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Lesson 1

We will begin by reviewing the Central Question and Framing Questions for this unit. We will then do a close study of the author’s use of imagery, diction, figurative language, and syntax in order to determine the author’s tone in Chapter 12.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I take necessary action to prepare for the task?

  • Can I evaluate the effects of literary devices in a text?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot, Crown Publishing Group, 2010

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Write – Discuss

We introduce the section by reviewing the Central Question and framing questions.

Read along silently as your teacher or one of your peers reads the Central Question and Framing Questions for this unit:

Central Question: How do we tell someone else’s story?

Framing Questions:

  1. How does an author introduce and develop key persons, ideas, or events?

  2. What is the impact of an author’s word choice, and how does it affect the overall tone of a text?

  3. What inferences can be drawn about the ideas and key persons in the text?

  4. How does an author structure a text that involves multiple narratives over an extended amount of time?

  5. How does an author develop central issues in a text?

In your Learning Log, write a response that answers the following question: How do the framing questions deepen your understanding of the text and the unit’s Central Question?

Discuss your response with your group.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

We will review key aspects of sentence structure (syntax) and punctuation.

Review the terms related to syntax on the fourth column of the Author CraftNote-Taking Tool. Ask clarifying questions about the terms as needed.

Activity 3: Read – Write – Discuss

We will read chapter 12 together and analyze the author’s structure and techniques, using guiding questions.

Step 1

Read and annotate Chapter 12. Look for interesting examples of imagery, diction, figurative language, and syntax. In your Learning Log, jot down notes about important ideas or concepts that you notice during the reading.

Write down new or interesting words in your Vocabulary Journal.

Step 2

Divide the following guiding questions among your group and answer your assigned questions in your Learning Log, rereading the text as needed:

Imagery

  1. What imagery stands out in the chapter?

  2. What is the effect of the imagery? What purpose does it serve?

  3. How does the imagery add to your understanding of the subject or persons in the text?

Diction

  1. What words or phrases stand out in the chapter?

  2. What is the effect of the diction? What purpose does it serve?

  3. How does the diction add to your understanding of the subject or persons in the text?

Figurative Language

  1. What examples of figurative language stand out in the chapter?

  2. What is the effect of the figurative language? What purpose does it serve?

  3. How does the figurative language add to your understanding of the subject or persons in the text?

Syntax

  1. What about the sentence structure and punctuation stand out in the chapter?

  2. What is the effect of the sentence structure and punctuation? What purpose do they serve?

  3. How do the sentence structure and punctuation add to your understanding of the subject or persons in the text?

Step 3

Once you have finished your questions, share your answers with your group. Pick one idea to share during a class discussion. Add to or modify your answers during the discussion as you add to your understanding. You will be working with these answers in the following activity.

Activity 4: Discuss – Write

We use the Analyzing Relationships Tool to determine the tone of chapter 12.

Work as a group to determine the tone of Chapter 12. Copy the following question into the top of the Analyzing Relationships Tool:

  1. What is the tone of Chapter 12?

Use your notes on imagery, syntax, diction, and figurative language from the previous activity to fill in each of the cells in the tool. Work together to explain how the details are related. Then, explain how the details work together to identify the tone of the chapter.

Discuss your claim with the class; add to or modify your answer as you deepen your understanding. You will add this information to your Author ClaimsNote-Taking Tool in an upcoming lesson.

Activity 5: Read – Write

For homework, we will read chapters 13–14 in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

For homework, read and annotate Chapters 13-14. Respond to the following text-specific questions in your Learning Log, citing evidence from the text to support your answer:

Chapter 13

  1. How did HeLa cells help cure polio?

  2. How did HeLa cells assist in the study of viruses?

  3. How did HeLa cells help with the diagnosis of genetic diseases?

  4. What advances helped make the use of HeLa cells easier and increased their availability?

Chapter 14

  1. What are some possible reasons for George Gey withholding Henrietta Lack’s name?

Write down new or interesting words in your Vocabulary Journal.