“I’m Still Standing” - Weebly

READ 180® Stretch 2 ReadingOverview

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PDF0375 (PDF)READ 180 Next Generation Stage C

by Shoshana Johnson with M.L. Doyle

Text Selection: In her memoir, “I’m Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen—My Journey Home,” Shoshana Johnson recounts her experiences as an Army Specialist serving in Iraq in 2003. ! ese excerpts from her book describe her capture by Iraqi forces and subsequent rescue, as well as her motivations for joining the army. By reading and rereading these excerpts and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussions about the text, students will explore how Johnson uses word choice, fi gurative language, and text structure to bring to life for the reader her harrowing experiences in Iraq. When combined with writing about the text, students will analyze how Johnson presents the chaos and fear she felt when being ambushed and captured.

Workshop Connection: In Workshop Reading 1, “Ambush,” Tim O’Brien presents a somber account of coping with the act of killing another human being during the course of war. In “I’m Still Standing,” Shoshana Johnson presents the opposite side of the story—surviving an enemy’s attempt to kill her. ! e excerpts from her memoir also give a fuller picture of why it’s important to remember and honor war veterans, an idea expressed in the RDI 1 Stretch Text—Ronald Reagan’s V-Day Ceremony Address at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial.

Words and Phrases to Know: cordite, culinary, fetal position, MRE, noncommissioned offi cer, paralyzed, radiator, wrecked

Workshop Vocabulary: ambush, complicated, gradually, hesitate, peril

Complex 1 1080L“I’m Still Standing”

CCSS: RI.9–10.1, RI.9–10.2, RI.9–10.3, RI.9–10.4, RI.9–10.6, W.9–10.1, W.9–10.2, W.9–10.4, W.9–10.6, W.9–10.7, W.9–10.8, W.9–10.10, SL.9–10.1, SL.9–10.2, SL.9–10.4, RI.11–12.1, RI.11–12.2, RI.11–12.3, RI.11–12.4, RI.11–12.6, W.11–12.1, W.11–12.2, W.11–12.4, W.11–12.6, W.11–12.7, W.11–12.8, W.11–12.10, SL.11–12.1, SL.11–12.2, SL.11–1 2.4

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Stretch 2 ReadingPDF0375 (PDF)

READ 180 Next Generation Stage C

Lesson Overview:

Whole Group: Reading Text Definitions

Introduce the text.

in the Student Packet.

Have students read independently.

underlined words and phrases.

Read aloud the text.

aloud to students, asking students to follow along.

Oral Cloze Routine to encourage students

Chapter 1: A POW

¶1 “I’m hit! I’m hit!”

[read the intervening paragraphs]

¶22 Minutes later we stopped and they unloaded us. I followed the men out of the vehicle, scrambling backward out of the open hatch, and stepped right into the arms of the first Marine I saw, bawling my eyes out in relief. [ . . . ] For several seconds, I just buried my face in his shoulder and cried, so relieved that we were finally safe.

END

Whole Group: (5 minutes) (15 minutes)

Small Group: Lead discussion about paragraphs 1–5, using Guided Questions 1–5. (20 minutes)

READ 180® Stretch 2 Reading

Day 1

“I’m Still Standing”


Day 1

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“I’m Still Standing”Small Group: Text-Based Questioning Text Definitions

(Q1) Think-Pair-Share Look at the first paragraph. What does the author achieve by beginning her text this way—with just two short sentences?

o By beginning her text this way, the author ____.

o calls attention to the idea that she was “hit”

o creates a feeling of being hit—the short, repeating sentences ending in exclamation points sound and feel like hits

(Q2) How does the author convey the surreal quality of the situation she is in—or that it is not like other situations she is typically in?

or not real life.

circumstances” that it almost seemed as if she were in a movie; it didn’t feel like real life.

Chapter 1: A POW

¶1 “I’m hit! I’m hit!”

