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Teachers College Reading and Writing Project

Reading Curricular Calendar, Fourth Grade, 2013-2014 Unit Three- Historical Fiction Book Clubs and Informational Reading

UnitThree–HistoricalFictionBookClubsandRelated

InformationalReading:TacklingComplexTextsMidNovembertolateDecember(Level3ReadingBenchmark:Q/R)TherearereasonsthatTitanicwasthemostpopularteenmovieofitsyearandthatsomanyteenslovedorlongedtowatchGladiator.Historicalfictionoffersustheopportunitytobeliftedoutofourordinarylivesandimaginelivesofgreatadventureandheroism.It’sanexcitinggenreforanyage,repletewithdramaticplotlinesandadventures,yetwithcharactersandissuesthatsomehowmanagetoresonatewithusnow,yearslater,inthetwenty‐firstcentury.Historicalfictionalsocreatesanopportunityforyoutoteachyourstudentstotacklecomplextextsthroughclosereadinginthecompanyoffriends.Becausehistoricalfictionisinherentlycomplicated—ithappensinatimeandaplacethereaderhasneverinhabited,thecharactersareentangledinhistoricalandsocialissuesofgrandsignificance,andtheeventsofthestoryareintimatelyrelatedtorealhistoricalevents—studentshaveopportunitiestoharnessalltheteachingyou’vedoneuptothispointintheyear.YourgoalisforyourkidstoemergefromthisRWPunitofstudyasknowledgeablereaderswhohavenewconfidenceintacklingcomplicatedliterature(CCSSRL4.10).TheessentialsofthisunitcloselyfollowtheunitthatwasresearchedanddocumentedinTacklingComplexTexts:HistoricalFictionBookClubsfromtheUnitsofStudyforTeachingReading.

Welcome to the Unit


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BendIfocusesondeepcomprehensionandsynthesisofcomplexstoryelements,aswellasonlaunchingbookclubswithhighlevelsofengagementandindependence.Withsupportfromabookclub,studentswilllearntokeeptrackofmultipleplotlines,manycharactersandshiftsintimeandplace.BendIIfocusesoninterpretation,especiallyonpayingattentiontoperspectiveandpointofview,andoncarryingideasacrossatext.Asstudentscontinuetonoticeandtheorizeaboutsignificantdetails,youwillhelpthemseethatthosedetailshelptoconveythelargermessagesofthestory.BendIIIhelpsreadersreadacrossbothfictionandnonfictiontextsmorecritically,noticingpowerrelationshipsandperspectivesandconsideringimplicationsthatthesehistoricalstorieshavefortheirpresentlives.Inearlierwrite‐upswe’velaidoutsomeimportantfourthgradeshiftsintheCommonCoreStateStandards.Eachreadingunitiscyclical,drawingonalltheskillsandstrategieschildrenhavelearnedbefore,whilesimultaneouslyteachingtowardsnewheights.Inthisunitinparticular,studentsarecalledtodrawonpreviouslearningastheytacklenew

Overview

EssentialQuestion:HowcanIrisetothechallengeofreadingahistoricalfictiontextwithallofitscomplexities,makingnoteofthecomplicateddimensionsofthegenre?HowcanIreadinawaythatletsmetracethemesinthesestoriesthatrelateacrosstime,place,andtexts?

BendI:DeepComprehensionandSynthesisofComplexStoryElementsHowcanIhelpmystudentstogetlostinthegranddramaofhistoricalfictionwhilealsoattendingtothechallengingworkoftracingsetting,plot,andcharactersacrossatext?HowcanIdevelopadeeperunderstandingofthecharactersandthesettingbylearningaboutthatperiodintime?

BendII:InterpretingComplexTextsHowcanIhelpmystudentsdraftandrevisetheirinterpretationsbasedontheirgrowingunderstandingofboththestoryandtheinterpretationitself?

BendIII:BecomingMoreComplexBecauseWeReadHowcanIalmostwritethestoryofmyownreading—noticingthingsinthetextthatperhapsnooneelsenotices,thinkingandquestioningwhatIsee,lettingnonfictionsparknewideas.HowcanIhelpmystudentsreadsothattheylearnlessonswhichinfluencetheirunderstandingofnotonlytheworldintheirbook,butalsooftheirworld?

CCSS/LS Standards Addressed in this Unit


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challenges.Atthebeginningofthisunit,you’llaimtoteachreaderstoreadcomplextextswithdeepcomprehension.Thecharactersinthesebooksliveinplaceswhereourstudentshavenotlived,intimestheyhavenotknown.Readersmustfigureoutthenatureofthesetting,thewayspeoplelive,andwhothecharactersare,aswellastherelationshipbetweenthecharactersandhistoricaltensions.Asstudentsreaddeeplytoanalyzecharacters,settings,andeventsintheirstoriesanddeterminetherelationshipsbetweenthoseelements,theywillbedoingsomeoftheimportantworkencouragedbytheCommonCore.Forinstance,studentswill“describeindepthacharacter,setting,oreventinastoryordrama,drawingonspecificdetailsinthetext”(RL4.3).Thentoo,theywillhaveto“refertodetailsandexamplesinatextwhenexplainingwhatthetextsaysexplicitlyandwhendrawinginferencesfromthetext”(RL4.1).Asyouprepareforthisunit,youwillwanttomakesurethatthereareenoughtexts(andsetsofthesametext)fromthesametimeperiod,bothhistoricalfictionandnonfictiontexts,sothatstudentscancarryonasreaders,readingwithvolumeandstaminaacrossgenres,leavingyoufreetoteach.Thefollowingguidelinesmaybeusefulasyouprepareforthisunit.

GatheringResourcesBeforetheUnitBegins—TakingStockofYourLibrary,ChoosingaReadAloud

ReadingAcrossGenrestoSupportDeeperComprehension,Synthesis,andAnalysisofTexts

SupportingStudents’AbilitiestoHandleIncreasinglyComplexTexts SettingUpClubsBeforetheUnitStarts ParticipatinginYourOwnAdultBookClub

GatheringResourcesBeforetheUnitBeginsBeforebeginningthisunitofstudy,themostimportantquestionis:Doyouhaveenoughhistoricalfictionbookssothatstudentscanreadatindependentandinstructionallevelsandmakechoicesaboutwhattheyread?Allourstudies,andthoseofRichardAllington,showthatstudentsneedtobereadingwithhighvolumeandhighinterestallofthetime—andweattheRWPknowthatinterestandchoicegohand‐in‐hand.Tohelpyougathergreatbooksforallofyourreadersatappropriatelevelsofchallenge,we’vetriedtoincludeawiderangeoflevelsonthebooklistincludedwiththisunit.Youmightneedtodosomegoodbooktalksaboutthebooksthatyouhaveavailable,soyoucanlureyourchildrentothem.You’llnotethatwe’veincludedsome“timetravel”books,suchasMagicTreeHouse,tomakemore,lowerlevelbooksforstudentsavailable.TheAmericanGirlhistoricalfictionnovels,withtheiraccompanyingnonfictiontexts,arealsogoodchoices.Ifyouhave

