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Lesson 9

In this vocabulary lesson, we will review key concepts, challenging vocabulary, and important ideas that we have encountered in texts from this section of the unit. We will engage in activities determined by our teacher to deepen our understanding of words and ideas that are important to the topic of storytelling.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I use context clues from texts we have read to understand and explain the meaning of key concepts and challenging words?

  • Can I paraphrase and explain important ideas from the texts we have read and relate them to the topic of storytelling?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “Introduction,” “But Sometimes What We Call ‘Memory,’” “Coyotes and the Stro’ro’ka Dancers,” excerpts from Storyteller, Leslie Marmon Silko, Viking Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2012

Optional

  • Tradebook
    • Excerpts from The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros, Vintage Books, 2009

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Write

We will review a list of key vocabulary from Storyteller that represent important storytelling concepts or challenging words, paying attention to their use and meaning in the context in which the author presents them. We will write down important terms in a Vocabulary Journal, so that we can refer back to them later in the unit.

Step 1

Access and read the "Key Concepts" section of the Section 1 Key Concepts, Vocabulary, and Ideas Handout for Leslie Marmon Silko’s Storyteller.

For each word or concept, consider the following questions:

  1. What does the context suggest Silko means when using the word?

  2. What is its connotation, and how does that compare with a dictionary definition or denotation?

  3. Why is this word important in Silko’s discussion of her role as a storyteller?

  4. Why might this concept also be important in the larger realm of storytelling that we are studying in this unit? What evidence from the text supports your thinking?

Write down these key concepts, with your notes about their meaning and importance, in either your Learning Log or on a Vocabulary in Context Tool.

Step 2

Using the same process, review and think about the "Challenging Vocabulary" section of the handout. For each word, consider the following questions:

  1. What does the context suggest Silko means when using the word?

  2. What is its connotation, and how does that compare with a dictionary definition or denotation?

  3. Why is this word and its meaning important in Silko’s discussion of her role as a storyteller?

  4. How might I use this word in my own thinking, speaking, and writing?

You might use a Vocabulary in Context Tool to help define and analyze these key words. Write them down and their definitions in your Learning Log or Vocabulary Journal.

Activity 2: Read – Write

We will review, examine, and paraphrase key ideas about storytelling presented in Storyteller, and write down our interpretations of those ideas in our Learning Logs so that we can refer back to them later in the unit.

Access and read the "Important Ideas" section of the Key Concepts, Vocabulary, and Ideas Handout for Leslie Marmon Silko’s Storyteller.

For each excerpt, consider the following questions:

  1. Annotate the excerpt, paying close attention to words and phrases that seem key to understanding its ideas.

  2. In your own words, paraphrase each sentence in the excerpt.

  3. In one sentence, summarize what you think Silko is saying.

  4. Why are the ideas presented important in Silko’s discussion of her role as a storyteller?

  5. Why might these ideas also be important in the larger realm of storytelling that we are studying in this unit?

Write down your paraphrases and summarizations of the important ideas, with your notes about their meaning and importance, in your Learning Log.

Compare and discuss your understanding of the excerpts with other students in the class.

Activity 3: Read – Write

We will review a list of key vocabulary from “A House Of My Own,” paying attention to their use and meaning in the context in which the author presents them. We will write down important terms in a Vocabulary Journal, so that we can refer back to them later in the unit.

Step 1

Access and read the "Key Concepts" section of the Key Concepts, Vocabulary, and Ideas Handout for Sandra Cisneros’s "A House of My Own."

For each word or concept, consider these questions:

  1. What does the context of Cisneros’s writing suggest she means when using the word? What is its connotation, and how does that compare with a dictionary definition or denotation?

  2. Why is this concept important in Cisneros’s discussion of her development as a storyteller?

  3. Why might this concept also be important in the larger realm of storytelling that we are studying in this unit? What evidence from the text supports your thinking?

You might use a Vocabulary in Context Tool to help define and analyze these key concepts. Write them down and their definitions in your Learning Log or Vocabulary Journal.

Step 2

Using the same process, review and think about the "Challenging Vocabulary" section of the handout. For each word, consider the following questions:

  1. What does the context of Cisneros’s writing suggest she means when using the word? What is its connotation, and how does that compare with a dictionary definition or denotation?

  2. Why is this word and its meaning important in Cisneros’s discussion of her development as a storyteller?

  3. How might I use this word in my own thinking, speaking, and writing?

You might use a Vocabulary in Context Tool to help define and analyze these key words. Write them down and their definitions in your Learning Log or Vocabulary Journal.

Activity 4: Read – Write

We will review, examine, and paraphrase key ideas about storytelling presented in “A House Of My Own” and write down our interpretations of those ideas in our Learning Logs so that we can refer back to them later in the unit.

Access and read the "Important Ideas" section of the Key Concepts, Vocabulary, and Ideas Handout for Sandra Cisneros’s "A House of My Own."

For each excerpt, consider the following questions:

  1. Annotate the excerpt, paying close attention to words and phrases that seem key to understanding its ideas.

  2. In your own words, paraphrase each sentence in the excerpt.

  3. In one sentence, summarize what you think Cisneros is saying.

  4. Why are the ideas presented important in Cisneros’s discussion of her role as a storyteller? What evidence from the text supports your thinking?

  5. Why might these ideas also be important in the larger realm of storytelling that we are studying in this unit?

Write down your paraphrases and summarizations of the Important Ideas, with your notes about their meaning and importance, in your Learning Log.

Compare and discuss your understanding of the excerpts with other students in the class.