Unit 1 Lesson 7: Paraphrasing and Quotations

9.1.1 Lesson 7

Introduction

In this lesson, students focus on close reading through annotation and answering text-dependent questions in a class discussion using “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.” This lesson is focused on the Stage 2 reading, which students will close read in groups. The other half of the lesson shows students how to paraphrase and directly quote evidence from the text in preparation for the Mid-Unit Assessment in Lesson 9.

Standards

Assessed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Addressed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
SL.9-10.1c Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

Assessment

Assessment(s)
The formative assessment in this lesson gives students a choice between answering one of two text-dependent questions that assess students’ understanding of how the text’s complex characters are developing in relation to each other. It is also an analysis of Stage 2, specifically related to the text read in this lesson (from “Still, some things remained the same” up to the Stage 3 epigraph) and Stage 2 as a whole (pp. 229–235). Encourage students to use key vocabulary from the text in their responses.

  1. Considering the complex characters and their development thus far in this text, why don’t the other girls want to be like Mirabella or Jeanette? Cite 3–4 pieces of strong textual evidence in your analysis.
  2. What do the details in Stage 2 reveal about the requirements of survival at St. Lucy’s? Cite 3–4 pieces of strong textual evidence in your analysis.

 

Vocabulary

 
  • commandment (n.) – an order or mandate
  • origins (n.) places from which something arises or is derived
  • aptitudes (n.) – abilities or talents
  • rehabilitated (adj.) restored to good condition, health, or standing
  • shunned (v.) – kept away from.

Lesson Agenda/Overview

  • Distribute last TDQ responses back to students.
  • Homework Accountability.
  • Discuss Quotations and Paraphrasing  in the response.
  • Text: “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (pp. 229–235)
  • Stage 2 Close Reading, Annotation, Evidence-Based Discussion
  • Assessment
  • Copies of text-dependent questions

Materials: TDQ Question Handout, Assessment handout(

Learning Sequence:
  1. in pair)Share out on the previous lesson’s AIR homework assignment. Talk in pairs about how you have applied the focus standard to your text. Select pairs to explain how they applied their focus standard to their AIR text
  2. Introduce paraphrasing and direct quotation: NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric  calls for extensive use of text evidence to support analysis of the text. There are two ways in which to write evidence, which include paraphrasing the text or using direct quotations from the text. A) What do you notice about paraphrasing? B)How was it used in this response? C) If paraphrasing is putting the text in your own words, what mistakes could occur with this technique?
  3. Quotating directly from the text has been done well in some responses.   a)What do you notice about quoting directly from the text? B)How was it used in this response? C)If quoting directly from the text is putting the actual words from the text in quotation marks, what mistakes or misunderstandings could arise? D)Citing similar evidence multiple times, will that make your responses more insightful or accurate?
  4. (Reading group) Reading will be done in a different way during this lesson and the next one. YOU will close read in groups by rereading small sections of the text and annotating. Throughout the process, you  will answer text-dependent questions to further analyze the text and improve upon annotations previously made. Since you’ll  work in reading groups during this lesson and the next, you should be cognizant of their discussion participation.
  5. Read   “St. Lucy’s” text to the paragraph that begins with “Still, some things remained the same” (p. 231). Discuss questions: a) What “things remained the same” for the pack?  B) What might be some synonyms for the word commandment?  C)What is Mirabella holding on to?
  6. Reading groups begin close reading from “Then she would sing out the standard chorus …” up to “I was one of the good girls” (pp. 231–232). Discuss questions: a) What are Jeanette’s “origins”? b)  How has Jeanette removed herself from her “origins”? Focus on the questions just discussed and to mark any textual evidence that coincides with Jeanette removing herself from her origins.
  7. Reading  groups read the paragraph that begins with “I was one of the good girls” (p. 232). Discuss questions:  a)What is different about this paragraph? b) How does this change in wording impact our reading of the text? C)What are the narrator’s “aptitudes”? What words could replace aptitudes?  d)  Why stay in the “middle of the pack”?
  8. Reading  groups read two paragraphs, from “The pack hated Jeanette, but we hated Mirabella more” up to “We spent a lot of time daydreaming during this period” (p. 233). Discuss question:
    a) How does the pack feel about failing?
  9. Read and annotate the rest of Stage 2 and end your reading before the Stage 3 epigraph (pp. 233–235). You will write responses to TDQ’s for the following section of reading as part of a group discussion.
  10. Use the text-dependent questions for the groups to discuss and take notes on. A) In what ways are the girls being “rehabilitated” by St. Lucy’s? b)What might rehabilitated mean in this context? C) What might shunned mean? D)How could the pack be “shunned by both species”?  e)Who is Claudette and what kind of student is she?

Assessment : You are going to practice using paraphrasing and quoting directly from the text by selecting one of two text-dependent questions to answer. The first assesses students’ understanding of how the text’s complex characters are developing in relation to each other.  The second asks them to analyze the details of Stage 2 in relation to the requirements of survival at St. Lucy’s. Students will focus on the text selection covered in this lesson, from the paragraph that begins with “Still, some things remained the same” up to the Stage 3 epigraph. Use key vocabulary from the text in your responses.

  1. Considering the complex characters and their development thus far in this text, why don’t the other girls want to be like Mirabella or Jeanette? Cite 3–4 pieces of strong textual evidence in your analysis.
  2. What do the details in Stage 2 reveal about the requirements of survival at St. Lucy’s? Cite 3–4 pieces of strong textual evidence in your analysis.
In your response, be sure to do the following:

  • Use textual evidence from to support the analysis
  • Practice paraphrasing and quoting directly from the text
  • Consider the New York Regents Text Analysis Rubric when deciding what to include in your responses.

Homework

Continue to read your Accountable Independent Reading through the lens of your focus standard and prepare for a 3-5 minute discussion of your text based on that standard.

Unit 1 Lesson 6: Text Analysis

Unit 1 Lesson 6

Introduction

In this lesson, students continue to improve their skills in answering text-dependent questions through writing. Students will be introduced to the NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric, evaluate an authentic written response, and write their own responses to a text-dependent question related to “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.” They will evaluate their own work using the NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric. Though the rubric is used for formal responses to text, this evaluation is meant to be a less formal way for students to become familiar with this rubric.