Getting Ready


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studentswhoreadveryfarbelowthisgradelevel,there’sagoodchancethatitmightnotbepossibletohavethemreadingbooksaboutthesametimeperiod.Wesuggeststartingouttheunitbyhavingthemreadatleasttwobooksonthesametimeperiod.Youcanalsogivethemanonfictiontextonthattimeperiod.Thenyoucanmovethemtotwobooksonanewtimeperiod.Thatis,wheneveritispossibletohavethemreadingmorethanonetextonatimeperiod,thatisidealbutifnot,whatmattersmostistokeepstudentsreadinglotsofbooksattheirinstructionalreadinglevel.Ifpossible,you’llwanttochooseyourreadaloudtomatchthetimeperiodofthebooksyourmoststrugglingreaderswillhave‐‐thatwaythey’llgetevenmorescaffoldingastheyreadtheirownhistoricalfictionintheirclubs.Inthisunit,we’vechosenTheWitchofBlackbirdPond.ThistellsthecompellingstoryofKit,agirlwhoisnewtoaConnecticutPuritancommunityduringthelate1600s.Thebackdropofthisclassicstoryisanincreasinglytensecolony—someofitsmembersarestartingtowishforindependence.We’vechosenthistexttohelpsupporttheworkyourstudentswilllikelybedoingduringsocialstudiesastheystudycolonialAmerica.ThestorywillhelpsetthescenefortheAmericanRevolutionwhichthestudentswillstudylater.Knowthatthestoryislong—youmightwishtoreadpartofitandthensupplementwithsomeshortertexts—suchas“ThreePilgrims.”Youmight,also,ofcourse,chooseanentirelydifferentreadaloud.ReadingAcrossGenrestoSupportDeeperComprehension,Synthesis,andAnalysisofTextsThisunitisfullofpossibilitiestointegratenonfictiontexts.Childrencanlearntoturntotheirnonfictionbooksandarticleswhenseekingtounderstandmoreaboutatimeperiodorwhentryingtounderstandahistoricalbackdrop.Thentoo,you’llteachthemthatafterreadingnonfictionwetakeafreshlookatthetheorieswe’vedevelopedaboutourstories,asking:“WhatmightIhavemisunderstood?”or“WhatmoredoIunderstandaboutthischaracter’sexperiencesandactionsnow?”You’llwanteachbookclubtohaveatextsetcontainingmultilevelinformationbooksandarticlesdealingwiththeironehistoricalera,sothateasiertextsmayintroduceaneraandscaffoldtheunderstandingofthehardertextssetinthesameera.(Seeourwebsiteforsomesuggestedbooklists.)Ofcourse,you’llalsofallbackonyourpreviousassessmentnotesonindividualreaderstoascertainthatbooksineachclub’stextsetsconformto‐‐andedgeup‐‐thereadinglevelsofthechildrenwithinthatclub.Typically,you’dwanttohaveatleastonebookinthesetthatislowerinlevelthanthereadinglevelsofthechildreninthatclub—thisbookmayserveasacrutchforunderstandingthehistoricaldetailsreferencedinthehardertexts.Likewise,you’dwanttohaveatleastonebookinthesetthatishigherthantheirindependentlevelsothattheycanusetheknowledgetheygainoverthecourseoftheunittopropelthemintothathigherlevelofunderstanding.


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What’smostimportantistoteachstudentsthroughouttheunittoleanonnonfictiontodeepenandextendtheirreadingworkinhistoricalfiction.You’llwanttohelpstudentsseewhentheymightconsultthenonfictionbooksthatmakeuptheirtextsets.

Whenwehavequestionsaboutaplace,event,personorissuesinourclubbookswecanscanthetableofcontentsandindextoseeifournonfictionbookscanhelpusgettheanswerstoourquestions.

Whenasaclubwecan’tunderstandwhypeoplearetreatedacertainway,rulesthatgovernthepeopleorrolesthatcertaincharactersinourbookshavewecanconsultournonfictionbooks.

Whenissuesofreligion,gender,race,classandcultureconfuseuswecanconsultournonfictionbooks.

Whencharacter’sdecisionsactions,behaviorsandmotivationsleaveuswondering,wemightthinkthatheorsheisconstrainedbythetimeperiodinwhichsheorheislivingsowewouldwanttoreadupontheseconstraints.

Whenweseeevidenceofpowerandwedon’tknowwhyonepersonhasmorepowerthanotherswemightwanttoresearchthetimeperiodinwhichtheyarelivingtoseeifwecangetinformationthatmighthelpusunderstandwhohasthepowerandwhytheyhaveit.

SupportingStudents’AbilitiestoHandleIncreasinglyComplexTextsBeforeembarkingonthisTCRWPunit,you’lllikelywanttothinkaboutthereadinglevelofthemajorityofyourreaders.ThisunitisbestforstudentsreadingLevelsPandabove.Ifyourstudentsarebelowthislevel,wesuggestthatyouconsidertheseriesunitonthethird‐gradecalendar—itisafavoriteunit,fullofsupportforinferenceandotherreadingskills.Ofcourse,aswithanyunit,onemajorgoalistomoveyourstudentsuplevelsoftextcomplexity.Itwillbeuptoyoutodetermineifthisunitwillaccomplishthatgoalwithyourstudents.EvenifyourstudentsarewellabovetheP‐levelcutoff,youwillwanttocontinuemakingsureyousupporttheirgrowingabilitiestohandleincreasinglycomplextext.Youwillprobablywanttotalkupthefactthatreadingclubsprovidereaderswiththegroupsolidaritythatallowseachmembertoaspiretogrow,reachingtowardmoreambitiousgoals.Onewaytodothisistobewillingtotackletextsthataremorecomplexandnuancedthantheonesreadbefore.Ifyouaremovingsomereadersintochallengingyetaccessibletexts,inadditiontothesupportofaclub,youcanalsoprovidethosereaderswithbookintroductions,filmversionsofthestartofabook,orbackgroundinformationonthetimeperiod.Oftenparentsarewillingtohelpoutbyreadingafewchaptersaloudtoareaderandtalkingdeeplyaboutthem—thisisveryhelpfulatthestartofabook,especially.Parentscanhelpalsosimplybyreadingthesamebook,insyncwithareader,andtalking


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withgreatinterestaboutthebook.Ifyouhavesomereaderswhohavenotprogressedasyou’dexpectoverthecourseoftheyear,nowisagoodtimetoblowthewhistle,todeclarethisasanemergency,andtogatherallstakeholderstogetheraroundanintervention.Doesthisreaderneedtospendanhourafterschool,inthebuilding,reading?Doesthisreaderneedtodoubletheamountofreadingheorsheisdoingathome?Mightamiddle‐schoolreadingbuddybepulledinasamentor?SettingupClubsBeforetheUnitStartsInthedaysbeforethisunitbegins,payattentiontowhichstudentsyouthinkcouldworktogetherwell.You’llwantthestudentswhoreadataroundthesameinstructionallevelstobetogetherinclubsbutyou’llalsowanttotakefriendshipsandotherrelationshipsintoaccount(ifatallpossible).Someteachershavetheirstudentseachwritethemaletteradayortwotheunitbegins,lettingtheteacherknowwhateachstudentsthinkhis/herownstrengths/needsareasreaders,his/hergoalsforthisunitandwhathe/shewouldlikeaclubtohelphim/herwithgettingbetterat.Someteachersalsoletstudentsmakesomerecommendationsofstudentstheythinkwouldbegoodasclubmembersbutinsistthattheybacktheseup,explainingtheirchoices.Ofcourse,theseteachersalsoletstudentsknowthatwhiletheywilltakethestudents’thoughtsintoaccount,ultimatelytheymustmakedecisionsastowhowillworkintheclubbasedonhowtheclubmemberscanhelpeachotherasreaders.Itwillbeimportanttoletstudentsknowthatrespectingallmembersoftheclubisnon‐negotiable.Keepinmindthatyouwillwantallofthisworktobesettledbeforetheofficiallaunchoftheunitsothatstudentscandevotetheirvaluablereadingtimetodoingjustthat!ParticipatinginYourOwnAdultBookClubTheunitisorganizedsothatchildrenareinthefrequentcompanyoffriends,readingsharedhistoricalfictionfromaparticularerawithsupportfromabookclub.Inordertosupportyourchildrentoengagedeeplyinbookclubconversations,weencourageyoutoparticipateinyourownadultreadingclubbeforethestartoralongsidethisunit,givingyourselfandyourcolleaguesaninsider’sperspectiveontheworkthatyouareaskingchildrentodo.Youwillalwayswanttoengageinformativeassessments,justasyouhaveallyearlong,usingthesetoinformyourteaching.Thereareseveralassessmenttoolsandlearningprogressions(thoroughrubrics)thatcansupportyourteachingofthisunit,butwealso

