Short Text Unit

Decisions, Decisions! Making Choices in Life and Literature

Skill Focus: Analyzing Cause and Effect Relationships
Week 2 of 3: Plan 4 of 9
Summary Plan
Content Requirement Satisfied: writing instruction, model text
Objectives:
Cognitive:
1) Students will understand that their actions have consequences for
themselves and for others.
a) Students will know definitions: actions, consequences, causes, effects.
b) Students will know the relationship between actions and consequences.
c) Students will know the relationship between causes and effects.
Affective:
4) Students will feel that decision-making is a skill they use in their
own lives.
Procedural:
7) Students will be able to analyze cause and effect relationships.
d) Students will be able to identify decisions that are relevant to their lives.
e) Students will be able to predict the consequences to decisions they make in
their lives.
f) Students will be able to evaluate decisions relevant to their lives.
8) Students will be able to write a creative piece expressing a cause and effect
relationship.
c) Students will be able to draft an expression of a logical cause-and-effect
relationship.
d) Students will be able to revise a draft to include details relevant to the
cause-and-effect relationship.
SOL:
6.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a
variety of fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry.
d) Describe cause and effect relationships and their
impact on plot.
g) Explain how character and plot development are used
in a selection to support a central conflict or story line.

6.7 The student will write narration, description, exposition, and

persuasion.
b) Use a variety of prewriting strategies including graphic
organizers to generate and organize ideas.
f) Write multiparagraph compositions with elaboration and
unity.
i) Revise sentences for clarity of content including specific vocabulary and
information.

CCS:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a
series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or
change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details,
and well-structured event sequences.
Methods of Assessment:
Diagnostic:
I will use students completed rough drafts to briefly assess their
writing by reviewing them over the weekend, or immediately as
students return to class. Ill be looking for relevance, logical
organization, and sentence complexity as I perform this diagnostic
assessment.
This will assess students progress towards Objectives 1a, 1b, 1c, 4,
7c, 7d, 9c, 9d, SOL 6.7b, 6.7f, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3.
Formative:
Students will highlight the most significant information in their
Choose Your Own Adventure stories.
This will assess students progress towards Objectives 9d, SOL 6.7i,
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3.
Students will participate in a STAR self-revision.
This will assess students progress towards Objectives 1a, 1b, 1c, 4,
7c, 7d, 9c, 9d, SOL 6.7b, 6.7f, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3.
Summative:

Students will write a short Choose Your Own Adventure story which
addresses a decision relevant to their lives and explores its possible
effects.
This will assess students progress towards Objectives 1a, 1b, 1c, 4,
7c, 7d, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, SOL 6.7b, SOL 6.7f, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3.
Beginning Room Arrangement:
Students desks will be arranged in an inner-L outer-L arrangement facing
the board.
Procedures and Instructional Strategies:
Bell-Ringer: Sustained Silent Reading: (5 minutes)
As students walk into the room they should get out a book of their
choice for SSR.
Bridge: Whats Important? (5 minutes)
Ill mention that a lot of our Decisions, Decisions! unit has to do
with whats important. Yesterday, when we made our Perspective
Specs, we thought about four things that were so important to our
lives that they affected the way we make choices on a regular basis.
So right now, Ill ask students to re-read their stories and get out a
highlighter (I will have some available for students who do not usually
bring these types of supplies to class). Theyll highlight the four most
important moments in the Choose Your Own Adventure Story theyre
writing. As students complete this assessment, Ill walk around the
room to determine what moments students think are the most
important.
Step One:

Introduce STAR Revision (10 minutes)

Ill introduce the STAR Revision as a process that celebrates the

things that are important in writing, but tries to encourage authors to
get rid of unnecessary information that is just going to cloud up their
story and distract from the purpose. (STAR Revision comes from Kelly
Gallagher's Teaching Adolescent Writers.)
Ill model a STAR Revision using a mentor text -- the Choose Your Own
Adventure Story that I myself have been working on. Ill begin by

mentioning the purpose of the writing and the audience Im writing

to. Afterwards, Ill look over the writing and substitute weak verbs
with strong verbs that get across the point of my writing. Ill take out
irrelevant information that doesnt have anything to do with the
cause-and-effect relationship of my writing. Ill expand ideas or
scenes that seem particularly helpful. And, if necessary, Ill rearrange my mentor text so that the cause-and-effect relationship Im
trying to demonstrate goes in chronological order.
As I go through each letter-step of the STAR Revision, Ill invite
students to help me come up with more substitutions, takings-out,
additions, and re-arrangements, so that each step of the process goes
in an I-We-You formation.
Step Two: Student STARs (20 minutes)
As students work on the STAR Revision process, I will walk around to
offer help and suggestions when necessary. Ill try to spend about one
minute with each student, using a checklist as I need to so that I make
sure I get to everyone. As I notice exceptional sentences, Ill make
note of them on the board under the heading, Stellar Student
Sentences (with permission, of course).
I will allow students to ask their classmates questions for the last five
minutes of revision time, so that students who are more verbal and
need social support for motivation will feel more confident in their
work.
Step Three: A Technology Mini-Lesson from Stuart (5 minutes)
Students will get out laptops so that they can begin to re-write their
revised work. Because Stuart is a tech guru, I'm going to ask him to
use his laptop and the Elmo projector to teach a mini-lesson to the
class: how to add Hyperlinks within a Microsoft Word document.
These hyperlinks will make it easier for digital readers to "turn pages"
and instantly get to the next part of the story.
Step Four: Re-Writing (35 minutes)

