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Lesson 3

We will share and discuss what we learned in the previous lesson about our three focus figures and consider the impact of each of their single decisions. We will also read and discuss the rest of Part 3 and add to our understanding of how Wilkerson uses structure to share 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

In a jigsaw discussion, we will share our responses to the third jigsaw reading with our home groups, using and completing the Jigsaw Note-Taking Tool.

Step 1

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

  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 content 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 narrative Wilkerson creates for each of them?

Activity 2: Read – Write

By revising claims, we will continue to synthesize our understanding of the push-and-pull factors influencing each focus figure’s decision to leave the south.

Step 1

Working with a partner, reread pages 216-219 and review your annotations regarding the push-and-pull factors for each focus figure.

Step 2

Review and revise the claims your home groups wrote in Section 1, Lesson 4 regarding the two most significant influences on the three migrants’ decisions to leave. Write down your notes on your Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tools.

Step 3

Use the following questions to evaluate your claims:

  1. Is the claim clearly stated?

  2. Does the claim communicate your opinion or conclusion about the two most significant factors influencing Ida’s decision to leave the South?

  3. Is the claim based on evidence that you gathered from the text?

  4. Is the claim specific and supportable by evidence?

With your partner, discuss how the information and ideas in this lesson have helped you refine or strengthen your claims. Be prepared to share with the whole class during the debrief.

Activity 3: Read – Write

We will deconstruct and analyze mentor sentences from 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

Work through the following steps for the mentor sentence in Mentor Sentence Handout 4. Follow your teacher’s directions regarding grouping and materials.

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 your 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 4: Read

We will continue to track Wilkerson’s structure and sources in part 3 using the Structure Note-Taking Tool.

Find Part 3 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. Also work to label the thread for each section; 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 5: Discuss

We will share our observations about Wilkerson’s perspective and point of view toward the Great Migration.

Respond to the following question:

  1. What is one word or phrase you would use to describe Wilkerson’s perspective toward the Great Migration, given what you noticed about her craft decisions (her use of language, structure, sources, and organization)?

Activity 6: Read

For homework, we will continue to complete the Structure Note-Taking Tool for part 3 of the text.

For homework, continue to complete your Structure Note-Taking Tool for Part 3 of the text.