Curriculum / ELA / 5th Grade / Unit 5: Friendship Across Boundaries: Return to Sender / Lesson 4
ELA
Unit 5
5th Grade
Lesson 4 of 29
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Explain how the letter helps a reader better understand Mari and her relationship with her family.
Book: Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez pp. 17 – 22
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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.
In her letter and throughout the text, Mari refers to herself as both "illegal" or "alien" due to the terms she hears boys at school call her because of her immigration status. Though in the text, explain to students why the use of "illegal" or "alien" to describe an immigrant is harmful and offensive. Instead, encourage students to use "undocumented" or other neutral terms. Watch this video titled "No Human Being Was Born Illegal" (2:33). In this video, students stage a demonstration to draw attention to the use of the word "illegal" to describe undocumented immigrants, and start a school-wide conversation about the way immigrants are perceived in their community.
Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved.
Mari uses letter writing as a tool to process her emotions and experiences. How does the letter help a reader better understand Mari and her relationship with her family?
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Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
Both Papá and Mari are filled with worries. Compare and contrast their worries.
Mari says that she feels "so alone sometimes" (p. 21). What causes her to feel alone?
Analyze Mari's relationship with her sisters. Why is their relationship the way that it is?
What point of view are Mari's letters written in? What point of view are Tyler's sections written in? Why would the author make this decision?
How have stereotypes influenced Mari? Give a specific example.
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
console
v.
to help someone feel less sad or disappointed
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RL.5.3 — Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.5.4 — Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L.5.5 — Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
RF.5.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.5.4 — Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RL.5.1 — Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.5.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
RL.5.10 — By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4—5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
SL.5.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
W.5.10 — 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
Defend if hope and fear play important roles in Mari's life.
Explain what stereotypes are and why stereotypes should be avoided.
Standards
RI.5.1SL.5.1
Describe the conditions for migrant workers in Vermont.
SL.5.1SL.5.2W.5.1
Explain what happens in the chapter that Tyler doesn't fully understand.
RL.5.3
RL.5.2RL.5.3
Explain what the events of the chapter suggest about Tyler.
Describe what happens on the bus and how the incident influences Mari and Tyler.
Defend if all members of the family have equal amounts of hope and fear.
Close-read a text in order to determine the challenges of being an undocumented Mexican laborer.
RL.5.2RL.5.3SL.5.1
Outline a multiple-paragraph essay to describe what life was like for undocumented workers.
W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.bW.5.1.cW.5.1.dW.5.9.a
Explain what happens to Tío Felipe and how Mari and her family respond.
Compare and contrast Mari and Tyler by comparing and contrasting two or more characters in a text.
L.5.1.eRL.5.2RL.5.3RL.5.6SL.5.1
Write a multiple-paragraph essay comparing and contrasting Mari and Tyler.
RL.5.3W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.bW.5.1.cW.5.1.dW.5.9.a
Analyze and defend if Tyler and Mari are developing a true friendship.
Close-read a text to determine what traditions are important in Mexican culture and explain how they help bring the Cruzes and the Paquettes together.
RI.5.1RL.5.2SL.5.3SL.5.4SL.5.5
Describe what motion is proposed at town meeting and analyze how different members in the community respond and why.
Summarize what the coyotes are demanding and what impact this has on Mari and her family and the Paquettes.
Summarize the key events from Mari's letter.
Defend if Tyler has changed and if he truly understands Mari.
Summarize what happened to Mari's parents and compare and contrast Mari's response with other members of the Cruz and Paquette family.
Analyze if Mari is a brave and noble young lady.
Write a multiple-paragraph essay to describe what life was like for undocumented Mexican laborers and their families.
Defend if Stars and Swallows is the right name for the farm.
Compare and contrast Mari and Tyler and the way their relationship impacts both of their lives by stating a theory and supporting it with evidence from the entire text.
L.5.1.eRL.5.2RL.5.3SL.5.1
Analyze and debate unit essential questions using details and understandings from the entire unit.
RL.5.2RL.5.3SL.5.1SL.5.2
Gauge student understanding of unit content and skills with one of Fishtank's unit assessments.
3 days
Write an opinion piece defending if Mari and her family should have been allowed to stay.
L.5.1.eW.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.bW.5.1.cW.5.1.d
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