Lesson 6: What Breath Costs — Drabs and the Price of Giving
50 min
Student Lesson
Lesson 6: What Breath Costs — Drabs and the Price of Giving
Student Learning Objectives
Content
Students will analyze how Sanderson develops character and theme through key details in Warbreaker.
Language
Students will use textual evidence from Warbreaker to support written and oral analysis.
Foundations
Students will use domain-specific BioChromatic vocabulary when discussing the text.
Essential Question
How does Sanderson use textual evidence in this passage to develop theme and character in Warbreaker?
What does this scene reveal about power, agency, or identity?
Connections to
Knowledge-Building
Close reading "Warbreaker, Chapters 17-20: The Human Cost of Awakening" builds the evidence base students need to analyze how Sanderson develops character and theme in Warbreaker.
Enduring Understanding
Close reading with annotation develops the habit of supporting claims with precise textual evidence — the same skill required in every writing lesson in this unit.
Future Lessons
Evidence gathered from this passage will be referenced in upcoming writing and discussion lessons.
Unit Performance Task
This close read directly informs the unit's performance task, which asks students to synthesize evidence across Warbreaker to argue about the unit's essential questions.
Lesson Pacing
| Lesson Flow | Purpose of Learning Experience |
|---|---|
Launch5 Minutes | Orient students to the day's learning goals and activate relevant prior knowledge about Warbreaker. |
Literacy Lab10 Minutes | Provide direct instruction on the day's focus skill before releasing students to practice with the anchor text. |
Learning in Action30 Minutes | Students apply the day's focus skill to the anchor text with teacher support through circulation, conferring, and targeted questioning. |
Vocabulary
Vocabulary Addressed in Lesson
Returned
People who died and came back with a single divine Breath, granting them god-like appearance and power; worshipped in Hallandren.
Awakening
The magic of Nalthis; using Breath and a spoken Command to animate objects, giving them simple instructions to carry out.
Command
The spoken instruction given during Awakening that determines how an animated object behaves; must be simple and specific.
Nightblood
An Awakened sword created with 1000 Breaths and the Command "destroy evil"; sentient and dangerous, it drains Investiture from those who wield it.
Additional Vocabulary
Not available for this lesson
Material List
- Text: Warbreaker, Chapters 17-20: The Human Cost of Awakening
- Graphic organizer: Character motivation tracker
- Handout: Annotation guide — tracking theme and evidence
- Student journals
Routines & Protocols
- Close Read & Annotation Protocol
- Think-Pair-Share
- Turn-and-Talk