Lindsay Kaye Ohlert

CBI Lesson Plan Assignment, Fall 2009

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“Author Intent in The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963” Unit Overview

Program Particulars
Language: English
Program Model: Push-in (Inclusion)
th
Level or type of class: 6 grade English Language Arts

Student Characteristics
th
Grade Level(s): 6
L2 Proficiency: ELLs are Advanced/Transitional. Several students have English as their L1.
Context

L2 Literacy Levels: Intermediate/Advanced/Transitional

L1 Literacy Level: Emergent or entirely absent among most ELLs
Ethnolinguistic Background: L1s include Somali, Spanish, Hmong and English.

Assumptions About What Students Already Know and Can Do

Essential Skills: forming declarative sentences, paragraphing, narrative writing, punctuating
declarative, questioning and exclamatory sentences, providing peer revision/editing feedback, using
context clues and decoding to understand new vocabulary
Knowledge: characterization, story structure, main idea and supporting details, composing
process, summarization, setting, parts of speech

Unit Theme and Big Idea: Author Intent

Key Content Concepts: figurative language, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, author intent,
inferences, supporting evidence, word choice, mood, tone, historical fiction, narrator

Targeted National and State Standards

MN ELP Standards
Understand story elements (standard 3.2); interpret texts (standard 3.2); identify author intent (standard
3.2); make inferences (standard 3.2); express and support opinions (standard 2.2); use some specific
vocabulary (standard 2.2); write stories (standard 4.2); write descriptions (standard 4.2) ; understand
idioms and slang (standard 1.1); infer implied meaning (1.2); understand figurative language in context
Desired Results

(3.1)

MN ELA Content Standards

Identify author’s purpose (stated or implied) (standard 6.1.C.8); critically read and evaluate (standard
6.1.C.13); read a variety of high-quality works (standard 6.1.D.1); identify and describe the relationships
between elements of fiction (standard 6.1.D.3); analyze characters (standard 6.1.D.4); describe how
figurative language contributes to meaning (standard 6.1.D.5); describe how meaning is conveyed in
author’s stylistic choices (standard 6.1.D.7); respond to literature using details to support reactions
(standard 6.1.D.8); create narratives that develop people/characters (standard 6.2.B.2); use composing
processes (standard 6.2.B.4); various spelling, grammar and usage standards (standard 6.2.C); identify
and describe the characteristics of various genres (6.1.D.2); relate a literary work to historical events
(6.1.D.6).

Unit-Level Goals:
Essential Questions:
How can figurative language enhance descriptions? How do the words and constructions authors
choose to describe characters affect our perceptions? How do the comparisons authors make using
metaphor, simile and personification shape the way readers view characters, settings and events? What
is the purpose of historical fiction?
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CBI Lesson Plan Assignment, Fall 2009
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Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that in academic writing, assertions must be backed with evidence.
Students will know what figurative language is and how to identify, interpret and employ it.
Students will be able to make inferences and support them with textual evidence. Students will
be able to construct complex compound sentences as required to make and support assertions in
academic writing. Students will be able to use comparative constructions to employ figurative language.
Students will be able to determine meanings of unfamiliar words using context clues. Students will be
able to monitor comprehension using self-questioning. Students will be able to use visualization to
enhance understanding of texts. Students will be able to make inferences about author intent based on
textual evidence.
Unit Level Summative Performance Assessment Task(s) and Other Evidence:
Student-generated skits/reader’s theater of scenes from The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963
Evidence

Figurative language quiz

Figurative language historical fiction vignettes

References/Resources:
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 (Curtis, 1995)

Content-Based Instruction Lesson Plans

Day One:
Lesson Topic: Hyperbole and Metaphor in Chapter One of The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963

Learning Objectives
Content: Students will be able to explain what metaphor and simile are, identify them in texts,
and interpret their meanings. Students will be able to define “historical fiction.”

Language: Students will be able to use the words “like” and “as” to make comparisons in
declarative simple present tense sentences.

Learning Strategies: Students will be able to preview texts in order to make predictions to
Desired Results

facilitate comprehension. Students will know how to use self-questioning to check for understanding.
Students will take notes to improve retention of information. Students will use visualization to improve
comprehension.

Behavioral: Students will work cooperatively.

