Lesson 16: Look Both Ways, Vignette 8, Seeing Through Satchmo’s Eyes

This opening activity is designed to orient students to the contrast between dramatic narration and ordinary events, a key structural move in this vignette. Students should begin to notice how an author shapes readers' expectations through tone and then shifts perspective. Encourage students to ground their ideas in the language of the opening sentence and to begin thinking about how point of view influences how events are experienced, not just what happens.

Have students take out their copies of Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds. Project or write the following opening sentence from Vignette 7, “Satchmo’s Master Plan.”

Say these Directions: Let’s look closely at the opening sentence. Talk with your group about how it creates a dramatic introduction. Then think about how that dramatic opening contrasts with the rest of the story, which is much more ordinary. Be ready to share what that contrast adds to the vignette.

• “Today, after school, Satchmo Jenkins worked out a master plan to save his life.”

Prompt students to discuss the opening sentence, pointing out how the dramatic introduction contrasts with the otherwise ordinary story.

• Ask: This is a very dramatic opening sentence for what turns out to be a pretty ordinary story. How does this sentence affect how you think and feel going into this story?

  • This sentence made me feel for Satchmo and understand how he feels. Even though what happens is pretty ordinary and he’s not really in danger, we can see how real it feels to him and how scared he really is.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, we’re going to look closely at the techniques the author uses to help us see this story through Satchmo’s eyes. That includes understanding how scared he really is, even though an outside observer might say he’s not really in any danger.

Introduce New Words Using Morphemes

Target Words: execute

Say these Directions: Today, we will look at the word execute to better understand it.

Introduce the Word: Write execute on the board and pronounce it.

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

Identify the Root: Underline the root ecu in execute. Explain that ecu comes from Latin sequi, meaning “to follow.”

• Ask: Do you know any other words with the root sequi?

• Language Connection: Connect to sequence (something that follows an order).

Identify Affixes: Circle ex- in execute.

• Ask: What do you think the prefix ex- might mean based on words you know, like exclude or exit? (out)

• Language Connection: Spanish uses the same Latin root in words like ejecutar, which also means “to execute.”

Determine Meaning:

• Ask: Using what we know about sequi and ex-, what do you think execute means? (It means to carry something out or follow through with something, as with a plan.)

• Say: Work with a partner to locate a verified definition for each word in a dictionary or online vocabulary resources.

Build Word Relationships: Write executive next to execute.

• Ask: What is similar and different about execute and executive? (Both relate to “carrying out,” but one is a verb, and the other is a noun or adjective.)

  • Ask: What does an executive at a company or government do, and how does that relate to the verb execute? (An executive makes decisions and carries out or executes plans.)

• Say: Keep this vocabulary in mind, because you’ll look at it more closely during the text analysis work in this lesson. In the opening sentence of the vignette, Satchmo makes a plan. Once someone makes a plan, the next step is to execute it, or carry it out. As we keep reading, think about how that idea connects to what Satchmo does next.

• Say: Explain to a partner how identifying the root word helped you understand the word.

  • I knew that sequence means going in order, so identifying the same root helped me understand that execute means following through with something or carrying it out in an efficient way.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, we’re going to follow how Satchmo’s story develops as he makes a plan to avoid getting bitten by a dog again and then executes it.

Part A: Analyzing Voice and Point of View: Look Both Ways, Vignette 7 (RL.6.1, RL.6.6) (10 minutes)

In this close reading, students analyze how narration conveys Satchmo’s internal perspective. The focus is on connecting specific textual details (actions, thoughts, word choice) to the development of point of view. Push students to move beyond summary by explaining how the structure—especially the contrast between the dramatic opening and detailed paragraph—shapes how readers understand Satchmo’s fear.

Say these Directions: In this part, we will close-read and discuss a single paragraph from this vignette as a class, focusing on how the author develops Satchmo’s voice and point of view.

Teach: Close Reading

Display the paragraph that begins, “Today, after school . . .”

Ask students to summarize the paragraph in their own words. Then ask students to annotate the paragraphs to show textual evidence that supports the summaries.

