Kate DiCamillo - Because of Winn-Dixie - Grade 3

Learning Objective: The goal of this one day exemplar is to give students the opportunity to use the reading and writing habits theyve been practicing on a regular basis to absorb deep lessons from Kate DiCamillos story. By reading and rereading the passage closely and focusing their reading through a series of uestions and discussion about the text! students will identify how and why the three main characters became friends. Reading Task: Students will silently read the passage in question on a given dayfirst independently and then following along with the text as the teacher and/or skillful students read aloud. Depending on the difficulties of a given text and the teachers knowledge of the fluency abilities of students, the order of the student silent read and the teacher reading aloud with students following ight be reversed. !hat is i portant is to allow all students to interact with challenging text on their own as frequently and independently as possible. Students will then reread specific passages in response to a set of concise, text"dependent questions that co pel the to exa ine the eaning and structure of Di#a illos prose. $herefore, rereading is deliberately built into the instructional unit. $his serves two purposes% helping less fluent readers access a ore co plex text than they could independently and odeling for all students the necessity and process of returning to the text in order to absorb all it has to offer. Vocabulary Task: &ost of the eanings of words in the exe plar text can be discovered by students fro careful reading of the context in which they appear. $eachers can use discussions to odel and reinforce how to learn vocabulary fro contextual clues, and students ust be held accountable for engaging in this practice. !here it is 'udged this is not possible, underlined words are defined briefly for students to the right of the text in a separate colu n whenever the original text is reproduced. (t ti es, this is all the support these defined words need. (t other ti es, particularly with abstract words, teachers will need to spend ore ti e explaining and discussing the . $here is a longer discussion of this in the )*ocabulary+ section of the ,ntroduction. ,n addition, in subsequent close readings of passages of the text, high value acade ic -.$ier $wo/ words have been bolded to draw attention to the . 0iven how crucial vocabulary knowledge is for acade ic and career success, it is essential that these high value words be discussed and lingered over during the instructional sequence. Discussion Task: Students will discuss the exe plar text in depth with their teacher and their class ates, perfor ing activities that result in a close reading of Di#a illos story. $he goal is to foster student confidence when encountering co plex text and to reinforce the skills they have acquired regarding how to build and extend their understanding of a text. ( general principle is to always reread the passage that provides evidence for the question under discussion. $his gives students another encounter with the text, helping the develop fluency and reinforcing their use of text evidence. riting Task: Students will respond to a series of text dependent questions and then write an infor al explanatory essay. $eachers ight afford students the opportunity to revise their essays after participating in classroo discussion or even rewrite their explanation after receiving teacher feedback, allowing the to refashion both their understanding of the text and their expression of that understanding. Te!t "election: This exemplar text! ta"en from Kate DiCamillos award winning novel of the same title introduces readers to some of the principal characters in the boo" and to the uni ue #talents #of the dog! $inn%Dixie.

&

Outline o# Lesson $lan: This lesson can be delivered in two days of instruction and reflection on the part of students and their teacher! or spread over three days. 'easons for extending the discussion regarding 1ecause of !inn"Dixie to three full periods of instruction include ta"ing more time to unpac" the rich array of ideas DiCamillo explores in this piece! ta"ing more time to loo" closely at academic vocabulary! or even wor"ing at greater length with the writing prompt. "tandards Covered% The following CC( standards are the focus of this assignment: ').*.&! *%+, '-.*.*%., $.*./! .%+, ().*.&%/, ).*.&%+.

