Lesson 6: Look Both Ways, Vignette 2, The Low Cuts Strike Again

Think-Pair-Share

Before beginning the Launch routine, have students take out their Ordinary Moments graphic organizers from the earlier Spark lesson. Instruct them to update their graphic organizers as they work.

Remind students of Essential Question 1: How do ordinary moments reveal who we are and how we belong?

Say these Directions: Think-Pair-Share to compare the situations of John John, Francy, Trista, and Bit.

• Ask: What groups do the characters in “The Low Cuts Strike Again” belong to?

  • The Low Cuts are all students and all parts of families dealing with cancer. They are also all in the group that teachers call “at risk.” But they are also in different groups, too. For example, Trista belongs to the martial arts group, and she’s a “daddy’s girl.” Francy is good at numbers, and Bit is good at being a salesman.

• Say: We’ve noticed that the Low Cuts belong to several groups—students, kids dealing with cancer in their families, and a group that teachers label “at risk.” Let’s look closely at a sentence from the story:

• “But the Low Cuts don’t just take to be taking.”

• Ask: What does that sentence mean to you?

  • The sentence “But the Low Cuts don’t just take to be taking” tells me that their actions have reasons. I think it’s setting us up to learn why they are really doing it, moving the plot forward. I also think it will help develop the theme by showing that people’s actions can have deeper meanings.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: That sentence signals that the story is about more than what the Low Cuts do—it’s about why they do it. Seeing the similarities among the Low Cuts helps you spot clues about their perspective, something we discussed in earlier lessons. Today, you’ll analyze cause-and-effect relationships to investigate more about characters’ motivations, or why they act the way they do.

Fluency Practice

• Ask: What do you think it means to read fluently?

  • To read at a steady pace with appropriate inflection

• Ask: What does reading at an appropriate rate sound like?

  • Smooth, paced appropriately while maintaining meaning

Model Fluent Reading: Model fluently reading from the “Water Booger Bears” section, “With Bit leading the way . . .” to “Don’t poop your pants.” Make sure to change inflection to convey dialogue.

• Say: Think about how I changed my voice when I read, “I’m coming. I’m coming. Don’t poop your pants.” I was trying to communicate something about the character Ms. CeeCee. While reading, what did I do to read at an appropriate rate? How did my voice change for dialogue?

Class Echo-Read: Reread the section aloud, having students read with you.

• Ask: What challenges do you notice when trying to read at an appropriate rate?

Partner Read: Place students in pairs.

Say these Directions: Take turns reading the next paragraphs of dialogue section aloud, concentrating on the interactions among Ms. CeeCee, John John, and Bit. Remember to read at an appropriate rate and change your inflection for the dialogue.

• Ask: What did you notice your partner doing well? How did this help you understand the meaning behind what a character was saying or doing?

  • I noticed my partner changing their voice while reading which helped me understand when a character was speaking.

Allow students to share their work. Once sharing is complete, affirm the connection.  

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Having the ability to fluently read text at an appropriate pace, including dialogue, will help you understand the characters. This is important as we think about the Low Cuts’ motivations in today’s lesson.

Transition students to prepare for a whole-class activity using their Cause and Effect graphic organizers.

Part A: Identify Cause-and-Effect Relationships (L.6.5.b, RL.6.5) (15 minutes)

Remind students of how they have close read Look Both Ways in earlier lessons to identify ideas about characters, such as their perspectives and what they reveal. Explain that they will now close read “The Low Cuts Strike Again” by looking at stories through another lens: cause-and-effect relationships.

• Say: Looking at cause-and-effect relationships will help us determine and analyze characters’ motivations. Causes and effects do not stand alone—in other words, there is not always a single cause that leads to a single effect. In fact, sometimes an effect can be the cause of another set of causes and effects. To investigate causes and effects in today’s story, we can ask questions like: What are some actions that the Low Cuts take? What happens as a result of these actions?

Turn to the section in Water Booger Bears, and read from “But the Low Cuts didn’t take just to be taking ” to “. . . hard up, squeezed, strapped.” Model your thinking.

• Say: Hard up, squeezed, and strapped are all ways of describing someone who is struggling financially. This must be why the Low Cuts steal. I am going to write “Families struggling financially” in the Cause column and “Low Cuts steal” in the Effect column.

Remind students about causes and effects often deriving from other cause-and-effect relationships, then continue modeling.

• Ask: But why are the families struggling financially? What is the cause of that? I am going to write “Low Cuts belong to families that deal with cancer” in the Cause column. Then I can put an effect that is a cause we just identified: “Families struggling financially.”

Turn to the section in Water Booger Bears, and read from “John John, you was born a senior citizen” to “. . . out out in the middle of the sidewalk.”

• Ask: In this passage, why does John John punch Trey? In other words, what is the cause of John John punching Trey?

  • Trey is making fun of John John, which has the effect of John John punching Trey.

