A. Return End of Unit 1 Assessments with Feedback (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lessons 5-6.

• Return students' End of Unit 1 Assessments with feedback, and allow students time to review feedback and write their name on the board if they require support.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

• To support students' understanding of the terms main idea and supporting details, try one of the following strategies.

  • Have students use the two terms to talk about something ordinary from their daily life (e.g., ask a student to describe why he or she likes a favorite food or a particular sports team, and then challenge the rest of the class to come up with the main idea and supporting details embodied in their classmate's description).

  • Draw a simple picture to clearly illustrate the relationship between the main idea and the supporting details (e.g., a house with main idea for the roof, and supporting details for the walls; a hand with main idea in the middle of the palm, and supporting details as the fingers; or the hub of a wheel with spokes). Challenge students to come up with their own comparable pictures as well.

• Both of these strategies provide ELLs with more than one way to understand two related but conceptually tricky terms that are essential to their work and which may be difficult to understand without access to multiple representations.

Draw or use clip art to make simple images or icons that stand for the three terms: main idea, supporting details, and research. Follow the oral discussion of these three terms with a hands-on activity where partners work together to match each of the three terms to the correct image. Have partners report out to the whole group on the reasons for their matches. This activity offers the opportunity for ELLs to use a more visual and hands-on activity to deepen their understanding of key vocabulary.

B. Engage the Learner (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.

• At this time, students can Turn and Talk to share their responses on the entrance ticket. With students, use the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to deconstruct the words main ideas (the main points the author wants you to understand and take away from reading), supporting details (evidence that supports the main ideas), and research (to look into carefully and closely so as to learn the facts). Record on the academic word wall with translations in home languages, where appropriate, and invite students to record words in their vocabulary logs.

A. Read A Long Walk to Water, Chapter 14 - SL.7.1 (15 minutes)

• Repeated routine: follow the same process as with previous lessons for students to read chapter 14 of A Long Walk to Water, using the Text Guide: A Long Walk to Water as necessary. If students do not finish reading the chapter within the allotted time, use the Synopsis: A Long Walk to Water, Chapter 14 document to review the key details from chapter 14. Then have students identify the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary, reflect on their reading as they choose, and record the gist on sticky notes using the following resources as appropriate: vocabulary logs, Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart, and Questions about A Long Walk to Water anchor chart.

• Gists:

  • Nya: water sprays out of hole but is dirty

  • Salva: new camp terrible; learns to read English and play volleyball; going to NY

• Once students have finished reading and reflecting on the chapter, ask them to Think-Pair-Share:

"Which habits of character did you see in this chapter? Who demonstrated them? What did they look or sound like?" (Possible response: Nya demonstrates perseverance as she continues to walk all day to water. Salva demonstrates perseverance and taking responsibility for his own learning as he learns English despite the challenge of not having resources [books, time, and a consistent teacher].)

B. Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Research to Answer a Question, Part I (20 minutes)

• Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can analyze the main ideas and supporting details in a clip from God Grew Tired of Us."

• Inform students that over the course of two lessons, they will complete a mid-unit assessment. In this lesson, they will complete the first part.

• Distribute Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Research to Answer a Question.

• Read aloud the directions for Part I of the assessment while students follow along. Answer clarifying questions.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

Instead of reminding students of their work identifying the main ideas and key details in a clip of the same documentary in Lesson 2, play the clip itself and point out how and why it contains a main idea and details. This provides ELLs with a concrete, analogous model for the work they will do in the upcoming assessment.

• Tell students that for this part of the assessment, they will view a new clip from God Grew Tired of Us, identifying the main ideas and how they are supported by key details. Remind students of their work identifying main ideas and key details in a clip of the same documentary in a previous lesson. Ask student volunteers to refer to their notes from the activity when they entered class and share key strategies for identifying the main ideas and supporting details in a video. Also, focus students on the Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart to guide them in answering the assessment questions.

• Inform students that they will now watch the clip they will be assessed on, and give them a chance to take preliminary notes after viewing. Then they will watch the clip again so that students can complete this portion of their mid-unit assessment.

