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Lesson 5

We will share and discuss the details from the previous lesson’s jigsaw reading. We will read the final sections of Part 4 to expand our understanding of the new lives waiting for and experienced by those who left the South in hopes of a better quality of life. We also will examine the impact of their decision to leave on them, their families, and the United States as a whole. This work will ensure that we will be prepared to complete the Section Diagnostic. We will also continue to track the sources, organization, and structure of Wilkerson’s text to better understand what those choices convey about her point of view and how those choices impact our understanding of this complex time in 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

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will engage in the fifth jigsaw discussion 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 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 focus figures, discuss one or both of the following text-specific questions from the Part 4 Question Set:

.

  1. Why is Part 4 titled “A Kinder Mistress”? Where does this phrase come from and what does it mean? How does it relate to the content in the first half of Part 4?

  2. Wilkerson says the following on page 273: “They were essentially the same people except for the color of their skin, and many of them arrived into these anonymous receiving stations at around the same time, one set against the other and unable to see the commonality of their mutual plight. Thus these violent clashes bore the futility of Greek tragedy.” What does Wilkerson mean by this statement? What evidence does she provide that supports this? What does the allusion to Greek tragedy add to her idea?

Step 3

Choose at least two questions for your focus figure and discuss them in your expert groups. Be sure to support your points with evidence from the text.

Activity 2: Read

We will continue to track Wilkerson’s structure and sources in the second half of part 4 using the Structure Note-Taking Tool.

Continue working on Part 4 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.

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?

In your expert groups, discuss Question 1 or 2 on the last half of the Part 4 Question Set.

Then, choose two questions for your focus figure to discuss in your groups.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss

We will synthesize our initial understanding of this section’s guiding questions to prepare for the Section Diagnostic.

In your home group, review the Section 4 Diagnostic Checklist.

Choose one of the individuals from The Warmth of Other Suns—Ida, George, or Robert—to answer the following question:

  1. How was the person’s life affected, altered, or impacted as a result of the decision to migrate? Write a response identifying the individual, and explain how the person’s life changed because of the decision to migrate.

Work with your home group to discuss your initial thoughts about the Section Diagnostic. Start planning for the task.

Activity 4: Read

For homework, we will continue to plan and gather evidence for our responses to the Section Diagnostic.

For homework, continue to plan and gather evidence for your response to the Section Diagnostic.

Review your Vocabulary Journal. Identify a significant word or words that you would like to use in your response to the Section Diagnostic.

Continue to complete the Structure Note-Taking Tool for Part 4 of the text.