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Lesson 1

We will begin our study by reading the beginning of The Warmth of Other Suns to set the context and focus for the unit. These first pages of the text introduce us to the three African American migrants on whom Wilkerson focuses, and we will explore the similarities and differences among the details in their stories and how those details interact to convey the impact of migration on individuals and families.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I recognize and interpret important relationships among ideas and structure within The Warmth of Other Suns?

  • Can I gather relevant and sufficient evidence to demonstrate understanding of the initial pages of The Warmth of Other Suns?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson, Vintage Books, 2010

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

We will begin the unit by examining the anchor text, The Warmth of Other Suns.

Step 1

Individually, take about 5 minutes to examine The Warmth of Other Suns, and skim through its pages.

Step 2

In your Learning Log, create a two-column table with one side labeled “Notice” and the other labeled “Wonder.” On the “Notice” side, write down details that capture your attention. You will also use this side to respond to questions about texts. On the “Wonder” side, write down questions you have about the text.

With a partner, discuss your Notice and Wonder table and your ideas about what you think we’ll be doing in this unit.

Share your responses with the class.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

To orient ourselves to the anchor text, The Warmth of Other Suns, we will read and discuss the opening epigraphs by Richard Wright, mahalia Jackson, David cohn, and W. H. stillwell while adding to our notice and wonder table.

Step 1

For this activity, you will use a Vocabulary Journal, which you will maintain for the entire unit. In other activities, you might use a Vocabulary in Context Tool for words you can decipher from the text; for others, you might use morphology to decipher the meaning, or a reference resource to check if your meaning is accurate. For some words, your teacher might present you with definitions.

Write down the words and definitions in your Vocabulary Journal. For each word, identify the vocabulary strategy (e.g., context, morphology, reference resource) you used to determine its meaning.

Write down the following word in your Vocabulary Journal:

  • epigraph- a phrase, quotation, or poem that is at the beginning of a document

Step 2

Listen as your teacher or one of your peers reads aloud The Warmth of Other Suns’sopening epigraphs by Richard Wright, Mahalia Jackson, David Cohn, and W. H. Stillwell (pp. vii-1). Individually, make additional notes in your Notice and Wonder table. Share your responses to the following questions with the whole class:

  1. How do these epigraphs relate to your initial ideas about the text?

  2. What do these epigraphs suggest about the focus, purpose, and perspective of the book?

  3. What is the impact of Wilkerson’s decision to begin the book in this way?

Activity 3: Read – Write

We will read the three parts of “Leaving” from The Warmth of Other Suns (pp. 1–7) and will take note of details that stand out to us.

Listen and read along silently as your teacher or one of your peers reads aloud “Leaving” from The Warmth of Other Suns(pp. 1-7). As you listen, take some notes in your Learning Log in response to the following questions:

  1. What happens in these three sections?

  2. What stands out to you as powerful and important in each section?

Activity 4: Read – Discuss

We will further explore the three parts of “Leaving” from The Warmth of Other Suns (pp. 1–7) using the Attending to Details Tool, and then we will share our ideas in small-group discussions.

Step 1

The Attending to Details Tool supports and guides a process for preparing to read, reading, and initially reacting to a text. This is a helpful process to internalize when you are working with a complex text that might require multiple reads, or one that is being read over a long period. Using this tool usually begins with a guiding question or reading purpose to determine which textual details to notice and annotate.

Step 2

Use the tool in the following way:

  1. Write down the guiding question in the space provided at the top. You might be assigned the guiding question by your teacher, it might come from a question set, or you might think of your own question. This question can help you focus your reading, or it might give your reading a specific purpose.

  2. Read the text, paying attention to details that relate to the guiding question. Depending on how long the section of text is, you might find several examples. Use the Attend to Details row to write down the details that most strongly relate to the guiding question.

  3. Make connections between the details you wrote down and the guiding question in the Think About the Details row. This is often the "reasoning" that is asked for when you make an observation or claim, and then use evidence to support it. It makes your thinking visible to others and helps you remember what that thinking was if you come back to this later.

  4. In the Express Your Understanding row, write new connections, observations, ideas, or questions that result from reading and analyzing the text.

Step 3

Working in your small group, use the Attending to Details Tool to analyze relationships among the details in all three parts of “Leaving” from The Warmth of Other Suns(pp. 1-7) and respond to the following questions:

  1. What do you notice about the words and phrases the author uses to describe the characters' feelings and thoughts?

  2. What do the characters in each section have in common?

  3. What do these details suggest about the impact of migration on individuals and families?

Share your responses to these questions during the whole-class discussion.

Activity 5: Read

We will review the Unit Text List to familiarize ourselves with the texts we will analyze and discuss throughout the unit.

Step 1

Access and review the Unit Text List. Note the information that is included about each text. These texts are also listed in the activities in which they appear, under the Materials tab. You will notice that each text has an icon by it. These indicate where the text is located, which corresponds to the Location column in the Unit Text List.

Text locations:

  • Tradebook: These texts are full-length novels or nonfiction books you will most likely have copies of.

  • Digital Access: You can find these texts online. Use the information provided in the Unit Text List or on the Texts tab for the activity to conduct a web search for the resource. Digital Access resources include online articles, videos, podcasts, and other web sources.

  • PDF Texts: These are formatted PDFs of texts that are available for download on the Materials tab.

  • CD/DVD: These materials are available on CD or DVD and might also be available through online content providers.

Step 2

Review the Independent Reading Text Options. Here, you will find suggested options for independent reading related to the unit.

Activity 6: Read – Write

For homework, read “The Great Migration, 1915–1970” from part 1 of The Warmth of Other Suns (pp. 8–15).

For homework, in preparation for the next lesson, read "The Great Migration, 1915-1970" from Part 1 of The Warmth of Other Suns(pp. 8-15). In your Learning Log, note your reactions and respond to the following questions:

  1. What knowledge have you gained?

  2. How do the details provided in the text enhance your understanding?

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.