A. Engage the Learner - RL.7.4 (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 4. Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses. Then add haze to the domain-specific word wall with translations in home languages where appropriate, and invite students to add the word to their vocabulary logs.

• Repeated routine: follow the same routine as in previous lessons to review the learning target and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any similarities between this learning target and those from previous lessons.

• With students, use the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to deconstruct the words narrative (story), generate (create), criteria (standards by which to judge), and effective (producing desired results) in the learning target. Record narrative on the domain-specific word wall and criteria, effective, and generate on the academic word wall, with translations in students' home languages where appropriate, and invite students to record words in their vocabulary logs. At this time, students can share their responses to the activity they completed upon entering the class.

A. Read A Long Walk to Water, Chapter 18 – SL.7.1 (15 minutes)

• Repeated routine: follow the same process as in previous lessons for students to read chapter 18 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 18 document to review the key details from chapter 18. 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.

• Gist: all drink water; well is for all; boss is Dinka; brought water to many places in Sudan; Nya thanks him; he is Salva!

• Students may struggle with the following words from chapter 18: ▲

  • disputes (113): arguments

  • astonishment (114): great surprise

• After students finish reading, refocus the whole class for a discussion about students’ questions and reflections now that they have finished the book. Ask students to Think-Pair-Share about any thoughts or remaining questions they have about the novel and character traits:

“What character traits does Nya demonstrate in chapter 18?” (Nya demonstrates compassion as she watches everyone celebrate the pump and learns how no one will ever be refused water. Nya also demonstrates respect and initiative as she thanks Salva.)

• Direct students to the Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart, and add these habits of character to the chart. Add the examples of what it looks and sounds like in the novel to the relevant columns of the anchor chart.

• Invite students to record these questions and reflections on their Questions about A Long Walk to Water anchor chart. Inform students that they will be given the opportunity to research any remaining questions and that they will be reading the author’s note in the next lesson, which may help to answer some of these questions as well.

B. Analyze a Model: Nasreen’s Secret School – W.7.4 (20 minutes)

• Review the learning target:

“I can generate criteria for an effective narrative.”

• Display and distribute the prompt for the End of Unit 3 Assessment: Write a narrative about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan, using information from A Long Walk to Water and the informational texts you have read in this module. Be sure to write the story in a way that displays key habits of character for the character in your story.

• Tell students that before they begin planning and writing their own stories, they will analyze a model story and think about what goes into making a good narrative. Display the Criteria of an Effective Narrative anchor chart.

• Ask students to think about some of the elements that make up a good story. Call on volunteers to share their answers. Add the elements that students come up with on this first grapple to the chart. (Responses may include the following: Good stories have interesting characters and settings. The plot can be suspenseful or surprising. There may be good description.)

• Display the model narrative, Nasreen’s Secret School, using the device. Inform students that they will hear this story read aloud to them just as their ebooks will be read aloud to elementary school students. Tell students that although this story is about a different subject than the Lost Boys of Sudan, it is for a similar audience to the one they will be writing for and will serve as a good model for them to analyze as they begin to think about their own narratives.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time B, project a digital version of Nasreen's Secret School, and before reading the book aloud, show each illustration, asking partners to briefly discuss what is going on in each illustration. This "picture walk" preview supports ELLs by giving them opportunities to use language with peers in a context supported by pictures and also prepares them to better understand the language of the read-aloud by having previewed and discussed the illustrations.

• First, read the author’s note at the beginning of the ebook, and ask students if they have any questions. Define concepts and names such as “Global Fund for Children,” “Taliban,” and “Afghanistan.”

• Read Nasreen’s Secret School to students.

• After reading, invite students to reflect on the following question by thinking, writing, or drawing. Students must be silent when they do this:

“What did this story make you think about?” (Responses will vary. Possible response: It is challenging in some areas of the world for children to have access to education.)

• Invite students to Think-Write-Pair-Share about what the gist of the story is, recording their ideas on a sticky note. Ask for volunteers to share their gists of the story.

