Exploring Narrator’s Depth

Create lesson plan aligned with the wit and wisdom curriculum using I do, we do, you do FOCUSING QUESTION: Lessons 1–4 How can sports affect the way we view others? CONTENT FRAMING QUESTION: Lesson 2 Reveal: What does a deeper exploration of the narrator reveal in “Raymond’s Run”? In the next three lessons, students read Toni Cade Bambara’s short story “Raymond’s Run,” told from the perspective of a lively, proud, resolute young girl named Squeaky, who wastes no time in telling readers that she is “the fastest thing on two feet.” Use an expressive Read Aloud of the story’s opening lines to reinforce the module’s Listening Goal and help establish Squeaky’s voice, personality, and perspective. In this lesson, students focus on the first half of the story to develop a strong grasp of character, setting, and plot. Welcome 4 MIN. ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE Display the following questions for students to answer in their Response Journal: ƒ Who is the narrator in a story? ƒ How does an author’s choice of narrator impact how a story is told? Support your ideas with an example from one of the stories you have read this year. Encourage students to refer to the Knowledge of Skills section of their Knowledge Journal to activate their thinking about the concepts of narrator and point of view. Launch 4 MIN. Post the Focusing Question. Invite a volunteer to recall information they learned in the previous lesson about the power of sports from watching the documentary about Nelson Mandela and the 1995 Rugby World Cup. 43 © Great Minds PBC WIT & WISDOM G5 M4 Lesson 2 ® Share that students will continue to think about how sports can affect the way we view others over the next several days as they read a short story called “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara. Post and read aloud the Content Framing Question. Call on several students to share their responses to the Welcome task. n The narrator in a story tells the events from their own point of view. For instance, we got to hear about what happened to the Nez Perce from Sound of Running Feet’s point of view in Thunder Rolling in the Mountains. n In The River Between Us, the author uses two different narrators—young Howard and his Grandma Tilly—to tell the story of how the Civil War impacted the Pruitt family. Affirm that a narrator in a story tells events from their point of view, or perspective. When the narrator is a character in a story, as in Thunder Rolling in the Mountains and The River Between Us, they tell about events and characters—including themselves—from their point of view. Encourage students to pay attention to the narrator’s descriptions in “Raymond’s Run” to discover her view of the world, herself, and other characters. Learn 60 MIN. LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND DURING A READ ALOUD 20 MIN. Whole Group Display the Listening Goal, listen to understand. Choral Read the Listening Goal. Remind students that whenever they engage in academic conversations, watch a video, or listen to a speaker or a Read Aloud in this module, they will practice listening to understand. Instruct students to Think–Pair–Share, and ask: “What is the difference between hearing something and understanding what we hear? How do we know when we understand what we hear?” Call on one or two students to share their ideas with the whole group. n Understanding what we hear means really making sense of what we hear. Understanding something is deeper than just hearing or knowing something. n We might be able to repeat back what we hear without understanding what the words mean. n When we understand what we hear, we can explain the meaning behind what we hear. © Great Minds PBC G5 M4 Lesson 2 WIT & WISDOM® 44 Tell students they will practice listening to understand as you read aloud the beginning of the short story “Raymond’s Run.” Ask: “What strategies can you use during a Read Aloud to help you understand what’s happening at the beginning of a story?” Call on several students to share their ideas. n I can try to visualize what is happening as I’m listening. n I can pay attention to details that help me understand who is telling the story, who the characters are, where the story takes place, and what is happening. n I can jot down what I notice and wonder to help me monitor my understanding. Set a purpose for listening: to discover who is telling the story and what it is about.

