Small Reading Group Lessons

Addressing Comprehension
(Lessons Two and Three)

Grade Level/Subject: 6th Grade/Language Arts

Short Story Being Used: Thank You Ma’m By: Langston Hughes

Hughes, Langston. "Thank You Ma'm." 1958. Web. 16 Nov. 2010.

<http://staff.esuhsd.org/danielle/English%20Department%20LVillage/RT/Short%20Stories/Thank%20Yo
u,%20Ma%27am.pdf>.

Content Goals:

- Students will be able to identify themes in the story.

- Students will be able to develop and understanding of the main characters through looking at the story and
studying the behavior of the characters throughout.
- Students will be able to study the setting of the text to learn more about the main characters as well as the theme
of the story.
- Students will be able to use what they know about the plot of the story to write an alternate ending.
- Students will be able to write at least 5 complete sentences.

Illinois Learning Standards:

1.C.3b Interpret and analyze entire narrative text using story elements, point of view and theme.
2.A.3b Describe how the development of theme, character, plot and setting contribute to the overall impact of a piece
of literature.
3.A.3 Write compositions that contain complete sentences and effective paragraphs using English conventions.

Materials/Resources/Technology:

Smart Board
“Yes Ma’am” By Langston Hughes
Writing Utensil
“Alternate Ending” Worksheet

Implementation:

We will begin the class by reviewing the story, and reminding the students of the summaries that they wrote last week.
We will discuss what happened in the story and some questions that we answered last week as well. We will then begin
to look more deeply at the text in order to understand better the main characters, the setting, and the themes of the story.
The following day, the students will use their understanding of the story to create a new ending in 5 or more sentences. If
the students feel comfortable, they will read them aloud to the class.

Time
Opening of lesson: (Objectives, hook, behavior expectations)

At the beginning of the class, I will ask the students for their eyes facing front, and their
Both days: mouths closed. I will then state that in order for us to complete this activity in a fun way,
2 minutes then I expect respectful participation from the entire class, which means raised hands and
à
a mature participation in the game. State that they have a choice: they can either
participate in the group discussion, or they can complete the activity individually. If they
prove to be listening and participating, then they can do the group activity.
First day: After the establishment of expectations, I will ask the class if they had ever wished that
8 minutes they could change the way things turned out? “Have you ever watched a movie or read a
à book that you just wished the ending was different? Can you share some of those
examples with the class?” The students will then share some of their examples of endings
that they had wished were different. I will then ask that one or two of the student share
with me what they wrote for their summaries of the story. After the students are
reminded of what Thank You Ma’m was about, I will tell them that we are going to look a
little bit more deeply at the characters and the setting of the story so that we can discover
the theme. Once we have done that, we will use what we know about the story to change
the ending to be the way that we would like it.
Second Day:
4 minutes I will begin the class reminding the students of some of the examples they had given for
à times they wished they could give an alternate ending. I will then bring up the notes that
we had taken in class about the main characters, the setting, and the themes, and the pass
out the “Alternate Ending” worksheet. “Today is your chance to write your own ending
for Yes Ma’m,” I will announce.

Procedures: Include critical thinking questions and accommodations for individual needs

(26 minutes) Day 1

à
After the introduction to the lesson, I will pull up the Smart Board and we will look at the main
characters as a class. I will ask them who the main characters in the story are. I will write on the
board as they tell me who they are in a T-chart. I will then ask for them to look at the story and
to tell me the different traits of the two characters. Who are they? What is their personality like?
What do they want? What do they look like? What is their background? After we have
developed the characters a little bit more, we will look at the setting. I will pull up a new screen
on the Smart Board, and we will describe the setting of the story. Where are they? What is the
woman’s house like? Is she wealthy or no? Is the boy wealthy or no?

Once we have developed and studied the characters and the setting as a class, we will look at the
theme of the story. “Do you remember last week when we talked about integrity? Can anyone
remember what our classroom definition of integrity is?” (Doing what you know is right even
when no one is looking.) “Can anyone see in this story where that definition would fit in? Does
the woman ask for the boy to have integrity?” (yes). “Can anyone tell me what a theme is?” (A
theme is the subject of the story. The purpose of the story. It is what the story is based around.
It is what drives the plot—what the plot is centered around.) “Do any of you see themes in this
story? What do you think a theme could be?” I will then ask the students to turn to the person
next to them and to discuss with one another what possible themes could be. Once they have
discussed for 2 minutes, I will ask some of the students to share their ideas. I will ask questions
of the students until they are lead to the correct theme of the story, which has to do with having
integrity.

Closing: At the end of the class, I will tell the students that the next day, they will get to use what they
4 minutes discovered today about the characters, the setting, and the theme to help them develop their own
à alternate ending of the story.

Day 2

(30 minutes) After the students have their worksheets, I will give them their directions stating that they have
à about 20 minutes independently to develop 5 or more sentences as a new ending to the story. At
the end of these 20 minutes, the students will get in groups of three and share their stories with
one another. Then one person from each group of three will share their alternate ending with the
class.
 “Using what we know about characters, themes, and settings can help us to better understand the
Closing stories that we are reading in class together. Activities like these help us to better comprehend
(4 minutes) what we are reading. By doing them, we also become more invested in the story as well. When
you are invested in the story, there are sometimes things you wish were different. Today you
developed your own ideas to support what you thought would have been best for the text. Nice
job 6th grade authors! You may just be the next Langston Hughes!” I will then thank the
students for being active participants, collect the students’ alternate endings.

Student Assessment:

Students will be assessed by in-class participation as well as the grading of their alternate endings.
If I were the students’ normal teacher, I would then have the students revise and type up their
finished alternate endings.