Overview

Lesson Procedure

55-65 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction15 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice15 minutes
5. Closure5-10 minutes

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "The school newsletter tells how the robotics club built its robot: the team lost its first contest, spent six weekends rebuilding the arm, asked a parent who is an engineer to check the design, and won the spring contest. Write two different big ideas the article is about, each as a full sentence."

   Collect answers and group them. Most will fit two ideas: not giving up after a loss (losing, six weekends of rebuilding, winning in spring) and getting help makes a team stronger (the engineer). Point out that one article can carry two ideas at once, and that some details serve both. Then ask which idea the article builds step by step (the first: loss, work, win) and which it mentions only once (the second). That difference is what "development" means.

2. Direct Instruction15 minutes

   Teach five terms, and leave them on the board:

   • Central idea: an important point a text makes about its topic, stated as a complete sentence. A topic is only a word or phrase ("school," "work").
   • Two or more central ideas: longer texts often develop more than one important point at the same time.
   • Development: how a text builds an idea over its length. An idea may be introduced in a small detail, built up with examples, tested by a hardship, and joined to another idea.
   • Key details: the facts and events that do the most to build a central idea.
   • Objective summary: a short retelling of the central ideas and key details, in order and in your own words, with no opinions or judgments. An objective summary is fair to the text: someone who disagrees with the author would still call it accurate.

   Introduce the text. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in Virginia around 1856. After slavery ended in 1865, his family moved to Malden, West Virginia, where he worked as a boy in salt furnaces and a coal mine. He later founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. An autobiography is the story of a person's life written by that person. Words to know for Passage 1: pretentious (here, grand and important), board (meals, and usually a room, that a student pays for), trade or industry (a skilled kind of work), resolved (decided firmly), salt-furnace (a works where salty water is boiled down to make salt), vicinity (the area nearby) and "Yankee" (someone from the northern states). Read the passage aloud.

   1One day, while at work in the coal-mine, I happened to overhear two miners talking about a great school for coloured people somewhere in Virginia. This was the first time that I had ever heard anything about any kind of school or college that was more pretentious than the little coloured school in our town.

   2In the darkness of the mine I noiselessly crept as close as I could to the two men who were talking. I heard one tell the other that not only was the school established for the members of any race, but the opportunities that it provided by which poor but worthy students could work out all or a part of the cost of a board, and at the same time be taught some trade or industry.

   3As they went on describing the school, it seemed to me that it must be the greatest place on earth, and not even Heaven presented more attractions for me at that time than did the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia, about which these men were talking. I resolved at once to go to that school, although I had no idea where it was, or how many miles away, or how I was going to reach it; I remembered only that I was on fire constantly with one ambition, and that was to go to Hampton. This thought was with me day and night.

   4After hearing of the Hampton Institute, I continued to work for a few months longer in the coal-mine. While at work there, I heard of a vacant position in the household of General Lewis Ruffner, the owner of the salt-furnace and coal-mine. Mrs. Viola Ruffner, the wife of General Ruffner, was a “Yankee” woman from Vermont. Mrs. Ruffner had a reputation all through the vicinity for being very strict with her servants, and especially with the boys who tried to serve her. Few of them remained with her more than two or three weeks. They all left with the same excuse: she was too strict. I decided, however, that I would rather try Mrs. Ruffner’s house than remain in the coal-mine, and so my mother applied to her for the vacant position. I was hired at a salary of $5 per month.

   • Central idea A: stated as a sentence

     What important point does Passage 1 make about Washington and school?

     Result: Central idea: from the moment he hears about Hampton, Washington is determined to get there, whatever it takes. Two key details build it: "I resolved at once to go to that school, although I had no idea where it was" (paragraph 3), and he was "on fire constantly with one ambition" (paragraph 3).

   • Topic or central idea?

     A student writes "Hampton" as the central idea of Passage 1. Another writes "Washington wants to go to school." Are these central ideas?

     Result: "Hampton" is a topic: a single word, not a point. "Washington wants to go to school" is a sentence but too weak, because it leaves out how strongly he wants it and what stands in his way. A better central idea names both: he is determined to go even though he does not know where the school is or how to reach it.