Standards

Assessed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or confliction motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Addressed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Assessment

Assessment(s)
This assessment is a Quick Write with a text-dependent question. There are three purposes of the writing assignment:

  • Students demonstrate their understanding of Stage 2 by writing about the connections between the epigraph and the narrative.
  • Students practice evaluating their writing using the NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric.
  • Students write informative texts that demonstrate the Standard W.9-10.2, using a rubric that will support them in doing so.

This assessment question is a formative one, but the introduction of a formal rubric will allow students to become familiar with the language on the rubric. Once students have completed this writing task and have evaluated it using the rubric, evaluate students’ work to determine how well they understand the text and their ability to use specific evidence to answer a text-dependent question.

  • How is the epigraph’s description of Stage 2 reflected in the girls’ experiences in this section of the text?

Vocabulary

Vocabulary to provide directly (will not include extended instruction)
  • tawny (adj.) – dark yellowish or dull yellowish-brown color
Vocabulary to teach (may include direct word work and/or text-dependent questions)
  • bewildered (adj.) – perplexed and confused
  • disorienting (adj.) – confusing
  • grimace (n.) – a type of facial expression, usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain
  • taunt (n.) – a remark made in order to anger, wound, or provoke someone
  • eradication (n.) – removal of or destruction
  • bipedal (adj.) – walking on two feet

Lesson Agenda/Overview

  • Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4, W.9-10.2
  • Text: “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (pp. 229–231)
  • Introduction of Lesson Agenda
  • Homework Accountability
  • Introduction of Text Analysis Rubric
  • Evaluate Authentic Work
  • Close Reading of Stage 2 of “St. Lucy’s”
  • Quick Write with Student Evaluation
  • Closing

Materials

  •  Common Core Learning Standards Tool
  • NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric
  • Highlighters

Copies of High Performance Response from Lesson 5

Learning Sequence

  1. Review the agenda and the standards for this lesson: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4, W.9-10.2. Reread the standards and assess your familiarity with and mastery of the standards on your Common Core Learning Standards Tool.
  2. Paraphrase it in pairs.Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
  3. Talk in pairs about how you can apply your focus standard to your text.
  4. Share the previous lesson’s AIR homework assignment: explain how you applied your focus standard to their AIR text.
  5. Distribute the NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric on which formal responses will be evaluated from now on. Not all writing will be evaluated using this rubric, but the Mid-Unit and End-of-Unit Assessments will be evaluated using this rubric.
  6. Read the first two rows of the rubric (Content & Analysis and Command of Evidence) and star an important point in each box. Address the Content & Analysis category. Discuss the Command of Evidence category. Determine the differences between each response level.
  7. Hand out a copy of a model response from Lesson 5’s assessment, specifically Question C: What is also part of Stage 1 that is not directly stated in the Stage 1 epigraph? Read the model student response, and then highlight on the NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric where the writer scored on the first two qualities. a) Describe the qualities you noticed in the response. b)What evidence did the writer supply that was effective and specific?
  8. ( New Activity) Now we’ll do close reading. Form pairs to read and annotate from the Stage 2 epigraph to “St. Lucy’s for our own betterment?” (pp. 229–230) Use the annotation codes and write your thoughts about the text.
  9. The entire class discuss: a) What are some changes that will happen in Stage 2 according to the Stage 2 epigraph? B)What is “disorienting” about looking at the shoes for the narrator and what could disorienting mean? C) What has “bewildered” the girls?  D)What does the word bewildered mean in this context?
  10. Independently read and annotate the section from “Physically, we were all easily capable of clearing the low stone walls” to “Mirabella cocked her ears at us, hurt and confused” (pp. 230–231).
  11. In a whole-class, discuss : a)Who or what is taunting the girls?  B)What can you determine the word taunt means in this context? c) How do the parents (still in the forest) affect the girls? D)Why do the nuns perform a daily eradication? E)What does eradicate mean in this context? F) What two word parts do you see in the word bipedal? G)What can you determine bipedal means by looking at the word parts? H) Why is the word bipedal important to the girls’ development? I) How is Mirabella different from the other girls?

Quick Write with Student Evaluation

  1. Respond to the following text-dependent question:  How is the epigraph’s description of Stage 2 reflected in the experiences of the girls in this section of the text?  Use specific vocabulary from the text in their response
  2. Use the NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric to ensure all components have been addressed.

Homework:  Continue your Accountable Independent Reading through the lens of their focus standard and prepare for a 3-5 minute discussion of their text based on that standard.

Unit 1 Lesson 5: Annotations and TDQs

9.1.1 Lesson 5

Overview: In this lesson, the focus on teaching annotation continues. Students will discuss how we can apply the CCS to the Accountable Independent Reading (AIR) homework assignment , review annotation, finish close reading and annotating Stage 1 of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” and write responses to two text-dependent questions (TDQs) using evidence from the text.

Standards

SL.9-10.1c Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
Assessed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, advance the plot or develop the theme.
Addressed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

Assessment(s)
The assessment in this lesson is a Quick Write with two parts. Both parts ask students to analyze Stage 1. Students will have a choice to answer either Question A or Question B, but all must answer Question C. In total, the students will answer two text-dependent questions. Students must use key evidence and vocabulary from the text in their responses.

  1. Reread the two paragraphs of text, “That first afternoon, the nuns gave us free rein” through “We supplemented these holes by digging some of our own” (p. 227). Based on these two paragraphs, how is the pack’s initial experience at St. Lucy’s, “new, exciting, and interesting?” Write a paragraph response using your annotations to identify 2-3 pieces of strong text evidence for your answer.
  2. Reread the section of text that begins with the paragraph, “We had just sprawled out in the sun for an afternoon nap” through the Stage 2 epigraph (pp. 228–229). What does this section reveal about the pack’s human and wolf-like characteristics? Write a paragraph response using your annotations to identify 2–3 pieces of strong text evidence for your answer.
  3. Based on the lesson’s discussion and text evidence annotated, how accurately does the Stage 1 epigraph represent the pack’s initial experience at St. Lucy’s? Write a paragraph response using your annotations to identify 2–3 pieces of strong text evidence for your answer.

