LESSON 17 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Confucius, Teacher for a
Troubled Time
by George Capaccio
Fountas-Pinnell Level X
Informational Text
Selection Summary
Confucius was a philosopher in ancient China who championed
family loyalty and treating others with respect. This teacher struggled
to bring about reforms, such as basing a politician’s right to govern
upon ability not privilege—a revolutionary idea 2,500 years ago.
Number of Words: 2,349
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Informational text
• Third-person narrative organized in eleven short chapters
• Rituals and government of ancient China
• Confucius’s political beliefs, philosophy, and teachings
• Civil war leads to conflict among rival families
• Principles that guided Confucius’s life are still relevant today.
• Treat others fairly and have respect for all living things.
• You can look to the past to find lessons to help people in the present.
• Sophisticated philosophies explained
• Descriptive language
• A mixture of short and longer, more complex sentences
• Commas in series, dashes, italics
• Pronunciations contained in parentheses
• Chinese names and words, such as Confucius, Taoism, qin
• Some challenging multisyllable words, such as etiquette, mythical, aristocracy
• Color photographs and illustrations, map of ancient China
• Captions for photographs and illustrations
• Seventeen pages of text
• Easy-to-read chapter headings, table of contents, sidebars, glossary
• Photographs or illustrations on many pages
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
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Confucius, Teacher for a Troubled Time
by George Capaccio
Build Background
Help students use their knowledge about teachers and China to visualize the text. Build
interest by asking a question such as the following: How can teachers have a positive
effect on their students? Read the title and author’s name and talk about the cover
photograph. Note the eleven chapter heads. Tell students that this book is an informational
text so it will give facts and examples about a topic.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar
language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some
suggestions:
Page 3: Explain that this is a book about a famous Chinese scholar and teacher.
Have students look at the picture of the statue of Confucius. Suggested language:
In this chapter, we learn that Confucius was impressive in his appearance, standing
seven feet tall, but that no images from his lifetime exist. How was the artist able to
create a modern-day statue that resembled Confucius?
Page 4: Describe how, according to legend, Confucius’s mother met a mythical
creature before her son was born. Ask: Why is a unicorn considered a mythical
creature? What other mythical creatures are there?
Page 5: Explain that when Confucius grew up, he saw that the aristocracy did not
always treat ordinary people justly and he tried to help them. Ask: What are some
of the problems that ordinary people might have faced in China 2,500 years ago?
Page 6: Read the caption above the photograph. The Lantern Festival is celebrated
on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar year in the Chinese calendar. It
officially ends the Chinese New Year. Ask: What other Chinese celebrations are you
familiar with? Confucius was a master of ceremonies at celebrations like this one.
What kinds of skills do you think a master of ceremonies would need to have?
Now turn back to the beginning of the book and read to find out why Confucius
became such an important teacher.
Target Vocabulary
archaeologists – experts on
cultures of the past, p. 3
excavate – to dig up something
from underground, p. 3
precede – to come before in
order or time, p. 11
dignified – worthy of honor or
respect, p. 3
lustrous – something that reflects
light, p. 17
distinct – clearly different and
easily told apart, p. 3
mythical – imaginary and often
part of a myth, p. 4
replicas – copies or
reproductions of original
works of art, p. 17
elaborate – planned with careful
attention or much detail, p. 13
Grade 6
2
temperaments – people’s
personalities as shown in the
way they feel or act, p. 13
Lesson 17: Confucius, Teacher for a Troubled Time
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Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their
understanding of the text as needed.
Remind students to use the Question Strategy
as they read. Tell them
to ask questions before they read, as they read, and after they read.
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the text.
Suggested language: Why do you think Confucius’s teachings are still studied and
practiced today?
Ways of Thinking
As you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text
Thinking Beyond the Text
Thinking About the Text
• Confucius devised innovative
ways of teaching his students
about life.
• Although Confucius felt like a
failure because the nobles would
not accept his reforms, his
philosophy endures.
• A map compares the borders of
ancient China with its modernday borders.
• Confucius believed education
was the key to a person’s right
to govern.
• Citizens have a duty to criticize
those who abuse power.
• Sidebars explain the beginning
of Taoism and quote various
sayings of Confucius.
• While Confucius’s reforms were
a big success, they caused
conflict with nobles.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text to demonstrate phrased
fluent reading. Remind them to properly pronounce foreign words in the text and to
read at a steady rate.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion,
revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go
back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using
examples from the text. Remind students that learning Latin roots and seeing how the
word is used in the selection can help them discern the meaning of the new word. For
example, capital (page 8) originates from the Latin root capitis, meaning “head.” Other
words that use this root include capitalism and capitalist. Unicorn (page 4) originates
from the Latin root unius, meaning “one”.
Grade 6
3
Lesson 17: Confucius, Teacher for a Troubled Time
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 17.8.
Responding
Have students complete the activities at the back of the book, writing the answers in
their Reader’s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend
understanding of the comprehension skill.