T&e Te!t% DiCamillo' Kate( Because of Winn-Dixie

)!em*lar Te!t 0 spent a lot of time that summer at the 1erman $. Bloc" 2emorial )ibrary. The 1erman $. Bloc" 2emorial )ibrary sounds li"e it would be a big fancy place! but its not. 0ts 3ust a little old house full of boo"s! and 2iss -ranny Bloc" is in charge of them all. (he is a very small! very old woman with short gray hair! and she was the first friend 0 made in 4aomi. 0t all started with $inn%Dixie not li"ing it when 0 went into the library! because he couldnt go inside! too. But 0 showed him how he could stand up on his hind legs and loo" in the window and see me in there! selecting my boo"s, and he was o"ay! as long as he could see me. But the thing was! the first time 2iss -ranny Bloc" saw $inn%Dixie standing up on his hind legs li"e that! loo"ing in the window! she didnt thin" he was a dog. (he thought he was a bear. This is what happened: 0 was pic"ing out my boo"s and "ind of humming to myself! and all of a sudden! there was a loud and scary scream. 0 went running up to the front of the library! and there was 2iss -ranny Bloc"! sitting on the floor behind her des". 2iss -ranny sat there trembling and sha"ing. #Come on!5 0 said. #)et me help you up. 0ts o"ay.5 0 stuc" out my hand and 2iss -ranny too" hold of it! and 0 pulled her up off the floor. (he didnt weigh hardly anything at all. 6nce she was standing on her feet! she started acting all embarrassed! saying how 0 must thin" she was a silly old lady! mista"ing a dog for a bear! but that she had a bad experience with a bear coming into the 1erman $. Bloc" 2emorial )ibrary a long time ago! and she never had uite gotten over it. #$hen did it happen75 0 as"ed her. #$ell!5 said 2iss -ranny! #it is a very long story.5 #Thats o"ay!5 0 told her. #0 am li"e my mama in that 0 li"e to be told stories. But before you start telling it! can $inn%Dixie come in and listen! too7 1e gets lonely without me.5 #$ell! 0 dont "now!5 said 2iss -ranny. #Dogs are not allowed in the 1erman $. Bloc" 2emorial )ibrary.5 #1ell be good!5 0 told her. #1es a dog who goes to church.5 8nd before she could say yes or no! 0 went outside and got $inn%Dixie! and he came in and lay down with a )huu ppff+ and a sigh! right at 2iss -rannys feet. (he loo"ed down at him and said! #1e most certainly is a large dog.5 #9es maam!5 0 told her. #1e has a large heart! too.5 #$ell!5 2iss -ranny said. (he bent over and gave $inn%Dixie a pat on the head! and $inn%Dixie wagged his tail bac" and forth and snuffled his nose on her little old% lady feet. #)et me get a chair and sit down so 0 can tell this story properly.5 #Bac" when -lorida was wild! when it consisted of nothing but palmetto trees and mos uitoes so big they could fly away with you!5 2iss -ranny Bloc" started in! #and 0 was 3ust a little girl no bigger than you! my father! 1erman $. Bloc"! told me that 0 could have anything 0 wanted for my birthday. 8nything at all.5 2iss -ranny loo"ed around the library. (he leaned in close to me. #0 dont want to a**ear *ride#ul!5 she said! #but my daddy was a very rich man. 8 very rich man.5 (he nodded and then leaned bac" and said! #8nd 0 was a little girl who loved to read. (o 0 told him! 0 said! :Daddy! 0 would most certainly love to have a library for my birthday! a small little library would be wonderful.5 #9ou as"ed for a whole library75 #8 small one!5 2iss -ranny nodded. #0 wanted a little house full of nothing but boo"s and 0 wanted to share them! too. 8nd 0 got my wish. 2y father built me this house! the very one we are sitting in now. 8nd at a very young age! 0 became a librarian. 9es maam.5 #$hat about the bear75 0 said. #Did 0 mention that -lorida was wild in those days75 2iss -ranny Bloc" said. #;h%huh! you did.5 #0t was wild. There were wild men and wild women and wild animals.5 #)i"e bears<5 . #9es maam. Thats right. 4ow! 0 have to tell you. 0 was a little%miss%"now%it% all. 0 was a miss%smarty%pants with my library full of boo"s. 6h! yes maam! 0 thought 0 "new the answers to everything. $ell! one hot Thursday! 0 was sitting in my library with all the doors and window open and my nose stuc" in a boo"! when a shadow

Vocabulary

$o shake because of fear or the cold without trying to shake2 when you cant stop yourself

