it to the second column of the organizer. • Next, help students look across the evidence for the big idea to come up with a theme statement that could represent that big idea. Add the theme statement to the right column. (See Learning Target for possible theme statements.) • Finally, ask students to summarize how to go about determining the big ideas and theme of a story. Use this to determine whether students are ready to complete the task with a partner. If they are not, continue to work with students to capture another big idea, find evidence to support it, and name the theme that the idea/evidence represents before asking them to do this work in pairs.

Differentiation If you find that students are having difficulty determining themes and need additional support completing the task, continue to model determining themes from “My Corner” until you feel that students can do the work in pairs.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (10 minutes) Purposes: To provide students with the opportunity to work with a partner on the task and to develop possible theme statements based on evidence from the text.

• Ask students to complete Step 1 on the Theme: “My Corner” handout. • As students are working, circulate around the room to provide support and assistance as needed.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Small Group Work (5 minutes) Purpose: To provide a safe environment with high accountability for students to share their thinking around theme statements.

• Ask pairs to share their chart with another pair. Have them look for similarities and differences in their charts and provide feedback on how well the theme statements reflect the big ideas and evidence used to create the statements. • Circulate around the room and listen in on students’ thinking. Make mental notes of the range of theme statements so that you can be sure that these statements are explored and discussed in the upcoming discussion.

Facilitating Student Sensemaking: Whole Group (5 minutes) Purposes: To enable students to share their thinking with the whole group and to come to a shared understanding of the themes in the text.

• Ask each pair to share one or two theme statements from their charts. As students share they should talk about the big idea and evidence they worked from to create their statements.

• As pairs share, ask others to agree, disagree, or press for evidence from across the text to support the TASK theme statements. • Add students’ thinking to the class Theme: “My Corner” organizer. 1.3

Learning Target Below are several possible theme statements that students could develop for “My Corner.” It’s fine if students have more or different theme statements. What’s important here is that students are able to support their responses with evidence from across the text.

Topic or Big Idea Evidence to Support Possible Theme Statement From “My Corner” Topic or Big Idea Nature • My corner is a wide-open We should appreciate the treasure box. (line 3) nature around us. • I wade through the tall grass, my jeans swish- swishing…. I wonder why I’m the only one who’s thankful for this place. (lines 8-14) • “A walking path would be nice,” I say, “and maybe a vegetable garden. And a bench….” …how many ideas I’ve got for this corner. (lines 58-60) • Now we’ve got a walking path that curves and winds its way through the 71st Street Nature Preserve. (lines 108-109) Family • Then I see Mama and Your family will support you my brothers and sisters when you need them. coming down the street. They’re carrying chairs and they’ve painted signs. (lines 44-45) • Mama hugs me and says, “I’m real proud of you, Tia.” (lines 62-63) • “Hold your head up, Tia,” whispers Mama. “No matter what happens, you should feel proud….” (lines 96-97) • My family congratulates me by giving me a nature book. (line 104)

TASK Topic or Big Idea Evidence to Support Possible Theme Statement 1.3 From “My Corner” Topic or Big Idea Courage • “Tia, you see somethin’ in Be brave and fight for what that corner that most folks you believe in. don’t. You got to make them see what you see. Make some noise about it…” (lines 26-28) • I’m the one that needs to make some noise. (lines 56-57) • I’m asked to speak to a group of people from the city … My hands start shaking when I spot Mrs. DiRisio… (lines 84-89)

Modeling Thinking and Process of Writing an Interpretation: Whole Group (10 minutes) Purposes: To model for students the thinking and process of writing a literary interpretation and to support students to understand the characteristics of an interpretation.

• Tell students that you are going to model writing a paragraph or two based on a theme statement. Let them know that this is to support them with Step 2 on the Theme: “My Corner” handout. • Model looking across the Theme: “My Corner” organizer to select a theme statement. You’ll want to select a theme statement that you think students won’t be likely to select, meaning that your selected statement won’t best fit the story. However, it should capture the story well and be supported with evidence from across the text. • Next, tell students that as you model writing a paragraph they should pay attention to what you’re saying, doing, and thinking. Explain that a good literary interpretation does three things: o makes a claim o supports the claim with evidence from across the text o includes explanations of how the evidence supports or links to the claim. • Think aloud and model writing a paragraph or two in which you use the evidence you collected from the text to support your claim. As appropriate, have students participate in the writing by asking them to help you craft, revise, and/or edit your writing. • When you’ve finished, identify—or have students identify—your claim, the relevant textual evidence to support your claim, and the explanation of how the evidence supports or links to the claim. These are the criteria that students will use to write their literary interpretations in this task and in the Writing Across Texts task. • Finally, ask students to share what they noticed you saying, doing, and thinking as you wrote the paragraph. If students do not have a great deal of experience supporting their positions in writing, record their responses on a chart titled, Supporting Positions. Keep this chart visible for students as they write their literary interpretations in this task and in the Writing Across Texts task.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (10 minutes) TASK Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to work with a partner to develop a literary interpretation of a theme statement that best fits “My Corner.” 1.3

• Ask students to complete Step 2 of the Theme: “My Corner” handout. • As students are working, circulate around the room to provide support and assistance as needed. Identify students who do a fairly good job writing their interpretations. Ask those students if they would be willing to share their work with the class, including what they did and thought about to draft the interpretation. Students’ interpretations do not have to be perfect. In fact, students learn a great deal from imperfect examples.

Monitoring Peer Review: Small Group Work (5-7 minutes) Purposes: To enable students to share their thinking and for peers to provide feedback on their interpretations.

• Ask pairs to get together with another pair. • As students read their partners’ interpretations, they should do the following things: o highlight the claim o underline evidence used to support the claim, and o circle explanations that state how the evidence supports or links to their claim. o note what the writers did well and what could be improved. • Have pairs share their feedback and note places where they may need to revise their writing. • As students share, circulate around the room to listen in on students’ conversations. This will give you the opportunity to see what additional writing support students may need. • When most students are finished discussing feedback, bring them together as a whole group.

Differentiation If students are new to peer review or struggle to provide feedback to their peers, bring them together in small groups or as a whole group and model the process of providing feedback on a student’s interpretation.

• Ask for a volunteer to have his/her interpretation reviewed by the group. • Display an enlarged copy of the student’s interpretation. • Read the paper aloud. Working as a group, review the interpretation: highlight the student’s claim, underline evidence used to support the claim, and circle explanations that state how the evidence supports the student’s claim. • Note (1) what the writer does well and (2) what the writer can do to improve the writing. Model providing—and helping students to provide—useful and specific feedback. • When you and the group have finished reviewing and providing feedback, ask the writer to share what s/he learned from the group’s feedback and to talk about how s/he will revise the interpretation given the feedback.

Facilitating Student Sharing: Whole Group (5-7 minutes) Purposes: To enable students to see multiple models of literary interpretations, to hear what the writers did and thought about to compose their interpretations, and to hear how the writers plan to revise their interpretations based on feedback.

TASK • Invite those students whom you identified previously as doing a fairly good job writing their interpretations to share their interpretations with the class one at a time. 1.3 • Ideally, writers would display their interpretations so that all students can see them. If that isn’t possible, have writers read their interpretations aloud to the class. After writers share, ask them to o talk about what they did and thought about to compose their interpretations. o share the feedback they received from their partners. o explain how they plan to revise their interpretations based on peer feedback. • Finally, ask students to discuss the following questions: o What went well with developing your interpretations? o What was difficult? o What did you learn from engaging in today’s work that will help you read, write, and think about texts in the future?

Learning Target Below is one way that students may respond to the prompt. What’s important is that students are able to support their theme statements with evidence from the text and explain how their evidence supports the theme.

The theme that best fits “My Corner” is “Be brave and fight for what you believe in.” Tia is brave and fights for her corner throughout the story. In lines 26-28, Tia’s mom says that Tia has to be brave and “make some noise.” Tia said she had to be the one to “make some noise” in lines 56-57. By making noise, Tia is standing up to the city because she is letting other people know that the lot needs to be saved. In lines 84-89, it says, “I’m asked to speak to a group of people from the city … My hands start shaking when I spot Mrs. DiRisio….” Even though Tia is scared, she still speaks in front of everyone. Tia is brave and fights for her corner through the whole story.

Differentiation If students need more practice with writing literary interpretations, have them identify those characteristics (i.e., making a claim, relevant textual evidence to support the claim, and explanations that articulate how the evidence supports the claim) in the interpretations that writers share.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (10 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to revise their writing by implementing the feedback that they received.

• Ask pairs to revise their interpretations based on the feedback they received. • Let students know that they don’t have to act on all the feedback. In other words, if there’s feedback that they don’t agree with (i.e., they don’t think it will improve their interpretation), they may choose to ignore it. • Students should be prepared to hand in their revisions at the end of this period or the beginning of the next.

Facilitating Metacognitive Work: Whole Group StepBack (10 minutes) TASK Purpose: To provide an opportunity for students to reflect on what they learned about literary interpretations and what they learned through giving and receiving feedback. 1.3

• Ask students to discuss responses to the questions below: o What did you learn about writing literary interpretations by working on this task? o How did you use the feedback that you received from your peers? o What did you learn by giving and receiving feedback?

Important Collect students’ interpretations now or in the following lesson. Review their interpretations to gauge their understanding of the text; to determine what support students need in order to develop, support, and explain their claims; and to identify student samples that may serve as models of literary interpretations.

Literary interpretations will include clear claims, relevant textual evidence to support the claims, and explanations that state how the evidence supports the claims. Use this knowledge and the student samples to plan follow-up mini-lessons focused on supporting students to write literary interpretations.

