Lesson 8: March: Book One, Central Ideas of John Lewis’ Childhood

Have students take out March: Book One with their annotations.

• Lesson 7 Homework: Students were instructed to annotate their text to note a central idea from pp. 14–35 of March.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Turn and talk with a partner about the following question to prepare them for today’s lesson.

• Ask: How do the time shifts between the present and the past help you better understand Lewis’s character as a person?

  • We get to know Lewis through his childhood experiences, which help us better understand who he is in the present as he prepares for Obama’s inauguration. For example, we know that his family struggled economically as they often had " no cash” and were working hard to maintain their farm (p. 33).

As students orally share their responses, listen to evaluate whether students have activated the necessary background knowledge related to pp. 14–35 of March.

Connection to Today’s Learning:

• Say: In Lesson 7, you tracked the connections between Lewis’s past and present on pp. 14–35 of March. Today, you’ll build on your understanding of this section of the text by analyzing a central idea and the key details that develop that idea. After that, you’ll reflect on today’s learning by rating your confidence level and developing a goal for you to work on moving forward.

Fluency Practice

Have students get out their copies of March: Book One. Tell them that they will be practicing fluency by reading the “About the Authors” section for accuracy.

Model Fluent Reading: Model reading aloud the first paragraph with accuracy. Then, read the second paragraph with a subtle mistake. Model fixing the mistake: “That did not sound right because…let me read that again and….” Name explicitly how you identified the mistake and what you are doing to fix the mistake.

• Ask: While reading, what did I do to make sure I was reading the text with accuracy? 

Class Echo-Read: Reread the first paragraph aloud. This time, have students read aloud with you. 

• Ask: Did you read the paragraph with fluency and accuracy? Why or why not? 

Partner-Read: Place students in pairs. Have one partner read aloud the third paragraph while the other listens, and then switch roles for the fourth paragraph. Partners should stop readers for skipped words, incorrect endings, or altered phrasing.

Say these Directions: Turn to the “About the Authors” section at the end of March: Book One. Today you will be practicing fluency by reading the John Lewis section. Strong readers don’t guess. They read what’s actually on the page. Today we’re practicing accuracy, which means noticing every word, every ending, and every pause.” Let’s review:

• Ask: What does reading accurately sound like?

• Ask: Was my reading smooth?

• Ask: Was my reading paced appropriately with minimal pronunciation errors?

Part A: Teacher Modeling: Determining a Central Idea (RI.8.1, RI.8.2) (15 minutes)

Think-Aloud Modeling

Review the concepts of central ideas and key details for students:

• Central Idea: An important message or insight that the author wants the reader to understand about key topics and ideas in the text.

• Key details: Specific facts, events, quotations, images, and descriptions that support, explain, and develop the central idea.

Then introduce the Central Idea and Details Graphic Organizer. Model using the graphic organizer to record one central idea and three key details from the prologue (pp. 5–9) of March.

Say these Directions: Look at the model Central Idea and Details Graphic Organizer. Look at the example from the prologue of March (pp. 5–9) and notice how one central idea and three key details from the text are recorded on the organizer. As you review the example, think about how the key details support the central idea.

Transition students into analyzing the model.

• Ask: How do the key details support the central idea?

  • The details show that the demonstrators did demonstrate courage as the details show that they were peacefully demonstrating when the troopers advanced on them with billy clubs and tear gas. Also, the details show that the protestors were being peaceful and knew they might face opposition, like when they asked each other can swim because they might have to jump from the bridge.

Part B: Partner Practice: Central Idea (RI.8.1, RI.8.2) (15 minutes)

Place students in pairs. Remind them that they have closely read and discussed pp. 14–35 of March. Now, they will further engage with this section of the text by determining a central idea and three key details that develop that idea. Provide each student with a Central Idea and Details graphic organizer. Students can use the Central Idea and Details Graphic Organizer to help organize their ideas.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Work with your partner to determine one central idea from pages 14–35. Then identify three key details from the text that support that central idea. After recording your ideas, discuss how the key details help develop or explain the central idea.

SAMPLE RESPONSE:

Offer students guiding questions to support their discussion:

• Which events or moments seem most important across this section?

  • The shift to childhood responsibility—being put in charge of the chickens—matters because it shows where his sense of duty begins (p. 20). The moment of guilt after harming a chick is also important because it reveals how seriously he takes the consequences of his actions (pp. 31–32).

• Which ideas or values repeat across different scenes?

  • Responsibility repeats across time: In childhood, Lewis is trusted with real duties at home (p. 20), and in the present, he treats memory and history as something he must protect and pass on (pp. 16–19). Humanity and treating others with dignity also repeat because Lewis frames his childhood story around his loving treatment of his chickens. He discusses how he names his chickens and builds an “incubator” (p. 25) to help them lay their eggs. And how he would “conduct a funeral” (p. 30) for chickens that died.

• What does Lewis want readers to understand about his experience?

  • Lewis wants readers to see that his commitment to justice was formed as a child. He shows empathy and moral awareness through his reaction after he harms a chick and cannot shake the guilt (pp. 31–32). He also shows his commitment to justice by “protesting” his parents’ treatment of the birds (p. 33).

  • Lewis also wants readers to understand that he found a connection to leadership early on in his childhood. In his story, he mentions wanting to be a “preacher” and pretending his chickens were his “congregation” (p. 28).

Reflection

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

Say these Directions: Reflect on your ability in determining a central idea for future passages of March using the Reflection routine.

• Ask: Based on our work today, how confident are you in determining a central idea for future passages of March?

Provide students with a copy of the article, “Separate and Unequal: Jim Crow and the Road to Civil Rights.” Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

Read “Separate and Unequal: Jim Crow and the Road to Civil Rights,” and annotate the text using the Connect-Extend-Challenge protocol.

• Connect: What connections can you make between what you read and what you already know?

• Extend: How did your reading extend your thinking or give you new ideas?

• Challenge: What ideas from your reading are still challenging you? What questions do you still have?