After students have revised their work, they will begin to type up their
revised drafts. At this point, I will tell students that they are welcome
to ask any questions about spelling and grammar, but that the focus of
this story is on the ideas, so although well be revising and trying to
strengthen these ideas, we wont be too concerned about grammar
and conventions today.
Closure: (5 minutes)
At the end of class, I will ask students to return their laptops while I
remind them that this was the last day to work in-class on the writing
assignment, so those who did not finish should come to class next time
with the assignment completed. Students who have finished will have
this time to print and submit their work.
Differentiation to Meet Student Needs:
The Choose Your Own Adventure story is also differentiated to meet
various students interests.
I will allow students to ask their classmates questions for the last five
minutes of revision time, so that students who are more verbal and
need social support for motivation will feel more confident in their
work. This should be helpful for Ashley, who is always ready to chat
with peers, but also for Anji, who will likely spend some time talking
with Deanna to make sure that they have similar ideas for how to
improve their writing.
In order to help Stuart with his writing, I will make sure to visit him
multiple times: (Step Two, five minutes; Step Two; twenty minutes;
Step Three; five minutes; Step Three; fifteen minutes.) I know that
this class is very text-based so I want to encourage Stuart and provide
him with additional opportunities to voice his concerns to me. This
should also help me to help Stuart with attention and memory
difficulties that often accompany dyslexia and to make sure that he is
on task and encouraged. Equally importantly, however, I use this
writing lesson as a chance to play to Stuart's strength and passion:
technology. Stuart will teach the class how to add hyperlinks since he
is already a young tech expert.
Materials Needed:
J) My Story
materials for Stuart's mini-lesson: laptop, Elmo projector

student journals
laptops

Materials Appendix J: My Story

Short Text Unit

Decisions, Decisions! Making Choices in Life and Literature
Skill Focus: Analyzing Cause and Effect Relationships
Week 2 of 3: Plan 5 of 9
Full-Detail Plan
Content Requirement Satisfied: reading experience, vocabulary
instruction
Objectives:
Cognitive:
1) Students will understand that their actions have consequences for
themselves and for others.
a) Students will know definitions: actions, consequences, causes, effects.
b) Students will know the relationship between actions and consequences.
c) Students will know the relationship between causes and effects.
2) Students will understand that people make decisions informed by their own
perspectives.
a) Students will know definitions: perspective, diverse.
b) Students will know that people have diverse perspectives as a result of
their diverse experiences.
3) Students will understand that people's choices are related to their
identities.
a) Students will know definition: identity
b) Students will know that people identify with others who they perceive as
similar to themselves.
Affective:
5) Students will respect their classmates' varied backgrounds and
perspectives.
Procedural:
7) Students will be able to analyze cause and effect relationships.
a) Students will be able to identify the decisions of literary characters.
b) Students will be able to predict the decisions of literary characters.
c) Students will be able to evaluate the decisions of literary characters.
SOL:
6.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a
variety of fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry.
d) Describe cause and effect relationships and their
impact on plot.

g) Explain how character and plot development are used

in a selection to support a central conflict or story line.
CCS:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a
series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or
change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
Methods of Assessment:
Diagnostic:
I will use students participation in Lesson Three as an early
diagnostic assessment. I will review their answers to the Bell-Ringer
to help me plan where I should be trying to begin this lesson.
This will assess students progress towards Objective 2a.
Formative:
Students will complete a Perspective Specs activity at the end of
each text block for an assigned character.
This will assess students progress towards Objectives 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a,
2b, 3a, 3b, 7a, 7b, 7c, SOL 6.5d, 6.5g, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3.
Summative:
Students will write an Epilogue to All Summer in a Day which
follows logically from the events in the story.
This will assess students progress towards Objectives 1a, 1b, 1c, 4,
7c, 7d, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, SOL 6.7b, SOL 6.7f, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3.
Beginning Room Arrangement:
Students desks will be arranged in table groups of four.
Procedures and Instructional Strategies:
Bell-Ringer: Sustained Silent Reading: (10 minutes)
As students walk into the room they should get out a book of their
choice for SSR.
Bridge: Perspective Revisited (10 minutes)
Alright, thank you for reading! Good morning, everyone. So, as you
might remember, a class or two ago, we started looking at perspective
in the short story My Name by Sandra Cisneros. Who remembers
what happened in the story?

(Ill give students a chance to build on each others responses until we

have an idea of the basic plotline of the story.)
Thats great. We see Esperanza the great-grandmother, a wild horse
of a woman, and we see her snatched up and married by some man
as if she were a chandelier. And then we see her greatgranddaughter, also named Esperanza, who wonders about her life,
but definitely does not want to be her. She says, I have inherited her
name, but I dont want to inherit her place by the window.
And while weve thought about this story all this time, weve kept the
focus on the young girl Esperanza, but theres another Esperanza
with a story here. Take a moment to think to yourself about what the
main differences between Young Esperanza and her grandmother
might be. Jot down some notes to yourself if you need to.
(Ill wait about sixty seconds here.)
Okay, now turn to your elbow partner in your group. What differences
struck you between these characters?
(Ill wait about another sixty seconds here. I'm practicing Think, Pair,
Share, which is a strategy I learned in 5400, although I am currently
unaware of the source text from which we got that.)
Alright, so lets talk about it. What differences did you notice
together?
(As students give their answers, Ill listen to their comments, but also
try to steer us to the fact that while great-grandmother Esperanza
gets a spot by the window, narrator Esperanza gets a pot on the page.
The fact that the young girl gets to tell her own story is important,
especially because it helps us as readers to understand her
perspective. But with grandmother Esperanza, were just left with a
bunch of facts.)
Step One: Vocabulary Jigsaw (15 minutes)
I start to pass out a sheet of paper with the vocabulary words written
on it.

