Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty adapted by Cathy East Included: A brief excerpt from the book and rigorous question set activities promoting higher level-thinking development

Additional Resources

Excerpt from book Jacob’s Ladder Goals & Objectives Habits of Mind Tier 1 Excerpt from book Jacob’s Ladder Goals & Objectives Habits of Mind

Excerpt After his dear family is forced to sell him, Black Beauty is subject to a life of working for both kind and cruel masters and has various jobs over time. He recounts his life and adventures, describing the people and animals he has met along the way, remaining optimistic all the while. Obtain the book from a school library to read the story in its entirety and complete the ladder activities.

Students will be able: Ladder C C1 Literary Elements - To identify and explain specific story elements such as character, setting, or poetic-device. C2 Inference - To use textual clues to read between the lines and make judgments about specific textual events, ideas, or character analysis. C3 Theme/Concept - To identify a major idea or theme common in the text. Ladder D D1 Paraphrasing - Students will be able to restate lines read using their own words. D2 Summarizing - Students will be able to provide a synopsis of text sections. D3 Creative Synthesis - Students will create something new using what they have learned from reading and their synopses. Ladder E E1 Understanding Emotion – to explain how emotion and feeling are conveyed in a text and/or their personal experience. E2 Expressing Emotion – to articulate their feelings through a variety of media (e.g., song, art, poem, story, essay, speech) E3 Using Emotion – to analyze how emotion affects the passage and/or the reader.

Habits of Mind Working Interdependently Thinking about Thinking (metacognition) Innovating, Creating, Imagining Refer to Jacob’s Ladder Story Table for Ladder C, D & E Thinking Questions.

(Discussion) High Level Strategies with Ladder C, D & E Questions Tier 2 Rigor (Discussion) High Level Strategies with Ladder C, D & E Questions

Discussion Strategies: Think-Pair-Share, Write-around, 3-4 Podcast slides (Pixie, Frames). Choose 2 of 3 questions below to complete. C1—The character of the horse Ginger is quite different from that of Black Beauty. Create a comparison chart or venn diagram to demonstrate their respective and varying qualities. C2—What inference do you draw about what happened to Ginger? What helped you infer what you did? D1—In your own words, describe the best time for Black Beauty. Write it as a journal entry that Black Beauty could have written. D2—Summarize the major events in Black Beauty’s life. Why do you feel he remembers life with Squire Gordon as a favorite time? Show the major events in time line format. E1—The illustrations in this text help supplement the text in important ways. What responses do you have to the pictures of the horses?

(Discussion) High Level Strategies with Ladder C, D & E Questions Tier 3 Rigor (Discussion) High Level Strategies with Ladder C, D & E Questions

Discussion Strategies: Think-Pair-Share, Write-around, 3-4 Podcast slides (Pixie, Frames). Choose 2 of 3 questions below to complete. C3—The concepts of love and loyalty are central to the story of Black Beauty. What are some examples of how these themes work in the book? Show your answers in illustrations with captions. D3—Select your favorite illustration of Black Beauty to write a poem that describes the scene. E2—Think of an animal you have been close to. How does the treatment of Black Beauty relate to treatment of a pet? Use a venn diagram to compare and contrast the life of Black Beauty to a household pet. E3—What rules of conduct would you establish for dealing with horses, based on the treatment seen in the book? Make a Rules to Follow poster or display of your rules. For each rule, provide a reason for it.

Reflections/Relevance Tier 4 Reflections/Relevance

Choose one of the writing ideas to complete.  Be creative.  1. Research horses, specifically the type of horse that Black Beauty is if possible. Present information you learned to others. Information could include – size, life span, eating habits, etc. 2. Black Beauty overcame difficulties. Write and illustrate a story about an animal that had to overcome problems. Suggested project strategies:  Write a podcast script; create a puppet show; develop a PSA; a PowerPoint presentation; write and be an actor in a skit; write a persuasive speech and give before the class.