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.

Key Skills

cause and effect, text features, vocabulary, central idea and details, key details, critical thinking, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The article narrates the story of Wasima, a 16-year-old who immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan three years ago.

 

Structure: The article, written from the first-person point of view, includes narrative and chronological passages.

 

Language: The language is conversational.

 

Knowledge Demands: Some knowledge of immigrant experiences in the U.S. might be helpful but is not required.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: S 

DRA Level: 40

SEL Connection

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

Lesson Plan: Different Like Me

Essential Questions

  • How can being different help us grow and understand others better?
  • What are some challenges that come with moving to a new country? What are some opportunities?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga 
  • Novel: Unsettled by Reem Faruqi 

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). Then look at the photos of Wasima and read their captions. What do these text features tell you about Wasima? The text features tell you that Wasima came to the United States three years ago, that Wasima and her family live in Virginia and have a backyard, that Wasima is from Afghanistan, and that she has several siblings.
  • Look at the map included in the article. On which continent is Afghanistan located? Afghanistan is located in Asia. 

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (frustrating, gestures, newcomers, overwhelming, immigrant, cultures) 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)

  • Based on the article’s description of her ESL classroom, how did Wasima and her classmates manage to communicate when they didn’t speak the same language? (key details) Wasima and her classmates communicated using hand gestures and tools like Google Translate, which helped them understand each other even though they spoke different languages.
  • Why did Wasima find it difficult to adjust to life in the United States? (cause and effect) Wasima found it difficult to adjust to life in the United States because she couldn’t speak English and felt overwhelmed by the new language and cultural differences. Everything felt different to her—even the material houses were made from.
  • Why does Wasima choose to wear a hijab? How have some Americans responded to her hijab? (cause and effect) Wasima chooses to wear a hijab because she feels comfortable in it. She states that some Americans don’t understand why she wears one. Some have criticized her for wearing it, telling her to take it off, or assumed that her family forces her to wear it.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • How has Wasima’s attitude toward being different helped her adjust to life in the United States? Wasima loves being different and sees it as a strength. This positive attitude helps her deal with the challenges of living in a new country and learning a new language. Her openness to new experiences and people probably helps her build better relationships and understand others more deeply.
  • In the article’s opening section, Wasima expresses the view that even though it might be frustrating to be in a room full of people who don’t speak the same language, it’s a valuable experience to have. Do you agree or disagree? Answers may vary. Some students might say they agree, because the challenge of finding ways to communicate would encourage people to be creative and to appreciate the communication. Others might say they disagree, because the frustration of struggling to communicate might be too distracting to allow any real communication to happen.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Assign students to work in small groups to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Problem and Soluion 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: Wasima had to adapt to a new life in the United States after moving from Afghanistan. She faced challenges like learning a new language and adjusting to a different culture. Think of a time when you had to adapt to a new situation or environment. What challenges did you face? How did you overcome them? How did this experience change you? Answer these questions in a short essay.

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.

Interview a Classmate

Wasima says she likes being different. She says the world would be boring if we were all the same.

Two things that make Wasima different from many others in her community are that she speaks English with an accent and wears a hijab. What about you? Think of something you do (or like, or know about, or have experienced) that sets you apart from most people. Then prepare to talk about it!

Pair up with a classmate and ask each other the following questions:

  • What makes you different?
  • How do you feel about being different in this way?
  • What, if anything, do people tend to misunderstand about the thing that makes you different?
  • What do you want people to know about the thing that makes you different?

Write your partner’s answers down. If you both feel comfortable, you can share what you’ve learned with the class.

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 feature 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 “A New Home.” Have the other student write a question about the section “My Choice” and one about the section “Look Closer.” Then have the students in each pair try to answer each other’s questions.

 Sample questions:

  • For the opening section: Where did Wasima live before she moved to the United States?
  • For “A New Home”: What is Wasima’s first language?
  • For “My Choice”: What do you call Muslims’ place of worship?
  • For “Look Closer”: What does Wasima like about her ESL class?

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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