Okay, class. Today well be reading another story and taking on more
perspective activities, but before we do, I want us to take some time
and familiarize ourselves with a few challenging words we might
come across. I'd like everyone right now to head to the back shelf to
take out a dictionary and a clipboard -- let's try to see if we can have
this done in thirty seconds!
I wait thirty seconds for the students to grab dictionaries and return.
Okay, great. So today, there are some challenging words in our
reading. I've written down the most challenging on little slips of
paper and put them in our glass bowl. So now I'm going to let...
Kara... come to every group and let a representative -- just one! -- pick
out a sheet of paper with a vocabulary word on it. Go ahead, Kara.
While Kara goes around with the glass bowl of vocab words, I will
pass out the students' "Word Scrolls" sheets. (These "Word Scrolls" -see Materials Appendix M -- are from Kylene Beers' When Kids Can't
Read, What Teachers Can Do.)
Okay, Kara, you can put the glass bowl on my desk. Now, each group
is going to be responsible for a word. Everyone in your group should
look up the word in the dictionary and talk about what you think it
means until you think you have a good idea. You can work together to
fill out the "Word Scrolls" sheet. I'll be right here if you have any
questions, but you should try to do this as independently -- or as codependently as possible.
I'll wait about five minutes and check in at tables to make sure there
are no obvious misunderstandings.
Okay. So now, here's what we're going to do. Now that everyone's
finished, I want each of you to pick a number between one and four,
so that each group only has one one, one two, one three, and one four.
I wait for a few moments. Okay. We're going to break up into groups,
but before we do I want to give instructions. Now you are the
"expert" about your word. You need to try to explain your word as
clearly as possible to your group members, and go around in a circle
so that everyone hears about each new word. Make sure you define

the word, give one word that means the same thing, one word that
means the opposite, one good example, and one non-example. I'll
post this up on the Powerpoint. Now all the ones, I want you to meet
with your Word Scrolls over here by the rug. Twos, come over here
by the cabinets. Threes, by my desk. And fours by the door!
LIKELY MISCONCEPTION: The only word that Im anxious
about is concussion. I know that a lot of my students will
probably play sports and in this demographic, theyre
particularly interested in soccer. So while we discuss
concussion, I expect the conversation to go something like this:
Well, Tomas, youre definitely right in saying that a concussion
is a brain injury but thats not how it will be used in the
context of this story. But the meanings are surprisingly close.
Tomas, do you know what causes a concussion?
Right. Its when you hit your head. More specifically though,
its when you hit your head and your brain hits your skull rather
violently. Thats why we call it a concussion. The word
concussion means a shock by a collision so your brain gets
shocked when it collides with your skull or it could also mean
like a violent or jarring shake, which is kind of another way to
describe whats going on.
I'll give students ten minutes to talk about the new vocabulary words
in their groups, but I'm also going to move on early if we manage to
finish early.
Step Two:

Instructions (5 minutes)

Okay, everyone, let's try to get back to our seats as quickly as we can,
because we're finally prepared enough to start our reading! Today
were going to be doing another reading thats quite different from
our reading about Esperanza. This story is called "All Summer in a
Day," written by Ray Bradbury. For those of you who don't know, Ray
Bradbury is a world-famous author who wrote the book Fahrenheit
451. That book is so important to English literature because it talks
about the importance of books. So I'm excited to see what Bradbury's
going to talk about in this much shorter story, and to figure out how it

relates to choices and perspective, which is what we've been focusing

on in this unit.
But as we read, I still want everyone to be focusing on perspective
and its role in the story. In fact (I get out the hat filled with slips of
paper), every group is going to get to consider the perspective of one
specific character, and were going to make a group version of the
Perspective Specs we made in class the other day.
Heres how its going to work: Im coming around with the fishbowl
and the names. One person from each group will pick a name out of
the fishbowl. That name will be the name of someone that you
follow throughout the story that we read in class today, someone
that you pay special attention to.
While I explain this, Im going to put one large Perspective Specs
template at every table.
In groups, youre going to work together to get an idea of how your
character thinks based on what you know from the story. Were going
to read the story in four small segments, and for each segment, you
will ask a question: What is the most important thing this character
experiences that will probably affect their decision-making later in the
story?
There will be four roles in each group, because there are four people
in each group. The evaluator will try to judge everything thats
happened so far and try to figure out whether the character sides
with the protagonist or the antagonist. The predicter will try to make
a few guesses about what could happen next in the story based on
what we already know. The illustrator will draw a picture of whatever
icon belongs on the Perspective Specs, and the scribe will write a
short, one-sentence description of why or how it changes a
characters perspective, or the way they look at things.
Alright. Ill begin to let you choose names now. While Im coming
around with these names, I want each of you to pick a number
between one and four in your group. You should not have the same
number twice.

The class waits and decides while I pass around the rest of the name
cards. After students have received the cards and talked about them
for a brief moment with their partners, Im going to write up on the
board: 1 Illustrator, 2 Scribe, 3 Evaluator, 4 Predictor.
So these will be your roles for the first discussion. I know you have a
few questions because these roles are new, but lets try to learn them
by doing. Im going to start by reading the story, but Ill take a few
pauses. If anyone feels like volunteering to read aloud and stepping
in, Ill popcorn to you.
So lets begin.
(The Reading Experience was designed in reaction to Wilhelm's
"Reading Experience.")
Step Three: All Summer A (25 minutes)
"Ready ?"
"Ready."
"Now ?"
"Soon."
"Do the scientists really know? Will it happen today, will it ?"
(There is more story here but I thought it would be better if I just left
it out of my scripting. I cant tell if I need to model how people read
right now, because this will be our eighth class in in the school year.
It will be three weeks into the school year, and I imagine doing a
similar modeling experience earlier.)
"I did," said Margot. "I did."
"William!" said the teacher.
(At this point in the story, I will stop the class for our first set of
discussion questions.)
Okay, class. So, in your groups, Id like to see the evaluator saying a
little bit about the decisions that characters have made so far. Are
they good, bad, or just neutral?
Ill give the students who are now evaluators about a minute to
respond to this question.

