In this unit, students begin with narrative writing to quickly boost their interest and confidence, and to learn the foundational skill of focus. Students then apply their new observational focus to some lively readings from Roald Dahl's memoir Boy, and learn to work closely with textual evidence.
Core texts your student will read:
Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
What your student will do/learn:
Students complete narrative writing exercises in which they "slow down the moment," using observational details to focus on and develop small moments from their own experiences.
Students learn key classroom routines, including the sharing routine, during which classmates respond to shared writing by noting one effective way the writer used language or details or evidence.
Students read and discuss Roald Dahl's recollection of his experiences as a choolboy in England. As they read his memoir Boy, they analyze how he uses detail to convey range of emotions - from excitement to fear - that he felt.
Students will write consistently throughout the unit, developing their idea or claim about the text and providing textual evidence.
Students write an end of unit essay responding to the following prompt - Whom does Dahl describe as causing more trouble: the boys or the adults? Use details frrom one moment in the book to show who is really causing more trouble.
Here are some conversation starters that you can use during this unit to promote discussion and encourage continued learning with your student:
What are two of the moments from your experiences that you wrote about as you learned to focus on one moment? What caught your attention about those moments? What details stood out?
What moment in Dahl's childhood was most surprising to you? Was there anything about his stories that reminded you of yourself or someone you know?
Can you share a piece of writing with me in which you used precide details to show, not tell? (Provide feedback to your students by finding something in their writing that you can respond to as a reader. For example,"I really like how you described your handing head at the buzzer and how you dragged your feet to the locker room. I can see your disappointment at the loss.")
In Boy, how does Dahl seem to feel about the adults in his life? How would you describe the relationship between the boys and the adults in Dahl's childhood?
In excerpts from his autobiography Boy, Roald Dahl tells stories about when he was a child. Some of these stories describe bad behavior by Roald and his friends and the harsh punishment they received.
Roald Dahl was born in 1916 in a section of Great Britain known as Wales. His parents were both from Norway, and the family spoke Norwegian at home. Roald's father died when Roald was only three.
When he was nine years old, Roald went to a boarding school. This is a type of school where the children live at the school. They go home to their families only when the school is closed for vacation or on weekends. Roald did not like boarding school and wanted to live at home.
In the early 1900's, chi;dren at British boarding schools had tuck-boxes. In these large boxes, they kept food sent to them by their families.
A headmaster is a person in charge of a school, like a principal. At Roald's school, the headmaster sometimes used a cne made of bamboo to punish children who broke school rules. Bamboo is a light, flexible wood. When it hits people, it can feel like a whip.
Roald Dahl's first name is pronounced ROO-uld. He was named for the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who was the first person to reach the South Pole.
Roald Dahl wrote some of the most popular children's books in the world. His book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was made into two movies. Hiis novels James and the Giant Peach and Matilda are also loved by young readers.
Sub-unit 1: Welcome!
Sub-unit 2: Get Started
Sub-unit 3: Boy, Tales of Childhood
Sub-unit 4: Write an Essay
Context Clues
Why use context clues?
Everyone encounters words they don't know when reading. Often the text contains clues that point to the likely meaning of an unknown word. Learning to identify context clues to guesstimate a definition can impore your reading AND your vocabulary!
Dictionary Skills
Why use dictionary skills?
Dictionaries provide information about words, including their definitions, parts of speech, and pronunciations. Dictionaries boost vocabulary, which strengthens reading and writing skills.