Lesson 6
We will use context to determine the meaning of unknown words from the novel. We will also read Chapter 3, “María Teresa, 1945 to 1946,” and complete two entries in our Character Note-Taking Tool for María Teresa.
Lesson Goals
Can I use tools, such as context, to decode the meaning of unknown words?
Can I analyze how Alvarez’s decision to structure the text throughout several years impacts the story’s development?
Can I analyze how well a character is introduced?
Texts
Core
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- In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2010
Materials
Tools
Reference Guides
Question Sets
Editable Google Docs
Activity 1: Discuss – Write
We will locate four vocabulary words in the text.
Work with a partner to find and highlight the vocabulary words below, which have enough context in the passage to determine their meaning.
anonymity (p. 3)
clairvoyance (p. 9)
coaxing (p. 17)
embossed (p. 24)
Activity 2: Read – Write – Discuss
We will use context to determine the meaning of the word anonymity, the first assigned vocabulary word from chapter 1.
Step 1
Look at the word anonymity on the first page of Chapter 1 and examine its context. Annotate or highlight the contextual clues you used to determine the meaning of the unknown word.
Use the questions on your Vocabulary in Context Tool to help you determine the meaning of the unknown word.
In your Vocabulary Journal, list words and phrases from the text that are related to the word anonymity.
Next, using the context you have identified, make an educated guess about what anonymity might mean, and write the meaning.
Finally, using a dictionary, look up and write the meaning of anonymity in the third box of your Vocabulary in Context Tool.
Step 2
Discuss the following questions as a whole group:
Was your definition accurate?
Why or why not?
Activity 3: Write – Read
We will use context to determine the meaning of three other vocabulary words from the text.
Step 1
Using your copy of In the Time of the Butterflies, work with a partner to determine the meaning of the words clairvoyance (Chapter 1), coaxing (Chapter 2), and embossed (Chapter 2) from context. Verify each meaning with a dictionary.
Step 2
Join another pair and share your definitions, making any needed revisions.
Activity 4: Write – Read
We will use context to determine the meaning of two vocabulary words we independently identified while reading chapters 1 and 2.
With your partner, select one word from each of your Vocabulary Journals that you independently identified and wrote down while reading Chapters 1 and 2. Determine if you can define the words based on context. Use the Vocabulary in Context Tool to assist you. Verify each meaning with a dictionary.
Activity 5: Read – Write – Discuss
We will interact with the words we defined to cement our understanding of their meaning.
Work with a partner or group to respond to the vocabulary exercises, as directed by your teacher.
Activity 6: Read – Write
We will read chapter 3: “María Teresa, 1945 To 1944” and complete our character Note-Taking Tool for maría teresa.
Step 1
Read and annotate Chapter 3, thinking about how María Teresa is different from her sisters.
Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.
Step 2
Complete the Character Note-Taking Tool for Maria Teresa and respond to the following questions:
What do we learn about María Teresa in Chapter 3? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
How does Maria’s voice differ from her sisters’?
How does her youth show through her writing?
What new information do we learn about the setting and events from her perspective?
This chapter is written as a journal entry. How does María Teresa’s voice through this epistolary style provide insight into her character?
Alvarez utilizes voice as a structure for the narrative. How does structuring the narrative with unique and different voices impact the story’s development?