And predictors what do you think will happen next for your
character in the story. Something good? Something bad? Why?
Ill wait a few more moments while they respond.
Alright, next were going to decide what your icon is whats the most
important thing thats happened to your character that you know of
that might change the way he or she perceives the world? Evaluators,
now would be aggregate time to be mentioning what you think is most
important. Predictors can do this too if they happen to already have
an idea of whats going to happen next.
Ill give students another minute.
Now, illustrators. You have about a minute to show me the best
sketch of the icon your team chose. Afterwards, scribes will get to
write a sentence about why they chose that icon.
Ill wait five minutes before asking students to share.
Alright, Gracie. I noticed that your group was talking a good deal
about the teacher. What icon did your team choose to draw, and why?
Thats great. Okay, Brian! I saw that you were illustrator this round,
illustrators still need to know why theyre drawing what theyre
drawing. So Id love to hear you explain your work. Why did you
choose to draw an eye?
Im going to try to make the first part of the lesson super-scaffolded in
this way, so that when students re-use the same roles and techniques
throughout the rest of class, they already understand exactly what
needs to happen.
Okay, so now that weve heard from all the groups, lets continue our
reading. Remember that youre welcome to raise your hand and help
out with the reading if you feel like participating.
Step Four: All Summer B (25 minutes)
"William!" said the teacher.

But that was yesterday. Now the rain was slackening, and the children
were crushed in
the great thick windows.
(...)
And so, the children hated her for all these reasons of big and little
consequence. They hated her pale snow face, her waiting silence, her
thinness, and her possible future.
(Stop again for second set of discussion questions.)
Right now, Ill switch the numbers on the board so that students see
2 Illustrator, 3 Scribe, 4 Evaluator, 1 Predictor.
Alright, so were going to switch roles again. The person who was the
predictor last time is now the evaluator. So again, take a moment to
discuss what just happened in your groups. Evaluator, lets start to be
thinking about the decisions that characters are making and why
theyre making those decisions. If youre in a group thats talking
about the class, Id encourage you to especially look at how everyone
decides to hate Margot at the end.
Ill wait about a minute for students to answer this question in their
groups.
Now, predictors, two questions were you surprised by what just
happened to your character? What do you think is going to happen
next?
Ill circulate for a minute while students answer this question.
Alright, and finally, in groups, Id like you all to discuss your
characters perspective again. On your Perspective Specs, draw one
icon that represents the way they see the world. Try to keep it
grounded in this part of the reading. You can all decide what to draw
together, but illustrators should draw the icon, and scribes should
write a sentence explaining it.
Ill give students about five minutes to finish this task together.
Okay, lets come back and share our thoughts. Who wants to talk first
about their icon and why they picked it?

Closure: (5 minutes)
Alright, so we only have about five minutes left before class is over, so
what I want you to do in your groups is to think about a character
whose perspective is different from yours.
Differentiation to Meet Student Needs:
The Perspective Specs for each of the characters are meant to keep
students engaged in the lesson by providing a physical and visual
reminder of the various characters perspectives. Additionally,
working on the specs is meant to be particularly engaging for Brian,
who loves drawing.
The Word Scrolls activity is a vocabulary instruction technique meant
to help assist students who struggle with reading, particularly Brian
and Stuart.
The positive interdependence of the jigsaw group is meant to
encourage Anji, who, as the "expert" on her vocabulary word, will
have a much more solid idea of what the word means and will have
had time practicing in front of another group before presenting.
The story is read aloud, with opportunities for various students to
volunteer to help reading. This is meant to be motivating for students
who like to read aloud and feel comfortable volunteering in class, but
also encouraging for students who are less likely to volunteer to read
aloud so that they can hear their peers interpretations and will be
less likely to struggle with it.
Materials Needed:
F) *used in Lesson 3* Perspective Specs Template (see above)
K) Class Powerpoint
L) List of Vocabulary Words
M) Word Scrolls
N) Copies of All Summer in a Day
student journal

Materials Appendix K: Class Powerpoin

Bell-Ringer: September 3,
2015
t

Sustained Silent Reading!

Word Scrolls: Make Sure You

Mention!
MEANING:
- It usually means...
- It NEVER means...
EXAMPLES:
- One example of it is...
- But it definitely wouldn't be...

Materials Appendix L: List of Vocabulary Words

intermixed
slackening
feverish
dimly
resilient
concussion
stakes
savored

Materials Appendix M: Word Scrolls

Summer in a Day"
All Summer in a Day By
Ray Bradbury
"Ready ?"
"Ready."
"Now ?"
"Soon."
"Do the scientists really know? Will it happen
today, will it ?"
"Look, look; see for yourself !"
The children pressed to each other like so many
roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for
a look at the hidden sun.
It rained.
It had been raining for seven years; thousands
upon thousands of days compounded and filled
from one end to the other with rain, with the drum
and gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of
showers and the concussion of storms so heavy
they were tidal waves come over the islands. A
thousand forests had been crushed under the rain
and grown up a thousand times to be crushed
again. And this was the way life was forever on
the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of
the children of the rocket men and women who
had come to a raining world to set up civilization
and live out their lives.
"Its stopping, its stopping !" "Yes, yes !"
Margot stood apart from them, from these
children who could ever remember a time when
there wasnt rain and rain and rain.
They were all nine years old, and if there had
been a day, seven years ago, when the sun came
out for an hour and showed its face to the
stunned world, they could not

