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Lesson 6

We will finish our analysis of the impact of fandom on the Permian High School football team by reading Chapter 4 of Friday Night Lights. We will closely read of the chapter and conduct a class discussion that will summarize our reading in preparation for the Section Diagnostic.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I express an accurate understanding of the central ideas of the theme of fandom through the first section of Friday Night Lights?

  • Can I evaluate the relevance and credibility of information, ideas, evidence, and the reasoning presented in Friday Night Lights to determine if it supports Bissinger’s claims?

  • Can I pay attention to and acknowledge others while thoughtfully considering their ideas?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger, Da Capo Press, 1990

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Write – Discuss

We will begin this lesson by responding to a prompt in our Learning Logs. This will prepare us to closely read Chapter 4 in Friday Night Lights.

In your Learning Log, write a response to the following question:

  1. The title of Chapter 4 is "Dreaming of Heroes." What do you think this title means to the players of the Permian football team?

Once you have responded to the prompt, share responses to the prompt with your small group.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

We will read Chapter 4 of Friday Night Lights and focus on how fandom plays a part in the development of self-identity for the players of the permian team. We will answer text-dependent questions as we read as a class.

Read and annotate Parts 1 and 2 of Chapter 4 of Friday Night Lights.

As a class, answer and discuss the following text-dependent questions from the Section 1 Question Set:

  1. Bissinger states, "It was too ugly for him and the land itself bore no secrets nor ever inspired the imagination…and never disappeared." What does the imagery in this line symbolize?

  2. On page 81, Bissinger states that when Mike’s father "started slipping," Mike lost confidence in himself. How is this idea supported by fandom?

  3. How does Mike’s economic situation and his skill on the football field relate to his self-image and confidence? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.

  4. What is the importance of Coach Hollingshead’s statement on page 85 about "how even the most talented kid could come unglued" under the Friday night lights?

  5. Why does Bissinger use the term frantic unison to describe the elementary students on page 86?

  6. On page 89, what does Bissinger mean when he says Charlie Billingsley is still trying to find the way home?

  7. Reread the second full paragraph on page 91. If you were Don or Charlie Billingsley, what would your reaction be to Bissinger’s analysis in this paragraph?

Activity 3: Write

We will update our character Note-Taking Tool based on our reading from the previous lessons. We will continue to analyze our characters’ development of self-identity.

Update your Character Note-Taking Tool with details about your characters’ development of self-identity based on the impact of fandom. Use evidence and information from the reading we have completed throughout this section.

Activity 4: Read – Discuss – Write

We will deconstruct and analyze mentor sentences from Friday Night Lights focusing on the structure, style, grammar, and punctuation used by Bissinger to convey his tone and create mood. We will then use one of his sentences as a model, applying our understanding of the concepts we study and adding to our writing repertoire by mimicking his structure, style, grammar, and punctuation.

Step 1

For this activity, you will be using the Working with Mentor SentencesTool.

Follow your teacher’s directions regarding grouping, materials, and which mentor sentences you will analyze from the Mentor Sentence Handout 1.

Step 2

Read the sentence aloud. Unpack any unfamiliar vocabulary using your vocabulary strategies. Then, determine what the sentence is saying, and paraphrase the sentence to convey its meaning based on your initial understanding.

Step 3

Deconstruct the whole into parts. Split the sentence up into parts as directed by your teacher; sometimes your teacher will give you the parts, and sometimes you will have to split the sentence on your own. Complete the following for each part:

  • Determine the parts of speech and function.

  • Note other observations about the part, such as examples of effective diction or changes in verb tense or point of view.

Step 4

Follow along as your teacher reviews the relevant grammatical terms and concepts of specific phrases and clauses, punctuation, syntax, mood, and tone.

Step 5

Analyze the concepts. Review, discuss, and revise your deconstruction notes. Then, respond to the following questions:

  1. Which parts make up the main clause? The main clause is the main subject and predicate that expresses the central idea of the sentence. Write down the sentence, underlining the main clause.

  2. How do the other parts of the sentence (e.g., phrases, clauses, modifiers) enhance the main clause?

  3. How could you restructure this sentence so that it relays the same message to the reader? What is the impact of the different structures on your understanding?

  4. What revisions need to be made to your initial paraphrasing now that you have increased your understanding of the sentence?

Step 6

Analyze mood, tone, and meaning. Discuss the following questions:

  1. What mood does the author create in this sentence? How is this mood created?

  2. What tone is conveyed by the author in this sentence? How is that tone conveyed?

  3. What does this sentence contribute to the author’s ideas in the text? How does it expand your understanding of the text or author?

Step 7

Follow your teacher’s directions about choosing one or two mentor sentences to mimic. Use your deconstruction analysis of your chosen sentences to write your own, mimicking what the author does in terms of structure, style, grammar, and punctuation. The specific content of your sentences is your choice. Be prepared to share your sentences with your peers.

Activity 5: Read – Write

We will finish reading Chapter 4 for homework.

For homework, finish reading and annotating Chapter 4.

Write down new or interesting words in your Vocabulary Journal.

Write down sentences that stand out to you as interesting or that represent a strong example of a particular concept you have learned in your Mentor Sentence Journal. You can use these sentences to build a writer’s toolbox, wherein you have a number of techniques at your disposal to use when writing.