• Invite students to listen with curiosity and attention as you read aloud paragraphs 1–3 of “Raymond’s Run.” Pause at the end of paragraph 3, the line ending, “In the first place, no one can beat me and that’s all there is to it.” TEACHER NOTE Students should not have a copy of the text at this point so they can focus on listening comprehension. Be sure to read slowly and with expression to help establish the narrator’s lively voice and personality. Ask: “Who is telling the story? What did you notice and wonder about her in these opening lines of the story?” Call on several volunteers to share responses with the whole group. n The narrator is a young girl named Squeaky. n She tells us that she has to take care of her older brother, Raymond, who is “not quite right.” I wonder if that means that he has a mental disability. n I noticed that Squeaky is very confident. She tells us outright how fast she is and how she wins lots of first-place medals in track meets. I wonder if she is as fast as she says she is. TEACHER NOTE Students may or may not call attention here to Squeaky’s description of her brother Raymond at this point. If they do, affirm that the phrase “not quite right” implies that Raymond has a mental disability. If they do not, go ahead and share this information with students to help foster sensitivity and empathy. Explain that Squeaky’s reference to her brother’s enlarged head implies that he has the brain condition hydrocephalus, caused by build-up of fluid in parts of the brain. Children can be born with hydrocephalus or develop it because of head injury or infection. 45 © Great Minds PBC WIT & WISDOM G5 M4 Lesson 2 ® Share a brief background on the story’s author, setting, and characters: ƒ The story’s author, Toni Cade Bambara, is an African American woman who was born in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City known for its rich African American history and culture. ƒ References to street names in the story, such as Amsterdam Avenue in paragraph 3, place the story in the community of Harlem. ƒ Like many of Toni Cade Bambara’s characters, Squeaky speaks in the everyday language, or vernacular, of her African American Harlem community in the 1960s–1970s. Students will explore her use of vernacular as they reread this passage, the rest of the story, and in the Deep Dive. TEACHER NOTE Squeaky’s vernacular may challenge some readers or may seem familiar to others, depending on their own cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Explain that you will read aloud paragraphs 1–3 of “Raymond’s Run” again. Remind students that just as rereading can help students better understand a text, listening to a Read Aloud a second time can help them deepen their understanding of what they hear. Extension Invite students to reflect and share about a time when listening to a Read Aloud more than once helped deepen their understanding of what the text was about. Invite students to listen closely to gain a deeper understanding of the story’s characters, setting, and conflict introduced at the beginning of the story. Read aloud paragraphs 1–3 again. Pause to briefly define the following African American English vernacular expressions in context: ƒ Hustling: “Doing whatever it takes to get by.” ƒ Mind: “To care for.” ƒ Play the dozens: “To trade insults or generally talk in an exaggerated, colorful way—a time-honored tradition in many African American communities.” After reading, distribute Handout 2A, and display the Exposition section. Remind students that exposition is the beginning of a story where the author establishes characters, setting, and conflict. Give students several minutes to jot down under Exposition what they learned about the narrator, other characters, setting, and conflict during the Read Aloud. Name Date Class Handout 2A: Story Map for “Raymond’s Run” Directions: Use this chart to organize and record notes about key elements of the story. Exposition Character(s): Who are the main characters? What are they like? Narrator: Other characters: Setting: Where does this story take place? Conflict: Describe the main problem that the narrator faces. © Great Minds PBC G5 M4 Handout 2A • WIT & WISDOM® Page 1 of 3 © Great Minds PBC G5 M4 Lesson 2 WIT & WISDOM® 46 Scaffold Pair readers working below grade level with a partner working above grade level to record notes under Exposition. If many students are working below grade level, conduct this activity with the whole group. Use Equity Sticks to call on students to share what they learned about the narrator and other characters, setting, and conflict. Record notes on the displayed copy of Handout 2A. See sample student responses on the story map below. Afterward, call