• Say: From these examples, we can see that some cause-and-effect relationships play out over the course of the story, such as why the Low Cuts steal. Other cause-and-effect relationships are shorter, like why John John punches Trey. Both can reveal information about the characters, though.

Say these Directions: Use your Cause and Effect graphic organizer to identify more information about characters and their actions. Fill in two or three more cause-and-effect relationships. Then answer the following question using evidence from the text.

• Ask: What do cause-and-effect relationships reveal about character motivations?

  • Investigating cause-and-effect relationships reveals why characters do the things they do. For example, we learn that John John punches Trey because Trey makes fun of him repeatedly. John John’s motivation is anger. The Low Cuts, as a group, steal change to buy money to sell candy; this is a cause with the effect that they can buy ice cream for Bit’s mom. Their motivation is empathy: They want to help Bit’s mom feel better. Understanding characters’ motivations helps us learn more about them.

• Say: We’ve been identifying cause-and-effect relationships between events. Writers also use word relationships to help readers understand meaning clearly. I’ll repeat some signal words from our discussion: because, as a result, leads to, results in. What relationship do these words show? (cause and effect)

• Say: Now look at these words from the story: Mary Janes, Life Savers, Squirrel Nut Zippers. What category do they belong to? (types of candy) And finally, how are Bit, Francy, John John, and Trista related to each other? (parts of a group, the Low Cuts)

• Say: Recognizing word relationships—such as cause and effect, category, and parts/whole—helps readers understand ideas more clearly.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Part B: Connect Character Motivation to Empathy (RL.6.3, RL.6.6, SL.6.1.d) (15 minutes)

In this section, students extend their understanding of cause-and-effect by analyzing how motivations build empathy. The goal is for students to connect what characters do (actions) with why they do it (motivations) and how that influences the reader’s perspective. As students engage in Graffiti/Table Talk, monitor whether they are moving beyond surface-level observations (e.g., “they are kind”) to deeper explanations of how the narrator’s point of view reveals internal thoughts and feelings. Encourage students to use specific evidence and to explain how the narrator’s insights shape their understanding of the characters.

Graffiti/Table Talk

Before starting Graffiti/Table Talk, explain that the author’s choice of a third-person narrator who knows the Low Cuts’ secret motivations is a deliberate move to build empathy.

• Say: Jason Reynolds chose a narrator who sees beyond the Low Cuts’ reputation as “stealers.” If this story were told from the pool hall owner's perspective, how would the cause of their stealing appear different? By choosing a narrator who stays close to the children’s feelings, the author develops a point of view that compels us to see their kindness rather than just their actions.

Have students display their Cause and Effect graphic organizers. Then make sure each student has an Empathy and Connection Evidence Finder. Students will either need 2 copies of the organizer, can divide one column into two, or can draw the chat on a separate piece of paper.

Say these Directions: Label the columns on your Empathy and Connection Evidence Finder with these titles:

• Significant moment (kindness or misunderstanding)

• Narrator’s insight (what the narrator tells us that a stranger wouldn’t see)

• How the moment changes one character’s view of another

• How the moment builds empathy

Next, circulate around the classroom and look at your classmates’ Cause-and-Effect graphic organizers. Respond silently using sticky notes. At the same time, pause now and then to fill out your Empathy and Connection Evidence Finder graphic organizer as you respond to each other’s ideas.

Remind students that as they respond to their classmates’ ideas, they should consider how learning more about why characters do what they do (their motivations) can give insight into those characters’ thinking and perspective.

• Say: Getting insight into a character’s motivations, such as why a child might steal and barter to buy ice cream for his mother, can help you build empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share someone else’s feelings. How does the narrator’s description of these internal causes change the effect on you (your empathy) as a reader? Use the Evidence Finder to identify significant moments and how the narrator’s specific point of view facilitates that connection.

Allow five minutes for volunteers to share one idea that they have written in their Evidence Finders.

• Ask: Based on the moment you have chosen, how does the narrator’s ability to see the Low Cuts as children, rather than just “tough kids,” help Reynolds develop the theme of community? Please share a theme statement, and include one detail where the narrator’s point of view made you feel like an insider to their secret.

Quick Write

Transition students to the Lesson Look Back by reviewing how cause -and -effect relationships reveal information about characters’ points of view. Then have students complete the Quick Write. Collect formative data.

Say these Directions: Respond to the following question.

• Ask: How does understanding a character’s motivations build empathy?

  • When we understand a character’s motivations, it is easier to consider life from their perspective. We can “stand in their shoes.” This lets us imagine how they are feeling. When we can picture a situation from someone else’s perspective, it makes it easier to imagine what they are thinking or how they are feeling. We can imagine thinking or feeling the same way. This builds empathy.

Instruct students:

Continue to update your Ordinary Moments (character) graphic organizer for all four Low Cuts characters. As you review the story and make notes, think about the implicit and explicit details the author gives you about the four students. Record these in your Journal.