Lesson 35: Flex Day: Skill-Based Huddles, Day 2

• Say: Today is a Flex Day. Your self-assessment and your recent classwork will help me decide which small-group session you’ll join.

Instruct students to reflect on their ability to do each of the following using the Reflection routine.

Connection to Today’s Learning:

Say: Based on your confidence ratings in addition to how you’ve demonstrated your understanding in recent work, you’ll get individualized learning sessions so you get what you need today.

Collect a quick visual of ratings.

Explain the plan:

• Three 10–15-minute teacher huddles:

  • Huddle 1: RL.6.3 (Describing Plot Development)

  • Huddle 2: L.6.1.a (Using Pronoun Case)

  • Huddle 3: L.6.2.b (Spelling Multisyllabic Words)

• Students not in a huddle work independently (choice: independent reading or knowledge building on the unit topic).

Then sort students using:

1. their Reflection responses and

2. your data from recent formative assessments.

Huddle 1 (RL.6.3) + Independent Choice Work (10–15 minutes total)

Explain that you are first going to pull students for additional work on RL.6.3 (Describing Plot Development). Pull students who rated 1–3 on RL.6.3 and/or have shown difficulty with tracking how events connect and how a character responds or changes, based on recent work. All other students begin independent work (see “Independent Choice Work” below).

Pull this group when students retell isolated events without showing sequence, skip over how a character reacts to a challenge, or describe a character trait without connecting it to what happened in the plot. Their responses often name events but do not explain why those events matter to the story’s movement.

Independent Choice Work

Students not in responsive huddles choose one task and write a brief response.

Option 1: Independent Reading

• How does one event in your independent reading push the story forward, and how does a character respond?

  • One event that pushes the story forward is when the main character is given a difficult task. That moment matters because it creates a challenge, and the character responds by trying again instead of quitting.

Option 2: Knowledge Building

• How does your reading today connect to the idea that people develop skills through practice and mentorship? Cite one example.

  • My reading connects to the unit idea because the learner does not improve all at once. One example shows a beginner watching someone more experienced and then practicing the same skill step by step.

Huddle 1 — Describing Plot Development (RL.6.3)

Use any short passage from A Single Shard or another teacher-selected literary text for this huddle. Students should have the text in front of them.

Reteach

• A story unfolds through episodes, or connected events, not random moments.

• Strong readers track both what happens and how a character responds.

• A character’s response can reveal change, determination, fear, gratitude, or a new understanding as the plot moves toward resolution.

• Say: We are going to look closely at a short part of the text and trace how one event leads to the next. Then we will explain what the character does, feels, or learns because of that event.

Guided Practice

Have students reread the passage and mark the event in the passage that seems most important to what happens next.

• Ask: What event in this passage seems to push the story forward?

  • The event that pushes the story forward is the moment when [problem, task, or decision] changes what the character has to do next.

Have students look for the character’s words, actions, or thoughts right after that event.

• Ask: How does the character respond to that event?

  • The character responds by making a choice, showing an emotion, or changing behavior. That response helps readers see what kind of person the character is in this moment.

Have students connect the event and the response to the larger plot.

• Ask: How does this event and the character’s response help the plot move toward the next episode or the resolution?

  • This event matters because it leads into the next part of the story. The character’s response shows that the problem is getting harder, being solved, or teaching the character something important.

Quick Check

• Say: You are going to write a short response that shows you can connect an event to a character response and to the larger story. This helps me see whether you can explain plot and change, not just retell.

• Ask: In 1–3 sentences, explain one other important event in the text, how a character responds, and how that response moves the plot forward.

  • One important event in the passage is when the character faces a challenge or new task. The character responds by acting, speaking, or thinking in a way that shows growth or struggle. That response moves the plot forward because it leads to the next problem, decision, or step toward resolution.

Huddle 2 (L.6.1.a) + Independent Choice Work (10–15 minutes total)

Explain that you are going to pull students for additional work on L.6.1.a (Using Pronoun Case). Pull students who rated 1–3 on L.6.1.a and/or have shown difficulty with choosing subject, object, and possessive pronouns correctly in speaking or writing, based on recent work. All other students begin independent work (see “Independent Choice Work” below).

Pull this group when students write sentences like “him carried the clay” or “Min thanked he”, mix up their and them, or avoid pronouns altogether because they are unsure which form fits. Their writing often sounds awkward because the pronoun does not match the job it is doing in the sentence.

Independent Choice Work

Students not in responsive huddles choose one task and write a brief response.

Option 1: Independent Reading

• Find one sentence in your independent reading with a pronoun. What word does the pronoun replace, and what job is the pronoun doing in the sentence?

  • The pronoun replaces the proper name of a character who was already named. In the sentence I found, the pronoun is doing the job of the subject because it is the one doing the action.

Option 2: Knowledge Building

• Why do clear pronouns matter when you explain how a learner improves in a craft or art tradition?

  • Clear pronouns matter because readers need to know who is teaching, who is learning, and who is doing each action. If the pronouns are confusing, the explanation of mentorship and practice gets harder to follow.

Huddle 2 — Using Pronoun Case (L.6.1.a)

Use any short passage from A Single Shard or another teacher-selected literary text for this huddle. Students should have the text in front of them.

Reteach

• Subject pronouns do the action: I, he, she, we, they

• Object pronouns receive the action: me, him, her, us, them

• Possessive pronouns show ownership: my, his, her, our, their

• Say: We are going to look at how pronouns work like tools in a sentence. First we will figure out the job the pronoun is doing, and then we will choose the pronoun form that fits that job.

Guided Practice

Have students find a pronoun in the passage and identify the noun or name it replaces.

• Ask: Which pronoun do you notice, and what word does it replace?

  • The pronoun “they” replaces the group named in the last sentence. Noticing what it replaces helps me keep track of who or what this sentence is about.

Have students decide whether that pronoun is acting as a subject, object, or possessive form.

• Ask: What job is this pronoun doing in the sentence?

  • The pronoun is the subject. I know its job because it shows this person is doing the action.

Have students alter one sentence from the text that uses a noun by choosing the correct pronoun form.

• Ask: If you rewrote this sentence with a pronoun, which form would fit best and why?

  • I would choose the pronoun that matches the job in the sentence. If the pronoun is receiving the action, I need an object pronoun like “him” or “them,” not a subject pronoun.

Quick Check

• Say: Now you will show that you can choose pronouns based on sentence job, not just what sounds right. This helps your writing stay clear when you explain characters, mentors, and learners.

• Ask: Complete the sentence with the correct pronouns. Then label each pronoun as S for subject or O for object.

  • Sentence: Min showed the bowl to Tree-ear, and ___ asked ___ to carry it carefully.

  • Choices: he / him / his / they / them / their

  • Min showed the bowl to Tree-ear, and he asked him to carry it carefully. he = S and him = O.

➤ Additional Student Support

Situation

Huddle 3 (L.6.2.b) + Independent Choice Work (10–15 minutes total)

Explain that you are going to pull students for additional work on L.6.2.b (Spelling Multisyllabic Words). Pull students who rated 1–3 on L.6.2.b and/or have shown difficulty with spelling grade-appropriate words correctly and checking their spelling based on recent work. All other students begin independent work (see “Independent Choice Work” below).

Pull this group when students leave out syllables, reverse letter patterns, or misspell the same high-use words even after rereading. Their writing may show good ideas, but spelling errors make important vocabulary like apprentice or carefully harder to read.

Independent Choice Work

Students not in responsive huddles choose one task and write a brief response.

Option 1: Independent Reading

• Choose one multisyllabic word from your independent reading. How would breaking it into syllables help you spell or pronounce it?

  • Breaking the word into syllables helps because I do not have to remember the whole word at once. I can focus on one part at a time and then put the parts together.

Option 2: Knowledge Building

• Why does correct spelling matter when you write about art, craft, and learning from mentors?

  • Correct spelling matters because craft words and names carry important meaning. If I spell them carefully, my reader can understand the process and the role of the mentor more clearly.

Huddle 3 — Spelling Multisyllabic Words (L.6.2.b)

Use any short passage from A Single Shard or another teacher-selected literary text for this huddle. Students should have the text in front of them.

Reteach

• Many longer words can be spelled more accurately when readers break them into syllables.

• Good spellers notice patterns they already know, like doubled consonants or common endings.

• After writing a word, strong writers reread and check instead of assuming it is correct.

• Say: We are going to practice spelling longer words by breaking them into parts, noticing patterns, and checking our work. The goal is not to rush. The goal is to spell carefully enough that your ideas stay clear.

Guided Practice

Have students find one word in the passage with two or more syllables and mark the beats they hear or see in the word.

• Ask: What syllables do you notice in this word?

  • I notice that the word can be broken into smaller sound parts. Looking at the syllables helps me slow down and remember each part instead of guessing the whole word.

Have students study the word and identify one spelling pattern that can help them remember it.

• Ask: What letter pattern in the word helps you remember how to spell it?

  • A helpful pattern is the doubled consonant “b”. That pattern gives me a reason for the spelling instead of just memorizing it.

Have students cover the word, write it from memory, and compare it to the original.

• Ask: After you write the word from memory, how can you check whether your spelling is correct?

  • I can compare my spelling to the original word and look at each syllable one at a time. If one part does not match, I can fix just that part instead of starting over.

Quick Check

• Say: This quick check asks you to use the spelling strategies we just practiced. Listen for each word, write it carefully, and then label the number of syllables in each one.

Word set read aloud by teacher: apprentice, carefully, pottery

• Ask: Write the three words correctly. Then label each word with the number of syllables.

  • apprentice — 3 syllables; carefully — 4 syllables; pottery — 3 syllables.

Students complete a brief reflection based on what they did today. Invite 2–3 students to share.

Quick Write

Option A (students who attended one or more huddles):

• Re-rate your confidence for RL.6.3, L.6.1.a, and L.6.2.b. What specifically improved?

  • Before this flex day I was a 2 on RL.6.3, and now I am a 4 because I can explain how one event causes the next part of the story. I was also a 3 on L.6.1.a, and now I know I have to check the job of the pronoun before I choose it. The small group helped me slow down and explain my thinking better.

Option B (students who did independent reading or knowledge building):

• What are you learning about on the unit topic from today’s reading or work? Cite one detail.

  • I am learning that becoming skilled takes more than talent. One detail from my reading showed a learner repeating a hard task carefully, which connects to our unit idea that effort and guidance help people grow.

Students read their independent reading book for 20 minutes and complete a reading log entry.