Differentiation: Students are grouped by their learning styles and abilities; different access points are provided for students to “enter” the lesson; template and lesson tools are provided based on students’ needs; questions are tiered to meet varied learning needs; definitions are provided for new vocabulary and academic concepts; question options are provided; lesson is scaffolded; strategic ICT co-teaching based on the lesson goal.
Chapters 4 & 5
Lesson 8 Chapter 4
Objectives: In this lesson, students will be able to analyze pages 90–112 of Song of Solomon in which Milkman ends his relationship with Hagar and Pilate defends Reba from a violent lover.
Aim: How do the passages on pages 104–105 and 110 contribute to the meaning or aesthetic impact of the novel?
Materials: Son of Solomon textbooks and copies of lesson tools ( assessment rubric), copies of short response rubric.
CCS
RL.11-12.5
Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
RL.11-12.3
Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
Agenda
1. Introduction of Lesson MO, Aim and End of the Lesson assessment
2. Review voc and Do Now
3. Mini Lesson with guided practice
4. Student Independent practice
4. End of the lesson assessment
5. Quick Sum-up and homework
Vocabulary
- dragnet (n.) – system or network for finding or catching someone, as a criminal wanted by the police
• impugning (v.) – casting doubt upon
• virility (n.) – masculinity - flailing (v.) – moving one’s arms or legs in a wild and uncontrolled way
Do Now: In pairs, discuss the questions you developed for homework, specifically focusing on the meaning and aesthetic impact of Milkman’s dream, described on pages 104–105, and Freddie’s account of his birth on page 110.
Questions Students May Ask:
- How do Milkman’s thoughts about ending his relationship with Hagar further develop his character?
- How does Hagar’s three-year relationship with Milkman impact her character?
- What does Pilate’s defense of Reba suggest about Pilate’s character?
Mini Lesson with Guided Practice
Activity 1: In small groups, students read pages 99–104 (from “Long after he’d folded the money and the letter” to “If things ever got tough, you’d melt. You’re not a serious person, Milkman”) for evidence to support your responses. Discuss the following questions( each group will discuss only assigned questions)before sharing out with the class-
- What do the discussions about Winnie Ruth’s crimes suggest about the attitudes of the Southside community toward violence?
- How does the conversation between Milkman and Guitar on pages 102–104 develop a central idea?
Activity 2: Lead a brief whole-class discussion of student responses to check understanding.
Student Independent Practice
Activity 3: In pairs, read closely pages 104–110 (from “Serious is just another word for miserable” to “‘Strange stuff goin on right in this here town’”) for evidence to support your responses as you discuss the following questions( assigned) before sharing out with the class.
- *How do specific word choices and phrases contribute to the meaning and tone of Milkman’s vision on pages 104–105?
- *What is the aesthetic impact of Milkman’s vision?
- How does Milkman’s vision further develop his character?
- How does Milkman’s vision develop Guitar’s role as a foil for Milkman?
- *How does Freddie’s story about his birth contribute to the aesthetic impact of the novel?
- What does Milkman’s response to Freddie’s story suggest about Milkman’s character?
Activity 4: Lead a brief whole-class discussion of student responses to check understanding.
Activity 5:
End of the Lesson Assessment: Respond briefly in writing to the following prompt-How do the passages on pages 104–105 and 110 contribute to the meaning or aesthetic impact of the novel?( evaluated by using the short response rubric)
Homework: Read pages 113–134 of Song of Solomon (from “Nothing happened to the fear. He lay in Guitar’s bed” to “Lena had no idea she could move that fast”) and annotate for the development of central ideas and use of figurative language. Also, develop 2–3 discussion questions focused on how central ideas develop, interact, or build on one another in the text, as well as the use of figurative language, and prepare possible answers to your questions for discussion.
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Lesson 9 chapter 5
Text: pages 123–126 (from “Milkman leaned against a tree and waited” to “what harm did I do you on my knees?”), 126–129 (from “That was the beginning. Now it was all going to end” to “Like this time when she turned the doorknob of Guitar’s little bachelor room”), and 132–134 (from “When the baby was born the day after she stood in the snow” to “Lena had no idea she could move that fast”)
Objectives: In this lesson, students will be able to develop a central idea based the passages through small group discussion.
Aim: How does Morrison’s use of figurative language develop two central ideas in this excerpt?
Materials: Son of Solomon textbooks and copies of lesson tools ( assessment rubric), copies of short response rubric and the Central Ideas and Motifs Tracking Tool
CCS
RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
Agenda
1. Introduction of Lesson MO, Aim and End of the Lesson assessment
2. Review voc and Do Now
3. Mini Lesson with guided practice
4. Student Independent practice
4. End of the lesson assessment
5. Quick Sum-up and homework
Vocabulary
- wanly (adv.) – in a way that is lacking in forcefulness, competence, or effectiveness
- lethargy (n.) – apathetic or sluggish inactivity
- dissipated (v.) – scattered in various directions; dispersed; dispelled
- forays (n.) – quick, sudden attacks
- manifestation (n.) – one of the forms that something has when it appears or occurs
- malevolent (adj.) – evil; harmful; injurious
- inept (adj.) – without skill or aptitude for a particular task
- thwarted (v.) – prevented (someone) from doing something or stopped (something) from happening
Do Now: In pairs, discuss the questions you developed for homework (Read pages 113–134 of Song of Solomon and annotate for the development of central ideas and use of figurative language. Also, develop 2–3 discussion questions and prepare possible answers to your questions for discussion).
Questions Students May Have Prepared:
- How does Morrison’s description of Milkman’s thoughts on page 120 develop the central idea of freedom?
- How does Milkman react when he sees the deer on the seal of Michigan on page 122? How does this description convey a symbolic meaning of the seal?
