READ 30280

Teaching Literacy

Signature Assignment: Reading Comprehension Lesson Format

Lesson Plan Format

Name: Jessica Huth

Text Title & Author: Tingle, T. (2014). House of Purple Cedar. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

Grade level of class: 5th Grade

Text Description, Summary, and Analysis:

1) This novel represents the theme of patience and forgiveness. It describes how we are often given the opportunity
to come upon instances where someone has done wrong, but we learn to forgive what happened in the past. The
genre is historical fiction. It features 51 pages within 326 pages altogether with no visuals. There is no glossary
provided in the book but has some acknowledgments and a note from the author in the back of the book. This text
targets those who may come from different cultural backgrounds and can connect to the main character’s life.
Especially those who are as young as elementary school as they are beginning to discover where they are in society.

2) A young girl, named Rose Goode has been burdened with the job of telling the tragic story of her hometown.
She is part of the Choctaw Indian tribe whose home in Oklahoma has been taken over by the Marshal and narrates
how this historical event has taken a toll on her entire family.

3) This novel provides the reader with 51 chapters that range from between 1 to 12 pages in length and 8 sections.
The theme consists of historical fiction because of its relevance to the time where whites were taking over the lands
of Indian tribes. The story is structured by time periods where each section is separated into multiple time periods
throughout the takeover of the Choctaw Indian tribe. Each of the chapters take place within the same time the
events are taking place and each section are different years to show how each event has affected them over time.
The vocabulary holds words that relate to those who would live in the 1800’s according to how the narrator
describes each event. The Lexile score for this novel is 860L, which is for students in the grades 5th, 6th and 7th.
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Teaching Literacy

Signature Assignment: Reading Comprehension Lesson Format

Lesson Rationale and Class Scenario:

Rationale:
1) This lesson is designed to make the students reflect on the meaning of the language and vocabulary used in the
novel and how it applies to the culture portrayed through the main character’s lifestyle. Depicting how and why the
language used applies to the story will help the students understand the cultural relevance. It also helps to
encourage their critical literacy skills when they figure out the meaning behind the vocabulary and the narrator’s
role in the story. The assignment will be designed to show the students the connections and importance of the style
in which the book was written. “Working in critical ways to interrogate texts has been likened to peeling an onion
(Foss, 2002), and the metaphor works when considering the fact that all are embedded with multiple layers of
meaning” (Jones p.75). This particular story was chosen to show the class that it is important to know where you
come from, even if the cultural they pertain to may not be viewed in a positive manner by others as there will be
certain groups of students who are of a different diversity.
2) For this lesson, I intend to work with the students who may not be too involved in the language described in this
book, such as the kids who may be white or African American. The Latino kids may have some understanding as
some words used in the book may be similar to their native language. I am targeting a 5th grade classroom setting,
so their reading capabilities will be good enough where they can read the text and decipher the meanings. For those
who may be reading below the grade level, I will be focusing my attention on them and figuring out where they are
having difficulty. This activity will help them to improve their reading and literacy skills. There are some students
who speak mostly Spanish are taught to with some words spoken in English and some in Spanish so they can stay
on track and can follow along.

Classroom Scenario #2: 3-5

Your 3, 4, or 5th grade class is composed of 25 students, 14 boys and 11 girls. Ten of your students are African
American, 10 are Latino/a, and 5 are White. All of your students are from lower SES homes. Most of your African
American students speak AAVE at home and in their communities. Eight of your Latino/a students speak Spanish
at home and 4 of them are considered English learners. The ELs are all at intermediate English proficiency,
meaning they continue to need scaffolding of content and academic language from the teacher. All of your students
live with at least one biological parent or grandparent. About half of your students are read to, or read, outside of
school, in English or Spanish, and use the local or school library outside of class time. Half of your students read
only at and for school. Your students’ reading skills range from students still developing reading fluency, to
students who can read long and involved chapter books like the Harry Potter series, Holes, and graphic novels
geared for their age. Your classroom is clean, bright, with some up-to-date equipment, including 4 computers, 1
printer, an Elmo (projector), whiteboards, and a small library of chapter books that you have supplemented with
your own money. You have no teacher aid for this lesson.
Focus of Instruction: Meaning Making
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Teaching Literacy

Signature Assignment: Reading Comprehension Lesson Format

Objectives: ELA CCSS Standards:

SWBAT
After reading the chapter “Snakes and Spiders”, the RL.5.6. Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of
student will discuss in small group why Rose was view influences how events are described.
chosen to narrate the story.
The students will identify and define in their own
terms a list of key terms or vocabulary.
Using some key vocabulary, the student will write and
perform a monologue in Rose's perspective.
List of materials
Students will be sitting int their assigned groups and will each receive individual copies of the selected book, which
will be 25 books. Each will receive a sheet of paper for them to create the chart for the list of vocabulary words and
their meanings as well as for their written monologue, which is 50 sheets of paper altogether. They will need 25
pencils so each student can write and draw what is needed. They will have access to the computers in the classroom
to look up the definitions if needed and must take turns since there are only 4 computers.

Lesson Procedures

Your meaning-making lesson should be set up as a small reading group, designed for about five to seven students.
This can be a guided reading lesson or another small-group, reading-focused configuration. Please include a step-
by-step, detailed plan for what you will have students do before reading, during reading, and after reading. Your
plan should include questions that you will ask, vocabulary that you will introduce, and writing prompts that you
may give. Your plan should include how you will group students if you decide to group them into smaller groups,
and how the text will be read. If you plan to use a graphic organizer or worksheet, please include it at the end of
your lesson plan document.

Pre-reading activity(ies):
1.) The students will be asked questions related to what will be discussed in the text and answer in an open
discussion.
2.) The students will be asked questions such as “Why is it important to learn about the history behind other
cultures when you may not be from that same culture?” or “Why should we know the meaning behind other
languages when we speak the same English language?” and “Should everyone learn another language other
than English and why?”

During reading activity(ies):

1.) The students will read the book by performing partner reading and will only read the chapter assigned,
which will be “Snakes and Spiders”.
2.) While reading the book, the students will be asked to look for words that they would not typically use, such
as “Amafo” or “Whiteface”, and “Shilombish Holitopama” and think about why these terms are used in this
story instead of in English.
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Teaching Literacy

Signature Assignment: Reading Comprehension Lesson Format

3.) They should also look for any words spoken by the characters Rose speaks to that are in her native language
to prepare for the activity after they are finished reading.

Post-reading activity(ies):
1.) After reading the chapter, the students will participate in filling out a chart of the vocabulary words they
picked from the chapter they have read. They will put the word on the left side and the definition on the
right side. They will find the definition by using context clues from inside the chapter and assess how the
words are being used in the sentence.
2.) Then, they will join in on a discussion on the definitions they created and why it is important to understand
these words, referring back to the questions asked before they read the text. They will compare and contrast
their definitions and share them with the entire class. I will say whose are the closest to being correct and
explain why others were incorrect.
3.) Once the discussion is over, the students will each create their own miniature monologue as if they were
writing in the perspective of the narrator of the book and then share them with the class.

Method of Assessment
To assess the first objective, I will observe and listen to each of the students’ answers from their groups as to why
they believe Rose was chosen to narrate the story.
To assess the second objective, I will read each of their vocabulary charts to see that they are getting the material
from the text.
To assess the third objective, I will observe the students read their own monologues to the class.

REFERENCES:

Tingle, T. (2014). House of Purple Cedar. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

Jones (n.d.) Critical Literacy: A Frame for Thinking, Planning, and Enacting”. Google Docs.

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