 

Vocabulary

  • delectable (adj.) – appetizing or delicious
  • supplemented (v.) – completed or added to
  • interred (v.) – placed into or buried
  • assault (n.) – a violent attack
  • conferred (v.) – discussed together
  • improvised (v.) – made up
  • bristled (v.) – (of hair or fur) stood upright away from the skin, esp. in anger or fear.
  • overstimulating (adj.) – too exciting
    • Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4
    • Text: “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (pp. 227–229)
    • Introduction of Lesson Agenda
    • Annotation Practice
    • Close Reading, Annotation, and Text-Dependent Questions
    • Quick Write
    • Closing

Lesson Agenda

 

Materials:  TDQs and Assessment questions for Quick Write

 Learning Sequence:

  1. Discuss the importance of annotating text- a)How have we marked the text thus far in our reading? b)What are some purposes for marking the text? c)How does annotating text change the way you read? d)Use  the following codes: 1)Box unfamiliar words. 2) Star (*) important or repeating ideas. 3)Put a question mark (?) next to a section you’re questioning or confused about. 4)Use an exclamation point (!) for ideas that strike you or surprise you in some way.
  2. Besides using the codes, marking the text with your thinking related to the codes is important.
  3. Share some annotations you have done based on the first section of the story.
  4. Review the standards for this lesson: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4. Individually reread standards RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, and RL.9-10.4, and assess your familiarity with and mastery of the standards on their Common Core Learning Standards Tool
  5. Talk in pairs about how we can apply their focus standard to their AIR text. Share in class.
  6. Use the previously learned annotation codes to annotate while reading.  Turn to the paragraph that begins with “That first afternoon, the nuns gave us free rein of the grounds” (p. 227).  Reread the paragraph independently and annotate the text.
  7.  Turn-and-Talk about your annotations
  8.  Discuss the following TDQs.  Further annotate the text based on the discussion. a) What is the pack doing in this paragraph? b) How does the pack show their wolf-like characteristics in this paragraph? c) How is the pack feeling in this paragraph?
  9.  Pair reading-: to read closely by annotating the text for strong textual evidence that can be used for text analysis and to participate in effective discussions of the text.
  10. Start from “We supplemented these holes by digging” (p.227)and stop at “… It can be a little overstimulating”( page 229) . You will annotate the text as you read and discuss text-dependent questions.    A)What is the pack doing with the holes?  B)What words or phrases could replace supplemented? C)What is “assaulting” the packs’ noses? D) Why did their “own scent become foreign” to the girls?  E)What is the significance of the author’s focus on scent? F) Why did the older sister “bristle”? F) What does the method the oldest sister uses to bristle reveal about the pack? G) What are the nuns trying to do to the pack? H)What are the feelings of the pack in the section just closely read, and how can you tell? I) What are the feelings of the nuns in the section just closely read, and how can you tell? J)What does Mirabella do and what happens to her? K) How has Stage 1 been overstimulating for the pack?

Quick Write: You will respond to two prompts, using evidence from the section they studied today. Students should use their annotations to identify text evidence to support their thinking.

Students can choose between Question A and Question B, but all students must answer Question C.

A. Reread the two paragraphs of text, “That first afternoon, the nuns gave us free rein” through “We supplemented these holes by digging some of our own” (p. 227). Based on these two paragraphs, how is the pack’s initial experience at St. Lucy’s, “new, exciting, and interesting?” Write a paragraph response using your annotations to identify 2-3 pieces of strong text evidence for your answer.  OR

B. Reread the section of text that begins with the paragraph, “We had just sprawled out in the sun for an afternoon nap” through the Stage 2 epigraph (pp. 228–229). What does this section reveal about the pack’s human and wolf-like characteristics? Write a paragraph response using your annotations to identify 2–3 pieces of strong text evidence for your answer.

C.Based on the lesson’s discussion and text evidence annotated, how accurately does the Stage 1 epigraph represent the pack’s initial experience at St. Lucy’s? Write a paragraph response using your annotations to identify 2–3 pieces of strong text evidence for your answer.

 

Closing: For homework, continue your AIR using the language of the focus standard to guide your reading. Come in prepared for a 3–5 minute discussion at the beginning of the next lesson based on your focus standard.

Unit 1 Overview

9.1.1 Unit Overview
“Everything was new, exciting, and interesting.”
Text(s) “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Karen Russell
Number of Lessons in Unit 17

Introduction

In this unit, students will be introduced to skills, practices, and routines that will be used on a regular basis in the ELA classroom throughout the year: close reading, annotating text, collaborative conversation, and evidence-based writing, especially through teacher-led text-dependent questioning. Students will learn an approach to close reading that develops their ability to critically analyze texts for deep meaning and collect and analyze evidence for use in writing and discussion.Students will develop close reading skills as they examine “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” a contemporary short story by Karen Russell. The story is structured around a handbook that describes various stages of adapting to a new culture, with powerful, precise descriptive language, and strongly developed young characters with unique voices. This makes the story particularly appropriate as the first high school text that students encounter. As students read, discuss, and write about the text, they will also examine how an author’s deliberate word choices create meaning and tone.There are two formal assessments in this unit. During the Mid-Unit Assessment, students will write a response explaining how two of the characters have responded to the assimilation process of St. Lucy’s school. (9-10.RL.3, W.9-10.2) At the end of the unit, students will write a more formal evidence-based essay, explaining whether the narrator has been successfully integrated as a “naturalized citizen of human society.” (RL.9-10.3, W.9-10.2)

*This unit also introduces Accountable Independent Reading (AIR). See Module 9.1 Prefatory Material for more information about AIR.

 

 

Literacy Skills & Habits

  • Read closely for textual details
  • Annotate texts to support comprehension and analysis
  • Engage in productive evidence-based conversations about text
  • Collect evidence from texts to support analysis
  • Organize evidence to plan around writing

Standards for This Unit

CCS Standards: Reading—Literature
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
CCS Standards: Writing
W.9-10.2  Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
W.9-10.9a Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.a. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”). 
CCS Standards: Speaking & Listening
SL.9-10.1b Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
SL.9-10.1c Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
SL.9-10.1d Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
CCS Standards: Language
None.

Note: Bold text indicates targeted standards that will be assessed in the unit.