State Standards Addressed:

MN ELP Standards
Interpret texts (standard 3.2); express and support opinions (standard 2.2); use some specific vocabulary
(standard 2.2); write descriptions (standard 4.2); understand idioms and slang (standard 1.1); infer
implied meaning (1.2); understand figurative language in context (3.1)

MN ELA Content Standards

Read a variety of high-quality works (standard 6.1.D.1); describe how figurative language contributes to
meaning (standard 6.1.D.5); respond to literature using details to support reactions (standard 6.1.D.8);
various spelling, grammar and usage standards (standard 6.2.C); identify and describe the characteristics
of various genres (6.1.D.2); relate a literary work to historical events (6.1.D.6).
 Lindsay Kaye Ohlert
CBI Lesson Plan Assignment, Fall 2009
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Time Frame: 100 minutes (block schedule, includes a 5 min break if students have been staying on task)

Materials/Resources: journals, copies of chapter 1 of The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 (Appendix

A), highlighters, whiteboard or chalkboard
Learning Activities/Tasks
Preview Phase—“into” activities
 Bellwork: Students respond in their journals to the prompt “Please write a brief (3-6 sentences)
description of yourself.” (5 min)
 The teacher previews the book The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 (referred to as TWGTB
hereafter) with the class, asking students to identify the title and author, then asking them to
make observations about the images and text on the front and back covers. The teacher asks
the students, based on their observations about the title, text and images, what predictions
they can make about the characters, setting, and plot of the book. If a student makes an
unsupported prediction (e.g. “I think the characters will go on a road trip”), the teacher asks
him or her to specify what about the cover made them think that (e.g. “I think they’ll go on a
roadtrip because there’s a car on the cover and the title includes “Go to Birmingham”). (5 min)
 The teacher writes the phrase “historical fiction” on the board, and tells the students this book
is an example of historical fiction. The teacher asks the students, based on the words
“historical” and “fiction,” and the book’s cover, what they think historical fiction might be.
After students have brainstormed a few possible definitions, the teacher tells them that
Learning Experiences

historical fiction is a realistic but made-up story set in the past, and can include real historical
people, places and events. The teacher writes the definition on the board using the students’
own words. (5 min)
 The teacher reads chapter one aloud to the class while they follow along in their own texts. The
teacher encourages students to picture the stories “like a movie” as they listen. The teacher
reads with great animation, giving the characters “voices,” to compliment the storytelling
narrative style. Teacher pauses every few pages to model self-questioning (e.g., on page 13,
“Wait, why is Byron talking like that?”) and calling on students to supply the answers (“Because
his lips are frozen to the car’s mirror”). (20 min)

Focused Learning Phase—“through” activities

 The teacher writes the word “metaphor” on the board, and demonstrates the pronunciation,
having the students repeat it several times. The teacher then gives students several easily
interpreted and/or common examples of it (for example, “He’s a four-eyes,” “It’s raining cats
and dogs”), asking students what the actual meaning of each metaphor is (e.g. “Does he REALLY
have four eyes? No? What does it mean, then? Yes, it means that he wears glasses”). The
teacher should only use sentence-level figurative language types of metaphors as examples, not
allegory-type examples. The teacher asks students, based on these examples, what they think a
“metaphor” is. Students briefly talk to their neighbor about this question, then the teacher calls
on a few students to share their “working definitions,” and picks the most accurate one
(modifying slightly if necessary), writing it on the board. (8 min)
 The teacher repeats the previous step with the term “simile.” The working definition for
“simile” should be nearly identical to that of metaphor, except specifying that it is a comparison
that includes the word “like” or “as.” (7 min)
 The teacher instructs the class to look at pages one and two of TWGTB, and asks whether
anyone can find an example of a simile or metaphor there, calling on a few students to point
out a few examples and tell what they actually mean. The teacher instructs students to
highlight metaphors with one color, similes with another. The class highlights the examples
students just pointed out. (5 min)
 Students are divided into pairs to go through the rest of chapter one and find and highlight the
similes and metaphors. The teacher reminds the students that working in partners doesn’t
mean splitting the text and having each person do half – it means going through the text
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CBI Lesson Plan Assignment, Fall 2009
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together and talking about what you find. After combing through the text, students choose 3-4
of their highlighted examples and explain the intended actual meanings to one another. The
teacher moves around the room, monitoring progress and keeping students on task. (18 min)
 The teacher calls the class back together as a group, and asks them to find their favorite simile
or metaphor from the text. S/he calls on a few students to share and explain their favorite
examples. (2 min)