• Ask: What is one possible summary of this paragraph?

  • Satchmo is getting ready to leave school, and he’s very worried about getting attacked by a dog again.

• Ask: What evidence from this text helps support your summary?

  • When he leaves class, he’s “in a haze,” which is probably because he’s so worried. He also has to take “a few deep breaths to get himself together.” Then he says the walk home will be “a big one” and that he hopes he won’t get another “smiley-faced scar.”

Segue into a discussion of the voice and point of view presented in this paragraph, and compare it to the opening sentence you discussed during the Launch.

• Ask: What is the point of view in this paragraph? How would you describe the voice that we hear in this paragraph?

  • The author is narrating, but this vignette is from Satchmo’s point of view. The voice is very nervous, showing how Satchmo feels. We know he does things like taking deep breaths to calm down, but we also know what he’s thinking—that he hopes he won’t get bit again.

• Ask: How does this paragraph relate or compare to the opening sentence?

  • The opening sentence tells us that he made a plan to save his life. That tells us that he thinks he’s really in danger, but it also sounds like he’s pretty calm and has his plan all figured out. This paragraph continues with the idea that he’s worried about getting bitten by a dog again, but it makes him sound a lot less confident in his plan and more actively scared.

Students should be able to summarize a key paragraph and explain how it builds Satchmo’s perspective using textual evidence. If students remain at the level of retelling events, continue prompting them to explain how specific details reveal what Satchmo thinks and feels. This work prepares students to independently gather and organize evidence in Part B.

Part B: Form and Support a Hypothesis (RL.6.1, RL.6.6) (20 minutes)

This section shifts students from guided analysis to independent evidence gathering and claim formation. Students use multiple elements of the text (dialogue, interactions, word choice, pacing) to analyze how the author builds the point of view. Emphasize that a strong hypothesis must connect a structural or craft move to its effect on the reader’s understanding of Satchmo. Encourage students to use multiple categories from the organizer to deepen their analysis.

Distribute copies of the Cause and Effect graphic organizer to each student. Label, or instruct students to label, the four rows as “Dialogue,” “Interactions with Other Characters,” “Word Choice,” and “Pacing.”

Say these Directions: Label the four rows like this: ‘Dialogue,’ ‘Interactions with Other Characters,’ ‘Word Choice,’ and ‘Pacing.’ Once your organizer is labeled, take a moment to review the row headings so you’re ready to use them.

Introduce and Answer the Knowledge-Building Question:

Display the following Knowledge-Building Question.

• How can stories help us see through someone else’s eyes?

Explain and model using the Cause and Effect graphic organizer to record different elements of the story and the effect each has on helping the reader see through Satchmo’s eyes.

• Say: On this chart, you’re going to record different elements of the story, like dialogue, interactions with other characters, word choice, and pacing. Then, for each one, you’ll explain its effect, or how it helps the reader see the story through Satchmo’s eyes. I’m going to model one example first so you can see how to name the story element and then describe what it helps us understand about Satchmo’s point of view.

• Say: One piece of dialogue that helps the reader see things through Satchmo’s eyes is when he’s watching the commercial about adopting dogs and he says, “Maybe they’re in there for a reason.” I would find the row labeled “Dialogue” and, under “Cause,” write that quote. Under “Effect,” I would write something like “Shows us how deeply the bite affected him. He doesn’t even like the cute dogs in the commercial anymore!”

Allow students to work independently for a few minutes to flip through the vignette, look for textual evidence, and fill in their graphic organizers.

• Say: Take a few minutes to look back through “Satchmo’s Master Plan.” Find examples of how the author helps readers see through Satchmo’s eyes, and fill in your graphic organizer.

  • Dialogue: “Maybe they’re in there for a reason.”—Shows how deeply the bite affected him. He’s angry at all dogs.

  • Interactions: His mom dismisses his fears and says it was just a misunderstanding.—Shows how he feels alone and like nobody else takes his fears seriously or understands how much the bite affected him.