Unit Assessments

Ongoing Assessment

Standards Assessed RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4, W.9-10.2, W.9-10.5
Description of Assessment Varies by lesson but may include responses to text-dependent questions focused on character development, central idea development, and word choice through discussion and informal writing prompts

 

Mid-Unit Assessment

Standards Assessed 9-10.RL.3, W.9-10.2
Description of Assessment The Mid-Unit Assessment will evaluate students’ understanding of character development in the story. Students will participate in an evidence-based discussion prior to responding to the prompt, individually in writing. Prompt: Choose one character from St. Lucy’s who adapts to change and one who resists it. Explain the differences in their actions using evidence from the text. Use the first three stages of Lycanthropic Culture Shock to help organize your answer.

 

End-of-Unit Assessment

Standards Assessed RL.9-10.3, W.9-10.2
Description of Assessment According to Claudette, the girls’ parents sent them to St. Lucy’s because the nuns “would make us naturalized citizens of human society.” At the end of the story, was Claudette successfully integrated into human society? Write an essay using evidence from the text to support your position. Structure your response by using the stages from the Jesuit Handbook on Lycanthropic Culture Shock.

Unit-at-a-Glance Calendar

Lesson Text Learning Outcomes/Goals
1 St. Lucy’s (p. 225: title, Stage 1 epigraph, and paragraph 1) Students will begin the curriculum learning to read closely as they examine an excerpt from Karen Russell’s short story, “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.” They will explore the structural complexity of this as they examine the epigraph, a description of Stage 1 of Lycanthropic Culture Shock.
2 St. Lucy’s (pp. 225–235: Stages 1 and 2) Students will listen to a read-aloud of the first half of the story. This lesson provides important fluency support and introduces students to some of the text’s central concerns. Students are introduced to the narrator, Claudette, and the rest of her pack, as they begin to consider the narrative arcs of the main characters.
3 St. Lucy’s (pp. 235–246: Stage 3 to the end of text) This lesson concludes the read-aloud of the text and ensures students have sufficient familiarity with the arc of this story to engage fully in the close reading activities in subsequent lessons. The lesson assessment asks students to identify one of the text’s central concerns and practice marshalling textual evidence to support their thinking.
4 St. Lucy’s (pp. 226–227: From“‘Ay caramba,’ Sister Maria de la Guardia sighed.” to “Neither did they.”) Students will return to the Stage 1 narrative to uncover connections between the Stage 1 epigraph and the Stage 1 narrative. Students will look more closely at Claudette, Mirabella, and Jeanette—the three main characters in the text—and consider how Russell’s precise language helps us understand both the girls and their experience at St. Lucy’s.
5 St. Lucy’s (pp. 225–227: Beginning of text to “Neither did they.”) This lesson introduces students to text annotation and reinforces the value of rereading a text multiple times. Students will consider the reason the girls are at St. Lucy’s while practicing using their annotations as a tool to find evidence.
6 St. Lucy’s (pp. 227–229: Stage 1, from “That first afternoon, the nuns gave us free rein of the grounds.” to “It can be a little overstimulating.”) Students will continue to learn the close reading skill of annotation as they begin, for the first time, to interrogate Russell’s text by considering the accuracy of the Stage 1 epigraph. This serves as an introduction to a key tension in the work and establishes a foundation students will use to challenge this and other texts in lessons and units to come.
7 St. Lucy’s (pp. 229 –231: from “Stage 2: After a time …” to “… cocked her ears at us, hurt and confused.”) Students will continue to develop the skill of answering text-dependent questions through writing as they analyze Stage 2 of Lycanthropic Culture Shock more deeply. This lesson introduces students to the NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric. In this and subsequent lessons, they will refine their understanding of text analysis by using this rubric to assess their work.
8 St. Lucy’s (pp. 231–235: from “Still, some things remained the same.” to “This was a Stage 3 thought.”) This lesson deepens students’ consideration of the developing rifts at St. Lucy’s. Through Claudette’s eyes, they examine the experiences and development of the three main characters. Here, students will refine their ability to marshal textual evidence by learning how to paraphrase and directly quote evidence in their writing as they prepare for the Mid-Unit Assessment.
9 St. Lucy’s (pp. 235–239: from “Stage 3: It is common that…” to “Jeanette got a hole in one.”) Students will continue to read closely and answer text-dependent questions as they begin a deep examination of Stage 3. Here they will consider some of the difficult choices Claudette makes, deepening their understanding of how Russell develops this character. In this lesson, students will prepare the Mid-Unit Assessment through collaborative discussion.
10 St. Lucy’s (pp. 239–241: from “On Sundays, the pretending felt almost as natural…” to “…how the pack felt about anything.”) Students will demonstrate their understanding of the text they have read by writing a formal response to the Mid-Unit Assessment prompt. After the assessment, students will continue their examination of Stage 3, practicing their annotation skills.
11 St. Lucy’s (pp. 239–245: from “On Sundays, the pretending felt almost as …” to “… that was our last communal howl.”) In this lesson, students consolidate their understanding of Stage 3 and move toward an exploration of the text’s climax in Stage 4. Students will review their reading annotation from Lesson 10 by participating in a Text-Dependent Questions Gallery Walk that will continue students’ work with text analysis through an evidence-based discussion. Students will again dip into a subtle interrogation of the text by considering the veracity of the Stage 4 epigraph for the characters.
12 St. Lucy’s (pp. 245–246: from the Stage 5 epigraph through the end of the text) Students will work collaboratively with a partner, using the NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric to revise their Mid-Unit Assessment. Students will conclude their analysis of Stages 4 and 5 and consider Claudette’s assimilation process.
13 Entire Text This lesson begins students’ analysis of the St. Lucy’s text as a whole. Working in groups, students will analyze the different stages of Lycanthropic Culture Shock. This work supports the final unit assessment that asks students to look critically at Claudette and make a claim about her ability to assimilate into human culture.
14 Entire Text This lesson continues students’ exploration of the key ideas, characters and central ideas in Russell’s text. Student groups will present their analysis of one of the stages of culture shock in the text. Students will use the annotations and information they learned from the presentations to write a response to a prompt that asks students to analyze the how Russell develops a central idea and use multiple pieces of textual evidence.
15 Entire Text Students will learn how to revise their Lesson 14 writing response by adding an introduction and a conclusion, preparing students for the End-of-Unit Assessment.
16 Entire Text Students will prepare for the End-of-Unit Assessment by discussing and engaging in a class debate about the prompt. Students will consolidate their understanding of the text by considering and interrogating its fundamental premise—the value of assimilation.
17 Entire Text Students will exhibit the literacy skills and habits developed in Unit 1 by writing a formal evidence-based essay addressing the assessment prompt.