We suggest using the samples in the following way: Identify the aspects of writing a literary interpretation that many students are finding difficult. For example, many students have difficulty connecting relevant textual evidence to their claim. Locate papers that do this effectively, and in different ways, so that students can see there are various ways to incorporate textual evidence. Ask the authors of those papers you identified if you can share their work with the class. Photocopy those papers without students’ names, and ask the class to talk about where and how the authors explain how the evidence they selected supports their position.

TASK Theme: “My Corner” 1.3

Purpose Becoming a good reader involves more than close and careful reading. When reading stories, it also is important to think about the larger ideas in the text. The purposes of this task are for you to understand that themes are supported by evidence from across the text and to use evidence from across the text to support your idea about the theme that best captures “My Corner.”

Task Step 1: Partner Work

Work with a partner to complete the Theme: “My Corner” organizer.

• In the left column, brainstorm a list of the big ideas in the story. • In the middle column, write the evidence and line numbers that support what you consider to be the big ideas in the story. • In the right column, try your hand at crafting theme statements. As you write these statements, keep in mind that a text’s themes help us to answer the question, “What is the writer saying about the big idea or topic?” Step 2: Pair Work—Literary Interpretation

Compose a quick write in response to the following prompt:

• Select the theme statement that you think best captures “My Corner.” Then write a literary interpretation in which you support your claim about the theme statement using evidence from the text. A good literary interpretation does three things: o makes a claim o supports the claim with evidence from across the text o includes explanations of how the evidence supports or links to the claim.

Theme: “My Corner” TASK 1.3

Topic or Big Idea Evidence to Support Possible Theme Statement From “My Corner” Topic or Big Idea

“Brooklyn Boys” 45

Comprehension TASK 2.1 • What’s happening in this story? • Who are the characters and what do you know about them?

Situating the Task Duration TEXT 2 2 class sessions “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus 2.1 Comprehension Why This Task Now? • What’s happening in this story? This first task asks students to read “Brooklyn • Who are the characters and what do you know Boys” to understand what’s happening in the about them? story, and to identify what they know about the 2.2 Analysis characters. This is the first of several readings • What does Hegedus’s use of third person students will do of this text. The purpose of this limited point of view help a reader see and task is for students to get the gist of Hegedus’s understand in this story? story so that they have a foundation from which • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and to work for later tasks. understanding? 2.3 Interpretation • Which theme best captures “Brooklyn Boys”?

Materials • “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus • Handout: Comprehension of “Brooklyn Boys” • Questioning the Author Lesson for “Brooklyn Boys” • Chart: “Brooklyn Boys” Characters and Events • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers

TASK Teaching Approach 2.1 Setting Up the Unit: Whole Group (5-7 minutes) Purpose: To introduce the unit’s second story, “Brooklyn Boys,” by Bethany Hegedus, and to remind students of the unit’s overarching questions.

• Remind students of the overarching questions for the unit: o How does point of view change what a reader sees and understands in these stories? o How are themes developed across these stories? • Let students know they will continue their study of these questions by reading the second story, “Brooklyn Boys,” written by Bethany Hegedus.

Teacher Note “Brooklyn Boys” was placed second in this unit for three reasons:

• “Brooklyn Boys” uses language that may be unfamiliar to students. Hegedus uses many Italian terms to help convey the characters’ culture. • There are several places in the story where there is a flashback or time jumps forward. It may not always be clear to students that these jumps in time are happening. • “Brooklyn Boys” deals with the topic of death, which may be challenging. However, the story focuses less on the actual death of the character and more on Steven’s decision to honor Mr. Fazone and their friendship. Steven’s decision to look at death from this perspective teaches students how stories can be used to keep loved ones close.

Setting Up the Task: Whole Group (3-5 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with clear directions and expectations for the comprehension task on “Brooklyn Boys.”

• Provide students with the handout titled Comprehension of “Brooklyn Boys” (found on page 50). • Review the “Purpose” and “Task” sections with students, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and clarify expectations.

50 “Brooklyn Boys”

TASK Comprehension of “Brooklyn Boys” 2.1

Purpose Today you will read “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus for the first time. The purpose of today’s reading is for you to get a basic understanding of the characters and events in the story. This will help you with later tasks when you will take a closer look at point of view and the themes in this story.

Task Step 1: Individual Work

• As you read “Brooklyn Boys,” think about the following questions: a. What’s happening in this story? b. Who are the characters and what do you know about them?

Step 2: Partner Work

Characters What You Know About Them

What is happening in the story?

Important TASK We have provided a Questioning the Author (QtA) lesson for the entire text (see page 51). 2.1 These text-based questions guide students through the reading of the text, asking them to pause periodically to discuss what’s going on, what they’re learning about the characters, and how what they’re learning connects to what they’ve already read in this text. We recommend that you use the questions as written. These questions have been crafted to support students’ understanding of the text and prepare them for the work that follows. Moving away from the questions may prevent students from fully getting the gist of the text and being prepared to tackle later tasks.

• Tell students that you will read “Brooklyn Boys” aloud as they follow along on their copy. Let students know that they will be participating in a QtA discussion where you will stop reading after every one or two paragraphs so they can discuss what they are learning. • Remind students of the two questions they should keep in mind while reading: o What’s happening in this story? o Who are the characters and what do you know about them? • Begin reading aloud using the QtA lesson (found on page 51) to guide the reading and discussion. • Each time you pause in the reading to pose questions using the QtA lesson, ask students to quickly share o what’s happening in the story o who the characters are and what students have learned about them.

Differentiation Not all students will need to have the entire text read aloud to them using the QtA lesson. We recommend that you use the QtA lesson through line 77, and then determine whether students are able to finish the rest of the text independently.

• If you find that students have the gist of the text by line 77, have them finish the reading on their own. If not, read another section aloud to the whole group using the QtA lesson and repeat the steps above until students are ready to read the remaining text independently. • If you feel that some students will be unable to read the text independently, continue using the QtA lesson with that group of students while the other students finish reading the text independently. • If students do read independently, share the following tips with them. Tell them that if they begin to feel confused or frustrated while reading, stop reading and try the following: o Recap: Try to restate what you’ve read by saying something to yourself like: “What the author is telling me is. . .” When you are able to restate what you read, write down a few words in the margin to help you remember your thinking. o Reread and recap: If you can’t recap what you’ve read on the first try, reread that section and try again. o Move on: If you still can’t say back what you’ve read, move on. You can ask a partner to help you make sense of that part once you’ve finished reading the text. • Keep these tips displayed or provide them to students as a handout to remind students of the things they can do to independently understand the text.

TASK Monitoring Independent Reading: Individual Work (15 minutes) Purpose: To give students practice in reading a text on their own after they’ve been provided some support 2.1 for that process with the beginning of the text.

• Ask students to finish reading “Brooklyn Boys,” following the directions for Step 1 on the Comprehension of “Brooklyn Boys” handout. • As students are reading, circulate around the room to monitor students’ progress. Be on the lookout for students who are having difficulty with staying focused or marking the text. If necessary, pull small groups of students together to read the text.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (7-10 minutes) Purpose: To provide a safe environment with high accountability for students to share their ideas and hear the ideas of others.

• Ask students to work with a partner on Step 2 of the Comprehension of “Brooklyn Boys” handout. • Circulate around the room to monitor students’ progress. Be on the lookout for students who are having difficulty getting started, moving beyond talking about the events in the story, or identifying the characters. • Monitor students’ ideas during the pair work. Make mental notes of students’ misunderstandings about the text. Use this knowledge to determine points that might need to be clarified during the class discussion.

Guiding Students to Consensus: Whole Group (10-15 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to reach a common understanding about the events and characters in the text.

• Bring students together as a whole group. • Invite pairs to share their notes about the characters and what they think happens in the story. There are different ways to have students share what they learned. o You might ask one pair to share their chart and notes, and as they share, ask others to agree, disagree, or add onto what is said until all characters have been explored. o Another option is to invite students to share in any order, making sure that all students have an opportunity to contribute their ideas. • Record students’ responses on a chart that you title “Brooklyn Boys” Characters and Events. • Finally, ask students about their reaction to the story. Consider using the following questions to guide the discussion: What did you think about the story? Did you like it? Why or why not? What questions do you have about it? • Support students to explain their responses. You might consider using students’ text-based questions as the basis for discussion now or in later lessons.

Learning Target TASK Below is one example of how students may respond to the task questions. Work with students 2.1 to capture the important ideas about the characters rather than restating all the details in the text. It’s fine at this point if students aren’t capturing everything that is written below. They will have additional opportunities to expand their understanding of the text in subsequent tasks.

“Brooklyn Boys” Characters and Events Characters What You Know About Them Steven • Spends time with Mr. Fazone talking about Brooklyn and how Brooklyn used to be. (lines 1-9; 24-26) • Plays bocce ball with people in his neighborhood and wins. (lines 14; 49-54) • Receives a notebook from Mr. Fazone where he can keep track of “his Brooklyn” and write stories for Mr. Fazone. (lines 28-34; 47-48; 67-73) • Spends time with the Fazones while his mother works; he runs back to the Fazone’s apartment when Mr. Fazone gets sick. (lines 17-20; 62; 83-84) • After Mr. Fazone dies, Steven is sad, but continues to write his memories in his notebook, including the memory of moving to Brooklyn from Michigan. (lines 95-99; 101-103) • When a new kid moves into Steven’s apartment building, Steven decides to honor Mr. Fazone by taking the new kid under his wing and teaching him about Brooklyn. (lines 150-158) Mr. Fazone • An older gentleman that helps watch Steven and tells him about “his Brooklyn.” (lines 5; 8; 24-26) • Gives Steven a notebook so that Steven can write down his stories just as Mr. Fazone did. (lines 28-34) • Passes away. (line 95) • Became friends with Steven when he stole Steven’s basketball and got Steven to talk about why he was mad about the move to Brooklyn. (lines 103-113) Mrs. Fazone • Is a good cook and cooks for Steven and Mr. Fazone. (lines 55-57; 60-61) • Moves away from Brooklyn after Mr. Fazone passes away. (lines 119-120) What is happening in the story? Steven and Mr. Fazone are friends and they share stories about Brooklyn, what it was like when Mr. Fazone was younger, and what it is like for Steven (lines 1-11). Mr. Fazone gives Steven a notebook to keep track of his memories of Brooklyn just like Mr. Fazone does with his own notebook (lines 28-34; 47-48; 67-73). When Mr. Fazone dies, Steven is sad but keeps writing his stories for Mr. Fazone (95-99; 101-113). Eventually, Mrs. Fazone moves away from the apartment she shared with Mr. Fazone, and a new kid moves in. Steven keeps Mr. Fazone’s memory alive by introducing the new kid to all the things in Brooklyn that Mr. Fazone introduced to Steven (lines 155-158).

