Lesson Plan - Our Dad Defends Our Country

Meet a Military Family
Ask: How have Ava and Adonis Garcia been affected by having a dad in the military? 

Preview Words to Know 
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• deployed 
• privilege

Set a Purpose for Reading 
Point out the “As You Read” question and have students work to identify sacrifices the Garcias make. 

1. How does the author start the article? Why do you think she starts this way?
She starts by describing a time that Adonis and Ava were at a baseball game and their dad surprised them by showing up after months on active duty. She begins this way to show how military families miss each other during time apart.
^{RI.3.6 Craft and Structure}

2. Why will Adonis and Ava not be FaceTiming with their dad for a while?
Adonis and Ava don’t need to FaceTime with their dad right now because Juan is home in California.
^{RI.3.1 Text Evidence}

3. Juan says that while he doesn’t want to be away from his family, going on deployments is his duty. What does he mean by duty?
Juan means that going on deployments is his responsibility, something he has promised to do as part of being in the U.S. Navy.
^{RI.3.4 Academic Vocabulary}

FEATURED SKILL: Main Idea
Use the skill builder “What’s the Main Idea?” to have students identify the main idea and several key details in the article.
^{RI.3.2 Main Idea and Key Details}