Materials Appendix N: "All

in a quiet voice in the still classroom while the

recall. Sometimes, at night, she heard them

rain was falling outside.

stir, in remembrance, and she knew they

"Aw, you didnt write that!" protested one of the

were dreaming and remembering gold or a

boys.

yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy

"I did," said Margot. "I did." "William!" said

the world with. She knew they thought they

the teacher.

remembered a warmness, like a blushing in

But that was yesterday. Now the rain was

the face, in the body, in the arms and legs

slackening, and the children were crushed in the

and trembling hands. But then they always

great thick windows.

awoke to the tatting drum, the endless

Wheres teacher ?" "Shell be

shaking down of clear bead necklaces upon

back."

the roof, the walk, the gardens, the forests,

"Shed better hurry, well miss it !"

and their dreams were gone.

They turned on themselves, like a feverish

All day yesterday they had read in class

wheel, all tumbling spokes. Margot stood alone.

about the sun. About how like a lemon it was,

She was a very frail girl who looked as if she

and how hot. And they had written small

had been lost in the rain for years and the rain

stories or essays or poems about it:I think the

had washed out the blue from her eyes and the

sun is a flower,That blooms for just one hour.

red from her mouth

That was Margots poem, read

and the yellow from her hair. She was an old

and life and games her lips barely moved. Only

photograph dusted from an album, whitened

when they sang about the sun and the summer

away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be

did her lips move as she watched the drenched

a ghost. Now she stood, separate, staring at the

windows. And then, of course, the biggest crime

rain and the loud wet world beyond the huge

of all was that she had come here only five years

glass.

ago from Earth, and she remembered the sun

"Whatre you looking at ?" said William. Margot

and the way the sun was and the sky was when

said nothing.

she was four in Ohio. And they, they had been on

"Speak when youre spoken to."

Venus all their lives, and they had been only two

He gave her a shove. But she did not move;

years old when last the sun came out and had

rather she let herself be moved only by him and

long since forgotten the color and heat of it and

nothing else. They edged away from her, they

the way it really was.

would not look at her. She felt them go away.

But Margot remembered.

And this was because she would play no games

"Its like a penny," she said once, eyes closed.

with them in the echoing tunnels of the

"No its not!" the children cried.

underground city. If they tagged her and ran,

"Its like a fire," she said, "in the stove."

she stood blinking after them and did not follow.

When the class sang songs about happiness

"Youre lying, you dont remember !" cried the

and her possible future.

children.

"Get away !" The boy gave her another push.

But she remembered and stood quietly apart

"Whatre you waiting for?"

from all of them and watched the patterning

Then, for the first time, she turned and looked

windows. And once, a month ago, she had

at him. And what she was waiting for was in her

refused to shower in the school shower rooms,

eyes.

had clutched her hands to her ears and over

"Well, dont wait around here !" cried the boy

her head, screaming the water mustnt touch

savagely. "You wont see nothing!"

her head. So after that, dimly, dimly, she

Her lips moved.

sensed it, she was different and they knew her

"Nothing !" he cried. "It was all a joke, wasnt

difference and kept away. There was talk that

it?" He turned to the other children. "Nothings

her father and mother were taking her back to

happening today. Is it ?"

Earth next year; it seemed vital to her that they

They all blinked at him and then,

do so, though it would mean the loss of

understanding, laughed and shook their heads.

thousands of dollars to her family. And so, the

"Nothing, nothing !"

children hated her for all these reasons of big

"Oh, but," Margot whispered, her eyes helpless.

and little consequence. They hated her pale

"But this is the day, the scientists

snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness,

predict, they say, they know, the sun" "All a

stopped.

joke !" said the boy, and seized her

It was as if, in the midst of a film concerning an

roughly. "Hey, everyone, lets put her in a

avalanche, a tornado, a hurricane, a volcanic

closet before the teacher comes !"

eruption, something had, first, gone wrong with

"No," said Margot, falling back.

the sound apparatus, thus muffling and finally

They surged about her, caught her up and bore

cutting off all noise, all of the blasts and

her, protesting, and then pleading, and then

repercussions and thunders, and then, second,

crying, back into a tunnel, a room, a closet,

ripped the film from the projector and inserted in

where they slammed and locked the door. They

its place a beautiful tropical slide which did not

stood looking at the door and saw it tremble

move or tremor. The world ground to a standstill.

from her beating and throwing herself against it.

The silence was so immense and unbelievable

They heard her muffled cries. Then, smiling, the

that you felt your ears had been stuffed or you

turned and went out and back down the tunnel,

had lost your hearing altogether. The children put

just as the teacher arrived.

"Ready, children ?" She glanced at her watch.
"Yes !" said everyone. "Are
we all here ?" "Yes !"
The rain slacked still more. They
crowded to the huge door. The rain

their hands to their ears. They stood apart.

?"

The door slid back and the smell of the silent,

"Much, much better !"

waiting world came in to them.

They stopped running and stood in the great

The sun came out.

jungle that covered Venus, that grew and never

It was the color of flaming bronze and it was

stopped growing, tumultuously, even as you

very large. And the sky around it was a blazing

watched it. It was a nest of octopi, clustering up

blue tile color. And the jungle burned with

great arms of fleshlike weed, wavering,

sunlight as the children, released from their

flowering in this brief spring. It was the color of

spell, rushed out, yelling into the springtime.

rubber and ash, this jungle, from the many years

"Now, dont go too far," called the teacher after

without sun. It was the color of stones and white

them. "Youve only two hours, you know. You

cheeses and ink, and it was the color of the

wouldnt want to get caught out !"

moon.