on one or two volunteers to reflect on how their understanding of the story deepened after listening to the Read Aloud a second time. Scaffold If needed, provide sentence frames such as the following: ƒ The first time I listened to the Read Aloud, I didn’t understand . After listening again, I now understand . ƒ As I listened to the Read Aloud the first time, I wondered . After listening again, I now realize . Exposition Characters Narrator ƒ Squeaky, a young girl, who is fast and wins lots of first-place medals in track meets; looks after her older brother Raymond, who is “not quite right.” Other characters ƒ Squeaky’s mom, who does all the work around the house. ƒ Squeaky’s dad, who is the only person faster than her. ƒ George, Squeaky’s brother, who gives her pocket money. ƒ Raymond, Squeaky’s older brother, who is mentally challenged. ƒ Gretchen, a girl who has said she is going to win this year’s race. Setting The Harlem neighborhood where Squeaky lives Conflict Squeaky plans to win a race she is running the next day, but a girl named Gretchen has challenged her. 47 © Great Minds PBC WIT & WISDOM G5 M4 Lesson 2 ® INFER THE NARRATOR’S TRAITS 10 MIN. Pairs TEACHER NOTE Ahead of class time, you will need to type up the story quotations below, and number them accordingly; make enough copies for each student to receive one quotation, and cut them into strips, one for each student. Explain that because the author chose Squeaky as the narrator of this story, it is her voice we hear. Readers learn a lot about her, including what she thinks and feels, as a result. Remind students that sometimes Squeaky comes right out and tells us things about herself, like how fast she is—“I’m the fastest thing on two feet,” —while other times, we can infer, or read “between the lines,” to understand her character. Display and read aloud these lines from paragraphs 2–3 of the story: “And as anyone can tell you, I’m the fastest thing on two feet … The big kids call me Mercury cause I’m the swiftest thing on two feet.” Explain that Mercury is a Roman god and messenger known for his great speed. Instruct students to Think–Pair–Share, and ask: “How do these lines capture Squeaky’s traits, or personality?” Call on one or two pairs to share their response with the whole group. n I think these lines show that Squeaky is really confident. The statements “I’m the fastest” and “I’m the swiftest thing on two feet” make it sound like she is bragging! n Squeaky is not shy about telling people how fast she is. She seems really confident. Distribute one of the following story quotations to each student: (1) “a lot of people call [Raymond] my little brother cause he needs looking after cause he’s not quite right. And a lot of smart mouths got lots to say about that too, especially when George was minding him. But now, if anybody has anything to say to Raymond, anything to say about his big head, they have to come by me.” (2) “And I don’t play the dozens or believe in standing around with somebody in my face doing a lot of talking. I much rather just knock you down and take my chances even if I am a little girl with skinny arms and a squeaky voice.” (3) “And tomorrow I’m subject to run the quarter-meter relay all by myself and come in first, second, and third.” (4) “So as far as everyone’s concerned, I’m the fastest and that goes for Gretchen, too, who has put out the tale that she is going to win the first-place medal this year. Ridiculous. In the second place, she’s got short legs. In the third place, she’s got freckles. In the first place, no one can beat me and that’s all there is to it.” © Great Minds PBC G5 M4 Lesson 2 WIT & WISDOM® 48 Instruct students to Whisper Read their quotation two to three times, practicing fluent, expressive reading. Then display this question for students to answer, in their Response Journal, about their quotation: ƒ What do Squeaky’s words in your story quotation reveal about her traits, or personality? What makes you think so? Extension Invite students to think about and discuss how Squeaky’s use of African American English vernacular in expressions like minding and play the dozens helps reveal her personality. After about two minutes, students Mix and Mingle to find someone with a different quotation; take turns reading their quotations aloud; and ask their partners to reflect on what Squeaky’s words reveal about her personality before sharing their own ideas. Scaffold Provide sentence frames to support students in sharing, responding to, and elaborating on their peers’ ideas about Squeaky: ƒ I think this quotation shows