Lesson 32: “Thank You, M’am,” Analyzing Structure, Pacing, and Craft

Instruct students to take out their homework from the previous lesson.

• Students read “Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes after the last lesson. They were asked to answer the following question: How do the characters in “Thank You, M’am” create empathy?

Think- Pair- Share

Say these Directions: Today, you will look at how the story’s structure, pacing, and craft shape the reader’s understanding. Complete a Think-Pair-Share on the following prompt:

Instruct students to complete a Think-Pair-Share routine based on the following prompt.

• Ask: How do the characters in “Thank You, M’am” create empathy? How does the ending support that?

  • I didn’t think Mrs. Jones was going to turn out to be so nice and understanding because of how angry she was with Roger at first. Then, even after she started acting nice, Roger admits that he tried to steal the purse to buy some fancy shoes, which didn’t seem like a good reason. I didn’t think he was going to change and learn a lesson at all. But then he decides he wants her to trust him, so he doesn’t run away or try to steal her purse again. He even thanks her at the very end, when he leaves. The story shows that people sometimes act better when you show them empathy and give them a chance.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, we’re going to continue our discussion of structure, pacing, and craft from previous lessons to see what makes “Thank You, M’am” so effective. Then we’re going to compare it to some of the vignettes in Look Both Ways.

Introduce New Words Using Morphemes

Target Word: kitchenette

Say these Directions: Today, you will study the word kitchenette and use what you know about word parts to figure out its meaning. Then you will think about why this detail matters in the story and what it helps readers understand about Mrs. Jones.

Introduce the Word: Write kitchenette where all students can see it. Say the word out loud.

1. Ask: Have you seen the word kitchenette before? Where?

Identify the Suffix: Students almost certainly know the word kitchen but may or may not be familiar with the suffix -ette.

• Ask: Do you know any other words with the suffix -ette? (statuette, bachelorette)

• Ask: What do you think the suffix -ette might mean based on words you know? (“small” or “lesser than”)

• Say: The suffix -ette can mean “small” (a statuette is a small statue), “female” (a bachelorette is a female bachelor), or “lesser than” (leatherette is fake leather).

• Language Connection: The suffix -ette is French in origin and is found in many French words, such as baguette (“small stick”).

• Say: A word with a suffix meaning “small” is called the diminutive form of that word. Diminutive is also a synonym for small. Sometimes, diminutive forms show affection rather than indicating that something is literally small. The most common diminutive form in English is to add -y, as in doggy. This does not necessarily mean a small dog but is an affectionate term for any dog.

Language Connection: The diminutive suffix in Spanish is -ito or -ita, which is similar to the French -ette. For example, grandma in Spanish is abuela, but people often refer to their abuelita.

Determine Meaning:

• Ask: Using what we know about the suffix -ette, what do you think kitchenette means? (“a small kitchen”)

• Say: Check your definition using a dictionary or other reference material. Does the definition match what we figured out? Revise as needed.

• Ask: What do we know about Mrs. Jones based on the fact that she has a kitchenette in her home? (She lives in a small apartment and is probably not wealthy.)

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: The word kitchenette is in the story “Thank You, M’am,” which we’re going to analyze in more detail today. We will look at Langston Hughes’s use of structure, craft, and pacing, as well as details such as Mrs. Jones’s kitchenette, to help develop the story.

Part A: Structure, Pacing, and Craft: Look Both Ways and “Thank You, M’am” (RL.6.5, RL.6.9) (20 minutes)

Display the timeline of events from “The Low Cuts Strike Again” that you created as a class in Lesson 30.

Say these Directions: Today, you will compare “The Low Cuts Strike Again” and “Thank You, M’am” to see how each author uses structure, pacing, and craft to build empathy. As you work, focus on how each story reveals information and shapes the reader’s view of the characters. Lead a brief discussion to jog students’ memories of their previous discussion of how this story uses pacing to play with readers’ expectations and build empathy for the characters.

• Say: In Lesson 26, we created this timeline to show the pacing of “The Low Cuts Strike Again,” and we discussed how its pacing helps build empathy for the characters. We understand them more as we learn more about them.

• Ask: Who can summarize the timeline and our discussion?

  • We talked about how the author slowly introduces information about the Low Cuts so that it encourages you to judge them a little in the beginning, then slowly makes you question that judgment more and more until, at the end, you realize you were totally wrong about them. So you don’t just feel empathy for them, you also see how easy it is to judge when you don’t know the whole story and see that it’s good to have empathy in general.

Display a second, unfilled Timeline graphic organizer next to the previous one, and explain that you’re going to fill it out as a class for “Thank You, M’am.”

Split the classroom into three sections. Students will work in pairs. Assign each section part of the story (beginning, middle, end). Each pair will complete a Turn-and-Talk to identify information or plot points in their section of the story that are important to include in the timeline and encourage the reader to be empathetic to the character. When the Turn-and-Talk is complete, call on one or two pairs from each section to share out. Fill in the timeline as they share out. Say these Directions: Work with a partner and focus on your assigned part of the story: the beginning, middle, or end. Identify important events or details from that section to include in the timeline. Think about which moments help the reader feel empathy for the character. Then share your ideas with the class as the timeline is completed.