But they were running and turning their faces

The children lay out, laughing, on the jungle

up to the sky and feeling the sun on their

mattress, and heard it sigh and squeak under

cheeks like a warm iron; they were taking off

them resilient and alive. They ran among the

their jackets and letting the sun burn their

trees, they slipped and fell, they pushed each

arms.

other, they played hide- and-seek and tag, but

"Oh, its better than the sun lamps, isnt it

most of all they

squinted at the sun until the tears ran down their

single raindrop. She began to cry, looking at it.

faces; they put their hands up to that yellowness

They glanced quietly at the sun.

and that amazing blueness and they breathed of

"Oh. Oh."

the fresh, fresh air and listened and listened to

A few cold drops fell on their noses and their

the silence which suspended them in a blessed

cheeks and their mouths. The sun faded behind

sea of no sound and no motion. They looked at

a stir of mist. A wind blew cold around them.

everything and savored everything. Then, wildly,

They turned and started to walk back toward the

like animals escaped from their caves, they ran

underground house, their hands at their sides,

and ran in shouting circles. They ran for an hour

their smiles vanishing away.

and did not stop running.

A boom of thunder startled them and like leaves

And then -

before a new hurricane, they tumbled upon each

In the midst of their running one of the girls

other and ran. Lightning struck ten miles away,

wailed.

five miles away, a mile, a half mile. The sky

Everyone stopped.

darkened into midnight in

The girl, standing in the open, held out her

hand.
"Oh, look, look," she said, trembling.
They came slowly to look at her opened palm.
In the center of it, cupped and huge, was a

a flash.

now and raining and raining steadily. They

They stood in the doorway of the underground

could not meet each others glances. Their

for a moment until it was raining hard. Then

faces were solemn and pale. They looked at

they closed the door and heard the gigantic

their hands and feet, their faces down.

sound of the rain falling in tons and

"Margot."

avalanches, everywhere and forever.

One of the girls said, "Well ?" No one

"Will it be seven more years ?" "Yes.

moved.

Seven."

"Go on," whispered the girl.

Then one of them gave a little cry.

They walked slowly down the hall in the sound

"Margot !"

of cold rain. They turned through the doorway

"What ?"

to the room in the sound of the storm and

"Shes still in the closet where we locked her."

thunder, lightning on their faces, blue and

"Margot."

terrible. They walked over to the closet door

They stood as if someone had driven them,

slowly and stood by it.

like so many stakes, into the floor. They

Behind the closet door was only silence.

looked at each other and then looked away.

They unlocked the door, even more slowly,

They glanced out at the world that was raining

and let Margot out.

Short Text Unit

Decisions, Decisions! Making Choices in Life and Literature
Skill Focus: Analyzing Cause and Effect Relationships
Week 2 of 3: Plan 6 of 9
Full-Detail Plan
Content Requirement Satisfied: reading experience
Objectives:
Cognitive:
1. Students will understand that peoples actions have
consequences for themselves and for others.
a. Students will know definitions: actions, consequences,
causes, effects.
b. Students will know the relationship between actions
and consequences.
c. Students will know the relationship between causes
and effects.
2. Students will understand that people make decisions
informed by their own perspectives.
a. Students will know definition: perspective.
b. Students will know that characters in literature often
have vastly different perspectives.
3. Students will understand that peoples choices are related to
their identities.
a. Students will know definition: identity.
b. Students will know that people identify with others
when they have something in common.
Affective:
4. Students will feel that decision-making is a skill they will use
in their own lives.
Procedural:
7. Students will be able to analyze cause and effect
relationships.
a. Students will be able to identify decisions of literary
characters.
b. Students will be able to predict the decisions of literary
characters.

c. Students will be able to evaluate the decisions of

literary characters.
SOL:
6.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a
variety of fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry.
d) Describe cause and effect relationships and their
impact on plot.
g) Explain how character and plot development are used
in a selection to support a central conflict or story line.
CCS:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a
series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or
change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
Methods of Assessment:
Diagnostic:
I will use students participation in Lesson Three as an early
diagnostic assessment. I will review their answers to the Bell-Ringer
to help me plan where I should be trying to begin this lesson.
This will assess students progress towards Objective 2a.
Formative:
Students will work together to write "Somebody Wanted But So"
summaries from the perspective of the character that they've been
discussing and analyzing in class.
This will assess students progress towards Objectives 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a,
2b, 3a, 3b, 7a, 7b, 7c, SOL 6.5d, 6.5g, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3.
Students will complete a Perspective Specs activity at the end of
each text block for an assigned character.
This will assess students progress towards Objectives 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a,
2b, 3a, 3b, 7a, 7b, 7c, SOL 6.5d, 6.5g, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3.
Summative:
Students will write an Epilogue to All Summer in a Day which
follows logically from the events in the story.
This will assess students progress towards Objectives 1a, 1b, 1c, 4,
7a, 7b, 7c, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e, SOL 6.7b, SOL 6.7f, CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.6.3.
Beginning Room Arrangement:
Students desks will be arranged in table groups of four.

