GOAL:
To draw on students' background knowledge about honesty and to explore the concept in relation to the book
ASSIGNED READING:
Chapters 5-6
WRITING PROMPT:
How is Marty's secret growing? Why does he have to keep telling more lies?
Is Marty an honest person? Explain why.
Does Marty feel sorry for Judd? Do you? Why?
ONLINE PROMPT:
Participate in the online book club by using the Student Comment Form and the Student Comments About Shiloh page.
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Begin a concept web on the chalkboard with the word honesty
in the center. (You can use the word integrity if your students
are familiar enough with it. A student sample of a concept web is shown
on page 110 of the teacher's
handbook.) Ask students to brainstorm all of their associations
with this word. If necessary, prompt them with questions such as: What
does an honest person say when you ask her a question? Would you trust
an honest person? What would an honest person do if he made a promise?
Does an honest person have a strong sense of right and wrong?
Tell the class that honesty is one of the major themes of Shiloh -- that is, the author is conveying a message about honesty through her story. Suggest that students keep this theme and the related ideas from the concept web in mind as they do today's reading.
During community share, return to the theme of honesty and ask students to share what they wrote in their logs and talked about in their book clubs. Guide students to appreciate the complexity of Marty's situation and his internal debate about right and wrong. This issue is brought out very poignantly through Marty's prayer in Chapter 6 (Yearling Newbery, page 57), in which he asks Jesus whether it's better to be "one hundred percent honest" and return Shiloh to an abusive master or to protect and care for one of the Lord's creatures. You might take a class vote on the question of whether or not Marty is an honest person and ask students to explain their opinions.
Click to go to Lesson 4.
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