TCH 621 Literacy Int Gr 4-8
Megan Holland
Literature Focus Unit – 5th Grade
“One-Eyed Cat” By Paula Fox
GLE: 5.7 DRA 40 Guided Reading S (Scholastic.com)
Themes:
1. Emotional Strength 6. Honor
2. Faith 7. Loss of a Loved One
3. Family life 8. Moral Values
4. Overcoming Guilt 9. Responsibility
5. Honesty 10. Trust
Standards:
Wisconsin CCSSI ELA Reading – Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
RL.5.7. Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g. graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
RL5.9. Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g. mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
Goals/Objectives:
1. Students will analyze the meaning of “beauty” in the text of graphic novel and poems.
2. Students will demonstrate their use of graphic organizers to analyze the text from fiction novels.
3. Students will compare and contrast elements of the novel “One-eye Cat” to similar books of the same theme and reading level.
4. Students will conclude that although authors use a variety of character settings and storylines to convey similar themes and topics, each one is specialized and unique.
Background Knowledge:
1. Churches in rural New York in the 1930s had very small budgets, limited to the local attending congregation of the villagers where everyone knew everyone quite well.
2. Rural communities in New York after the Great Depression struggled even more to support their families both physically and financially.
3. People in city areas of New York in the 1930s were involved in industrialization, long travel and means of widespread communication (like newspapers) whereas people in rural areas dealt with more mundane daily activities involving preparation of food, shelter and clothing.
4. Rheumatoid arthritis on a human being.
5. A cat’s life is a shorter age cycle and the environmental elements are much harsher on outdoor life versus that of a human.
6. Use of context clues, reference dictionary and thesaurus to analyze 20-25 unfamiliar words.
Vocabulary Words:
Chapter 1 – “Sunday” / Chapter 4 – “The Cat”cistern / p.3 / kindling / p.88
veranda / p.17 / monastery / p.92
settee / p.17 / imperious / p.92
landing / p.21 / parsonage / p.115
Chapter 2 – “The Gun” / Chapter 5 – “The Strength of Life”
consternation / p.33 / abate / p.135
conciliating / p.38 / mottled / p.137
trouser / p.41 / meerschaum / p.141
gelding / p.44 / Chapter 6 – “Christmas”
Chapter 3 – “The Old Man” / pantomime / p.150
murmured / p.52 / flivver / p.158
vespers / p.52 / decrepit / p.160
ramshackle / p.57 / subterfuge / p.162
indistinguishable / p.61 / Chapter 7 – “Disappearances”
soapstone / p.62 / matins / p.204
Strategies to teach vocabulary:
1. Make predictions: Hand out predict-o-gram charts to each student. Prior to reading the novel, each word will be placed in the chart to show their prediction of how the author will use these words in the story. The five (5) columns: Characters, Setting, Goal/Problem, Actions, or Other Things will act as Idea Markers for the students to consider as they come upon each word.
They will then generate a meaning (and part of speech) using their context clues and then discuss ideas with their reading partner. Together, the partners will use dictionary resources and their discussion to justify new (or same) placement of words. Formative assessment will take place during partner activity. The final information will be discussed as a group in class. As assessment, each student will be given a multiple choice test on 20 of the 25 words.
2. Integrate learning with crossword puzzles: Students will first categorize the list of words in order by number of characters. They will list the word and then the number after it (in parentheses). They will each receive a worksheet with definitions and the puzzle diagram.
The definitions will be separated by number of characters. Their instructions are to follow (3) specific processes for completing the puzzle. Their work will be assessed based on (3) separate highlighted (or marked) areas as a guide.
At each stage of the process, students will be expected to describe this information to other members of the class. Students are required to gain signatures on the back of their sheet as evidence to support their discussion(s).
a. YELLOW: The first process is to call upon their prior knowledge. They are to go through the entire list of definitions separately and highlight (with a yellow marker) all the words they are familiar with. They will use their prior knowledge to fill in the words on the diagram.
b. ORANGE: The second process is to use their context clues. Students will illustrate information gained the text to design an object or scene that relates the word to the definition. If they cannot draw, they can use comparable words to explain their ideas. These words are to be highlighted with an orange marker. They are to share their design work with other class members to see if they can guess the word.
c. GREEN: The third and final process is with use of their formal resources. Each set of partners will utilize the dictionary, encyclopedia, thesaurus and online search to uncover information. These words will be highlighted in green and shared with other members of their class.
