In this chapter, the authors offer a great lesson on creating comparisons by playing clips of sitcoms. They invited their students to study "family" while watching several shows (side note: my fifth graders LOVE Full House. It must play on the Hub or some throwback channel. It's crazy to me that they watch a show that I loved when I was ten!) By viewing the clips, students can learn how to carefully compare, contrast and interpret characters. Of course, the authors use this lesson to engage the students in lessons on how to closely read across texts.
As in previous chapters, the authors use lenses. Students decide what they will compare - characters, themes, settings or authors. Next, students decide how to compare. Will they use text evidence? Word choice? Structure? Or point of view? Finally, students create ideas about their lens, the author's choices and the messages sent by the author.
I created this little graphic organizer as a way for students to hold their thoughts. You can grab it from Google drive HERE.
I love lessons about finding theme! My favorite author to use with the big kids is Eve Bunting. My students are always able to relate well to the texts, especially Fly Away Home and A Day's Work. Her books are so rich and always help create great conversation in the class. I plan to use this graphic organizer for an Eve Bunting study of two texts. Students will read through lens (probably looking at character and characters' reactions to conflict) and take notes in the top boxes. In the bottom box, students will write their ideas about the message the author is trying to send us through these two stories and the characters in each story.
I hope you all are having a great weekend!
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