Lesson 25: Look Both Ways, Vignette 10, The Broom Dog

Think-Pair-Share

Introduce the lesson by inviting students to consider the opening of “The Broom Dog.”

Display one image from the opening description of the school bus in “The Broom Dog,” and ask students to notice specific details that stand out. Give students one minute of think time.

• Ask: What do you notice about the image?

Invite a few students to share their thoughts.

• Ask: What makes this image memorable or powerful?

Invite students to share their thoughts.

Tell students that they will work in pairs to complete this same activity with another image or metaphor from the opening of the text. Review the Think-Pair-Share routine.

Say these Directions: Choose one image or metaphor from the opening of “The Broom Dog” that stood out to you. Think-Pair-Share with a partner using this prompt: What makes this image memorable and powerful?

After students share with partners, lead a brief discussion with the whole group about the opening images in the vignette. Ask students to share the images they chose. If there are repeats, address why those images were powerful for multiple students.

• Ask: What makes an image memorable or powerful?

  • Images can be memorable when they are really strange or unique. I had never thought of a school bus as a concert hall. It made sense, though, because people sometimes sing or perform on buses. So it was strange, but it was also relatable.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Figurative language is one narrative technique that authors use as they craft stories. “The Broom Dog” uses metaphors, similes, and symbols to create meaning. We’ll investigate some ways authors use images and language to convey meaning today.

Fluency Practice

Write or project a section from “The Broom Dog” where all students can see it, and model a fluent reading. Use the section that describes when Canton’s mom goes back to work, beginning with “The afternoon his mother returned . . .” and ending with “. . . a sack of broken bone.”

Say these Directions: Follow along as you listen to a section from “The Broom Dog” read aloud. Think about what is happening in the passage and what you learn about Canton and Mr. Munch.

• Ask: What is happening in this section? (Canton has a panic attack because he is so worried about his mom getting hurt again.)

• Say: When I read this same section a second time, let’s build a deeper understanding by paying close attention to the punctuation, noting where the author wants us to slow down. Let’s see what we can learn about the relationship between Canton and Mr. Munch.

Read the passage a second time, paying careful attention to areas of pause, including commas, periods, and ellipses. Have the class echo-read the text. Read one or two sentences, and have the class repeat.

• Say: Reread the section with attention to punctuation and pauses. Then, work with a partner to take turns reading aloud and giving feedback using the sentence frames provided.

  • Ask: Did you notice anything new when we read this time? (Mr. Munch wants to help Canton. Canton is really scared. Canton trusts Mr. Munch.)

• Say: Now, read the passage with a partner. Take turns reading and providing feedback to each other. Use the sentence frames to give each other clear and specific feedback.

  • “One thing I noticed you do well was ____.”

  • “One thing that would help me understand even more clearly is ____.”

  • “I really enjoyed the way you ____.”

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: As we study figurative language, notice how the author conveys the images on the page. Ask yourself: How does the punctuation affect this image? How do the paragraph breaks affect the meaning and our understanding of the text?

Part A: Figurative Language and Symbolism: Look Both Ways, “The Broom Dog” (RL.6.4) (15 minutes)

Return to the Launch activity, and have students review their chosen images.

Teach: Figurative Language and Symbolism

In Lessons 4 and 7, students studied symbolism in Look Both Ways. It may be useful to pull specific examples from student Look Back respones, answering the question “What symbol best represents Jasmine and TJ’s relationship, and why?”

Symbolism as Figurative Language

• figurative language: words used to convey meaning beyond the literal (ex. simile, metaphor, personification)

• metaphor: figure of speech that directly compares two unrelated things without using words such as like or as

• simile: a figure of speech that compares two unrelated things by using words such as like or as

• symbolism: the use of something concrete to represent something abstract (ex. a storm to represent conflict; a rose to represent love)

• Say: Symbols are another type of figurative language. Symbols tend to become apparent over longer portions of a text. In “The Broom Dog,” Reynolds uses figurative language, specifically metaphors, to describe all the things a school bus can be.

Review what a metaphor is, and reiterate that this is a vocabulary word from the lesson.

• Say: Throughout Look Both Ways, Reynolds repeats the image of a school bus falling from the sky. This repeated imagery lets you know it is important and is likely acting as a symbol.

• Ask: What are some other possible symbols from the book?

Recall an example from Lesson 4.

• Ask: What could the water bears represent in the text?