Assessment


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encourageyoutodesignyourownmethodsfortrackingstudents’progressandensuringthatyourteachingishavingtraction.InformalFormativeAssessmentToolItisinvaluabletospendsometimeatthestartofeachunitforsomeinformalassessments.Thedatafromsuchassessmentsallowyoutolearnfromstudents’workandplanortweaktheplansfortheunit,rightfromthestart.Toconductthisassessment,youmaywanttolocatehistoricalfictionbooksatthelevelsatwhichmostofyourstudentsarereading.Thenembedadozenquestionsintothosetexts,markedbypostits,atspotswherestudentsareapttopausetodoaparticularkindofmentalwork.Then,asyouadministertheassessment,askstudentstowritearesponsetothequestionyou’vewrittenforthatspot.WehavedevelopedasetofquestionsforPatriciaMacLachlan’sSkylark(levelR),andadescriptionofwaysyoumightuseittoinformunitplanning.Youmaywanttorefertopages21and22inVolumeIofTacklingComplexTextsfordetailsonhowyoucanimplementthiskindofformativeassessment.Someteacherswhousedthisassessmentgavethistotheirstudentsashomeworkforaweekend,lettingstudentsknowthattheirworkwouldnotbegraded,butliketheirreadinglogs,wouldgivethemachancetostudythemselves.Alternatively,youcouldreadaloudahistoricalfictionbookthatfallswithinthehigherendofthe4‐5complexityband,perhapsatalevelRorS.Asyoureadasectionofthattext,planforplaceswhereyou’llpromptchildrentostopandjot.You’lllikelywanttocreatepromptsthatassessskillssuchasinferringaboutcharacter,interpreting,anddiscerningsetting—saytimeperiod—fromatext.Forinstance,youmightstopandask,“Whatideasareyoubeginningtohaveaboutthisperson?”or“Whatmightthischaracterbeteachingyou?Whatlessonsareyoulearning?Dosomejottingandbesuretoincludeevidencefromthetexttosupportyourideas.”Afteryouhavecollectedyourchildren’sresponses,youwillwanttolaythemalongsidetheLiteratureReadingLearningProgressionandassessstudents’writtenresponsesusingitasaguide.Attheendoftheunit,you’lllikelyplantorepeatthissameassessment(orasimilarone)tomeasurestudentgrowth.TCRWP’sLiteratureReadingLearningProgressionTheTCRWP’sLiteratureReadingLearningProgression,availabletoProjectschoolsonourwebsite,willhelpyouassesstheworkchildrendointhisinitial,formativeassessment.Thelearningprogressionwillhelpyouseetheprogressionofgrowthmostchildrenundergoastheylearntoinfer,interpret,anddrawontextualevidence.Wesuggestyoustudythiscontinuumwithyourgradecolleagues,establishingacommonbaselineforworkatthevariouslevels.Youmightaskeachcolleaguetobringwhathe/sheconsiderstobeaLevel2


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response,aLevel3response,aLevel4response,andsoforth,thenworktoagreeonananchorsampleforeachlevel.Next,withtheseanchorsamplesinmind,movetoassessingyourownclass.Don’tfretoverfindingtheperfectlevelforeachstudent.Instead,youmightbeginbylayingchildren’sworkoutalongakindof‘highway’ofincreasedsophistication,fromleastsophisticatedtomostsophisticated.Thiswillgiveyouanideaofwheremostofyourstudentslie,andwhereyourwhole‐classteachingmustbegin.ThemaingoalforBendOneisforreaderstobeabletoreadcomplextexts,inthecompanyoftheirclubmembers,withdeepcomprehension.Withsupportfromabookclub,studentswilllearntokeeptrackofmultipleplotlines,ofmanycharactersandofshiftsintimeandplace.Tofullygraspthetext,readerswillneedtoinvestigatethespecialroleofsettingintheirhistoricalfictionnovels.Astheyaccumulateandbegintosynthesizedetails,you’llsupportthembyshowingthemhowtheymightuseessentialreadingtoolssuchastimelines,graphicorganizers,listsofcharacters,webs,etc.Bytheendofthisbend,weintendthatstudentswillhavelearnedtheimportanceofworkinghardandofusingarepertoireoftoolstoholdontothestory.Readerswhohavehadasteadydietofrealisticfictionoftenletthesettingsintheirnovelsflybythem.PicturethesettinginAmberBrown.It’saschoolclassroom,abedroom,akitchen,butitneverplaysanespeciallyimportantroleinthenovels.ThesettingsinbooksatlevelsN/O/P/Qalsotendtobefairlystatic.Theplacesthemselvesdonotundergomajordevelopmentsastheplotofthebookunfolds;instead,thesettingprovidesthebackdrop.(InbooksbelowlevelsPorQ,thesettingisoftensuchaminorelementthatstorycouldoftenbetransplantedtoadifferentsettingwithoutchangingmuchofanything!)Oncereadersprogresstohigherlevelsoftextdifficulty,thesettingsoftenbecomelessfamiliar,moredynamicandalsomoreessentialtothestory.InmorecomplicatedtextsespeciallystoriesintheR/S/Tbandandabove,thesettingisusuallyquitesignificant.Itmayevenfunctionaspartoftheproblemthatacharacterhastoovercome—sometimesbyleavingaltogether,suchasinstoriesthatdescribeJewishfamiliesescapingtheHolocaustorIrishpeoplemigratingtoanewlandbecauseofthefamine.Anaturaldisaster,orinvasionbyahostileenemy,mightchangethesettingcompletely.Thesettingmayoperateatasymboliclevel,too:thedustoftheprairiemayseemtorepresentabarrenlife,notsimplythatthelandisdry.So,oneofthefirstlessonsyou’lllikelywanttoteachyourstudentsisabouttheimportanceofpayingcarefulattentiontodetailstobuildtheworldofthestoryandlearnaboutthesetting.Youmightsaysomethinglike“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatreadersofhistoricalfictionneedtopayspecialattentiontodescriptive,transitionalpassagesthattellaboutdailylife—whereand

BendI:DeepComprehensionandSynthesisofComplexStory


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whenandhowordinarythingsworkedinthetimeandplaceofthestory.Readerscan’tassumetheyunderstandthesedetailsbecausehistoricalfictionmeansit’snotinaplaceortimelikenow!Thesedetailsoftenrevealagreatdealabouttheworldinwhichthestoryisset.”Yet,you’llwanttoshowyourstudentsthatsettingsarenotjustphysicalspaces.Theyplayaroleinthestorybecausetheyareemotionalspaces,aswell.Readersshouldcometorealizethatnothingthathappensinastoryisincludedaccidentally.Ifthelightningflashesandthedarkcloudsrumble,theimpendingstormisincludedinthestoryforapurpose,andreadersprofitfromthinking,“Whymighttheauthorhavemadeitstormjustnow?WhatamIsupposedtobethinking?”Thesewillbenewquestionsforyourreaders.They’llemergefromtheirstudyofsettingsmorepreparedtotacklethecomplexshiftsinsettingsinanynovel.YoumaywanttorefertosessionIinVolumeIofTacklingComplexTextsstartingonpage2fortosupportyourteachingofthisinitialwork.Youmightsaysomethinglike“Today,Iwanttoteachyouthatinhistoricalfiction,becausethesettingwillbeinevitablyunfamiliartous,wehavetoreallypayattentionnotjusttowhattheplacelookslike,butwhatitfeelslike‐notjustitsphysicaldetailsbutitsemotionalatmosphere.”Youmightgoontosaythatreadersaskthemselves“Isthisthekindoftownwherepeoplearegoodtoeachotherorwheregroupsfearandmistrusteachother?Isitaplacethatisonthebrinkofchangeorthathasbeensweptupinawar?Whatisthemoodofthisplace?”andthenask,“Whymighttheauthorhavecreatedthismoodforthissetting?”Youmightthenofferanexample.Forinstance,inTheWitchofBlackbirdPond,readersmaythinkaboutwhatmaybegoingonwhenpeopleseeKitTylerswim,aboutthesuspiciousstareswhenthissixteenyearoldgirlfromBarbadosfloatsinthewater.WhatmoodiscreepinginwhenJohnHolbrookandNatissuewarningstostayawayfromthewater?WhattonedoestheauthorestablishwhendescribingSaybrook,aConnecticutColony,asbleak,bareandgrey,withhouseslikewoodenboxes?Youcouldasktogether,‘Whymighttheauthorhavecreatedthismoodforthissetting?’anditwillnotbedifficulttosee,ifchildrenknowthestory,thatthesedescriptionsandmoodmatchwiththemoodofthewitchtrialsthatareabouttooccurinthestory.Asyoudothiswork,you’llwanttocoachintoclubsrightaway.Thetruthisthatnosinglereaderwillnoticeasmuch,orsynthesizeasmanydetails,asasmallgroupofreaders.Soyou’llcoachyourstudentstolistencarefullytoeachother,buildoneachother’scomments,andhonorrelationshipssothateveryclubmemberfeelsvalued.YourteachingwillaligntotheCCSSforSpeakingandListeningasyouteachchildrento“cometodiscussionsprepared...explicitlydraw[ing]onthatpreparationandotherinformationknownaboutthe

“Today,Iwanttoteachyouthatinhistoricalfiction,becausethesettingwillbeinevitably

unfamiliartous,wehavetoreallypayattentionnotjusttowhattheplacelookslike,butwhatitfeelslike‐notjustitsphysicaldetailsbutitsemotionalatmosphere.”