• Ask: What information should we add to this timeline? Where should each point go? How do these points show empathy?

  • We should include Roger trying to steal the purse right in the beginning. Then we should add when he admits he stole to get money for blue suede shoes. Toward the end, we can add that he stayed where she could see him so she could trust him. Those are important points because first, we see him do something wrong; then we see it’s not for a very good reason; and finally, we see that he changes his behavior because of how Mrs. Jones treats him.

Display both completed timelines.

Graffiti/Table Talk

Display a Venn Diagram graphic organizer on a piece of chart paper. Label the two sides “The Low Cuts Strike Again” and “Thank You, M’am.”

Explain to students that you will use a Venn diagram to organize responses to the following prompt as a class:

• Compare and contrast “The Low Cuts Strike Again” and “Thank You, M’am” using the Venn Diagram to organize your responses.

Model responding to the prompt and drawing connections between the texts and your constructed timelines.

• Say: Both stories start with someone stealing, so I’ll put that in the middle. Looking at our timelines, I can see that “The Low Cuts Strike Again” tells us very quickly that “they don’t steal for fun,” while “Thank You, M’am” takes a little longer to tell us that he was trying to steal just to get some fancy shoes. I’ll put those details on either side.

Hand out three sticky notes per student. Ask students to write one sticky for “The Low Cuts Strike Again,” one sticky for both stories, and one sticky for “Thank You, M’am.”

• Students should place their stickies on the Venn diagram at the front of the classroom. Read student responses, and discuss whether the information is in the correct place or could also go elsewhere on the diagram.

Lead a class discussion comparing and contrasting how the authors build or show empathy in each story, using the completed Venn diagram as a reference.

• Ask: Based on our Venn diagram, what are some important similarities and differences between how each author uses pacing, craft, and structure to build empathy?

  • Both texts set us up to expect one thing and then show us something else. In “The Low Cuts,” it’s our expectations for why they are stealing, and in “Thank You, M’am,” it’s how Mrs. Jones ends up treating Roger after she catches him stealing. One difference is that “The Low Cuts” gets readers to judge the Low Cuts at first, which makes you have empathy when you change your mind. In “Thank You, M’am,” Roger is the one who changes after Mrs. Jones shows him empathy.

Part B: Imaginative Writing Exercise (RL.6.9) (10 minutes) Say these Directions: You will now use what you know about both texts to imagine how a character from Look Both Ways might respond to Roger in “Thank You, M’am.” As you write, use evidence from both stories to explain your thinking.

Have students complete a short imaginative writing exercise based on the following prompt.

• Say: Choose any adult character from Look Both Ways. How do you think they would respond to Roger from “Thank You, M’am” if they were in Mrs. Jones’s place? Explain why using evidence from both texts.

  • Ms. CeeCee the candy lady from “The Low Cuts Strike Again,” would probably give Roger a chance, just like she gave the Low Cuts a chance. She didn’t know they were buying the candy to raise money for Bit’s mom, but she treated them well anyway. If she knew Roger was buying candy to sell to earn money for new shoes, she’d probably be all right with that too. Still, Ms. CeeCee seems like she’d be a little tougher and more businesslike than Mrs. Jones because of how she negotiates with the Low Cuts. If Ms. CeeCee caught Roger trying to steal from her, she might put him to work selling her candy to earn the money.

• Requirements:

  • 4–5 sentences

  • Pacing words

  • Empathy words

  • 1 piece of evidence from Look Both Ways

  • 1 piece of evidence from “Thank You, M’am”

• Optional Sentence Frames:

  • The character ____ would do ____ because ____.

  • This suggests that ____ because ____.

  • As a result, the reader would ____.

  • This demonstrates empathy because ____.

Allow students to share some of their thoughts and respond to each other, using textual evidence to support arguments about what characters would or wouldn’t do.

• Ask: Did any paragraphs change as a result of your conversations? If so, how did they change? Try to talk about specifics from “The Low Cuts Strike Again” in your response.

  • Now that I think about it, Ms. CeeCee is the neighborhood’s big candy hustler, so she’d be even tougher on Roger than I thought before. She may make him work really hard to earn the money he needs for his shoes, maybe even more than he wants to! She talks about stuff like inflation with the Low Cuts, trying to raise their prices, so she really thinks a lot about business.

Turn and Talk

Instruct students to discuss the prompt below with a partner. Circulate through the room and listen to students’ discussions to collect formative data on their understanding of “Thank You, M’am.”

• Ask: How does Mrs. Jones’s empathy affect Roger in “Thank You, M’am?”

  • Her empathy makes him want her to trust him. He purposefully sits where she can see him while she is cooking, even though he could just grab the purse again and run. It’s like he wants to be a better person because she treats him like he already is one.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Instruct students to reflect on what they have learned about authors, storytelling, and craft in this unit. Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompts:

• How does an author’s own identity influence the stories they tell?

• Choose someone in your life who shares stories. How does this person sharing stories impact your relationship?