NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
9.1.2
DRAFT
Grade 9 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 5
Lesson 5
Introduction
In the next two lessons, students will read closely and discuss an excerpt from Chapter 2,“Hangman,”
from the novel Black Swan Green. Students will read from “So anyway, Mum dropped me at Malvern”
to “I was taken to see Mrs. de Roo, the speech therapist at Malvern Link Clinic. That was five years ago”
(pp. 24–26). This reading will introduce students to the narrator and main character, Jason, and will
familiarize them with his style and voice. Close reading in this section will prepare students for reading
a second, longer section from later in the novel that will offer them rich content for comparison to
Rilke’s “Letter One.”
After a brief introduction and teacher Read-Aloud, students will close read the first four paragraphs of
the selection, using text-dependent questions to drive them back into the text and deepen their
understanding. Students will carefully consider the character, his feelings, and his motivations. They
will also consider the relationship between language and meaning in this rich novel. In a homework
assignment, students have an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the character and his
situation by choosing a precise word to describe Jason and supporting their choice with evidence from
the text.
Standards
Assessed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations)
develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot
or develop the theme.
Addressed Standard(s)
RL.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place;
how it sets a formal or informal tone).
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1
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
Grade 9 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 5
Assessment
Assessment(s)

The assessment in this lesson is in two parts. The first part consists of student responses to textdependent questions that occur during the lesson sequence. The second part is the homework.

Homework: Reread the section of the text from today’s lesson. Then choose a precise word from or
implied by the text to describe Jason as the author presents him in this chapter. Write a welldeveloped paragraph that uses details from the paragraphs to support your choice. Be sure to use a
word we discussed today in your response.
High Performance Response(s)

Teaching points related to the text-dependent questions are embedded in the Learning Sequence
below.

A proficient response to the reflective writing prompt will offer a specific descriptive word stated in
or inferred from the text, such as insecure, worried, or embarrassed. These responses will use
details from the present action of the text as well as the flashback to support the claim. Look for
evidence of students choosing smaller pieces of text and embedding them with appropriate
quotation marks in sentences.
o A word that could be used to describe Jason is insecure. He is insecure about his speech, so
much so that he envies those who do not need to test what they want to say for “stammer
words.” This self-consciousness has been with him since his very first stammering episode,
which took place five years before the story begins. He was unable to say the word nightingale
in class and was humiliated by this. His insecurity extends to other aspects of his life, including
a wish to avoid the “Dyson Perrins” kids so he would not have to worry about getting beaten
up.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary to provide directly (will not include extended instruction)

scrap (n.) – a fight

skive off (v.) – skip

flid (n.) – slang for someone with physical or mental challenges

noose (n.) – a loop with a running knot that tightens as the rope is pulled
Vocabulary to teach (may include direct word work and/or text-dependent questions)

stammer (v.) – to speak with involuntary breaks and pauses
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NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
Grade 9 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 5
Lesson Agenda/Overview
Student-Facing Agenda
% of Lesson
 Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4