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topictoexploreideasunderdiscussion”(SL4.1),andto“reviewthekeyideasexpressedandexplaintheirownideasandunderstandinginlightofthediscussions”(SL4.1)andotheraccountabletalkmoves.SessionIIstartingonpage28inVolumeIofTacklingComplexTexts,cansupportyouinteachingthislesson.Youmightsaysomethinglike,“Readers,aswebegintoinventideasaboutreadingclubs,Iwanttoalsoteachyouthatit’simportantinanyclubtotakecareofrelationshipswithinthatclub.Wedothatbymakingsurethatwe’recreatingworkwhereeachmemberwillbeapartofsomethingimportant,andwhereeachmemberwillalwaysfeelsupportedbythegroup.”Thechart,“PlayingYourPartInDeepClubTalk”onpage43inVolumeIinTacklingComplexTexts,providesgreatsuggestionsforhonoringrelationshipsbetweenclubmembers.Ofcourse,asstudentsbeginthesecomplicatednovels,theywon’tonlybeencounteringdetailsabouttheplaceofthestorybutalsoatremendousamountofcrucialdetailsaboutthecharacters.So,youwillwanttoshowreadersthatifyoulearnsomethingaboutacharacteronpagetwo,orinChapterOne,it’sbecauseyou’regoingtoneeditlaterinthestory.Historicalfiction,atthelevelsatwhichyourchildrenareprobablyreading,movesswiftly.Readersneedtogatheralotofinformationquicklywhichcantendtobechallengingwork.Andsoyou’llwanttoteachyourreaderssomestrategiesforquicklysynthesizingdetails.YoumaywanttoseesessionIIIstartingonpage48inVolumeIofTacklingComplexTextstosupportyourteachingandwordyourteachingpointalongsimilarlines.Youmightsay,“Iwanttoteachyouthatwhengrown‐upsinmybookclubandIbeginreadingourhistoricalfictionbooks,wefoundourselvesalmosttackingupinformationwe’dneedtoknowonmentalbulletinboards.Atthestartofourbooks,therewassomuchinformationflyingpastusaswereadthatwefeltasifalotofourmindworkwasspentcatchingtheimportantstuffandalmostsortingitsothatwebegantograspthewho,what,where,when,andwhyofthebook.”Todemonstrate,youmightsay,“Let’spauseandthinkaboutallthatwehavelearnedinthefirstchapterofourreadaloud,TheWitchofBlackbirdPond.Whoarethecharacters,whereisthestorytakingplace,andwhatisgoingoninthestory?”Youmaythenlistoutonchartpaperthecharactersthefirstchapterintroducedreadersto,KatherineTyler,asixteenyearoldgirlfromBarbados,whoissailingtotheUStostaywithherauntinWeathersfield,CaptandMrs.EatonandtheirsonNathanielwhoaresailingbacktotheUSafterspendingthewinterinBarbados,JohnHolbrook,apassengerwhoisgoingtostudytobeaclergyman.Youmightjotdowntheplace,Saybrook,dreary,grayConnecticutcolonies,andyoumightjotdowntheembarrassmentKitfaceswhenpeoplescoffatherforjumpingintotheicyriver.Then,youmightsay“Readerssometimestakenotes‐‐onpaperorevenmentalnotes‐‐


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onthekeycharacters,settingandkeymomentsthathappenearlyoninhistoricalfiction,orothercomplexbooks.Ithelpsusmakesenseofthebookandholdontothisimportantinformationaswereadon!You’llseehowoftenweendupreferringtothischartaswecontinueon.Youmaydecideyouneedtodothiswiththebooksyouarereadinginyourclubsandtheonesyouarereadingindependently,too.”Asyourreadersbegintorealizethatdetailswhichhelpthemtogetinformationaboutthecharactersandtheobstaclestheyfacepersonallyaswellasinformationaboutthesetting(includingthehistoricalcontext)arecritical,they’llalsobegintonoticegapsintheirknowledge,perhapsfromplaceswheretimemovesfastorwherethereareflashbacks.Essentialreadingtoolssuchastimelines,graphicorganizers,andlistsofcharacters,whichyourreadersmaynothaveneededforatime,nowbecomeimportanttoolsagain.Thisiskey,andyou’llwanttoofferittoyourstudents,sayingsomethinglike“OnethingIwanttoremindyouoftodayisthatexperiencedreadersdon’twaitforateachertotellthemhowtousetheircomprehensionstrategies.Theyknowthatastheirbooksgetharder,theyhaveto workharder,turningtoalltheirpastlearning,allthewaystheyknowtohelpthemselvesunderstand,includingtakingnotes,makinglists,rereading,talkingwithpartners...andmore.” You’llwanttoensurethattheyknowhowtodothis.Asstudentsmoveuplevelsintoharderbooks,they’llfindthattheyneedtoconsciouslyharnesscomprehensionstrategiesthatwerehelpfultotheminthepast.WeattheRWPsuggestyou’llmodelmuchofthatcrucialreadingwork,showingyourstudentshowtousemultiplestrategiestomakesenseofwhattheyarereading.You’llremindthemtousetheirpencilsastheyread.You’llremindthemtorereadontherun,whichmustbecomeautomaticiftheyaretotacklethekindsofcomplicatedtextsthatawaitthem.Timelineswillbeparticularlyimportant.Inhistoricalfiction,it’softenusefultocreateatimelineofhistoricalevents,aswellasatimelineofpivotalmomentsforthemaincharacter.Thatway,youandyourreaderscanbegintoanalyzetherelationshipbetweenthemaincharacterandhistoricalevents.Whendoeshistoryaffectthemaincharacter,andviceversa?It’simportantforhistoricalfictionreaderstounderstandthatthecharactersexistinarelationshipwithhistory.Ultimately,thisunderstandingwillhelpreaderswithanycomplexnovel,ascharactersneverexistinavacuum,butarealwaysaffectedbythesocialpressures,communitynorms,andforcesaroundthem.Historicalfictionnovelssimplyrequirereaderstowrapourmindsaroundagreatervolumeofcontext.Thereisthepersonalstoryofthemaincharacter,thesubplotsofsidecharactersandthehistoricalbackdropofanera,allwiththeirownchangingtimelines.Itisnotalwaysclearattheoutsetthatthesedifferenttimelinesbearanyconnectiontoeachotherorthattheyareintertwined.You'llwanttoteachreadersnewtothisgenre(andespeciallythosenewto

“OnethingIwanttoremindyouoftodayisthatexperienced

readersdon’twaitforateachertotellthemhowtousetheir

comprehensionstrategies.Theyknowthatastheirbooksgetharder,theyhavetowork

harder,turningtoalltheirpastlearning,allthewaystheyknowtohelpthemselvesunderstand,includingtakingnotes,makinglists,rereading,talkingwith

partners...andmore.”