Preparation, Materials, and Resources

Preparation

  • Read closely and annotate “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Karen Russell.
  • Review the NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric.
  • Review all unit standards and post in classroom.
  • Consider creating a word wall of the vocabulary provided in all lessons.

Materials/Resources

  • Chart paper
  • Copies of the text “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” for students.
  • Self-stick notes for students
  • Writing utensils including pencils, pens, markers, and highlighters
  • Methods for collecting student work: student notebooks, folders, etc.
  • Access to technology (if possible): interactive whiteboard, document camera, and LCD projector
  • Copies of handouts and tools for each student: see materials list in individual lesson plans
  • Copies of the NY Regents Text Analysis Rubric

 

 

 

 

Unit 1 Lesson 4

9.1.1 Lesson 4

Introduction

Lesson 4 returns to the skill of close reading introduced in Lesson 1. A main focus of this lesson is for students to uncover connections between the Stage 1 epigraph and the Stage 1 narrative. Students will begin this lesson by close reading, from, “‘Ay caramba,’ Sister Maria de la Guardia…” to “Neither did they” (p. 226–227). Students will participate in an evidence-based discussion using text-dependent questions (TDQs). Prior to this lesson, students have been building their skills to respond to these questions using specific evidence from the text. In this lesson students will annotate by boxing unfamiliar words, starring important ideas, and writing their thinking in the margins or on self-stick notes.Students continue to determine word meaning through context, with a particular focus on words that develop character. Student knowledge of these words will be assessed through a Quick Write at the conclusion of this lesson. For homework, students will continue to read their Accountable Independent Reading (AIR) texts and will complete a vocabulary extension homework activity.

Standards

Assessed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Addressed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
SL.9-10.1c Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

Assessment

Assessment(s)
The assessment of this lesson is a Quick Write, which allows students to show how specific vocabulary from the text reflects the text’s essential ideas.

  • Explain why the girls’ parents accepted the nuns’ offer. Use the words ostracized and purgatory in your response to show specifically how these words reflect essential ideas of the text.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary to provide directly (will not include extended instruction)
  • heifer (n.) – a young female cow
Vocabulary to teach (may include direct word work and/or text-dependent questions)
  • barbarity (barbaridad – Spanish) (n.) – crude or unsophisticated act
  • languid (adj.) – relaxed
  • hirsute (adj.) – hairy; shaggy
  • sinewy (adj.) – muscular; strong
  • purgatory (n.) – a place of purification or temporary punishment after death; a place in between two worlds
  • ostracized (v.) – excluded, by general consent, from society, friendship, conversation, privileges, etc.
  • bilingual (adj.) – able to speak two languages with the facility of a native speaker

Lesson Agenda/Overview

Student-Facing Agenda

% of Lesson

  • Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.4, SL.9-10.1c
  • Text: “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (pp. 226–227)
  • Introduction of Lesson Agenda
  • Homework Accountability
  • Close Reading
  • Reading Reflection
  • Quick Write
  • Closing

5%

5%

50%

15%

20%

5%

Materials

  • None.

 

Learning Sequence

  1. Check in with students about the AIR text.  We  will begin discussing their reading in class in Lesson 6.
  2. As a whole class, review the paragraph that begins with “At first, our pack was all hair and snarl and floor-thumping joy”( p. 225and respond to the questions below-
    a)How are the girls acting in this paragraph?
    b)What are they forgetting?
  3. Reintroduce close reading: Now that you have experienced the text in its entirety and we will now engage in close reading to analyze the text more deeply. Rereading the text in smaller portions will help us gain new understanding by shedding light on the details and nuances of the text.
  4. In pairs, we’ll  read from “‘Ay caramba,’ Sister Maria de la Guardia sighed …” to “Our mothers and fathers were werewolves” (p. 226). Respond to the following TDQ(Text-Dependent Questions)s to explore unfamiliar vocabulary:
    a)How are the girls in Copacabana different from those at St. Lucy’s, and how do you know?
    b)What phrases or descriptions help you determine what languid means in this context? What does the word mean?
    c)What could barbaridad mean and how do you know?
    d) What do sinewy and hirsute have to do with in this context and how do you know?
    e)Thinking back to the word work done in the first lesson, where we analyzed the first paragraph, beginning with “At first, our pack was all hair and snarl and …,” how do the girls further show they are neither couth nor kempt?
  5. Reread the section, “‘Ay caramba,’ Sister Maria de la Guardia sighed.” and end before “Our mothers and fathers were werewolves” (pp. 226–227). Identify sections (words, phrases, and sentences) in the text that support the description of Stage 1 in the epigraph. Mark these pieces of text with a small star.
  6. When you are finished, Turn-and-Talk about the evidence found. Focus on SL 9-10.1c for this discussion by actively asking questions about your partner’s responses .  Be prepared to share out one piece of evidence with the whole group.
  7. As a whole class , discuss the following TDQs about the section that begins with “‘Ay caramba,’ Sister Maria de la Guardia sighed” and ends before the paragraph that begins with “Our mothers and fathers were werewolves” (pp. 226–227). Ask questions of peers as you discuss-a. Why does Sister Josephine use the word backwoods? b. What does the phrase, “we went knuckling along” reveal about the girls?c. From the narrator’s point of view, what is Stage 1 really like?
  8. Read with a partner the paragraph that begins with “Our mothers and fathers were werewolves,” again boxing any words you find new or unfamiliar (p. 229). After reading, you and your partner will write your understanding of this paragraph on a self-stick note.
  9. As a whole class, we’ll discuss the following TDQs to familiarize ourselves with the vocabulary.
    a)Who is ostracized in the text and how do you know?
    b)Why do the farmers ostracize the parents?
    c)Why do the parents ostracize the local wolves?
    d)From these clues, what does ostracized mean?
    e)Where is the werewolves’ purgatory?
    f)What are the qualities of this place?
    g)What is the word meaning of purgatory in this context?
    h)Why does Russell say that the pack grew up in a “purgatory”?
  10. In pairs, Turn-and-Talk about the following TDQs about the paragraph that begins with “Our mothers and fathers were werewolves”
    a)What important information do we learn about the girls and their parents in this paragraph?
    b)How will the girls be bilingual, and what does the word bilingual mean in this context?
    c)What offer did the nuns make to the parents? How do you know?
    d)Why is St. Lucy’s culture better?
  11. Revise your thoughts you have recorded on the self-stick note based on what you learned about the paragraph (“Our mothers and fathers were werewolves …”) through this whole-group discussion of the TDQs.
  12. Share changes in perceptions of the text.
  13. Reflect  on the discussions you had today. Complete a Turn-and-Talk about how you did with SL.9-10.1c.