¶2 It was like a line in a movie. But I was saying it. I had felt a hard thud against my left ankle, then a searing burning sensation through both of my legs, but I had no idea how bad it was—only that I didn’t have time to check it out. My legs felt torn and wrecked and I could feel a warm pool of blood forming at the bottom of both of my boots. My toes were swimming in it, and it hurt like hell. Under other circumstances, I would have curled into a fetal position, grabbed my wounds, screamed for help, been paralyzed in pain and fear, but as much as it hurt, there was too much stuff going on to pay any attention to it.

greatly damaged

a body position in which your body is curled up with your arms and legs pulled into your chest

unable to move


Day 1

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Small Group: Text-Based Questioning Text Definitions

(Q3) What is happening, or what situation is the author in, when the author is “hit”? How do you know?

member of the military and that she has been hit in the midst of a battle.

prisoner of war, and that soldiers who are captured

¶3 It was Sergeant James Riley’s idea to take cover under the five-ton tractor trailer I had ridden across the desert. As usual, he had sounded completely confident and sure about his idea to crawl under the huge vehicle to get away from the barrage of fire that surrounded us.



Day 1

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(Q4) To what does the author compare herself and her fellow soldiers as they “wandered into their killing fields”? What does this comparison convey?

metaphor (an implicit comparison).

lambs” comparison conveys just how vulnerable and defenseless the author felt; point out that a lamb is a baby sheep.

¶4 We had wandered into their killing field like lost lambs. Our convoy of eighteen vehicles had driven down the narrow streets of this medium-size city. Buildings towered over us as we made several turns, stopped a few times, and were obviously confused about where we were and what we were doing. We had given them plenty of time to gather their forces and surround us. We had almost asked for this.



Day 1

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(Q5) QuickWrite What verbs and adjectives does the author use in paragraph 5 to describe the “constant barrage of bullets”? What tone does this create?

o The author uses the words ____. (“pinging”; “lobbing”; “leap”; “zipping”; “whipped”; “struck”; “screamed”; “dragged”)

o This helps create a tone that is ____. (suspenseful; chaotic; frenetic)

describes the attack, but she doesn’t name or describe the enemy who is attacking her.

is foremost on the author’s mind; the actual enemy isn’t as important to her at this moment.

¶5 A constant barrage of bullets was pinging off our vehicles, nearby buildings, the ground all around us. !ey were lobbing mortars, and the heavy explosions made the ground leap beneath me. [ . . . ] !e shots were coming so close, you could hear the zipping noise they made as they whipped past us to hit something solid a fraction of a second later. I was only halfway under the truck when the bullet struck my legs. I screamed that I had been hit and Riley grabbed my arm and dragged me the rest of the way under cover. Seconds later, Hernandez took a round in the upper arm.


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Lesson Overview:


Revisit the text.

or ask a volunteer

o In paragraphs 1 to 5, the author tells how _____.

o She explains that _____.




students to follow along.

Oral Cloze Routine to encourage students

¶6 I knew First Sergeant Robert Dowdy, the man we called Top because he was the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer in the unit, was dead. I had had a brief glimpse of his battered body after his vehicle slammed into the back of my five-ton. My friend Pie, Specialist Lori Piestewa, had been driving Top’s vehicle and I know she was hurt, too, hurt badly . . .

[read the intervening text]

¶8 . . . the people who were shooting at us call to each other; the language was incomprehensible but the tone, the excitement in their voices that they had Americans cornered, was apparent in their speech.

an officer who has been promoted up from the enlisted ranks, as opposed to through the officer ranks, and given authority, but not a “commissioned” authority


Small Group: (20 minutes)


Day 2


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(Q1) Think-Pair-Share Who was First Sergeant Robert Dowdy? Why does the author mention that he was dead?

o First Sergeant Robert Dowdy was _____.

o Johnson mentions that Dowdy was dead because _____.

o “the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer in the unit”

o doing so conveys the sense of chaos—the survivors have no leader to follow as they try to escape the “constant barrage of bullets” (paragraph 5).

Be sure students understand that the author’s

no longer describing the attack, but some of the effects (or deaths) of the attack.