Day One% +nstructional )!em*lar #or DiCamillo,s Because of Winn-Dixie

"ummary o# -ctivities &. Teacher introduces the days passage with minimal commentary and students read it independently. /. Teacher or a s"illful reader then reads the passage out loud to the class as students follow along in the text. Teachers can reverse numbers & and / if they feel students need the support of hearing the text read aloud first. *. Teacher as"s the class to discuss the first set of text%dependent uestions and perform targeted tas"s about the passage! with answers in the form of notes! annotations to the text! or more formal responses as appropriate. Te!t $assage under Discussion 0 spent a lot of time that summer at the 1erman $. Bloc" 2emorial )ibrary. The 1erman $. Bloc" 2emorial )ibrary sounds li"e it would be a big fancy place! but its not. 0ts 3ust a little old house full of boo"s! and 2iss -ranny Bloc" is in charge of them all. (he is a very small! very old woman with short gray hair! and she was the first friend 0 made in 4aomi. 0t all started with $inn%Dixie not li"ing it when 0 went into the library! because he couldnt go inside! too. But 0 showed him how he could stand up on his hind legs and loo" in the window and see me in there! selecting my boo"s, and he was o"ay! as long as he could see me. But the thing was! the first time 2iss -ranny Bloc" saw $inn%Dixie standing up on his hind legs li"e that! loo"ing in the window! she didnt thin" he was a dog. (he thought he was a bear. =read the intervening paragraphs> #Certain ones!5 said 2iss -ranny! #a select few.5 8nd then she turned around and win"ed at me. 0 smiled bac". 0 had 3ust made my first friend in 4aomi! and nobody was going to mess that up for me! not even old pinch%faced 8manda $il"inson. +nstructional Commentary.Guiding /uestions 0or Teac&ers.$ro#icient Res*onses 1( +ntroduce t&e *assage and students read inde*endently( 6ther than giving the brief definitions offered to words students would li"ely not be able to define from context ?underlined in the text@! avoid giving any bac"ground context or instructional guidance at the outset of the lesson while students are reading the text silently. This close reading approach forces students to rely exclusively on the text instead of privileging bac"ground "nowledge and levels the playing field for all students as they see" to comprehend DiCamillos story. 0t is critical to cultivating independence and creating a culture of close reading that students initially grapple with rich texts li"e DiCamillos without the aid of prefatory material! extensive notes! or even teacher explanations. That being said two initial readings provide much support! but all coming from the text rather than outside of it. 2( Read t&e *assage out loud to t&e class as students #ollo3 along in t&e te!t( 8s"ing students to listen to 1ecause of !inn"Dixie exposes students a second time to the rhythms and meaning of her language before they begin their own close reading of the passage. (pea"ing clearly and carefully will allow students to follow DiCamillos story! and reading out loud with students following along improves fluency while offering all students access to this complex text. 8ccurate and s"illful modeling of the reading also provides students who may be dysfluent with accurate pronunciations and syntactic patterns of Anglish.

Te!t $assage under Discussion This is what happened: 0 was pic"ing out my boo"s and "ind of humming to myself! and all of a sudden! there was a loud and scary scream. 0 went running up to the front of the library! and there was 2iss -ranny Bloc"! sitting on the floor behind her des". 2iss -ranny sat there trembling and sha"ing. #Come on!5 0 said. #)et me help you up. 0ts o"ay.5 0 stuc" out my hand and 2iss -ranny too" hold of it! and 0 pulled her up off the floor. (he didnt weigh hardly anything at all. 6nce she was standing on her feet! she started acting all embarrassed! saying how 0 must thin" she was a silly old lady! mista"ing a dog for a bear! but that she had a bad experience with a bear coming into the 1erman $. Bloc" 2emorial )ibrary a long time ago! and she never had uite gotten over it. ... #Bac" when -lorida was wild! when it consisted of nothing but palmetto trees and mos uitoes so big they could fly away with you!5 2iss -ranny Bloc" started in! #and 0 was 3ust a little girl no bigger than you! my father! 1erman $. Bloc"! told me that 0 could have anything 0 wanted for my birthday. 8nything at all.5 2iss -ranny loo"ed around the library. (he leaned in close to me. #0 dont want to a**ear *ride#ul!5 she said! #but my daddy was a very rich man. 8 very rich man.5 (he nodded and then leaned bac" and said! #8nd 0 was a little girl who loved to read. (o 0 told him! 0 said! :Daddy! 0 would most certainly love to have a library for my birthday! a small little library would be wonderful.5 #9ou as"ed for a whole library75 #8 small one!5 2iss -ranny nodded. #0 wanted a little house full of nothing but boo"s and 0 wanted to share them! too. 8nd 0 got my wish. 2y father built me this house! the very one we are sitting in now. 8nd at a very young age! 0 became a librarian. 9es maam.5

+nstructional Commentary.Guiding /uestions 0or Teac&ers.$ro#icient Res*onses 3( -sk t&e class to ans3er a small set o# te!t-de*endent guided 4uestions and *er#orm targeted tasks about t&e *assage' 3it& ans3ers in t&e #orm o# notes' annotations to t&e te!t' or more #ormal res*onses as a**ro*riate(
$o shake because of fear or the cold without trying to shake2 when you cant stop yourself

8s students move through these uestions and reread DiCamillos story! be sure to chec" for and reinforce their understanding of academic vocabulary in the corresponding text ?which will be bold#aced the first time it appears in the text@. 8t times! the uestions themselves may focus on academic vocabulary. 5/16 &y 3as 7iss 0ranny so scared by 9acting all embarrassed8: inn-Di!ie8 &y 3as s&e

