Lesson 35: The Battle of Thaylen Field — Coalition, Sacrifice, and Victory
50 min
Student Lesson
Lesson 35: The Battle of Thaylen Field — Coalition, Sacrifice, and Victory
Student Learning Objectives
Content
Students will analyze how Sanderson develops character and theme through key details in Oathbringer.
Language
Students will use textual evidence from Oathbringer to support written and oral analysis.
Foundations
Students will apply foundational reading strategies — fluency, decoding, and vocabulary in context — while engaging with Oathbringer.
Essential Question
How does Sanderson use Dalinar's flashbacks to develop the theme of accountability without absolution?
What does this scene reveal about the relationship between individual moral failure and systemic harm?
Connections to
Knowledge-Building
Close reading "Oathbringer, Chapters 81-83: The Battle of Thaylen Field — A World Fights Back" builds the evidence base students need to analyze how Sanderson develops character and theme across Oathbringer.
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 Oathbringer 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
Thrill
The Unmade Nergaoul, which infects people with an uncontrollable hunger for battle; Dalinar spent years under its influence.
Urithiru
The ancient tower-city of the Knights Radiant, hidden in the mountains of Roshar; its inner workings are powered by the spren called the Sibling.
Recreance
The historical event in which the Knights Radiant all abandoned their oaths simultaneously, leaving their spren as deadeyes.
Everstorm
A counterclockwise storm created by Odium's forces; it restores Singer forms and carries Voidlight, enabling the return of the Fused.
Additional Vocabulary
Not available for this lesson
Material List
- Text: Oathbringer, Chapters 81-83: The Battle of Thaylen Field — A World Fights Back
- Graphic organizer: Accountability tracker — action, consequence, response
- Handout: Annotation guide — tracking Dalinar's moral arc
- Student journals
Routines & Protocols
- Close Read & Annotation Protocol
- Think-Pair-Share
- Turn-and-Talk