Lesson 10: Look Both Ways, Discussion, Part 1

Use this opening to activate students’ prior reading and position them to think about belonging as a theme across multiple scenarios. Students should move beyond recalling events to considering how different experiences shape whether characters feel included, supported, or isolated. This discussion primes students to evaluate which moments most strongly communicate a sense of belonging, a skill they will need during the Fishbowl Conversation.

Turn and Talk

Have students share ideas from their homework for the previous lesson, encouraging them to share the evidence they found to support their ideas.

Say these Directions: The characters in Look Both Ways find themselves in many different scenarios and facing many different challenges. Turn and talk with a partner about some of the scenarios we’ve encountered in the book so far. How have they been alike? How have they been different?

Give students time to discuss with a partner before a brief large-group discussion.

• Ask: Think about the scenarios characters have been in so far. What would Jason Reynolds say about the value of telling these stories?

  • Jasmine deals with chronic illness. In “Water Booger Bears,” she couldn’t catch up on work: “While she was laid up because she could barely move. It hurt to hold a pen. Hurt to turn a page.” Jason Reynolds would say that this story could help kids with a similar illness feel less alone.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Jason Reynolds writes about the power and value of storytelling to help people feel a sense of belonging. Today, we’ll look at how different stories in Look Both Ways create a sense of belonging.

Conversation Norms

Say these Directions: Before today’s group discussion, it is important to co-construct the conversation norms the class will follow. Consider the following ideas and questions.

Write each chosen norm on the board for students to see during the discussion. 

• Say: Our first norm should be about listening.

• Ask: What does strong listening look and sound like?

  • eyes on speaker, quiet body, taking notes,  waiting for a pause

• Say: Let’s put it in a clear norm: “We listen without interrupting.” That means one voice at a time, and we wait until a speaker finishes before responding.

• Say: Our second norm should be about using evidence. In this unit, we don’t just share opinions; we support them.

• Ask: What counts as evidence for Look Both Ways?

  • a quote from the book, like a description or dialogue from one of the characters

• Say: Let’s write the norm: “We support our comments with textual evidence.” When you speak, try to include a page number or describe where your evidence is so others can find it.

• Say: Our final norm should be about how we respond. In a strong discussion, we respond to ideas, not to people.

• Ask: What are respectful ways to disagree or build on someone’s thinking? 

  • “I agree because ____ ”; “I want to add ____ ”; “I see it differently because ____ ”; “Can you clarify what you meant when you said ____?” 

• Say: Let’s write the norm: “We respond to ideas rather than people.” We don’t label someone’s comment as “wrong”; we explain our thinking and use evidence.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Reflecting on each other’s ideas helps you process the information to clarify your own ideas better.

Part A: Model Discussion (RL.6.1, SL.6.1.a) (10 minutes)

Use this section to make the expectations for academic discussion visible and concrete. Students should see a clear model of how to state a claim, select relevant textual evidence, and explain how that evidence supports an interpretation about belonging. Emphasize that strong contributions do more than share opinions—they connect ideas to specific moments in the text and prepare students to respond to others. This preparation ensures students enter the Fishbowl ready with a complete, evidence-based idea and a question to extend discussion.

Provide students with the Accountable Talk Sentence Stems graphic organizer, and remind them of the following academic discussion prompt.

Say these Directions: Keep your copy of the Accountable Talk Sentence Stems worksheet handy during our discussion. You will use it to record responses and comments during the discussion. This is our discussion prompt:

• Which story best shows the reader the importance of belonging? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Before you begin the group discussion, explain the structure of the Fishbowl Conversation.

• Say: During our discussion today, we’re going to follow the Fishbowl Conversation protocol. This protocol helps us build meaning together instead of just sharing separate opinions. Here’s how it works: 

  • The class will be split into two groups. One will sit in a circle in the middle of the room (the inner circle), and the other will sit in a circle around the first group (the outer circle). 

  • Students in the inner circle will have 10 minutes to discuss the question prompts. 

  • While the inner circle group is discussing, the outer circle group will silently take notes on the inner circle’s discussion in order to add to their own thinking and provide responses to points brought up by the inner circle. 