2iss -ranny thought $inn%Dixie was a bear. $hen she realiCed he was a dog! she was embarrassed because she thought 6pal would thin" she was a #silly old lady! mista"ing a dog for a bear.5

5/26 ;o3 did t&e ;erman name8

( <lock 7emorial Library come to get its

The library was a gift to 2iss -ranny from her wealthy father. $hen she was a little girl! #a very rich man5 told her she could have #anything she wants5 for her birthday. (o! 2iss -ranny as"ed for a library. (he wanted a #little house full of nothing but boo"s5. 1erman $. Bloc" was 2iss -rannys father. Both events are fairly straightforward! but it is important for students to understand them! as they set the stage for what is to come.

Te!t $assage under Discussion #1e went. But this is what 0 will never forget. 1e too" the boo" with him.5 #4u%uh!5 0 said. #9es maam!5 said 2iss -ranny. #1e snatched it up and ran.5 #Did he come bac"75 0 as"ed. #4o! 0 never saw him again. $ell! the men in town used to tease me about it. They used to say! :2iss -ranny! we saw that bear of yours out in the woods today. 1e was reading that boo" and he said it sure was good and would it be all right if he "ept it for 3ust another wee". 9es maam. They did tease me about it.5 (he said. #0 imagine 0m the only one left from those days. 0 imagine 0m the only one that even recalls that bear. 8ll my friends! everyone 0 "new when 0 was young! they are all dead and gone.5 (he sighed again. (he loo"ed sad and old and wrin"led. 0t was the same way 0 felt sometimes! being friendless in a new town and not having a mama to comfort me. 0 sighed! too. $inn%Dixie raised his head off his paws and loo"ed bac" and forth between me and 2iss -ranny. 1e sat up then and showed 2iss -ranny his teeth. #$ell now! loo" at that!5 she said. #That dog is smiling at me.5 #0ts a talent of his!5 0 told her. #0ts a fine talent!5 2iss -ranny said. 8 very fine talent.5 8nd she smiled bac" at $inn%Dixie. #$e could be friends!5 0 said to 2iss -ranny. #0 mean you and me and $inn%Dixie! we could all be friends.5 2iss -ranny smiled even bigger. #$hy! that would be grand!5 she said! #3ust grand.5

+nstructional Commentary.Guiding /uestions 0or Teac&ers.$ro#icient Res*onses Euestions *%+ trace the se uence of events that led to the three characters becoming friends and prepare students for the writing prompt at the end of the lesson. 5/36 O*al says' 9"&e looked sad and old and 3rinkled(: &at &a**ened to cause 7iss 0ranny to look t&is 3ay8 (tudents should realiCe that she was thin"ing about friends and people who are no longer alive! and that she does not have any friends now: #8ll my friends! everyone 0 "new when 0 was young! they are all dead and gone.5

5/=6 &at 3ere O*al,s #eelings 3&en s&e reali>ed &o3 7iss 0ranny #elt8
$o let out a long, deep breath because of tiredness, sadness, or another feeling

(tudents should realiCe that 6pal felt she and 2iss -ranny were both lonely: #0t was the same way 0 felt . . . friendless . . .5

5/?6 )arlier in t&e story' O*al says t&at inn-Di!ie 9&as a large &eart' too(: &at does inn-Di!ie do to s&o3 t&at &e &as a 9large &eart:8 (tudents should see that $inn%Dixie was responding to 6pal and 2iss -ranny feeling sad when he loo"ed between them and showed 2iss -ranny his teeth: #$inn% Dixie raised his head off his paws and loo"ed bac" and forth between me and 2iss -ranny. 1e sat up then and showed 2iss -ranny his teeth. :$ell now! loo" at that! she said. :That dog is smiling at me.5

