Nonfiction Article of the Week - I'm Lovin' Lit · Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check...

©2018 erin cobb imlovinlit.com

Nonfiction Article of the Week7-8: North Korea Explained: Life in North Korea

Table of Contents

Terms of Use 2

Table of Contents 3

List of Activities, Difficulty Levels, Common Core Alignment, & TEKS 4

Digital Components/Google Classroom Guide 5

Teaching Guide, Rationale, Lesson Plans, Links, and Procedures: EVERYTHING 6-9

Article: Life in North Korea 10-11

*Modified Article: Life in North Korea 12-13

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice w/Key 14-15

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions w/Key 16-17

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article 18-20

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity & Answer Bank w/Key 21-23

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Analyze Text Structure of a Nonfiction Article w/Key 24-27

Activity 6: Integrate Sources – Video Clip & Questions w/Key 28-29

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key 31-33

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key 34-37

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice*

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions*

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article**

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity w/Answer Bank**

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Analyze Text Structure in a Nonfiction Article***

Activity 6: Integrate Sources – Video Clip & Questions***

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key**

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key**

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice*

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions*

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article**

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity w/Answer Bank**

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Analyze Text Structure in a Nonfiction Article***

Activity 6: Integrate Sources – Video Clip & Questions***

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key**

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key**

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(F), 6(C)(E)

ELAR.5(F), 6(C)(E)

ELAR.5(C), 8(D), 9BC

ELAR.6(B) 12(F)

ELAR.5(C)(F) 8(D) 9(B)(C)

ELAR.5(C)(F) 8(D) 9(B)(C)

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.5

RI.7.9

RI.7.1, RI.7.5

RI.7.1, RI.7.5



Teacher’s Guide

Activities, Difficulty Levels, and Common Core Alignment

Activities, Difficulty Levels, and TEKS Alignment



Teacher’s Guide

Instructions for Google Classroom Digital ComponentsAll student activities are available in digital format compatible with Google Classroom. They are available in two formats: Google Slides and Google Forms.

Google SlidesFirst, I have made all student pages (excluding assessments) in Google Slides format. Students can simply add text boxes to any area they wish to type on. To access the Google Slides for this article, copy and paste the link below into your browser. *Note that you’ll need to make a copy of the folder or slide before you can use it.*

LINK OMITTED IN PREVIEW FILE

Google FormsI have made the assessments available in Google Forms. Here, they are self-grading, and I have set them all up with answer keys so they are ready to go for you. You’ll need to find these two files in your download folder to use Google Forms. The first file contains the links to the Forms, and the second file is explicit instructions for use. Look inside the Google Forms folder.



Teacher’s Guide

A Couple of Options for Teaching Article of the Week UnitsHere are my favorite suggestions for organizing these units with your schedule.*Please note that thumbnails show article 6.1 and activities.

Option A: Quickie UnitSimply complete all lesson activities in order OR pickand choose the activities you want to complete in order.

Time Needed: 2-3 fifty-minute class periodsPros: Super flexible; perfect filler around your other units; makes it easy to assign easier components for homework; ideal no prep sub plans if you have to be out for 2-3 days in a row.Cons: Fitting them all in around everything else you’ve got to do.

Option B: Daily ModelUse as a class starter or specific routine in yourclassroom everyday at the same time.

Time Needed: 15-20 minutes/day, 5 days/weekPros: IDEAL for block scheduling when you need to always change it up; Great way to fit nonfiction articles in with what you’re already doing.Cons: There are 25 total articles for each grade level, so some weeks you’ll need to skip the articles (I’d skip when doing projects, novels, during short weeks, and plan to finish up right before testing); May be difficult to commit to something rigid like this if you’re a type B teacher like myself ;)

Here’s how the daily model works:

Monday: Read article & complete basic comprehension activityTuesday: Text evidence activityWednesday: Skills focus activity (based on one key skill for each article)Thursday: Integrate information (other sources)Friday: Assessment

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday



Teacher’s Guide

WalkthroughI have discussed here how I use each activity and included hints and links to help you, too. Feel free to take or leave what you like. Even if you don’t plan to do every activity, I still recommend reading through this section to get the most out of these activities. Looking for a schedule to follow? Check the previous page for two suggested scheduling options.

