Unit Two
Exploring the Big Question
Why Read?
“Once you’ve learned to read,
you’ll be forever set free.”
~ Frederick Douglass
To Young Readers
Gwendolyn Brooks
Good books are
Bandages
And voyages
And linkages to Light;
Are keys and hammers,
Ripe redeemers,
Dials and bells and
Healing hallelujah.
Good books are good nutrition.
A reader is a Guest
Nourished, by riches of the Feast,
To lift, to launch, and to applaud the world.
Quotes
for
Small Group Facilitated Discussions
“A truly good book teaches me
better than to read it. I must soon
lay it down, and commence living on
its hint. What I began by reading, I
must finish by acting.”
~ Henry David Thoreau
“To read is to fly: it is to soar to a
point of vantage which gives a view
over wide terrains of history,
human variety, ideas, shared
experience and the fruits of many
inquiries.”
~ A. C. Graying
“A book is the only place in which
you can examine a fragile thought
without breaking it, or explore an
explosive idea without fear it will go
off in your face. It is one of the few
havens remaining where a man's
mind can get both provocation and
privacy.”
~ Edward P. Morgan
“Books are the quietest and most
constant of friends; they are the
most accessible and wisest of
counselors, and the most patient
of teachers.”
~ Charles W. Eliot
“Books are the compasses and
telescopes and sextants and charts
which other men have prepared to
help us navigate the dangerous
seas of human life.”
~ Jesse Lee Bennett
“Books can be dangerous. The best
ones should be labeled ‘This could
change your life.’”
~ Helen Exley
“A blessed companion is a book–a
book that, fitly chosen, is a lifelong
friend,… a book that, at a touch,
pours its heart into our own.”
~ Douglas Jerrold
“The importance of reading, for
me, is that it allows you to dream.
Reading not only educates, but is
relaxing and allows you to feed
your imagination—creating
beautiful pictures from carefully
chosen words.”
~ Eric Ripert
“We read books to find out who we
are. What other people, real or
imaginary, do and think and feel... is
an essential guide to our
understanding of what we ourselves
are and may become.”
~ Ursula K. Le Guin
“You think your pain and your
heartbreak are unprecedented in the
history of the world, but then you
read. It was books that taught me that
the things that tormented me most
were the very things that connected
me with all the people who were alive,
or who had ever been alive.”
~ James Baldwin
“Why do I read?
I just can't help myself.
I read to learn and to grow, to laugh
and to be motivated.
I read to understand things I've never
been exposed to.
I read when I'm crabby, when I've just
said monumentally dumb things to the
people I love.
I read for strength to help me when I
feel broken, discouraged, and afraid.
I read when I'm angry at the whole
world.
I read when everything is going right.
I read to find hope.
I read because I'm made up not just of
skin and bones, of sights, feelings,
and a deep need for chocolate, but I'm
also made up of words.
Words describe my thoughts and what's
hidden in my heart.
Words are alive--when I've found a
story that I love, I read it again and
again, like playing a favorite song
over and over.
Reading isn't passive--I enter the
story with the characters, breathe
their air, feel their frustrations,
scream at them to stop when they're
about to do something stupid, cry with
them, laugh with them.
Reading for me, is spending time with a
friend.
A book is a friend.
You can never have too many.”
~Gary Paulsen
Why do you love to read? Why?
A Further Exploration of
Why We Read
As a class, we will read, analyze, and discuss the following
pieces in the reading textbook:
“The Sand Castle” by Alma Luz Villanueva on p. 178
“The Emperor’s Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of
Ancient China” by Jane O’Connor on p. 198
Peruse the following pieces in your reading
textbook, and choose three selections you would
be interested in reading and discussing in class:
 “Tracking Trash” by Rachel Young on p. 62
 “TIME Nobody’s Perfect” by David Fischer on p. 190
 “The End of the World” by Jenny Leading Cloud on p. 222
 “How the Snake Got Poison” by Zora Neale Hurston on p. 227
 “Dust Tracks on a Road” by Zora Neale Hurston on p. 232
 “Ball Park Food” from Consumer Reports for Kids on p. 240
 “Ta-Na-E-Ka” by Mary Whitebird on p. 248
 “These Walls Can Talk” from TIME for Kids on p. 262
As you read, you will be thinking about aspects of reading and/or heroism
depicted in the story.
More on Why People Read



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Ocoee Middle School – “Gotta Keep Reading”
Why I Read
Tomie dePaola: Why Reading Is Important
Why Read?
Richard Peck: On Reading and Writing
Reflect: Expository Critique applied to video
2.6 Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an author’s
conclusions.
2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations.
2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning, persuasion, and
propaganda in text.
Comparing and Contrasting:
Videos of Celebrities and Why They Read
As a class, we will work in partners or small groups, choosing
two or three videos to watch, analyze, and discuss. Each
partnership or small group will share its findings with the class.