TASK Comprehension of “Brooklyn Boys” 2.1

Task Step 1: Individual Work

• As you read “Brooklyn Boys,” think about the following questions: a. What’s happening in this story? b. Who are the characters and what do you know about them?

Step 2: Partner Work

Characters What You Know About Them

What is happening in the story?

Questioning the Author Lesson for “Brooklyn Boys” TASK As you read “Brooklyn Boys,” engage students in a discussion of the text by asking them to respond to the questions below. These questions are designed to stop the reading periodically so students can build 2.1 meaning and make connections among the ideas in the text. It might be helpful to occasionally ask students for a recap of what you’ve read so far in the text. It is important that all students are keeping up with the big ideas in the text and building meaning and making connections across the text.

Teacher Note Some teachers find it helpful to prepare the discussion questions and notes on the corresponding pages of the text. Questions can be handwritten on the page or prepared on sticky notes.

Read Lines Say and/or Ask Elicit Notes/Options We will continue our unit You might have to clear by reading the second story, up several unfamiliar “Brooklyn Boys.” words. The Fazones make reference to several Italian words and phrases, and some of the language Mr. Fazone uses is outdated. 1-12 (Stop What have we found out so Steven and Mr. Fazone are Because the beginning after “The far? talking about Brooklyn and introduces several only thing how it has changed since Mr. characters and refers to that stays Fazone was younger. the city of Brooklyn as the same is “she,” it might cause change.”) Follow up: What does Mr. Mr. Fazone means that things students some confusion, Fazone mean when he says the change all the time. so stop here to establish only thing that stays the same characters and clear up is change? any misconceptions.

Tell students that a cannoli is an Italian pastry or dessert.

TASK Read Lines Say and/or Ask Elicit Notes/Options 2.1 13-39 What new information Mr. Fazone is an old man You might need to provide have we learned about our and he and his wife watch students with a friendly characters? Steven when Steven’s mom definition of the following: is at work. Steven is going to bocce (a game played with play bocce, but Mr. Fazone a number of large balls won’t come because he isn’t and one small ball called feeling well. Before Steven the pallino); and egg cream leaves to play bocce, Mr. (a drink that consists of Fazone gives him a notebook milk, carbonated water, to capture his memories just and chocolate syrup) as Mr. Fazone does.

Follow up: (If needed) What We learn that Mr. Fazone does this new information and Steven have a close tell us about the relationships relationship. among the characters? 40-54 What happened in this Steven plays bocce and wins. section? He notices that Mr. Fazone is not watching from the window. 55-77 How does this section connect Steven goes to eat dinner You might need to provide with what we already know with the Fazones and finds students with a friendly about Steven and the Fazones? out Mr. Fazone is sleeping. definition of the following: While dinner is cooking, ragazzo (a young boy); and Steven starts to write in his lo regalo (your gift); and notebook. He then goes to pasta e fagioli (an Italian his apartment to get his math dish of pasta and beans, flashcards. kind of like a soup). 78-94 What happened now? When Steven is in his apartment he hears ambulance sirens and runs outside to see what’s happening. He sees the ambulance take Mr. Fazone away. 95-102 What do we learn here? We learn that Mr. Fazone has This section might confuse passed away and Steven is students because there is sad, but he is still writing in a jump in time from when his notebook. Steven sees Mr. Fazone get taken away in the ambulance to after Mr. Fazone’s funeral.

Read Lines Say and/or Ask Elicit Notes/Options TASK 103-121 Now what’s going on in the Steven is remembering how This section might confuse 2.1 story? he met Mr. Fazone after he students, as the author and his mother moved to inserts a flashback to Brooklyn from Michigan. when Steven first moved to Brooklyn. We also find out that Mrs. Fazone is moving away and Let students know that that she will miss Steven. “sedersi” is an Italian phrase that means to Follow up: How does Steven’s Steven’s memory tells us sit down. Mrs. Fazone is memory of his first meeting how he met Mr. Fazone, asking Steven to sit down. with Mr. Fazone fit in with and the rest of this scene what’s actually happening in is about how he is saying this section? goodbye to Mrs. Fazone. 122-136 What do we learn from this Steven and Mrs. Fazone conversation between Steven eat the meal that she was and Mrs. Fazone? cooking the night Mr. Fazone died. Steven honors Mr. Fazone by remembering how to serve the cheese the way Mr. Fazone did. 137-149 How do the contents of The box Mrs. Fazone gives Mr. Fazone’s box add to our Steven is full of Mr. Fazone’s understanding of him and his momentos and notebooks relationship with the other with his memories. Mrs. characters? Fazone says that they are things that Mr. Fazone would have wanted Steven to have. It helps us to understand how close Mr. Fazone and Steven were. 150-158 How did things turn out for Steven is upset that new Steven? neighbors are moving in, but remembers what Mr. Fazone would do and welcomes the new kid to the neighborhood.

Follow up: What does Steven Steven remembers how Mr. mean when he says he knows Fazone welcomed him to the what Mr. Fazone would want neighborhood and shared “his him to do? Brooklyn,” so now Steven will share “his Brooklyn” and his memories of Mr. Fazone with the new kid.

TASK Analysis 2.2 • What does Hegedus’s use of third person limited point of view help a reader see and understand in this story? • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and understanding?

Situating the Task Duration TEXT 2 1 class session “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus 2.1 Comprehension Why This Task Now? • What’s happening in this story? Now that students have read the text to get the • Who are the characters and what do you know gist of the story, students are going to take a about them? more focused look at third person limited point 2.2 Analysis of view. The purpose of this task is for students • What does Hegedus’s use of third person to extend their understanding of point of view limited point of view help a reader see and and how it affects what readers understand understand in this story? about a story’s characters and events. • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and understanding? 2.3 Interpretation • Which theme best captures “Brooklyn Boys”?

Materials • “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus • Handout: Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” (two-page handout that includes the Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” graphic organizer) • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers

Teaching Approach TASK Setting Up the Task: Whole Group (3 minutes) 2.2 Purpose: To provide students with clear directions and expectations for the next task on “Brooklyn Boys,” in which they will examine point of view.

• Provide students with the handout titled Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” (found on page 58). This is a two-page handout that includes a graphic organizer.

58 “Brooklyn Boys”

TASK Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” 2.2 Purpose Today you will reread “Brooklyn Boys” to study the use of third person limited point of view. The purposes of this second task are for you to consider what third person limited point of view helps you to see and understand about the events and characters, and what it prevents you from seeing and understanding. It is also to help you see how third person limited point of view is similar to and different from first person point of view.

Task Step 1: Partner Work

“Brooklyn Boys” is told from third person limited point of view. When a story is written in third person limited point of view, the reader knows only the thoughts and feelings of a single character. Revisit the text and your “Brooklyn Boys” Characters and Events chart to help you complete the Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” organizer.

• Use the left column to take notes on what you know from the narrator of the story. • Use the right column to take notes on what you don’t know in the story.

When you’ve completed your organizer, discuss your responses to the following questions. • What does third person limited point of view help you to see and understand in this story? • What does third person limited point of view prevent you from seeing and understanding? Step 2: Individual Work

Now that you’ve looked at both first person point of view and third person limited point of view, please respond to the following questions:

• How are first person point of view and third person limited point of view similar? How are they different? • Which point of view do you like better when reading a story? Why?

• Review the “Purpose” and “Task” sections, giving students an opportunity to ask questions and clarify expectations.

Access Prior Knowledge: Whole Group (3-5 minutes) Purpose: To assess what students remember about point of view and to fill in the gaps in their understanding before asking students to work with point of view in pairs and individually.

• Remind students that point of view both highlights and hides information, and that “My Corner” used first person point of view to highlight Tia’s point of view. If needed, remind students that point of view can be compared to photography or film, and talk about the way that a camera captures action or an image and how the images it captures are shaped by where the person with the camera is standing—in other words, by his or her point of view. • Ask students to state the point of view of this story and how they know the story is being told from that point of view. Students should understand that this story is told from third person limited point of view, meaning the narrator is not a character in the story and that the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of only one character.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (5-7 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to work with a partner to explain what third person limited point of view helps them to see and what it prevents them from seeing.

• Ask students to complete Step 1 of the handout Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys.” • Circulate around the room to monitor students’ progress. Be on the lookout for students who are having difficulty getting started or moving beyond identifying what third person limited point of view helps them to see.

TASK Differentiation 2.2 If students have trouble writing about what third person limited point of view helps them to see and understand, model the process of completing the Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” organizer for the first few paragraphs of the story in much the same way as you did with “My Corner.” Continue the process of modeling until you feel that students can handle the task with a partner.

Facilitating Student Sensemaking: Whole Group (5 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to share their thinking with the whole group and to come to a shared understanding of what third person limited point of view helps them to see and what it prevents them from seeing.