Expansion Phase—“beyond” activities

 The teacher gives the students two formulas for writing similes: “_____ is like ____” and
“______ is as (adjective) as ________,” walking students through several examples of how to fill
in the blanks. Students go back to their journal entries from the day’s bellwork and add in at
least four similes (two of each type) to their descriptions of themselves. (17 min)
 The students update the vocabulary section of their journals with “historical fiction,”
“metaphor” and “simile.” (3 min)

Lesson-Level Formative Assessment Procedures:

Evidence

Journal entries (comparative construction language objective, note-taking learning strategy objective),
how well the students find and explain examples of figurative language in the text (identifying and
explaining metaphors and similes content objective), relevance of student verbal responses during book
preview (previewing texts learning strategy objective)

Day Two:
Lesson Topics: Author’s Language Choices; Hyperbole

Learning Objectives
Content: Students will be able to explain what hyperbole, metaphor and simile are, explain
how they are used in texts, and interpret their meanings. Students will be able to identify ways word
choice affects readers’ perceptions.

Language: Students will be able to use the words “like” and “as” to make comparisons in
declarative simple present tense sentences.
Desired Results

Learning Strategies: Students will use visualization to improve comprehension. Students will
take notes to improve retention of information.

Behavioral: Students will work cooperatively. Students will stay on task.

State Standards Addressed:

MN ELP Standards
Interpret texts (standard 3.2); identify author intent (standard 3.2); make inferences (standard 3.2); use
some specific vocabulary (standard 2.2); write descriptions (standard 4.2); understand idioms and slang
(standard 1.1); infer implied meaning (1.2); understand figurative language in context (3.1)

MN ELA Content Standards

Critically read and evaluate (standard 6.1.C.13); read a variety of high-quality works (standard 6.1.D.1);
describe how figurative language contributes to meaning (standard 6.1.D.5); describe how meaning is
conveyed in author’s stylistic choices (standard 6.1.D.7); respond to literature using details to support
reactions (standard 6.1.D.8)
 Lindsay Kaye Ohlert
CBI Lesson Plan Assignment, Fall 2009
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Time Frame: 100 minutes (block schedule, includes a 5 min break if students have been staying on task)

Materials/Resources: journals, photos, blank paper, crayons/colored pencils, description handout

(Appendix C), copies of chapter one of TWGTB (Appendix A), highlighters, whiteboard or chalkboard
Part One:
Preview Phase—“into” activities
 Bellwork: Students respond to the following prompt: “Please re-read your journal definitions
of simile and metaphor.” (1 min)
 The teacher reads aloud a description of a person that uses figurative language to create a
negative impression (Appendix C), pausing periodically. As the teacher reads, students sketch
the person being described. The teacher should tell the students that they must make VERY
rough, fast sketches, and reassure them that they are not being graded on the quality of their
art, as otherwise students tend to linger over the drawing. Teacher points out to students that
when they’re listening to descriptions, even if they’re not making real drawings, they can create
“drawings” in their minds – visualization. (7 min)
 The teacher reads a similar passage (in fact, it describes the same person, but the teacher
should not tell the students that) that uses figurative language to create a positive impression
(Appendix C), while students make a second sketch. The teacher calls on a few willing students
to share their drawings, then points out that the two descriptions were of the same essential
features, the same person. (7 min)
Learning Experiences

 The teacher distributes copies of the description and asks students to point out a few specific
phrases that give either a positive or negative impression, and asks students to explain what
about those phrases makes them seem negative or positive. (5 min)

Focused Learning Phase—“through” activities

 Teacher reminds students about the simile “formulas” they learned yesterday. If their journals
from yesterday showed that many are struggling with using the formulas, then the teacher
spends some extra time creating some similes with the formulas with the assistance of the class
(e.g. “Let’s describe the sky today. So “The sky” is our first blank…what color is it? Okay, that’s
our adjective. What does that color grey remind you of – close your eyes and picture something
the same color as the sky…. That’s our third blank…so the whole simile would be “Today, the
sky is as grey as my grandma’s hair.”) If extra review is not necessary, the extra time can be
used on the following activity. (10 min)
 Students are divided into pairs. Each pair receives a neutrally-shot photo of a person, scene or
object (e.g. a school portrait-style headshot, a calendar photo of a landmark, etc). Together,
they write two descriptions using metaphors and similes, one that creates a peaceful/positive
impression and one that creates a sinister/negative impression. The teacher tells the students
that they are expected to continue developing their descriptions the whole time, including as
many details as possible. Halfway through the allotted time, the teacher asks students to move
on to their second description if they haven’t already. (20 min)
 The teacher writes the word “hyperbole” on the board and demonstrates the pronunciation,
having students repeat it several times. The teacher then gives students several easily
interpreted and/or common examples of it (for example, “My mom is going to KILL me!” “I have
a ton of homework to do tonight!”), asking students the actual meaning of each (e.g. “Is my
mom REALLY going to kill me? No, so what is she going to do? Right, she’s going to be very
angry”). The teacher asks students, based on these examples, what they think “hyperbole” is.
Students briefly talk to their neighbor about this question, then the teacher calls on a few
students to share their “working definitions,” and picks the most accurate one (modifying
slightly if necessary), writing it on the board. (10 min)
 In partners, students go through chapter one again, now highlighting any hyperbole they find
with a third color. The partners pick out 4-6 examples and discuss the actual meaning amongst
themselves. (10 min)
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CBI Lesson Plan Assignment, Fall 2009
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Expansion Phase—“beyond” activities