- What do Morrison’s specific word choices used to describe Macon’s reaction to Pilate’s doll suggest about Macon?
Lead a brief whole-class discussion of student responses.
Mini Lesson with Guided Practice
Activity 1: In small groups, students read pages 123–126 (from “Milkman leaned against a tree and waited” to “what harm did I do you on my knees?”) for evidence to support your responses. Discuss the following questions( each group will discuss only assigned questions)before sharing out with the class-
- How does Milkman describe his mother when he discovers she is visiting the gravesite of her father? How does his description develop the central idea of identity?
- *How does Ruth’s use of the word “small” (p. 124) help her explain herself to Milkman? How does her use of language develop the central idea of identity?
- How does Ruth’s explanation of her visit to her father’s gravesite further develop the importance of storytelling in the text?
Activity 2: Lead a brief whole-class discussion of student responses to check understanding.
Student Independent Practice
Activity 3: In small groups, read closely pages 126–129 (from “That was the beginning. Now it was all going to end” to “Like this time when she turned the doorknob of Guitar’s little bachelor room”) for evidence to support your responses as you discuss the following questions( assigned) before sharing out with the class.
Group 1:
- *How do Morrison’s specific word choices develop the central idea of love in pages 126–127?
- What is a “graveyard love” (p. 128) according to the excerpt? How does this phrase further develop a central idea?
Group 2: pages 132–134 (from “When the baby was born the day after she stood in the snow” to “Lena had no idea she could move that fast”)
- *How does Morrison describe Milkman in relation to Ruth on pages 132–133? How does this description further develop a central idea in the text?
- *How does Morrison describe Ruth’s reaction to learning that Hagar wants to kill Milkman? How does this description further develop a central idea?
Activity 4: Lead a brief whole-class discussion of student responses to check understanding.
Activity 5:
End of the Lesson Assessment: Choose one of the excerpts discussed in this lesson (pages 123–126, 126–129, or 132–134). How does Morrison’s use of figurative language develop two central ideas in this excerpt?( evaluated by using the short response rubric)
Homework: Read and annotate pages 134–151 of Song of Solomon (from “Her passions were narrow but deep” to “Pilate was making deliberately long to keep Ruth’s mind off Hagar”). Also, develop 2–3 discussion questions focused on how central ideas develop, interact, or build on one another in the text and prepare possible answers to your questions for discussion.
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Lesson 10 Chapter 5
Text: pages 149–151 (from “Finally Pilate began to take offense. Although she was hampered by huge ignorances” to “Pilate was making deliberately long to keep Ruth’s mind off Hagar”)
Objectives: In this lesson, students will be able to analyze how Pilate searches for identity and what her relationship is to the community around her.
Aim: How do two central ideas interact and build on one another in pages 149–151?
Materials: Son of Solomon textbooks and copies of lesson tools ( assessment rubric), copies of short response rubric & Motifs Tracking Tool
CCS
RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
L.11-12.4.a, b
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Agenda
1. Introduction of Lesson MO, Aim and End of the Lesson assessment
2. Review voc and Do Now
3. Mini Lesson with guided practice
4. Student Independent practice
4. End of the lesson assessment
5. Quick Sum-up and homework
Vocabulary
- indulgence (n.) – a catering to someone’s mood or whim; humoring
- truculent (adj.) – fierce, cruel, savagely brutal
- profundity (n.) – intellectual depth
Do Now: In pairs, discuss the questions you developed for homework(Read and annotate pages 134–151 of Song of Solomon. Also, develop 2–3 discussion questions).
Questions Students May Have Prepared:
- How does the conversation between Ruth, Hagar, and Pilate on pages 137–138 further develop a central idea in the text?
- How is Pilate different from the people she encounters (pp. 140–151)? How do the reactions to Pilate’s differences develop one or more central ideas in the text?
Mini Lesson with Guided Practice
Activity 1: In small groups, students read page 149 (from “Finally Pilate began to take offense. Although she was hampered by huge ignorances” to “Circe had brought her cherry jam for breakfast”)for evidence to support your responses. Discuss the following questions( each group will discuss only assigned questions)before sharing out with the class-
- Why did Pilate “thr[o]w away every assumption she had and beg[i]n at zero” (p. 149)? How does this process demonstrate the relationship between two central ideas?
- How does Morrison describe Pilate’s search for an identity? What does this description suggest about the search itself?
- How does Pilate’s search for identity impact her relationship with “society” (p. 149)?
- *How does Pilate’s journey further develop the interaction of two central ideas in the text?
Activity 2: Lead a brief whole-class discussion of student responses to check understanding.
Student Independent Practice
Activity 3: In pairs, read closely pages 149–151 (from “She gave up, apparently, all interest in table manners” to “Pilate was making deliberately long to keep Ruth’s mind off Hagar”) for evidence to support your responses as you discuss the following questions( assigned) before sharing out with the class.
- How do Pilate’s childhood experiences with her father and brother impact her identity as an adult? How do these experiences relate to a central idea in the text?
- *How does the arrival of Hagar change Pilate’s attitude toward community?
- How does the fact that Pilate makes her story “deliberately long to keep Ruth’s mind off Hagar” (p. 151) further develop the motif of storytelling in the text?
Activity 4: Lead a brief whole-class discussion of student responses to check understanding.
Activity 5:
End of the Lesson Assessment: Analyze how two central ideas interact and build on one another in pages 149–151.( evaluated by using the short response rubric)
Homework: Read pages 152–172 of Song of Solomon (from “I took her home. She was standing in the middle of the room” to “Please get it, son. Get the gold”) and annotate for structural choices and central ideas. Also, develop 2–3 discussion questions focused on how Morrison’s structural choices contribute to the development of a central idea and prepare possible answers to your questions for discussion.