SSR (13 minutes) After Reading: Journal today: Write about your thoughts as you read.

Objectives Compare and contrast characters in a nonfiction text. Draw conclusions about individuals’ responses to culture and explain conclusions in a timed essay.

“Two Ways to Belong in America” (nonfiction) Bharati Mukherjee Read the “About the Author” on page 69

Preview Vocabulary

Student Roles: Groups of 3 Reader, Responder, Writer (pg. 70) Directions: Reader reads. Responder Answers the key questions in the margins. Writer writes down the answers in the margins. The responder will then become reader, the reader will become the writer, and so on until the article is read in its entirety. Keep in mind*: How does Mukherjee use the metaphor of marriage to convey the different relationship each sister has with the US?

Bharati vs. Mira Describe the sisters’ different approaches to belonging in America. ****Complete the chart comparing and contrasting the two sisters on page 72.

Compare and Contrast Dee/Maggie Mira/Bharati Beyond comparing the two sisters in “Two Ways to Belong in America,” compare the sisters in this nonfiction text with those you met in “Everyday Use.” What, if any, similarities do you observe in the way the sisters view their heritage? How many parallels can your discussion group discover between these fiction and nonfiction texts?

Timed Writing The two sets of sisters you have encountered in the last two texts include one sister who embraces her background and another who assimilates to a new culture. Choose one pair of girls (those who embrace their background or those who assimilate), and write an essay in which you explain their attitudes to a culture. Be sure to: Choose an organizational structure suitable to your subject. Write a clear thesis that identifies your chosen set of characters and their similarities or differences. Include textual quotations to support your explanations. Cite the author of the work you are quoting in parentheses following the quotation.

Outline Introduction Hook—or authors, titles Thesis Body Paragraph 1: Sister One: Accepting/Celebrating heritage “Everyday Use” (Maggie) and “Two Ways to Belong in America” (Mira) What is the evidence that each celebrates her heritage? How do their acceptances of heritage differ? Commentary/Analysis Body Paragraph 2: Sister Two: Assimilating to a new culture Dee in “Everyday Use” and Bharati in “Two Ways to Belong in America” What is the evidence that each assimilates to a new culture? What is each sister’s attitude toward her heritage? Toward her new culture? Conclusion/Call to Action Restate thesis Closure

Discuss: What does this quote mean? “The price that the immigrant willingly pays, and that the exile avoids, is the trauma of transformation.”