 The teacher writes a few examples on the board of how a simile can contain hyperbole (e.g.
“My dog is as big as a horse!”) In pairs, using the simile “formulas,” students come up with
some hyperbolic similes of their own and write them down in their journals. If students are
having trouble coming up with ideas, the teacher may prompt them to describe objects in the
classroom, people they know, etc. (10 min)
 Students update the vocabulary section of their journals with the definition of “hyperbole” and
update the reading section of their journals with a brief summary of the events of chapter one,
including setting and new characters, per the template in Appendix B. (10 min)
 Students fill out an exit slip with the question “Why do authors use simile, metaphor and
hyperbole?” (5 min)

Lesson-Level Formative Assessment Procedures:

Evidence

Responses on the exit slip (metaphor, simile and hyperbole content objective), photo descriptions
(comparative construction language objective), accuracy of sketches (visualization learning strategy
objective); performance in finding hyperbole in chapter one (hyperbole content objective), written
examples of hyperbolic similes (hyperbole and simile content objectives, comparative construction
language objective); journal updates (note taking learning strategy objective)

Reflection
Since the theme of this unit is “Author Intent,” I chose to use a text from a genre in which

the author’s views and communicative goals are generally quite transparent – historical fiction –

and a technique in which the author’s manipulation of the reader’s perceptions is also easily

discerned – figurative language. Conveniently, The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 is rife

with examples of metaphor, simile, hyperbole and personification; nearly every page in the book

contains several instances of figurative language (Curtis, 1995). I believe this young adult novel

is particularly suited for this group of students, as the text of the book is written on the fifth grade

level (Scholastic Inc., 2009), making it highly accessible to everyone, but the sophisticated use of

literary devices and the mature content matter give all students, even very advanced learners and

native English speakers, plenty of food for thought and opportunities for critical analysis.

Additionally, the story is genuinely hilarious and heart wrenching by turns, and the narrator is an
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easy-to-identify-with preadolescent boy, making it easy, in WHERETO terms, to “hook” the

students (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, pg. 197).

Having chosen figurative language as my primary content objective, it was only natural to

choose visualization as one of the learning strategy objectives. Since figurative language in

general, and the metaphors, similes and hyperbole of this book in particular, often rely on visual

descriptions, having students practice using visualization just made sense. I also touched on self-

questioning and note-taking, as these are just generally useful in almost any situation, and

students should practice them as frequently as possible. These lessons only cover on the first few

days of exploring this book and these skills, so in these lessons I included a lot of modeling

(Cappellini, 2005, pg. 61) and directly telling the students when and how to employ these

learning strategies, but were I to continue further in this unit I would attempt gradually transition

the students to using these strategies independently, without the need for teacher prompting

(Blaz, 2006, pg. 28-29).

I decided to go with the obvious language objective for these two lessons – using “like”

and “as” to make comparisons. I had two reasons for this decision: first, it’s necessary for

understanding and creating similes, one of the types of figurative language included in the

objectives; and second, they are high-frequency constructions, and I’ve seen kids misuse and

misunderstand the “as” construction quite often (Ranney, 2009). Students need to be “equipped”

(WHERETO!) with this construction if they are to be able to comprehend and create descriptive

writing (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, pg. 197). Ordinarily I wouldn’t introduce two construction

“formulas” at the same time, but the learners I have in mind are already generally using “like”

correctly in comparisons, so I decided that addressing them simultaneously might help them

grasp the meaning of “as” in this context more quickly.

