Disciplinary Unit: Lesson Plan 1

Close Reading of Anchor Text

Student Name: Leah Elsted
I. General Information:
Grade Level
Discipline
Unit Topic
Time frame

Third Grade
Social Studies: History
Emmigration
45 Minutes

Text: Grandfathers Journey by Allen Say (Author)

Other Materials:
Teachers Edition of Grandfathers Journey
Audio Visual Material
Student Anthology of Grandfathers Journey
Interview and Group-work Props
II. Learning Goal:
Grandfathers Journey explores themes of cross cultural experience as well
as intergenerational relationships and family history. The award-winning
illustrations convey Says love of family, as well as his love of place. Through
a series of reading, writing and reflection activities, students will explore this
cross cultural theme and develop a deeper understanding of why immigrants
come to the United States.
Standards/Indicators
Common Core ELA Standards:
RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.4; RF.3.4; W.3.2, W.3.4; SL.3.1, SL.3.2, SL.3.6;
L.3.1, L.3.2, L.3.4, L.3.5
Maryland College and career Readiness State Standards:
Reading/ Writing
RL1 CCR Anchor Standard: Read closely to determine what the text
says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it;cite specific
textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions
drawn from the text.
RL1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a
text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers

RL2 CCR Anchor Standard: Determine central ideas or themes of a text

and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details
and ideas.
RL2: Recount stories from diverse countries and culture; determine the
central message, lesson or moral and explain how it is conveyed
through key details in the text.
RL3: Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions
contribute to the sequence of events.
SL1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-onone, in groups and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics
and texts, building on other ideas and expressing their own clearly.
W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey
ideas and information clearly.
Social Studies:
Standard 6.1: Use appropriate strategies and opportunities to increase
understanding of social studies vocabulary
Standard 6.2: Use strategies to prepare for reading
Standard 6.3: Use strategies to monitor understanding and derive
meaning from text and portions of the text.
III. Specific Lesson Objectives
Adopt a variety of reading strategies to determine what the text says
explicitly and to make logical inferences from it, using specific
evidence when writing and speaking to support conclusions drawn
from the text through text dependent questions.
Exercise comprehesnion strategies of predicting, making connections,
inferencing, questioning, synthesizing and evaluating during and after
reading Grandfathers Journey.
Apply a questioning schema to generate and respond orally and in
writing to text-specific questions from Grandfathers Journey.
Participate actively and appropriately in discussions about this
historical fiction text with peers, whole class and within discussion
groups and one-on-one partnerships.
Revise and consolidate learning of the theme of immigration in
Grandfathers journey
Language objectives:
Through discussion and writing students will demonstrate an
understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meaning
from Grandfathers Journey.

Students will engage in a range of collaborative discussions and build

on others talk in conversation by responding to the comments of
others through multiple exchanges during and after reading
Grandfathers Journey.

Accommodations:
Use appropriate accommodations as designated by students IEPs and
in response to students needs.
Use of kinesthetic and visual summarizing and evaluative
methodologies such as the literature webbing and trading card creator
satisfies learners, who struggle to summarize in writing.
Students can benefit and are supported through the use of peer
tutoring and mentoring during group work.
Students are supported through the use of repeated reading.
Synopsis of Text: This book concerns a young man who leaves his
homeland in Japan to travel to America. As the grandson tells the story of his
grandfathers journey, he reveals that the two actually have a lot in common
with each other.

After visiting North America, his Grandfather ends up

settling there in San Francisco, California and raising a family. After some
time in California he longs to return to Japan and does so once his daughter
is nearly grown. When he returns to Japan it is as he remembers and he is
happy to be back with childhood friends. While in Japan, he still thinks of
California and longs to return one last time to see the mountains and the
ocean. Although Grandfather is not able to visit one last time, his grandson
who is telling the story is able to travel to California and he too comes to love
the land. Like his grandfather the narrator travels back and forth between
California and his homeland always missing one while in the other. His
grandson becomes inspired by his travels and begins to write his story, to
end of travelling to America himself.

