Lesson 11: Look Both Ways, Vignette 5, Call of Duty

This section introduces students to the idea of repeated imagery in Look Both Ways and how these details contribute to character and them (RL.6.2, RL.6.3). Monitor Turn and Talk discussions to ensure students reference specific text details. Prompt them to connect the repeated images to character values and relationships, reinforcing that noticing patterns builds deeper comprehension.

Turn and Talk

• Say: Today, you will analyze how Jason Reynolds uses figurative language and sentence structure in “Call of Duty” to reveal characters’ identities, values, and relationships.

Have students take out their copies of Look Both Ways.

• Say: Jason Reynolds repeats small details on purpose. Let’s track one and see why it matters.

Display an excerpt that all students can see, from “The Low Cuts Strike Again,” that mentions a school bus falling from the sky.

• Ask: Where else is this idea repeated?

  • The school bus falling from the sky appears in every story, such as on the first page of the book and at the end of “Skitter Hitter.”

• Ask: What is the feeling associated with the image?

  • The school bus falling from the sky feels surreal. It’s kind of ridiculous, but it feels dramatic at the same time.

• Ask: Why would Jason Reynolds want to repeat this feeling?

  • Reynolds wants to emphasize how even things that seem random and unpredictable can eventually become expected and even normal.

Give students a few minutes to turn and talk with a partner to identify one more repeated image in the book and what it contributes to their reading experience.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Reynolds repeats many small, ordinary moments in the book. Repeating these ordinary moments makes them more important. This repetition helps build the theme that everyday moments shape who we are and how we belong. Today, we’ll look at how small moments in “Call of Duty” reveal who Ty and Bryson are.

Introduce New Words Using Morphemes

Target Words: competition, simulation

Say these Directions: Over the course of this lesson, we are going to investigate the meanings of and relationship between the words competition and simulation.

Introduce the Word: Write the word competition on the board and pronounce it.

• Ask: Have you seen the word competition before? Where?

Identify the Root: Underline the root pet in competition. Explain that pet comes from Latin petere, meaning “seek” or “strive for.”

• Ask: Do you know any other words with the root pet?

Language Connection: Connect to petition, compete, repeat (these words relate to attempting to obtain something).

• Connect to petition—when someone seeks or asks for something. Explain that in a competition, people are seeking the same goal but working against each other.

Identify Affixes: Circle com- and -tion.

• Ask: What do you think the prefix com- might mean, based on words like community and compare? (together)

• Ask: What do you think the suffix -tion might mean, based on words you know, like separation? (the act or process of doing something)

Determine Meaning:

• Say: Using what we know about com- and -tion, what do you think competition means? (the act of seeking or striving for the same goal against others.)

• Say: Work with a partner to locate a verified definition for each word using a print or digital dictionary or other reference material. Note the part of speech and pronunciation for each word as well. Once you have found the definition, you can use the context of the sentence or passage to confirm that the definition fits the way the word is being used.

Build Word Relationships: Write cooperation next to competition.

• Ask: What is similar about the words cooperation and competition? (Both involve people working toward the same goal.)

• Ask: How are the two words different? (Competition focuses on winning or beating someone with the same goal, while cooperation focuses on working together.)

Repeat the routine with simulation:

Introduce the Word: Write simulation on the board and pronounce it.

• Ask: Have you seen the word simulation before? Where? (games, training, school activities)

Identify the Root: Underline the base root simul in simulation. Explain that simul comes from the Latin word similis, meaning “similar” or “like.”

• Ask: What are some words that sound like simulation? (similar, simulate, simultaneous)

• Language Connection: Connect to similar—something that is like something else.

• Identify Affixes: Circle -tion in simulation. Ask students what this suffix means. (“the act or process of”)

Determine Meaning:

• Ask: Using what we know about simul and -tion, what do you think simulation means? (the act of imitating a real process or experience, often for learning or practice)

• Say: Work with a partner to locate a verified definition for each word using a print or digital dictionary or other reference material. Note the part of speech and pronunciation for each word as well. Once you have found the definition, you can use the context of the sentence or passage to confirm that the definition fits the way the word is being used.

Build Word Relationships: Write real life next to simulation.

• Ask: How is a simulation like a real-life experience? How is it different? (A simulation copies real life but not exactly.)

Give Additional Morpheme Examples

• Ask: What are some other words that share the suffix -tion? (action, vacation, location, distraction)

Morpheme Encoding Practice

• Say: Now write a word with the suffix -tion from memory. Use the spelling of the shared morpheme as your anchor: if you know how to spell the root or affix, that part stays the same across all the examples. Check your spelling.