3. Creating Word Experts: (Gunning pg. 275) with 26 kids in the class, each set of reading partners can receive two words and two 3x5” cards to create their own expert cards. They will locate the words on the listed page numbers and then copy the sentence where each word was used. Students will then resource the dictionary for the definition and write that information on the card. They will then create one original connection to the word either through a drawing, performance, or personal story. Each set of partners will share their cards and connections with one other set of partners. Experiences will be discussed in class. A pre- and post-assessment of matching questions can discover the amount of learning that took place during this exercise.
Comprehension Strategies:
1. Questioning the Author (QTA): (Gunning pg. 349) In chapter4, after Ned shoots the cat he begins to worry about what he did. And then other events begin to take place. The students will be asked to write responses to the following questions in their journals as they are reading through the chapter:
a. What is the author trying to tell us here?
b. What does the author want us to take away from these events?
c. Did the author explain this series of events clearly?
d. Is there any information missing?
Responses will be reviewed in group sessions with the teacher to discuss any misconceptions prior to proceeding further.
2. Prediction Chart: (Gunning pg. 316) In chapter 1, we are introduced to the Wallis family Ned, Mrs. Scallop, Ned’s father and his mother. The students will use the chart to document their thoughts and perceptions of each character—that information becomes their predictions located in column 1. Their clues will be listed in column 2 and supported by the text in chapter 1. The 3rd column will filled in with “Changes in Predictions” as they read through further chapters. This information will be shared with other class members for discussion, clarification and praise.
3. Making Connections: (Gunning pg. 344) In the final chapter 8 of the book, Ned finds himself “in a mountain of snow…and he didn’t know how to melt it.” This scene takes place during the Christmas season, but Ned is not referring to the weather or time of the year.
Students will be asked to write a short narrative story about the last time they (or a family member) found themselves overwhelmed and alone during (or around) a special holiday. Their stories will use all the standard forms of an essay and answer the following questions:
a. What series of events led to the unhappiness?
b. How did internal emotions also affect behavior toward others?
c. What was the final outcome of events?
Graphic Organizers:
1. Venn diagram: In chapter 5, there is a new relationship that has developed between Ned and his neighbor/employer Mr. Scully. Adding to the situation, it seems that a strange cat has established his home on Mr. Scully’s property. Even more reason for Ned to spend time there. Now would be a nice time to compare and contrast the physical traits, behaviors, thoughts, emotions and comments between Ned and Mr. Scully. This information could prove useful later on.
2. KWL chart: at the end of chapter 1, a visitor arrives at the house and adds some excitement to the day’s events. Questions are being raised by the author but not answered. The KWL chart is a nice way to organize students’ thoughts until they read onto chapter 2.
Discussion Questions (Bloom’s Taxonomy):
1. EVALUATION: Describe why you think the novel “One-eyed Cat” was given the Newbery honor award in 1984?
2. EVALUATION: Explain how Ned’s behavior changed from the beginning of chapter 1 to the end of chapter 8.
3. EVALUATION: Create your own conclusion of how Mr. Scully felt when Ned told him that he shot the cat.
4. EVALUATION: Criticize or praise the ending of the book and support your criticism with evidence from the text.
5. SYNTHESIS: Generate a list of all the people Ned shows happiness to between chapter 1 and chapter 3. Support your list by explaining his thoughts, actions or dialogue.
6. SYNTHESIS: Pretend that Ned’s father is okay with guns. Then reconstruct the event when Ned opens up his birthday gift from Uncle Hilary.
7. SYNTHESIS: Pretend that Ned’s father is not a minister. How would he act?
8. ANALYSIS: Distinguish between the guilt that Ned feels when he doesn’t listen in Sunday school and the guilt he is feeling from shooting the cat.