Quick Write: Explain why the girls’ parents accepted the nuns’ offer. Use the words ostracized and purgatory in your response to show specifically how these words reflect essential ideas of the text.

Homework: 1.continue reading your  Accountable Independent Reading text.

2. Bring in two AIR reading logs

3. Interpret your quotation on education. Memorize the quotation.

4. Finish the reflection on the reading ( page 227).

Vocabulary Extension Activity

Select two words from the list below and explain the connections between them in “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.” Write your two words and then explain how they’re linked to demonstrate comprehension of both word meanings and story plot.Vocabulary Words: purgatory, ostracized, civilized, bilingual, barbarity (barbaridad), remedied, culture, lycanthropic Examples:barbarity ß (CONNECTION: The girls show they are barbaric when they first arrive at the home, but the nuns have the charge to turn them into civilized citizens.) à civilized

ostracized ß (CONNECTION: When the girls lived with their parents they were ostracized by two different groups, but by the time they are finished with their education at St. Lucy’s, they should be bilingual and able to move between the werewolf and human culture.) à bilingual

bilingual ß (CONNECTION: The education the girls receive should enable them to be bilingual in two cultures.) à culture

 

Unit 1 Lesson 3

9.1.1 Lesson 3

Introduction

In Lesson 3, students will finish listening to Karen Russell’s “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (pp. 235–246). Students will continue to participate in comprehension activities throughout the read-aloud to support comprehension and engagement.Throughout the read-aloud, students will write about and discuss the text by engaging in comprehension activities. The lesson assessment asks students to determine the central idea of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” and cite at least four pivotal moments in the text that show how this idea develops throughout the story. For homework, students will write a paragraph reflection about their discussion skills based on the Speaking and Listening Standard addressed in the lesson. In addition, students will read their Accountable Independent Reading (AIR) text.

Standards

Assessed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.2  Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
Addressed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
SL.9-10.1c Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

Assessment

 
The lesson assessment asks students to answer a Quick Write by citing at least four pieces of text evidence in a paragraph response.

  • .What is the central idea of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves”? Cite at least four pivotal moments in the text that show how this idea develops throughout the story
 

 

Lesson Agenda/Overview

Student-Facing Agenda

% of Lesson

  • Standards Addressed: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2, SL.9-10.1c
  • Text: “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (pp. 235–246)
  • Introduction of Lesson Agenda
  • Homework Accountability
  • Read-Aloud and Student Activities
  • Quick Write
  • Closing

10%

5%

70%

10%

5%

Materials

  • Common Core Learning Standards Tool (See Lesson 1.)

 Learning Sequence-

  1. Review the standards for this lesson: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2, SL.9-10.1c.
  2. Discuss and share ideas about the new standard.(1c)
  3. Discuss the list for AIR.
  4. Read aloud the Stage 3 epigraph continuing to the paragraph beginning with “It was during Stage 3 that we met our first purebred girls” (pp. 235–237).
  5. respond to the following question independently: What is happening with Mirabella? (two to three minutes to respond individually.) share out your responses. Make sure to cite text evidence when giving their responses.
  6. Continue reading from “It was during Stage 3 that we met our first purebred girls …” to, “Jeanette got a hole in one.” (pp. 237–239)
  7. Turn-and-Talk with a partner sitting near you about the following question: What are some things the girls are learning to do? Share your responses.
  8. Continue reading aloud, from “On Sundays, the pretending felt almost …” to, “…you could tell that they were pleased” (pp. 239–240).
  9. to write down questions you have about Stage 3. Try to look back through the Stage 3 narrative to capture any questions you may have from Stage 3’s entirety.
  10. Share questions on chart paper.
  11. Continue reading the text aloud from,  “Stage 4: As a more thorough…” to, “…how the pack felt about anything” (pp. 240–241).
    1. Turn-and-Talk with a partner sitting near you about the following questions: How does this scene reveal the differences between Mirabella, Jeanette, and Claudette, and what textual evidence supports your ideas? Share your responses.
    2. independently write a response to the following questions:
      1. What happened at the dance?
      2.  What is your response to Mirabella being expelled? Use evidence from the text to support your thinking.
  12. Share your responses.
  13. Quick Write- What is the central idea of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves”? Cite at least four pivotal moments in the text that show how the conflict develops throughout the story.
  14. Closing: Assign homework, do the following:
    1. Write a paragraph response that discusses what you did well and what you would like to improve on in the future regarding discussion skills. Use standard SL.9-10.1c for reference.
    2. Decide on and find your AIR text, if have not done so already.

 

Unit 1 Lesson 2

9.1.1 Lesson 2

Lesson 2

Introduction

In Lesson 2, students will listen to a read-aloud of the first half of Karen Russell’s text, “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” from the beginning of the text through Stage 2 (pp. 225–235). Throughout the read-aloud, students will experience the text by answering text-dependent questions (TDQs) and responding to the text with their questions. This lesson is part of a two-day sequence of lessons in which students experience the entire text read aloud before deeply analyzing the text through close reading in subsequent lessons. The initial read-through of the text serves a number of purposes. A masterful reading of the text supports reading fluency; therefore, this initial read-through allows students to comprehend the story as a whole. Additionally, this is an engaging and unusual text, and students will want to know how it ends before analyzing it closely over time.Throughout the read-aloud, students will have the opportunity to pause, write about, and discuss the text through a series of various comprehension activities. These activities encourage students to continue the work begun in Lesson 1 of citing text evidence to support textual analysis. The lesson assessment will ask students to respond, in writing, to a prompt, citing evidence from the text.

 

Standards

Assessed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Addressed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.2  Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

Assessment

Assessment(s)
Students will complete a Quick Write by writing a response to the following assessment prompt. Students are expected to cite at least three pieces of textual evidence.

