Lesson Title: Tennyson and Russell

Subject Area: English Language Arts 9

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regular
Objectives:

Common Core Reading Standards for Informational Text 6. Determine an authors point of view or purpose in
a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

Students will determine and discuss authorial point of view and purpose in two differing texts.


Materials:
Copies of William Howard Russells Times Article on the Light Brigade
Copies of Tennysons The Charge of the Light Brigade
Reciprocal teaching task descriptions (role cards)
Reciprocal teaching worksheet


Procedures:

Today we are going to look at a war that we dont often study: the Crimean War. Were not going to focus a lot
on the war itself but on some of the literature that came from the war. This was a war fought between many
European and Russian Empires over land in the Mediterranean in the 1800s. Were focusing on one small battle
called the Battle of Balaclava (Crimea has been mentioned a lot in the news).

First, were going to split into groups. (Students are pre-grouped so each group has varying levels of academic
ability). I will hand out role cards and the handouts to each student.

The role card should explain your job in your group. The summarizer can go ahead and read the news article out
loud to your group. Thats the side of the handout with the picture on it.

Circulate while students read.

Once you read the story, go ahead and fill out the worksheet.

Guided discussion
Summarizers, raise your hands. Pick a summarizer to summarize the text. Once they answer, ask if any of the
others had different/more information.
Questioners, raise your hands. Go through and cover the questions; find out if the Clarifier answered the
question(s).
Predictors, raise your hands. What was one of your predictions?

Great. Now this newspaper article was written about a particular battle in the Crimean War. Everyone should
read back through the article and mark any evidence that the writer was or was not at the battle. You may work
in your groups of four or split into groups of 2. Stay in your groups area.

Discuss findings.

Have students swap cards. Repeat reciprocal teaching with the poem on the other side of the handout.

Summarizers, raise your hands. Pick a summarizer to summarize the text. Once they answer, ask if any of the
others had different/more information.
Questioners, raise your hands. Go through and cover the questions; find out if the Clarifier answered the
question(s).
Predictors, raise your hands. What was one of your predictions?

Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote this poem soon after he read the news article you read earlier. He was Poet
Laureate for England. This meant his was employed by the government to write poetry about important things
that happened. If we had an American Poet Laureate, what do you think he or she would write about?
Accept volunteers and call on some (if no one volunteers).
Well, we actually have a poet laureate; her name is Natasha Trethewey. As far as I know, she hasnt published
anything since becoming poet laureate. Well have to check back later and she if shes written anything.

Were going to compare the article to the poem. We know Tennyson was not there and Russell was there. The
next thing were going to look at is purpose.
Go back to the news article. As a group or in pairs, I would like you mark all the words or phrases that you
think show the authors purpose. Think about what the news reporters job is. What does he think of the battle?
Does he like his country? How does he describe the Russians? Why? Etc. You have 4 minutes.

Have groups share their findings. Summarize findings.

Now, knowing that Tennyson based his poem off of this article, read the poem and mark words or phrases that
show the authors purpose. It may not be really clear. Look at the language he uses. Ask some of the same
questions you did for the first article. What does he think of the battle? Does he like his country? How are the
Russians described? Why? Compare this poem with the article. How are they similar? How are the different?

Have groups share their findings about the poem as well as the comparison. Summarize findings.


Differentiation

Grouping is based on ability.
Text is presented orally and in written form.
Role cards can be differentiated by ability and interest.
Students have flexibility/ability to read off paper during guided discussion.

Summative Assessment

Take three (or more!) key words or phrases from either of the texts. In one full paragraph (5 sentences), tell me
how those words show the authors purpose.