SeedfolksPaul Fleischman

Who Am I?How Do I See Other People?

Overview of the Unit

• Prior Knowledge: In 6th grade, the student participates in a significant unit on immigration (the kids participate in a 1-day reenactment as a child arriving to Ellis Island)

• The student participates in a 7th grade interdisciplinary unit with Language Arts, Civics, and ELL

Some of the Unit’sBest Practices for Middle School

The students will…• anticipate and make connections • apply what they already know• discuss/debate on critical issues• explore their beliefs and take a stand• demonstrate through beginning of the year formative assessments some of the

language arts district and state standards (Note: we haven’t implemented the new state standards yet) – teachers collecting student data

• practice pre-reading/pre-writing strategies• explore diversity and stereotyping (engaging and sensitive issue in middle

school – proactive strategy hoping to create awareness and minimize bullying)• Observe their school environment • collaborate with peers and move in a block - schedule activity • read Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman

Essential QuestionsLanguage Arts

– Who am I?– How do I see other people?– How does our school reflect the cultural diversity

of our community (county), state, and country?

– Civics explores democracy and the Bill of Rights and are tied to the above. ELL teachers work with Language Arts and Civics in order to better service ELL students.

Notes to self

• Have in total 20 journals a character chart,A vocab chart, Plot chart

• Sample character map with SWBS and spider legs• Need thesaurus and dictionary• Need 20 copies of Kim and Ana sheets• Leveled questions sheet (2)• Print off copies of student reflections• Vietnam Map (showing its location)

Summative Assessment

• I can…– Create a (diversity) map of our lunchroom– Write a 1-page reflection for our classroom

vignette about my lunchroom experience (our gathering place) at CMSE

Synopsis

• Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman: “thirteen very different voices—old, young, Haitian, Hispanic, tough, haunted, and hopeful-- tell one amazing story about a garden (common ground) in Cleveland that transforms a neighborhood.”

Anticipation Guide (Time: 20-25 min)

Learning Target: I can…“anticipate” or explore some of the discussable and/or debatable issues related to the text.

Directions: In your journals…1. Number from 1 to 102. Leave 1 blank line between each number

(number every other line)

Anticipatory Guide

1. Having a variety of cultures and languages in our country benefits everyone. Agree______Disagree_______…because______

2. The opportunities people have in life are frequently the result of where they are born. Agree_____Disagree_____...because_____

3. People on welfare are taking advantage of the system because they don’t want to work hard. Agree_____Disagree_____...because_____

4. It is okay to judge a person/people based on their differences as long as one doesn’t act in a wrongful manner toward him/her/them. Agree_____Disagree_____...because_____

5. Everyone who comes to live in the United States should be required to learn American English. Agree_____Disagree_____ …because_____

6. Discrimination and prejudice often work both ways between immigrants and native peoples. Agree_____Disagree_____...because_____

7. There’s very little hope that people of different cultures, ethnic groups, and/or religions can ever become one harmonious community. Agree_____Disagree_____...because_____

8. People who are different should try to fit in with the norm or majority for the sake of everyone getting along. Agree_____Disagree_____...because_____

9. Because of the state of the economy, it’s time the U.S. closes its borders to immigrants. Agree______Disagree______...because_____

10. I believe “we need to get along with everyone.” Agree_____Disagree_____....because_____

Special statement of the day:11. Brittany’s world tour approach to diversity “it’s not wrong, it’s just different”

could help me be more tolerant. Agree_____Disagree_____...because_____

Extensions to the lesson

• Anticipatory Guides can be used for during and after reading the text:

During reading the student will…• *take notes or collect supporting evidence from the

novel related to our set of discussable issues. After reading the novel/text, the student will …• *revisit the set of issues to see if he/she has changed

his/her opinion after reading the novel/text

Reflection

• In your journals, reflect about the units you teach and create a reminder list of lessons or units that you may be able to use Anticipatory Guides.

Kim and Ana

Chapters 1 and 2

Stations Directions(Time: 60 min for reading and stations)

1. Get your Seedfolk journal (or make one). You will need it for most stations.

2. Write: July 26, 2011 - Kim and Ana3. Write the Station # for each part (so I can tell which

station it is)4. Vocabulary Station: take a graphic organizer and staple

it to your journal page or copy and number the boxes in your journal

5. Complete each Station activity

6. Only 4 students to a station

What to do???