that Squeaky is because . ƒ I heard you say , and I’d like to add . ƒ I agree/disagree with what you said about because . Conduct one or two more rounds of Mix and Mingle as time allows. Then debrief as a whole group, inviting a volunteer for each quotation to share what they think it reveals about Squeaky’s personality traits. READ AND SUMMARIZE A SCENE 12 MIN. Pairs Distribute Handout 2B. Tell students that they will read the next scene in “Raymond’s Run.” Encourage students to read slowly and expressively to try and capture Squeaky’s personality in their voice. Ahead of reading, share that this next scene takes place on a street called Broadway in Harlem. Show students this photograph of Broadway, and point out the center island in the middle, which Squeaky refers to in the story: http://witeng .link/0415. Name Date Class Handout 2B: “Raymond’s Run” Directions: Read the short story “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara. Refer to the glossary to define or find more information about unknown words and phrases in the story. 1 I don’t have much work to do around the house like some girls. My mother does that. And I don’t have to earn my pocket money by hustling; George runs errands for the big boys and sells Christmas cards. And anything else that’s got to get done, my father does. All I have to do in life is mind my brother Raymond, which is enough. “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara 2 Sometimes I slip and say my little brother Raymond. But as any fool can see he’s much bigger and he’s older too. But a lot of people call him my little brother cause he needs looking after cause he’s not quite right. And a lot of smart mouths got lots to say about that too, especially when George was minding him. But now, if anybody has anything to say to Raymond, anything to say about his big head, they have to come by me. And I don’t play the dozens or believe in standing around with somebody in my face doing a lot of talking. I much rather just knock you down and take my chances even if I am a little girl with skinny arms and a squeaky voice, which is how I got the name Squeaky. And if things get too rough, I run. And as anybody can tell you, I’m the fastest thing on two feet. 3 There is no track meet that I don’t win the first-place medal. I used to win the twenty-yard dash when I was a little kid in kindergarten. Nowadays, it’s the fifty-yard dash. And tomorrow I’m subject to run the quartermeter relay all by myself and come in first, second, and third. The big kids call me Mercury cause I’m the swiftest thing in the neighborhood. Everybody knows that—except two people who know better, my father and me. He can beat me to Amsterdam Avenue with me having a two-fire-hydrant headstart and him running with his hands in his pockets and whistling. But that’s private information. Cause can you imagine some thirty-five-year-old man stuffing himself into PAL shorts to race little kids? So as far as everyone’s concerned, I’m the fastest and that goes for Gretchen, too, who has put out the tale that she is going to win the first-place medal this year. Ridiculous. In the second place, she’s got short legs. In the third place, she’s got freckles. In the first place, no one can beat me and that’s all there is to it. 4 I’m standing on the corner admiring the weather and about to take a stroll down Broadway so I can practice my breathing exercises, and I’ve got Raymond walking on the inside close to the buildings, cause he’s subject to fits of fantasy and starts thinking he’s a circus performer and that the curb is a tightrope strung high in the air. And sometimes after a rain he likes to step down off his tightrope right into the gutter and slosh around getting his shoes and cuffs wet. Then I get hit when I get home. Or sometimes if you don’t watch him he’ll dash across traffic to the island in the middle of Broadway and give the pigeons a fit. Then I have to go behind him apologizing to all the old people sitting around trying to get some sun and getting all upset with the pigeons fluttering around them, scattering their newspapers and upsetting the waxpaper lunches in their laps. So I keep Raymond on the inside of me, and he plays like he’s driving a stage coach which is OK by me so long as he doesn’t run me over or interrupt my breathing exercises, which I have to do on account of I’m serious about my running, and I don’t care who knows it. © Great Minds PBC G5 M4 Handout 2B • WIT & WISDOM® Page 1 of 6 49 © Great Minds PBC WIT & WISDOM G5 M4 Lesson 2 ® Explain that the street and the island probably