Lesson 03 — Ch. 3 'Baldwin's Bad Attitude'

The Rescue at Fragment Crag · pp. 29-38 · VT: Perspective Taking · 50 min total

Lesson context

Phase position: Phase 1 of 3 — establishment posture; foundational stems and dispositions land here.

Cross-phase notes:

The Latin stem RE returns in Phase 2 as Analyze in context — the deepening warrant builds on this Phase 1 foundation.

Program Adjustment Notes:

Building Language anchors this lesson; the Music of the Hemispheres returns in Phase 2 with full sound arc.
DE stem deferred to Phase 2; RE and SUB anchor Phase 1's stem foundation — protect their workshop time.
Act 3 sound bridge deferred; Phase 1 sound arc sustains through Acts 1, 2, and 4 only.

Spark · 5 min

Routine: Circle of Viewpoints · Disposition: Perspective Taking

Opening hook: Baldwin charges at Mud after calling him a 'buffoon' and 'gricky fishymishy.'

Brainstorm viewpoints: who has a perspective on this event? (light navigator prompting)
Student chooses one viewpoint to explore: 'I am thinking of [event] from the viewpoint of [X]'
Student articulates: 'I think… [what X thinks about this event]'
Closing question: 'A question I have from this viewpoint is…'

Navigator note: The G3-4 distinctive move is the brainstorm-viewpoints step. Navigator prompts lightly ('who else has a stake in this event?' / 'whose view haven't we heard?') but doesn't pre-stock the options. Aim for 3-4 viewpoints listed before the student chooses one. The wonder/question step (step 4) is the band's other growth move — it asks the student to step out of inhabitation and notice what their chosen viewpoint would want to ask. Accept simple questions ('I wonder why the team didn't trust me' from Mud's viewpoint) as success.

Baldwin and Mud both have strong viewpoints here — push students toward minor characters (Turner, Click, Fidget) whose perspectives surface the bystander tension.

Guided Reading · 12–15 min

Required Reading: The Rescue at Fragment Crag, pp. 29-38 · Suggested passage: pp. 34-35 — Baldwin's invented insults and Mud's humiliation.

These questions are entry points to deeper discussion.

Comprehension Questions

What does Baldwin do when Mud tries to speak about sentences? 33 — "Every time Mud would speak, Baldwin would interject rude comments, and he often made words up—stupid words that sounded insulting."
What trick does Fidget play on Baldwin? 35 — "He would climb up a tree trunk and taunt Baldwin, calling him a bug. The enraged Baldwin would buzz straight at Fidget, but at the last second Fidget would jump to another tree, letting Baldwin crash into the trunk."

Discussion Questions

Why does Baldwin target Mud specifically, even though he's mean to everyone? 32 — "Something about Mud annoyed Baldwin. It might have been Mud's handsome fish face or glossy scales. It might have been Mud's innocent presumption in walking so proudly on his tail fins."
The author writes that Baldwin 'had it in for Mud' and shows 'manifest distaste' — what does this tell us about how bullying works? 32 — "Whatever it was, Baldwin had it in for Mud. Everything Baldwin said showed that disdain."

Students may default to 'Baldwin is mean' — push toward the OCR's suggestion that Baldwin's jealousy of Mud's scales drives the targeting.

The Workshop · 15–18 min

Building Language — Stem Lesson I: RE (again) primary

pp. 56-63

Building Language Stem Lesson I introduces the Latin stem RE (again) through a 5-part authorial template: opening poem, narrative personification, closeup (respect), Spanish cognate (repetir), poem activity, and simile activity. The unit grounds students in RE's meaning through varied contexts before asking them to produce with it.

Suggested Exercises

etymological

Application: Trace RE through three example words from the unit's opening poem (repeat, return, review), noting how 'again' shapes each word's meaning.

Extension: Find a moment in today's chapter where a character does something 'again' (Baldwin charges again, Mud leaves the beach again) and invent a RE word that could describe it — explain your word's meaning.

creative

Application: Write a four-line poem using at least three RE words from the unit, following the unit's poem-activity model on page 61.

Extension: Write your poem from Baldwin's viewpoint — what does he want to do 'again' to Mud? Use RE words to show his repetitive bullying pattern.

comparative

Application: Compare the unit's two similes ('A memory is like a return' and 'An aqueduct is like respect') — explain how each uses the idea of 'again' to connect two different things.

Extension: Create your own RE simile connecting something from today's chapter to a RE word. Example: 'Baldwin's charges are like rehearsals — he practices his bullying again and again.'

First-application of the stem system — protect time for the poem and simile activities; students need the creative production to anchor RE for spiral revisit in Phase 2.

Student-Formed Conclusion · 7 min

Routine: Circle of Viewpoints · Disposition: Perspective Taking

Student leads. Navigator holds space; the closing question is the student's, even if it surprises. Capture for next-lesson opening.

Brainstorm viewpoints from today's lesson (light navigator prompting)
Student chooses one viewpoint: 'I am thinking of today's lesson from [X]'s view'
Student articulates: 'I think ___' (about today, from this view)
Closing question: 'A question I have from this viewpoint going forward is ___'

If students took Baldwin's viewpoint in the Spark, push toward a different character here — Mud's or Fidget's view surfaces the forward question about how the conflict resolves.

Wrap-Up & Preview · 5 min

Workshop recap: Students traced RE through etymology, composed RE poems from Baldwin's viewpoint, and built similes connecting chapter events to 'again.'

Next lesson preview: Next chapter: the conflict between Baldwin and Mud escalates — someone will have to intervene.

Next lesson required reading: The Rescue at Fragment Crag, pp. 39-48

Leave students with the closing question from their chosen viewpoint — it primes the next chapter's intervention theme.