Interactive Read Aloud

Name: Jenna Komarin Grade: 5th Date: 10/6/11

WINGS BY CHRISTOPHER MYERS

Lesson Source/s: Wings by Christopher Myers

Lesson Objective: Through a close reading of Wings, students will gain a deeper understanding for the ways that our differences make us special and unique, and that when people disparage us, it’s important to rise above it and take a stand against putting others down.

Standards: R–5–4.1 Identifying or describing character(s), setting, problem/solution, major events, or plot, as appropriate to text; or identifying any significant changes in character(s) over time (State) R–5–4.3 Generating questions before, during, and after reading to enhance recall, expand understanding and/or gain new information (Local) R–5–4.5 Identifying literary devices as appropriate to genre: rhyme, alliteration, simile, dialogue, imagery, or simple metaphors (Local) R–5–5.2 Describing characters’ physical characteristics, personality traits, or interactions; or providing examples of thoughts, words, or actions that reveal characters’ personality traits or their changes over time (State) R–5–5.3 Making inferences about problem, conflict, solution, or the relationship among elements (plot, character, setting) within text (e.g., how the setting affects a character or plot development) (State) R–5–5.4 Identifying the narrator (State) R–5–5.5 Identifying author’s message or theme (implied or stated, as in a fable) (State), R–5–5.6 Identifying causes or effects, including possible motives of characters (Local) R–5–16.1 Comparing stories or other texts to related personal experience, prior knowledge, or to other books (Local)

Multicultural Content: city/urban life, differences in physical appearance

Materials & Advanced Preparation: Youtube video of Christopher Myers talking to a class, have some of the new key vocab words on index cards so I can post them on the chart paper when they’re mentioned

Key/ New Vocabulary: compassion, empathy, teasing, difference, disparaging words and actions, self-worth Lesson Procedure

Time Teacher Actions Student Learning Form of Assessment Activities 5 minutes 1. Connection Make sure students are In a moment we’re going to read Wings by Christopher Myers. sitting calmly and doing It’s about a boy named Ikarus Jackson who is teased by active listening. schoolmates because he is different. Before we begin, I want to show you a few minutes of a video so you can see and hear the author Christopher Myers and get a sense for the kind of writer he is. As you’re watching, try to think about what his purpose might be for writing this book.

18 minutes 2. The Read Aloud I will stop a lot to ask Student participation will Before I begin reading: based on what you know so far, what do questions about the text shed light on how they you think the author’s purpose in writing this book might be? as it relates to the big comprehend the text, what idea of the book. they can infer about BEGIN READING: Angelina’s character change and growth, and Look at that strange boy! Everyone from the neighborhood is how they will grapple with pointing fingers and watching the sky. How’s he doing that? the big ideas of home— They stretch their necks and shake their heads. Ikarus Jackson, notions of identity, a new boy on my block, is flying above rooftops. He is swooping community, and resilience. and diving, looping past people’s windows and over the crowd. I don’t think he’s strange.

Q: How does this first page introduce the setting and the narrator? Who is the narrator and what is she telling us?

Ikarus Jackson, the fly boy, came to my school last Thursday. His long, strong, proud wings followed wherever he went.

Q: What does this description tell you about the narrator’s first impression of Ikarus?

The whole school was staring eyes and wagging tongues. They whispered about his wings and his hair and his shoes. Like they whisper about how quiet I am.

Q: What is the narrator telling us about her experience with the other kids at school? What expectations do you have for the way she will relate to Ikarus?

Our teacher complained that the other kids couldn’t help but gawk and stare. He said that Ikarus’s wings blocked the blackboard and made it hard for the students to pay attention.

The teacher told Ikarus to leave class until he could figure out what to do with his wings. He left the room quietly, dragging his feathers behind him. One boy snickered.

Q: He left the room, dragging his feathers behind him…How does the author’s choice of words tell us how Ikarus must be feeling in this moment?

At recess the snicker grew into a giggle and spread across the playground. Soon all the kids were laughing at Ikarus Jackson’s “useless” wings. I thought that he just flew once everyone would stop laughing. Ikarus looked up, flapped his wings a couple of times, then jumped into the air.

Q: The students are acting in a disparaging way toward Ikarus. To be disparaging is to be really cruel and make them feel worthless. The narrator is so upset by this, but do you agree with her idea that this will change things for Ikarus? Why or why not? [Turn and Talk]

He swept through the schoolyard like a slow-motion instant replay.

But other kids were not impressed. One girl grabbed the basketball. A boy stuffed the handball in his pocket. Somebody nagged, “Nobody like a show-off.”

Q: What’s going on here? Are you surprised? Why or why not?

Their words sent Ikarus drifting into the sky, away from the glaring eyes and the pointing fingers. I waited for them to point back at me as I watched Ikarus float farther and farther away. Q: What is the narrator suggesting when she says, “I waited for them to point back at me”?

Walking home from school, I knew how he felt, how lonely he must be. Maybe I should have said something to those mean kids.

I ran through the streets with my eyes to the sky, searching the clouds for Ikarus.

He struggled to stay in the air. His wings drooped and his head hung low.

He landed heavily on the edge of a building and sat with the pigeons. Pigeons don’t make fun of people.

Q: What is this telling you about the way Ikarus might be feeling about himself?

A policeman passing by blew his whistle. You with the wings, come down from there! Stay yourself on the ground. You’ll get in trouble, you’ll get hurt.”

It seemed to me Ikarus was already in trouble and hurt. Could the policeman put him in jail for flying, for being too different?

When the neighborhood kids saw the policeman yelling at him, they exploded with laughter. Ikarus dropped to the ground. “Stop!” I cried. “Leave him alone.” And they did.

Q: What is motivating the narrator to take a stand against the neighborhood kids?

I called to Ikarus and he sailed closer to me. I told him what someone should have long ago: “Your flying is beautiful.”

Q: What else is she really saying to him?

For the first time, I saw Ikarus smile. At that moment I forgot about the kids who had laughed at him and me. I was just glad that Ikarus had found his wings again. “Look at that amazing boy!” I called to all the people on the street as I pointed to my new friend Ikarus swirling through the sky.

Q: How did the narrator changed and grown from the beginning of the book to the end?

3 minutes 3. Turn and Talk

Q: We never got to hear from Ikarus in his own words…if he could say something to us now, how do you think he would describe his experience as a new student in this school, and what might his advice be to other kids who have been teased or disparaged by others? [Turn and Talk]

Anticipated Responses/Outcomes

1 minute 4. Closing and Recording

You can see just how much disparaging words and actions can hurt someone’s feelings…as you go throughout your you’re your week, and your year, I want you to think about the ways that your words and actions might affect other people. And if you’re ever feeling bad about yourself, just remember Ikarus and his wings. The things that make us different made us beautiful, amazing, and special.

Anticipated Responses/Outcomes 5. Follow Up  How are students  How will you assess the going to application of the What will students do to practice what they learned during the review/practice what strategy or read aloud? they learned during comprehension of the What mini-lesson might be developed from this reading? the read aloud? key element you wanted to demonstrate Maureen: This section always confuses me…should I come up using the text? with an idea for a follow up lesson?

Reflections:

HOW DID THE LESSON PLAN WORK? WHAT WAS EFFECTIVE? WHAT DID YOU LEARN? WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE FOR TOMORROW OR THE NEXT TIME YOU WILL USE THIS PLAN?