• Ask pairs to share their Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” organizers with the class. • As students share, encourage others to agree, disagree, add on to, and ask questions. • Capture student thinking on a class Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” organizer.

Learning Target Below is one possible way students may complete the Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” organizer. Students are likely to say something different or have more to say, which is fine. What’s important here is that students are able to support their responses with evidence from the text.

Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” What Does Third Person Limited What Does Third Person Limited Point of View Allow You to Point of View Prevent You From See and Understand? Seeing and Understanding? • I know how the notebook felt to Steven • I don’t know how Mr. Fazone is really when Mr. Fazone gave it to him. (lines 33-34) feeling when he refuses to go to the • I know that Steven noticed that Mr. Fazone bocce match. (lines 15-16) wasn’t watching the game, but Steven • I don’t know what Mr. Fazone really thought that he might have fallen asleep. I thinks of Steven; I only know what also see how Steven pictured the scene in he says to Steven and how he acts the Fazones’ apartment. (lines 43-46) toward him. (lines 20-37) • I know that Steven wasn’t sure he’d win • I don’t know what happened in the the game, but I’m told that Steven played it Fazones’ apartment after Steven left cool. (lines 47-51) to get his flashcards. (lines 78-82) • I see what Steven writes in his notebook as • I don’t know how Mrs. Fazone he writes it. (lines 69-73; 103-106) really feels about moving out of the • I know what Steven thinks about the sounds apartment. (lines 119-121) in Brooklyn when the ambulance arrives at • I don’t know what the new kid thinks his building. (lines 80-81) or feels when he meets Steven. • I know how Steven feels and reacts when (lines 155-158) a new family moves into the Fazone apartment. (lines 153-154)

Monitoring Student Thinking: Individual Work (10 minutes) TASK Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to work individually to write about what they know about first person point of view and third person limited point of view. 2.2

• Ask students to complete Step 2 of the handout Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys.” • Circulate around the room to monitor students’ progress. Be on the lookout for students who are having difficulty getting started.

Facilitating Student Sensemaking: Pair Work (5-7 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to share their thinking with a partner before sharing with the whole group.

• Ask students to share their responses to Step 2 with a partner. • Circulate around the room to listen in on student conversations. Make mental notes of students who have interesting noticings about the similarities and differences between first person point of view and third person limited point of view. Ask those students if they would be willing to share their thoughts with the whole group.

Facilitating Student Sharing: Whole Group (7-10 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to come to a shared understanding about the similarties and differences between first person point of view and third person limited point of view.

• Invite those students whom you identified to share their thinking about first person point of view and third person limited point of view. • Allow any volunteers to share their thinking as well. • Add student thinking to the class Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” organizer.

Learning Target Below is one possible way that students may respond to the question about similarities and differences.

First person point of view and third person point of view are similar because they let you know the thoughts and feelings of one character. In “My Corner,” first person lets me see the thoughts and feelings of Tia, and in “Brooklyn Boys,” third person limited lets me see the thoughts and feelings of Steven. They are different because with first person point of view, the main character is telling the story and uses pronouns like “I” and “me.” Third person limited is told by a narrator, so even though I knew Steven’s thoughts and feelings, he wasn’t the one telling me what he thought or how he felt. Third person point of view uses pronouns such as “he” and “she.”

TASK Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” 2.2

Purpose Today you will reread “Brooklyn Boys” to study the use of third person limited point of view. The purposes of this second task are for you to consider what third person limited point of view helps you to see and understand about the events and characters, and what it prevents you from seeing and understanding. It is also to help you see how third person limited point of view is similar to and different from first person point of view.

Task Step 1: Partner Work

• Use the left column to take notes on what you know from the narrator of the story. • Use the right column to take notes on what you don’t know in the story.

When you’ve completed your organizer, discuss your responses to the following questions.

• What does third person limited point of view help you to see and understand in this story? • What does third person limited point of view prevent you from seeing and understanding?

Step 2: Individual Work

Now that you’ve looked at both first person point of view and third person limited point of view, please respond to the following questions:

• How are first person point of view and third person limited point of view similar? How are they different? • Which point of view do you like better when reading a story? Why?

TASK 2.2

Prevent You From Seeing and Understanding? Prevent You What Does Third Person Limited Point of View What Does Third Person Limited Point of View

Point of View: “Brooklyn Boys” “Brooklyn View: of Point View Allow You to See and Understand? Allow You View What Does Third Person Limited Point of

TASK Interpretation 2.3 • Which theme best captures “Brooklyn Boys”?

Situating the Task Duration TEXT 2 1 class session “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus 2.1 Comprehension Why This Task Now? • What’s happening in this story? Building from the work students have done to • Who are the characters and what do you know comprehend and analyze “Brooklyn Boys,” this about them? task asks students to determine and write about 2.2 Analysis themes in the text. The purposes of this third • What does Hegedus’s use of third person task are for students to limited point of view help a reader see and • understand that themes are supported by understand in this story? evidence from across the text • What does it prevent a reader from seeing and • use evidence from across the text to understanding? support a claim about the theme that best 2.3 Interpretation captures “Brooklyn Boys.” • Which theme best captures “Brooklyn Boys”? This task scaffolds to the final Writing Across Texts task.

Materials • “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus • Handout: Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” (two-page handout that includes the Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” graphic organizer) • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers

Teaching Approach TASK Setting Up the Task: Whole Group (3 minutes) 2.3 Purpose: To provide students with clear directions and expectations for the next task on “Brooklyn Boys,” in which they will examine the themes in the text.

• Provide students with the handout titled Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” (found on page 66). This is a two- page handout that includes a graphic organizer.

66 “Brooklyn Boys”

TASK Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” 2.3

Purpose Just as you did with “My Corner,” you are going to be taking a closer look at theme in “Brooklyn Boys.” The purposes of this task are for you to understand that themes are supported by evidence from across the text and to use evidence from across the text to support your idea about the theme that best captures “Brooklyn Boys.” Task Step 1: Partner Work Work with a partner to complete the Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” organizer. • In the left column, brainstorm a list of the big ideas in the story. • In the middle column, write the evidence and line numbers that support what you consider to be the big ideas in the story. • In the right column, try your hand at crafting theme statements. As you write these statements, keep in mind that a text’s themes help us to answer the question, “What is the writer saying about the big idea or topic?” Step 2: Individual Work Compose a quick write in response to the following prompt:

• Select the theme statement that you think best captures “Brooklyn Boys.” Then write a literary interpretation in which you support your claim about the theme statement using evidence from the text. A good literary interpretation does three things: o makes a claim o supports the claim with evidence from across the text o includes explanations of how the evidence supports or links to the claim.

• Review the “Purpose” and “Task” sections with students, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and clarify expectations.

• Ask students to complete Step 1 on the Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” handout. • As students are working, circulate around the room to provide support and assistance as needed.

Differentiation If you find that students are having difficulty determining themes and need additional support completing the task, model determining a theme from “Brooklyn Boys” before asking students to work in pairs.

• Remind students that a theme statement is a sentence that captures a big idea in the text or what the author is saying about that big idea. Most texts have multiple themes. • Tell students that you are going to work together in a similar manner as you did with Task 1.3 to develop one theme statement for “Brooklyn Boys.” • Display an enlarged copy of the text and the Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” organizer. • Create a three-column chart in a place that all students can see. In the first column, have students brainstorm what they think the story is about. (These should be the big ideas such as friendship, family, and neighbors.) Choose one of those big ideas to use as a model and add that idea to the first column of the chart. • Work with students to find evidence to support the big ideas and add the evidence to the middle column of the chart. • Finally, ask students to develop a theme statement based on the big ideas and evidence. Work with students to craft a good theme statement that they can use as a model for the theme statements they will create in pairs. (See Learning Target for possible theme statements.)

TASK Facilitating Student Sensemaking: Gallery Walk (15-20 minutes) 2.3 Purpose: To enable students to share their charts. • Bring students together as a whole group. • Ask students to move around the room to view each pair’s chart. • As students read their classmates’ work, ask them to note where their thinking is similar and where it is different. Students should also note any questions that they have. • Students should have the opportunity to view all posted work. • Circulate around the room with students to view their charts and get a sense of what students are capturing in their notes. This will help to inform where to begin the whole group discussion of students’ responses.

Important As you are viewing the students’ charts, make mental notes about which students were successful in capturing the themes in the story. Use that information to decide how to facilitate the whole group discussion.

• If most students’ charts are valid, then you might simply have students note the similarities and differences in the work. • Similarly, if there are a variety of theme statements, you might begin by asking students to share their theme statements. Students will naturally talk about the evidence they used to determine the theme. • If there are only a few students who have valid charts, you might consider asking those students to explain their work and what they did to complete it.

Facilitating Student Sensemaking: Whole Group (7-10 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to share their thinking with the whole group and to come to a shared understanding of the themes in the story.

• Engage students in a discussion about their charts. See the above “Important” note for ways to structure the whole group discussion. • Encourage various pairs to explain their charts and what they did and thought about to complete them. As pairs share, encourage others to agree, disagree, add on to what is being said, and to ask questions. • Add students’ thinking to the class Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” organizer.

Learning Target TASK Below are several possible theme statements that students could develop for “Brooklyn Boys.” 2.3 It’s fine if students have more or different theme statements. What’s important here is that students are able to support their responses with evidence from across the text.

