Curriculum / ELA / 4th Grade / Unit 5: Believing in Yourself: The Wild Book / Lesson 8
ELA
Unit 5
4th Grade
Lesson 8 of 19
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Explain what evidence the author includes to support the idea that the narrator feels safe and what she feels safe from.
Book: The Wild Book by Margarita Engle pp. 75 – 91
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Prior to the start of class, print out the quotes in the Hamlet Quote Card resource and glue/tape them to a notecard in order to be prepared for the opening activity. If possible, move the student desks/tables to the side of the room so that there is room for students to walk around. Alternatively, take students to a space outside the classroom where they will have more room to engage in the activity.
The poem "Hideous" on page 87 includes a reference to an older man commenting on Fefa's wild book suggestively and offers Fefa, a young girl, a kiss. Consider skipping this poem while teaching this lesson.
If you choose to include the poem, preview the content with students. Explain to students that sometimes other people might make comments to people about their body or how they look. These comments might make the other person feel yucky, embarrassed, scared, or mad. It is not okay and it is not that person's fault that it happened to them. Men often do it because they are in the position of power and it makes them feel more powerful. It's like bullying and it is not okay. In this case, what Fausto does is not okay and it makes Fefa feel uncomfortable. She feels embarrassed and doesn't share what he said with anyone else, but if something like this happens to you, you should speak up and say something to a trusted adult. For additional resources on teaching consent, read Teaching Consent Doesn't Have to Be Hard from Teaching Tolerance.
Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved.
What evidence does the author include to support the idea that the narrator almost feels safe? What is she seeking safety from?
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Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
"Ready to Heal": What is the significance of the sentence, "Perhaps my way of hearing / has somehow / changed?" (p. 75) Why?
"Strange Cures": What is different between Fefa's perspective and her brother's perspective on him teaching her? Why does her brother decide to be a teacher?
"Reading Out Loud": How is Fefa feeling? What description does the author include to show how she is feeling?
"Fear-Chained": What is the significance of the title? Use the word anxious in your answer.
"Just One": How does Fefa begin to feel calm and safe? What is the significance of the title?
"The Secret Language of Children": Why do you think this game is hard for Fefa?
"Hideous": What happened in this poem that is adding to Fefa's fear?
"Danger Grows": What is the significance of the title?
"A Laughter Gift": What is the significance of the ending?
Assess student understanding and monitor progress toward this lesson's objective with an Exit Ticket.
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
advise
v.
(p. 75)
to give an opinion on what should be done
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RL.4.2 — Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
RL.4.3 — Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.4.4 — Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L.4.5 — Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
L.4.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).
RF.4.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.4.4 — Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RL.4.1 — Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.4.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
RL.4.10 — By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4—5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
SL.4.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
W.4.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Next
Explain what daydreams the narrator is referring to.
Describe what life was like in Cuba in 1912.
Explain how the narrator feels about word-blindness.
Standards
RL.4.3RL.4.5
Explain why learning to read is difficult for children with dyslexia and how this connects with the narrator in The Wild Book.
RL.4.3
Write a paragraph that explains what word-blindness is and how it impacts Fefa's life.
W.4.1W.4.1.aW.4.1.bW.4.1.c
Analyze how the setting of the story influences the main character.
RL.4.2RL.4.3
Explain the meaning of lines 11–16 of "Trouble" and how the author develops character.
Describe Fefa's relationship with her family.
RL.4.2
Explain why the author calls the last chapter "Courage" and what this signifies.
2 days
Identify a theme in The Wild Book and write a paragraph explaining how the theme is shown through the speaker.
RL.4.2W.4.1W.4.1.aW.4.1.bW.4.1.c
Analyze and debate unit Essential Questions using details and understandings from the entire unit.
SL.4.1SL.4.1.cSL.4.1.dSL.4.2
4 days
Write a persuasive letter explaining whether or not early screening for dyslexia is important.
RI.4.1RI.4.9SL.4.1.aSL.4.1.dW.4.1W.4.1.aW.4.1.dW.4.5W.4.8
Analyze how having a learning disability impacts the way Ally sees herself and the way others see her.
Analyze how having a disability impacts the way Melody sees herself and the way others see her.
Analyze how David and Jason's disability impacts Catherine and the way she views them.
Gauge student understanding of unit content and skills with one of Fishtank's unit assessments.
3 days
Represent unit themes and concepts by participating in a culminating task that requires deep understanding of unit texts.
L.4.1.gW.4.3W.4.3.aW.4.3.bW.4.3.d
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