   • Central idea B: introduced in a small detail

     Paragraph 4 seems to change the subject to a new job. Why is it there?

     Result: It introduces a second idea. Washington chooses a hard job on purpose: "I decided, however, that I would rather try Mrs. Ruffner’s house than remain in the coal-mine" (paragraph 4). At this point the idea is only a seed, a willingness to take on demanding work to move toward something better. Passage 2 will build it up.

   • Objective summary of Passage 1

     Which version is objective?

     Result: Objective: "While working in a coal mine, Washington overheard two miners describe a school in Virginia called the Hampton Institute. He decided at once to go there, though he did not know where it was or how to get there. A few months later he left the mine to work in the house of Mrs. Viola Ruffner, a strict employer." Not objective: "Washington was incredibly brave to leave the mine, and Mrs. Ruffner sounds awful." The second has an opinion ("incredibly brave") and a judgment ("sounds awful") and leaves out the central idea.

   Name, trace, retell. Show Diagram 1, the idea tracker, and fill in the Passage 1 column together: name each central idea in a sentence, trace it with a short quotation, and later retell the whole text in an objective summary. Give students two sentence frames: "One central idea is that ___; the text introduces it when ___ (paragraph __)." and "In Passage __, the idea grows when ___, which shows ___."

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Read Passage 2 aloud. It follows Passage 1 directly. Words to know: severity (strictness), systematically (in a planned, orderly way), frankness (honest, direct speech), sloven and slipshod (careless and messy), paling (one board of a fence), whitewash (a cheap white paint), implicitly (completely, without question) and dry-goods box (a wooden crate that cloth or other goods were shipped in).

   1I had heard so much about Mrs. Ruffner’s severity that I was almost afraid to see her, and trembled when I went into her presence. I had not lived with her many weeks, however, before I began to understand her. I soon began to learn that, first of all, she wanted everything kept clean about her, that she wanted things done promptly and systematically, and that at the bottom of everything she wanted absolute honesty and frankness. Nothing must be sloven or slipshod; every door, every fence, must be kept in repair.

   2I cannot now recall how long I lived with Mrs. Ruffner before going to Hampton, but I think it must have been a year and a half. At any rate, I here repeat what I have said more than once before, that the lessons that I learned in the home of Mrs. Ruffner were as valuable to me as any education I have ever gotten anywhere else. Even to this day I never see bits of paper scattered around a house or in the street that I do not want to pick them up at once. I never see a filthy yard that I do not want to clean it, a paling off of a fence that I do not want to put it on, an unpainted or unwhitewashed house that I do not want to paint or whitewash it, or a button off one’s clothes, or a grease-spot on them or on a floor, that I do not want to call attention to it.

   3From fearing Mrs. Ruffner I soon learned to look upon her as one of my best friends. When she found that she could trust me she did so implicitly. During the one or two winters that I was with her she gave me an opportunity to go to school for an hour in the day during a portion of the winter months, but most of my studying was done at night, sometimes alone, sometimes under some one whom I could hire to teach me. Mrs. Ruffner always encouraged and sympathized with me in all my efforts to get an education. It was while living with her that I began to get together my first library. I secured a dry-goods box, knocked out one side of it, put some shelves in it, and began putting into it every kind of book that I could get my hands upon, and called it my “library.”

   Pairs highlight Passage 2 in two colors, one for each central idea, and add the Passage 2 column to Diagram 1. Ask for the exact words first, then share the teacher note:

