Constructing Written Responses to Text-Based Questions About Grandfather's Journey
Objective
Big Idea
Narrative
Lesson Starter
As we come to a close in discussing the story "Grandfather's Journey" by Allen Say, we began the day with a few guiding questions - Why do you think traveling in North America made the grandfather want to see more of America? and Thinking about places you have traveled, what can be learned from traveling to new places? Again, my goal is achieved in getting students to hone in on the fact that we, as individuals, bring our own unique perspectives about traveling and other things, as well.
Constructed Response Assessment
I allow scholars the majority of the class period to construct responses to text-based questions about "Grandfather's Journey." I selected this assignment because it is aligned with Common Core State Standard ELA key shift #2 - reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational. Rather than just asking my students questions that they can answer from their own prior knowledge and experience, I want them to gain experience going back to the text to re-read and answer questions based on information they read in the text. This assignment helps them to do just that.
