Scholars envision the members of the Watson family, noticing how the author makes each character come alive. They describe the relationship between the main character, Kenny, and his brother.
Read (15 minutes):
Discuss:
Read (12 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Independent Reading (10 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Scholars analyze the interactions between Kenny and his peers and siblings, and they explain how Kenny views himself and others.
Read (15 minutes):
Discuss:
Read (8 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Independent Reading (15 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Scholars analyze the author’s message about family by paying close attention to the interactions between Kenny and the rest of the Watson family.
Read (15 minutes):
Discuss:
Read (10 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Independent Reading (10 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Scholars analyze the relationship between Kenny and Mr. Watson and between Byron and his family. They use these interactions to articulate the author’s message about the purpose of family.
Read (12 minutes):
Discuss:
Read (12 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Independent Reading (10 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Scholars analyze the changing relationships between the Watson siblings. They describe how the siblings’ internal and external conflicts impact one another.
Read (12 minutes):
Discuss:
Read (5 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Independent Reading (10 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Scholars explain the connections between the fictional events in The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 and the historical events that the novel references. They articulate the author’s purpose for writing a fiction text with this historical context.
Read (12 minutes):
Discuss:
Read (12 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Independent Reading (5 minutes):
Discuss:
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of Literature Unit 1: The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963!
As a result of teaching this unit, you as the teacher have:
Your scholars can:
Celebrate your scholars’ successes by acknowledging what they can now do as readers as a result of their work during this unit. Invite scholars to share how much fun they had learning about the Watson family.
Reflect on your successes and stretches, as well as those of your scholars. Look at your Fountas & Pinnell results. Have your scholars grown as readers over the last month? Between the start of the school year and midyear, your scholars should move from a Level S to a Level U. This is always a tricky jump for scholars, and they can easily get stuck, making little to no growth. In order to move to a Level U, scholars must pay attention to how the setting impacts the plot, keep track of jumps in time and narration, consider the perspectives of multiple characters, and connect ideas across multiple pages and chapters. Enlist parents to help get scholars over this hump!
Scholars must read at home, as well as in school. Do you have 100% of your scholars reading nightly at home? Make sure at-home reading is happening, and meet with families who are falling short to recommit them to this team effort.
Do you have 100% of your scholars reading fluently? Using all of the tools at their disposal to figure out the meaning of what they are reading?
Do you have 100% of your scholars doing their literacy homework? You must insist that 100% of scholars complete their homework nightly.
Going into the next unit, make specific reading goals for yourself. Set a percentage goal for how many scholars you will move. Set a goal for scholars who are not reading at home. Who will you get to consistently read at home? Set a goal for moving any scholars stuck at Level R or below. Why are they stuck? Do they read fluently? Do they understand what they’re reading? Do they understand the big idea? How will you partner with parents to support their growth?
If you are having trouble meeting your goals, do not wait until you have NOT succeeded. Consult your colleagues. Consult your leaders. ASK FOR HELP so you can meet your goals!
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