Unit: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (Module 2) Grade: 7th Date:

Teacher: Ms. Francois ELA Lesson Plan

PRE-PLANNING

OBJECTIVE CONNECTION TO ACHIEVEMENT GOAL

What will your students be able to do? How does the objective connect to your
achievement goal?
Students will be able to determine the central A huge part of our goal is to increase our
idea of The Geography of Sudan: Two reading comprehension skills and to translate
Perspectives by completing a close reading that understanding into writing that is both
and a double entry journal in order to answer clear and concise. In this lesson, students
a text dependent question. will be able to determine the authors main
idea and explain how it influences peoples
lives.

In addition, many of my students struggle

with citing textual evidence to support their
answers. This is an essential part to filling out
the graphic organizer correctly. While I
modeled how to complete the double journal
entry, many students were not sure where to
find the information.
PREREQUISITE SKILLS DIAGNOSTIC
What will your students need to know to master How will you assess students mastery of these
the grade-level objective? foundational skills?
Students must know how to determine the Students will complete a double entry journal
main idea and what the author is trying to where they will be asked to identify the
convey. In addition, they must know how to differences between two cities in Sudan.
include textual evidence that is both relevant Then, they will have to provide evidence
and applicable to the topic at hand. explaining the conflicts taking place in Darfur
and how it affects people within the society.
Having a working definition of what qualifies
as relevant. When I taught this lesson the first time, I did
not give a diagnostic to determine students
prior knowledge of Sudan. This should have
been extremely helpful by making
connections with what they already know and
then building on that knowledge.
END OF LESSON ASSESSMENT
How will you know whether your students have made progress toward the objective?
After completing their double entry journals, students will be asked to use the information they
collected in order to write a summary free of personal opinions about the article The
Geography of Sudan: Two Perspectives, and explain how the adversity was overcome in the
article.
KEY POINTS
What three to five key points will you emphasize?
 1) How do we determine the central idea of an article? Students will know that the central
idea is the primary take-away that the author wants readers to understand.
2) What is adversity and how is an individual able to persevere through it? Students
will make connections to the essential question about better understand it by applying
it to the article.
3) How do we compare and contrast the characteristics of two cities? Students will find
the similarities and differences between the two cities (Darfur and Khartoum) to better
understand life for the people who live there.
4) What textual evidence needs to be included in order to strengthen responses and
analysis.
LESSON CYCLE

OPENING ( 15 min.) MATERIALS

(Consider: How will you communicate what is about to happen?
How will you communicate how it will happen?
How will you communicate its importance?
How will you communicate connections to previous lessons?
How will you engage students and capture their interest?)
PowerPoint
Using a Document Reader, display the Wordle (see below) created using presentation,
the article The Geography of Sudan: Two Perspectives. document
o Reexplain to the students that these are the important vocabulary reader
terms that pertains to the article The Geography of Sudan: Two
Perspectives. The larger the word on this Wordle, the more the
author used it in their writing.
Allow the students a few moments to review the vocabulary silently.
Then, allow the students to turn to a partner, and share the terms they do
not know
Conduct a mini lesson on the words that they dont know so that students
are better prepared when reading the article.
Explain that after we complete our first read, we will use this Wordle to
help us write a summary of the article.

INTRODUCTION OF NEW MATERIAL (25 min.)

(Consider: What key points will you emphasize and reiterate?
How will you ensure that students actively take in information?
How will you vary your approach to make information accessible to all students?
Which potential misunderstandings will you anticipate? Why will students be
engaged/interested?)
 PowerPoint
Distribute the article The Geography of Sudan: Two Perspectives to the presentation,
class and explain to the students that this article will help us understand document
some important information regarding Sudan, which is where the novel, reader, copies
A Long Walk to Water takes place. of article (The
o Before we begin our deeper analysis, we will complete a first read Geography of
for general understanding. Sudan: Two
Popcorn read the article. Perspectives),
o As we complete the first read, students should annotate for general copies of
understanding. graphic
o Point out/ define the terms that were reviewed on the Wordle as organizer
they appear in the article (double entry
After we complete the first read, ask for students to share what this short journal)
article was about.
Display the Wordle again and ask, Why are these larger terms like
Darfur, Sudan, government, and etc. important to understanding the
article?

GUIDED PRACTICE ( 15 min.)

(Consider: How will you clearly state and model behavioral expectations?
How will you ensure that all students have multiple opportunities to practice?
How will you scaffold practice exercises from easy to hard? How will you monitor
and correct student performance? Why will students be engaged/interested?)
 Distribute the double entry journal and explain that as we reread the
article The Geography of Sudan: Two Perspectives we will look for
evidence of the differences between Darfur and Khartoum, as well as
evidence of adversity taking place within the society and if this
adversity was overcome.
Read from the beginning of the article until We use this water
throughout the day to cook, clean and drink.
Direct the students attention back to Because we live in the desert,
there are very few water sources. Every morning, my sisters wake up
early and walk to the nearest well to gather water, which is a long 2
mile walk.
Model writing this quote on the right hand side under evidence of
adversity that is taking place in Darfur.
After writing the quote, and analysis for how this affects Abit.

Evidence of differences between Analysis: How does the evidence

Darfur: Western Sudan and affect the individual within the society?
Khartoum-The Capital of Sudan

Evidence that demonstrates

adversity taking place in Darfur:
Western Sudan

Evidence Because we live in Analysis Due to the lack of water

the desert, there are very few
water sources.
available in the desert of Sudan, she
spends a great deal of her day walking
the 2 miles back and forth to get clean
water. This affects Abit and her
brother because they are unable to
attend school as they have to make
this 2 mile trip for water several times
a day.

Continue by allowing students to take turns reading the second

paragraph of the article.
Next, allow the students to assist you with selecting evidence for right
hand side of the double entry journal under evidence of adversity
taking place in Darfur.
o In order to check for understanding, ask many follow-up
questions pertaining to why they selected that particular quote
and ensure that the analysis portion is detailed and shows in-
depth critical thinking
Then, allow them to work with you to write an analysis for the
evidence collected.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE (15 min.)
(Consider: How will you clearly state and model behavioral expectations?
In what ways will students attempt to demonstrate independent mastery of the
objective? How will you provide opportunities for extension? Why will students be
engaged/interested?)

Allow the students to work with a partner or small group to read the
remaining paragraph in the first section, and add to the double entry
journal.
Instead of having students read the entire article in their small groups,
they will read the Darfur section and fill out the graphic organizer. Then
we will come back whole group to check on their progress. They will then
be released again to complete the article and their worksheets.
As the groups are working, circulate to assist students as needed, and/or
work with a small group. Make certain they are completing the graphic
organizer correctly and maintaining productive academic conversations.

CLOSING ( 10 min.)
(Consider: How will students summarize what they learned?
How will students be asked to state the significance of what they learned?
How will you provide all students with opportunities to demonstrate mastery of (or
progress toward) the objective?
Why will students be engaged/interested?)

Bring the students back to whole group review what the students
have added to the double entry journal.
Distribute copies of the Wordle we reviewed at the beginning of the
lesson.
Ask students to use the information captured on the double entry
journal and some of the vocabulary from the Wordle to write a
summary free of personal opinions about the article The Geography
of Sudan: Two Perspectives, and explain if the adversity was
overcome in the article.