  • After 10 minutes, the groups will switch places, and the new inner circle group will have their turn to discuss the question prompts while the new outer circle group silently takes notes.  

Provide students with the prompts they will be discussing during the Fishbowl Conversation. Then model a response using discussion stems and examples (see the sample responses below).

• Say: Imagine this is my prompt: Which story best shows the reader the importance of belonging? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

  • The inner circle might discuss the following:

The story “The Low Cuts Strike Again” best shows readers the importance of belonging. In the text, it says, “And it was this, not the cancer but the strain it put on everyone, that formed the Low Cuts. They all cut their hair down to almost bald—a sign of solidarity—and started stealing.” This shows the importance of belonging because the Low Cuts all share the experience of having a parent with cancer. Spending time together helps them feel solidarity, or a sense of belonging, and not being alone. This community is important to them.

The outer circle might then respond as follows: One idea I heard in the inner circle was that the characters in “ The Low Cuts Strike Again” feel a sense of belonging because they all have a parent with cancer. As an observer, I noticed that this speaker used a quote from the text to support their answer.

Provide students with sentence frames to use in the inner and outer circles:

• Respond to the discussion prompt using these sentence frames:

  • “The story ‘____ ’ best shows the reader the importance of belonging.”

  • “In the text, it says ____ . This shows the importance of belonging because ____ .”

• Reflect on the experience using these sentence frames:

  • “One idea I heard in the inner circle was ____ .”

  • “As an observer, I noticed ____ .”

By the end of this preparation, students should have at least one clearly articulated claim, a piece of textual evidence with location language, and an explanation of how that evidence supports their thinking. They should also be ready to ask a follow-up question or build on a peer’s idea. This ensures that all students can actively contribute and sustain the discussion rather than relying on spontaneous or unsupported responses.

Instruct students to prepare for the Fishbowl Conversation by reviewing their homework connections and preparing textual evidence from both texts to support their ideas.

Part B: Fishbowl Conversation (SL.6.1.a, SL.6.3) (20 minutes)

Fishbowl Conversations

Engage students in the Fishbowl Conversation protocol. Divide students into the inner circle and outer circle groups. Have the groups switch places after 10 minutes so that all students have the chance to both contribute to and observe a discussion. 

Outer Circle Task (SL.6.3)

Say these Directions: While you are in the outer circle, your job is not just to listen; it is also to evaluate. Identify one speaker’s claim and the reason they gave. Then write whether the evidence they cited actually supports their claim and why.

Display the following note-catcher prompts:

• Speaker’s claim: ___

• Evidence they used: ___

• Does the evidence support the claim? Why or why not? ___

As students engage in the Fishbowl, they should practice both contributing and evaluating ideas. Inner circle students should support their claims with relevant, clearly explained evidence, while outer circle students should assess whether the evidence truly supports the claim and be prepared to respond. This dual focus builds students’ ability to both construct and critique arguments, directly supporting collaborative discussion and analytical listening.

Use this reflection to reinforce that strong discussions can shift or deepen thinking. Students should identify a specific idea or piece of evidence from a peer that influenced their understanding of belonging and explain why. This helps students recognize the value of listening, evaluating ideas, and revising their thinking in light of new perspectives.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Respond to the following question in one to two sentences.

• Ask: What is one claim you heard during the discussion, and how well was it supported by evidence?

• Optional Sentence Starter:

• “Someone from the other group said ____ . This made me think about ____ .”

• Someone from the other group claimed that the Low Cuts did not fully create a sense of belonging because some classmates still felt excluded by them. The speaker supported this idea with details about how other students reacted to the group, which made the claim more convincing.

Have students read “Call of Duty” and take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• List and describe three things that Ty and Bryson value about their friendship.

"Call of Duty" includes content that some classroom communities may prefer to substitute. If you'd rather not assign this chapter for homework, students can complete the following prompt instead. It preserves the focus on character values and friendship that prepares students for tomorrow's lesson on identity and relationships.

In your Journal, respond to the following prompt:

• Think about a close friendship in your life or a friendship between two characters from a book, show, or movie you know well. List and describe three things the friends value about their friendship. For each one, briefly explain how you know it matters to them — what they do, say, or share that shows it.