  • What are some of the lessons the pack is learning at St. Lucy’s? Cite at least three pieces of textual evidence to support your response.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary to provide directly (will not include extended instruction)
  • heifer (n.) – a young female cow
  • cleric (n.) – an ordained member of a religion
  • jugular (n.) – short for jugular vein, a large vein in the neck
  • disconcerting (adj.) – upsetting or disturbing
  • bliss (n.) – supreme happiness
  • catastrophic (adj.) – disastrous
  • adapted (v.) –  adjusted oneself to different conditions
Vocabulary to teach( context clue)
  • barbarity (barbaridad – Spanish) (n.) – crude or unsophisticated act
  • languid (adj.) – relaxed
  • hirsute (adj.) – hairy; shaggy
  • sinewy (adj.) – muscular; strong
  • purgatory (n.) – a place of purification or temporary punishment after death; a place in between two worlds
  • ostracized (v.) ­ excluded, by general consent, from society, friendship, conversation, privileges, etc.
  • bilingual (adj.) – able to speak two languages with the facility of a native speaker
  • delectable (adj.) – appetizing or delicious
  • supplemented (v.) – completed or added to
  • interred (v.) – placed into or buried
  • assault (n.) – a violent attack
  • conferred (v.) – discussed together
  • improvised (v.) – made up
  • bristled (v.) – (of hair or fur) stood upright away from the skin, esp. in anger or fear.
  • overstimulating (v.) – too exciting
  • bewildered (adj.) ­ perplexed and confused
  • disoriented (adj.) – confused
  • grimace (n.) – a type of facial expression, usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain
  • taunt (n.) – a remark made in order to anger, wound, or provoke someone
  • eradication (n.) – removal of or destruction
  • bipedal (adj.) – walking on two feet
  • commandment (n.) – an order or mandate
  • origins (n.) – places from which something arises or is derived
  • aptitudes (n.) – abilities or talents
  • catechism (n.) – a book of principles or instruction; usually associated with the Roman Catholic religion
  • rehabilitated (adj.) – restored to good condition, health, or standing
  • shunned (v.) kept away from

 Materials: Common Core Learning Standards Tool (See Lesson 1.)

Agenda

  • Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2
  • Text: “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (pp. 226–235)
  • Introduction of Lesson Agenda
  • Homework Accountability
  • Review of Lesson 1 Reading
  • Read-Aloud and Student Activities
  • Quick Write
  • Closing

 Learning Sequence

  1. Review: Reread the first full paragraph of the narrative and summarize what the reader can expect in Stage 1.
  2. Standard review:  You are continuing to work on RL.9-10.1 and will begin work on a new standard: RL.9-10.2. ( find and read it). Paraphrase the standard in the margins of the tool. Turn and talk with a partner about the standard in your own words. Share responses in class.
  3. Read aloud: open “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” to the beginning of the text. Read aloud from “Stage 1 …” to “… sending us away for good. Neither did they” (pp. 225–227). 
  4. Turn-and-Talk: What are you learning about the pack? share ideas in class.
  5. Continue read-aloud: from “That first afternoon, the nuns gave us free rein of the grounds” and ending before the Stage 2 epigraph (pp.227–229).
  6. Independently write down questions you have about the Stage 1 text. You may look back through the Stage 1 narrative to capture any questions you may have from Stage 1’s entirety. Take 3–5 minutes to write down questions. As a group,write your questions on chart paper( Note: it’s a great a habit to have questions as you engage in complex texts.  Many of these questions will be answered as the text is read closely in upcoming lessons.)
  7. Continue reading aloud with the Stage 2 epigraph and ending before the paragraph beginning with “The pack was worried about Mirabella” (pp. 229–230).
  8. Turn-and-Talk with a partner: Based on what we just read, what do you think the girls are doing at St. Lucy’s, and what evidence from the text supports your ideas?
  9. share your  responses.
  10. Continue reading aloud, beginning with “The pack was worried about Mirabella” and ending before the paragraph “In school, they showed us the St. Francis of Assisi slide show, again and again” (pp. 230–233).
  11. Respond to the following question independently (in writing): Why does it seem the pack hates Jeanette and Mirabella? What evidence in the text supports your thinking? 
  12. Share  our  responses.
  13. Continue reading aloud the rest of Stage 2 beginning with, “In school, they showed us the St. Francis of Assisi …” and ending before the Stage 3 epigraph (pp. 233–235).
  14. Take 3- 5 minutes to write down questions about Stage 2. Share your questions o on chart paper

Quick-Write:  What are some of the lessons the pack is learning at St. Lucy’s? Cite textual evidence to support your response.

For homework:  Begin looking for a text for your Accountable Independent Reading .

Unit 1 Lesson 1

St. Lucy Home for Girls Raised by Wolves Unit 1 Close Reading

9/10 Lesson 1

EQ: Has the narrator been successfully integrated as a “naturalized citizen of human society”? Why or why not?  (RL.9-10.3, W.9-10.2)

Aim: What specific phrases or words reveal the connections between the first paragraph of the story and the Stage 1 epigraph?

Text : Page 225 of  “St. Lucy Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Karen Russell

Standards

Assessed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Addressed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Assessment

Assessment(s)
The learning in this lesson will be captured through a Quick Write at the end of the lesson. Students will answer the following prompt based on the close reading (citing text evidence and analyzing key words and phrases) completed in the lesson.

  • What specific phrases or words reveal the connections between the first paragraph of the story and the Stage 1 epigraph? Cite evidence from the text in your response.
 

Vocabulary

Vocabulary to provide directly (will not include extended instruction)
  • lycanthropic (adj.) – relating to the magical transformation of a person into a wolf
  • Jesuit (n.) ­ a member of a Roman Catholic religious order
Vocabulary to teach (may include direct word work and/or text-dependent questions)
  • initial (adj.) – g
  • couth (adj.) ­
  • culture shock (n.) ­
  • kempt (adj.) –­
  • exuberant (adj.) –
  • kinetic (adj.) –
  • remedied (v.) –

Activity 1: Begin by reviewing the agenda especially CCSS  addressed for this lesson. (15)

Lesson Agenda/Overview

  • Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.4
  • Text: “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (p. 225)
  • Introduction of Unit and Lesson Agenda
  • Introduction to Close Reading
  • Initial Read-Aloud
  • Close Reading of the Text
  • Quick Write
  • Closing

Material

  • Common Core Learning Standards Tool
  • The first unit of the year will focus on developing your ability to read closely and to use evidence from what you read in their writing and discussions.
    • Pass out copies of the tool containing the Common Core Learning Standards that will be taught in this unit. We will be working on mastering the skills described in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) throughout the year.
    • Introduce the standards for this lesson: RL.9-10.1 and RL.9-10.4.  Find these standards on your tool and follow along as I read them aloud.
    • Reread standards RL.9-10.1 and RL.9-10.4 INDIVIDUALLY and assess your familiarity with and mastery of these standards.
    • talk with a partner about what you think each standard means.  Lead a brief discussion about these standards.

