A. Engage the Learner and Return End of Unit 2 Assessments (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2. This entrance ticket prompts students to review their feedback from the End of Unit 2 Assessment.

• Invite students to spend a few minutes reading the feedback and then filling out the reflection questions on the entrance ticket. If they require support to understand the feedback, encourage them to write their names on the board for a one-on-one review. Remind students that everyone is working toward individual goals and that learning is about continued growth and development.

A. Read The Omnivore's Dilemma, Section 9, and Analyze Word Connotations - L.8.5c (10 minutes)

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

I can recognize the differences among connotations of words with similar meanings in The Omnivore's Dilemma."

• Repeated routine: Follow the same process as with previous lessons for students to read section 9 of The Omnivore's Dilemma, using the Text Guide: The Omnivore's Dilemma(for teacher reference). Instruct students to read the section independently, and support struggling students as needed. As time permits, have students identify the meanings of unfamiliar vocabulary, ref lect on their reading as they choose, and record the gist using the following resources as appropriate: sticky notes and vocabulary logs.

• Instruct students to turn to page 44, and invite a volunteer to read the following, at the bottom of the page:

"'They say you only need a hundred pounds per acre. I'm putting on closer to one hundred eighty,' Naylor explained sheepishly."

• Focus students' attention on the word sheepishly.

• Turn and Talk:

"Why do you think Pollan uses the word sheepishly to describe Naylor instead of a word with a different connotation, like meekly?" (Responses will vary, but may include: sheepishly connotes being shy or lacking confidence because of shame or embarrassment rather than just being timid.)

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

B. Language Dive: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Page 45 – L.8.5c (10 minutes)

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

“I can recognize the differences among connotations of words with similar meanings in The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”

• Tell students they will now participate in a Language Dive to explore how words with similar meanings have different connotations and how the relationships among words can be used to better understand the meaning of a sentence in The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

• Reread aloud page 45 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

• Focus students on the sentence:

  • “The nitrogen runoff has created a ‘hypoxic,’ or dead zone, in the Gulf that is as big as the state of New Jersey—and still growing.”

• Use the Language Dive Guide: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Page 45 (for teacher reference) to guide students through a Language Dive conversation about the sentence. Distribute and display the Language Dive: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Page 45 note-catcher, and the Language Dive: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Page 45 sentence chunk strips. Refer to Language Dive: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Page 45 note-catcher (example for teacher reference).

• With students’ support, record the meanings of vocabulary words in the Language Dive, runoff (the draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc.) and hypoxic (dead from a lack of oxygen) on the domain-specific word wall, with translations in students’ home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above each key term to scaffold students’ understanding. Invite students to record these words in their vocabulary logs.

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

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

In Work Time B, for additional practice with L.8.2a, use the sentence from the Language Dive as a basis for a short discussion about the use of dashes and commas. Invite students to find examples of dashes and commas in the text, and prompt them to work with a partner to generate a rule for each one (e.g., "We use a comma after a linking word at the beginning of a sentence."; "We use a comma after a clause that introduces a condition with If or Should.") to review their understanding of conventions for using punctuation. Extend this further by asking students to write one or two example sentences that apply these rules, and review each one as a class for accurate usage.

A. Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pages 65-67 (20 minutes)

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

"I can use affixes to determine the meanings of words and phrases in The Omnivore's Dilemma."

"I can use context and the relationships among words to better understand the meanings of words and phrases in The Omnivore's Dilemma."

"I can recognize the differences among connotations of words with similar meanings in The Omnivore's Dilemma."

• Instruct students to retrieve their copies of the affix list. Tell students that they may use this resource during the assessment to help them answer questions about affixes.

• Distribute the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment: Analyze Language: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pages 65-67.

• Read the directions for the assessment aloud as students follow along, reading silently. Answer clarifying questions.

• Direct students' attention to the following anchor charts:

  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart

  • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart

• Remind students to refer to these anchor charts as they complete the 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, and review what perseverance looks and sounds like. 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.

• 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 targets.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

Before the assessment of Closing and Assessment A, underline key vocabulary in the assessment directions and prompt, and read aloud together as a class to ensure that students understand each task included in the assessment. Invite students who need lighter support to restate or clarify information for those students who need heavier support.

Display a "map" of the assessment to reference while explaining the directions for the mid-unit assessment. This will reduce ambiguity and give students a clearer picture of what they can expect so that they can better allocate their time and attentional resources. Provide students with colored pencils or highlighters so that they can mark up the "map" as needed. Example:

Read the excerpt from the text, and then

determine the relationship among words in a sentence,

determine the connotations of words, and

determine the meaning of vocabulary using context and affixes.