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textsatLevelsP/Qandbeyond)howtokeeptrackofseveralsimultaneouslyunfoldingtimelinesorplots.YoumaymodelthisusingTheWitchofBlackbirdPondbyElizabethGeorgeSpeare,aCommonCoreStateStandardsrecommendedbook,whichhasaclearstorythatunfoldsovertimewithinitshistoricalmoment.YoumayalsowanttorefertosessionIVstartingonpage70inVolumeIofTacklingComplexTextstomakereadersawareoftheelementoftime.Yourteachingpointmightgosomethinglikethis:“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatskilledreadersreadanycomplexstory,andespeciallywhenwereadhistoricalfiction,weareawarethattimeisoneoftheelementsinthestorythatisoftencomplex.Specifically,weareawarethatthespotlightofthestoryiscontinuallynotonthehereandnow.Sometimesthestoryharkensbacktoeventsthathavealreadyoccurred,earlierinthestoryorevenbeforethestorybegan.”Thesamplestudentworkonpage87inVolumeIofTacklingComplexTextsisagreatexampleofamentalmodelthatstudentsusedtokeeptrackofthetimeelementintheirstories.Onpages94and95inVolumeIyouwillfindmanyexamplesoftimelinescreatedbystudentsastheynotonlyplottedthepersonaltimelineofthecharactersintheirstoriesbutalsothehistoricaltimelines.Nowthatreadersareholdingontotheworldofthestory,usingavarietyoftools,they’llalsobestartingtoseethatthemaincharacter’spointofviewonwhatishappeningisuniquetothisparticularstory.Andtheymaybestartingtonoticethatthemaincharacter’s(orothercharacters’)pointofviewsmightberadicallydifferentthanthereader’spointofview.Thatis,themaincharacterexperiencestheworlddifferentlythanthereader.Ifstudentsarenotdiscussingthepointofviewofthecharactersinthetextandcomparingandcontrastingthesepointsofviewaswellasusingthemtofigureoutwhythecharactersarereactingtosituationsthewaythattheydo,they’llwanttoshowthemthatit’scriticaltobeabletosuspendourownjudgments‐‐askillemphasizedintheStandardsstartinginthirdgrade.Asstudentsanalyzethepointofviewoftheircharacters,theywillalsobestartingtocometounderstandthepointofviewoftheirauthors.TheCommonCoreStateStandardsforReadinginfifthgradeemphasizethatstudentsshould“describehowanarrator’sorspeaker’spointofviewinfluenceshoweventsaredescribed”(5.3)andthatisworkthatstudentscanbegintostarttakingstepstowarddoingnow.Further,theCommonCoreStateStandardsforSocialStudiesemphasizeidentifying“aspectsofatextthatrevealanauthor’spointofvieworpurpose.”Studentinvestigationofpointofviewintextswillbothdeveloptheirunderstandingabouthistoricalmomentsandbring

“Readerstrytounderstandthedecisionscharactersmake,andwedothisinpartbykeepinginmindthatthecharacter’sbehaviorisshapedbywhatishappeningintheworldinwhichthecharacterlives,thatisbythehistoricalcontext.Andhere’sthething:

Whendifferentcharactersresponddifferentlytooneevent,itis

helpfultoreaderstomuseaboutthis,asking‘Why?’Usually,whendifferentcharactersactdifferentlythisreflectsthefactthateachofthosecharactersplaysadifferentroleintheworldandthereforeisshapeddifferentlybythetimes.”


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themtoanunderstandingoftheirownpointsofview.Forfurthersupporttoteachthiswork,youmightfindSessionVIstartingonpage104inVolumeIofTacklingComplexTextstobehelpful.Theteachingpointtherereads,“Readerstrytounderstandthedecisionscharactersmake,andwedothisinpartbykeepinginmindthatthecharacter’sbehaviorisshapedbywhatishappeningintheworldinwhichthecharacterlives,thatisbythehistoricalcontext.Andhere’sthething:Whendifferentcharactersresponddifferentlytooneevent,itishelpfultoreaderstomuseaboutthis,asking‘Why?’Usually,whendifferentcharactersactdifferentlythisreflectsthefactthateachofthosecharactersplaysadifferentroleintheworldandthereforeisshapeddifferentlybythetimes.”Aschildrenarenowreadingwithattentivenesstosetting,areempathizingwithcharactersintheirhistoricalfictionnovelsandnoticingtheircomplexity,theywillnowbeabletoembarkupontheintellectualworkofinterpretationinBendTwo.Asstudentscontinuetonoticeandtheorizeaboutsignificantdetails,youwillhelptheminthisbendtoseethatthosedetailshelptoconveythelargermessagesofthestory.It’seasyforchildrentogetcaughtupintheactionofhistoricalfiction,andthealluringsettings,butyou’llwanttoteachthemthatjustasthefictionbooksthey’vereadareaboutmorethanjustplot,soarehistoricalfictionbooks.TheCommonCorecallsforfourthgradersto,“determineathemeofastory,drama,orpoemfromdetailsinthetext”(RL4.2).They’llneedtolookbeyondwhat’shappeningtouncovertheideasandthemesthatunderliethebookstheyreadduringthisunit,especiallyasthesebooksbecomemorecomplex.You’llwantthemtounderstandthateachbooktheyreadwillbeaboutmorethanoneidea.Thisisnewworkforalotofreaders,especiallyyoungreaderswhocameofagesearchingforacentralormainideainatext.Inthispartoftheunit,you’llteachyourstudentsthatreadingisaboutdraftingandrevisingideas.You’lldothisworkwithyourstudentsfirstwithinonetext,thenacrosstexts,andfinallybetweentextsandtheirlives.You’llteachyourreaderstogrownuancedideasandtoreadtobechangedbythenewworldsandcharactersweencounter.Thisinterpretationworkisnotsimplyaboutteachingkidstorecitebackanideathatateachergivesthem.Youwillnottellthem“thetheme”ofabookorsendthemofftoseekevidenceforanideatheydidnotdevelopthemselves.Youwillnotskipthehardintellectualworkthatkidsneedtodotograpplewiththemes.Instead,yourgoalisthatyourstudentslearntoarticulatesignificantideasabouttheirbooks,thattheylearntorevisethoseideasontheirown,andthattheylearntoreconsider,elaborateon,anddefendthoseideasinthecompanyofotherreaders.

BendII:InterpretingComplexTexts


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Youmightbegintheinterpretationworkinthisunit,therefore,byteachingyourstudentstoauthortheirownresponses.Toooften,intoomanyplaces,kidsaretaughtthattheydon’tmatterinthecurriculum.Nothere.Notinyourclassroom.You’llteachyourstudentsthatwhattheybringtotextsmatters.You’llshowthemthatwhattheynoticeintextsisintricatelyrelatedtotheirpersonalandethicalconcerns,tothehistorytheybringtothepage.Youmayalsorevealhowyourhistoryinformsyourownreadingresponse,showinghowyousometimesreadasabigsisterorsometimesasavictimofbullyingorsometimesasanexpertonahistoricaltimeperiod.Yourstudentsdon’tneedtoknowthis,butyou’llbedependingonthereadingresponsetheoriesofLouiseRosenblatt.You’llteachthatthemeaningofatextliesbetweenthebookandthereader.Itexistsintheunionofthewordsonthepageandthemindreadingthosewords.Whatreallymattersisthatyourkidslearnthattheymatter—thatwhattheybringtoreadingshapestheirunderstanding.Althoughyouwantyourstudentstobringtheirownbackgroundtotheirreading,youwillalsoremindstudentsthattheymustalways,always,alwaysholdthemselvesandtheirclubmembersaccountabletoreferringtodetailsandexamplesinthetexttodrawinferencesandgrowtheirownideas(CCSSRL4.1).SessionVIIIstartingonpage2inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTextsisagreatresourcetosupportyourteaching.Aswewritethere,yourteachingmightstartsomethinglikethis,“SotodayIwanttoteachyouthatwhenwereadnovelsandspecificallywhenwestudytextsreallyclosely,wearelookingat…something.Andhereisthething.Noonecantellyouasareader,whattolookat,whattonotice,whattothink.Onereaderandanotherwilltendtonoticesimilarthingsaboutwhatishappeninginthestory‐abouttheplot.Buteachreaderbringshisorherownmeaningtothestory,andtodothat,weletdifferentpartsreverberateinourlives.Eachoneofusistheauthorofhisorherownreading.”Andthen,asyouofferexamplesofthis,you’dwanttobesuretodemonstratethatthosereadingsmustbecloselyanchoredtothetext.Asreaderschoosewhichpartsofthebookstheyarereadingmeritdeepstudy,youmightdecidetoconvenethewholeclasstolearnhowoneclubhasdonethis.“Davidhasnoticedthatsomepartsfeelmoreimportantthanothers,”youmightbeginthenencourageyourreaderstopauseastheyreadthoseparts‐‐usuallytheextradramaticorsurprisingones‐‐wheretheyfeelasifthereisasensethatwhatishappeningnowisconnectedtootherpartsofthestoryorcouldbetremendouslyimportanttothecharacter’sdevelopment.It’salmostasifthosepartsofthestoryarewritteninbold,youmighttelltheclass.“Alarmbellparts,”sotospeak.Youcanremindthemthatreaderslingerinthoseparts,jotaboutthem,rereadthemwiththeirclubs,comparetheirthinking,connectthem

“SotodayIwanttoteachyouthatwhenwereadnovelsand

specificallywhenwestudytextsreallyclosely,wearelookingat…something.Andhereisthething.Noonecantellyouasareader,whattolookat,whattonotice,whattothink.Onereaderand

anotherwilltendtonoticesimilarthingsaboutwhatishappeninginthestory‐abouttheplot.Buteachreaderbringshisorherownmeaningtothestory,andtodothat,weletdifferentparts

reverberateinourlives.Eachoneofusistheauthorofhisorher

ownreading.”