These lessons and activities were designed to meet the needs of seventh graders during the first half the school year. The stories, activities, questions, and assessments will become increasingly rigorous and challenging as we progress through the year.

Activities 1-2• *There are no higher order thinking questions

included here – only basic, literal comprehension.• These activities are designed to be completed on

an either/or basis, meaning your students should only complete one of them, not both.

• Use Activity 1 for a quick cold-read assessment or after you’ve read the article together. I use these to hold students accountable for reading carefully. I recommend having students complete activity 1 without the article as long as they’ve just read the article (so not the next day), unless you’re providing a testing accommodation.

• Use Activity 2 for an open-ended option for the same exact questions. Students may have a harder time answering this one without the article, so choose this one if you want students to use the article but still prove that they’ve understood the content.

Note: Answer key included but not shown.

Article Modified Article

Activity 1

Activity 2



Teacher’s Guide

Activities 3-4• Again, these activities are either/or, so choose

one or the other but not both.• Activity 3 requires students to annotate text

evidence in the article and includes an article annotation key.

• Activity 4 requires students to choose text evidence from a bank at the bottom. This format prepares students to choose from and distinguish between pieces of text evidence on a state assessment. I recommend mixing it up and going back and forth between these among units until your students are proficient at both methods.

Activity 5• This activity is focused around the main skill

for this article: RI.7.5 – Analyze Text Structure & Features in a Nonfiction Article.

• Complete answer keys included, as always.

Activity 6• This activity requires students to integrate

information from another source or media. • Here, students view a video clip about the same topic.

Students will analyze specific words from the video clip and determine their meaning from information in the video clip.

• View the video clip: https://youtu.be/I9aJcBgU_McBackup: https://goo.gl/4qyhuR

Activity 3

Activity 4

Activity 5

Activity 6



Teacher’s Guide

Activities 7-8• *Final assessments are always designed to be

taken with access to the article.• What’s the best way to make sure your students

are prepared for the state assessment? Assess them regularly with that format. I always let my students practice for the first few before I start counting them for a grade, and I always use the basic comprehension assessment (activity 1 or 2) as an easy grade so it levels the playing field.

• Activity 7 is the regular assessment.• Activity 8 is the modified assessment. The

modified assessment offer students only two answer choices instead of four. Note that only the multiple choice portion of the modified test is different from the original. Simply put, only page one is different. Complete keys included as always (not shown).

• In a hurry? I always include only multiple choice questions on the first page in case you’re in a hurry and need to skip the open-ended portion of the test. I don’t recommend skipping regularly but every now and then, I need a grading break.

Activity 7

Activity 8


privileged living in the capital city, Pyongyang. People are not free to choose their occupation.

The government assigns jobs at its discretion. People are not free to set up a business or earn money on their own. Officially, people cannot buy a house or rent an apartment. Instead they must be assigned a place to live by the government. Private possessions don’t exist; the government technically owns everything. Under North Korea’s food distribution program, those who work receive food rations. But due to the government’s failure to provide well enough for its people, they’re often forced to find food on their own. It has been reported that over 40% of the country’s people are undernourished. And almost one-third of children under age 5 are so malnourished that their growth has been stunted.

Perhaps the harshest aspect of punishment in North Korea is the three generations rule. If one person is found guilty of a crime and sent to a prison camp, so too can their entire family. The next two generations born at the camp must remain there for life. Often, the crimes committed aren’t even considered crimes in most other countries.

Each year, thousands of North Koreans defect to South Korea or China. Of course, they do so under great peril. The punishment for this crime is often death, and the three generations ruleapplies.

Simply put, North Korean civilians are strictly forbidden from traveling outside the country. They are also denied freedom of movement within the country, meaning that they must have special permission from their employer to travel around North Korea. Permission is not often granted. Due to the poor condition of roads and railroads, travel would be difficult anyway. Only elite government officials are allowed to own cars.

American tourists are not welcome in North Korea, either. In the past, tour operators based in China and Russia have offered tours to North Korea, and Americans have been permitted to take part. But today, the American government no longer allows its citizens to visit North Korea as a matter of public safety.