•
•
•
•
•
Text: “Hangman” from Black Swan Green (pp. 24–26)
Introduction of Lesson Agenda
Homework Accountability
Read-Aloud
Close Reading and Partner Discussion
Closing
Materials
• None.
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5%
5%
15%
70%
5%
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
Grade 9 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 5
Learning Sequence
Percentage of
Lesson
Teacher Actions
5%
Introduction of Lesson Agenda
Begin by reviewing the agenda and
sharing the standards for this lesson:
RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4. Remind
students that these are the same
standards they worked with in Unit 1.
Return assessments from Lesson 4 and
lead a quick debrief with students.
5%
Instructional Notes (extensions,
supports, common misunderstandings)
Students look at the agenda.
Homework Accountability
Instruct students to talk in pairs about
how they can apply their focus standard
to their text. Lead a brief share out on
the previous lesson’s AIR homework
assignment. Select several students (or
student pairs) to explain how they
applied their focus standard to their AIR
text.
15%
Student Actions
Students (or student pairs) discuss and
share how they applied their focus
standard to their AIR text from the
previous lesson’s homework.
Read-Aloud
Distribute the “Hangman” excerpts and
point out where students will begin
reading.
Though there is a coherent narrative to
the novel, the chapters of Black Swan
Green also hold up as individual
vignettes. This lesson begins at the
second paragraph of the chapter to
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4
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
Grade 9 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 5
DRAFT
avoid some unnecessary confusion and
offensive language.
Read the excerpt aloud, reminding
students to read along silently.
70%
Students follow along, reading silently.
If students are able to read this complex
text on their own, consider having them
do so. Reading aloud to students
supports fluency, especially with this
complex text.
Students read and annotate the excerpt.
It may be useful to remind students of
the annotation codes:
Close Reading and Partner Discussion
Ask students to read the first paragraph
again, from “So, anyway, Mum dropped
me off” to “too hard for the Dyson
Perrins kids to bother with me.”
This time ask students to annotate the
text using the codes they have learned.

Put a box around unfamiliar words.

Put a question mark by areas of
confusion.

Write connections or reactions in the
margins.
 Star important ideas.
This can be done either on the text itself
or with self-stick notes.
In pairs, have students share their
annotations.
Student pairs will share their annotations
and discuss text-dependent questions.
Pose the following questions for
students to discuss in their pairs. After
giving pairs time to review and discuss
the text and their annotations, ask pairs
to share their responses.
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5
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
1. What seems to be true about Jason
and his peers?
Grade 9 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 5
DRAFT
1. Student responses may include the
following:

There is violence among rival schools
(“Pluto Noak’d hit their hardest kid
so hard”) and strict social rules (“If
you chicken out” or “if you tell a
teacher”). Students should hit upon
the social pressure and possible
violence that is ongoing in Jason’s
life.
1. It may be helpful to ask additional
questions to make sure students
understand that the narrator isn’t
referring just to past violence at school.
To help students get there, direct
students to the word lucky and ask,
“Why does Jason feel lucky that the
Dyson Perrin kids don’t notice him?”
Sample student responses include the
following:

2. What can you infer about the
definition of scrap in this context?
2. Student responses may include the
following:

A scrap is a fight, based on the
explanation that follows about Pluto
Noak.
Ask students to read and annotate the
next paragraph, from “Today was my
second appointment this year ” to
“taught chimpanzees to speak in sign
language.
Students read and annotate.
3. How does the narrator feel as he
enters and sits in the waiting room?
3. Student responses may include the
following:
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6
The Dyson Perrin kids are still
inclined to get into conflict with
students from Jason’s school. He
mentions that “every year” students
from each school meet for a “mass
scrap.”
2. If students are unable to provide a
definition, supply it and ask students to
verify how this definition fits with the
preceding question about the nature of
Jason’s peer culture.
3. For groups or students who would
benefit from additional challenge, ask
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT

Jason is uncomfortable with the
others in the room such as “old
biddy,” the “hobbit man with watery
eyes,” and the woman “with coat
hangers instead of bones.”

He feels good that the receptionist
doesn’t try to embarrass him, or
“show him up.”

He is envious of the receptionist’s
ability to say what she wants when
she thinks it. The narrator also hears
in the clock’s tick a reminder of his
upcoming execution, described more
explicitly in the parenthetical that
follows.
Ask students to read and annotate the
next two paragraphs, from “Most
people think stammering and stuttering
are the same ” to “What’s wrong with
Jason Taylor?” before engaging them in
the next set of discussion questions:
Students read and annotate.
4. Ask students to complete a Turn-andTalk about the difference between a
stammer and a stutter.
4. Student responses may include the
following:

Lead a quick debrief to make sure
students understand this distinction.
A stutter is when a speaker repeats
the first sound of a word.

