Lesson 3

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

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

• • “Women and Men in Sports: Separate is Not Equal,” Laura Pappano and Eileen McDonagh, The Christian Science Monitor, 2008

Materials

Tools

• Evaluating Ideas Tool

• Friday Night Lights: Mentor Sentence Handout 3

• Mentor Sentence Journal

• Vocabulary Journal

• Working with Mentor Sentences Tool

Question Sets

• Friday Night Lights: Section 3 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

• Evaluating Ideas Tool

• Mentor Sentence Journal

• Friday Night Lights: Section 3 Question Set

• Vocabulary Journal

• Working with Mentor Sentences Tool

Activity 1: Write – Discuss

We will answer a question about Bissinger’s portrayal of gender in the text based on our reading of chapter 8 for homework. This response will connect the homework, Friday Night Lights, and this lesson’s reading with the section’s focus on gender.

In your Learning Log, respond to the following question, using Chapter 8 in Friday Night Lights to support your answer:

1. Bissinger explains how Vickie Gomez’s race impacted her political aspirations in Chapter 8. What evidence does he include that her gender also impacted her political career?

Discuss your response with a partner or small group.

Activity 2: Discuss – Read

We will read the article “Women and Men in Sports: Separate is Not Equal” as a class and answer and discuss a series of text-dependent questions.

Step 1

Read and annotate the article "Women and Men in Sports: Separate is Not Equal," paying attention to the authors’ claims.

Step 2

As a class, answer and discuss the following text-dependent questions, from the Section 3 Question Set:

1. Reread this statement: "Frese's example, like Paula Radcliffe training through pregnancy and winning the 2007 New York City Marathon, doesn't camouflage – but actually flaunts – the fact that women are physically different than men." How does this statement relate to the title? Does it support or contradict the title?

2. Reread these sentences: "The strict gender segregation of almost all sports is considered normal, even progressive. But separate, it turns out, is not equal." Think back to the other texts we have read, including Friday Night Lights. How does this quote connect to those texts? Cite evidence from multiple texts to support your answer.

3. Reread these sentences: "But how does that account for the disparities in billiards and bridge?! Indeed, given that females are physiologically suited for ultra-endurance events, why are women's Olympic events slightly shorter than men's?" Do these support the claims the authors are making? Explain your answer.

4. Reread the paragraph that begins with the sentence: "Replace gender descriptors with words reflecting race or religion, and the problem becomes appalling." What is the authors’ purpose for including this paragraph? The authors state, "Sports are a path to social, economic, and political success." How do they arrive at this claim? Do they provide support? Use evidence from the text to support your answers.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will work in small groups to determine the central claim of “Women And Men In Sports: Separate Is Not Equal.” we will complete a copy of the Evaluating Ideas Tool, identifying evidence the author uses to support that claim.

Step 1

With your group, discuss the following guiding question:

1. What is the authors’ claim about the role of gender in athletics?

Step 2

You will use the Evaluating Ideas Tool to evaluate the text, focusing on the author’s purpose, perspective, and credibility. This tool helps you think about and analyze relationships among details in the text, how those details suggest the author’s motivation for writing the text, and how the author views the topic. This tool focuses on a guiding question related to the author’s purpose or perspective and helps you make an observation or conclusion about the overall ideas, believability, and relevance of the text.

Closely reread the article. With your group, completing a copy of the Evaluating Ideas Tool for the text.

Activity 4: Read – Discuss – Write

We will deconstruct and analyze mentor sentences from “Women And Men In Sports: Separate Is Not Equal” and Friday Night Lights, focusing on the structure, style, grammar, and punctuation used by the authors to convey their tone and create mood. We will then use one of the sentences as a model, applying our understanding of the concepts we study and adding to our writing repertoire by mimicking its structure, style, grammar, and punctuation.

Step 1

Use a copy of the Working with Mentor Sentences Tool. Follow your teacher’s directions regarding grouping, materials, and which mentor sentences you will analyze from the Mentor Sentence Handout 3.

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

We will read part 1 of chapter 9 in Friday Night Lights for homework. We will read the remaining part in the next lesson.

Read and annotate Part 1 of Chapter 9 in Friday Night Lights for homework, paying attention to how Bissinger’s perspective on gender roles is further developed.

Be sure to 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.