   1. Idea B grows. Which words show Mrs. Ruffner's standards? Teacher note: she wanted things "done promptly and systematically," and "Nothing must be sloven or slipshod" (paragraph 1). Then Washington states how much they mattered: "the lessons that I learned in the home of Mrs. Ruffner were as valuable to me as any education I have ever gotten anywhere else" (paragraph 2). The seed from Passage 1 has become a clear idea: careful work is itself an education.
   2. Idea A grows. How does he keep working toward school? Teacher note: "most of my studying was done at night" and he "began to get together my first library" in a box (paragraph 3). The dream from Passage 1 turns into daily effort.
   3. The ideas connect. Teacher note: "Mrs. Ruffner always encouraged and sympathized with me in all my efforts to get an education" (paragraph 3). The strict employer now supports the dream, so the two ideas start to work together.
   4. Fix a summary. Show the practice summary below. With Diagram 2 on the board, pairs underline each opinion or judgment, circle the detail that is out of order, and write what is missing. Teacher note: opinions and judgments are "the best idea ever," "the coolest part," "way too strict and kind of mean" and "I think he should have gone straight to Hampton." The library comes before the miners, although it happens later. Missing: idea B, the lessons Washington says were as valuable as any education, and the fact that Mrs. Ruffner supported his schooling.

   Booker T. Washington had the best idea ever: he wanted to go to a school called Hampton. He built a library out of an old box, which is the coolest part of the story. Before that, he heard two miners talking about the school while he was working in a coal mine. Then he went to work for Mrs. Ruffner, who was way too strict and kind of mean. She paid him five dollars a month. I think he should have gone straight to Hampton instead of wasting a year and a half cleaning her house.

4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Before students read, retell the part of the chapter that is left out: in the fall of 1872 Washington set out for Hampton, about five hundred miles away, with a small satchel of clothes and very little money, some of it given by older people in his community who had spent the best years of their lives enslaved. Students then read Passage 3 on their own. Words to know: the cars (railroad cars), acquaintance (someone you know), lodging (a place to sleep that you pay for), food-stands (street stalls that sell food), elevated (raised up), satchel (a small bag), tramp (the heavy sound of footsteps), pig iron (rough bars of iron) and vessel (a ship).

   1By walking, begging rides both in wagons and in the cars, in some way, after a number of days, I reached the city of Richmond, Virginia, about eighty-two miles from Hampton. When I reached there, tired, hungry, and dirty, it was late in the night. I had never been in a large city, and this rather added to my misery. When I reached Richmond, I was completely out of money. I had not a single acquaintance in the place, and, being unused to city ways, I did not know where to go. I applied at several places for lodging, but they all wanted money, and that was what I did not have. Knowing nothing else better to do, I walked the streets. In doing this I passed by many food-stands where fried chicken and half-moon apple pies were piled high and made to present a most tempting appearance. At that time it seemed to me that I would have promised all that I expected to possess in the future to have gotten hold of one of those chicken legs or one of those pies. But I could not get either of these, nor anything else to eat.

   2I must have walked the streets till after midnight. At last I became so exhausted that I could walk no longer. I was tired, I was hungry, I was everything but discouraged. Just about the time when I reached extreme physical exhaustion, I came upon a portion of a street where the board sidewalk was considerably elevated. I waited for a few minutes, till I was sure that no passers-by could see me, and then crept under the sidewalk and lay for the night upon the ground, with my satchel of clothing for a pillow. Nearly all night I could hear the tramp of feet over my head. The next morning I found myself somewhat refreshed, but I was extremely hungry, because it had been a long time since I had had sufficient food. As soon as it became light enough for me to see my surroundings I noticed that I was near a large ship, and that this ship seemed to be unloading a cargo of pig iron. I went at once to the vessel and asked the captain to permit me to help unload the vessel in order to get money for food. The captain, a white man, who seemed to be kind-hearted, consented. I worked long enough to earn money for my breakfast, and it seems to me, as I remember it now, to have been about the best breakfast that I have ever eaten.

   On the handout, students (1) fill the Passage 3 column of the idea tracker, one short quotation for each central idea; (2) write two or three sentences explaining whether Passage 3 introduces, builds up or tests each idea; (3) write an objective summary of Passage 3 in three or four sentences and check it against Diagram 2. The quiz uses Passages 1-3.

5. Closure5-10 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) Name the two central ideas of chapter III so far, each in one sentence. (2) Write one sentence that would not belong in an objective summary of Passage 3, and explain why.

