6 Grade Quarter 2 Sample Module

6th Grade Quarter 2 Sample Module
Summary and Analysis of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
Big Idea:
Choices and Consequences
Essential Questions:
How do authors reveal their purposes for writing?
As a discerning reader, how can I use author’s details to provide a summary of the text that
reflects an accurate understanding of the author’s purpose separate from my personal
judgments?
Text/Text Set:
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
Task/Assignment:
After reading the poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, write an analysis of the
theme. To support your analysis, include an objective summary of the poem and explain
how particular words, phrases, or stanzas contribute to the development of the theme.
Standards:
Reading
RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence
RL.6.2 Determine a theme and how it is conveyed through
details
RL.6.5 Analyze how a particular word, phrase, or stanza
develops the theme
Speaking + Listening
SL.6.1 Engage in collaborative discussions, building on
other’s ideas and expressing their own clearly
SL.6.1a Come to discussion prepared, having read material;
explicitly draw on that preparation
SL6.1b Follow rules for collegial discussions
SL6.1c Pose and respond to specific questions
SL6.4 Present findings, use appropriate eye contact
Writing
W.6.2 Write informative text to examine a topic…
W.6.2a Introduce a topic; organize ideas
W.6.2b Develop the topic with concrete details
W.6.2c Use transitions
W.6.10 Write routinely
Language
L.6.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word
relationships…
L.6.5a Interpret figures of speech in context.
Assignment Planning Template (from FUSD innovative Professional Learning Project)
Subject: ELA
Grade: 6
Author/s:
An assignment is a task that has high alignment to a focus standard and involves multiple skills to accomplish its product. Instruction is delivered
through mini-tasks, providing students with strategies and guidance to use these skills in combination to produce evidence of learning.
Step One
Identify 2-3 Focus CC
standards. Identify a text if
appropriate.
Step Two
Identify a product
Step Three
Write a prompt
Step Four
Identify “meets
expectations” criteria
Step Five
Do the prompt and
determine mini-task skills
RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.5
W.6.2a-c
SL.6.1a-c, SL.6.4
L.6.5a
Students will write a summary and analysis of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
After reading the poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, write an analysis of the
theme. To support your analysis, include an objective summary of the poem and
explain how particular words, phrases, or stanzas contribute to the development of the
theme.
• Summary provides objective description of poem noting key details from each
stanza
• Commentary provides analysis of the theme of the poem, accurately
describing how at least three key details support the thinking
• Ability to visualize poem, ability to determine meaning of words and phrases
literally and figuratively, ability to track notes, ability to trace key details across
the poem, ability to determine how key phrases or stanzas contribute to the
theme of the poem, ability to write accurate summary utilizing previous skills,
ability to infer author’s figurative meaning, ability to relate inferences to the
theme
Attach 2-3 sample student works.
Assignments Matter Eleanor Dougherty 2013
Page 1
Construct an instructional plan for teaching the assignment by inserting mini-tasks. Add rows if necessary.
Mini-task
1. Task Analysis: What are the steps you need to take to
complete this assignment?
• Students read the prompt, highlighting language that
emphasizes the goals of the assignment.
• Teacher charts goals around summary/commentary
• After coming to consensus, create a criteria for success 
• Once finished, explain to students we’ll be reading this
text multiple times with multiple purposes. Be aware of
how each purpose may help us to address the task.
Mini-task “Meets Expectation” Rubric
Provides a credible response and identifies critical steps.
2. Reading Process: Poem Reading/Listening to a Poem
Students determine criteria for listening and reading a poem.
• Teacher reads poem clearly and aloud and verbally shares
how to read punctuation mark to punctuation mark and
change the inflection of voice to emphasize certain
words—this helps us show and understand the feeling of
the poem
• Ask students to mark the poem for words they’d like to
emphasize
• Have students read aloud to a partner
• Call on a few students to share and promote their reading
(applause, etc.)
• Reflection Write: How has this purpose helped prepare us
for the task? What do you specifically understand better
now than you did before?
3. Reading Process: Poem Storyboarding/Visualization
Storyboard accurately reflects each stanza.
• Ask students to read each stanza and draw a picture that
explicitly shows what is happening in that stanza.
• Students share their pictures with their table partners
Assignments Matter Eleanor Dougherty 2013
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•
•
and circle differences they had in each picture.
Next to each of their pictures, they respond to: What did
my partner see that I didn’t?
Reflection: Did the pictures accurately show what was
happening? Why or why not?
4. Reading Process: Determining Key Words or Phrases
• Explain key words to students as words that may be
repeated throughout the text, or as words that best
helped to display their pictures (their understanding), or
as words that stand out from other words
-Ex. “diverged”, “two roads”, “traveler”, “bent in the
undergrowth”, “sigh” (key words are single, phrases are
2-4 words)
• Use consensus method “keep it or junk it” for students
uncovering key words (example shown on
teachingchannel.org)
-Students highlight what they feel are key words
individually
-With partners they decide what to “keep or junk”
-One pair presents to the class their kept words and asks
the class to decide if they should keep or junk the words
or phrases they’ve selected or place them in a cloud (for
future consideration)
-Consider providing formal questions for students to ask
and guide the class discussion
-When students respond, they must describe why a word
or phrase should be kept in relation to its importance to
the text
-Consider sentence frames for response
-Have a few pairs present and guide class discussion until
Assignments Matter Eleanor Dougherty 2013
Students cite evidence from text and support their thinking of
the key words with reasoning based upon their understandings.