Topic or Big Possible Evidence to Support Idea From Theme Topic or Big Idea “Brooklyn Boys” Statement Community • Brooklyn isn’t what she used to be…. “The only Being part of thing that stays the same is change.” (lines 1-12) a community • “Many times I have shared my stories…” “…you’ll can help you want to remember the cannoli we shared, right?” deal with (lines 24-32) change. • The afternoon was chilly… “Aha! Steven won,” announced Mr. Ricceri. (lines 40-54) • Yanking open his window, Steven yelled… "Let's go to Caputo's. Meet me on the stoop." (lines 155-158) Family • “Not today.…” “I think I see stubble on that chin.” Family are (lines 15-21) the people • Steven bounded up the stairs…. Tonight we have who love pasta e fagioli to celebrate. (lines 55-61) and look • When mom and I first moved to Brooklyn… “True. after you. If you had any fight, you’d be trying to steal your ball back.” (lines 103-113) • “I will miss you almost as much as I do my Frank.” (line 119) • "I left a box with your mother…” “I will miss both my Brooklyn boys." (lines 139-141) Memories • Brooklyn isn’t what she used to be.… “The only Memories thing that stays the same is change.” (lines 1-12) help keep • “Many times I have shared my stories….” “One people and day you will be an old man like me and you’ll want events from to remember the cannoli we shared, right?” (lines our past 24-32) with us • Mr. Fazone thinks his Brooklyn was something…. forever. Ho-me. Ho-me. Ho-me. (lines 69-73) • When mom and I first moved to Brooklyn… “True. If you had any fight, you’d be trying to steal your ball back.” (lines 103-113) • “Two for you, one for me…” “I won’t forget. I promise.” (lines 132-135) • Yanking open his window, Steven yelled…” “Let's go to Caputo's. Meet me on the stoop.” (lines 155-158)

TASK Monitoring Student Thinking: Individual Work (10 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to work to develop a literary interpretation of a theme 2.3 statement that best fits “Brooklyn Boys.”

• Ask students to complete Step 2 of the Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” handout. • As students are working, circulate around the room to provide support and assistance as needed. Identify students who do a fairly good job writing their interpretations. Ask those students if they would be willing to share their work with the class, including what they did and thought about to draft the interpretation. Students’ interpretations do not have to be perfect. In fact, students learn a great deal from imperfect examples.

Monitoring Peer Review: Trio Work (5-7 minutes) Purposes: To enable students to share their thinking and for peers to provide feedback on their interpretations.

• Ask pairs to get together in trios. • As students read their peers’ interpretations, they should do the following things: o highlight the claim o underline evidence used to support the claim, and o circle explanations that state how the evidence supports or links to their claim. o Readers should also note what the writers did well and what could be improved. • Have students share their feedback and note places where they may need to revise their writing. • As students share, circulate around the room to listen in on students’ conversations. This will give you the opportunity to see what additional writing support students may need. • When most students are finished discussing feedback, bring them together as a whole group.

Differentiation If students struggle to provide feedback to their peers, bring them together in small groups or as a whole group and model the process of providing feedback on a student’s interpretation.

• Invite those students whom you identified previously as doing a fairly good job writing their interpretations to share their interpretations with the class one at a time.

• Ideally, writers would display their interpretations so that all students can see them. If that isn’t TASK possible, have writers read their interpretations aloud to the class. After writers share, ask them to o Talk about what they did and thought about to compose their interpretations. 2.3 o Share the feedback they received from their partners. o Explain how they plan to revise their interpretations based on peer feedback.

The theme that best fits “Brooklyn Boys” is memories help keep people and events from our past with us forever. The story begins with Mr. Fazone sharing his memories of Brooklyn with Steven and comparing the memories to how Brooklyn is today. In the story, it says, “Ah, my friend. Look around. The only thing that stays the same is change” (line 12). Mr. Fazone is telling Steven that Brooklyn changing is the only thing that stays the same. After Mr. Fazone dies, Steven remembers the way that Mr. Fazone helped Steven feel better about moving to Brooklyn (lines 103-113). This memory helps Steven feel better about a new kid moving into the Fazones’ apartment, and he uses what he learned from Mr. Fazone to honor his memory and to help the new kid fit in.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (10 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to revise their writing by implementing the feedback that they received.

Facilitating Metacognitive Work: Whole Group StepBack (10 minutes) Purpose: To provide an opportunity for students to reflect on what they learned about literary interpretations and what they learned through giving and receiving feedback.

• Ask students to discuss responses to the questions below: o What went well with developing your interpretations? o What was difficult? o What did you learn from engaging in today’s work that will help you read, write, and think about texts in the future?

TASK Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” 2.3

Task Step 1: Partner Work

Work with a partner to complete the Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” organizer.

Step 2: Individual Work

Compose a quick write in response to the following prompt:

Theme: “Brooklyn Boys” TASK 2.3

Topic or Big Idea Evidence to Support Possible Theme Statement From “Brooklyn Boys” Topic or Big Idea

Writing Across Texts 71

Writing Across Texts

Write an essay in which you explain one theme that applies to both “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys.”

Situating the Task Duration 2 class sessions Overarching Questions • How does point of view change what a reader sees and understands in these stories? • How are themes developed across these stories? Why This Task Now? TEXT 1 TEXT 2 This final task builds from the work students “My Corner” “Brooklyn Boys” have done with both unit texts to understand by Jennifer Szostak by Bethany Hegedus the characters in “My Corner” and “Brooklyn 1.1 Comprehension 2.1 Comprehension • What’s happening in this story? • What’s happening in this story? Boys.” More specifically, this task extends • Who are the characters and • Who are the characters and the work of Tasks 1.3 and 2.3, as well as what do you know about them? what do you know about them? the work students have done to develop and 1.2 Analysis 2.2 Analysis • What does Szostak’s use of • What does Hegedus’s use of support literary interpretations, by asking first person point of view help third person limited point of students to develop an interpretation about a reader see and understand in view help a reader see and this story? understand in this story? a theme that best captures “My Corner” and • What does it prevent a reader • What does it prevent a reader “Brooklyn Boys” as a set. The purposes of from seeing and understanding? from seeing and understanding? this task are for students to 1.3 Interpretation 2.3 Interpretation • Which theme best captures • Which theme best captures • synthesize and apply what they “My Corner”? “Brooklyn Boys”? • What are the characteristics of understand about theme to write a a literary interpretation? literary interpretation in which they Writing Across Texts explain a theme that captures both Write an essay in which you explain one theme that applies to both “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys.” stories • continue to develop their proficiency with developing literary interpretations and supporting claims with evidence and explanations of evidence.

Materials • “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak • “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus • Handout: Writing Across Texts • Handout: Writing Across Texts: Decision Tree Scoring Guide • Reader/Writer Notebook • Chart paper and markers

Teaching Approach Setting Up the Task: Whole Group (5 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with clear directions and expectations for their final task, which asks them to write across “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys.”

• Provide students with the handout titled, Writing Across Texts (found on page 77).

Writing Across Texts 77

Writing Across Texts “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys”

We have spent time over the past two weeks reading, thinking, talking, and writing about “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak and “Brooklyn Boys” by Bethany Hegedus. We examined point of view and theme. We also learned about writing literary interpretations and supporting claims with evidence from the texts. All of this work has prepared you for this final task.

Purposes This final task has two purposes: (1) to apply what you’ve learned about the themes in these two short stories and (2) to practice writing literary interpretations. Task Write an essay in which you explain one theme that applies to both “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys.” A few things: • You have already done much of the thinking that is required to draft your interpretation. For example, you have already looked at topics and themes in each story. This is a good starting point for you in determining a theme that would work across both short stories. • As you plan and write your interpretation, keep in mind the qualities of a literary interpretation: clearly stated claim, evidence to support your claim, and clear explanations that state how the evidence supports your claim. • When you quote a specific line from a text, be sure to copy it accurately, put quotation marks around it, and give the author’s name and the line number(s) of the quotation in parentheses. Below is an example. Notice that the part that is quoted is in quotation marks, and the period that ends the sentence comes after the parentheses. In “My Corner” it says, “I wonder why I’m the only one who’s thankful for this place” (Szostak, line 14).

• Review the handout with students, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and clarify expectations.

Differentiation There are several ways to engage students in this task depending on students’ proficiency with (a) developing literary interpretations, (b) incorporating textual evidence to support their claims, and (c) organizing their ideas in a cohesive and easy-to-follow manner.

Some students may be able to do this task independently, while others may need teacher and peer support or model essays. The approach below provides scaffolding to support students in how to approach the task and how to generate and organize their ideas.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Individual Work (5 minutes) Purposes: To provide students with individual time to manage their own learning and consider how they will approach the work of the task; to identify what students know about how to tackle writing assignments.

• Ask students to take a few minutes individually to reread the handout and generate a list of the steps they might follow, as well as a list of the resources they have and resources they’ll need to work through the task. • As students are working, circulate around the room to skim the steps and resources students generate. Identify students whose steps and resources might benefit the entire class.

Facilitating Student Sensemaking: Whole Group (5-7 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to share and learn from others about effective ways to approach and manage writing assignments.

• Ask the previously identified students to share the steps and resources they listed. Hear from multiple students. Encourage active listening by asking students to jot down or highlight the steps that they find most helpful. • Ask students to share the steps they found most helpful. If needed, work as a class to generate a list of the steps and resources they need and a time frame students might follow to work through the task.

Learning Target Ideally, students would generate steps and resources similar to the ones below. Students might have additional steps, put them in a different order, or articulate the steps in very different language, but their steps should encompass the following ways of approaching and working through the task.

Support for some of these steps is provided in the “Differentiation” box below.

Students

• review their notes, charts, and organizers from Task 1.1, Task 1.3, Task 2.1, and Task 2.3 (about theme). • select a topic that goes across both stories, gather evidence of the selected topic from both stories, and develop a theme statement for the topic. • sketch out how they will organize their writing and determine what they’ll write about first, second, third, etc. • begin drafting.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Individual Work (30 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to work independently to begin writing.

• Give students about 30 minutes to work. Encourage students to bounce their ideas off their peers. • As students are working, confer with them individually or in small groups about their work. • Be on the lookout for what individual students or groups of students are finding difficult about working through this task. As needed, bring students together in small or large groups to share their work or engage in mini-lessons designed to support them to overcome difficulties. Below are some ways to support students with various aspects of this assignment.

Differentiation Students may need support with different aspects of this final task. Before stepping in to provide support, give them time to tackle the task first on their own or with a partner, so you can determine what exactly students are finding difficult. Below are some suggestions for ways to support students with various aspects of this assignment.

Support for coming up with a theme statement: • Ask students to create a chart like the one below.

Topic Found in Both Possible Theme “My Corner” and Evidence Statement “Brooklyn Boys”

• Then have students review the texts and their work from Tasks 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, and 2.3 to complete the left column of the chart. • Next, have students gather evidence from both texts to support the topic. • Finally, have students craft a theme statement based on the topic and the evidence. • Consider having students share as a whole group so that they can receive feedback on their work.

Support for Organizing Ideas: Ask students to use chart paper to sketch a diagram or flow chart that illustrates their thinking about how they will organize their writing. If students are debating between two different ways, encourage them to chart both. Have students review each others’ charts to provide feedback and ask questions.

Support for Writing About Ideas: Show students the notes you have collected and a sketch you have created of the organization of your writing. Then model drafting various parts of your interpretation. Keep in mind that students are best served by seeing multiple models of the same aspect of writing to illustrate that there are many ways to write an introduction or conclusion, draft body paragraphs, and so on.

• Introduction: Model drafting several versions of an introduction. For example, you might model beginning your essay with an interpretation of the quotation. Show students how you transition from the interpretation of the quotation to your claim about how characters from both texts would respond, and then to a preview of the information that readers will encounter in your essay. After writing the introductions, ask students to identify your claim and discuss how that statement connects back to the prompt. • Body paragraphs: Model several versions of the same body paragraph. For example, you might show a model that begins with one character’s response and another that begins with how both characters would respond. Think through transitions that will help tie the information in the paragraph together and help with the flow of the essay. After you’ve written the body paragraph, ask students to identify where you have clearly stated your claims, provided relevant textual evidence to support your claims, and provided explanations that state how your evidence supports your claims. • Cite information from texts: Show students how to cite information from texts by putting the author’s name and line numbers in parentheses.

Providing Clear Expectations: Whole Group (5 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with clear expectations for how their Writing Across Texts task will be scored.

• Provide each student with the handout titled Writing Across Texts: Decision Tree Scoring Guide (found on page 78).

ritin ross ets

Is the response an explanation of a Decision Tree Scoring Guide theme that applies to both “My Corner” no yes and “Brooklyn Boys”?

Does the response include explanations that state how the Does the response provide evidence supports or links to the relevant textual evidence to claim? support the claim?

Does the response demonstrate an accurate or mostly Are the explanations clear? accurate understanding Does the response include of the unit texts? explanations that state how the evidence supports or links to the claim?

Are the explanations clear? Does the response flow and is it easy to follow? Does the response make a claim about how the theme applies to both “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys”?

0 1 2 3 4 5

• Review the scoring guide with students, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and clarify expectations related to how their writing will be scored. Remind students that these explanations are drafts, and so the scoring guide, along with your feedback, will help them revise their writing. • Have students notice that this scoring guide is designed to assess their understanding of the characters in both texts and the characteristics of literary interpretations—two things they have been working on in this unit. Have students also notice that this scoring guide does not assess every aspect of their writing. For example, style and conventions are not included on this scoring guide. • Since this Decision Tree Scoring Guide may look very different from what students are used to, take a moment to explain how it works. o Begin by letting students know three key things: (1) the scoring guide is read from left to right, (2) each box presents a yes/no question, and (3) open arrows represent “yes” and lined arrows represent “no.” Point out the key in the upper right corner that shows students the difference between the “yes” and “no” arrows. o To use the Decision Tree Scoring Guide, begin with the first box in the upper left corner. If the answer to that question is yes, follow the “yes” arrow to the next box and repeat the process with the next question. If the answer is no, follow the “no” arrow to drop down to the 0 score point. Show students that sometimes the “no” arrow will take them to another question rather than directly to a score point. • Talk with students about how they can use this scoring guide to review their own or their peers’ essays once they’ve completed them.

Important The Decision Tree Scoring Guide is designed to assess students’ understanding of theme and students’ proficiency with writing literary interpretations. As such, the scoring guide does not assess style or use of conventions. If you want to assess those aspects of students’ writing, please adjust the instruction and scoring accordingly. You can find two annotated and scored samples of student work on page 79 and page 81.

The scoring guide is most useful when it is accompanied by written or oral feedback that helps students revise their drafts with purpose and direction. When providing feedback to a student, be sure to anchor it in specific moments in the draft that relate to the criteria on the

scoring guide. Point out moments where the writing successfully meets the criteria, as well as places where the writing could be revised to be more effective. Additionally, include concrete suggestions for how a student might revise his/her draft, but don't do the revisions for the student or take away ownership of the writing.

Facilitating Metacognitive Work: Whole Group StepBack (10 minutes) Purpose: To provide an opportunity for students to reflect on their ways of working through the task after they have begun, including identifying what they find difficult and how they will overcome their difficulties.

• Ask students to discuss responses to the questions below: o What are you finding easy and difficult about this task? How will you work through your difficulties? o What additional support do you need from your peers or me? • Wrap up the conversation by negotiating a deadline with students for when they will turn in their drafts for peer feedback and/or your feedback.

Important Engage students in the rest of the lesson after they have completed the Writing Across Texts task.

Facilitating Retrospective Work: Whole Group (10 minutes) Purpose: To provide an opportunity for students to reflect on what they learned by engaging in a final discussion about the work of the unit.

• Facilitate a discussion in which students share their responses to the questions below: o What were the most significant things you learned over the course of this unit? Why were they significant? o How will you use what you learned?

Writing Across Texts “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys”

Purposes This final task has two purposes: (1) to apply what you’ve learned about the themes in these two short stories and (2) to practice writing literary interpretations.

Task Write an essay in which you explain one theme that applies to both “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys.”

A few things:

• You have already done much of the thinking that is required to draft your interpretation. For example, you have already looked at topics and themes in each story. This is a good starting point for you in determining a theme that would work across both short stories. • As you plan and write your interpretation, keep in mind the qualities of a literary interpretation: clearly stated claim, evidence to support your claim, and clear explanations that state how the evidence supports your claim. • When you quote a specific line from a text, be sure to copy it accurately, put quotation marks around it, and give the author’s name and the line number(s) of the quotation in parentheses. Below is an example. Notice that the part that is quoted is in quotation marks, and the period that ends the sentence comes after the parentheses.

In “My Corner” it says, “I wonder why I’m the only one who’s thankful for this place” (Szostak, line 14).

© 2017 University of Pittsburgh – English Language Arts Unit, Finding Yourself 78 Writing Across Texts 5 yes clear? no Does the response flow flow response the Does and is it easy to follow? Are the explanations explanations the Are Does the response include response the Does state that how explanations the evidence supports or links to the claim? 4 3 Are the explanations clear? explanations the Are include ross ets ross ritin ritin evidence to to evidence 2 Does the response state that how explanations the evidence supports or links to the claim? Decision Tree Scoring Guide Decision Tree the claim?the Does the response provide provide response the Does textual relevant support Does the response make a claim how about the theme applies to both “My Corner” Boys”? and “Brooklyn 1 ? an explanation of a of an explanation Boys” Does the response the Does demonstrate an accurate or mostly accurate understanding of theunit texts? that applies that applies to both “My Corner” 0 theme “Brooklyn and Is response the

Annotated Student Sample #1

Theme Task & Organization: The writer introduces his essay by stating a theme that applies to both stories, The theme I picked that applied to both “My Corner” and “Brooklyn “friends can become like your family” and previewing Boys” is that your family is important. I will now show how family was what he will discuss in the essay. important to the characters in both stories.

Family doesn’t always mean mom, dad, sister and brother. In “Brooklyn Organization & Idea: The writer states that family Boys,” Mr. Fazone is like a grandpa to Steven. In lines 24-26, Mr. doesn’t always mean a relative and says that Mr. Fazone shares stories with Steven, and he taught Steven how to play Fazone is like Steven’s family. bocce. (lines 35-38) They started out as friends and then became family over time. Mr. Fazone left Steven his notebook of memories when he Evidence & Explanation: The writer provides evidence died. In the end, Steven knew to add his memories into his notebook of Mr. Fazone’s and Steven’s relationship. He also because that was something else he learned from Mr. Fazone. explains that the evidence shows how Steven and Mr. Fazone moved from friends to family. Family is very important in “My Corner” too, especially when Tia decided to save the corner from turning into a parking lot. Even though Organization & Idea: The writer begins his paragraph brothers and sisters can bug you sometimes, they are there for you by stating the title of the text and by stating the idea when you need them. In lines 44-47, Tia’s family comes to sit with her that family is important in “My Corner.” when she’s trying to save the parking lot. They are there to support her. In the end, her family is proud of her. In “My Corner” it says that Evidence & Explanation: The writer provides evidence “Mama hugs me so hard that she lifts me off the ground. And then my of Tia’s family being there to support her. He goes on brothers and sisters are there and it’s a night I’ll never forget as long as to explain that Tia’s family is proud of her and that I live” (Szostak, lines 100-103). Tia’s family was very important to her Tia’s family is important to her. especially on that night.

In conclusion, I think both “My Corner” and “Brooklyn Boys” show Organization: The writer concludes his essay by stating how important family is. It can be your real family or people that are that family is important in both stories. like your family. Whether large or small, through good times or bad, families come together to make many happy memories.