looked different in the 1960s-1970s when the story takes place, but the photograph can help them visualize this city street. Students Partner Read paragraphs 4–13, beginning with the line “I’m standing on the corner admiring the weather …” and ending “cause I am Miss Quicksilver herself.” Scaffold If you have a high percentage of readers working below grade level or multilingual learners, consider reading aloud this scene to model fluent, expressive reading. Pause as needed to define unfamiliar vocabulary, and provide context for references that might be confusing. After reading, instruct pairs to summarize the setting, characters, and events in this scene (which ends at the break after paragraph 13) under Scene 1 on Handout 2A. Circulate and provide support as needed. TEACHER NOTE Encourage students to keep their event summaries to four sentences or less (e.g., First, … Next, … Then, … Finally, …). This will force them to focus on key events and details. Call on pairs to summarize and share what they learned about setting, characters, and events in this scene. Record notes under Scene 1 on the displayed copy of Handout 2A. See sample student responses on the story map below. Scene 1 Setting ƒ This scene takes place on a street called Broadway in Harlem. Characters ƒ The main characters are Squeaky, Raymond, Gretchen, and two other girls, Rosie and Mary Louise, who used to be Squeaky’s friend. Events ƒ First, Squeaky and Raymond are walking down the street when they run into Gretchen and the other girls. ƒ Next, the girls argue about who is going to win. ƒ Then, Rosie and Mary Louise start to pick on Raymond, but Squeaky defends him. ƒ Finally, Gretchen doesn’t say anything, and the girls walk away. © Great Minds PBC G5 M4 Lesson 2 WIT & WISDOM® 50 ANALYZE THE NARRATOR’S INTERACTIONS 18 MIN. Ask: “What have we learned so far about Squeaky’s traits, or personality? How would you describe her?” Call on volunteers to share responses with the whole group. n She stands up to anyone who makes fun of her brother Raymond. This shows that she is both tough and caring. n She is very confident. She tells readers that she is “the fastest thing on two feet.” n She is determined to win the race, even though a girl named Gretchen has said she is going to win this year. n She is spunky. Even though she is just “a little girl with skinny arms and a squeaky voice,” she won’t let anyone push her or her brother around. Share that students will examine Squeaky’s account of her encounter with Gretchen and her “sidekicks,” or followers, in the scene they just read, and they will think about what more they learn about how this scene gives them deeper insight into Squeaky’s character. TEACHER NOTE Squeaky describes the scene in paragraph 6 as a “Dodge City” scene. To help students better visualize the scene and understand Squeaky’s perception of it, ahead of discussion, explain that Dodge City is a city in Kansas famous in American culture as a wild “Old West” frontier town. Squeaky imagines this scene like a showdown from an old Western movie in which a single “good guy” faces off against a bunch of “bad guys” in a gun fight. Facilitate discussion about Squeaky’s interactions with the girls in this scene, using the following TextDependent Questions (TDQs) as well as student-generated questions. Pose questions one at a time; give students an opportunity to share their ideas before discussing as a whole group. 1 Based on the language in paragraph 6, what can you infer about Squeaky’s feelings as Gretchen and her “sidekicks,” Mary Louise and Rosie, approach? What makes you think so? n Squeaky’s says that her first instinct is to “step into the candy store … and let them pass.” This shows that she feels nervous about facing these girls. n I think Squeaky feels uncomfortable facing the girls because she tells us about how Mary Louise used to be her friend, but now she hangs out with Gretchen and talks about Squeaky “like a dog.” Maybe she feels betrayed by Mary Louise. n Squeaky is determined to show that she is tough and not willing to back down. She says that letting the girls pass would be “chicken” and that she has “a reputation to consider.” 