Lesson 23: Look Both Ways, Vignette 7, Ookabooka Land

In this launch, the goal is to help students notice how the author establishes Cynthia’s perspective immediately. Model thinking aloud about tone, mood, and characterization. Emphasize discussion before sharing with the class to support comprehension and perspective-taking. Guide students to focus on humor, exaggeration, and the impact of starting with action rather than exposition. Use this time to set expectations for text-based reasoning and pointing to evidence.

Project or write the opening line of “Ookabooka Land”:

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Take out your copies of Look Both Ways. Reread the first line in this vignette’s opening paragraph. Discuss the following questions with a partner. Then be ready to share your ideas with the class. “Gather, gather, gather round, ladies and gentlemen, leopards and giraffes, lollipops and gummy bears, lizard lips and googly-eyes, and yes, even you . . . Mrs. Stevens.”

Students will turn and talk to discuss the following questions. Give students time to discuss briefly with each other before leading a discussion with the whole class.

• Ask: What do you notice about the way this vignette begins? How does this opening make you feel about Cynthia right away?

  • It feels dramatic and funny. Cynthia sounds confident and bold. It makes her seem larger than life and entertaining. She also seems like she’s clever and has a vivid imagination.

• Ask: Why might the author choose to begin with Cynthia performing instead of beginning with background information about her?

  • Starting with her performance helps us see her personality immediately. It puts us inside her point of view and shows us that she sees herself as a comedian.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: In this vignette, the author begins with Cynthia performing in class. As we read and discuss this story, pay attention to how its structure and the details Reynolds includes help us understand Cynthia’s perspective of her life at school and her life at home.

Semantic Knowledge

Target Words: sideways, giggles

Introduce the Word: Write or project sideways where all students can see it, and read the sentence where it appears in the text: the second paragraph of “Ookabooka Land” in Look Both Ways.

Say these Directions: Discuss whether the word sideways is being used literally or figuratively in the story, and explain how you know. Next, work with a partner or small group to figure out what sideways means in this context and why the author chose to use it this way. Finally, look back through the story for other words or phrases that may have figurative, symbolic, or multiple meanings, and be ready to share your ideas.

1. Ask: What does the word sideways mean literally? (“to, toward, or from the side”)

2. Ask: In the context of the story, is sideways being used literally? How can you tell?

   • The word is not used literally because Cynthia is not literally moving or speaking sideways. Here, sideways describes a monologue, which is speech, not movement. Therefore, it couldn’t literally mean something that is moving sideways.

3. Ask: If sideways is not used literally, how is it used here? What does it mean in this context?

   • The author uses sideways figuratively to show that Cynthia’s monologue is only loosely connected to whatever Mrs. Stevens taught that day.

• Ask: Why do you think the author uses this word in a figurative way? What does it add to the text?

  • Using the word in this way adds humor to the story and shows how silly Cynthia is. It helps the reader know how her teacher and classmates view her.

• Ask: Authors sometimes use words in ways that emphasize a certain part of the meaning or contribute to the figurative or symbolic meaning in the text, like with the word sideways. What other words in “Ookabooka Land” have multiple meanings or symbolic meanings? Which are not used literally?

  • The word planting is used to describe how Cynthia puts her face on the desk.

Give students a chance to look through the story and discuss it in small groups. Write or project the words students identify.

Identify the Word: Write or circle the word giggles, and read the sentence in the story that the word appears in, about halfway through the section: “Cynthia traipsed around the cemetery, looking for giggles, finding none.”

• Ask: What is a giggle, literally? Is Cynthia looking for literal giggles?

  • A giggle is a light, high-pitched laugh. No, Cynthia is not looking for literal giggles.

• Ask: What does the word giggle mean in this context? What do giggles symbolize?

  • Giggles is the name Cynthia and her grandfather use when they are talking about cigarette butts. They remind Cynthia’s grandfather of his girlfriend, Ms. Fran. So they symbolize the connection between Cynthia and her grandfather. They stand for love and connection.

Determine Meaning:

• Say: Sometimes, it can be difficult to know if a word is being used in a literal or figurative way. You can ask yourself questions to help you decide:

  • What does the word literally mean? What is the first dictionary definition?

  • Does that meaning make sense in this context? (Can a monologue literally be sideways? Can you pick giggles up off the ground?)

  • Can this word stand in for something other than itself? (Giggles describes the love between Cynthia and her grandfather.)

  • What image is the author trying to make me think of? (Sideways—the way Cynthia tells her story.)

• Say: Exploring the relationships between the words and images can help you determine the multiple ways a word is being used.

Tell students that employing multiple meanings of words is one technique authors use to craft their writing.

• Say: Pay attention to how words are used. If it seems like a literal definition doesn’t make sense, try asking some questions to determine the figurative or symbolic meaning.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Using words that have multiple meanings can create complex layers of meaning in a text. This is one way that authors use craft to create a story. When we say author’s craft, we mean the intentional structures, techniques, and choices an author makes when composing a text. These include things like dialogue, sentence length, and figurative language.

Part A: Author’s Craft: Look Both Ways, “Ookabooka Land” (RL.6.5) (15 minutes)

In this section, the focus is on analyzing narrative techniques. Encourage students to identify, label, and explain techniques while connecting them to character perspective. Emphasize the importance of linking examples to interpretation and effect. Circulate to check for accurate use of interpretive verbs and to prompt deeper thinking. Highlight the connections among humor, figurative language, and readers' understanding of Cynthia.

Teach: Author’s Craft

Say these Directions: When we study an author’s craft, we look at the choices a writer makes and how those choices shape the story. Review the key terms for talking about the author’s craft. Then read “Ookabooka Land” and look for examples of how the author builds the vignette.