• Remind students that because this is an assessment, they should complete it independently in silence.

• Focus students on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, especially on persevere.

• Read aloud the habit of character recorded:

"I persevere. This means I challenge myself. When something is difficult or demanding, I keep trying and ask for help if I need it."

• Invite students to Turn and Talk to their partner. Then cold call students to share out:

"Using the anchor chart as a guide, what does persevere mean?" (to keep trying and not give up)

"What does perseverance look like? What might you see when a person is persevering?" (See Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart [example for teacher reference].)

"What does perseverance sound like? What might you hear when a person is persevering?" (See Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart [example for teacher reference].)

• As students share out, record their responses in the appropriate column on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart.

• Remind students that because they will be reading and answering questions independently for the assessment, they may need to practice perseverance.

• Invite students to begin the assessment.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time B, remind students of how they defined main idea and supporting details in the Opening before reading aloud the assessment directions, which include the terms main idea and supporting details. Recalling the concrete examples of "main idea" and "supporting details" elicited in the Opening helps ensure that ELLs have a better grasp of what these terms mean as they use them in the context of the assessment to analyze the video.

• While they are taking the assessment, circulate to monitor and document their test-taking skills.

• Once students have completed the first part of the assessment, ask them to Think-Pair-Share:

"How does Panther describe Southern Sudan before the war? How does this description differ from the descriptions Linda Sue Park gives in A Long Walk to Water? What do these two different descriptions of Southern Sudan tell us about the country?" (Panther describes Southern Sudan as "beautiful," having a "good climate" with "a lot of food throughout the year." Linda Sue Park describes the setting as dry, violent, and without a lot of food. These two descriptions show how the war changed Southern Sudan. They also show how not everyone's experience in Southern Sudan is the same. Salva's life is different from Nya's and different from Panther's.)

• If students do not note that Panther's perspective shows us that the country, people, and experiences of Southern Sudan are diverse just like all countries in the world, explain this to students.

• Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

C. Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Research to Answer a Question, Part II (30 minutes)

• Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can research to answer questions about the Lost Boys of Sudan."

• Before students begin the second part of this assessment, ask them to Think-Pair-Share:

"What value does the task of researching have for you beyond this class? Why?" (Responses will vary. Possible response: This task has a lot of value for me because I will have to research in most of my high school and college classes and in most careers.)

"What will help you succeed on this assessment?" (Responses will vary. Possible response: using the research skills I learned in class and trying hard will help me succeed on this task.)

• Transition students to Part II of the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Research to Answer a Question. Read the directions for this part of the assessment aloud as students follow along, reading silently. Answer clarifying questions. Also, focus students on the Researchers Do These Things anchor chart and Choose and Use Credible Internet Sources to guide them when researching.

• Remind students that because this is an assessment, they should complete it independently in silence.

• Invite students to begin the assessment.

• While they are taking the assessment, circulate to monitor and document their test-taking skills.

• Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

A. Track Progress: Research - W.7.7, W.7.8 (15 minutes)

• Give students specific positive feedback on their completion of the mid-unit assessment (e.g., "I noticed a lot of you were quoting the web pages and citing your sources").

• Focus students on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart. Remind students that they will take responsibility for their own learning as they track their progress.

• Distribute Track Progress: Research. Remind students that successful learners keep track of and reflect on their own learning. Remind them that they have done this after every assessment.

• Distribute sticky notes so students can mark up their work with evidence. Tell students the sticky notes are for them to find evidence in their assessment work of the following criteria:

  • W.7.7: I can conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

  • W.7.8: I can quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

• Guide students through completing the form.

• Before students begin the second part of this assessment, incorporate reflection on and awareness of the following academic mindsets: "I can succeed at this" and "My ability and competence grow with my effort."

• Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

"What helped you to be successful at that assessment task? How much effort did you put in on the task? How did your effort affect your learning?" (Responses will vary. Possible response: Using the research skills I learned in class and trying hard helped me succeed on this task. I worked very hard on this task, so I was able to complete it and confirm my understanding of how to research to answer a question.)