Target Comprehension Skill
Fact and Opinion
Have students decide whether an idea can be proved or
is a feeling or belief. Tell students to examine the text for signal words such as “believe,”
“good,” and “probably” to identify opinions. Model how to add details to the Graphic
Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
Find other facts and opinions to add to the chart. In the fact column,
write: China had no central source of power. In the opinion column,
write: An unjust social system was common. Another fact could be
added: Confucius looked to China’s past, and another opinion: Confucius
believed the earliest rulers ruled honorably.
Practice the Skill
Encourage students to share their examples of another book that uses Fact and Opinion to
discuss other important people from long ago.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text
Have students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they
think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
Assessment Prompts
• What is the author’s point of view on the subject of Confucius’s ideas?
• In the second part of the book, what two sentences support the idea that Confucius
was not a failure?
• What does the word rightful mean in the first paragraph on page 14?
Grade 6
4
Lesson 17: Confucius, Teacher for a Troubled Time
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English Language Development
Reading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the selection softly,
or have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Remind them that Confucius was
an important thinker and teacher.
Idioms The story includes some idioms that might be unfamiliar. Explain the meaning of
expressions such as by heart (page 3) and left its mark (page 5).
Oral Language Development
Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’
English proficiency. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: What mythical creature
visited Confucius’s mother?
Speaker 1: Without books, how was
knowledge passed down in ancient
China?
Speaker 1: Why were nobles the
key obstacle to the success of
Confucius’s reforms?
Speaker 2: People used the spoken
word, such as poems and songs.
Speaker 2: Nobles did not want to
relinquish their unlimited power
or the other privileges that they
inherited and enjoyed.
Speaker 2: a unicorn
Speaker 1: How was Yan Hui different
in temperament from Confucius?
Speaker 2: He was shy.
Speaker 1: What did Confucius perform
to honor his father’s memory?
Speaker 2: proper rituals
Speaker 1: Why did civil war erupt?
Speaker 2: Nobles from rival families
fought to succeed a ruler who was
about to die.
Lesson 17
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 17.8
Date
Critical Thinking
Confucius, Teacher for a
Troubled Time
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.
1. Think within the text How long ago did Confucius live?
Confucius lived 2,500 years ago.
2. Think within the text Who was Li Er?
Li Er was the keeper of the royal library and founder of Daoism.
3. Think beyond the text Which words on page 8 express opinions
regarding Confucius? How do these words make you feel about
Confucius? Explain your answer.
impressed, eager, loyal; These words make me think that
Confucius was a popular man that people respected. I feel that he
was a person who has been a great role model for others.
4. Think about the text In your opinion, was Confucius a good leader?
Why or why not?
I think that Confucius was a good leader mainly because he
thought it was important to educate both the rich and the poor.
He knew what it was like to come from a poor family and did not
forget it.
Making Connections Read Confucius’s sayings on page 16. Now write your
own brief saying. Explain what your saying means and why you would want
others to follow it.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Critical Thinking
10
Grade 6, Unit 4: Treasures of the Ancient World
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Grade 6
5
Lesson 17: Confucius, Teacher for a Troubled Time
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First Pass
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Name
Date
Confucius, Teacher for a Troubled Time
Thinking Beyond the Text
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in two paragraphs.
Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal
knowledge to reach new understandings.
On page 5, the author describes how ceremonies, rituals, and rules of
etiquette played in important role in Confucius’s childhood. How did these
formal types of behavior later help him in business and politics? Do you
think Confucius was wise to emphasize rules in government and in society?
Why or why not? Support your answer with examples from the book and
from your experience.
Grade 6
6
Lesson 17: Confucius, Teacher for a Troubled Time
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Lesson 17
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 17.8
Date
Critical Thinking
Confucius, Teacher for a
Troubled Time
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions.
1. Think within the text How long ago did Confucius live?
2. Think within the text Who was Li Er?
3. Think beyond the text Which words on page 8 express opinions
regarding Confucius? How do these words make you feel about
Confucius? Explain your answer.
4. Think about the text In your opinion, was Confucius a good leader?
Why or why not?
Making Connections Read Confucius’s sayings on page 16. Now write your
own brief saying. Explain what your saying means and why you would want
others to follow it.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 6
7
Lesson 17: Confucius, Teacher for a Troubled Time
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Student
Lesson 17
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 17.12
Confucius, Teacher for a
Troubled Time • LEVEL X
page
11
Confucius, Teacher for a
Troubled Time
Running Record Form
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
In order to bring about reforms, Confucius wanted the rulers
of China’s warring kingdoms to put his ideas into practice.
Today his ideas may not sound very remarkable. But 2,500
years ago, they were considered revolutionary, even
dangerous. Confucius argued that citizens have a duty to
criticize those government officials who abuse their power. He
also taught that a person’s right to govern should depend on
ability – not on whether he came from a noble family.
Government ministers could acquire the skill and knowledge
they needed through education.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/88 × 100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 6
Behavior
Error
0
0
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
cat
Error
1414514
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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