Page 71 - SpringBoard_CloseReading_Workshop_Grade8_Flipbook

Close Reading of informational Texts in social studies/history (continued)
4 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 8
Second Reading: vocabulary in Context
Now that you have read the texts silently, listen and follow along as your teacher reads the texts aloud. As you read along with your teacher, circle words and/or phrases (other than the underlined words) that you do not know or that you feel are important to the meaning of the texts. Diffuse these words/phrases for comprehension.
Check your Understanding
1. Pair with another student and, using context clues and reference resources,
determine the meaning of any new words you need to define. Then choose six words from the vocabulary that have been underlined, bolded, and/or you have circled, and paraphrase the definitions to show your understanding. Discuss how the definitions help you understand the meaning of the texts as a whole.
2. Choose two or three of the words you have examined that you think are significant to understanding the text. Use the words in sentences as part of a summary explaining the central ideas in the text and how these words contribute to your understanding of the text.
Third Reading: Text-Dependent Questioning
Now read the texts again, this time with the focus on reading to respond to the
Key Ideas and Details text-based questions. As your class discusses the texts, write your responses to each question and highlight or underline the textual evidence that supports your answer. During discussions, you may also want to annotate the text to record a new or different meaning of the text.
Background Information: The first text is an excerpt from the preface of This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie. The text, from 2002, describes both the personal life and songwriting career of one of the most important American musicians of the 20th century. This passage begins with a quotation from Guthrie himself.
The second text is one version of Guthrie’s song: “This Land Is Your Land.” Guthrie wrote this song in 1940 as a criticism of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” which he considered unrealistic. He recorded it in 1944, and it has become one of the most famous American folk songs. Guthrie varied the lyrics over time, sometimes including more political verses.
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