Te!t under Discussion 0 spent a lot of time that summer at the 1erman $. Bloc" 2emorial )ibrary. The 1erman $. Bloc" 2emorial )ibrary sounds li"e it would be a big fancy place! but its not. 0ts 3ust a little old house full of boo"s! and 2iss -ranny Bloc" is in charge of them all. (he is a very small! very old woman with short gray hair! and she was the first friend 0 made in 4aomi. ... 2iss -ranny loo"ed around the library. (he leaned in close to me. #0 dont want to a**ear *ride#ul!5 she said! #but my daddy was a very rich man. 8 very rich man.5 (he nodded and then leaned bac" and said! #8nd 0 was a little girl who loved to read. (o 0 told him! 0 said! :Daddy! 0 would most certainly love to have a library for my birthday! a small little library would be wonderful.5 #9ou as"ed for a whole library75 #8 small one!5 2iss -ranny nodded. #0 wanted a little house full of nothing but boo"s and 0 wanted to share them! too. 8nd 0 got my wish. 2y father built me this house! the very one we are sitting in now. 8nd at a very young age! 0 became a librarian. 9es maam.5 ... (he sighed again. (he loo"ed sad and old and wrin"led. 0t was the same way 0 felt sometimes! being friendless in a new town and not having a mama to comfort me. 0 sighed! too. $inn%Dixie raised his head off his paws and loo"ed bac" and forth between me and 2iss -ranny. 1e sat up then and showed 2iss -ranny his teeth. #$ell now! loo" at that!5 she said. #That dog is smiling at me.5 #0ts a talent of his!5 0 told her. #0ts a fine talent!5 2iss -ranny said. 8 very fine talent.5 8nd she smiled bac" at $inn%Dixie. #$e could be friends!5 0 said to 2iss -ranny. #0 mean you and me and $inn%Dixie! we could all be friends.5

Directions #or Teac&ers.Guiding /uestions 0or "tudents 5/@6 O*al and 7iss 0ranny &ave t&ree very im*ortant t&ings in common - &at are t&ese8 8s noted in uestion .! both characters are lonely. 0n the very first sentence of the passage! 6pal says! #0 spent a lot of time that summer at the 1erman $. Bloc" 2emorial )ibrary.5 Therefore! it is a reasonable inference that 6pal li"es boo"s. (imilarly! 2iss -ranny said! #$hen 0 was a little girl 0 loved to read.5 8nd when told that she could have anything she wanted for her birthday! she replied! #. . . 0 would most certainly love to have a library.5 6pal! of course! li"es $inn%Dixie! and there is evidence that 2iss -ranny does as well: #$ell now loo" at that . . . :That dog is smiling at me.5 8lso! #. . . she smiled bac" at $inn%Dixie.5

$o let out a long, deep breath because of tiredness, sadness, or another feeling

Day T3o% )!*lanatory

riting -ssignment #or DiCamillo,s Because of Winn-Dixie

Directions #or Teac&ers and "tudents . Guidance #or Teac&ers

T&e title o# t&is selection is Because of Winn-Dixie. Asing your ans3ers #rom t&e 4uestions above and class discussion' e!*lain 3&y t&is is an a**ro*riate title #or t&e selection( <e sure to clearly cite evidence #rom t&e te!t #or eac& *art o# your ans3er( 8 proficient answer should have at least two parts: (tudents should explain % using evidence from the text % how $inn%Dixie loo"ing into the library was the cause of 2iss -ranny falling! which in turn led to the story about the bear and 6pals realiCation that she and 2iss -ranny were both lonely. They should then relate how $inn%Dixies response to 2iss -ranny ?#That dog is smiling at me5@ endeared her to $inn%Dixie and led 6pal to suggest that they could be friends. The answer should show a clear understanding of how this progression of events led to the three characters becoming friends. 8n answer pulling on more from the text would include that $inn%Dixies #talent5 and #huge heart5 were traits that made all this possible.

&H

Axamples of 464%TAIT DAJA4DA4T E;A(064(

$as there ever a time where an animal scared you7 (hould 2s. -ranny have felt embarrassed7 Can bears really eat people7

-rom basals 8s you read this story thin" about plants and animals in -lorida 1ow can an older woman ma"e her library safe from unwanted visitors This author has won priCes for her boo"s. $hy7 -ind a part of this story you thin" could win a priCe. K% This of course as"s the student to have a grasp of the criteria that publishers use in awarding priCes Then of course there was the activities in the TA in the Differentiated 0nstruction section as"ing students to do research on wildlife and plant life in -lorida and how to safeguard libraries from #unwanted visitors5 0n 1ecause of !inn"Dixie 6pal tells about her experiences after moving to a new town. Thin" about a time that you were a newcomer to a place or situation. 4ow use vivid words to write a memoir about that experience. %%% 0n addition to having very little to do with the selection this uestion assumes that all .th or +th graders have had that experience. 2ore insidiously and as with all these uestions it privileges students who have discussed these types of uestions with adults% usually children from more educated families.

&&

Axamples of TAIT DAJA4DA4T B;T T'0L08) E;A(T064( $hat boo" was 2iss -ranny reading when the bear came into the library7 $hat did the men say when they were teasing 2iss -anny7 $hy was 2iss -ranny sitting on the floor when 8manda met her7 $hat did 2iss -ranny say when 8manda as"ed if dogs were allowed in the library7 .

&/