Activity: Close Reading Workshop Day 1

Teacher: Rodriguez
Collaborating Teachers: ELA 7 Teachers
Subject(s): ELA 7
Essential Questions:
1. How do authors use narrative elements
to create a story?
2. What are the elements of effective
revision?

Date: Monday 08/31/2015

NVACS Standards:
RI.7.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including
figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a
specific
word choice on meaning and tone.
RI.7.2 - Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their
development over
the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.7.6 - Determine an authors point of view or purpose in a text and
analyze how the
author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.

Objective:
I will close read a text to analyze purpose and
tone; I will determine the connotative meaning
of words and phrases.
Warm-Up/Introduction:
What different strategies can you use to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words?
Discuss context clues, dictionary, thesaurus, writing notes, substituting synonyms.
Daily Review (identify instructional standard/indicator):
Essential questions, close read, context clues, tone, point of view
Concept/Skill Development (including 3+ high level questions) & (identify
instructional standard/indicator):
Discuss warm-up and daily review. Write list of context clues strategies on the board.
Review learning targets on student packets
Discuss Close Reading for Meaning and Diffusing
Before students read the first text, note the underlined and bolded words with them.
Introduce diffusing as a vocabulary strategy. As students read independently, be sure they
use the underlined, defined words to practice diffusing vocabulary by replacing the new
word with its definition/synonym. Consider asking students to write the definitions above
the underlined words before they read. (Activity 1)
After the first reading, conduct brief discussion on words students circled and how they
figured out their meanings. Point out that the words can carry certain emotions, or
connotations, with them.
During the second reading, teacher will read text aloud to students. Ask them to focus on
understanding the text as a whole, try to understand the main idea of the text. (Activities
2 and 3)
Before third reading of the text, read Background Information and show video on Frederick
Douglas. Then read the Key Ideas questions to ensure students understand them.(Activity
4)
High Level questions
1. Why does Douglas compare slaves going to the Great House Farm to politicians?
How does this comparison contribute to your understanding?
2. What is the contradiction between the meaning and the tone in the slaves
songs? How could this contradiction confuse an outside observer?
3. How does Douglass choice of words reveal his feelings about the institution of
slavery? Which examples of powerful diction best reveal his tone?
Practice & Application (Guided/Independent/Group Practice) (identify instructional
standard/indicator):
1. During first reading of the text, students will read silently to themselves. They will go
through and write the synonyms of underlined words. They will also use context clues to
define bolded words. They will circle any other words they do not understand and feel that

are important.
2. After the second reading, students will work on Check Your Understanding question 1 with
their partner. They will share which words they did not understand, write down the ones
they feel are important and paraphrase their definitions.
3. Class will briefly discuss the main idea of the text. Together we will write a summary of the
central idea, incorporating words students included in question 1.
4. During the third reading of the text, students will silently read to themselves, trying to
follow the argument Frederick Douglas is making by answering the Key Ideas questions
and annotating the text.
5. Discuss answers after students finish.
6. In partners, students will answer the Check Your Understanding question.
7. As a class, conduct discussion of Synthesizing Your Understanding questions and answer
them together.
8. Co-construct Writing Prompt paragraph together. Use the overhead, while students write in
their composition notebook.
NEPF IS 2.3- Tasks progressively develop all students cognitive abilities. Students are starting off
with small, manageable tasks, which gradually become more complex. Because the activities are
broken down into smaller chunks, all students are using their cognitive abilities to analyze the
complex text.
*Rigorous Curriculum (identify instructional standard/indicator):
Identify specific activities that the students will complete and the Depth of
Knowledge level they will be exhibiting.
Conduct a close reading of a complex text to analyze its speaker, subject, purpose and tone.
(DOK 3)
Use context clues to diffuse complex words. (DOK 2)
Write a well-constructed paragraph, using textual evidence and analysis. (DOK 3)
Assessment (Formative - include Homework - & Summative) (identify instructional
standard/indicator):
The writing prompt gives students an opportunity to focus on characterizing the point of view
and tone of the passage. Note that this prompt requires summarizing and explaining using
textual evidence. You might want to conduct this as a co-construction of a paragraph, being sure
to discuss and respond to the requirements of the prompt.
Long-Term Review & Closure (identify instructional standard/indicator):
TOTD: What did you think of todays lesson? How much were you able to comprehend the text
and complete all the activities? What can I do as a teacher to make this easier, if it was too hard?
Supplementary Materials:
Potential Modifications to Lesson:
Consider asking students to go beyond circling, underlining, and
Lined paper
highlighting
the text by having them write annotations in the margins.
Highlighters
Students could work with paragraphs as chunks of text and define the
Reader/writer notebook
purpose of each paragraph, or they could summarize the main idea of
Index cards/sticky notes
each paragraph. This additional strategy will help students examine
the organization more explicitly.