Lesson 38: Flex Day: Skill-Based Huddles, Day 2

• Say: Today is a Flex Day. Based on your self-assessment and your recent work, I'll be meeting with small groups for a quick skill session while others work independently. Let's start by rating your confidence.

Instruct students to reflect on their ability to do each of the following using the Reflection routine.

Connection to Today’s Learning:

• Say: Based on your confidence ratings in addition to how you’ve demonstrated your understanding in recent work, you’ll get individualized learning sessions so you get what you need today.

Collect a quick visual of ratings.

Explain the plan:

• Three 10–15-minute teacher huddles:

  • Huddle 1: RL.6.6 (Explaining Point of View)

  • Huddle 2: L.6.5a (Interpreting Figurative Language)

  • Huddle 3: L.6.5b (Using Relationships Between Words)

• Students not in a huddle work independently by choosing either independent reading or knowledge-building work.

Then sort students using:

1. their Reflection responses and

2. your data from recent formative assessments.

Huddle 1 (RL.6.6) + Independent Choice Work (10–15 minutes total)

Explain that you are first going to pull students for additional work on RL.6.6 (Explaining Point of View). Pull students who rated 1–3 on RL.6.6 and/or have shown difficulty with identifying the narrator or explaining how perspective shapes details, based on recent work. All other students begin independent work (see “Independent Choice Work” below).

Pull this group when students retell what happened in a passage but do not name who is telling or seeing the events, confuse the narrator with the author, or cannot explain how the same event might sound different from another perspective.

Independent Choice Work

Students not in responsive huddles choose one task and write a brief response.

Option 1: Independent Reading

• How does identifying the point of view connect to your independent reading today? Cite one example from the section you read.

  • My book is told from one character’s point of view, so I only know what she notices and feels. In the part I read, she focused on how quiet the lunch table got, which showed her embarrassment more than anyone else’s thoughts.

Option 2: Knowledge Building

• How does your reading today connect to the idea that ordinary moments can reveal identity and belonging? Cite one example.

  • My reading showed that a small hallway conversation can reveal belonging because the character relaxed when a friend used his nickname. That ordinary moment showed he felt seen and accepted.

Huddle 1 — Explaining Point of View (RL.6.6)

Use any short passage from Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds or another teacher-selected literary text for this huddle. Students should have the text in front of them.

Reteach

• Point of view means the position from which a story is told or experienced. It includes:

  • First-Person Point of View: The story is narrated by a character within the story and relates events directly using “I,” “me,” “my.”

  • Third-Person Limited Point of View: The story is narrated by an observer who only knows the thoughts and feelings of one specific character.

  • Third-Person Omniscient Point of View: The story is narrated by an outside observer with access to the thoughts, feelings, and actions of all characters.

• A reader can figure out point of view by noticing who is speaking, who is thinking, and what information is included or left out.

• Point of view matters because it shapes what the reader understands, feels, and notices.

• Say: We are going to reread a short passage and track whose eyes and thoughts shape the moment. Then we’ll explain how that point of view changes what the reader gets to know.

Guided Practice

Have students reread the opening lines of the selected passage and underline words that show who is telling or experiencing the moment.

• Ask: Who seems to be telling or seeing this part of the story, and what detail helped you notice that? Is the point of view first-person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient?

  • This part seems to be shaped by the main character’s point of view because the passage focuses on what that character notices and feels. A detail that helped me was the line that stays close to that character’s thoughts instead of telling anyone else’s thinking. This makes me think the point of view is third-person limited.

Have students look at one sentence that reveals feelings, thoughts, or judgments in the passage.

• Ask: What does that sentence show about the narrator’s or speaker’s attitude toward what is happening?

  • That sentence shows the narrator feels nervous and kind of unsure about the moment. The words focus on the uncomfortable feeling, so the reader sees the event through that worried attitude.

Have students imagine the same event being told from a different point of view or by a different character in the passage.