© 2017 University of Pittsburgh – English Language Arts Unit, Finding Yourself 80 Writing Across Texts 5 yes clear? no Does the response flow flow response the Does and is it easy to follow? Are the explanations explanations the Are Does the response include response the Does state that how explanations the evidence supports or links to the claim? 4 3 Are the explanations clear? explanations the Are Sample Sample #1 include ross ets ross Student Student ritin ritin evidence to to evidence 2 Does the response state that how explanations the evidence supports or links to the claim? Decision Tree Scoring Guide Decision Tree the claim?the Does the response provide provide response the Does textual relevant support Does the response a makeDoesthe response claim how about the theme applies to both “My Corner” Boys”? and “Brooklyn 1 ? an explanation of a of an explanation Boys” Does the response the Does demonstrate an accurate or mostly accurate understanding of theunit texts? that applies that applies to both “My Corner” 0 theme “Brooklyn and Is response the

Annotated Student Sample #2

Neighborhoods Task & Organization: The writer introduces her essay by introducing both unit texts and stating a “My Corner” by Jennifer Szostak is the story about a girl who is upset theme that applies to both stories, “be proud of your that the city is going to make her corner a parking lot. “Brooklyn Boys” neighborhood.” by Bethany Hegedus is the story about a kid and an old man who are friends and live in Brooklyn, but the old man dies. One theme that Organization & Idea: The writer begins the paragraph works for both“Brooklyn Boys” and “My Corner” is to be proud of your by stating the title of the text and the idea that Tia is proud of her neighborhood. neighborhood.

Tia in “My Corner” is proud of her neighborhood. She is always fighting Evidence: The writer does not use any direct evidence from the story to show that Tia is proud of her to stop the city from making her corner a parking lot. Her neighbors neighborhood. Instead, the writer provides a brief help her protest to stop the city from paving over the corner. She even summary of the events in the text. talks to the city council to stop them from paving the corner. Tia is happy when the city decides not to pave the corner and she helps to Organization & Idea: The writer begins the paragraph make her corner a nature preserve. by stating the title of the text and the idea that Steven and Mr. Fazone are proud of their neighborhood. Steven and Mr. Fazone are proud of their neighborhood. Mr. Fazone talks a lot about his Brooklyn and what it was like to grow up there. Evidence: Again,the writer does not use any direct He even writes about it in a notebook. Mr. Fazone gives Steven a evidence from the story to show that Steven and Mr. Fazone are proud of their neighborhood. Instead, the notebook to write about his Brooklyn. Steven wants to share his writer provides a brief summary of several of the Brooklyn with the new kid at the end of the story. events in the text. The theme that works for both stories is to be proud of your neighborhood. Tia, Steven, and Mr. Fazone are all proud of the Organization: The writer concludes her essay by stating that a theme that applies to both stories is to neighborhoods they live in. be proud of your neighborhood.

© 2017 University of Pittsburgh – English Language Arts Unit, Finding Yourself 82 Writing Across Texts 5 yes clear? no Does the response flow flow response the Does and is it easy to follow? Are the explanations explanations the Are Does the response include response the Does state that how explanations the evidence supports or links to the claim? 4 #2 3 Are the explanations clear? explanations the Are Sample include ross ets ross Student Student ritin ritin evidence to to evidence 2 Does the response state that how explanations the evidence supports or links to the claim? Decision Tree Scoring Guide Decision Tree the claim?the Does the response provide provide response the Does textual relevant support Does the response make a claim how about the theme applies to both “My Corner” Boys”? and “Brooklyn 1 ? an explanation of a of an explanation Boys” Does the response the Does demonstrate an accurate or mostly accurate understanding of theunit texts? that applies that applies to both “My Corner” 0 theme “Brooklyn and Is response the

Appendix 85

What is our approach to vocabulary instruction? There are at least three different contexts to consider when thinking about vocabulary instruction: during shared reading, during independent reading, and during other times in the ELA block/period/week.

During a First Reading When the Focus is Comprehension and the Context is Shared Reading At some point, in all of our units, you will be guided to lead students in a close reading of at least a portion of text, or in some cases a whole text, in a guided reading context. You are encouraged to identify words in the text that may be unfamiliar to your students and that are essential to comprehension of the text, and to provide a short, student-friendly definition for each of these wordsduring the reading (Collins COBUILD English Learner’s Dictionary, 20124).

The idea here is to provide just enough information (when it is needed and not before) about the new words so that students maintain the flow of ideas and can continue their focus on understanding the central ideas in the text. You will need to analyze the text carefully in advance to identify such words. In some cases, these words have been pointed out in the unit, but you may need to add to the words we have identified and write or find your own student-friendly definition. Coxhead has identified a list of 570 academic word families that consist of words that occur with frequency across a number of academic content areas in academic texts. This list can be a resource in deciding which words are most worthy of attention (Coxhead, A., 20005).

During a First Reading When the Focus is Comprehension and the Context is Independent Reading When reading texts independently, students are likely to encounter a range of words with which they are unfamiliar. They may or may not be able to discern which of these words are essential to understanding the text and which are not. In this situation we recommend that students use one of three approaches to figure out the meaning of the word:

1) Analyze the word to see if students are familiar with the meaning of any part of it or another form of it (e.g., decide versus decision); 2) Look for context clues, such as definitions within the sentence/paragraph; or 3) If these approaches fail, continue reading to see if they can make sense of the passage without this particular word.

During Language Arts Instruction at Other Times During the ELA Block/Period/ Week Vocabulary is a critically important part of supporting students to understand what they read. The vocabulary work within these units is not meant to replace a district’s robust vocabulary instructional program, but rather to be an important part of it. Typical vocabulary instruction that asks students to look up words in a dictionary and use them in a sentence has been demonstrated to be ineffective and, at its worst, may turn students off and diminish an interest in learning new words (Snow, Lawrence, & White, 20096). More powerful approaches include providing repeated exposure to a word in varied contexts; providing

4 Collins Language (Ed.) (2012). Collins COBUILD English learner’s dictionary. Glasgow, UK: HarperCollins Publishers.

5 Coxhead, A. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34(2), 213-238.

6 Snow, C., Lawrence, J. F., & White, C. (2009). Generating knowledge of academic language among urban middle school students. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2, 325–344.

opportunities and encouragement to use the word in speaking and writing; encountering the word in the context of motivating texts (rather than in a word list); providing explicit instruction in the word’s meaning (such as through student-friendly definitions); and through explicit instruction in using word-learning strategies, such as morphological analysis, cognate use, and learning multiple meanings (Snow, Lawrence, & White, 2009).

For examples of robust vocabulary instruction and programs, see “Word Generation” by the Strategic Education Research Partnership (http://wg.serpmedia.org/); Rev it Up! (2007) by Steck Vaughn; and Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, (2002/20137).

Additional Comments You should decide if talking about a particular word or phrase before reading a text would better support your students to establish essential prior knowledge. There are times when this is useful and necessary, e.g., for English learners and for students with special needs. However, as a rule, we encourage you not to front load vocabulary and instead to give student-friendly definitions right within the text as it is needed for comprehension. We also discourage asking students to provide definitions of unfamiliar words encountered during shared reading. Guessing is likely to distract from comprehension rather than enhance it.

Research suggests that it takes many repetitions with a new word before it truly becomes part of a student’s repertoire (Beck & McKeown, 2002). Students will have many and varied opportunities to incorporate these new words into their spoken vocabulary and writing as a result of repeated use by you, the teacher, and by fellow students throughout the sequence of lessons in these units. You may also want to utilize techniques such as building a word wall on which you post new vocabulary words and to which your students contribute as they discover new words during their reading. Finally, verbally marking when students use any of the newly acquired words in their speaking or writing will encourage other students to show off their newly acquired vocabulary.

7 Beck I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2002/2013). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

How does the unit provide support for English learners? Support for English learners is provided within the lessons in a number of ways. Students learn new information in manageable segments, which are sequenced to build on existing knowledge of language and genre and explicitly relate to the overarching questions and core concepts of the unit. Students revisit new learning a number of times. For example, students read texts multiple times, each time with a new purpose and using a scaffold appropriate to the purpose and the text.

In this way of working, the first time students read a text it is for literal comprehension and to make overall sense of the text. It is only after students have comprehended a text’s basic plot, characters, ideas, or claims that they read the text again for a new purpose. Given their basic comprehension, students are more ready to analyze the development of the text’s characters, themes, ideas, or claims.

Talk is an essential part of this unit and students’ development of spoken academic language is fostered through routines of discussion. Please see “Accountable Talk® Moves and Functions in ELA” in the Instructional Resources section of the Appendix. The tool offers practical guidelines and exemplars on how to promote and deepen students’ talking to learn and to expand their thinking with powerful facilitation moves. Students are given multiple opportunities to practice using the language in purposeful ways with effective feedback. To help English learners, as well as other students, students are often asked to share in pairs or trios before being invited to share with the larger group. This allows students to practice and gain confidence sharing their responses with one or two students before doing so with the whole group.

® Accountable Talk is a registered trademark of the University of Pittsburgh.

Obtaining Copyright Permission

A number of texts, such as journal and newspaper articles, book chapters, children’s books, and poems, may be mentioned in this IFL Unit. Because of copyright considerations, these resources could not be included in the unit. A comprehensive reference citation has been included in this section of the unit.

The resources referenced in this unit may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). You are responsible for obtaining permission from the rights holder(s) in order to reproduce and distribute copyrighted material. The rights holder may require a fee for this permission, which will be based on the number of copies made. Even if the rights holder does not require a fee, you are still obligated to make a formal request before redistributing copyrighted material.

Notes

• The rights holder will need the following information to process your request—title of work, author, place of publication, page numbers, and how and when the resource will be used. • When text comes from an anthology or a textbook, the publisher of the book is most likely not the rights holder. The publisher generally gets permission to include the text in their book. The rights holder will need to be determined in order to get permission to use the text. • Picture books generally have two rights holders, one for the text and another for the images. Both rights holders must grant permission to make copies of the texts. • Other resources, such as paintings, photographs, graphics, cartoons, videos, songs, etc., also require copyright permission.