  • Word choice: “Made his heart bark.”—Shows how nervous he is and also compares his heart to a dog’s behavior, connecting his fear back to the thing that makes him feel afraid.

  • Pacing: Satchmo is worried throughout the story and finally meets a nice dog.—Keeps the story tense and suspenseful, showing how powerful his fear is, but also how powerful a moment it is when the fear goes away.

Form a Hypothesis: Instruct students to use the information they recorded in their graphic organizers to form a hypothesis about how the author shows us Satchmo’s point of view.

• Say: Use the information you have to form a hypothesis—the big idea in just one sentence—about how the author shows us Satchmo’s point of view. Write a few sentences to support this hypothesis.

  • The author shows that Satchmo’s point of view is filled with big and scary feelings. He gives many examples of how often Satchmo thinks about being bitten, even though it was years ago. He talks about how Satchmo compares his own heart to a frightened dog and describes how scared he is of his neighbor’s new dog.

Academic Talk Stems

Say these Directions: With a partner, take turns sharing your hypothesis, listening carefully to each other, and giving feedback. As you talk, help each other improve your hypotheses by suggesting clearer wording, stronger evidence, or a more precise idea.

Have students work in pairs to share their hypotheses, exchange feedback, and improve them. Model using a talk move in response to someone else’s hypothesis.

• Say: If my partner’s hypothesis were “The author shows Satchmo’s perspective with some words,” I would use the talk move “I want to add on to what you said, because there are words, but there are also actions and inner thoughts.” Other talk moves include “I disagree with ____ because ____” and “Can you please clarify ____ because I still don’t understand ____.” Using these talk moves will keep your discussion focused and help you improve your own hypothesis.

Have students practice using at least two academic talk moves during a guided pair exchange.

• Partner A: The author shows Satchmo’s perspective by showing how scared he is.

• Partner B: Can you please clarify that by adding some examples? Because I still don’t understand how this shows that Satchmo is scared.

• Partner A: The author shows this fearful perspective by saying that Satchmo’s heart barks.

• Partner B: I want to add on to what you said, because that doesn’t just show his fear. It also shows how much he’s thinking about dogs all the time because of his experience.

Allow student pairs to continue exchanging feedback using academic talk moves and improving their hypotheses accordingly. Then have them share with the large group.

• Say: Keep going back and forth, giving feedback and improving your hypotheses.

  • The author shows Satchmo’s point of view through examples of words, thoughts, and actions to show how often Satchmo thinks about being bitten, even though it was years ago. Almost everything we read is from Satchmo’s point of view. When we do read someone else’s point of view, like his mom, it’s mostly dismissive. Even other points of view help show how Satchmo is feeling.

Students should leave this section with a clearer, more precise hypothesis strengthened by peer feedback and evidence. Focus on whether students are incorporating multiple forms of evidence and refining their ideas through academic discussion. If needed, reinforce how structure and authorial choices shape perspective before moving forward.

Students will think metacognitively about how feedback improves their analytical thinking. Students should identify not just what changed in their hypothesis, but why the change made their thinking stronger. Encourage connections to specific evidence or techniques (e.g., pacing, word choice, dialogue) to reinforce the lesson’s focus on how point of view is constructed.

Reflection

Say these Directions: Reflect on and respond to the following prompt.

• Ask: How did receiving peer feedback help you change your hypothesis on how the author reveals Satchmo’s point of view?

  • I already had a lot of ideas about how the author shows point of view by sharing thoughts and feelings, but my partner’s feedback helped me understand how what he doesn’t show is important too. He hardly shows any other character’s thoughts on the situation other than Satchmo’s mom being dismissive, and that helps show how alone and isolated Satchmo feels.

Success Criteria:

• Names a specific piece of feedback received from a peer

• Explains how the feedback changed or strengthened the hypothesis

• Connects the revision to text evidence or a specific technique (dialogue, word choice, pacing, interactions)

Instruct students to update the charts they created in their Journal during Lesson 3 to add information about Satchmo as a character.