   Teacher note on history and language: Up from Slavery was published in 1901, about thirty years after the events in this chapter, so it is Washington's memory of them; he says himself that he "cannot now recall" exactly how long he worked for Mrs. Ruffner. He uses the word "coloured" (British-style spelling), the respectful term of his time; it is dated now, and today's writers say Black or African American. A part of the chapter left out of these passages tells how a hotel keeper on the road turned him away because of his race; teachers may want to share it as context for Passage 3. The Hampton Institute is today Hampton University. Washington later became a national leader, and some of his public views, such as those in his 1895 Atlanta speech, were strongly debated by other Black leaders, including W. E. B. Du Bois; that debate is beyond this lesson, which is about the ideas in this one chapter.

   For homework: students read Passage 4, printed below. Before it begins, Washington has worked on the Richmond ship for several more days, still sleeping under the sidewalk, and has reached Hampton with fifty cents. Tired and dirty after the long trip, he asked the head teacher to admit him, and for hours she could not decide. Words to know: adjoining (next door), recitation-room (a classroom), woodwork (the wooden trim of a room), inspected (looked over carefully), particle (a tiny bit), institution (here, the school) and genuine (real).

   1After some hours had passed, the head teacher said to me: “The adjoining recitation-room needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it.”

   2It occurred to me at once that here was my chance. Never did I receive an order with more delight. I knew that I could sweep, for Mrs. Ruffner had thoroughly taught me how to do that when I lived with her.

   3I swept the recitation-room three times. Then I got a dusting-cloth and dusted it four times. All the woodwork around the walls, every bench, table, and desk, I went over four times with my dusting-cloth. Besides, every piece of furniture had been moved and every closet and corner in the room had been thoroughly cleaned. I had the feeling that in a large measure my future depended upon the impression I made upon the teacher in the cleaning of that room. When I was through, I reported to the head teacher. She was a “Yankee” woman who knew just where to look for dirt. She went into the room and inspected the floor and closets; then she took her handkerchief and rubbed it on the woodwork about the walls, and over the table and benches. When she was unable to find one bit of dirt on the floor, or a particle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly remarked, “I guess you will do to enter this institution.”

   4I was one of the happiest souls on Earth. The sweeping of that room was my college examination, and never did any youth pass an examination for entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him more genuine satisfaction. I have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that this was the best one I ever passed.

   5I have spoken of my own experience in entering the Hampton Institute. Perhaps few, if any, had anything like the same experience that I had, but about the same period there were hundreds who found their way to Hampton and other institutions after experiencing something of the same difficulties that I went through. The young men and women were determined to secure an education at any cost.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   A news article describes the damage a flood did to a town and then how neighbors organized to rebuild it. Which pair states two central ideas, not two topics?

   A"Floods in small towns" and "neighbors who live along the river" B"The river in April" and "the heavy rain that fell all that spring" C"A flood can wreck a town in hours" and "neighbors working together can rebuild it" D"The town's mayor and council" and "the volunteer fire station on Main Street"

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What makes a summary of an informational text objective?

   AIt gives the central ideas and key details in your own words, with no opinions. BIt explains whether the reader agrees with the author and gives the reasons why. CIt retells every detail of the text in the same order and at the same length. DIt copies the most important sentences of the text word for word, in quotation marks.

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What does it mean to analyze the development of a central idea over the course of a text?

   ATo find the one sentence in the text that states the central idea BTo explain how the text introduces the idea, then adds to it CTo decide whether the central idea is true in real life today DTo count how many times the author repeats the central idea

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which detail from Passage 1 first links school and work, an idea the chapter develops later?

   A"This was the first time that I had ever heard anything about any kind of school" B"I resolved at once to go to that school, although I had no idea where it was" C"poor but worthy students could work out all or a part of the cost of a board" D"Mrs. Ruffner had a reputation all through the vicinity for being very strict"

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Washington writes that "not even Heaven presented more attractions for me at that time" than Hampton (Passage 1, paragraph 3). How does this comparison help develop a central idea?

   AIt shows that Washington planned to become a minister at the school. BIt shows how strongly he wanted to go, building his determination. CIt shows that he thought the school was far away, somewhere in the sky. DIt shows that he had already visited the school and liked what he saw.

