Tenafly Middle School Critical Reading Unit A One-Marking-Period Course for Grade 6 By Janet Chai, Andrea Florczak, & Juliana Meehan Second Edition 2012 0 Copyrighted Material; for Classroom Use Only Contents UNIT PLAN .................................................................................................................................................... 4 17 Going on 18 by Anna Quindlen .................................................................................................... 8 A Day at the Zoo by Jack Prelutsky ................................................................................................ 10 The Street That Got Mislaid by Patrick Waddington.............................................................. 11 Dreams by Langston Hughes ........................................................................................................... 14 Nelson, My Dog by Gary Soto........................................................................................................... 15 Abandoned Farmhouse by Ted Kooser ....................................................................................... 17 The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes ................................................................................................ 18 Old Lilacs by Ted Kooser ................................................................................................................... 22 All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury ........................................................................................ 23 Reading Guide #1 for “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury ......................................... 27 Reading Guide #2 for “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury ......................................... 29 Lunch Line Redesign by Brian Wansink, David R. Just and Joe Mckendry .................... 30 Reading Guide for “Lunch Line Redesign” by Ray Bradbury .............................................. 31 Changed by Naomi Shihab Nye ....................................................................................................... 32 Eleven by Sandra Cisneros ............................................................................................................... 33 Failure is a Good Thing by Jon Carroll ......................................................................................... 36 “Failure Is a Good Thing” Reading Guide #1 ............................................................................. 37 “Failure Is a Good Thing”- Reading Guide #2........................................................................... 38 Bad Blood by Will Weaver ................................................................................................................ 39 Reading Guide for “Bad Blood” by Will Weaver ....................................................................... 47 “Bad Blood” - Inferential Discussion Statements .................................................................... 49 “Bad Blood” – What Are Idioms? .................................................................................................... 51 Hope by Gary Soto ............................................................................................................................... 52 I’m Nobody by Emily Dickenson .................................................................................................... 53 In New Jersey Once by Maria Mazziotti Gillan .......................................................................... 54 Aprender el inglés by Luis Alberto Ambroggio ........................................................................ 55 Learning English by Luis Alberto Ambroggio ........................................................................... 55 Meteor Watch by Naomi Shihab Nye ............................................................................................ 56 Momentum by Catherine Doty ........................................................................................................ 57 Mr. Entwhistle by Jean Little ........................................................................................................... 58 1 My Dad is Better Than Your Dad by Andy Griffiths ................................................................ 59 Reading Guide - “My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad” ............................................................... 60 Oranges by Gary Soto ......................................................................................................................... 61 More Questions about “Oranges” by Gary Soto ........................................................................ 62 Public School #18: Paterson, New Jersey by Maria Mazziotti Gillan ............................... 64 Reading Guide - “Public School #18: Paterson, New Jersey” .............................................. 65 Purple by Alexis Rotella..................................................................................................................... 66 Writing About Reading – “Public School #18” and “Purple” ............................................... 67 The Lost Art of Building With Your Hands by Mitch Albom ............................................... 69 Reading Guide for “The Lost Art of Building with Your Hands” ........................................ 71 Shells by Cynthia Rylant .................................................................................................................... 72 Smoky Night by Eve Bunting ........................................................................................................... 75 Survival of the Fittest by Soledad O’Brien .................................................................................. 78 Reading Guide for “Survival of the Fittest” by Soledad O’Brien ......................................... 80 Taco Head by Viola Canales ............................................................................................................. 82 Thank You, M’am by Langston Hughes ........................................................................................ 84 “Thank You Ma’am” - Student-Created Discussion Statements ......................................... 87 The Candy Bite by Viola Canales .................................................................................................... 88 The Follower by Jack Gantos ........................................................................................................... 90 Vocabulary in “The Follower” by Jack Gantos .......................................................................... 93 What Is an Idiom? ................................................................................................................................ 94 Literal and Inferential Questioning in “The Follower” .......................................................... 95 The Little Boy and the Old Man by Shel Silverstein ................................................................ 98 The Marble Champ by Gary Soto.................................................................................................... 99 The Rider by Naomi Shihab Nye .................................................................................................. 102 Reading Guide – “The Rider” ......................................................................................................... 103 The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost ......................................................................................... 104 They Are My Friends by Margaret Atwood .............................................................................. 105 Reading Guide #1 “They Are My Friends” ............................................................................... 108 Reading Guide #1 “They Are My Friends” – Suggested Answers .................................... 109 Reading Guide #2 “They Are My Friends” by Margaret Atwood ..................................... 110 “They Are My Friends” - Discussion Statements ................................................................... 111 Vacation by Rita Dove ...................................................................................................................... 113 Vocabulary Lesson by Ann Wagner ............................................................................................ 114 Priscilla and the Wimps by Richard Peck ................................................................................. 115 Reading Guide #1 - “Priscilla and the Wimps” ....................................................................... 117 2 Reading Guide #2 for “Priscilla and the Wimps” by Richard Peck ................................. 118 Verbs List for Open-Ended Response – “Priscilla” ................................................................ 120 “Priscilla” Student Response Samples ....................................................................................... 121 I, Too by Langston Hughes ............................................................................................................. 123 Theme for English B by Langston Hughes ................................................................................ 124 Additional Resources........................................................................................................................ 125 Active Reading Strategies ............................................................................................................... 126 Annotating a Text ..............................................................................................................................