Lesson 8: Look Both Ways, Vignette 3, Skitter Hitter

In Lesson 7 Homework, students diagrammed character relationships as they read “Skitter Hitter.” Use this opening routine to surface students’ initial interpretations of character focus and prepare them to justify claims with evidence. The goal is not to determine a single “correct” main character, but to push students to define what makes a character central (perspective, internal thoughts, structure). As students respond, listen for whether they are distinguishing between preference and textual focus. Prompt students to support their claims with specific references to narration or structure, preparing them for deeper analysis of character relationships later in the lesson.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Take out your homework from Lesson 7 and review what they’ve noted about Pia, Stevie, and their relationship. You will then be polled on your responses.

• Ask: Who is the story mostly about? Pia or Stevie? Stand if you choose Pia or stay seated if you choose Stevie.

• Ask: Next, think about Marcus. If you think that the story is mostly about Marcus, you can change your answer by raising your hand.

Say these Directions: Turn and Talk to discuss your response to the question.

• What makes a character the main character in a story? Why do some people think the main character is Stevie, some Pia, and some Marcus?

  • A main character is the person a story focuses on the most. A reader can imagine themself in this person’s shoes the easiest. In “Skitter Hitter,” the story focuses mostly on Stevie and Pia. Readers see the world from their perspective. Marcus isn’t the main character because readers only see him through Pia’s and Stevie’s eyes. For example the text says, “That’s what Marcus said the other day…” Readers don’t hear his internal thoughts. It’s hard to say whether the story is mostly about Stevie or Pia, but I think it’s more about Pia because it starts and ends with her.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you’ll close read “Skitter Hitter” to study the relationships between the characters. As you examine what characters do and say, you’ll identify ordinary moments of reflection that reveal empathy.

Language Study

Varying Sentence Patterns for Meaning, Reader Interest, and Style

Explain to students that strong writers do not make every sentence sound the same. In “Skitter Hitter,” Jason Reynolds shifts between longer reflective openings and shorter action sentences so readers can feel changes in pace and emotion.

Say these Directions: We are going to study how sentence patterns work. A sentence pattern is the way a sentence is built and where the important information appears. When an author opens with a longer phrase or clause, the reader usually slows down and pays attention to the mood. When the author uses a shorter sentence, the action feels quicker and sharper. Today we will compare those choices and explain how they affect meaning and style.

• “Maybe if Pia Foster had known yesterday...”

• “Marcus put one foot on the deck and steadied himself.”

Display a table similar to this one above.

Teach:

When I compare these two sentences, I notice right away that they do not sound the same. The first sentence begins with a longer reflective opening, so I have to wait a little before the main action arrives. That pause makes the moment feel thoughtful and tense, like Pia is replaying the day in her mind. The second sentence is shorter and more direct, so it pushes the scene forward fast. Jason Reynolds varies these sentence patterns on purpose. He uses longer patterns when he wants readers to slow down and think, and shorter patterns when he wants readers to picture action clearly.

• Ask: What do you notice about the way the first sentence begins?

  • The sentence starts with extra information before the main action, so the reader slows down. It sounds reflective, like Pia is thinking back on what happened.

• Ask: How is that sentence pattern different from “Marcus put one foot on the deck and steadied himself”?

  • The Marcus sentence is shorter and gets to the action right away. It feels more immediate, while Pia’s opening feels slower and more thoughtful.

• Ask: Why might the author use both sentence patterns in the same vignette?

  • The author uses different sentence patterns to match different parts of the story. Longer patterns help readers sit with reflection, and shorter patterns make action stand out.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Paying attention to sentence patterns helps us notice when the author wants us to slow down and reflect or move quickly through action. Next, you’ll use that same attention to study how characters connect to one another and how those connections build empathy.

Part A: Analyze Character Relationships (RL.6.3) (15 minutes)

Say these Directions: Reread pp. 52–54 (Marcus and Pia at the skate park). As you read, annotate:

• Underline what characters say.

• Circle what characters do.

• Star what the narrator reveals about their thoughts.

Then use this rereading activity to complete the relationship map.

Briefly review the Launch activity, and ask whether students have changed their minds about who the story is mostly about. Then distribute the graphic organizer, and direct students’ attention to the three columns.

Say these Directions: Look at the three columns on this graphic organizer. Label the three columns:

• Character

• Relationship to . . .

• Nature of Relationship with Text Evidence

In column 1, write the name of the first character in the relationship. In column 2, write the name of the second character they are connected to. In column 3, write two things: the relationship type (for example, sisters, enemies, friends) and the text evidence that proves it, including the page number. Each row maps one relationship from the story.

This section builds students’ ability to clearly identify and describe relationships between characters using text evidence. Emphasize precision: students should name the type of relationship (e.g., sibling, peer, conflict) and support it with a specific detail and page reference. As you circulate, check that students are not simply listing character pairs but are explaining how those relationships function in the story. Push students to consider which relationships drive the plot and which are more background. This understanding will support their analysis of empathy in Part B.

Step 1: Teacher Models

Model for students how to fill in the chart.

• Say: One example of a relationship in “Skitter Hitter” is the one between Pia and Santi. Watch how I complete the chart:

• Column 1: Pia

• Column 2: Santi

• Column 3: I need to write two things here—first, the relationship type, and then the text evidence that proves it. So I’ll write “Sisters—p. 46: ‘She had a big sister named Santi.’” Notice that column 3 always has two parts: the relationship type and the evidence. Use a dash to separate them so both parts are easy to see."

Step 2: Guided Practice

Say these Directions: Think about the relationship between Pia and Marcus. Turn and talk with a partner for 30 seconds. What is their relationship? Where in the text do we learn about it?

Students turn and talk.

• Ask: Who can share? What should we write in each column?

