Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.2, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will identify cause-and-effect relationships  in a text about a girl who immigrated to the U.S. and met her father in person for the first time.

Key Skills

cause and effect, text features, vocabulary, central idea and details, inference, key details, sequence of events, critical thinking, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The text highlights some challenges of starting a new life in an unfamiliar place and explores the importance of family.

 

Structure: The article is written from the first-person point of view.

 

Language: The language is conversational.

 

Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge is needed.

Levels

Lexile: 500L-600L 

Guided Reading Level: R 

DRA Level: 40

SEL Connection

This article and lesson promote social awareness and self-awareness skills.

Lesson Plan: My New Life With Dad

Essential Questions

  • How does having or not having family members affect how we feel about ourselves?
  • What difficulties and sacrifices might families face when they try to create a better life?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
  • Novel: More to the Story by Hena Khan

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article in their magazines or at Action Online. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the article’s title and subtitle (the text beneath the title). Why do you think Sala met her dad on the same day she moved to a new country? Make a prediction. Sample answer: Maybe Sala moved to a new country to finally meet her dad because they had been separated for a long time. It seems like Sala and her father were living in different countries prior to meeting.
  • Find the map included in the story. What does it tell you about Sri Lanka? Based on the map, Sri Lanka is an island that is next to or part of Asia. It’s located in the Indian Ocean. 

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (embrace, hesitated, immigrants, unfamiliar, adjust to) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow. 

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading: Tell students that after reading, they’ll analyze cause-and-effect relationships in the story. Point out the activity at the end of the story. 
  • Encourage students to pause at the end of each section so they can monitor their comprehension. Prompt them to take note of sentences they think tell them important ideas in each section, as well as any words or sentences they don’t understand.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Read the article. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • How did Sala feel when she met her father in person for the first time? (inference) Sala felt a bit unsure; that’s why she extended her hand for a handshake instead of hugging her father. She recognized him as her dad but also felt like he was a stranger.
  • What were some of the challenges Sala faced when she moved to the United States? (key details) Challenges included: New York City felt crowded and unfamiliar to Sala, she had to learn English, she had left behind her familiar surroundings and loved ones in Sri Lanka.
  • How did Sala’s relationship with her dad change over time after she moved to the United States? (sequence of events) Sala gradually grew closer to her dad and felt lucky to have him by her side. As time passed, she celebrated her birthday with her dad for the first time and experienced moments of joy and belonging. She appreciated her dad for helping the family adjust to their new lives.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • Sala says her 10th birthday in the U.S. with her dad was the best day of her life. Why do you think she feels this way? (inference) Answers may vary. Students will likely say that Sala was overjoyed and grateful to have her whole immediate family together for her birthday. She mentions that her fifth birthday had felt incomplete without her dad there, so you can infer that having him with her on her 10th was a big deal.
  • How might learning about Sala’s story be helpful to other teens? (critical thinking) Learning about Sala’s story can help readers understand the challenges that immigrant families face. That understanding might inspire readers to be more supportive of people who are new to the country. The story is also a reminder that change is a part of life that is often both difficult and joyful.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Assign students to work in small groups to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Cause and Effect activity.
  • Go further: Use our Central Idea and Details Skill Builder, available in higher and lower level versions.  (Click here to view all your Skill Builders.)
  • Writing prompt: Sala describes how it felt to be new in the U.S. and how much there was for her to get used to. Imagine that you have a classmate who is new to the U.S. Make a list of things you could do to help that person feel comfortable and welcome.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Project the task below on your whiteboard or share it with students in your LMS.

Record an Interview

Like Sala and her family, many people around the world have moved to new places to improve their lives. Find a person (a friend, neighbor, or relative) who has experienced this. Ask for permission to record an interview with them. Then ask them the following questions and record their answers.

  • Where did you move from? Where did you move to?
  • Why did you move?
  • What was the most difficult part of living in a new place?
  • Who or what helped you get used to life in a new place?
  • When you look back on the move today, how do you feel about it? Are you glad you moved?

Once you’ve recorded your interview,  you can share it with the class. Listen to your classmates’ interviews and discuss how the answers are similar and different.

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Have students write summary questions for self-assessment.

Before reading, point out that unlike some of the other articles in Action, the True Teen doesn’t have accompanying Pause-and-Think questions at the end of each section. Let students know that they will write these questions themselves after reading. Encourage them to try to think of suitable questions as they read.

After reading, divide students into pairs. Have one student in each pair write a question about the opening section and a question about the section “Life Without  Dad.” Have the other student write a question about the section “Dream Come True” and one about the section “Making Memories.” Then have the students in each pair try to answer each other’s questions.

Sample questions:

  • For the opening section: Why couldn’t Sala easily recognize her dad at the airport?
  • For “Life Without Dad”: Why did Sala’s dad move to the U.S. on his own?
  • For “Dream Come True”: How did Sala feel when she learned that she was moving to the U.S.?
  • For “Making Memories”: How did Sala celebrate her 10th birthday?

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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