A very small number of American and other foreign journalists are granted permission to visit North Korea each year. They are assigned North Korean escorts who are guarantors of North Korea’s good image. Every foreigner is a potential enemy who must be closely watched. The sworn duty of each guide is to closely chaperone the visitor, regurgitating the regime’s propaganda. Foreign journalists are strictly forbidden from leaving the hotel at night or anytime they are unaccompanied by their guides.

Closed Borders

Giant portraits of Kim Il-sung (left) and Kim Jong-il (right) on the Mangyongdae Children’s Palace

In the dark: this moonlit satellite image shows how very little of North Korea is lit with electricity. The area inside the white circle is North Korea; compare with South Korea just below and the island of Japan on the right side of the image.

8

9

10

11

12

13



Informational Text

For items 1-4, you’ll be citing textual evidence to support what the text says explicitly.

1. Find the sentence that includes the names of all 3 Supreme Leaders. Highlight it in blue.

2. Find the sentence that explains the concept of Juche and highlight it in green.

3. Find the sentence that reveals why so many North Koreans are undernourished or

malnourished. Highlight it in purple.

4. Find the sentence that explains how an American civilian might have visited North Korea

in the past. Highlight it in gray.

Finding Text EvidenceFind each piece of text evidence in the article and highlight OR underline it with the color specified.

Skill: Text Evidence

For items 5-8, you’ll be citing one piece or multiple pieces of textual evidence to support

inferences drawn from the text.

5. Find one piece of evidence that shows that North Korea is the least democratic country in

the world. Highlight it in orange.

6. Find two pieces of text evidence from the article that reveal that a person can be punished

by prison or execution for the attempted escape of a family member. Highlight them in

yellow.

7. Find two pieces of text evidence that show that foreign journalists are not trusted in

North Korea. Highlight them in pink.

8. Find three details from the article that supports this statement:

Carrying out an escape from North Korea would be extremely difficult. Highlight it in red.

Activity 3



Informational TextSkill: Text Evidence

Activity 3



Informational Text

Activity 5

Skill: Analyze Text Structure

A. Analyze Structure & Features of a Nonfiction ArticleChoose or write the correct answer for each question.

1. The article is divided into ______ main sections. They are:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

2. There are ______ paragraphs in the article.

3. Excluding the header graphic at the top of the first page of the article, there are _____

graphics in the article. (Graphics may include images, illustrations, diagrams, maps,

graphs, tables, and charts.)

4. Does the map on the first page include labels or captions? ___________________________

5. What does the table on the second page show? Why was it included?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

6. Why is the caption so long under the photo at the bottom left of the second page?

a. It describes what is shown. c. It identifies the countries shown.

b. It explains the white circle. d. all of these

7. What is the text structure of the article?

a. compare and contrast c. description

b. problem and solution d. cause and effect

8. How do paragraphs 11 and 13 relate to each other?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________



Informational Text

B. Analyze Text StructureRe-read each paragraph indicated below. In the left side of the space provided, identify the central idea of that paragraph. On the right, explain how that paragraph contributes to the structure of the entire article as a whole. The first one is done for you.

Skill: Analyze Text Structure

Because of Juche, it is very difficult to obtain accurate information about life in North Korea.

This paragraph provides specific details that more deeply explain information provided in the first paragraph.

North Koreans have no freedom of religion. This paragraph provides another example of a liberty denied to North Koreans (religion) and elaborates on it.

The three generation rule is a harsh aspect of punishment in North Korea.

This paragraph provides details about punishments for those accused of breaking the law in North Korea.

Activity 5

2

6

7

9

10

12

13

External television, radio, and the internet are forbidden in North Korea.

This paragraph provides details about how information and media are restricted in North Korea, furthering the idea that North Koreans are isolated.

American civilians can’t visit North Korea.This paragraph explains why Americans can’t visit North Korea.

The few journalists who are allowed in are strictly controlled, just like the people there.

This paragraph provides details about the experiences of foreign journalists and the way information is controlled.

Defecting happens, but it comes with great risk.

This paragraph suggests reasons why so many North Koreans stay.

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Nonfiction Article of the Week - I'm Lovin' Lit · Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check...

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