• Ask: How might the passage change if the author used a different point of view or a different character told this moment?

  • If another character told it, the reader might notice different details and feelings. One character might focus on fear, but another might focus on confusion or even think the moment is not a big deal.

Quick Check

Say: Now you’re going to show that you can explain the impact of point of view. In one or two sentences, explain the point of view and how it shapes what the reader notices.

• Ask: Using another passage from the text, explain whose point of view shapes the passage and one way that point of view affects what the reader understands.

• The passage is shaped by the main character’s point of view because the reader follows that character’s thoughts and reactions. That perspective makes the moment feel more tense because we notice the details that matter most to that character.

Huddle 2 (L.6.5a) + Independent Choice Work (10–15 minutes total)

Explain that you are next going to pull students for additional work on L.6.5a (Interpreting Figurative Language). Pull students who rated 1–3 on L.6.5a and/or have shown difficulty with recognizing when language is nonliteral or explaining what a figurative phrase suggests, based on recent work. All other students begin independent work (see “Independent Choice Work” below).

Pull this group when students interpret similes, metaphors, or personification literally, can point to a figurative phrase but cannot explain its meaning, or describe the phrase without connecting it to mood, tone, or imagery.

Independent Choice Work

Students not in responsive huddles choose one task and write a brief response.

Option 1: Independent Reading

• Find one phrase in your independent reading that creates a strong picture in your mind. Explain whether it is literal or figurative and what it helps you understand.

  • In my book, the author says the hallway “swallowed the noise.” That is figurative because hallways cannot really swallow anything. It helps me picture how suddenly quiet everything felt.

Option 2: Knowledge Building

• How can figurative language make an ordinary moment feel more meaningful in a story about belonging or identity? Cite one example from your reading.

  • Figurative language can make a small moment feel bigger. In my reading, a character’s smile was described like “sunlight,” and that made the greeting feel warm and safe, like the character belonged there.

Huddle 2 — Interpreting Figurative Language (L.6.5a)

Use any short passage from Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds or another teacher-selected literary text for this huddle. Students should have the text in front of them.

Reteach

• Figurative language is language that is not meant to be taken exactly as written. It describes something that is not literally possible to show an idea, emotion, or connection.

• Readers interpret figurative language by asking what picture, comparison, or feeling the words create.

• The meaning of a figurative phrase comes from the context around it, not just the words by themselves.

Say: We are going to find one phrase in the text that is doing more than saying something in a plain way. Then we’ll explain the image or idea the writer wants us to understand.

Guided Practice

Choose a passage that contains at least one clear example of figurative language.

Have students reread the selected passage and box the phrase that sounds most surprising, strongest, or least literal.

• Ask: Which phrase stands out as figurative language, and what clues helped you notice it?

  • The phrase that stands out is [figurative phrase]. It compares a feeling or action to something else in a surprising way. I noticed it because the words create a picture that is not physically possible.

Have students read the sentence before and after the boxed phrase.

• Ask: What do you think the figurative phrase really means in this moment?

  • I think the phrase really means the character feels overwhelmed and trapped, not that the words are literally happening. The surrounding sentences show the character’s reaction, which helps explain the deeper meaning.

Have students connect the phrase to the mood or feeling of the passage.

• Ask: How does this figurative phrase strengthen the image, mood, or feeling in the passage?

  • The figurative phrase makes the scene feel stronger because it gives me a vivid picture of the character being ‘boxed in’ even though they are not literally inside of a box. It adds to the mood by helping the reader feel the character’s emotion instead of just being told about it.

Quick Check

Say: Now you’ll show that you can tell the difference between literal and figurative language and explain the deeper meaning. Use the phrase and the context around it.

Provide one figurative phrase from the selected text.

• Ask: Label the phrase L for literal or F for figurative. If you label it F, explain what it means and what image or idea it creates.

  • F. The phrase is figurative because it is not meant exactly as written. It means the character feels pressure building up, and it creates a tense image in my mind.