51 © Great Minds PBC WIT & WISDOM G5 M4 Lesson 2 ® 2 In paragraph 7, Squeaky says, “Besides there’s just me and Gretchen standing there really, so no use wasting my breath talking to shadows.” Why does Squeaky refer to Mary Louise and Rosie as “shadows”? What does this reveal about how Squeaky views this interaction? n To Squeaky, it is as if the other girls are invisible. Gretchen is the only person that matters to Squeaky in this conversation. n Even though the other girls are present, Squeaky sees this interaction as a confrontation between her and Gretchen, her rival. Extension Point out that in paragraph 9, Squeaky refers to her conversation with the girls as a “ventriloquist-dummy routine,” or a routine in which a performer makes it seem as if a “dummy,” or doll, is speaking—when in actuality, the performer is doing the talking. Show a picture of a ventriloquist with a dummy, and ask students to think about what Squeaky means and how her use of this phrase reinforces her view of this interaction. 3 How does Squeaky interpret Gretchen’s smile in paragraph 9? Why do you think she feels this way? Differentiation If needed, point out Squeaky’s words in paragraph 9, and ask students to reflect on her meaning: “Gretchen smiles, but it’s not a real smile, and I’m thinking that girls never really smile at each other because they don’t know how and don’t want to know how and there’s probably no one to teach us how, cause grown-up girls don’t know, either.” n Squeaky doesn’t think Gretchen’s smile is real. n She doesn’t think girls can really ever be friends. n Squeaky doesn’t really know Gretchen or try to know her. She just sees Gretchen as her rival. n She blames adult women for not showing girls how to really be friends, maybe for not having real friendships with other women themselves. Reconvene the whole group, and debrief, asking: “How did a deeper exploration of Squeaky’s interactions with Gretchen and the other girls in this scene deepen your understanding of Squeaky’s character?” Invite several volunteers to share their ideas with the whole group. Land 6 MIN. ANSWER THE CONTENT FRAMING QUESTION Reveal: What does a deeper exploration of the narrator reveal in “Raymond’s Run”? Ask: “How does the author’s choice to narrate this story from Squeaky’s point of view impact the story?” © Great Minds PBC G5 M4 Lesson 2 WIT & WISDOM® 52 Call on one or two volunteers to share their ideas with the whole group. n We learn a lot about what Squeaky is like and what she thinks and feels. n We learn about events and other characters from her perspective. Display the following prompt, and instruct students to write their answer in their Response Journal as an Exit Ticket. The narrator, Squeaky, wastes no time telling readers just how fast she is at the beginning of “Raymond’s Run”: “I’m the fastest thing on two feet,” she tells us. But Squeaky’s words and actions in the opening scenes of the story reveal a lot about her personality, too. What are two of Squeaky’s most important traits? How does she demonstrate these traits through her words and actions in the story? Write two to four sentences describing two of Squeaky’s most important traits. Provide one piece of evidence from the story to support each trait. Students write two to four sentences in response to this prompt, citing evidence from the story to support each of the traits they assign to Squeaky. Scaffold Support readers working below grade level with a Word Bank, including descriptors that capture Squeaky’s traits, such as confident, sassy, tough, caring, competitive, spirited, and determined, as well as distractors. Or, provide sentence frames to support students in initiating their ideas. Read aloud the Focusing Question: How can sports affect the way we view others? Share that in the previous lesson, students witnessed how the sport of rugby united the people of South Africa, where before they had been so divided. Ask: “Based on what you’ve read so far, how do you think the story ‘Raymond’s Run’ might relate to our Focusing Question?” Call on several students to share their ideas. Share that in the next lesson, students will read the rest of the story to discover the outcome of the big race. They will have an opportunity to reflect on how sport—in this case, running—affects the way characters in the story view one another. 53 © Great Minds PBC WIT & WISDOM G5 M4 Lesson 2 ® Wrap 1 MIN. ASSIGN HOMEWORK Distribute Handout 2C. Students practice reading aloud the featured fluency passage from “Raymond’s Run” three to five times. Students evaluate their own progress in the unshaded box for Day 1 and then ask an adult or a peer to listen and evaluate them as well. TEACHER NOTE The featured fluency passage from “Raymond’s Run” reveals Squeaky’s perspective of her brother Raymond and her running rival, a new girl named Gretchen. Understanding Squeaky’s initial perspectives toward these characters will be critical to understanding how her perspective transforms after the race