Procedures and Instructional Strategies:

Bell-Ringer: Sustained Silent Reading (10 minutes)
Bridge: Somebody Wanted But So (15 minutes)
(Somebody Wanted But So comes from Kylene Beers' When Kids Can't
Read, What Teachers Can Do.) Thanks for reading, everybody!
Alright, well, as you can all probably remember, we spent the last
class reading a short story called "All Summer in a Day." Who can
remind the class what has happened so far in this story?
Right, and where were we in the story when the bell rang and we left?
Great. So when we tell the basic points of what has already happened
in a story, we call that a summary. A summary of a story tells the
most important parts of the story. We can do this for a lot of reasons.
Sometimes we summarize because we want to talk to others about a
story, and we want to make sure everybody remembers the story -that's what we're doing right now. But we could also summarize for
people who haven't read the story, to give them an idea of whether
they'd be interested in reading it at all. You see that a lot of times on
the back covers of books. There are lots of reasons for summarizing,
so today, we're going to work on a strategy for summarizing that ties
in our understanding of perspective.
But before we try to do that, who can remind the class what
perspective is?
Right, and why is perspective important?
Well, characters are an important part of any story. You can't have a
story without characters. And these characters have different
experiences, so they see the world in different ways. That's why
we're making Perspective Specs -- to try to get inside our characters
and understand how the things that happen to them shape the way
they see the world.
(I start to pass Perspective Specs back out to each group.)

So I'm coming around with your Perspective Specs right now. In your
groups, I want you to talk for just a quick minute and try to recall the
two icons you picked to explain things that have happened to your
character so far and why they're important.
(While students are discussing the icons and trying to remember why
they drew these particular images, I advance the PowerPoint slide to
the Somebody Wanted But So summary format, but I pull up the
screen, so the slide is being projected directly onto the chalkboard.)
Alright, have we all remembered our icons? I'm going to model a
Somebody-Wanted-But-So summary. This is a method of summarizing
stories that is great because it keeps different characters and their
motivations in mind.
So I'm going to think back to when we read "If You Give a Mouse a
Cookie" last week, and I'm going to write my Somebody Wanted But
So summary about that. I'm going to write it from the mouse's point
of view, because he's a major character and I know exactly what he
wanted, so it's a good example to work with.
This is really straightforward and fun -- right now, we're basically just
filling in the blanks. Somebody -- a small mouse. Wanted -- to eat a
cookie. I write these up on the chalkboard, in the blanks left by the
PowerPoint. But -Well, let me ask you now. We can all remember the story about the
mouse who wanted to eat a cookie. That was his motivation. Next,
we want to write about his obstacles. What obstacles did the mouse
face when he tried to get a cookie?
That's right. He wanted a glass of milk. Then what?
No, I don't remember what specifically either. But I remember that
he wanted more and more things. So I'll just say that -- but he wanted
more and more things. I write it, too. So... So what happened? What
steps did the mouse or the boy take to resolve this situation?
Right, good! So he kept trying to get those things. I write that. Now,
here's the part that's optional. Sometimes, we can include a "Then."

If you include a then, chances are, you're talking about the falling
action or resolution of the story. You might give away the ending.
And that's okay for our purposes today, but if you're trying to suggest
that somebody read a book by giving them a summary, telling them
the ending might not be the best idea. But today we can do that. So
then what happens?
Right. Then he ends up wanting a cookie again. I write that down
while I say and for all we know, the whole story starts over.
So, in your groups, take a moment to write a "Somebody Wanted But
So" summary of "All Summer in a Day." But, and this is important, put
on your Perspective Specs and make the "Somebody" your character
--t he character you've been talking about and examining in your
group.
While students are working on their Somebody Wanted But So
summaries, I'll first erase the board and turn off the projector. I'll
write the numbers up on the chalkboard to correspond with the roles
we used last class so that students see: 3 -- Illustrator, 4 -- Scribe, 1 -Evaluator, 2 -- Predictor.
Next, I'll walk around to keep an eye on how they're doing in terms of
the structure of the summary, but more importantly, I'll be looking at
the way they write their summaries. I want to make sure that these
summaries reflect individual characters' perspectives as far as they've
been able to consider them in class so far.
Step One: All Summer C (20 minutes)
Alright, great. So now that we've all finished our summaries and have
thought a bit, we've been able to think more about a character's
perspective, but we've also had the chance to get caught up in where
we were in the story when we left it last class. So let's continue our
reading.
They hated her pale snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness, and
her possible future.
"Get away !" The boy gave her another push. "Whatre you waiting
for?"
(...)

"Are we all here?"

"Yes!" said everyone.
(At this point in the story, I will stop the class for our first set of
discussion questions.)
Okay, class. So, just like last class, in your groups, the evaluator
should say something about the decisions that your character has
made in this portion in the story. But this time, let's not just talk
about whether these are good or bad decisions, but also mention why
you think characters are making these decisions. Are any of the
characters unable to make decisions? Who are they?
Ill give the students who are now evaluators about a minute to
respond to this question.
And predictors what do you think will happen next for your
character in the story? As you look at what we already know about
the story, what actual event will happen next? Let's move beyond the
general feelings we discussed a little last class and start thinking
about what events could take place. It's alright if you're wrong -most predictions are! Just run with it.
Ill wait a few more moments while they respond.
Alright, and again, we'll be discussing what icon you're going to draw
on your Perspective Specs whats the most important thing thats
happened to your character that you know of that might change the
way he or she sees the world? Evaluators, now would be a great time
to be mentioning what you think is most important. Predictors can do
this too if they happen to already have an idea of whats going to
happen next.
Ill give students another minute.
Now, illustrators. You have about a minute to show me the best
sketch of the icon your team chose. Afterwards, scribes will get to
write a sentence about why they chose that icon.
Ill wait five minutes before asking students to share.