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CBI Lesson Plan Assignment, Fall 2009
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I attempted to generally structure the lessons (the “organize” in WHERETO) (Wiggins &

McTighe, 2005, pg. 197) in such a way that students were exploring an aspect of a content

objective, then applying that content objective to the text or an activity with the help of the

learning strategy objectives, then practicing employing the figurative language content objective

themselves using the language objectives. I varied this general structure a bit where it seemed

natural to do so, but I believe that spiraling through this pattern repeatedly allows students

multiple chances to refine their understanding of and comfort level with all three types of

objective (Shrum & Glisan, 2005, pg. 132). Taking multiple passes at the topics and skills

allows students who didn’t fully understand the first time a chance to review, while allowing

those who did a chance to elaborate on what they’ve learned (the “rethink” in WHERETO)

(Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, pg. 197). Also, re-reading the text multiple times can give ELLs the

repetition they need to internalize new vocabulary.

As for ways to differentiate within these lessons, the most straightforward would be

providing students with lower reading levels and/or disabilities that interfere with reading and

writing tasks a “buddy” (Blaz, 2006, pg. 58). Since the students are already in pairs for most

activities – I chose to frequently pair students as there is evidence that language learners working

together make greater gains than they do when working alone (Ohta, 2000) – this could be done

very subtly simply by choosing a helpful, capable classmate to be the student’s partner, and

instructing him or her in how to give the student some extra guidance. For students who

struggle with organizing their thoughts in writing, it would also be easy to provide templates or

outlines for the various written activities and journal entries, rather than requiring that they set up

their papers themselves – this can both help them organize their thoughts, and make the writing

task seem more approachable (Ibid). Finally, this lesson plan allows some inherent
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CBI Lesson Plan Assignment, Fall 2009
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differentiation, in that students who are more proficient can be pushed to create more elaborate,

extensive use of figurative language, while those who need more work on the basics can stick to

simpler phrasing. In several learning activities, such as the photo description, I didn’t give a

specific expectation for length, as I just want all students to continue writing freely the entire

time – more proficient, fluent writers should be writing more voluminously than others.

A final note: given the events of the novel, this unit should be taught in conjunction with

a Social Studies unit on the US Civil Rights movement. To get the most out of the novel, the

teacher must build students’ background knowledge of the subject (Center for Advanced

Research on Language Acquisition, 2009), as while the beginning of the book is focused mainly

on the protagonist’s humorous everyday life, he and his family gradually become drawn into the

tumult of the time, and much of the book’s impact would be lost if students lack knowledge of

the historical context. While I chose not to include culture or Social Studies content objectives in

these particular early lessons, as the lessons are already jam-packed, as the book goes on the

teacher should draw in other sources, especially news articles and video footage of the events

touched upon in the story.

Works Cited
Blaz, D. (2006). Differentiated Instruction: A Guide for Foreign Language Teachers. Larchmont,
NY: Eye on Education.

Cappellini, M. (2005). Balancing Reading and Language Learning. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Publishers.

Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition. (2009). Content-Based Second

Language Instruction. CoBaLTT Website, http://www.carla.umn.edu/cobaltt/CBI.html.

Curtis, C. P. (1995). The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963. New York: Delacorte Press.
 Lindsay Kaye Ohlert
CBI Lesson Plan Assignment, Fall 2009
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Ohta, A. (2000). Rethinking interaction in SLA: Developmentally appropriate assitance in the

zone of proximal development and the acquisition of L2 grammar. In J. Lantolf, Sociocultural
Theory and Second Language Learning (pp. 51-78). New York: Oxford University Press.

Peregoy, S., & Boyle, O. (2008). Reading, Writing and Learning in ESL. Boston, MA: Pearson
Education.

Ranney, S. (2009). CI 5646: Understanding and Teaching English Grammar. University of

Minnesota. Lecture notes, 12/2/2009.

Scholastic Inc. (2009). The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963. Teacher Book Wizard,
http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/viewWorkDetail.do?workId=3351&.

Shrum, J., & Glisan, E. (2005). Teacher's Handbook: Contextualized Language Instruction.
Boston: Thomson and Heinle.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
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Appendix B
Description A:
The woman’s eyes are as green as a toad’s skin. Her lips are the color of
blood, and her teeth are as white as a shark’s. Her hair is like a black stormcloud
around her head. She wears too much blush.

Description B:
The lady has lips like a cherry and perfect teeth. Her cheeks are rosy, like
she just came inside from the cold, and her dark, curly hair makes a halo around
her head. Her eyes are the color of leaves in the spring.