January/February Unit: History Repeats Itself
Sixth Grade Literacy
Essential Question: How does history influence literature?
Beginning:
Goals: To apply a variety of reading strategies appropriate for reading historical fiction and
nonfiction
To understand the genres of both fiction and nonfiction accounts of historical events
Activities:
1. As an introduction to this unit, students will complete a teacher-generated anticipation
guide (see resources).
2. The teacher and students will read page 527, which explores the genre (nonfiction), page
528, which presents purposes for reading nonfiction, and page 529, which offers
strategies for reading nonfiction. A teacher-led discussion will review the elements of
fictional stories and introduce historical fiction.
3. Students will read texts from the lit book (see resources) or other source that contains
good examples of historical fiction and nonfiction. Suggested groupings for texts are (see
resources):
 “The Shutout”, page 532 (historical essay)
 “A Backwoods Boy”, page 36 (autobiography), “Jackie Robinson: Justice at Last”, page
325 (historical account), Bud, Not Buddy excerpt, page 310 (historical fiction)
(homework)
 “Hard as Nails”, page 72 (autobiography), “Water”, page 120 (autobiography),
Esperanza Rising excerpt, page 360 (historical fiction) (homework)
 “My Papa, Mark Twain”, 554 (biography), “Drive-In Movies”, 558 (autobiography)
4. Students will keep a dialectical journal as they read each of the text passages. (see
resources)
5. Mini-lessons: historical account, historical essay, historical fiction, biography,
autobiography, words in context, determining main idea, fact/opinion, author cannot have
lived during the time period in which an historical fiction story takes place, optimism in
the face of challenge as a common theme appearing in both fiction and nonfiction,
conjunctions, punctuation/capitalization of dialogue
INTERIM ASSESSMENT
After reading the selections, the students will complete the anticipation guide’s reflection with
particular thought to how the events of the past connect to current events, citing examples. The
students will engage in a pair share to discuss their reactions and reflections.
Middle:
Goals: To apply a variety of reading strategies appropriate for reading historical fiction and
nonfiction
To read and examine both fiction and nonfiction accounts of historical events
Activities:
1. Whole class will read an historical fiction novel (A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi or
Devil’s Arithmetic, Jane Yolen) together using strategies for better comprehension.
Grade 6 Literacy, January-February
2. Students will keep a reading response journal that focuses on the elements of historical
fiction with emphasis on setting (time and place), unfamiliar language or dialect, text-toworld connections with newspaper or magazine articles taped into journal, and a timeline
of important events in the main character’s life.
3. As students read each chapter, they will keep a dialectical journal selecting a quote that
affected them as readers and thinkers (emotionally, intellectually, etc.).
4. Mini-lessons: text-to-world connections, authors’ use of language to elicit feelings or
thoughts, graphic organizer (timeline), memoir, narrowing the focus of a topic, dialogue,
personal pronouns, pronoun-antecedent agreement
INTERIM ASSESSMENT
After reading the texts from the lit book, students will choose one important quote from their
dialectical journal and explain why this particular quote was important to them and how it
applies in the world today (either in their lives or the lives of others).
End:
Goals: To use one’s life history to produce an autobiographical piece for a selected group of
readers
Activities:
1. Students will write a biographical poem about a character from the novel. (see resources)
2. Teacher will distribute and explain directions for making “Roadmap of My Life.” (see
resources)
INTERIM ASSESSMENT
On a piece of butcher paper, students will create their historical timeline using the events listed
(see resources). Resource: http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=74
Grade 6 Literacy, January-February
Rubric for Reflection Piece from Anticipation Guide
Response
Examples
Discussion
Advanced
Demonstrated
profound
understanding of
how the past
connects to the
present
Provided
relevant,
meaningful
examples
Fully
participated in
discussion
Grade 6 Literacy, January-February
Proficient
Demonstrated
adequate
understanding of
how the past
connects to the
present
Provided
acceptable
examples
Basic
Demonstrated
minimal
understanding of
how the past
connects to the
present
Provided
insignificant
examples
Below Basic
Demonstrated
little if any
understanding of
how the past
connects to the
present
Provided
irrelevant
examples or none
Adequately
participated in
discussion
Nominally
participated in
discussion
Did not
participate in
discussion
Anticipation Guide for Historical Fiction and Nonfiction Unit
Before reading the selections for this unit, mark whether you agree or disagree with each
statement. After reading the selections, tell whether you were right and the page where you
found the answer.
Prior to reading
AGREE DISAGREE
TOPIC: History
There used to be a Negro League for black
baseball players.
In Russell Baker’s day, there were laws
that said children could begin working at
16.
