A. Engage the Learner - L.6.1b (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as previous lessons to distribute and review the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 6. Refer to the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 6 (example for teacher reference) for possible responses.

• Focus students on another sentence from chapter 25 of Two Roads:

  • "He's also been negotiating for us with the police chief here, a Mr. Pelham Glassford who is a vet himself, a good egg, and sympathetic to our cause" (267).

• Reread the paragraph in which the sentence appears. Turn and Talk:

"What does the sentence mean?" (Walter H. Waters is cooperating with Mr. Pelham Glassford. The negotiations are promising because even though the police chief could be at odds with the Bonus Army, he, instead, cares about their concerns. Glassford is similar to the men in the Bonus Army.)

• Point out that himself is being used as an intensive pronoun. It could be removed from the sentence and the sentence would still make sense.

• Turn and Talk:

"What does this pronoun add to this sentence?" (It emphasizes that Glassford is also a veteran. Because he is also a veteran, he is sympathetic to the concerns of the Bonus Army.)

• Ensure that students understand the distinction between intensive and reflexive pronouns, and clarify any misconceptions.

• Using a preferred classroom routine, collect or review the literary analysis paragraphs students composed for homework on their Paragraph Planner: Two Roads, Chapter 24. Refer to Paragraph Planner: Two Roads, Chapter 24 (example for teacher reference).

• Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar to or the same as previous lessons. Invite students to choose a habit of character focus for themselves for this lesson.

A. Read Two Roads, Chapters 25-26 - RL.6.3, RL.6.5 (25 minutes)

• Repeated routine: Read chapters 25 and 26 of the text, using Text Guide: Two Roads (for teacher reference) for comprehension and vocabulary questions as needed. Students who are ready to read independently or in small groups should be released to this independence. Students continue to record the gist on sticky notes, update the Gist anchor chart: Two Roads, unpack and record unfamiliar vocabulary, and reflect on their reading as they choose. Students continue to identify how characters in the text demonstrate habits of character. Refer to the Gist anchor chart: Two Roads (example for teacher reference) and chapter synopsis as needed, as well as any other appropriate resources.

• Gist of chapter 25: Cal enjoys working with the horses at school. Cal finally hears from his father who, with other veterans, has set up a tent city in Washington DC.

• Gist of chapter 26: Pop asks the school to keep Cal over the summer. Cal has a vision that something terrible will happen to his father.

• Think-Pair-Share:

"How do Pop's letters function within the structure of the chapter? How do the letters help to develop the plot of Two Roads?" (The letters provide Pop's words and help the reader understand what's happening in Washington and how those events might impact Cal back at Challagi. Without the inclusion of these letters, Cal wouldn't know what or how Pop was doing and the reader would be missing an important part of the plot.)

"How does the way Cal responds to the challenging events in chapters 25 and 26 help to develop our understanding of his character?" (As usual, Cal hides his true feelings and tries to be a good son and student. He is upset but he tries to make the best of things. In chapter 26, however, Cal has another vision, a different kind of vision that scares him and makes him think Pop is not safe. As we have seen before, Cal is putting his concern for others above his concern for himself.)

"How do these chapters help to develop a possible theme of Two Roads?" (These chapters help to convey the theme that family members take care of each other, even when it requires self-sacrifice. Cal and Pop are both sacrificing their time together to make things better in the future for themselves and for others. It also seems to convey the theme that people have the power to enact change in their country by challenging those in positions of power. Pop and the Bonus Army are challenging the government and hope to be successful.)

• Update the Determine Themes: Two Roads anchor chart with student responses to the theme question. Refer to the Determine Themes: Two Roads anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as needed.

• Refocus students, and direct them to retrieve their Analyze Character: Two Roads note-catcher. Instruct students to fill in the row for chapters 25-26 using the examples discussed. Using a total participation technique, invite students to share their responses. Refer to Analyze Character: Two Roads (example for teacher reference) as needed.

• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

B. Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 - RL.6.3, L.6.2a (10 minutes)

• Tell students they will now participate in a Language Dive to determine possible themes that emerge in chapter 26 of Two Roads, analyze the development of Cal's character, and examine the use of commas to set off parenthetical elements in a sentence. Remind students that the process of Language Dives in Modules 3 and 4 will be different from the Dive process of earlier modules.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

As an extension to the Language Dive of Work Time B, and in order to reinforce work with Grade 5 Language standards surrounding perfect verb tenses (L.5.1b), invite students who need heavier support to more closely analyze the author's use of the present perfect in the Language Dive sentence. Display the author's two uses of the present perfect: what I've learned about being Creek / a part of me has always known. In pairs or triads, students can generate a Mini Language Dive based on the chunks, or discuss their answers to the following questions:

When do we use verbs in the present perfect?

What does the author's use of the present perfect tell us about these chunks?

How would the meaning change if the author had written "what I learned about being Creek" or "a part of me always knew"?

• Display the Questions We Can Ask During a Language Dive anchor chart. Refer to the Questions We Can Ask During a Language Dive anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as necessary.

• Tell students they will now begin the Language Dive. Reread aloud the excerpt from Two Roads on page 275, beginning with "I know if I tell them what I just saw . . ." and ending with ". . . even before I was alive on this earth."

• Focus students on the sentence:

  • "I know, partially from what I've learned about being Creek and partially because a part of me has always known, that my dreams are connecting me to other people."

• Use the Language Dive Guide: Two Roads, Page 275 and the Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 Sentence Chunk Chart to guide students through a Language Dive conversation about the sentence. Distribute and display the Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 note-catcher, and the Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 sentence chunk strips. Refer to the Language Dive: Two Roads, Page 275 note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary.

• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

As an extension to the Language Dive of Work Time B, and in order to reinforce work with Grade 5 Language standards surrounding perfect verb tenses (L.5.1b), display one or two examples of a typical present perfect construction as a reminder (e.g., "I've known her since I was 5"; "My family has always lived downtown"). Then, invite students who need heavier support to underline the two examples of the present perfect in the Language Dive sentence.

A. Character Window: Cal - RL.6.3 (5 minutes)

• Tell students that they are going to create another character window like they did in Unit 1, Lessons 2 and 13. Remind students that character windows help readers visualize the way that a character's words and actions can reveal something about who they are.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In preparation for the mid-unit assessment of the following lesson, revisit a variation of the frame from the Practice section of the Lesson 2 Language Dive: "Cal ___, but it didn't mean that he ___." Invite students who need lighter support to make this sentence true by completing it with information from chapter 25 or 26. Remind students that frames like these can be very useful when writing summaries like the one they will write on the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment.

• Explain that students are going to create a character window to examine what Cal's visions reveal about his character.

• Group students into triads. Distribute a half sheet of card stock or construction paper and colored pencils or markers. Direct groups to fold the paper in half widthwise. Invite groups to make a simple drawing of a window on the outside of the paper. Remind students of how they should be able to "open" the window to reveal the blank side underneath by lifting up the top layer. Refer to the Instructions for Character Window (for teacher reference) for instructions on constructing the window as needed.

• On the outside window, invite students to record details of one of Cal's visions and how he responds to this vision. (Challenge: Cal has a disturbing vision that Pop may be in trouble. Response: Cal and his gang decide to finally do something about the concern. Revelation: Cal puts his concern for others above his concern for himself.)

• "Open" the window by lifting up the window flap. On the underside, or inside of the window, triads should write what Cal's response reveals about him.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In preparation for the mid-unit assessment of the following lesson, revisit a variation of the frame from the Practice section of the Lesson 2 Language Dive: "Cal ___, but it didn't mean that he ___." Present students who need heavier support with a complete sentence that uses this frame and describes chapter 25 or 26 (e.g., Cal had had visions before, but it didn't mean that wasn't paying attention to this one). Remind students that frames like these can be very useful when writing summaries like the one they will write on the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment.

• Circulate and monitor, clarifying any misconceptions. Once triads have finished constructing their character windows, invite groups to share. Display the character windows around the room.

• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their habit of character focus for this lesson.