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which detail from Passage 1 is too minor to include in a short objective summary?

   AWashington overheard two miners describe the Hampton Institute. BWashington decided at once to go to the school in Virginia. CWashington took a job in Mrs. Ruffner's house instead of the mine. DMrs. Ruffner was a "Yankee" woman who had come from Vermont.

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   How does Washington's attitude toward Mrs. Ruffner change over Passage 2?

   AHe fears her at first but comes to see her as a close friend. BHe begins by trusting her and ends by leaving her house in anger. CHe admires her at first but later decides her rules were too strict. DHe never thinks about her at all once he starts to study at night.

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Why does Washington list the things he still wants to fix "Even to this day" (Passage 2, paragraph 2), such as scattered paper, a broken fence and a grease-spot?

   ATo complain that other people are careless and messy BTo show that he later went into the business of cleaning houses CTo prove that Mrs. Ruffner's house was dirty when he arrived DTo show that her lessons stayed with him all his life

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   According to Passage 2, paragraph 1, what did Mrs. Ruffner want "at the bottom of everything"?

   AEvery door and every fence kept in good repair BAbsolute honesty and frankness CThings done promptly and systematically DEverything around her kept clean

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which sentence best states a central idea of Passage 3?

    AWith no money, food or shelter, Washington still would not give up. BWashington's wish for an education began when he overheard two miners. CThe food-stands of Richmond sold fried chicken and half-moon apple pies. DCities are dangerous places for a young person who travels alone at night.

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which sentence states a second central idea of Passage 3 itself, different from the one in Question 10?

    AWashington learned careful work habits from a strict employer. BWashington found that he could not trust anyone he met in the city. CWashington found that honest work could get him what he needed. DWashington decided that he preferred sleeping outdoors to a hotel.

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Washington writes, "I was tired, I was hungry, I was everything but discouraged" (Passage 3, paragraph 2). How does this sentence develop the idea of his determination?

    AIt shows that he was starting to lose hope for the first time. BIt shows that he had found a place to rest and eat at last. CIt shows that he enjoyed the excitement of being in a big city. DIt names hardships, then shows they had not broken him.

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Why does Washington describe the fried chicken and apple pies in such detail (Passage 3, paragraph 1)?

    ATo show that he had worked as a cook before the trip BTo show his hunger, which makes his refusal to quit stronger CTo tell readers where the best food in all of Richmond could be found DTo show that he spent his last coins on a chicken leg

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which sentence would NOT belong in an objective summary of Passage 2?

    AAt first Washington was afraid of his strict employer. BShe expected work to be clean, prompt and honest. CShe let him attend school for an hour a day in winter. DMrs. Ruffner was the kindest employer in the town.

15. Question 15 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which detail from Passage 3 best supports the correct answer to Question 11?

    A"asked the captain to permit me to help unload the vessel" B"Nearly all night I could hear the tramp of feet over my head" C"I had never been in a large city, and this rather added to my misery" D"I passed by many food-stands where fried chicken and half-moon apple pies were piled high"

16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    Trace the central idea of Washington's determination to get an education from Passage 1 to Passage 3. Quote one detail from each of Passages 1, 2 and 3, and explain how the idea grows each time.

    Show model answer

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Write an objective summary of Passage 3 in three or four sentences. Include the central ideas and the key details in order, and leave out opinions and judgments.

    Show model answer

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    A student summarizes Passage 3: "Washington made a really dumb choice to travel with no money. He slept under a sidewalk, which is gross. Luckily a nice captain saved him." Name three problems with this summary, and rewrite its last sentence objectively.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    The idea of hard, careful work is introduced in Passage 1 and built up in Passage 2. Does Passage 3 continue it? Quote one detail from Passage 3 and explain what it adds to the idea.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    Some readers say Passage 3 has a third central idea: that strangers helped Washington. Do you agree? Support your answer with details from Passage 3, and explain whether this idea is developed as fully as the idea of his determination.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to RI.7.2: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

Standard text: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.