Lesson Overview
As Cricket, the main character in Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe, searches for her mother, she is reminded of one of her mother’s favorite poems by Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the thing with feathers”. Students will use the book to learn more about Emily Dickinson and her poetry.
Essential Question
How are some of the themes of Emily Dickinson’s poetry reflected in the book Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe?
Grade(s):
Subject(s):
Recommended Technology:
Other Instructional Materials or Notes:
6, 7, 8
Computer and projector or smartboard for class discussion
Computers for student use or computer and projector or smartboard for researching definitions
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl
“About Emily Dickinson” handout
Markers, colored pencils, watercolors, or other media
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Log In to View LessonStandards
- Grade 2: Use and apply knowledge of vowel diphthongs.
- Grade 4: Determine the meaning of an unknown word using knowledge of base words and Greek and Latin affixes.
- Grade 2: Use the meanings of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words.
- Grade 3: Compare and contrast the reader’s point of view to that of the narrator or a character.
- RL.LCS.12 Analyze and critique how the author uses structures in print and multimedia texts to shape meaning and impact the reader.
- RL.LCS.9 Interpret and analyze the author’s use of words, phrases, and conventions, and how their relationships shape meaning and tone in print and multimedia texts.
- RL.LCS.9.1 Determine the figurative and connotative meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds on specific verses or stanzas of poems or sections of narrative or drama.
- RL.LCS.9.2 Analyze the impact of the author’s choice of words, word phrases, and conventions on meaning and tone.
- Grade 2: Make predictions before and during reading; confirm or modify thinking.
- Grade 3: Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
- Kindergarten: Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.
- Grade 1: Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds including consonant blends in spoken words.
- Grade 2: Read irregularly spelled two-syllable words and words with common prefixes and suffixes.
- Grade 2: Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
- Grade 4: Determine the meaning of an unknown word using knowledge of base words and Greek and Latin affixes.
- Grade 6: Acquire and use general academic and domain-specific words or phrases that signal precise actions, emotions, and states of being; demonstrate an understanding of nuances and jargon.
- Grade 7: Analyze the impact of the author’s choice of words, word phrases, and conventions on meaning and tone.
- Grade 4: Determine the meaning of an unknown word using knowledge of base words and Greek and Latin affixes.
- Grade 3: Compare and contrast the reader’s point of view to that of the narrator or a character.
- RL.LCS.9 Interpret and analyze the author’s use of words, phrases, and conventions, and how their relationships shape meaning and tone in print and multimedia texts.
- Grade 2: Make predictions before and during reading; confirm or modify thinking.
- Grade 2: Use knowledge of how syllables work to read multisyllabic words.
- RL.RC Range and Complexity
- Grade 7: Analyze the impact of the author’s choice of words, word phrases, and conventions on meaning and tone.
- Grade 2: Use the meanings of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words.
- Grade 5: Consult print and multimedia resources to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words or phrases.
- Grade 2: Use a base word to determine the meaning of an unknown word with the same base.
- RL.LCS.10.1 Use the overall meaning of a text or a word’s position or function to determine the meaning of a word or phrase.
- RL.LCS.10.6 Acquire and use general academic and domain-specific words or phrases that signal precise actions, emotions, and states of being; demonstrate an understanding of nuances and jargon.
- Grade 3: Compare and contrast the reader’s point of view to that of the narrator or a character.
- RL.LCS.12 Analyze and critique how the author uses structures in print and multimedia texts to shape meaning and impact the reader.
- RL.LCS.9 Interpret and analyze the author’s use of words, phrases, and conventions, and how their relationships shape meaning and tone in print and multimedia texts.
- Grade 2: Use a base word to determine the meaning of an unknown word with the same base.
- Grade 2: Make predictions before and during reading; confirm or modify thinking.
- Grade 1: Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds.
- Grade 1: Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence.
- Grade 1: Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
- Grade 2: Use and apply knowledge of vowel diphthongs.
- Grade 4: Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, expression, intonation, and phrasing on successive readings.
- RL.RC Range and Complexity
- Grade 5: Consult print and multimedia resources to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words or phrases.
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Log In to View LessonLesson Created By: SamanthaBell, Jo Watson Hackl