Your partnership or small group may also be interested in
Celebrity Bookprints, lists of five books per celebrity that left
an indelible mark on each celebrity’s life.
For extra credit, make your own Bookprint, listing the five
books that have helped shaped who you are or that have
significantly impacted your life in some way.
Comparing and Contrasting:
Stories and Authors’ Techniques
As a class, we will read, analyze, and discuss the
following pieces in the reading textbook:
“He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit” by Virginia
Hamilton on p. 272
“The Toad and the Donkey” by Toni Cade Bambara on
p. 277
The Reading Mother
Strickland Gillilan
I had a mother who read to me
Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,
Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,
"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath
I had a Mother who read me the things
That wholesome life to the boy heart bringsStories that stir with an upward touch,
Oh, that each mother of boys were such.
I had a Mother who read me lays
Of ancient and gallant and golden days;
Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,
Which every boy has a right to know.
You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be -I had a Mother who read to me.
I had a Mother who read me tales
Of Celert the hound of the hills of Wales,
True to his trust till his tragic death,
Faithfulness blent with his final breath.
Twenty Minutes a Day
by Richard Peck
Read to your children
Twenty minutes a day;
You have the time,
And so do they.
Read while the laundry is in the machine;
Read while the dinner cooks;
Tuck a child in the crook of your arm
And reach for the library books.
Hide the remote,
Let the computer games cool,
For one day your children will be off to school;
Remedial? Gifted? You have the choice;
Let them hear their first tales
In the sound of your voice.
Read in the morning;
Read over noon;
Read by the light of
Goodnight Moon.
Turn the pages together,
Sitting close as you'll fit,
Till a small voice beside you says,
"Hey, don't quit."
Assessments:
Words of Week weekly vocabulary test
Accelerated Reader reading, vocabulary, and literary
analysis test
Treasures Unit 2 Assessment on pp. 290-294
Discussion of reading and reflections on reading and
the implications for one’s own life
Optional if needed: Treasures individual story
assessments and Treasures formative assessments to
define differentiation
Standards Embedded:
1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency , and Systematic Vocabulary Development
Students use their knowledge of word origins and word relationships, as well as
historical and literary context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized
vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate
words.
Word Recognition
1.1 Read aloud narrative and expository text fluently and accurately and with
appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression.
Vocabulary and Concept Development
1.2 Identify and interpret figurative language and words with multiple meanings.
1.3 Recognize the origins and meanings of frequently used foreign words in
English and use these words accurately in speaking and writing.
1.4 Monitor expository text for unknown words or words with novel meanings by
using word, sentence, and paragraph clues to determine meaning.
1.5 Understand and explain “shades of meaning” in related words (e.g., softly and
quietly).
2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials)
Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They describe and
connect the essential ideas, arguments, and perspectives of the text by using their
knowledge of text structure, organization, and purpose. In addition, by grade eight,
students read one million words annually on their own.
Structural Features of Informational Materials
2.1 Identify the structural features of popular media (e.g., newspapers, magazines,
online information) and use the features to obtain information.
2.2 Analyze text that uses the compare-and-contrast organizational pattern.
Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
2.3 Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other sources
and related topics.
2.4 Clarify an understanding of texts by creating outlines, logical notes, summaries, or
reports.
2.5 Follow multiple-step instructions for preparing applications (e.g., for a public
library card, bank savings account, sports club, league membership).
Expository Critique
2.6 Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an author’s
conclusions.
2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations.
2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning, persuasion, and
propaganda in text.
3.0 Literary Response and Analysis
Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of
literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science.
They clarify the ideas and connect them to other literary works.
Structural Features of Literature
3.1 Identify the forms of fiction and describe the major characteristics of each
form.
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
3.2 Analyze the effect of the qualities of the character (e.g., courage or
cowardice, ambition or laziness) on the plot and the resolution of the conflict.
3.3 Analyze the influence of setting on the problem and its resolution.
3.5 Identify the speaker and recognize the difference between first- and thirdperson narration (e.g., autobiography compared with biography).
3.6 Identify and analyze features of themes conveyed through characters, actions,
and images.
3.7 Explain the effects of common literary devices (e.g., symbolism, imagery,
metaphor) in a variety of fictional and nonfictional texts.
Additional Standard Embedded in Poem of the Day:
3.4 Define how tone or meaning is conveyed in poetry through word choice,
figurative language, sentence structure, line length, punctuation, rhythm,
repetition, and rhyme.
Expository Critique
2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting
citations.
Additional Standard Embedded in novel study
of The Watson’s Go to Birmingham:
Literary Criticism
3.8 Critique the credibility of characterization and the degree to which a plot is
contrived or realistic (e.g., compare use of fact and fantasy in historical fiction).
Reading Standards Not Addressed in the Unit:
Expository Critique
2.6 Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an
author’s conclusions.
2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning,
persuasion, and propaganda in text.