Instructional Resources

Reader/Writer Notebook

What is the Reader/Writer Notebook? It is a notebook with loose-leaf paper that can be added, rearranged, or temporarily removed. Loose-leaf holed paper between pressboard covers, held together with rings would suffice.

Students are asked to use a Reader/Writer Notebook throughout this unit.

What are two main purposes of the notebook? It gives the writer a place for thinking and trying out different voices and techniques. It also serves as a central notebook to store handouts, other papers, and calendars used in English language arts.

What are other specific uses of the notebook? It is our classroom tool for thinking, recording ideas, generating writing ideas, and trying out new voices.

We use it for quick writes, two-column notes, WriteAbouts, WriteLikes, criteria charts, class notes, brainstorming, etc.

• It is a place for writers to work through writing problems and brainstorm. • It is a place where we can go back to reread and/or select pieces for revision. • It is a place where we can go back to reflect on how we have grown as readers and writers.

How may students set up their own Reader/Writer Notebooks? Either on the cover or the first page of the notebook, ask students to write their name, class period, and the date they began using their notebook. They might also personalize their notebooks with decorations, pictures, nicknames, etc.

On the top of the second page of the notebook, ask students to write, “Table of Contents.” On the first line of the Table of Contents page, ask students to write: “date,” “topic,” and “page number.”

Beginning with the Table of Contents, ask students to number the first 30 pages; students may number the rest of the pages when they get to page 30.

Students can now begin using the Reader/Writer Notebook on page 6 (pages 2-5 will be set aside for the table of contents).

Note: Because the Reader/Writer Notebook is a place for students to think and try out different writing and reading ideas, encourage them to write and collect ideas in their notebooks as a habit of practice that extends beyond the times related to specific assignments for class.

Reader/Writer Notebook Suggested Feedback System

Since the Reader/Writer Notebook is expressive writing (writing for the writer), it is important to lower the students’ level of anxiety relative to grammar and usage errors. Randy Bomer, author of Time for Meaning: Crafting Literate Lives in Middle and High School (1995), suggests that teachers also use a Reader/Writer Notebook. This helps to deepen the idea of a writers’ community in the classroom and allows teachers to give students ideas for their notebooks by sharing from time to time from their notebooks.

Bomer has also devised a method of feedback based on the following criteria:

1. Volume A. One entry from each class, including one long selection. B. Five for homework, including two long selections.

2. Variety

3. Thoughtfulness

4. Habits of Thought–Intention for Writing Specifically: A. description B. precise dialogue C. movement between facts and ideas

5. Playful Experimentation with Language He then uses a class rotation system, collecting every student’s notebook once every two weeks. He writes brief comments and the score from the class rubric on sticky notes and places them in each notebook.

Pedagogical Rituals and Routines

When we ask students to engage in inquiry units and lessons, we ask them to use the following key Pedagogical Rituals and Routines. These rituals and routines, derived from research on cognitive apprenticeship, are designed to engage all students as learners in collaborative problem-solving, writing to learn, making thinking visible, using routines for note-taking/making and tracking learning, text-based norms for interpretive discussions and writings, ongoing assessment and revision, and metacognitive reflection and articulation as regular patterns in learning. These cyclical apprenticeship rituals and routines build community when used with authentic tasks through collaboration, coaching, the sharing of solutions, multiple occasions for practice, and the articulation of reflections (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989).

The key English language arts pedagogical routines that support students’ learning are:

• quick writes composed by individual learners in response to questions and tasks for any and all of the design features of lessons and units;

• pair/trio sharing of individual quick writes to establish academic conversations in a safe environment with high accountability to the task and the group members;

• charting of the pair/trio sharing by members of the group to represent the work of the group to the entire class;

• gallery walks for members of the class to read and take notes on the pair/trio work in preparation for a whole class discussion of the task;

• whole group discussions of the questions or tasks that prompted the scaffold of quick writes, pair/trio share, charting, and gallery walks to deepen understandings and address lingering questions;

• model of a total performance in order to help learners understand the essence of an activity and develop a mental picture of what the real thing looks like;

• Reader/Writer Notebook in which learners compose quick writes, take notes, make notes, compose observations for writings, respond to questions and tasks, and track their learning; and

• StepBacks in which learners metacognitively reflect through quick writes, pair/trio shares, charting, gallery walks, discussions, and writing assignments on the content and pedagogy of their learning to develop and track their understandings and habits of thinking.

Accountable Talk® Moves and Functions in ELA

TEACHER MOVE FUNCTION EXAMPLE TO ENSURE PURPOSEFUL, COHERENT, AND PRODUCTIVE GROUP DISCUSSION 1. Marking Direct attention to the value and “I hear you saying _____. Let’s keep this importance of a student’s contribution. idea in mind.” 2. Challenging Redirect a question back to the students “What do YOU think?” “What surprised Students or use a student’s contributions as a you about what you just heard about the source for a further challenge or inquiry. text’s ______?” 3. Modeling Make one’s thinking public and “Here’s what good readers do…” demonstrate a total performance in order to help learners understand the essence of the activity and to develop a mental picture of what the real thing looks like. TO SUPPORT ACCOUNTABILITY TO ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE 4. Pressing for Hold students accountable for the “Where can we find that…?” “What is Accuracy accuracy, credibility, and clarity of their your basis for that conclusion?” “Who said contributions. that?” 5. Building on Prior Tie a current contribution back to “How does this connect…?” “How do we Knowledge knowledge accumulated by the class at a define ______in this context?” “What previous time. else comes to mind given our discussion about ______?” TO SUPPORT ACCOUNTABILITY TO RIGOROUS THINKING 6. Pressing for Elicit evidence and establish what “Why do you think that…?” “What Reasoning contribution a student’s utterance is evidence from the text supports your intended to make within the group’s larger claim? How does this idea contrast with enterprise. _____?” 7. Expanding Open up extra time and space in the “Take your time… say more.” “Given what Reasoning conversation for student reasoning. we just read and discussed, what would you now say about ______?” 8. Recapping Make public in a concise, coherent “What have we discovered?” “So far, we way, the group’s developed, shared have discussed the following …What else understanding of the content or text under do we need to address?” discussion. TO SUPPORT ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE LEARNING COMMUNITY 9. Keeping the Ensure that students can hear each other, “Please say back what _____ just said.” Channels Open and remind them that they must hear what others have said. 10. Keeping Everyone Ensure that everyone not only heard, but “Do you agree or disagree with what Together also understood, what a speaker said. ______just said? Explain your thinking.” 11. Linking Make explicit the relationship between “Who wants to add on to …?” “What do Contributions a new contribution and what has gone you notice is missing?” before. 12. Verifying and Revoice a student’s contribution, thereby “So, are you saying…?” Clarifying helping both speakers and listeners to engage more profitably in the conversation.

Inquiry-Based Discussion

In an inquiry-based discussion, readers discuss their responses to an interpretive question about a text(s). An interpretive question stems from a genuine inquiry about a text, is thought-provoking, and can sustain multiple and varied responses supported by textual evidence.

The purposes of the discussion are to help readers to:

• “try out” their answers and explanations anchored with specific moments from the text; • accept alternative views/interpretations of the same text (not about reaching consensus or proclaiming a winner); • rethink what they think about the text; and • understand that readers can have different, valid interpretations of the same text.

Preparing for the Discussion: • The discussion lead, usually the teacher, explains inquiry to readers, models some responses, and describes the teacher’s and the students’ roles during the discussion. • Allow enough time for the discussion given the text complexity. • The discussion usually follows the second or third reading of a text. • Individually, students WriteAbout the interpretive question and mine the text for evidence supporting their responses. • Students are seated so they can see, talk to, and listen to each other.

Features of the Inquiry-Based Discussion: • A central inquiry/question that can sustain multiple responses related to interpreting the ideas of one text or across texts focuses the talk. • The facilitator prompts students to “say more” and to anchor their talk in the text. • Initial student talk is exploratory and can be halting as participants “try out” and modify their answers and explanations. • Participants return often to cite or reread the text, texts, or their notes. • There is usually genuine talk related to the question by over 60% of the group. • Participants listen to each other using the ideas of others in their answers. • At the end of the discussion, there is time for each participant to jot down what they are thinking about the text given the discussion. • The teacher takes the long view on students’ discussions, expecting the students to get better as they have more experience.

Facilitator’s Role: • The teacher facilitator is not a direct teacher or a presenter. The facilitator does not talk too much, does not repeat the talkers’ responses, and does not verbally compliment or negate responses. • When teachers step out of their role as guides and into their role as participants or teachers, they limit participation (Vygotsky, 1986; Alvermann, et al., 1996). • As teacher facilitator, you elicit what readers are thinking and validating with evidence, but you are not telling them your interpretation. • The teacher facilitator: – Uses questions to get others talking; – Encourages everyone—not just some—to participate; – Presses for clarification and evidence from the text; – Keeps the conversation on track during the time frame provided; – Encourages readers to listen to and learn from each other by not repeating their responses; – Reminds them, only if and when necessary, of the guiding question under discussion; – Asks each discussant to validate answers with explanations anchored in evidence from the text; – Summarizes a flow of three or four responses or questions further to raise rigor of discussion—not to do the mental work for students; – Asks participants to step back and reflect on what they learned from the discussion: Would they now change their first quick write response and, if so, what would they change and why?; and – Asks the idea tracker to recap the intellectual work of the discussion.

• The facilitator asks readers to step back and reflect on the discussion: If they didn’t participate successfully, what needs to improve and who has responsibility for the improvement?

Institute for Learning Learning Research and Development Center

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