A stammer is when a speaker gets
stuck on the first sound.
5. When does the game of Hangman
5. Student responses may include the
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Grade 9 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 5
them to consider the effect of revealing
the narrator’s reason for being at the
clinic so indirectly.
3. In their responses to the previous
question, students may have already
noted that Jason envies the receptionist,
but they may also see that this envy is
the revelation of his stammer, the “thing
he wants to talk about least.” To help
students connect the indirect revelation
to a feeling of suspense, ask them to
consider how the paragraph might be
different if it began with an explanation
that he is at the clinic for his stammering
problem.
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
narrated here take place?
DRAFT
following:

6. How does the narrator feel during the
game of Hangman?
7. Follow up the discussion by
challenging the student pairs to look for
interesting language that gives a deeper
sense of what Jason is feeling.
Grade 9 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 5
The text tells us directly that this
event occurred five years ago (from
the present of the novel). We were
alerted to the shift in time by the
narrator’s mention of “I started going
that summer when it never rained….”
6. Student responses may include:

Jason is embarrassed.

He is frightened and self-conscious.
7. Student responses may include the
following:

“kaboom”

the reference to “noose”

images of “eyes popping out” as it
tightens

repetition and exaggeration of
“Every”
7. Offer additional modeling and
guidance as needed, but begin by
encouraging students to draw on their
know-how from work with the Rilke
letter before introducing a new scaffold.
Consider providing language frames to
help students link specific word choices
with their effects: “The word ___ gives a
sense of ____” or “Comparing ___ to
___ lets me know ___.”
This section is particularly rich. Consider
projecting it for full-class reference as
you discuss it.
Conclude the close reading section of
the lesson by reading aloud the last
paragraph for today, from “But no
matter how shocked, scared, breathless
and ashamed” to “That was five years
Students follow along, reading silently.
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8
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
Grade 9 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 5
ago.”
8. What do you notice about the
language of the first sentence of the
paragraph?
8. Student responses may include the
following:

“No matter how” repeats three
times.

Multiple adjectives in a row,
“shocked, scared, breathless,
ashamed.”

Shifts abruptly to “I couldn’t say
‘nightingale.’” It’s a very long lead-in
to a short, stark statement.
Ask students to do a Turn-and-Talk
about their reactions to this paragraph
and this section of Black Swan Green.
Invite them to make a note of things
they found puzzling.
The personal and embarrassing nature
of this narrative will very likely resonate
with students. They have now spent
considerable time during this lesson
analyzing the text. Discussing their
reactions gives an opportunity to
process and connect to what they have
read.
Lead a short discussion of student
reactions and responses to the text.
5%
8. Although students may notice the
repetition, they may not be able to
discuss its contrast to “I couldn’t.” If not,
prompt students by sharing that one
way to analyze the effect of repetition is
to look at the point where the repetition
breaks.
Closing
For homework, instruct students to
reread the section of the text from
today’s lesson. Choose a precise word
from or implied by the text to describe
Jason, as the author presents him in this
chapter. Write a well-developed
paragraph that uses details from the
Remind students to integrate shorter
quotes—words and phrases—to explain
their choice.
Depending on students’ experiences and
sensitivity to this selection, you may
wish to add an opportunity to write
about their personal response toward
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9
NYS Common Core ELA & Literacy Curriculum
DRAFT
text to support your response.
Grade 9 • Module 1 • Unit 2 • Lesson 5
Jason and his situation after they have
completed the close reading and
reflective writing components.
Explain that students will use their
paragraphs in the next lesson.
Tell students that a way to start thinking
about this question is to ask, “What is a
word that describes Jason, and how do I
know it describes him?”
Homework
Reread the section of the text from today’s lesson. Choose a precise word from or implied by the text to describe Jason as the author presents
him in this chapter. Write a well-developed paragraph that uses details from the text to support your choice. Be sure to use a word we discussed
today in your response.
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10