(Q2) What is the “five-ton” that Dowdy’s “vehicle slammed into”?

mentioned in this paragraph is the same as the

¶6 I knew First Sergeant Robert Dowdy, the man we called Top because he was the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer in the unit, was dead. I had had a brief glimpse of his battered body after his vehicle slammed into the back of my five-ton. My friend Pie, Specialist Lori Piestewa, had been driving Top’s vehicle and I know she was hurt, too, hurt badly. She looked pinned inside the wreckage, blood splattered on her forehead. I couldn’t tell if she was dead or alive but she wasn’t moving. My friend Jessica, Private First Class Jessica Lynch, had been riding with Pie, but I hadn’t had any sight of her. I only knew their vehicle had been hit with something like an RPG (rocket-propelled-grenade), they had lost control, and they had slammed into the back of my five-ton, which left their truck a twisted pile of metal. It was apparent that anyone left alive in there was probably in very bad shape.

an officer who has been promoted up from the enlisted ranks, as opposed to through the officer ranks, and given authority, but not a “commissioned” authority


Day 2“I’m Still Standing”

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(Q3) What does “obscured” mean (paragraph 8)? How do you know?

smoke” would affect their vision.

vision” in addition to having to deal with the

were shooting” at them, rather than seeing them.

(Q4) QuickWrite Why does the author describe those who were shooting at her and her fellow soldiers as “people,” and not “soldiers”?

o The author describes them as “people,” and not “soldiers” because _____.

o she can’t see them and identify them as soldiers

o she is more focused on surviving than on identifying the enemy

¶7 A bullet struck one of the huge tires of the truck that served as our shelter and air hissed out, the vehicle slowly lowering and tilting over us. Another round pierced the radiator, adding a loud hiss to the noise around us. I worried one of the rounds would find the gas tank and the whole thing would explode over us and we would go up in a ball of flame.

¶8 Everything was noise and confusion; flying dirt and black smoke obscured our vision. !e stinging, metallic smell of cordite and the thick, choking smell of burning oil, plastic, and metal hung heavy in the air. I heard the people who were shooting at us call to each other; the language was incomprehensible but the tone, the excitement in their voices that they had Americans cornered, was apparent in their speech.

the part of a vehicle that keeps the engine from getting too hot

explosive powder



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Lesson Overview:


Revisit the text.

or ask a volunteer

o Yesterday, we read more about how _____.

o One detail the author includes is _____.




paragraphs aloud.

¶9 !en I saw an RPG headed for our truck. I watched as it seemed to float on air in a deadly path to the side of our vehicle. I should have screamed a warning at Riley and Hernandez, should have told them to duck, but I watched that rocket headed toward us and simply couldn’t make a sound. Nothing would come out of my mouth. I cringed, ducking my head into my arms, thinking I was about to be incinerated in the approaching explosion. !e round hit the side of the truck with a hollow thud and nothing happened. A dud, I thought, but there was too much going on to feel any relief at that stroke of luck.


¶13 And like that, I became a prisoner of war.




Day 3


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(Q1) QuickWrite What phrase does the author repeat in the second sentence of paragraph 9? What does this emphasize?

o The author repeats the phrase ____ to emphasize that ____.

o “should have”

o she felt guilty about not acting

o she was so afraid she couldn’t act

(Q2) What is “the round” that “hit the side of the truck”?

dud

dud

¶9 !en I saw an RPG headed for our truck. I watched as it seemed to float on air in a deadly path to the side of our vehicle. I should have screamed a warning at Riley and Hernandez, should have told them to duck, but I watched that rocket headed toward us and simply couldn’t make a sound. Nothing would come out of my mouth. I cringed, ducking my head into my arms, thinking I was about to be incinerated in the approaching explosion. !e round hit the side of the truck with a hollow thud and nothing happened. A dud, I thought, but there was too much going on to feel any relief at that stroke of luck.



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(Q3) To what does the author compare Riley’s demeanor as he “scanned the area” in paragraph 10? When else did she do this?

demeanor to how an actor would behave in a battle

that most of her readers probably have not

movie; she uses the movie comparisons not only to help the reader understand what she is describing, but also to highlight how strange, or surreal, the

like a scene from a movie.

the comparison upside down at the end of the paragraph to make it very clear that their battle

¶10 “We have to surrender,” Riley said. He said it as a matter of fact, as if it were a given. He scanned the area, still calm about everything, as if he thought he was starring in his own movie and wouldn’t be the one to be hit in this climactic scene. I wanted to hit stop, rewind, and go back to that part that didn’t have me in it, but that wasn’t going to happen. I was terrified and surrendering was the last thing I wanted to do, but there was no denying that the three of us cowering under the truck had no way to defend ourselves and two of us were bleeding. Help wasn’t coming. I didn’t expect the cavalry to come charging over the hill. Riley’s idea to surrender, an idea that was unlikely to enter any Hollywood movie star’s dialogue, seemed the only option.



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(Q4) What does the author fear in paragraph 11?

means shot at or killed.

the enemy might shoot and kill them even after they had surrendered.

(Q5) Think (Write)-Pair-Share What is the author emphasizing by making paragraph thirteen—the last paragraph of the chapter—so short?

o The author makes paragraph thirteen so short to emphasize ____.

o that she “became a prisoner of war” in an instant

o how quickly the moment of becoming “a prisoner of war” was compared to how long they spent trying to defend themselves, described in the twelve paragraphs before this one

o how important this moment was in her life; she doesn’t want to hide this text in other text

¶11 But Riley was right, we had to give up. Just as he had led us to the shelter, he slid back, then stepped out from under it, his hands raised. I held my breath, fearing he might be mowed down in front of us. After several moments no one fired and Riley remained standing, so Hernandez followed him, pushing himself out from under the truck, leaving a trail of blood behind and cradling his wounded arm. He raised his hands and waited for what came next.

¶12 I was shaking. I was saying the Lord’s Prayer to myself and rustling up the gumption to push myself out from under the truck, when someone grabbed my legs and pulled me from my shelter.

¶13 And like that, I became a prisoner of war.



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Lesson Overview:


Revisit the text.

or ask a volunteer

o In the section we read yesterday, the author explains how _____.

o She concludes this section by stating that _____.




paragraphs aloud.

Chapter 2: !e Oath

¶14 It may seem odd now, since our country is at war on two fronts and death and injury seem much more commonplace in our world, but when I joined the Army, war was the last thing on my mind. Like so many people who enlisted pre-9/11, the Army was a place of opportunity for me, where one could gain experience, earn a living, and stack up money for college.


¶17 I was twenty-five years old when I raised my hand and swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.

Whole Group: (10 minutes). (10 minutes)



Day 4


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(Q1) Think-Pair-Share Where has the author moved the story in time? Forward or back? How did she signal the time shift to the reader?

o The author has moved the story ____.

o The author signals the time shift by ____.

o back in time; back to before the battle described in Chapter 1

o starting the chapter with the phrase “It may seem odd now,” which indicates that she is going to discuss or reflect on the past, not on the present or on the “now”

(Q2) What is the tone in paragraph 14? What words and phrases help create the tone?

help create a positive, hopeful tone; the author is looking forward to her future and to the chances that the army could provide for her.

Chapter 2: !e Oath

¶14 It may seem odd now, since our country is at war on two fronts and death and injury seem much more commonplace in our world, but when I joined the Army, war was the last thing on my mind. Like so many people who enlisted pre-9/11, the Army was a place of opportunity for me, where one could gain experience, earn a living, and stack up money for college.



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(Q3) When the author swore “The Oath,” as described in paragraph 17, what did she expect her Army experiences to lead to?

explains what the author expected from the Army.

so she could afford an “expensive” “culinary arts” school; she did not expect to end up a POW.

(Q4) Think (Write)-Pair-Share Why does the author start her book with the scene about becoming a POW rather than unfolding the events in her book in chronological order, and beginning with the day she enlisted?

o The author starts her book with the scene about becoming a POW because _____.

o knowing, from Chapter 1, that she became a POW creates a sense of poignancy, or sadly touching atmosphere, to Chapter 2

o this scene is suspenseful and action-packed, and will grab the reader’s attention

¶15 “Shana, you need to get back to school,” my aunt Maggie said one day, with that scolding note in her voice.

¶16 I started doing some research, the first thing I learned was that culinary arts schools are expensive, and with my grade history and the fact that I had already dropped out of college once I wasn’t likely to get a scholarship or a grant handed to me. My sister Nikki had already joined the Army and was earning money for college and several of my cousins had banked plenty of scholarship money to pursue their dreams by joining one service or another. I followed their examples.

¶17 I was twenty-five years old when I raised my hand and swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.

relating to cooking



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Lesson Overview:


Revisit the text.

or ask a volunteer

o In the chapter “The Oath,” the author recounts how _____.

o She also explains that _____.




paragraphs aloud.