Big Ideas and Key Understandings

When you have something in common with someone, it helps you to
understand and know him or her better.
IV. Procedures:

Introduction
Pre-reading:
1)Present a luggage bag and ask students to play the oral language travel
vocabulary activity I went on vacation and I brought to stimulate interest
in the lesson.
2) The students will then describe a place they have visited on a vacation or
family visit either orally or in writing on the interactive lino-it board. How
did they get there? How is this place different from where they live? Students
will be divided into reading groups and one response needs to be received
from each group.
3) Take a picture walk through the book. Let the students respond to the
illustrations and the feelings conveyed through the tones, and colour of the
illustrations. What is depicted? Who are the people we see? What is the time
period? Where does the story take place? What medium did the artist use?
(Watercolor paint). Prompt and scaffold students when needed.
Teaching/Activities
During Reading
1. As third grade is still a lower elementary grade level, the teacher will read
aloud the entire main selection text first, keeping in mind the Big Ideas
and Key Understandings and pausing throughout the text.
2. Teacher and students will choral read and re-read the main selection
text, while noting the stopping points for the new teaching Vocabulary
to be discussed.
3. Students then read the entire main selection text independently and
silently at their own speed.
4. Students will be encouraged to underline phrases and words that they
do not understand, circle important phrases and write important thoughts
on post its and in the margins of the text to allow for synthesizing and
inferencing.

5. Importance of Repeated Reading: Teacher will then return to the main

selection text and read aloud again with students following along, while
stopping to respond to and discuss the text dependent questions and
returning to the text.

The text-dependent questions will begin with

general

questions

understanding

and

develop

into

inference

and

opinion/argument questions.
6. A variety of methods will be used to structure the close reading and
discussion,

such

as

whole

class

discussion,

think-pair-share,

independent written response on post-its, group work in reading

groups to inference with annotations and circle important words and
phrases.
7. During discussion, students will be supported to use evidence-based
terms, such as Grandfather was sad because, for instance, for example,
the author stated, according to the text, from the reading, I know that, the
illustration shows.

Text Dependent Questions

Text Dependent Questions

Answers

General Understanding Questions

He left his homeland of Japan to
What does the author tell us about what the He went on a journey on a st
Grandfather did when he was a young man?
traveled by boat, train and foot.
new places in North America and s
that amazed and excited him. H
that reminded him of home.
Key Textual Ideas
He marveled at the mountains be
Marvel means to feel wonder about or be size and the rivers because they
astonished by something. For example, the Students may infer that he ma
little boy marveled at the magician in the park mountains and the sky because t
who turned a feather into a bird. What did and different from things Grandfa
Grandfather marvel at and why?
in his country of Japan.
Authors Purpose
What does the author tell us on pages __ and __
about how Grandfather feels in regards to his
travels in North America?

The more Grandfather traveled,

wanted to travel. He wanted to
places and didnt think of going b
liked California best because of th
mountains and the seacoast. H

travels so much that he returned

marry his childhood sweetheart an
in San Francisco making it his hom
Vocabulary
The picture shows birdcages
How does the illustration on page __ help you Grandfather, so I can infer tha
to understand the meaning of the word means to have all around you.
surround?
Inference
Watching
his
daughter
gro
Why did Grandfather wait no more and take Grandfather of his own childhood
his family back to his homeland?
He remembered his old friends an
like the mountains and rivers of
He was homesick and missed Ja
where he grew up.
Key Textual Ideas
Things were as he remembered.
What was life like when Grandfather returned with his old friends again. Aft
to Japan?
daughter in the city of San Franci
to a large city in Japan and bough
daughter fell in love, got married a
He missed the mountains a
California. He was homesick for Ca
Opinions and Arguments
After the war, the city had been
Scattered means to separate, to go in different bombs and grandfather had to mo
directions. For instance, the ants scattered in childhood village.
Just like
different directions when they were splashed scattered, people were scattered.
with water. How had the war scattered lives move to different places.
like leaves in a storm?
Authors Purpose
He never kept another songbird.
What evidence does the author provide on
page 79 to show that Grandfather was upset
by the war?

