Standards Correlations

R.1, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, W.2, SL.1, L.4, L.5, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will identify cause-and-effect relationships in a text about a teen with dwarfism who lifts weights.

Key Skills

cause and effect, text features, vocabulary, sequencing, inference, figurative language, critical thinking, making connections, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The text describes a teen’s experience with dwarfism and learning a new sport. Themes include overcoming challenges and the power of community.

 

Structure: The story is mostly chronological and told from a first-person perspective. It begins with a short anecdote. 

 

Language: The language is conversational.

 


Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge is needed.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: U 

DRA Level: 50

Lesson Plan: Finding His Power

Essential Questions

  • What does it mean to be strong?
  • How can developing one skill affect other areas of our lives?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh

1. Preparing to Read 

Watch a Video (5 minutes)

As a class, watch our video “My Story: Jake Stone.” After watching, ask students if they have any questions about Jake’s story. Let them know they’re going to read an article that might answer their questions.

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the article’s title and subtitle. Why do you think the article is called “Finding His Power”? What does Jake have the power to  do? Based on the subtitle, you can tell that Jake has a sport he loves. Clearly, he has the power to take part in that sport and to get stronger as he does it. It sounds like the sport has also helped him develop the power to make new friends. 
  • Look at the photos of Jake that are included in the article and read their captions. What do they tell you about him? From the photos and captions, we can tell several things about Jake: He feels “at home” in the weight room at school, meaning he feels comfortable there; he lifts weights; he’s the football team’s water boy; he’s from Texas.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (in sync, specific, intrigued, physical, overwhelmed) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow. 

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading: Tell students that after reading, they’ll identify a cause and its effects in the story. Point out the activity at the end of the story. 
  • Encourage students to pause at the end of each section so they can monitor their comprehension. Prompt them to take note of sentences they think tell them important ideas in each section, as well as any words or sentences they don’t understand.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Guide students to read the article. Once they understand it well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • Why do you think Jake describes the moment in the weight room when he lifted 225 pounds as his “proudest moment”? (inference) Two hundred twenty-five pounds was more than twice his body weight. Lifting so much weight was a big accomplishment for Jake. It had taken a lot of work for him to reach that point. 
  • How has weightlifting helped Jake become a better student? (cause and effect) Before he joined the powerlifting team, Jake didn’t care much about his grades. But in order to stay on the team, he needed good grades. Once he felt he had a good reason to work for A’s and B’s, his grades improved. 
  • Reread the last sentence of the article. What is Jake referring to when he mentions taking a weight off his shoulders? (figurative language) Jake is referring to releasing mental and emotional stress. He states that before joining the powerlifting team, he had a hard time dealing with stress. By lifting weights, he’s able to release the stress instead of holding it inside.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • Why do you think joining the powerlifting team increased Jake’s confidence? (critical thinking) Jake says he had always felt weak because of his height and that lifting made him feel strong. Also, lifting was a sport he could do without anybody helping him, so he felt independent. Through lifting, he made good, supportive friends, which probably also added to his confidence.
  • On the cover of the magazine, the line that describes Jake’s story says “Lifting Himself Up.” It’s a play on words: Jake lifts weights, and he has also “lifted” himself up by joining a team that helped him become happier, healthier, and a better student. What activities help you lift yourself up? (making connections) Answers will vary; for example, students might mention sports, babysitting, cooking, or dance. 

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Assign students to work in small groups to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Cause and Effect activity.
  • Go further: Use our Sequence of Events Skill Builder, available in higher and lower level versions.  (Click here to view all your Skill Builders.)
  • Writing prompt: Think about your answer to the second critical-thinking question. What types of activities lift you up? Choose one activity and write a paragraph explaining how it has helped make your life better (with new friends, new skills, more happiness, or in any other way).

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Advertise an Activity

Joining the powerlifting team changed Jake’s life. You can help other teens change their lives too. 

 Think of an activity that teens can do in your school or community. It can be anything from joining a sports team to taking an acting class to volunteering at an animal shelter. Make a flier to let people know about the activity and the good it can do in their lives. 

  • At the top of the page, write the name of the activity.
  • On the rest of the page, write short phrases that describe ways a person might improve his or her life by joining the activity. Examples of phrases: “Make New Friends,” “Develop a New Skill,” and “Help Others.”
  • If you want to, add an image that illustrates the activity.

When you’re finished, make copies of your flier and leave them in places where teens will see them, such as your local library or your school’s main office. You might be doing someone a huge favor!

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Discuss compound words to boost students’ decoding skills.

After reading the article, ask students to think about the word powerlifting. Point out that it’s made up of two words: power and lifting. Powerlifting is a sport where people compete by using their strength, or power, to lift as much weight as they can. 

Explain that powerlifting is a compound word, a word made up of two or more words. Two other examples in the article are football and teammates.

Let students know that when they encounter an unfamiliar word, one decoding strategy they can use is to see if it’s a compound word that contains a word they already know. Give these examples of compound words and ask students to break them into their parts:

  • basketball (basket and ball)
  • bathroom (bath and room) 
  • daylight (day and light)
  • fingernail (finger and nail)
  • girlfriend (girl and friend)
  • homework (home and work)
  • pancake (pan and cake)
  • toothpaste (tooth and paste)
Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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