9. ANALYSIS: Relate to the moral questioning from Reverend Wallis that Ned and his mother endure on a daily basis.
10. ANALYSIS: Illustrate the setting of the end of the story when Ned and his mother are outside.
11. APPLICATION: Pretend that Mr. Scully does not pass away and produce a new story ending.
12. APPLICATION: Show the animosity that Mrs. Scallop has for the entire universe by recreating some of her thoughts.
13. APPLICATION: Modify the names of each chapter of “One-eye Cat” to reflect Ned’s father as the lead character.
14. APPLICATION: Prepare a speech for Ned’s mother that demonstrates her feelings for her brother Hilary.
15. COMPREHENSION: Defend the actions of Ned’s father when he takes Ned’s gun away with (3) statements.
16. COMPREHENSION: Estimate the year Mr. Scully was born by working backward from the age he was in 1935.
17. COMPREHENSION: Explain how Ned’s mother was feeling when she learned that Ned had shot the cat.
18. KNOWLEDGE: List all the different types of animals mentioned in the text of “One-eyed Cat.”
19. KNOWLEDGE: Describe the meaning of Ned’s statement, “The gun was like a splinter in his mind.” (pg. 90)
20. KNOWLEDGE: Create a map that outlines the area where the Wallis’s live.
Similar Books: (based on reading level and subject matter)
1. “Zlateh the Goat” by Isaac Bashevis Slinger
2. “Dog Friday” by Hilary McKay
3. “Jim Ugly” by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Jos A. Smith
4. “The Black Stallion” by Walter Farley
5. “It’s Like This, Cat” by Emily Cheney Neville
6. “Flute’s Journey: The Life of a Wood Thrush” by Lynne Cherry
7. “Firehorse” by Diane L. Wilson
8. “The Catlady” by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by John Eastwood
9. “The White Giraffe (Legends of the Animal Healer” by Lauren St. John
10. “Rabbit Hill” by Robert Lawson
Source: Scholastic online (2011). Books Alike-Find Similar Books. Retrieved on November 15, 2011:http://www.scholastic.com/tbw/bookAlikeSearch.do?Ntk=TBW_BookAlike7_SI&workId=1177401&gradeOffset=0
Reading and Writing Activities:
1. Students will write a letter to the church congregation of Reverend Wallis, explaining what type of family man he is. They will also thank the church members for helping out with Ned’s family at home.
2. As students are reading the book, they will each create a list of all the similes, metaphors and idioms they find in the book text. These list items will be discussed as a group to decipher meanings and relationship.
3. At the end of chapter 1, students and teacher will create a KWL chart and use this chart throughout the book to document known and unknown information, make predictions and this to discuss their results.
4. Students will create a journal response, identifying all the ways they connected to the book content and/or characters. They will also reflect upon the following events that took place in Ned’s life and during the book’s time period (possible research will be required):
a. The Great Depression
b. The difference between the hustle and bustle of city life in New York in the 1930s and life in rural communities
c. The effects of his mother’s struggle with rheumatoid arthritis
d. The witness to the cat’ accident compared to the collapse of Mr. Scully
Poetry Selections:
(as Ned’s mother)
“The Teacher”
by Leslie Pinckney Hill
Lord, who am I to teach the way
To little children day by day,
So prone myself to go astray?
I teach them KNOWLEDGE, but I know
How faint they flicker and how low
The candles of my knowledge glow.
I teach them POWER to will and do,
But only now to learn anew
My own great weakness through and through.
I teach them LOVE for all mankind
And all God’s creatures, but I find
My love comes lagging far behind.
Lord, if their guide I still must be,
Oh let the little children see
The teacher leaning hard on Thee. / Selection 2
(as the Cat)
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
By William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Selection 3
(as Ned or Mr. Scully)
“Silence”
by Martin Stein
silence is growing longer
darkness creeps out of space
the words are growing older
a mist covers that place
silence is growing stronger
a shadow fills the sight
time trickles through our fingers
slowly decreases fight
silence is growing colder
rime, clothe me in your coat
as answers lie there frozen
dreams drift in Charon's boat
silence is growing deeper
oblivion gently creeps
over the graves of angels
the wind of silence sweeps
Differentiated Instruction: