Unit Title: 6^th Grade – Conversationally Speaking   

Part I:  Lesson Focus— Traditional Golden Lines

Book:  The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Central Focus/Purpose/Rationale 

The students will be doing this lesson to analyze how a particular “golden line” is connected to the story, its deeper meaning and the effect it has on the reader.

The content of the learning segment is the student’s ability to distinguish important or symbolic lines of the story.

This lesson will allow students to practice drawing inferences from the story and determining the meaning of certain lines at a greater context of the novel. 

Students will learn that there can be varied interpretations of a “golden lines” importance and effect on the story which will force them to think more critically and learn of others viewpoints as well as how the use of specific “golden lines” have an overall effect as a reader.

Alignment with Standards - Common Core and Content

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.5
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

Part II: Academic Content, Concepts, Skills, and BIG IDEA

Teacher Resources

• ·       YouTube video “There’s No Place Like Home” by Many Happy Repeats. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2724594201.  This video would give students a visual introduction of a “golden line” prior to the lesson that will be taught.
• ·         YouTube video “No Body Puts Baby in the Corner – Dirty Dancing” by Movie Clips. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypKSbnYOrwE.  This video will give students a visual introduction of a “golden line” prior to the lesson that will be taught.
• ·         “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hutton. This book will be a distributed copy for students to use as part of the lesson.

Part III: Objectives and Assessment

Learning Objectives to be assessed

      1.      Students will be able to explain the author’s message.
2.      Students will be able in their own words the relationship between the character and the plot.
3.      Students will be able to apply ideas of how the life lesson will affect the character.
4.      Students will be able to give specific evidence from the text as to the importance of the line.
5.      Students will be able to develop skills based on the comprehension of literal and figurative                meaning of a “golden lines” from a story.
6.      Students will be able to compare and contrast varied interpretations in their own words and that of others.
7.      Students will be able to use tools given for exercises appropriately.

Purpose of the assessment

The formative assessment is to gage the student’s ability to distinguish the importance of specific lines from the text, draw inferences as to their meaning and explain the overall affect the “golden lines” have on the reader. 

The summative assessment will require students to present one of the most important “golden lines” from the book they felt had the most effect on them, and in two paragraphs, explain why.

Define the criteria to be used to measure success

The quality of work will determine the student’s success rate on their ability to complete the My Favorite Golden Lines worksheet, their class discussions, and their responses of “golden lines” chosen from the board found by others. Student should be able to site at least 10 specific “golden lines” which will reflect their comprehension of material taught over the course of the story.

Evidence

Students will use a created worksheet to demonstrate their answers as they are working. As the teacher is walking around the classroom, the teacher will think about how each student can identify “golden lines” from the story in the beginning, middle and end based on the student response, assess each student by their written interpretations and through open discussions from other chosen “golden lines” written by peers.

Procedure

Duration of this lesson will be three class periods. Upon completion of reading up to Chapter 4, students will:

1.      Distribute The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton books to students in class.

2.      Play the video “There’s No Place Like Home” by Many Happy Repeats and “No Body Puts Baby in the Corner – Dirty Dancing” by Movie Clips as an introduction to “golden lines”.

3.      Ask students to think about a favorite “golden lines” they may have heard or read about in a book or from a movie.

4.      Talk and share with students about the “golden lines” what affect it had on them.  Teacher will guide the conversation to make sure the students stay on topic.

5.      Students will be put into groups of four; hand out the worksheet; have them find three “golden lines” between Chapters 1-4; list the importance of the “golden lines” and the affect the “golden lines” have on the reader.

6.      Have students write their favorite “golden lines” on a sticky note and place onto designated story bulletin. 

7.      Teacher to walk around as groups are working through worksheet to ensure students are on task in choosing meaningful “golden lines”.

8.      Once all students have posted their “golden lines”, each student will need to choose a sticky note that is not theirs and write a written response as to the lines importance and affect it has on the reader to share as a discussion at start of class next session.

Examples of “golden lines” would be:

  1.      “We’re poorer than the Socs and the middle class.” (Hinton, Chapter 1, p.3)

  2.      “Why did the Socs hate us so much?” (Hinton, Chapter 1, p. 17)

  3.       “I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.” (Hinton, Chapter 1, p.18)

  4.      “Our one rule, besides Stick together, is Don’t get caught.” (Hinton, Chapter 2, p.29)

  5.      “Even if they did have their own troubles. I really couldn’t see what Socs would have to sweat about—good grades, good cards, good girls, madras and Mustangs and Corvairs—Man, I thought, if I had worries like that I’d consider myself lucky.” (Hinton, Chapter 2, p.36)

  6.      “It’s not money, it’s feeling—you don’t feel anything and we feel to violently.” (Hinton, Chapter 3, p. 38)

  7.      “It’s okay…We aren’t in the same class.  Just don’t forget that some of us watch the sunset too.” (Hinton, Chapter 3, p. 46) 

  8.      “It ain’t the same as having your own folks care about you,” Johnny said simply. “It just ain’t the same.” (Hinton, Chapter 3, p. 52)

  9.      “It would be a miracle if Dally loved anything. The fight for self-preservation had hardened him beyond caring.” (Hinton, Chapter 4, p. 59)

  10.  “I wish I was home, I thought absently, I wish I was home and still in bed.  Maybe I am. I’m just dreaming…” (Hinton, Chapter 4, p.64)

Part IV: Lesson Plan

This lesson will be 60 minutes which will be broken up into three class periods to cover Chapters 1-4, 5-8, 9-12 over a course of four weeks where (1) the hook video will be played as an introduction to the lesson, followed by discussions from video clips presented; (2) the actual book will by distributed to students for in class reading followed by group break out for worksheet completion; (3) students to will post one of their favorite “golden lines” to the white board and (4) after each student has posted their “golden lines”, each student will select one “golden lines” of their peers to analyze. 

• ·         How does the “golden lines” connect to the character?
• ·         How does the “golden lines” connect to the plot?
• ·         How does the “golden lines” connect to the theme?  

1    Part V:  Closure

To conclude this lesson, the teacher will use thumbs up, thumbs down method. Teacher will ask the following three questions:

1.      Thumbs up, I got this and able to successfully locate a “golden line”.

2.      Thumbs down, I don’t understand completely and not confident in the “golden lines” but was able to chose through the help of peers.

3.      Thumbs sideways, I’m still confused and need more help.