Inference/ Opinion
Not only do they have things in co
What do the narrator and his grandfather have narrator understands how his gr
in common?
when he was homesick. These
him feel more connected to his gr
help him [the narrator] to unders
grandfather] better.
Opinons/Arguments
Not only do they have things in co
On the last page of the story, the narrator narrator understands how his gr
says, I think I know my grandfather now. when he was homesick. These
What does he mean by this? How would you him feel more connected to his gr
feel if you had to move home?
help him [the narrator] to unders
grandfather] better.

Culminating Question:
Compare the narrator to his grandfather.
Describe their similarities, using evidence from
the text, and explain how these similarities
lead the narrator to feel as though he truly
knows his grandfather now. Be sure to use
specific details from the text in your answer.

Sample responses: They both go o

young men. They both love Ca
both have a daughter. They both
of their childhood. They both m
when they are in another. Not only
things in common, but the narrato
how his grandfather felt when he
These feelings make him feel more
his grandfather and help him [th
understand him [his grandfather] b

Vocabulary

Embedded Instruction
Identify vocabulary words that require some
attention in order for students to comprehend the
text. Define these words quickly in context, using
a student friendly definition.

Extended Instruction
Identify vocabulary words that build academic
language and are essential to comprehending the
text. These words may be defined quickly in
context, but will be revisited for students to
integrate into their vocabulary.

journey a trip from one place to another

astonished to be amazed or surprised

New World another name for America

bewildered amazed and surprised

appeared to come into sight and be seen

marvel to be filled with wonder or surprise

sculptures art made from stone

towering very tall and large

longed wished

surround to be all around (someone or something)

homeland the place where you grow up

exchanged shared

still to calm

homesick to miss your home very much

Closure
1.Highlight key skills and strategies students used while making meaning of the text in their
reading groups during a whole class discussion. For example: I like the way Bryce took
evidence from the text. I noticed Joe was inferring meaning when he recognized that the
grandfather was feeling guilty.
2. Literary Map:Following the story, have students list the places Grandfather visits and
describe what Grandfather sees in each place. Using a map of the Japan and the United
States, have students locate the places listed on their literary maps.
3. Students can then decide to summarize and reflect on the text through the use of
Literature Webbing or creating an interactive trading card online. Literature webbing
was recommended by Opitz & Erekson (2015) and is drawn to highlights the main plot and
sequenced events of the text, while emphasizing new phrases and vocabulary. The
interactive trading card will be created online and underlines features of a main character in
the story, focusing on feelings and the texts climax.

VI. Evaluation/Assessment:
Assessment of Objectives
Observation checklist of reading silently, choral reading and think-pair-share discussion
group activities.
Written response and Teacher designed tasks of the literary map, literature webbing
and character trading card.
Oral Presentation of discussion groups and post it notes during reading.
Comprehension Observation of text dependent questions asked duirng reading activity.
Reflection and Planning
Determine which students understand how and when to ask good questions before,
during, and after reading by seeing if they correctly label the questions you gave them
about Grandfather's Journey in the Assessment activity. Encourage students to use this
questioning process with any new book that you read with them in class or those they
read at home. If students are struggling with this strategy, review previous lesson
plans that use different books and review the strategy of asking and answering
questions.
References:
Opitz & Erekson (2015) Understanding, assessing and teaching reading: A diagnostic
approach. Boston: Pearson Education.
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/depend-text-createtext-31024.html (Accessed 3/7/2015)
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/trading-card-creator30056.html (Accessed 3/8/2015)
http://nieonline.com/tbtimes/downloads/CCSS_reading.pdf
(Accessed 3/8/2015)

http://whoswhoandnew.blogspot.com/2014/01/close-reading-plus-accountable-talk.html
(Accessed 3/8/2015)