Lesson 9: Look Both Ways, Vignette 4, How to Look (Both) Both Ways

This opening activates prior knowledge across multiple vignettes and introduces the concept of theme through symbolism (RL.6.2). Students may initially describe the falling bus literally; guide them to interpret it as a repeated image that conveys meaning. Push students to move from observation to inference by requiring a claim supported with text evidence (RL.6.1). This discussion sets the foundation for connecting character voice to the central idea later in the lesson.

Turn and Talk

Ask different volunteers to summarize the four vignettes they have read in Look Both Ways.

Say these Directions: Turn and talk with a partner about the following: What have you noticed about school buses falling from the sky in Look Both Ways? List all the moments in the book so far when this image has appeared.

After two minutes, prompt students to hypothesize on what Jason Reynolds may be symbolizing through the falling school bus.

• Ask: What might the bus symbolize?

  • A school bus falling from the sky is a very dramatic—and very unlikely— thing to happen. School buses are an ordinary thing, even in the book. Many kids ride school buses. For one to fall from the sky is strange. I think it symbolizes how unpredictable or scary things can make their way into ordinary moments.

Teach: Theme and Central Idea (RL.6.2)

• Say: You’ve identified what the school bus might symbolize. When an author repeats an image or idea like this across multiple stories, they’re often using it to develop a central idea — the big idea the whole text explores. Another word for this in fiction is theme: a message about life or human experience that the author develops through the characters and events.

• Ask: Based on what you’ve read so far in Look Both Ways, what central idea or theme do you think Jason Reynolds is developing? What details from the stories we’ve read support that idea?

  • One central idea is that ordinary moments reveal something important about who people are and how they face uncertainty. The school bus falling from the sky appears in every story, contrasting the ordinary (kids walking home) with the unexpected (something dramatic breaking into a routine moment). This detail helps convey the theme that real life is unpredictable, even in the most everyday situations.

• Say: As we study Fatima today, keep this central idea in mind. We’re going to look at how the details of her story, specifically her lists and her way of thinking, help develop this same theme.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: School buses show up as ordinary objects that students ride and as fantasy objects that fall from the sky. As you have mentioned, they can work as symbols in a few ways. The school bus falling from the sky is a unique image that helps convey Jason Reynolds's voice. Today, we’re going to compare Fatima to a character from an earlier story, and we’re going to investigate her voice—her character voice, or the distinct ways she speaks and thinks in the story.

Fluency Practice

Say these Directions: Listen to an excerpt from “How to Look (Both) Both Ways,” starting with “Fatima crashed onto the sidewalk . . . ” on p. 66 to “ No miles an hour” on p. 67. Carefully monitor intonation, emphasis, and rate.

1. Say: As I read, pay attention to the pace at which I read. What do I do with my voice to maintain a steady pace? As you listen, track how my reading reflects what is happening in the paragraph.

Identify the Gist: Briefly discuss the gist of the passage.

• Ask: What is happening in the paragraph?

  • Fatima has fallen on the sidewalk and scraped her knees. She needs a moment to collect herself, but the bus pulls up next to her.

• Ask: How is Fatima feeling? How do you know?

  • Fatima feels self-conscious. She says she knows the bus is going to move slower than she’d thought, at “ no miles an hour.” This will give the kids on the bus plenty of time to see her lying on the sidewalk, which Fatima doesn’t want.

Set a Purpose for a Second Read-Through:

• Say: The second time we read, let’s focus on conveying how Fatima is feeling. What can I do to emphasize her state of mind and emotional state?

Discuss briefly and reaffirm or redirect student answers.

Class Echo Reads the Text: Read one sentence, and have the class repeat.

Partner Read:

Say these Directions: Now partner-read the passage.

• Partner A reads. Partner B provides feedback. 

• Partner B reads. Partner A provides feedback. 

Tell students that the ability to read fluently will help them understand texts, even when they aren’t reading out loud.

• Say: Explain to a partner one thing you noticed when you read the passage more than once.

Model one possible result from fluent reading.

• Say: When we reread the excerpt together, I understood the emotions the author implied that Fatima was feeling. The phrase “ like a wave of boiling water” seemed like a stronger description of the pain and embarrassment Fatima was experiencing when I concentrated on reading steadily and accurately.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, we will compare Fatima to a character from a previous story. Being able to read fluently will help us understand the characters’ emotions and actions.