Learning Target: I can…-begin reading Seedfolks-participate in stations and beginning of the year formative assessments (review of elements of fiction, SWBS, and leveled questions)

1. Read Kim and Ana (p. 1-8)2. Begin stations (there are 9 different stations) – you will

need your journal3. After completing stations, read your pages for your book

club for this week’s meeting.

Station #1

Choose one of the following vocabulary words to spell correctly and be able to write a definition for:

• stern• altar• vacant• thrive• suspiciously

2. Here’s the sentence the way it’s used in the book:

3. Here’s the( dictionary) definition or (thesaurus) synonyms of the word:

4. Here’s a sketch or symbol of what the word means:

5. Here’s my definition of the word:

1. Vocabulary Word (use correct spelling!):

Station #2Discussion Questions

1. Read through the questions.2. Choose one level two question and one level

three question (for a total of 2 questions) you would like to answer.

3. Write down both questions – leave enough space for your answer

4. Answer both questions in complete sentences.

Station #2Level 2 Discussion Questions

Choose one to answer (write down the question!)

1. Why did Kim plant lima beans in the vacant lot?

2. What evidence revealed that Kim and Ana lived in a poor neighborhood? (Note: write a complete sentence!)

3. What has happened to Ana’s neighborhood since she was a child?

4. Why did Ana dig up Kim’s bean seeds?

Station #2Level 3 Discussion Questions

Choose one to answer (write down the question!)

1. How do you imagine Kim feels about her new life in this strange new city?

2. How do you think Kim and Ana will meet?

3. Locate Vietnam on a map. If someone asked you where this country is, how would you describe its location?

Station #3 character map

1. Write the character’s name in the center of the circle.2. Add 4-5 legs to the circle (looks like a spider) 3. Some of the characterization parts you may want to include:

– each person’s family background – country of origin– interests– personality traits– descriptions– actions– specific or unique dialogue

Station #3Character Map

• Fill in your character map for… (4-5 different characterization things)

1. Kim2. Ana

Seedfolks Setting: garden- neighborhood and empty lot on Gibb Street,

Cleveland, Ohio

Name:

Name:

Name:

Name:

Name:

Name:

Name:

Name:Name:

Name:

Name:

Name:

Name:

Name:ANA

Name:KIM

Station #4SWBS - Summarizing Strategy

Somebody (character) |Wanted (plot) |But (conflict) |So (resolution) | | | | | | | | |

Station #5Personification

Personification: a literary device in which an author gives human qualities/traits to nonhuman objects.

“An icy wind teetered trash cans and turned my cheeks to marble.” (page 2)

1. What is being personified?

2. What does this reveal about the narrator’s feelings?

Station #6Simile

Simile: a figure of speech in which two unlike objects are being compared using the words “like” or “as.”

“It’s like a cheap hotel—you stay until you’ve got enough money to leave.” (page 5)

1. What things are being compared?

2. Why is this a good comparison to Ana and Kim’s neighborhood?

Station #7Leveled Questions

• Level one question: right there in the text, you can point to the answer

• Write two level-one questions1.2.

Reminder of Leveled Questions

Asking questions is a superb way to learn more and to learn it more quickly. To increase your knowledge during a learning experience, ask yourself questions before, during and after the experience.

Level One Questions• This type of question can be answered by facts and has one right answer. It is an

answer you can put your finger on in the text or in another easily accessible text like a dictionary, map, etc. For example: What is today’s date?

Level Two Questions• These questions push your thinking a bit. They require you to use the text and your

background knowledge to draw inferences, analyze and interpret the text. There are multiple answers possible and your job is to prove you’re right by giving support from the text, your BK (background knowledge) or both. For example: How could using the Homework and News board help you become a better student?

Level Three Questions• This level of question really pushes your brain into overdrive. This type of question asks

you to think about ideas related to but not tied to the text. It is open-ended, has no right or wrong answer, and asks you to think about issues, concepts and ideas. Think of them as the questions to debate, ponder and wonder about. For example: What is the point of education?

Station #8Journal Write

• Write about the following journal question:

1. Kim misses her father, and her feelings of grief and loss motivate her actions to do something special. Write about someone in your life who has inspired you to do something you have never tried or done before.

Station #9Elements of Fiction Chart

• You will need your “Elements of Fiction” chart

1. Fill out the following:

*setting – Where does this story take place?*title and author*character description – Who are these people?