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Lesson 6

We will examine how Rebecca Skloot presents opposing perspectives in Chapter 21 and then diagram the structure of Chapter 22. We will synthesize our notes on author choice and central issues in the Author Craft Note-Taking Tool to prepare for the Section Diagnostic. We will then complete a vocabulary review.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I establish and explain an accurate understanding of the central ideas of the text?

  • Can I recognize and interpret important relationships among key details and structure within a chapter of a text?

Texts

Core

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

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Write – Discuss

We will analyze how Rebecca Skloot presents perspectives in chapter 21 by using an Analyzing Relationships Tool.

Step 1

Working in pairs in your group, use the Analyzing Relationships Tool to examine how the perspective of Johns Hopkins or the Black community is represented in Chapter 21. Use the guiding question below and complete the tool:

  1. How was the perspective of _____ represented in the chapter?

Step 2

Once you have completed the tool, share your work with the other members of your group and compare your answers. Answer the following guiding questions together:

  1. How would you describe the structure of this chapter?

  2. What was the effect of each perspective on each other?

  3. What conclusions can you make about one or more of the central issues—race, ethics, class, or science—based on this chapter and your notes?

When you are finished, pick one idea to share with the class. Add to or modify your notes as you deepen your understanding.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write

We will diagram the important ideas in chapter 22 in order to understand how the author uses structure.

Step 1

Complete the following sequence to diagram Chapter 22 in your group:

  1. Skim the chapter and write down the six or seven most important details in the order in which they appear.

  2. Determine the most important detail to the least important detail and label each.

Answer these guiding questions when you have completed the first two steps:

  1. What do you notice about the order of important details?

  2. What is the effect of the order of details?

  3. What do you think is the author’s purpose in ordering the details in this chapter?

  4. How would you label the structure of this chapter?

Step 2

Pick one of your answers to discuss with the class. Be prepared to defend your answers and explain the order of importance. Add to or modify your notes as you deepen your understanding.

Lastly, write a short summary about how this chapter relates to one of the central issues—ethics, race, class, or science—in the text.

Activity 3: Read – Write

We will synthesize our notes on central issues and author craft into our Author Craft Note-Taking Tool to deepen our understanding.

Review your notes in your Learning Log on imagery, diction, figurative language, syntax, tone, and representation. Highlight your notes that provide the most insight into the writer’s craft; copy the evidence into the cell for Chapters 17-22. Make sure you label each piece of evidence using the terms on the tool. Answer the Framing Questions for each piece of evidence.

Review your notes on the central issues of the text from Chapters 17-22. Summarize your notes and answer the Framing Questions above the cell to deepen your understanding.

Review your Author Craft Note-Taking Tool with your group members, and add to or modify your answers as you share.

Activity 4: Read – Write – Discuss

We will review some key vocabulary from chapters 20–22 that is content-specific or challenging. We will pay attention to word use and meaning in the text’s context. We will also write down important terms in our Learning Logs, so that we can refer to them later in the unit.

Step 1

With your group, assign each member a set of words from the Vocabulary List from Chapters 21-22. Locate the words as they are used in the text and the provided page number, considering the following questions for each:

  1. What is the meaning of this word?

  2. What strategy did you use to determine its meaning?

  3. How is its meaning important to the text?

You might use the Vocabulary in Context Tool to assist you.

Write down these words, their meaning, and the strategy you used to determine their meaning (context clues, morphology, reference source) in your Vocabulary Journal.

Step 2

Share your words, their definitions, and their importance to understanding the text with your group.

Activity 5: Read

For homework, we will examine the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist.

For homework, examine the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist. Review your completed Author CraftNote-Taking Tool, your Learning Log, and this section’s tools to help you plan your response.

Review your Vocabulary Journal. Identify a significant word or words that you would like to use in your response to the Section Diagnostic.