Lesson Plan: Close Reading and Jigsaw Analysis of Flygirl, Chapter 1

Learning Target:

I will analyze Chapter 1 of Flygirl for important details about characters, setting, and conflicts, and explain why these details matter.

1. Think–Pair–Share (3 minutes)

Prompt: Think about someone who inspires you to dream big. What qualities does that person have?

2. Individual Annotation (20 minutes).

Read Chapter 1 and independently annotate the text for one specific literary element:

Character Expert 1: Ida Mae
Character Expert 2: Supporting Characters (Jolene and others)
Setting Expert
Conflicts Expert

During reading, identify important details, add them to the worksheet, be prepared to teach that information

3. Expert Group Teaching (20 minutes)

Each expert group meets briefly to compare annotations (5minutes)
Then, in mixed jigsaw groups, each expert teaches their literary element by sharing:

Key details they annotated
What each detail reveals
Why those details matter to understanding the story

Group members take notes as they listen.

4. Independent Analysis (5–7 minutes)

Students complete their own written analysis using the following prompts:

What do these details reveal about the literary element?
These details reveal that…
Why are these details important to the story?
This helps us understand that…

5. Whole-Class Share Out (5 minutes)

What do we learn about the characters, setting, and conflicts in Chapter 1?
How do these details help us understand the story?