Huddle 3 (L.6.5b) + Independent Choice Work (10–15 minutes total)

Explain that you are next going to pull students for additional work on L.6.5b (Using Relationships Between Words). Pull students who rated 1–3 on L.6.5b and/or have shown difficulty with using relationships between particular words to better understand each word, based on recent work. All other students begin independent work (see “Independent Choice Work” below).

Pull this group when students define words one at a time instead of noticing how the words connect, miss relationship types like cause/effect, part/whole, or item/category, or cannot explain how one word helps clarify the meaning of another word in the passage.

Independent Choice Work

Students not in responsive huddles choose one task and write a brief response.

Option 1: Independent Reading

• Find two related words in your independent reading. What relationship do they show, and how does that relationship help you understand each word better?

  • In my book, the words “branches” and “tree” go together in a part/whole relationship. That helps me understand that branches are parts of the larger tree, and tree names the whole thing the branches belong to.

Option 2: Knowledge Building

• How can noticing relationships between words help a reader better understand a text about identity, feelings, or belonging? Cite one example.

  • Noticing word relationships helps me understand details faster. In my reading, the words “argument” and “silence” worked like cause/effect because the silence came after the argument, so that helped me understand what changed in the scene.

Huddle 3 — Comparing Connotations of Words (L.6.5b)

Use any short passage from Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds or another teacher-selected literary text for this huddle. Students should have the text in front of them.

Reteach

• Word relationships show how two or more words connect in meaning.

• Some important relationships are cause/effect, part/whole, and item/category.

• Readers can better understand each word by asking how the words are connected, not just by looking at each word alone.

Say: We are going to zoom in on two or more related words in one text and figure out how they connect. Then we’ll use that relationship to better understand what each word means in the passage.

Guided Practice

Choose a passage that includes a clear pair or set of related words.

Have students reread the selected passage and circle two words that seem connected in meaning.

• Ask: Which two words seem connected, and what do you notice about how they go together?

  • The two connected words are [word] and [word]. I notice that one helps explain the other because they are linked in the same idea in the sentence.

Have students decide whether the connected words show cause/effect, part/whole, or item/category.

• Ask: What kind of relationship do these words show: cause/effect, part/whole, or item/category? What in the passage helped you decide?

  • These words show a part/whole relationship because one word names one piece and the other word names the bigger thing it belongs to. The sentence helps me decide that because it shows the smaller thing as part of the larger object.

Have students explain how the relationship helps them understand both words more clearly.

• Ask: How does this relationship help you better understand each of these words in the passage?

  • The relationship helps me understand both words because they explain each other. When I know one word is the cause and the other is the effect, or one is an item in a category, I can understand each word more clearly from the connection.

Quick Check

Say: Now you’re going to show that you can use a relationship between words to figure out meaning. First, label the relationship. Then explain how that connection helps you understand the words.

Provide two or three related words from the selected text.

• Ask: Label the relationship using C/E for cause/effect, P/W for part/whole, or I/C for item/category. Then explain how that relationship helps you better understand each word.

  • P/W. The words show a part/whole relationship because one word names a piece of the larger thing. That helps me understand each word because I can tell what the smaller part is and what whole it belongs to.

Students complete a brief reflection based on what they did today. Invite 2–3 students to share.

Quick Write

Option A (students who attended one or more huddles):

• Re-rate your confidence for RL.6.6, L.6.5a, and L.6.5b. What specifically improved?

  • Before, I was a 2 on RL.6.6, and now I’m a 4 because I can explain whose point of view shapes a scene instead of just retelling it. I also got better at L.6.5a because I can tell what a figurative phrase suggests, not just say it sounds interesting.

Option B (students who did independent reading/knowledge building):

• What are you learning about on the unit topic from today’s reading or work? Cite one detail.

  • I’m learning that small moments can reveal belonging. In my reading, one character felt included when another character saved them a seat, and that tiny action showed community.

Students read their independent reading book for 20 minutes and complete a reading log entry.