Okay, Brian. I noticed that your group has some thoughts about a
decision that your character made. I'd love to hear them!
That's interesting, alright. Kelly, I'd love to hear from your group. I
remember hearing that you were frustrated because your
Im going to try to make the first part of the lesson super-scaffolded in
this way, so that when students re-use the same roles and techniques
throughout the rest of class, they already understand exactly what
needs to happen.
Okay, so now that weve heard from all the groups, lets continue our
reading. Remember that youre welcome to raise your hand and help
out with the reading if you feel like participating.
Step Three: All Summer D (30 minutes)
"Are we all here?"
"Yes!" said everyone.
(...)
And, even more slowly, let Margot out.
Alright, before we do any group work or start to talk about
perspectives, let's just take a moment to think about the end of this
story. Talk with your classmates in your groups about whether or not
you liked it and why.
Right now, Ill switch the numbers on the board so that students see
4 Illustrator, 1 Scribe, 2 Evaluator, 3 Predictor.
Okay, we're about to move back to our prediction focus, but first let's
just talk about it. Did you guys like the ending? Anji?
Hm, what did you think, Tomas?
Interesting. So some of us liked the ending, and some of us didn't.
But now I have a different question -- did the ending make sense?
Were you surprised?
You were, Tara? Why?

Is there anyone who thought it made sense? Okay, Sean, let's hear
your thoughts.
Alright, well, it looks like we have a lot of mixed opinion about this
story, and that's good. That especially makes sense because we tried
to all look at the stories from different points of view. Now let's turn
our focus back from appreciating the story to your thoughts about
perspective. So , just like we've been doing earlier, evaluators, take a
moment to share your thoughts about the decisions that people made.
Feel free to include anything that someone in another group brought
up while you share.

Ill wait about a minute for students to answer this question in their
groups.
Now, predictors, a few questions were you surprised by what just
happened to your character? Why or why not? What do you think
could happen after this?
Ill circulate for a minute while students answer this question.
Alright, and finally, in groups, Id like you all to discuss your
characters perspective again. You have one more spot on your
Perspective Specs to fill in -- what do you think is best to summarize
the ending and share the ideas that happened to your character at the
end of the story? Draw one more icon to represent the way your
character sees the world at the end of the story.
Ill give students about five minutes to finish this task together.
Okay, and before we start to talk as a whole group, take another
minute or two to think about the icon you drew in the number one
spot and the icon you drew in the number four spot. How are they
different? why are they different? Do you think that icons two and
three do enough to explain these differences?
I'll give students a few minutes to think about this and discuss it in
their groups.

Okay, Tanya, what did your group think? What was your icon, and
how is it different from the first one?
Jared, your group had the same character as Tanya. What did your
group think of the icons they used?
What about you, Sarah? Your group was talking about William. How
do you feel about these two Perspective Specs?
Great, now could you share a little bit about yours?
Okay, and now I'd like to hear from the three groups I haven't heard
from. What are your thoughts, Carlos?
What about you Jenny? You had the same character as Carlos -- what
do you think?
Okay, and finally, let's hear from you, Malik. Tell us a bit about your
icons.
Step Three: Somebody Wanted But So Revisited (10 minutes)
Right. Well, by now, we should all have a pretty solid understanding
of our character. I'm going to pass out Somebody Wanted but So
slips, and I'd like you to take a moment in your groups to write a
Somebody Wanted But So... but stop when you get to the Then! We're
going to try to get started on our next writing activity together.
While students work on this, I walk around and talk to them about
why they're including these particular moments, and asking individual
students how these summaries relate to the icons that they've drawn.
Okay, so when you've finished, give me a thumbs-up. If you finish
early in your group, take a moment to talk to your neighbors about
how the icons relate to your Somebody Wanted But So summary..
I wait for students to finish and get the class together again.

Five.. four... three... Oh, great, alright. So let's hear some summaries.
Kyle?
Alright, that sounds good. Kyle, before I let you go, why don't you
share with me how your summary relates to your Perspective Specs?
Okay, cool. What about you, Ashley?
Great, alright.
Closure: (5 minutes)
For our last five minutes of class, brainstorm in your groups. Your
Somebody Wanted But So slips have three different "Thens." Try to
come up with three different things together that could happen after
this point in the story -- we'll be using these next class, so make sure
you hang on to them. There's no homework tonight, so you're
dismissed as soon as the bell rings.
As students finish up the class, I collect the Perspective Specs and put
them away, taking a moment to peek at a few students "Thens."
Differentiation to Meet Student Needs:
The Perspective Specs for each of the characters are meant to keep
students engaged in the lesson by providing a physical and visual
reminder of the various characters perspectives. Additionally,
working on the specs is meant to be particularly engaging for Brian,
who loves drawing.
This lesson also incorporates multiple opportunities for students to
discuss and predict the trajectory of the story, which enables students
to be co-creators of knowledge, but also allows students like Ashley
an opportunity to interact with her peers in a way that is both
meaningful and encouraging.
The story is read aloud, with opportunities for various students to
volunteer to help reading. This is meant to be motivating for students
who like to read aloud and feel comfortable volunteering in class, but
also encouraging for students who are less likely to volunteer to read
aloud so that they can hear their peers interpretations and will be
less likely to struggle with it.
Materials Needed:

N) Copies of All Summer in a Day

O) Class Powerpoint
P) Somebody Wanted But So slips
Perspective Specs used last class

Materials Appendix O:

Somebody Wanted But

So
_______________________ WANTED
___________________________________________________
______________________________________________, BUT
___________________________________________________
______________________________________________, SO
___________________________________________________
____________________________________________.

(THEN
__________________________________________________.)

Materials Appendix P: Somebody Wanted But So slips

_____________________________________ WANTED
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________, BUT
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________, SO
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
(THEN,
_________________________________________________________________________.)
(THEN,
_________________________________________________________________________.)
(THEN,
_________________________________________________________________________.)

_____________________________________ WANTED
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________, BUT
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________, SO
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
(THEN,
_________________________________________________________________________.)
(THEN,

_________________________________________________________________________.)
(THEN,
_________________________________________________________________________.)