Author’s Craft:

• craft: for an author, the intentional structures, techniques, and choices made when composing a text

• dialogue: the words characters speak in a story

• figurative language: words used to convey meaning beyond the literal (ex. simile, metaphor, personification)

• imagery: visually descriptive figurative language

• perspective: the lens through which a narrator or character views the events of a story

• text structure: features of a text, such as sentence length and chapter breaks

• word choice: the words an author uses to describe the setting, explain the plot, and present dialogue

• Say: Authors use different techniques to tell their stories. These techniques convey a voice that is unique to the author. We’ve discussed Jason Reynolds’s voice before.

  • Ask: How did we characterize his voice? (humorous, dramatic)

• Say: Reynolds often uses dramatic imagery, such as a school bus falling from the sky, to show how intense a moment feels to a character. He also includes dialogue that reveals his characters’ personalities. Imagery and dialogue are two narrative techniques in the author’s craft.

• Ask: Can you think of any additional techniques Reynolds uses to tell his stories?

Allow students time to discuss with classmates. Then ask for some examples.

• Reynolds breaks the book into 10 vignettes, each focusing on a different street, with different characters and stories. He uses figurative language that shows images that are relevant to the characters’ lives.

• Say: Throughout Investigation 2, we will track the narrative techniques in Look Both Ways and analyze their effects on the story. We are going to track how Reynolds conveys Cynthia’s perspective in the “Ookabooka Land” vignette.

• Ask: How do readers learn who Cynthia is? Discuss at least one of the author’s craft elements.

  • Readers learn about Cynthia through her dialogue. When she talks about things like shirts and math, we hear how chaotic and random she can be.

Narrative Techniques Graphic Organizer

Display a blank version of the 3 Column Chart graphic organizer, and explain how to use it.

Say these Directions: As you read “Ookabooka Land,” use the 3 Column Chart to track how the author develops Cynthia’s perspective. In the first column, write a narrative technique and an example from the text. In the second column, explain what that example shows about Cynthia. In the third column, explain how the technique affects the story. Pay attention to how the author’s choices help readers understand who Cynthia is.

Model how to investigate how the author uses text structure.

• Say: Where in the story do readers learn about Cynthia’s perspective? When do readers learn about her thoughts and feelings? I think that by repeating the time of 3:33, the author creates a structural anchor that slows down the moments as Cynthia waits for people to show up for her performance. It helps the author shift from Cynthia’s character being so bold to another Cynthia, one who is quieter and more thoughtful.

Add a line to the graphic organizer:

• Say: Work with a partner to find two more examples of narrative techniques that show who Cynthia is. Complete two lines of the graphic organizer.

  • One narrative technique is figurative language. Toward the beginning of the story, readers learn that Cynthia keeps her hair in “two plaits sprouting from either side of her head” because of its “comedic effect.” This tells us about who she is as a person: she does her hair a certain way, just to make people laugh.

Part B: Graphic Organizer Deep Dive (RL.6.1, RL.6.6) (15 minutes)

This section is designed for collaborative practice applying knowledge of narrative techniques. Prompt students to compare perspectives across characters, reinforcing evidence-based interpretation. Maintain a focus on guiding students to see differences in perspective and the effect on narrative understanding.

Have students work in pairs to fill in two more lines of their graphic organizers, focusing on details that reveal information about Cynthia’s perspective.

Graphic Organizer Deep Dive

Say these Directions: Work with a partner to add two more examples to your graphic organizer. Look for details that show Cynthia’s perspective. For each example, identify the narrative technique, explain what it reveals about Cynthia, and describe how it affects the story. Be prepared to share your thinking with the class.

As students work, circulate through the room and offer feedback.

Discussion

After students have found a few examples of narrative techniques, engage in a class discussion to summarize what they have found.

• Ask: We learn a lot about Cynthia’s perspective in the story. Are there any characters who have a different perspective? How is their perspective different?

  • Cynthia’s teacher, Mrs. Stevens, would probably prefer if Cynthia didn’t interrupt class because she has a class to teach, but she still thinks Cynthia is funny. Cynthia’s mom doesn’t laugh often because she is so busy with work and school. Other characters tolerate Cynthia because they understand her.

• Ask: How does perspective influence the way we see and describe the world?

  • Our perspective is based on the things we care about. We notice certain things more than others because of what we think about and what we care about.

• Ask: What is something you learned or realized about Cynthia today? What specific part of the text helped you realize this?

  • Cynthia cares about keeping her routine the same. She always teases Greg, and she always has a show at 3:33, even though no one comes. She always writes her grandpa a joke and pretends to mail it to him.

Quick Write

In this routine, students will think metacognitively about how hearing Cynthia’s story in her own words reveals her perspective. They should identify not just what they notice about her character, but why that insight deepens their understanding of her actions and emotions. Encourage connections to specific text details or narrative techniques, such as dialogue, word choice, or figurative language, to support their interpretation. This reflection prepares them to articulate their observations clearly in the Look Back portion. Use student responses to collect formative data on comprehension and perspective analysis.

• Ask: What can we learn about Cynthia by hearing her story in her own words? Give a specific example from the text.

  • • Optional Sentence Starter:

  • “By hearing her story in her words, I learn that Cynthia is ____. I know this because she ____.”

By hearing her story in her words, I learn that Cynthia is empathetic to her grandfather’s struggles with memory. I know this because she reminds him of a joke he wanted to write and helps him tell it.

Instruct students to do the following:

• Update your Ordinary Moments graphic organizer from Lesson 3 for Cynthia, and read the next vignette in Look Both Ways, “How a Boy Can Become a Grease Fire.”