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tootherparts,andhavelongdiscussionsaboutthemagainandagain.Oftenreaderscomeawayfromcertainpassageswithbigideastheyaregoingtocarrywiththemfortherestofthebook.Youcanexpectyourreaders,oncetheyhavesomebigideas,toneedsupportingroundingthoseideasindetails.Attimeswhenclubconversationsgetgoodandgoing,itmightfeellikethestudentshaveleftthe“book”partofthebookclubbehind!Ideasareflyingbackandforthbutnooneseemstobeopeningabookorrereadingaperfectsupportivelineandexplainingwhatitshows.Ifthisisthecasewithyourclubs,you’llwanttoshowthemthatsky‐highideasmatterofcourse,buttheymustalwaysbegroundedinthetext.Soagain,you’llteachyourreadersthatingoodbooks,detailsmatter,andthatperceptivereadersaccumulateandstringtogetherdetails(CCSSRL4.1).Youmightencouragestudentstoaskquestionssuchas:

Whichsentencefromthestoryshowsthat_____? Whichsentencefromthestoryexplainswhy____? Whatdoestheauthormeanwhenhesaysinthesentence“___________”?

Asyourreadersbegintofollowideas,theycankeeptrackofdetailsthatsupportthoseideas,anddetailsthatleadthemtorelatedideasaswell.Remindstudentstoholdeachotheraccountable,askingformemberstoshowwhatexamplesinthetextsupporttheirthinkingandchoosingquotesfromthetextasevidence.Youmighthavestudentsallmarkakeyquoteintheircopiesofthetextonalargepostit,thenpasstheirtextsaround,eachstudentreadingthequote(andthepartofthetextthequotecamefrom).Thentheymightdecidewhichofthequotestheywanttodiscussfirst,allopeningtothatpartanddiscussingthesignificanceofthequotetothemessagesofthestory.Inthisway,youcanbepushingstudentstouseevidencetosupporttheirthinkingandtotalklongeraboutonepartinsteadofhoppingfromoneparttothenext.Acrossthisbend,you’llseestudentslearningtobeextraalertreaders,justasalertfansnoticesomuchmoreatabaseballgamethandoinexperiencedviewers.You’llteachyourreaderstoalmostwearspeciallensesastheydevelopideas—lensesthathelpthemmaintainafocusonsomeofthoseideasastheyread.They’llkeepthoseideas—thoseinterpretations—inmindastheyread,thinking,“Ahyes!”or“Huh?Thatdoesn’tfit.”Perhapstheywillwanttojotthemselvesnotesaboutthelensestheyplantoreadwitheachday.Thatway,clubswon’tenduplosingtrackoftheirideas,orlosingtheirfocus.ThemaingoalofthispartoftheRWPunitisforkidstovaluetheirownideasaboutbooksandthenholdontotheseastheyread,groundingthemindetails,deepeningthem,andsharingthemwithothers.Butit’simportant,too,thatchildrenremainopentonewideas.Wewantthemtobeabletowidentheirthinking,notholdsosteadfastlytooneortwo


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ideasthattheycannotembracechangingthoughtsandinterpretationsastheypushfurtherintotheirbooks.Sowesuggestthatyouteachyourstudentsthatgoodstoriesareaboutmorethanoneidea,andthattoreadabookwithcomplexityistobeopentoajourneyofthought,notjustasinglethought.You’llalsowanttonudgekidstorevisetheirunderstandingsasthesechange.Toooften,youngreadersmayrejectorignorepartsofthestorythatdon’tfitanideatheycameupwithearlyon.Soyou’llteachthemthatit’sokaytochangeyourmindasyoureadandasyoulistentotheideasofyourfellowbookclubmembers.Thoughtfulreaderskeepourhorizonsopenasweread,andweuseconversationaswellasourindividualobservationstobroadenourunderstanding.SeeSessionXIIstartingonpage86inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTextsforsupportinteachingthislesson.Thereweproposethatateachingpointgolikethis:“Iwanttoteachyouthatalthoughitisreallyimportanttofashionideasandtocareaboutthem,it’salsoimportanttobeopentonewideas.Youdon’twanttoread,ortotalk,likeyouaredeterminednottoletyourmindbudgeevenaninch.Onereasontotalkandtoread,both,istolearn.Inagoodbook,asinagoodconversation,youcanfeelyourthinkingbeingchanged.”TheinterpretiveworkstudentsdoinBendTwoofhistoricalfictioncanparallelsomeoftheworktheydoinsocialissuesbookclubs—readingtofostersocialjustice.Theycanlearntoraiseburningquestionsintheirbookclubsaboutwhyhistoryunfoldsthewayitdoes,howindividualstoriesbearwitnesstosufferingandcourage,andwhatlessonswecantakefromcharacters’experiences.Theirjottingsandconversationswillgrowasyoucoachintothissynthesiswork,helpingthemplacetwoideasnexttoeachotherinordertoformanew,morenuancedone.The‘ThoughtPrompts’onpage96inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTexts,canprovidethemsupporttogrowtheirideas.Thebookclubworkwillbetremendouslyimportanthereasyourkidslearnthattheirideasaremorepowerfulincoalitionthanwhentheyworkalone.Indeed,oneofthemostsignificantlessonsofthisTCRWPunit,andwehopeoneofthemostlasting,willbethatchildren’sgreateststrengthliesinbuildingthoughtsofftheirtalkwitheachother.Studentswillbeabletoposeandanswerquestionsandexplaintheirownunderstandingoftextsinlightofthesediscussions(CCSSSL4.1c,d).You'llwanttofacilitatesuchtalkbyprovidingliterarylanguageforsomeofthethingsreadersareintuitivelyseeingintheirbooksbutcan'tpreciselyname.Youmightteachreaderstouseallusions,figurativelanguage,andsymbolismtoconveyideasthatarenoteasilycontainedinordinarylanguage.Atthispointintheunit,you’llwanttohelpyourstudentstoseeavisionforhowaconversationthatismetaphoricmightsound.TheclipontheDVDwhichaccompaniestheUnitsofStudywherethebookclubofboysarediscussingthesymbolisminOutoftheDustbyKarenHesseisnottobemissed!Manyaclubofstudentswhohaswatchedthisunithasreturnedtotheirownconversations,fullof

“Iwanttoteachyouthatalthoughitisreallyimportanttofashionideasandtocareaboutthem,it’salsoimportanttobeopentonewideas.Youdon’twanttoread,ortotalk,likeyouaredeterminednottoletyourmindbudgeevenaninch.Onereasontotalkandtoread,

both,istolearn.Inagoodbook,asinagoodconversation,youcanfeelyourthinkingbeingchanged.”


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excitementtostartthinkingandtalkingmetaphorically.Encouragetheirearlyattemptseveniftheseatfirstsoundcliché!

Asnowyourstudentsarebecomingadeptatinterpretation,theywillbereadytomovetowardsdevelopingtheircriticalreadingskills,examiningthetextfromthelensofperspectiveandpower,inBendThree.Furthertheywillbeabletodevelopideasacrossbooksandoftenturntononfictiontodeveloptheirburgeoningpassionforhistory.Finallytheywillbeconfident,articulateandinclusiveintheirliteraryconversations,bringingthelessonstheyhavelearnedfrombookstourgentsocialissuesthatshapetheirlives.TheCommonCoreStateStandardsaskstudentstonotonlyseparatetheirperspectivefromthatofthemaincharacter,butalsotodiscernthevariousperspectivesofdifferentcharacterswithinastory.You’llteachyourreaders,therefore,tolookcloselyatasceneandimaginethedifferentpointsofviewthatcharactersinthatscenebringtotheaction.SessionXIIIstartingonpage100inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTextscanfurthersupportinteachingthislesson.Youmightsaysomethinglike,“Readers,itiseasytounderstandthestoryfromtheperspectiveofthemaincharacter,tostepintotheshoesofthemaincharacter,anditismuchhardertostepintoshoesoftheothercharacters.Today,though,Iamsuggestingtryingtostepintotheshoesofthoseothercharactershelpsusunderstandthebiggerpictureofwhatourstoriesmightreally,reallybeabout.” ThesamplestudentwritingofLilyandMaxwellonpage111inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTextsshowadifferentperspectivewhenseeingthestorythroughtheeyesofquietercharacters.Anotherwaytoteachintocriticalliteracyistoteachyourstudentstore‐analyzetheirstories,orpartsofthem,throughthelensofpower.Thisworkoftenleadsthemtonewthinking,especiallyforreadersofthisage,whohaven’toftenthoughtaboutpowerandresistance,althoughtheymayfeelpowerlessoften.You’llteachyourstudentstoaskthemselveswhohaspower,howispowervisible,whatformscanpowertake,andhowdoespowershift.SessionXVstartingonpage138inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTextsoffersthisteachingpoint:“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatlookingatourbookswiththelensofpowerleadstoallsortsofnewthinking.Whenweinvestigatewhohaspower,whatformpowertakes(howyouseeit),andhowpowerchanges,thathelpsusfindhugemeaningsinbooks.”Thechartonpage146titled,‘PredictableQuestionstoInvestigatePower’

BendIII:BecomingMoreComplexBecauseWeRead

“Readers,itiseasytounderstandthestoryfromtheperspectiveofthemaincharacter,tostepintotheshoesofthemaincharacter,anditismuchhardertostepintoshoesof

theothercharacters.Today,though,Iamsuggestingtryingtostepintotheshoesofthoseothercharactershelpsusunderstandthebiggerpictureofwhatourstoriesmightreally,reallybeabout.”

“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatlookingatourbookswiththe

lensofpowerleadstoallsortsofnewthinking.Whenwe

investigatewhohaspower,whatformpowertakes(howyouseeit),andhowpowerchanges,thathelpsusfindhugemeaningsin

books.”


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isagoodresourcetohelpstudentsexplorepowerinthebookstheyarereading.Samplestudentworkaroundexploringpoweronpages145and146willgiveyouanideaofwhatyoucanexpectstudentstodowhentheexaminetheirtextswiththelensofpower.Ifyouhaven’tdonesoyet,weattheTCRWPsuggestyoumakesurethatyourstudentsnowhavetheopportunitytoreadsomenonfictionalongsidetheirfiction.Teachthemtointegrateinformationfromtwoormoretextsthataddressthesameeventortopictogrowtheirunderstandingofthistimeperiod(CCSSRI4.9).Thisdoesn’thavetomeanthatyoucreateenormoustextsets,ravageyourlibraries,anddobigbookorders.Youcouldsimplytypeupsomestatistics,ordownloadsomesimplefactsheetsorarticles.KnowinghowmanypeoplediedintheSalemwitchtrials,forexample,givesthereaderanevengreatersenseoftheenormityofthecrisisdepictedinTheWitchofBlackbirdPond.It’salsohelpfultohavesomeimages,orprimarysources,sothatstudentscanusetheseasreferenceswhiletheyread.Eventhoughchildrenwillhavelearnedthatthebookstheyarereadingaresetduringreallifeevents,theymayexperiencetheseeventsandcharactersatacertaindistancebecausetheyarereadingaboutthemagainstthebackdropoffiction.Youmightguideyourstudentstolookacrossthesetextsandask,

Whatissimilarbetween____________and___________?Whatisthedifferencebetween_______and______?

Whichinformationwasinoneaccountandnottheother?

Whichsentencedescribesthedifferenceinaccounts?Forfurtherhelpinteachingthislesson,youmaywanttorefertosessionXVIstartingonpage154inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTexts.Youmightsaysomethinglike,“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatreadersoftenturntononfictiontosparknewideasaboutournovels.Justastwostickslightafirewhenthey’rerubbedtogether,wecanrubsomebitsofnonfictionupagainstpartsofnovelsandseeideasignite.”Asyourreadersaddinnonfictionreading,teachthemtobegintotalkaboutideasacrosstexts—bothfictionandnonfiction.Thiswork,ofrealizingthatanideaareaderhasinonetextcanbetrueinanothertext,isrevolutionaryforyoungreaders.They’llbegintoseethemeseverywhere.Soyouwon’thavetobuildtextsetsaroundthemes—infact,youdon’twantto.Youwantyourreaderstobegintoimaginethateachtexttheyreadcanbereadincomparisontoothertexts,almostasiftheyaremakingvirtualtextsets.You’llteachyourreaders,then,tolookcloselyatsomethingtheCommonCoreStateStandardsemphasize,whichishoweachtextdevelopsatheme—inordertocompareandcontrastmultiplebookswiththesametheme,analyzingcarefullyandusingdetailsasevidencefortheirideas(RL4.9).Studentscanconsiderquestionssuchas,

“TodayIwanttoteachyouweoftenturntononfictiontosparknewideasaboutournovels.Justastwostickslightafirewhenthey’rerubbedtogether,wecanrubsomebitsofnonfiction

againstpartsofanovelandseeideasignite.”


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Whatthemerunsacrossbothgenres? Howare________and_______similar? Inwhatwaysdothestoriesdifferfromeachother?

SessionXVIIstartingonpage164inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTextsisaveryusefulresourcetoreferto.Theteachingpointthereis,“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatitisimportantwhenwereadtothinkaboutpeople,places,events‐andalsoaboutideas.Whenyouhavethoughtaboutanideainonestory,sometimesthatthinkinghelpsyoufindideasinanotherstory.”Youmayalsowanttorefertosamplestudentworkaroundthislessononpages172and173inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTexts.Anotherwaytousecomparisontodeepenthinkingisbyteachingyourstudentstheartofallusion.Sometimes,readerswanttosaysomuchaboutastory,yettheystruggletofindwordsthatcontainthoughtssobig.Ratherthansearchingforalltherightwords,theycancomparethestoryorthecharactertoanotherstoryorcharacterwhoisfamiliartotheiraudience.Ifareadersays,forinstance,thatthemaincharacterinthestoryheorsheisreadingisascleverandself‐sacrificingasCharlotteinCharlotte’sWeb,weknowwhatthatmeans.TheCommonCoreStateStandardsnametheabilitytomakeallusionsasakeypartofunderstandingliterarytraditionsandarchetypes—thefoundationsofculturalliteracy.SeesessionXVIIIstartingonpage176inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTextsforsupporttoteachthislesson.Yourteachingpointmightgolikethis,“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatsometimeswehaveallthishugestufftosay,forwhichnoordinarywordswilldo.Wecanusethesametechniquesthatauthorsusetosaythingsthatarejusttoobigforwords.Oneofthethingswecandoiswecanreferenceabeautifuldetail,significanttheme,orlastingimage‐fromastoryweallknow,andbydoingso,weconjureupthatwholestory,andpeoplewhoknowitsay,‘Ahyes,yes.Iknowwhatyoumean.’That’scalledmakinganallusion,andliteratepeopledothisallthetime.”Thechartonpage186inVolumeIIofTacklingComplexTexts,‘PassionateInterpretationsMightSay..’helpsstudentsrecordtheirresponsestotheirbooks,astheythinkwhatthebookmaybereallyabout.Asyoubringthisunittoaclose,invitechildrentostepbackalittlefromthehistoricalworldsthey’vesteppedinto,andfromtheheadyinterpretationworkthey’vebeendoingwithinandacrosstexts,tothinkmorelargelyaboutthemeaningthesetalesbearfortheirownlives—andfortheworldatlarge.Whatdoesitmeantothem,forexample,thatMamainRollofThunder,HearMyCrycoversuptheoffensivenotationsinherseventhgradestudents’textssothattheydonothavetobehumiliatedbyseeingtheseeveryday?Howareweaffectedbythatdecisionandbytheschool’sresponseoffiringher?Thereare

“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatitisimportantwhenwereadtothinkaboutpeople,places,events‐andalsoaboutideas.

Whenyouhavethoughtaboutanideainonestory,sometimesthatthinkinghelpsyoufindideasin

anotherstory.”


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lessonsinthesedefiningchoicesthatcharactersmake,andyou’llwantyourstudentstothinkdeeplyaboutthem,tobeaffectedbythem,andtolivedifferentlybecauseofthem.UseYourRead‐AloudandCloseReadingofIntegralPassagestoSupporttheUnitPlantouseyourread‐aloudstoanchorthisRWPunit.Ifyoudecidetofocusyourreadaloudononehistoricalevent—theSalemWitchTrialsforinstance—youmightreadaloudthechapterbookTheWitchofBlackbirdPond,whichisfullofteachingopportunities.You’dprobablywanttoreadaloudseveralmorebooksacrosstheunit,ofvariedlengths,allaboutthistimeperiod.Ifyoudecidetohavestudentsreadingbooksfromavarietyoftimeperiods,yourclassreadaloudcouldalsoswitchtimeperiods.Asyoumakethesedecisions,considerhowtoensurethatyourreadaloudwillserveasatouchstoneforthecriticalreadingandinterpretiveworkyouteach.Inturn‐and‐talkyoumightsaythingslike:●“Sothemaincharacterisfacingabigproblem.Turnandtalktoyourclubhowyouthink

shemaytrytosolveit.”(prediction,interpretation,intertextuality)●“Hmm,I’mthinkingthatifIwerethischaracterinthissituation,Imighthavedone

somethingdifferent.Stopandjotwhatyouwoulddo.Keepinmindwhatyouknowaboutthattime.”(interpretation,envisioning,accumulatingthetext)

●“Sofarwe’vegatheredalotofdetailsaboutthesetting!Stopandjothowyouthinkthesettingisaffectingthemaincharacter.”(determiningimportance,interpretation)

●“Howdoyouthinkwhatjusthappenedwillaffectthecharacter?Turnandtellyourpartner.”(prediction)

●“Howdoesthissituationcomparestootherexperiencesorsituationswe’vereadabout?”(intertextuality)

You’llwanttoseizethepowerofthereadaloudtotackledifficultskillworkhead‐on.Readnotonlyhistoricalfictionbutnonfiction,urgingchildrentomakeconnectionsandtalkacrossthetwo.Engagetheclassinclosereadingsofcriticalpassages,miningtheauthor’swordsforideasandnewunderstandings.Teachchildrentothinknotjustaboutthestory,butabouttheauthor’sintent.Youmightstartreadaloudwithasmallsnippetfromabookandthenpausetoask,‘Whydidtheauthorjustdothat?Whatdoesheorshewantustoknow,think,feel?”Readaloudisalsoanimportanttimetosupportaccountabletalk.Helpchildrentalklongerandstrongeraboutideas,tolistenmoreintently,andtociteevidenceastheybuildtheories.Inadditiontosupportingtheworkofreadingworkshop,readaloudtalkwillhelpstudentsreachthegoalssetforthbytheCommonCoreStateStandardsforlisteningandspeaking.Specifically,childrenwillhavetheopportunityto“engageeffectivelyinarangeofcollaborativediscussions(one‐on‐one,ingroups,teacher‐led)withdiversepartnersonGrade4topicsandtexts,buildingonothers’ideasandexpressingtheir


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ownclearly”(SL4.1).BothFollowingCharactersintoMeaningandTacklingComplexTextsofferavarietyofwaystosupportandsustainbookclub,partnerandwhole‐classtalk.IntegratingtheUnitwithSocialStudiesIntheTCRWPhistoricalfictionwritingunit,studentswillbecollectingasmanynewinsightsaspossibleaboutthetimeperiodaboutwhichtheywillultimatelywrite;therefore,youmightchoosetoalignyoursocialstudiesinstructionwithyourhistoricalfictionreadingandwritingworksostudentshavemultipleopportunitiestoexplorethistimeperiod.Then,too,youmightdecidetouseyourparallelwritingworkshopasanopportunitytostrengthenstudents’informationalwritingmusclesandinvolvetheminwritinginformationalbooksaboutatimeperiodormulti‐genretexts,hybridswhichcontainpartsofvariousgenres.Ofcourse,justbecauseyouarestudyingatopicdoesn’tmeanthatyourstudentscan’ttakeonrelated,butbroader,topicsintheirbookclubs—onesthatfocusonstoriesofdiscrimination,xenophobiaor“justice.”Whenchildrenreadonehistoricalfictiontextafteranother,thisprovidesanexcellentopportunityforthemtocomparetexts.Thiskindofintertextualreadingworksupportsaricherunderstandingofhistoricalfictioningeneral.Anotherwaytogo,ifyoufeelyoursocialstudiesmaterialsarenotbroadorsupportiveenough,istoleanmoreheavilyonthereadingworkshopworkpairedwithyoursocialstudiesunit—usinghistoricalfictionbookclubsandread‐aloudsofpicturebooks,shorttexts,ornovelsaspointsofresearchforyourreaders.Inbothyourcontentstudyandyourreadingworkshop,youmayusewordcharts,timelines,visuals,andmapstorecordclassunderstandingsoftheconcepts,events,places,andvocabulary.Youwillalso,asmentioned,wanttomakeavarietyofnonfictiontextsavailable.It’shelpfultohavenonfictiontextswithlotsofimages,sothatstudentscanusetheseasreferenceswhiletheyenvision.Ifthereareanycrucialhistoricaleventsinthestoriesyourstudentswillbereading,trytoincludesometextsthatexplaintheseeventsandgivesomebackgroundinformationonthem.Includemapsaswell,sostudentsgetanideawherethestoriestheyarereadingtakeplace.Thiswillgivestudentstheopportunitytocompareandcontrasttopicsandeventsinmultipletextsandintegratethisinformationtodeepentheirunderstanding(CCSSRL4.9,RI4.9).BesuretovisittheCommonCoresectionoftheRWPwebsite(www.readingandwritingproject.com)toviewavideoofabookclubtalkingacrosshistoricalfictionandnonfiction.Socialstudiesisalsoaperfecttimetoteachchildrentowritequickessaysaboutthetimeperiodstheirclubsarereadingabout.Beginbyshowingreadershowtogenerateseveralbigideasastheyreadaboutatimeperiod,thenpickoneideatofastdraftintoanessay.Forinstance,agroupreadingastoryaboutaPuritanfamilymightgeneratethefollowingideas:


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1.Puritanshadmanystrictrulesforhowtheyshoulddress2.Puritansbelievedinsimple,usefulthingsThen,chooseoneideatosupportwithdetails.Puritanshadmanystrictrulesforhowtheyshoulddress:

●Theythoughtthatclothesshouldn’thavelaceorfancydetails.●Themenandwomenbothworedarkcoloredhatscalledsugarloafhats.●Theywerenotallowedtowearjewelry.●Theywerenotallowedtowearshortsleeves

Thesequickessayswillhelpstudentstodevelopandclearlyexpresstheirthinking.TheseessayswilladdresstheCommonCoreexpectationsthatstudents“writeopinionpiecesontopicsortexts,supportingapointofviewwithreasonsandinformation(W4.1)Thesequickessayswillnotonlystrengthentheirskillsinopinionwriting,though,butwillalsodeepenthereadingworktheydo.TheCommonCoreStateStandardsemphasizetheimportanceofcomparingandcontrasting(RL4.6,4.9),integratinginformationformultiplesources(RI4.9),andsupportingideaswithkeydetails(RI4.2),allofwhichstudentswillneedtodoastheycraftthesefastessays.

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