Curriculum / ELA / 5th Grade / Alternate Unit 2: Friendship Across Boundaries: Return to Sender / Lesson 29
ELA
Alternate Unit 2
5th Grade
Lesson 29 of 29
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Write an opinion piece defending if Mari and her family should have been allowed to stay.
Book: Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
Rubric: Grade 5 Literary Analysis and Opinion Writing Rubric
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved
Should Mari and her family have been allowed to stay?
Write a multiple paragraph essay to answer the question. Your essay should:
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L.5.1.e — Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).
W.5.1 — Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information
W.5.1.a — Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose.
W.5.1.b — Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
W.5.1.c — Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
W.5.1.d — Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.5.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.5.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
W.5.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1—3 above.)
W.5.5 — With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
W.5.6 — With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
W.5.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Lesson 28
Explain what stereotypes are and why stereotypes should be avoided.
RI.5.1 SL.5.1
Describe the conditions for migrant workers in Vermont.
SL.5.1 SL.5.2 W.5.1
Explain what happens in the chapter that Tyler doesn't fully understand.
RL.5.3
Explain how the letter helps a reader better understand Mari and her relationship with her family.
Defend if hope and fear play important roles in Mari's life.
RL.5.2 RL.5.3
Explain what the events of the chapter suggest about Tyler.
Describe what happens on the bus and how the incident influences Mari and Tyler.
Defend if all members of the family have equal amounts of hope and fear.
Discussion
Close-read a text in order to determine the challenges of being an undocumented Mexican laborer.
RL.5.2 RL.5.3 SL.5.1
Writing
Outline a multiple-paragraph essay to describe what life was like for undocumented workers.
W.5.1 W.5.1.a W.5.1.b W.5.1.c W.5.1.d W.5.9.a
Explain what happens to Tío Felipe and how Mari and her family respond.
Discussion & Writing
Compare and contrast Mari and Tyler by comparing and contrasting two or more characters in a text.
L.5.1.e RL.5.2 RL.5.3 RL.5.6 SL.5.1
Write a multiple-paragraph essay comparing and contrasting Mari and Tyler.
RL.5.3 W.5.1 W.5.1.a W.5.1.b W.5.1.c W.5.1.d W.5.9.a
Analyze and defend if Tyler and Mari are developing a true friendship.
Close-read a text to determine what traditions are important in Mexican culture and explain how they help bring the Cruzes and the Paquettes together.
RI.5.1 RL.5.2 SL.5.3 SL.5.4 SL.5.5
Describe what motion is proposed at town meeting and analyze how different members in the community respond and why.
Summarize what the coyotes are demanding and what impact this has on Mari and her family and the Paquettes.
Summarize the key events from Mari's letter.
Defend if Tyler has changed and if he truly understands Mari.
Summarize what happened to Mari's parents and compare and contrast Mari's response with other members of the Cruz and Paquette family.
Analyze if Mari is a brave and noble young lady.
Write a multiple-paragraph essay to describe what life was like for undocumented Mexican laborers and their families.
Defend if Stars and Swallows is the right name for the farm.
Compare and contrast Mari and Tyler and the way their relationship impacts both of their lives by stating a theory and supporting it with evidence from the entire text.
L.5.1.e RL.5.2 RL.5.3 SL.5.1
Analyze and debate unit essential questions using details and understandings from the entire unit.
RL.5.2 RL.5.3 SL.5.1 SL.5.2
Assessment
Opinion Writing – 3 days
L.5.1.e W.5.1 W.5.1.a W.5.1.b W.5.1.c W.5.1.d
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