This text will be the focus of our ELA 8 Academic classes, "working with textual evidence" unit.
Students will read the novella, Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman. As they read, students will identify themes and develop their argument writing skills through scaffolded writing lessons. Throughout the unit, students will analyze key quotes from the novel that reflect the overarching themes. They will need to identify and differentiate the strongest supporting evidence to back up their claims. An emphasis will be placed on their ability to "read between the lines" and identify implicit and inferred information in order to draw their own conclusions. This unit will incorporate multiple mediums for students to work with in developing skills.
Students will read the novella, Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman. As they read, students will identify themes and develop their argument writing skills through scaffolded writing lessons. Throughout the unit, students will analyze key quotes from the novel that reflect the overarching themes. They will need to identify and differentiate the strongest supporting evidence to back up their claims. An emphasis will be placed on their ability to "read between the lines" and identify implicit and inferred information in order to draw their own conclusions. This unit will incorporate multiple mediums for students to work with in developing skills.
Seedfolks:
We are going to read the novella, Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman. A novella is a short novel, and this one is organized by individual vignettes, which is defined as small, graceful literary texts. Each vignette in the novella tells the story of a different character from that character’s point of view and in that character’s voice.
"God Almighty first planted a garden," Sir Francis Bacon once noted. In Paul Fleischman's novel Seedfolks, a junk-strewn, rat-infested city lot is transformed into an urban oasis, a process that transforms the gardeners' lives, as well. From the day when the secret plantings of a nine-year-old Vietnamese girl named Kim are discovered to be nothing more illicit than lima beans, the ugly lot is headed for changes. Neighboring apartment dwellers of all ages and many cultural backgrounds begin planting there, too, and soon a new society—a vital and diverse human family—has developed. Every main character has improved his or her own life as well as others', all the while setting in motion improvements among relatives, friends, chance acquaintances, and even passersby.
The combination of memories and news that Seedfolks addresses gives this story serious purposes and possibilities. It can stimulate critical thinking about issues in American life with which young adults and others struggle daily.
We are going to read the novella, Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman. A novella is a short novel, and this one is organized by individual vignettes, which is defined as small, graceful literary texts. Each vignette in the novella tells the story of a different character from that character’s point of view and in that character’s voice.
"God Almighty first planted a garden," Sir Francis Bacon once noted. In Paul Fleischman's novel Seedfolks, a junk-strewn, rat-infested city lot is transformed into an urban oasis, a process that transforms the gardeners' lives, as well. From the day when the secret plantings of a nine-year-old Vietnamese girl named Kim are discovered to be nothing more illicit than lima beans, the ugly lot is headed for changes. Neighboring apartment dwellers of all ages and many cultural backgrounds begin planting there, too, and soon a new society—a vital and diverse human family—has developed. Every main character has improved his or her own life as well as others', all the while setting in motion improvements among relatives, friends, chance acquaintances, and even passersby.
The combination of memories and news that Seedfolks addresses gives this story serious purposes and possibilities. It can stimulate critical thinking about issues in American life with which young adults and others struggle daily.
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Audio book
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Standards will be addressed by:
*close reading of a highly complex text
*reading multiple nonfiction texts to further understanding
*evaluating textual evidence for importance and value
*identifying counter points in text evaluation
*decoding sophisticated language
*identifying key concepts and themes
*evaluation of figurative language and nuances
*using implicit information to draw conclusions and make inferences
*daily writing and scaffolded extended formal writing pieces
*small group/whole class discussions
*close reading of a highly complex text
*reading multiple nonfiction texts to further understanding
*evaluating textual evidence for importance and value
*identifying counter points in text evaluation
*decoding sophisticated language
*identifying key concepts and themes
*evaluation of figurative language and nuances
*using implicit information to draw conclusions and make inferences
*daily writing and scaffolded extended formal writing pieces
*small group/whole class discussions
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