In this unit, students explore and compare the main characters in two different stories written by William Steig: Brave Irene and Doctor DeSoto. By engaging in multiple text discussions, students are supported to identify the problems the characters face, how they overcome those problems, and what their solutions reveal about them as characters. Two literary texts 2-3 weeks instruction Explanation writing Materials include Teacher's Manual only. What is this unit about? In this unit, students will read two stories: Brave Irene1 and Doctor De Soto, both by William Steig. Both stories introduce students to fascinating characters who face and overcome challenges. The first story, Brave Irene, is about a brave, determined, and clever little girl who treks through a howling wind to accomplish a task. Steig brings the wind to life through the use of personification, which provides students with the opportunity to study and imitate this aspect of his style. The second story, Doctor De Soto, is about a dentist and his wife, who are mice, and how they overcome the challenges of working on much larger and potentially dangerous animals, particularly a crafty fox. Through the study of these two stories, students are supported to engage in discussions in which they draw on textual evidence to identify and compare the problems the characters face, how they overcome those problems, and what their solutions reveal about them as characters. This short unit can easily be nestled into a larger unit of study on topics such as bravery, character analysis, and author’s craft analysis by reading additional stories to the students. We recommend that teachers who implement this unit provide students with a copy of Brave Irene and Doctor De Soto to use individually or in pairs. What content and concepts will students learn? Students will learn about: the sequence of events in each story. the biggest challenges the characters face and how they overcome those challenges. character traits, including the traits of the main characters in each story and the traits that characters in the two stories have in common. personification, including how Steig uses personification to bring the wind to life, give readers a vivid picture of the events, and make readers feel a certain way. What practices will students use? Students are supported to develop practices and habits such as how to: comprehend and analyze stories with assistance. use specific examples from the text to support their ideas. work from moments in one story and across two stories to develop ideas and compare characters and their traits. listen to and talk about stories several times as a means to enhance their comprehension. participate in routines such as sharing their ideas in pairs and trios and participating in whole group discussions. How long will it take to engage students in the unit? This unit spans approximately 6-8 instructional days, assuming 25- to 30-minute classes. The tasks in the unit are designed to be implemented sequentially in order to support students to achieve the instructional goals. As such, the pacing of the lessons will depend on the time students need to achieve these goals.