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•
the list of key words and phrases is concise and accurate
Reflection: How has this process prepared me to write a
summary of the text?
5. Preparing for Writing: Text Reconstruction
Students consider the accuracy of their writing to the poem.
Consider having students draw lines from the poem to the text
• Read the poem while students just listen
they’ve written to show each accurate connection made.
• Read the poem while students this time listen for their
selected key words and phrases
• Read the poem a third time while students take notes
based on what the poem says
• Have students discuss their notes with a partner and
work together to reconstruct the text (They write the text
not as a poem, but by accurately describing what is
happening)
-Consider having sequential transitions available for
students as they are writing their work together
• Have students compare the original text to the text
they’ve written looking for similarities and differences
between the texts.
• Reflection: Has this prepared us to write the summary or
commentary? Why?
Assignments Matter Eleanor Dougherty 2013
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6. Reading Process: Figurative Language Analysis using SQAT
• Explain the difference between literal and figurative
showing some idiomatic expressions for effect (Is it
literally raining cats and dogs? That would take an
impressive umbrella!)
• Provide students with a T-chart (Literal/Figurative) and a
list of a few words or phrases from the poem
• Students, in pairs, decide if the words have figurative
meaning or if they should be considered literal
• Consider using “road” or “yellow wood” for class
discussion
• SQAT is a four corner chart that takes symbolic or
figurative phrases and leads students to a theme.
-Symbol Identification stresses the importance of citing
and identifying evidence to utilize.
-Questioning represents multiple levels. To get to a
related deeper meaning, one must understand and
describe the surface. Ex. What is a road? A road is a path
that people can take to a destination. If the road is a
path that leads somewhere, why would the speaker
emphasize standing at two? What does the road
represent for him/her?
-Analysis allows for students to answer their questions
utilizing evidence from the whole text. This is an
opportunity for them to make connections throughout.
-Theme provides an opportunity for students to make a
judgment about the author’s purpose of the text based
on the evidence in the text.
Assignments Matter Eleanor Dougherty 2013
Students are graded on the depth of their analysis. Are they
describing the text on a surface level or are they moving into
figurative understanding? Have students check for this with
their table teams and council in this area.
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Symbol Identification
(Identifies and cites
evidence)
Ex. Frost writes, “two roads
diverged in a yellow wood”
when describing what a
“traveler” stood viewing.
Questioning (On multiple
levels of DOK)
Ex.
Level 1: What is a road?
Level 2: How are the two
roads similar or different?
Level 2: Why is the author’s
purpose for saying they
“diverged into a yellow
wood”?
Level 3: What does the road
represent for him/her?
Theme (Judgment regarding
author’s use of language)
Analysis (answers questions)
A road is a path that people
can take to a destination.
However, the author focuses
on two, describing them both
as worn and unknown as they
diverge into a yellow wood.
Because they both diverge or
disappear into the wood, the
author shows that neither
path leads to a clear
destination. Both roads
represent a choice of which
the speaker can make with no
guarantees of what the future
may hold. One thing is
certain, he/she made a
choice.
Frost expresses the theme
that though life presents
many choices and mistakes
will be made, people must
not be afraid to choose.
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•
The emphasis of this learning is on the process. Students
develop questions together and should even question
each other as they come to a deeper understanding of
the author’s writing choices.
• The four corners work as a planning tool for writing their
commentaries.
• Students could complete in teams and share to the class.
• Teacher could provide copies of student work to each
team.
• Reflection: For which writing should I use this activity,
summary or commentary? Why?
Preparing for Writing:
• Review the criteria and have students take out their
notes
• Students categorize their notes for what will help them
write the summary and what will help them write the
analysis.
• If this is the first time for either a summary or
commentary, consider providing sentence stems for
scaffolding or guidance of students
7. Writing Process: Development and Publishing
• Students utilize their notes, sentence stems if needed,
and transition words to write their two pieces
• Possible mini-task on developing a claim for their
commentary
• Possible mini-task on analyzing/explaining how evidence
supports the claim
• Consider how students will edit and revise their writing
and how they will publish the work
• Because they’ve written two for two purposes, this
Assignments Matter Eleanor Dougherty 2013
Rubric generated from early criteria and based upon the
information/explanatory focus writing standards (summary)
from quarter one and the argument writing standards
(commentary) from quarter two
Page 7
provides an opportunity for contrasting the two works to
measure the accuracy and objectivity of the summary and
analysis and evidence of the commentary.
Completion of Assignment Product: Turn in your final copy, on
time according to specifications.
Assignments Matter Eleanor Dougherty 2013
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NAME:
PERIOD:
DATE:
Symbol Identification
Questioning
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Theme
Analysis/Answering
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