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Lesson 2

We will examine relationships among literary elements and how they interact to develop meaning.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I recognize and interpret important relationships among key details and ideas (characters, setting, tone, point of view, structure, development, etc.) within texts?

  • Can I gather and organize relevant and sufficient evidence to demonstrate an understanding of texts and topics, support claims, and develop ideas?

  • Can I recognize and interpret language and sentence structures to deepen my understanding of texts?

  • Can I use a variety of strategies (e.g., context clues, word study, and vocabulary resources) to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, phrases, and figurative expressions?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • The Book of Unknown Americans, Cristina Henríquez, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2015

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss – Write

We will interact with the words we wrote down for homework in our Vocabulary Journal to cement our understanding of their meanings.

Join your small group and compare the words you wrote down in your Vocabulary Journal. Select one word from each group’s Vocabulary Journal and respond to the vocabulary exercises as directed by your teacher.

Activity 2: Read – Write

We will identify text evidence that develops literary elements.

Open your book to page 68. Listen and follow along as your teacher or one of your peers reads aloud, from "When soccer wasn’t on” to “what are you looking at?" on page 69.

Independently, underline and annotate one phrase from this section that Henríquez uses to develop the following elements:

  • setting

  • plot

  • conflict

  • characterization

Activity 3: Discuss

We will discuss the differences between culture and ethnicity in order to deepen our ability to analyze elements of the novel.

Discuss the difference between culture and ethnicity as a whole class.

With a partner, discuss cultural issues that have come up in The Book of Unknown Americans. Discuss any issues related to ethnicity. How are they the same? How are they different?

Activity 4: Read – Write – Discuss

We will analyze how characterization develops emerging themes in the novel.

Step 1

As a class, review the concept of theme.

Consult the Theme Reference Guide to establish a precise understanding of the term.

Step 2

With a partner, choose two characters from pages 67-91 to focus on. Each partner should focus on one of the selected characters.

Independently complete an Analyzing Relationships Tool for your chosen character. Use the following question to guide your analysis:

  1. How does Henríquez use characterization to develop emerging themes in the novel?

Step 3

Share your character analysis with your partner. Discuss the following questions:

  1. How are the emerging themes that each of you identified similar or related?

  2. How are they different?

Activity 5: Discuss

For homework, we will read and annotate pages 91–115 of the novel and add new entries to our literary elements and narrative techniques Note-Taking Tools.

For homework, read and annotate pages 91-115 of The Book of Unknown Americans. Write down six entries in your Literary Elements and Narrative Techniques Note-Taking Tool, one for each literary element and narrative technique studied so far:

  • setting

  • conflict

  • plot

  • characterization

  • theme

  • imagery

Be sure to write down new or interesting words in your Vocabulary Journal and strong or interesting sentences in your Mentor Sentence Journal.

For the next lesson, be prepared to discuss a mentor sentence you identified.