Lesson 20: Adolin's Gamble — Individual Honor in a Corrupt System
50 min
Student Lesson
Lesson 20: Adolin's Gamble — Individual Honor in a Corrupt System
Student Learning Objectives
Content
Students will analyze how Sanderson develops character and theme through key details in Words of Radiance.
Language
Students will use textual evidence from Words of Radiance to support written and oral analysis.
Foundations
Students will apply foundational reading strategies — fluency, decoding, and vocabulary in context — while engaging with Words of Radiance.
Essential Question
What craft choices does Sanderson make in this passage to build tension between a character's public self and private truth?
How does this scene contribute to the novel's argument about whether oaths and obligations can coexist with deception?
Connections to
Knowledge-Building
Close reading "Words of Radiance, Chapters 39-41: Adolin Defeats Four Shardbearers" builds the evidence base students need to analyze how Sanderson develops character and theme across Words of Radiance.
Enduring Understanding
Close reading with annotation develops the habit of supporting claims with precise textual evidence — the same skill required in every writing lesson in this unit.
Future Lessons
Evidence gathered from this passage will be referenced in upcoming writing and discussion lessons.
Unit Performance Task
This close read directly informs the unit's performance task, which asks students to synthesize evidence across multiple scenes to argue what Words of Radiance claims about its central themes.
Lesson Pacing
| Lesson Flow | Purpose of Learning Experience |
|---|---|
Launch5 Minutes | Orient students to the day's learning goals and activate relevant prior knowledge. |
Literacy Lab10 Minutes | Provide direct instruction on the day's focus skill before releasing students to practice with the anchor text. |
Learning in Action30 Minutes | Students apply the day's focus skill with teacher support through circulation, conferring, and targeted questioning. |
Vocabulary
Vocabulary Addressed in Lesson
Voidbringer
The ancient enemies of humanity on Roshar — a term applied both to the Fused and, historically, to the Parshendi.
Parshendi
The native intelligent species of Roshar; called Listeners among themselves, they can bond spren to change their physical forms.
Lightweaving
A Surge used by Lightweavers, like Shallan, to create illusions of light and sound by manipulating Stormlight.
Additional Vocabulary
Not available for this lesson
Material List
- Text: Words of Radiance, Chapters 39-41: Adolin Defeats Four Shardbearers
- Graphic organizer: Identity tracker — public self vs. private truth
- Handout: Annotation guide — tracking deception and power
- Student journals
Routines & Protocols
- Close Read & Annotation Protocol
- Think-Pair-Share
- Turn-and-Talk