Part A: Model Comparing and Contrasting Characters (RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3) (15 minutes)

This portion of the lesson supports students in comparing and contrasting characters with a focus on voice (RL.6.3). Students often default to comparing actions or appearance; explicitly redirect them to analyze how characters think, speak, and interpret their experiences. Reinforce the use of structured sentence frames to support precise academic language and evidence-based reasoning. This work bridges character analysis to theme by showing how voice reflects deeper ideas in the text.

• Say: As you make your comparisons, keep in mind what Fatima says about the reason she keeps her lists. She says, “Routine lessens risk,” and talks about her mom’s experiments. Fatima uses the words constant and variable. In a science experiment, the constant is the thing that stays the same; it is the fixed value that does not change. The variable is a symbol that represents an unknown value; this can change during the experiment. Think about this as you make your comparisons and investigate Fatima’s voice.

Teach: Compare and Contrast

Say these Directions: Open your book to “How to Look (Both) Both Ways.” Reread pp. 66–68, where Fatima falls and encounters Benni. As you read, mark details that show how Fatima thinks differently from other characters we’ve read about. Pay attention to her lists and her internal dialogue.

Direct students to the compare-and-contrast sentence frames. Remind them of the difference between comparing and contrasting.

Compare and Contrast Characters:

• Compare: When you compare, you find similarities between two or more things.

• Contrast: When you contrast, you find differences between two or more things.

• Use sentence frames to compare Fatima to another character:

  • Compared to [character name], who is ___________, Fatima is ____________.

  • I can tell that Fatima is [more/less] _________ than [character name] when she thinks/says, “______________.”

  • When Fatima ____________, it reminds me of [character name] because that character also ________________.

Say: Complete at least three compare/contrast statements using two or more of the frames.

Character Study

Explain to the class that by comparing Fatima to other characters, or studying her, a reader can learn about Fatima’s distinct motivations and voice.

• Ask: What can we learn about Fatima’s motivations based on comparisons with other characters? Cite an example from the story.

  • I can tell Fatima is concerned with getting home for different reasons than, for example, Jasmine and TJ or Pia; she is more interested in getting home safely and maintaining her independence in her parents’ eyes. She doesn’t want to tell her parents about Benni, and she doesn’t want to be noticed by the other kids.

• Ask: How does comparing Fatima to other characters inform our understanding of her voice, or her way of thinking or speaking?

  • Fatima is the only character to make a list so far in the story. This gives us a look into her head and tells us about what is important to her. It’s important to her to carefully notice things around her.

Part B: Compare and Contrast Characters (RL.6.3, L.6.5, SL.6.1.d) (15 minutes)

Have students reread the section where Fatima creates her lists and interacts with Benni (pp. 66– 70). Students should look for specific words, phrases, or actions that reveal her voice. Tell students that they’ll use these details as evidence in their comparisons.

Transition students to work independently on comparing Fatima to an earlier character. Remind students of the sentence frames they can use in their comparisons. Prompt students to include text evidence in their comparisons and to look for opportunities to show how Fatima’s voice differs from other characters’.

Give One, Get One

Say these Directions: Share the comparison statement you made between Fatima and an earlier character and ask for feedback. Then listen to a classmate’s comparison and give them feedback. Revise your comparison statement based on peer feedback.

• Ask: What is one thing you realized about Fatima by sharing your comparison with a classmate?

  • By comparing Pia to Fatima, I realized Fatima is not only very focused but also very cautious. She doesn’t seem to want to take risks.

• Ask: What is one thing you realized about another character by sharing your comparison with a classmate?

  • Comparing TJ to Fatima made me realize that TJ seems introverted, like Fatima. And he is as observant as she is, too.

Allow students to circulate and share their responses as time allows.

This closing task assesses students’ ability to connect character analysis to theme (RL.6.2). Students must move beyond retelling to explain Benni’s purpose as a “variable” and how she contributes to the text’s central idea. Prompt students to use interpretation language (represents, suggests, shows) and to clearly link evidence to reasoning (RL.6.1). This writing prepares students for future analytical writing about how characters develop meaning in a text.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Respond to the following question:

• Ask: Why do you think Jason Reynolds chose to include the character Benni in this vignette? Is she a constant or a variable?

  • • Optional Sentence Starter:

  • “The character Benni is included in the story because ____.”

    • Benni represents the unpredictability of life. For example, she appears with a closed umbrella when it’s raining. She is a variable in Fatima’s day, always different. Including her adds a sense of surprise, uncertainty, and humor.

Provide the following instructions to students:

• Update the character chart created in Lesson 3 for Fatima. In your Journal, make a list of the scenarios you have encountered in the stories so far (for example, supporting each other during times of challenge, dealing with chronic illness, self-preservation, wanting to belong, etc.). Include evidence to support your descriptions.