Chapter 26: Rescue

¶18 Marines streamed into the room in a crouching run, weapons raised and pressed to their faces. !ey quickly scanned the room, seeing everything at once, covering each other, ready for anything. !e man in front, barely taking his face away from his weapon sight, used hand gestures to motion everyone down.

[read the intervening text]

¶22 . . . scrambling backward out of the open hatch, and stepped right into the arms of the first Marine I saw, bawling my eyes out in relief. [ . . . ] For several seconds, I just buried my face in his shoulder and cried, so relieved that we were finally safe.

END




Day 5


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(Q1) Think-Pair-Share What details does the author include in paragraph 18 to suggest that the marines are highly trained and know how to perform a rescue?

o One detail the author includes to suggest that the marines are highly trained and know how to perform a rescue is ___.

o Another detail she includes is _____.

o “seeing everything at once”

o “ready for anything”; “barely taking his face away from his weapon sight”

scene is about how she was rescued.

(Q2) What can you infer from the author’s use of the word “shock” in paragraph 19?

when something happens that he or she did not

Chapter 26: Rescue

¶18 Marines streamed into the room in a crouching run, weapons raised and pressed to their faces. !ey quickly scanned the room, seeing everything at once, covering each other, ready for anything. !e man in front, barely taking his face away from his weapon sight, used hand gestures to motion everyone down.

¶19 I was in shock for a moment, standing and watching what was happening, my mouth hanging open. If I hadn’t known they were American, if I hadn’t known they were there to rescue us, I would have been frightened by them.



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(Q3) What comparison is the author making in paragraph 22 when she says that the Marines “unloaded” her? What is normally “unloaded”?

unloaded, not people, from a truck. It is something that is done to the cargo, not something that the cargo does of its own volition.

Guide students to infer that she feels like cargo; she has no control of what is happening; things are happening to her.

(Q4) QuickWrite What does the author do after being rescued? Why does she include these details?

o After being rescued, the author ____. (“stepped

right into the arms of the first Marine [she] saw”; bawled or “cried”)

o She includes these details to____. (emphasize the sense of relief she feels at being rescued; show that she is human)

Assign Writing Homework

o Choice A: Informational Paragraph

o Choice B: Argument Paragraph

¶20 “When I give you the signal, I want you to run over to that vehicle over there,” one Marine said. He stared at me intently, letting me know we weren’t out of danger yet. He pointed to an LAV (light armored vehicle) several hundred yards away.

¶21 I crawled on my hands and knees into the tiny space, moving as quickly as I could to the front, over MRE boxes and scattered equipment. Immediately the guys loaded into the LAV behind me so fast I didn’t have time to sit up.

¶22 Minutes later we stopped and they unloaded us. I followed the men out of the vehicle, scrambling backward out of the open hatch, and stepped right into the arms of the first Marine I saw, bawling my eyes out in relief. [ . . . ] For several seconds, I just buried my face in his shoulder and cried, so relieved that we were finally safe. END

stands for Meal, Ready to Eat: food contained in a plastic pouch distributed to Army service members




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Choice A: Informational Paragraph Choice B: Argument Paragraph

her capture.

Begin your paragraph with a controlling idea that makes your point about the topic. Include three relevant facts,

controlling idea.

End your paragraph with a concluding sentence that

is important.

Does the author create a convincing picture of chaos

whether you think she does or does not.

Start your paragraph by making a claim about the issue. Support your claim with three convincing reasons or relevant data from the article. Include a convincing

out a weakness in an opposing argument.

Conclude your paragraph by restating your claim and making a recommendation to readers.



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Extension Reading Extension Research Extension Project

Ask students to compare Shoshana

they learn about why other soldiers joined the military and what they

Remind students that Shoshana Johnson mentions her friend Private First Class Jessica Lynch in

sources in their research.

present to the class. Ask them to offer an idea as to why Shoshana Johnson mentioned her friend in her own book.

Ask them to include and contrast images that match what Shoshana Johnson described against images that show a different point of view of the war. Encourage them to include

images, when needed.

projects to the class.


Documents

“I’m Still Standing” - Weebly