Lesson 3: Cluster 2: Growing Together Lesson 1 - Vocabulary

Who am I?
What makes us unique?


What is something that is beautiful?
What is something that is hard for you?
What do you miss?

Beautiful
Grow
Hard
Home
Leave
Miss
Together
Wait

9.12.8 determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text.

Reading for comprehension
Writing for comprehension
Understanding and applying vocabulary

To prevent literal comprehension breakdowns and build vocabulary flexibility.

DOK Level: Level 1 (Recall) & Level 2 (Basic Application of Skills/Concepts)

The Immigrant Experience ("Living in Two Cultures"): High school ESOL students will deeply relate to Carmita’s emotional struggle of leaving a homeland, feeling like an outsider ("I am not like them"), and navigating a dual identity.

The Metaphor of "Grafting" as Cultural Integration: This provides a beautiful real-world connection to biculturalism. Instead of assimilation (completely losing one's identity to fit in), grafting shows that you can retain your original roots while successfully joining a new community.

Family Structures and Support: The role of "Papi" as a source of wisdom and emotional grounding highlights the collectivist, family-centric nature of many immigrant cultures, where elders use storytelling or nature metaphors to teach life lessons.

Geographical vs. Political Distances: Looking at the map, students might misinterpret the physical proximity of Cuba to Georgia. Because they are on the same map page, students might think Cuba and Georgia share a border or are within driving distance, failing to realize they are separated by the ocean and multiple states.
The Literal Meaning of "Grafting": ESOL students may take Papi’s metaphor literally. They might believe that Carmita is actually going to physically combine a mango tree and a magnolia tree, or that a real tree can naturally grow both tropical mangoes and temperate magnolia flowers simultaneously.
Climate Generalizations: The text states, "I live in Georgia now. The days are cold." Students might form a misconception that Georgia is a permanently freezing or snowy place, missing the nuanced contrast with Cuba's year-round tropical climate.
Homonyms and Vocabulary Confusion: The word hard is defined in the text as "not easy," but students may confuse it with its other common definition (solid/firm). Similarly, the verb miss ("to feel sad") can easily be confused with missing a target or missing a bus.

Sentence starters
Visual aids
Small group instruction

Student work

Student participation

Exit Ticket

Test 

Slides 

Question 1

Questions 2

Activity

Activity