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Lesson 7

In a jigsaw discussion, we will share and discuss what we learned about the three focus figures, continuing to focus on the details of their experiences and the push-and-pull factors driving them to consider leaving the South. To prepare for the Section Diagnostic in the next lesson, we will finish Part 2, deepening our understanding of Wilkerson’s choices regarding sources, organization, and structure. We will examine what those decisions suggest about her purpose and perspective toward this period in our history.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I use connections among details, elements, and effects to make logical deductions about Wilkerson’s perspective, purpose, and meaning in The Warmth of Other Suns?

  • Can I revisit, refine, and revise my understanding, knowledge, and work based on discussions with others and feedback and review by myself and others?

Texts

Core

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

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will share our responses to the second jigsaw reading with our home groups in a jigsaw discussion, using and completing the Jigsaw Note-Taking Tool.

Step 1

Each expert (A, B, and C) shares their learning about their assigned person (Ida, George, and Robert) from Jigsaw 2 with their home groups, using the guiding questions on the Jigsaw Note-Taking Tool to guide the conversation.

  1. Life Prior to Migration: What do you learn about each person’s life prior to their departure from the South? What questions do you have?

  2. Push-and-Pull Factors Influencing the Decision to Leave: What do you learn about the push-and-pull factors influencing each person’s decision? What questions do you have?

  3. Immediate Impacts of Migration: What do you learn about the immediate impact of each person’s migration and about their life away from the South? What questions do you have?

  4. Long-Term Impacts of Migration: What do you learn about the long-term impact of each person’s migration? What questions do you have?

As you share, remember that you might not have new information to share for all of the guiding questions during every jigsaw discussion.

As the other experts share, take notes on your Jigsaw Note-Taking Tool and ask questions to help support your understanding of each assigned person.

Step 2

After all experts have taught their home groups about their assigned person, discuss the following question:

1. What similarities and differences do you notice among Ida’s, George’s, and Robert’s experiences and the narratives Wilkerson creates for each of them?

Activity 2: Read

We will continue to track Wilkerson’s structure and sources in the last half of part 2 using the Structure Note-Taking Tool.

Find Part 2 of your Structure Note-Taking Tool. Use your quick-writes from the end of the previous lesson as well as your Jigsaw Note-Taking Tool notes to help you respond to the guiding questions on the tool. Work to label the thread for each; you might have to create some new labels if none of the previous ones fit.

Establishing Understanding:

  1. What knowledge do I gain from this section of the text? (Include page numbers for each note.)

  2. What questions do I still have after reading this section of the text?

Deepening Understanding:

  1. How does the organization of the ideas and information in this section of the text enhance my understanding?

  2. What stylistic elements stand out in this section of the text? How does the style enhance my understanding?

  3. What do the organization and style convey about the point of view and purpose of this section of text?

Activity 3: Read

We will review some key vocabulary from part 2, focusing on important concepts and challenging words and paying attention to their use and meaning in the context in which Wilkerson presents them. We will write down important terms in a Vocabulary Journal so that we can refer back to them later in the unit.

Working as a whole class, review the Vocabulary List for Part 2of the text. Locate the words as they are used in the text, referencing the provided page number, and consider the following questions for each term:

  1. What does the context suggest that Wilkerson means when using this word? What is this word’s connotation, and how does it compare to a dictionary definition?

  2. Why are this word and its meaning important to Wilkerson’s discussion and ideas in this part of the text?

  3. How might I use this word in my own thinking, speaking, and writing?

Write down each key word, with your notes about its meaning and importance, in your Vocabulary Journal.

Activity 4: Read – Write

We will deconstruct and analyze mentor sentences from part 2 of The Warmth of Other Suns, focusing on the structure, style, grammar, and punctuation used by Wilkerson to convey her tone and create mood. We will then use her sentences as models, applying our understanding of the concepts we study and adding to our writing repertoire by mimicking her structure, style, grammar, and punctuation.

Step 1

As you continue to read the texts in this unit, use your Mentor Sentence Journal to identify sentences that stand out to you as interesting or that represent a strong example of a particular concept you have learned. 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.

Work through the following steps for each mentor sentence in Mentor Sentence Handout 2. Follow your teacher’s directions regarding grouping, materials, and which mentor sentences you will analyze.

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 Wilkerson create in this sentence? How does she create it?

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

  3. What does this sentence contribute to Wilkerson’s ideas in the book? How does it expand our understanding of the Great Migration?

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: Discuss

We will share and discuss our findings about Wilkerson’s decisions regarding sources, organization, and structure and how those decisions convey meaning and perspective.

Participate in a whole-class discussion about the following guiding questions:

  1. What new thread labels did you need to add for Part 2?

  2. What do you notice about how Wilkerson uses the different threads throughout the first two parts of the book (e.g., sequence, repetition, number of different threads)?

  3. What do you notice about the sources, organization, and structure used by Wilkerson?

  4. How do those choices help her achieve her purpose and convey her perspective toward her subject? What is the impact of her decisions on our understanding of the book and the Great Migration?

Activity 6: Read

For homework, complete the Structure Note-Taking Tool for the second half of part 2.

For homework, complete the Structure Note-Taking Tool for the second half of Part 2 of the text.