  • Column 1: Pia

  • Column 2: Marcus

  • Column 3: They know each other from the hair salon—page 52: Pia recognizes Marcus and knows about his family; they’re not friends but they have a connection.

Write the example on the board or chart paper as students contribute.

• Say: Good! You found the relationship type and the evidence. Everyone, add this to your graphic organizer now.

Step 3: Partner Practice

• Say: Now you’ll try one with your partner before working in small groups. With your partner, choose one more relationship to map. You can choose from:

  • Pia and Stevie

  • Stevie and Marcus

  • Stevie and his mom

  • Pia and Fawn

Work together to complete all three columns with evidence. You have two minutes.

Circulate and check that students are including the relationship type and page number evidence. After two minutes:

Say these Directions: Turn to another pair near you. Share the relationship you mapped. Check: Did they include the relationship type and page number evidence?

Allow another two minutes for sharing.

Step 4: Small-Group Independent Practice

• Say: Now you’re ready to work in small groups. In your groups of three or four, map at least two or three more relationships from the story. Make sure you:

  • Identify the relationship type (family? friends? enemies? bully/victim?).

  • Include the page number where we learn about it.

  • Use specific evidence from the text.

You have four minutes.

Circulate to model further as necessary, focusing on groups that struggle.

Step 5: Whole-Class Discussion: Plot-Driving Relationships

After students have mapped several relationships, bring the class back together.

• Ask: What are some of the relationships that drive the plot forward? In other words, which relationships cause important events to happen? How do those relationships do that?

The relationship between Stevie and his mom drives the plot forward because Stevie is worried about upsetting his mom. As a result, he doesn’t tell her about Marcus. On p. 48, Stevie admits that he can’t tell his mom “there’s a boy in [his] school drawing on [his] clothes.” Stevie hides this from his mom, which is one reason Marcus continues to pick on him; this continued bullying eventually leads to Stevie’s interaction with Pia.

Take two or three responses, highlighting how some relationships drive the plot, and others are just mentioned.

By the end of this activity, students should have multiple clearly labeled relationships supported with text evidence. Check that students are accurately identifying relationship types and explaining how those relationships influence actions or events in the story. Pay attention to whether students can distinguish between relationships that drive the plot and those that are less central. This understanding is critical as students move into analyzing how these relationships contribute to moments of empathy.

Part B: Identify Moments of Empathy (RL.6.4, RL.6.5) (15 minutes)

In this section, students move from identifying relationships to analyzing how moments of reflection build empathy. The focus is on interpretation—students should explain what moments mean, not just retell them. As students engage in Give One, Get One, monitor whether they are connecting verb tenses (especially past conditional) and figurative language to character emotions and perspective. Encourage students to explain how “what if” thinking and reflection help readers understand characters more deeply. This prepares students to articulate how perspective shapes empathy in the Look Back.

Transition students to a Give One, Get One routine in which they will use their relationship mapping from Part A to identify moments of connection and empathy in the story.

Before Give One, Get One, have students reread:

• Pp. 45–46 (Pia’s opening reflection)

• P. 55 (“broken in half” moment)

• P. 56 (Stevie’s closing reflection)

As students reread, have them mark moments of reflection (in the past conditional tense) and moments of empathy.

Give One, Get One

Say these Directions: Think about the moments of reflection and empathy in the part of the story you just reread. Participate in a Give One, Get One routine to answer the following text-dependent questions.

• Ask: How do Pia’s and Stevie’s reflections reveal why the characters do what they do? Think about the tenses the author uses in some of these reflections.

  • Through Pia’s self-reflection at the end of the story, we learn that she leaves from the back of the school to avoid potentially running into the boys again. But the author’s use of the past conditional tense shows that if Pia had known that Stevie was waiting for her to apologize, she might have gone out the front to meet him. The section begins with: “Maybe if Pia Foster had known yesterday … that the journey home would be different, she wouldn’t have been in such a hurry.”

• Ask: What does the author mean when he writes that Pia’s voice was “broken in half” on page 55? How does this language impact your understanding of Pia?

  • The author uses the phrase “broken in half” to convey how sad Pia is that her skateboard got broken. Her skateboard got rolled over by a car and snapped in half. Saying that her voice was broken mimics what happened to the skateboard. It shows how much Pia loves her skateboard, what using it represents to her, and how affected she is by it breaking. I think this is connected to her sister, Santi.

• Ask: The author uses past conditional tense at the beginning of the story (p. 45: “Maybe if Pia Foster had known . . .”) and near the end (p. 56: “Had Steven known . . .”). Why does he structure the story by bookending it with these “what if” moments? How does this contribute to the theme of empathy and understanding?

  • By structuring the story with past conditional reflections at the start and end, the author emphasizes that both Pia and Stevie are thinking about how things could have been different. This structure makes the reader think about how understanding someone else’s perspective can change our actions. It develops the theme that empathy requires reflection. The bookends show that both characters are questioning their choices, which creates a parallel in the story.

Transition students to the Look Back section of the lesson by reminding them that authors use specific language to craft the important moments in the story, like word choice (such as the symbolism they investigated at the beginning of Investigation 1) and verb tense (such as the past conditional).

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Respond to the following question.

• Ask: Consider the relationship between Pia and Marcus. How does Pia’s story help you see Marcus in a different way, through her eyes?

  • When Pia describes her interactions with Marcus at the hair salon, the reader learns more about his family history. If the reader only saw Marcus through Stevie’s eyes, they would not know about Marcus’s life at home and how it might influence the way he acts toward others.

Provide the following instructions to students:

• Update the chart you created in Lesson 3 for Pia and Stevie. Then read “How to Look (Both) Both Ways” (vignette 4). As you read, take notes in your Journal about a character’s voice—the distinct ways in which they speak and think.