Lesson 4 Preface and Chapter 1

Objectives

• To locate supporting evidence for a claim
• To read and understand chapter 1

Materials

• Copies of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
  
• the double entry journals,
  
• journal topic on board.

Procedure

1. Collect vocabulary sentences and review for accuracy.
   
   
2. The teacher reads the preface aloud and may need to clarify what is happening.
   
   
3. Students respond to journal: “What does it mean to be beautiful, and how do you know this?” Share.
   
   
4. Help students understand how the young Maya Angelou felt about how she looked and how her comments give insight into her characterization.
   
   
5. Have students finish the sentence: “As a young girl, Maya Angelou felt that she was/was not. . .”
   
   
6. Require students to support their claims with least two quotations. Share.
   
   
7. Using the “popcorn reading strategy” (the teacher begins reading aloud; when teacher concludes, somebody will “pop up” and continue reading), have students read chapter 1 aloud.
   
   
8. Discuss highlights of chapter.
   NOTE: Regarding “highlights” –The teacher should make sure that students are clear about the action of a particular chapter and about the major characters in the chapter. Additionally, the teacher should keep the issue of adversity and strategies for overcoming it in the forefront of the discussion. The teacher might ask, “What are examples of adversity from this chapter? Which characters face adversity in the chapter? How does a character overcome adversity in the chapter? What forces led to the adversity? Are there ways to respond to adversity other than those illustrated in the chapter? When have you faced a similar adversity in your own life?
   
   
9. Assign double entry journal. The double entry journal allows students to record their responses to text as they read. In the left hand column, the student copies or summarizes text which is intriguing, puzzling, or moving, or which connects to a previous entry or situation. The student may choose to focus on the issue of adversity as well. In the right-hand column, the student reacts to the quotation or summary. The entry may include a comment, a question, a connection made, an analysis.

Students should write one journal entry for half of the chapters, preferably every other chapter; journals should be collected and graded at the end of the reading.

(links available January 2003)

• Guidelines for journal use:
  http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/tjourlact.htm
  
• Useful study guides:
  http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmCagedBird02.asp
  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/cagedbird/
  http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/caged/about.html
  
• An excellent critical review:
  http://www.ncte.org/notesplus/rationales/bird.shtml
  

Homework

Read chapters 2 and 3.