Ask students to share their thoughts. After students share, tell them that the water bears represent Jasmine and TJ’s relationship.

• Say: They are strange and unexpected and can survive even very harsh conditions. The symbolism is described over the course of the story, not in just one sentence or image.

• Ask: Look at your chosen image from the Launch activity. What kind of figurative language is it? How do you know? What effect does this figurative language have?

  • My image is “a school bus is a dirty fridge.” It’s a metaphor because it compares two unrelated things—a fridge and a school bus—without using like or as. This figurative language helps me understand what the school bus is like. Yuck!

Allow students to think about their answers and discuss briefly with a classmate. Discuss a few examples as a class. Say these Directions: Take a moment to think about your answers. Then, turn and talk with a classmate about the figurative language in your chosen image. Be prepared to explain what type it is and how it affects meaning.

Have students turn and talk to discuss the following questions. Offer the following sentence frames:

• “The purpose of this long section is ____ because ____.”

• “I agree/disagree with ____ because ____.”

• Ask: Think about the section at the beginning of “The Broom Dog.” What purpose does this long section serve? Why do you think Reynolds included so many metaphors for what a school bus is?

The purpose of this long section is to provide a lot of descriptions of a school bus because the narrator wants to convey how important the school bus is to Canton and to the story as a whole. It shows all the ways the school bus functions in students’ lives.

• Ask: What does the image of the school bus teach the reader about Canton?

  • We learn that Canton has very complicated feelings about school buses.

• Ask: How does the figurative language and imagery in “The Broom Dog” build empathy in the reader?

  • The figurative language makes Canton feel more relatable. The images are complex, but they give me concrete things to imagine, which helps me understand how Canton feels.

• Ask: How does building empathy with Mr. Munch affect Canton’s perspective about his mom’s accident?

  • Mr. Munch shares his own experience with grief. This helps Canton understand how he can work through his fear about his mom’s accident.

Part B: Give One, Get One (RL.6.1, RL.6.5) (15 minutes)

Tell students they are going to participate in a Give One, Get One routine. Review the protocol. Share that they will have 10 minutes total. Signal when the time is coming close to the end of each round.

Give One, Get One

• Say these Directions: You will share an idea with one classmate, then refine your idea before you share it again with another classmate. We’ll do a few rounds of this before coming together as a large group to discuss what we learned. Our prompt is: How does Jason Reynolds use the symbol of a school bus to build empathy?

Provide sentence frames for students to use:

• “Jason Reynolds’s use of the school bus as a symbol shows ____. This builds empathy because ____.”

• “One idea I shared was ____; one new idea I got was ____.”

Model one round of exchanges.

• Say: My answer to the prompt is “Jason Reynolds’s use of the school bus as a symbol shows how chaotic middle school life can be. This builds empathy because it helps explain why the characters act the way they do.” After I share this with a partner and my partner shares with me, I say, “One idea I shared was that the school bus symbol shows how chaotic middle school life can be. One idea I got was that the school bus helps build empathy by explaining how scary new experiences can be.”

Allow students to do several rounds of exchange with their classmates. After 10 minutes, come together to review what students have discovered.

• Ask: Which new ideas added to your understanding of the school bus symbolism?

  • I now see how the symbol of the school bus shows how difficult it can be to express your ideas in just one way. I think this builds empathy because I get frustrated when people don’t say exactly what they’re feeling. The school bus symbol helped me realize how hard it can be.

Quick Write

Students reflect on how figurative language and symbolism convey emotion and build empathy using text evidence. Have students prepare to answer their Quick Write independently, using text evidence to support their responses. Collect formative data.

Say these Directions: Respond to the following prompt independently. Use at least one piece of text evidence to support your answer.

• Ask: How does Jason Reynolds use figurative language and symbols to convey emotion and build empathy?

  • Jason Reynolds uses figurative language and symbols to make the content in the story more concrete and relatable. This conveys emotions by making it easier to imagine how the characters are feeling. When the reader can imagine how the character feels, this builds empathy in the reader.

• Optional Sentence Starter:

  • “Jason Reynolds uses figurative language and symbols to ____. This conveys emotions by ____ and builds empathy because ____.”

Instruct students to do the following:

• Update your Ordinary Moments graphic organizer to include Canton.

• Write a paragraph in your Journal explaining how Jason Reynolds uses voice, tone, or details to help readers understand a character’s feelings and perspective. Cite at least one piece of text evidence.