• Refocus the class, and return to the author’s note for Nasreen’s Secret School. Ask students to Turn and Talk:

“What do you think the purpose of the story is?” (to spread the message about people like Nasreen)

“What does this author’s note tell us about the purpose of the story?” (It says that the Global Fund for Children asked the author to write a book about the people they help. The author says she was “drawn” to a group that founded a secret school.)

• Invite students to discuss with partners the ways in which they think the author was effective in her purpose. Ask for student volunteers to give specific examples of the way the author achieved her purpose, and record these elements on the Criteria of an Effective Narrative anchor chart. Consult the Criteria of an Effective Narrative anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as necessary.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time B, when reading aloud the projected copy of Nasreen's Secret School, provide some background knowledge about Nasreen's situation in order to give a context for understanding the story. Then stop at the end of each page or illustration and give students a moment to really study and digest the illustration. This strategy of pausing to study illustrations supports ELLs by allowing them to use the illustrations to interpret and extend the meaning of the read-aloud they are hearing, and even define some words they may not know by making a connection to a visual representation of unfamiliar words.

• Ask elbow partners to consider how the author’s purpose for Nasreen’s Secret School is related to the purpose of the ebooks they will be writing. Call on volunteers to share out answers. (The purpose of our ebooks is also to spread the message about the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan.)

• Inform students that when they write their narratives about the Lost Boys or Girls of Sudan, they will be thinking of habits of character that they want to show through the story. After they write their narratives, as part of their performance tasks, they will have the chance to write a foreword similar to this author’s note discussing the habits of character shown in their stories. Ask students to discuss with a partner what habits of character Nasreen displays in the story. Ask students to give examples from both the story and the author’s note. (The author’s note mentions “bravery” and “courage” from girls like her who defied the Taliban. In the story, Nasreen is brave because she goes to school even though it’s dangerous. And even though she doesn’t speak for a long time, she shows perseverance when she makes a friend and starts to learn and enjoy school.)

• Distribute and display the Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer. Tell students that this will help them plan their own stories. Inform students that they will fill out the first part—Task, Purpose, Audience—for their own narratives based on their analysis of the model.

• Guide students through filling out the Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer, using Nasreen’s Secret School as a model. (For example, use questions such as the following: How is the task of Nasreen’s Secret School similar to the stories we will be writing about a Lost Boy or Girl? Refer to the Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer [example for teacher reference] for possible responses.)

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

A. Whole-Group Share: Narrative Writing Checklist - W.7.3 (5 minutes)

• Distribute and display the Narrative Writing checklist. Invite students to read the checklist to themselves. Inform students that the third column, "Characteristics of This Narrative," has already been filled out for them, but that they should add to it in places where they have an idea for something more specific to this narrative.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

Provide online links to read-alouds of Nasreen's Secret School for optional listening at home. Listening to a text for a second time enables ELLs to solidify their understanding of language they may have only partially understood during the first listen.

• Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What do you notice about this checklist? What do you wonder?" (Responses will vary.)

"What characteristics on this checklist do you see done well in the model text Nasreen's Secret School? What evidence from the model supports your thinking?" (Responses will vary.)

"What similarities do you see between the Criteria of an Effective Narrative anchor chart and the Narrative Writing checklist? Are there any important items missing or added?" (Responses will vary.)

"What, specifically, do we need to remember when writing this narrative? Are there places where we should add more details in the "Characteristics of This Narrative" column?" (Responses will vary.)

• If productive, cue students to listen carefully and seek to understand, and then to explain why a classmate came up with a particular response:

"Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Responses will vary.)

"Who can explain why your classmate came up with that response? I'll give you time to think and write." (Responses will vary.)

• As students share out the characteristics, jot down, say aloud, sketch, and display each characteristic to provide visual reinforcement. Reassure students that they might not understand everything on this checklist right now, but they will learn more about it as they plan and write their essays.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

Provide online links to read-alouds of Nasreen's Secret School for students to view the night before Lesson 4, enabling ELLs and others to gain a better understanding of the language in the text through previewing the text and through repeated opportunities to hear it read aloud.

• Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.