• For MLLs: Notice whether any of these example words have a cognate in your home language. Write it beside the English word and note whether the morpheme spelling carries over.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: In today’s Literacy Lab, we studied the words competition and simulation by breaking them into roots and affixes to understand their meanings. These words directly relate to the small moments in “Call of Duty” because the characters’ actions often reflect competing goals, attempts to match or imitate real-life situations, or simulations of real experiences in their interactions and choices.

Part A: Model Power Sentence Close Read: Look Both Ways: “Call of Duty” (RL.6.3) (15 minutes)

Students will practice close-reading “power sentences” to interpret character feelings, actions, and relationships (RL.6.2, RL.6.3). Monitor students’ use of interpretive verbs and textual evidence. Provide support in recognizing figurative language, sentence structure, and grammar moves that contribute to meaning. Encourage discussion of how these techniques reveal identity and values.

Say these Directions: Today, we are going to practice close-reading to better understand characters and their relationships to each other.

Teach: Model Close Read

Have students turn to “Call of Duty” in their copies of Look Both Ways.

• Ask: What do small choices, routines, and interactions reveal about a character’s identity or values?

• Say: As we close-read today, we’ll look at small moments in Ty and Bryson’s day and identify what these moments tell us about them as individuals and how they relate to each other.

Model Close Read of Power Sentences: Display the passage from “So paranoid . . .” to “. . . into a speck” where all students can see it. Read the section out loud, demonstrating good fluency. Pause after “actually a giant eye,” “building laughing at him,” and “Unseeable.”

• Say: Think about the excerpt from “Call of Duty” that was just read aloud. What does this part of the passage mean? Why might it be considered a “power sentence”?

  • The image “actually a giant eye” conveys how anxious Ty feels in this moment.

Record student-friendly interpretations for the class. Discuss text features that contribute to meaning.

• Ask: How does grammar help convey meaning in the passage?

  • The word unseeable makes a whole sentence. Having one word as a sentence shows how important that word is. It emphasizes how much Ty wants to be unseen. He wants to hide.

• Ask: How can we interpret this passage based on what we’ve discussed so far?

  • The passage uses figurative language to convey Ty's paranoia. He feels really bad and doesn’t want to be at school at all. The language is dramatic, emphasizing the depth of Ty’s feelings.

Student Pairs: Close Read of Power Sentence

Next, have students use a chart to break down additional power sentences with a partner.

Say these Directions: Work with a partner to find and dissect other power sentences in “Call of Duty.” Use the 3 Column Chart to break down each sentence. Label the columns as follows:

• Column 1: Power Sentence

• Column 2: My Interpretation

• What It Tells Me About the Character

Use sentence frames to dissect your own power sentences.

• “One image from the passage is ____. I think this image means ____.”

• “One interesting grammar move I notice is ____. This grammar helps convey ____.”

• “Based on what we’ve read, I can interpret the passage to mean ____.”

• “This passage tells me that the character [is feeling/values] ____.”

Ensure students can link power sentence details to character insight and thematic understanding. Monitor partner work, provide feedback, and check that students are using interpretive verbs and citing textual evidence accurately.

Part B: Independent Close Read of Power Sentences (RL.6.3) (15 minutes)

Students will independently analyze power sentences using the three-column chart (RL.6.3). Monitor for superficial interpretations or paraphrasing. Prompt students to focus on what the text suggests about character identity, values, and relationships, and ensure they cite evidence directly from the passage. Reinforce precise language and reasoning for independent analysis.

Close-Read Power Sentences

• Say: As you choose your power sentences, consider whether the words competition and simulation help you explain what the passage reveals about the characters.

Say these Directions: Now complete one or two more examples of power sentence work on your own.

If time allows, invite students to share their work. Invite discussion if students chose the same power sentences. Ask them if their interpretations were similar or how they differed.

Check that students select meaningful power sentences and analyze them using the three-column chart. Ensure interpretations go beyond paraphrasing, include textual evidence, and accurately reflect a character's identity, values, or relationships.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Respond to the question. Remember to include one truth, one supporting detail from “Call of Duty,” and one sentence explaining what the detail shows.

• Jason Reynolds says that he writes stories that reflect young people’s truths and validate their feelings and experiences. What is one truth he is validating in this story?

  • Optional Sentence Starter:

    • “One truth Reynolds is validating in this story is ____.”

      • One truth Reynolds is validating in this story is the idea that no one else gets to decide who you are. One action does not define your identity, but it can teach you about yourself.

Instruct students to update their Ordinary Moments graphic organizers (from Lesson 3) for Ty and Bryson.