During the Great Depression, people lived
in cardboard boxes.
Abraham Lincoln was a poor backwoods
farm boy.
The Brooklyn Dodgers were the first
baseball team to integrate.
Jackie Robinson, the first black major
league baseball player, was insulted by
white fans and players.
Jackie Robinson couldn’t eat or sleep in
the same places as his teammates in some
states.
Mark Twain wrote The Prince and the
Pauper.
An old remedy for a bee sting was to put
mud on it.
Reflection (how you feel about what you found):
Grade 6 Literacy, January-February
After reading
WERE YOU RIGHT?
PG # of answer:
Dialectical Journal
The dialectical journal is a type of double-entry note-taking which students use while reading
literature. In the two columns students write notes that dialogue with one another, thereby
developing critical reading and reflective questioning.
Grade 6 Literacy, January-February
Rubric for Dialectical Journal Writing
Dialectical Journal
Quote/explanation
Connection
Format
Conventions:
 Punctuation
 Capitalization
 Use of
conjunctions
Advanced
Each chapter
has a quote
Selected quotes
with deep
meaning and
impact;
explanation
was
comprehensive
Connected to
significant
current events
Thoroughly
met all
requirements of
generative
paragraph with
topic sentence,
details, and
conclusion
No errors in
punctuation or
capitalization;
correct use of 3
or more
conjunctions
Grade 6 Literacy, January-February
Proficient
Only one
chapter does
not have a
quote.
Selected
quotes that
were
important;
explanation
was adequate
Basic
Two to four
chapters do not
have quotes.
Below Basic
Half of the
chapters do not
have quotes.
Selected
quotes that had
trivial
meaning;
explanation
not relevant
Selected quotes
that had no
meaning;
inconsequential
or no
explanation
Connected to
current events
Connected to
unimportant
current events
Missing one
component of
a generative
paragraph
Made no
connections
3 errors in
punctuation or
capitalization;
correct use of
1 conjunction
4+ errors in
punctuation or
capitalization;
no use of
conjunctions
Adequately
met all
requirements
of generative
paragraph with
topic sentence,
details, and
conclusion
1-2 errors in
punctuation or
capitalization;
correct us of 2
conjunctions
Missing two or
more
components of
a generative
paragraph
Timeline for Historical Novel
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
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


Grade 6 Literacy, January-February
Rubric for Timeline
Prewriting
(brainstorming)
Events
Symbols
Chronological
Order of Events
Map
Dates
Advanced
Produced a
comprehensive
list of events
Listed ten
significant events
Proficient
Produced an
adequate list of
events
Listed ten
important events
Drew graphic
representation or
symbol for each
event
Explicitly
followed
chronological
order of events
Drew road with
symbols in order
along the road; a
brief but precise
caption
accompanies
each symbol.
Clearly listed
dates
Drew graphic
representation or
symbol for each
event
Followed
chronological
order of events
Basic
Produced a
minimal list of
events
Listed ten
minimally
important events
Drew graphic
representation or
symbol for each
event
Followed
chronological
order of events
Drew road with
symbols in order
along the road; a
brief caption
accompanies
each symbol.
Drew road with
symbols in order
along the road; a
caption
accompanies
each symbol.
Listed dates
Listed some
dates
Grade 6 Literacy, January-February
Below Basic
Produced few
events
Listed ten or
fewer events that
lack importance
Drew graphic
representation or
symbol for each
event
Did not fully
follow
chronological
order of events
Drew road with
symbols along
the road; a brief
caption
accompanies
each symbol.
Listed few dates
Roadmap of My Life
To help you plan for your memoir (autobiographical writing), you will construct a
roadmap of the high and low points of your life. You will creative a graphic
representation of important events, people, and places in your life.
Follow this procedure:
1. Brainstorm significant events in your life. These can be happy
memories, sad memories, scary memories, important places, important
people, and life-changing events – you choose!
2. Choose ten individual memories/events/people/places.
3. Put the memories/events/people/places in chronological order (what
happened first, second, so on).
4. Draw a graphic representation or symbol for each
event/memory/person/place. For example, if there was a divorce in
your family, you might draw two stick people with a lightning bolt
between them.
5. On a large sheet of white paper, draw a road. It can be two lanes if
you like. You can place dividing lines, broken lines, etc.
6. Working from left to right and both above and below the road, begin
placing the events/memories/people/places in chronological order by
drawing the symbol, writing the date, and a brief caption fully
explaining to the reader the memory/event/person/place.
7. Complete map, going over drawings, words, and highway until it is clear
and easy to read.
Grade 6 Literacy, January-February
Grade 6 Literacy, January-February