Activity 2 10% Distribute Materials and Provide detailed explanation of the close reading activity.

  • Distribute copies of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” and note the author, title, and type of text.
  • We’ll have a brief discussion about close reading. Close reading asks the reader to read slowly and carefully, look at very specific details, and focus not only on what is said but on how it is said. Close reading can provide access to deeper meanings in complicated texts. Close reading can also allow for critical analysis and is an opportunity to collect and analyze evidence for use in writing and discussion.
  • To achieve this type of deep understanding, readers will slow down and reread texts or sections of text multiple times. You will also mark the text as it’s being read to record thinking, questions, and connections.
  • I’ll provide context for close reading in this lesson. Typically, the first time students encounter a text they will read to get a general idea, or the “gist,” of the text. Furthermore, the first read may include unfamiliar words or phrases. But you should not worry about not recognizing these words because there will be considerable work done in subsequent close reads to determine the meaning of these words.
  • In this lesson, you will listen to the first section of this text read aloud and follow along, or “read in your heads,” and then we will go back to reread more closely. We will reread more closely by  returning to the text to look for specific pieces of evidence that support thinking and analysis.

Activity 3 15% Teacher-Modeled Read Aloud

  • Listen and read along as the first section of text is read aloud to you,  from “At first, our pack was all hair and snarl and floor-thumping joy,” to “their tiny faces pinched with displeasure” (p. 225
  • Turn-and-Talk with a partner about your initial thoughts and questions about the text (from “At first,” to “pinched with displeasure”).
  • I’ll call on pairs to report out to the class.

Activity 4  40% ( Vocabulary Building)

  • Now that you have made an initial response to the text, start paying more attention to sentences, words, and phrases and dig deeper into the text. Reread the title and the Stage 1 epigraph and draw a box around any unfamiliar words. Can you find any clues in the text to identify the meaning of the words ?
  • Share words they put boxes around. in the case of lycanthropic and Jesuit, it may be difficult or impossible to determine the meaning from context; therefore, it is appropriate to find the word meanings in a dictionary.

lycanthropic (adj) – relating to the magical transformation of a person into a wolf

Jesuit (n.) – a member of a Roman Catholic religious order. The Catholic religion has different groups, called orders. Although they are all Catholics, different orders have some differences about how they practice the religion.

  • Write the new word meanings on their text or on self-stick notes in order to keep track of new vocabulary,
  • Turn-and-Talk to define Lycanthropic Culture Shock based on clues from the title and epigraph. The definition of culture shock can be recorded beside the epigraph on their text.

Scaffolding questions include the following:

  1. What is this (the epigraph)?
  2. Who is it written for? How do you know the intended audience of this handbook?
  3. If you break apart the term Lycanthropic Culture Shock into parts, what is it describing?

 

  • Share answers with the class. Ask them how understanding this definition affects their initial thoughts about the story. This type of conversation helps create a collective intelligence and understanding of the reading. This type of conversation will be a frequent part of the school year.
  1. What does the word initial suggest here?
  • Reread the first part of the paragraph with a partner. Focus on how understanding vocabulary helps your comprehension of the story, until “… Things felt less foreign in the dark.” Box unfamiliar words.
  • Work in pairs to answer the following text-dependent questions. text-dependent questions ask you to cite strong and thorough text evidence to support what the text says implicitly and explicitly. write the answers on your text or in notes.
  1. Who is the pack?
    1. How do you know?
    2. What is the pack doing?
    3. Where are they?

 

  • pairs  share answers to the questions with the rest of the class. Be sure to use evidence from the text to support your answers.
  • a volunteer rereads the first three sentences aloud, from “At first …” to “… smashing lightbulbs with our bare fists.” The rest of the class follow along. Pay attention to the words couth and kempt.
  • take a moment to jot down what the meaning of couth and kempt might be.

While guessing the meaning of the words, consider the following text-dependent questions (TDQs):

  1. Describe the girls’ behavior.
  2. How did the girls forget their promise to be “couth and kempt”?
  3. What other words in this sentence can help you figure out the meaning of couth and kempt? (some examples of synonym, antonym, definition, )
  4. How does the sentence structure or syntax (arrangement of words) help define couth and kempt?
  5. Based on the girls’ actions, what does it mean to be couth and kempt?
  • write the meaning of couth and kempt on the text or on a self-stick note.

You will reread the rest of the paragraph in pairs from, “Things looked less foreign” to “pinched with displeasure” and answer the following TDQs. jot answers down in the margins or in notes.

  1. What is the pack doing to the bunks? How do you know?
  2. What is this a remedy for?
  3. What does the author’s use of exuberant suggest about these “streams” and the girls?

kinetic: “characterized by movement.”

Summarize the close reading experience –

  • A volunteer shares one thing that s/he did not understand on the first read through that is clearer to them now.
  • Any questions you still have about the first paragraph? We’ll write these questions on a chart paper for further discussion.

Activity 5: 10% Quick Write

  • Introduce the Quick Write assessment: you will be given a question and then write a response using evidence from the text. You should answer the question directly and within the allotted time.

Share the Quick Write for today: What specific phrases or words reveal the connections between the first paragraph of the story and the Stage 1 epigraph? Cite evidence from the text in your response.

Work together to complete the Quick Write using another piece of evidence from the text.

Closing

Part of the daily homework expectation will be to read outside of class. Accountable Independent Reading (AIR) is an expectation that all students find, read, and respond to reading material written at their independent reading level. The purpose of AIR is to have students practice reading outside of the classroom and stimulate an interest and enjoyment of reading.

You can find an appropriate text (or “just right book”)in a local or school library, electronic books, classroom library, or home library. As the year progresses, you will be held accountable for your reading in a variety of ways.