Lesson 3: Cluster 2 - Surviving Katrina Vocabulary

What does it mean to survive?

What are some choices that you make everyday?
Have you ever experienced a disaster?
Who is your favorite neighbor?
What obstacles do you face on a daily basis?
What do safety measures do you take when you get in a car?
Have you ever saved an animal or a person from harm?
When have you felt like a stranger?
What should you do if you are a victim of a crime?

Choice
Disaster
Neighbor
Obstacle
Safety
Save
Stranger
Victim

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 explicitly teach contextual meaning and prevent the literal misinterpretation of English idioms and academic vocabulary.

DOK Level: Level 1 (Recall) & Level 2 (Skill/Concept)

Natural Disasters & Displacement: Many ESOL students (e.g., from parts of Central America, the Caribbean, or Southeast Asia) have personal or familial experiences with severe weather like hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, or flooding, and can relate to losing belongings or migrating.
Systemic Obstacles & Resiliency: Courtney’s situation of being a teenager left to fend for himself resonates deeply with students who have experienced family separation due to immigration, economic hardship, or systemic challenges.
Community Interdependence: Courtney’s instinct to return for his neighbors and open the bus to strangers highlights a collectivist culture mindset that is highly prevalent and valued in many immigrant households.

Idioms & Figurative Language:
"Go down a straight street": Students might interpret this literally as walking or driving down a road without turns, rather than understanding it as a metaphor for staying out of trouble and making good choices.
"Clothes on his back": Students may think he literally only owned one outfit, missing the idiomatic meaning that he arrived with absolutely no extra possessions or wealth.
Cultural & Geographic Context:
"Levee": Students from landlocked regions or different climates may struggle to visualize how a giant concrete/dirt wall interacts with water levels, or why a broken wall would cause an entire city to flood.
The "Cajun Dome": ESOL students might think this is a natural landmark or a geographical feature rather than a sports stadium repurposed as a disaster shelter.
The Hero vs. Criminal Dichotomy:
Legal vs. Moral Dilemmas: In many cultures, authority and laws are absolute. Students might struggle with why Courtney is celebrated as a "hero" if he committed what the text explicitly notes as a "criminal" act (grand theft auto/driving a bus without a license).

Sentence starters
Visual aids
Small group instruction

Classwork

 Exit ticket 

Slides

Material