Lesson 5: Red, White, and Whole, Part 2: “First Memory” to “Amma’s Orbit”

Think-Pair-Share

Directions: In the previous lesson, we looked at how blood can symbolize love, sacrifice, and obligation. Today, we are looking at another kind of connection by asking how memories, people, and routines can create a feeling of home. Prepare a response to the following question, then discuss with a partner.

• What detail from your homework makes you think home means more to Reha than just a house?

• Turn to your partner. Partner A, share one word, image, or memory from your homework that helped you think about what home means to Reha. Partner B, listen for whether the detail points more to a place, a person, a ritual, or a memory. Then switch.

Context Clues in Action

Directions: Today, we are going to use context clues to make a smart guess about two unfamiliar words: unruly and luminous. That means we will look closely at the words and images around the unfamiliar words before we use reference materials or what we may already know. After we guess a possible meaning based on context clues from the poem, we will check a reference source and revise our definitions if needed.

Excerpt from “Red and White” (p. 12):

Come, kanna. Let’s braid your hair.

I close my eyes.

Her fingers gently pull

on my unruly curls.

Excerpt from “Amma’s Orbit” (p. 18):

Amma’s skin is bright and luminous,

her hair is long, thick, and black like the darkest night.

• Which words or phrases surrounding unruly help you infer its meaning?

• Which words or phrases in the first excerpt help you infer the meaning of luminous, and what is your best possible guess about its meaning?

• Why is it helpful to look at the surrounding lines before using a dictionary or prior knowledge?

• Check your definitions using a dictionary or other reference source. Does the definition match what we figured out from the context?

Part A: Mapping Reha’s Home

Think-Pair-Share

Directions: Reopen the poems “First Memory” through “Amma’s Orbit” (pp. 5–9) and your homework notes. In the center of your Web Chart graphic organizer, write home. As you reread, collect words and short phrases that show how Reha’s sense of home is built from people, rituals, places, and memory, and be ready to explain which category has the strongest evidence.

First, take a quiet minute to add details to your Web Chart graphic organizer. Then talk with your partner to compare where you placed your evidence.

• Which branch of your Web Chart filled up the fastest, and what does that suggest about how the poem set is structured?

• How does the movement from “First Memory” to “Amma’s Orbit” develop a fuller meaning of home?

Part B: When Home Travels with You

RACE Strategy Response

Directions: Today, you will use the RACE strategy to respond to a question by writing an explanatory paragraph that includes evidence from the texts. Remember, RACE stands for:

• R: Restate the question

• A: Answer the question

• C: Cite evidence

• E: Explain your answer

RACE = Restate + Answer + Cite + Explain

• Does being with Rachel make Reha feel at home even when she’s not at home? What does that suggest about what home can mean? Use at least two details from the poem set to support your analysis.

• What is your claim? Does being with Rachel help create a feeling of home for Reha or not?

• Which two details from your Web Chart graphic organizer best support your claim?

Quick Write

Directions: Write a short response using evidence to explain how the poem expands the idea of home.

• How did today’s poem set expand your understanding of what home means to Reha?