Inner Path SlidesInner Path Finding Your Voice The Big Idea Sometimes we have to leave the old voices behind to find our own voice. What is a Symbol? A Picture An object you can see or touch. An Idea A feeling or a big thought inside. "A symbol is a thing that stands for something else." The "Voices" "Fix my life!" The voices are the people who want you to stay the same. They want you to do what they want. Are these real voices or symbols of fear? Hard Times as Symbols The Wind Problems that try to push you back. The Road The long path of learning who you are. The Best Part At the end of the walk, you found YOUR VOICE. "The stars started to burn through the sheets of clouds." A New Start
The Choice ReadingThe Choice Based on "The Journey" by Mary Oliver NAME: DATE: The Poem One day you knew. You had to go. The voices called to you. They said, "Fix my life!" But you did not stop. The wind was loud. The road was long. It was a wild night. But you kept walking. Slowly, you found your voice. You were the only person you could save. Thinking About the Path 1 In this story, what do the "voices" stand for? Real people talking in a room. The needs and rules of other people. Singing in a choir. 2 The wind was "loud" and the night was "wild." How did the person feel? Scared but determined to keep going. Sad and ready to give up. Happy because it was a nice night. 3 Why leave the other voices behind to find your "own voice"? Because other people are always wrong. To hear your own thoughts and be yourself. Because the road is too loud to hear them. 4 What does it mean to be the "only person you could save"? You should not help anyone else. You are the only person who can change your own life. You are the only person on the road.
Word Map OrganizerWord Map Symbols in the Journey EXPLORER: DATE: A Symbol is like a secret code. It is an object that means an idea. Look at the pictures and write what they mean in the poem. The "Voices" What do these mean in the story? The "Wind" What is the "wind" in our own lives? The "Road" What is the person's journey? Your "Voice" What does it mean to "find it"? Final Thought If you could use a new symbol for bravery, what would you draw? [ Draw your symbol here ]
Inner Path Teacher GuideTeacher Resource Inner Path Facilitation Guide: Mary Oliver's "The Journey" UNIT: FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE LEVEL: 300 LEXILE ADAPTED Learning Goals Students will identify symbols in a poem. Students will answer DOK 2 questions about character feelings and symbols. Students will answer DOK 3 questions about themes of self-discovery. Adaptation Notes Reading questions are now 100% Multiple Choice to support students with processing or writing challenges. Questions still target DOK 2 and 3 levels by requiring students to evaluate abstract concepts and symbolic meanings. Reading Answer Key Q1 • Symbolism (DOK 2) What do "voices" stand for? Correct: "The needs and rules of other people." Q2 • Feelings (DOK 2) How did the person feel? Correct: "Scared but determined to keep going." Q3 • Strategy (DOK 3) Why leave other voices behind? Correct: "To hear your own thoughts and be yourself." Q4 • Interpretation (DOK 3) What does "save yourself" mean? Correct: "You are the only person who can change your own life." SPED Scaffolding Strategies Elimination Strategy For students struggling with MC questions, help them "cross out" the silly or obviously wrong answers first. For example, in Q1, show how "singing in a choir" doesn't fit the serious mood of the poem. Visual Reading While reading, have students circle the "action words" (knew, go, stop, walking, found). Connect these actions to the questions to show the progression from hearing others to hearing self. Inner Path Curriculum • 2026
The Catch SlidesThe Catch A Story about a Big Choice Two Loves The Bass The boy loves to fish. It is his passion. Sheila Mant The boy likes a girl. She is cool and pretty. The Problem The boy takes Sheila on a boat. Suddenly, a huge fish bites his line! "Sheila Mant hates fishing." The Big Choice Should the boy... Choice A: Keep the fish and let Sheila be mad? Choice B: Cut the line and keep Sheila happy? Internal Conflict The Regret At the end, Sheila leaves him. The fish is gone too. "I never made that mistake again." Choose what you truly love.
The Catch ReadingThe Big Catch Based on "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant" NAME: DATE: The Story The boy loved to fish. He went every day. He also liked a girl named Sheila Mant. She was very cool. One night, the boy took Sheila on his boat. He hid his fishing rod. He knew Sheila hated fishing. Suddenly, a huge fish bit the line. It was a giant bass! The boy felt the pull. It was the biggest fish ever. Sheila was talking. She did not see the fish. The boy had to choose. Should he catch the fish? Or should he keep Sheila happy? The boy took a knife. He cut the line. The fish swam away. Later, Sheila left him too. The boy felt sad. He never forgot that big fish. The Hard Choice 1 Why did the boy hide his fishing rod at the start? He did not want it to get wet. He knew Sheila Mant did not like fishing. He forgot how to use it. 2 The boy felt a pull on his line. What does this "pull" symbolize for him? A heavy rock on the bottom of the river. A chance to do what he truly loves. A sign that he should go home early. 3 The boy cut the line to stay with Sheila. Was this a good choice? Yes, because a girl is more important than a fish. No, because Sheila left anyway and he lost his passion. Yes, because the fish was too heavy to catch. 4 What is the lesson of this story? Never go fishing on a first date. Do not hide who you are to make others happy. Always bring a sharper knife on a boat.
The Catch OrganizerThe Big Choice Character Comparison EXPLORER: DATE: The boy has Internal Conflict. He loves two very different things. Compare The Bass and Sheila Mant below. The Bass What the boy loves about it: Is it true to who he is? YES NO Sheila Mant What the boy likes about her: Does she like who he truly is? YES NO Cutting the Line The boy chose Sheila. He regretted it later. Write one thing he should have said to Sheila instead of cutting the line. "Sheila, I have to tell you..."
The Catch Teacher GuideTeacher Resource The Catch Facilitation Guide: "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant" UNIT: CHOICE JOURNEYS LEVEL: 300 LEXILE ADAPTED Learning Goals Students will define internal conflict (choosing between two desires). Students will identify why characters hide their true selves (DOK 2). Students will evaluate the consequences of a character's choice (DOK 3). Adaptation Notes The story is stripped of its complex descriptions of fishing lures and canoe techniques to focus purely on the Boy vs. Fish vs. Sheila triangle. This highlights the theme of integrity (being true to oneself) in a way that is accessible for 300 Lexile readers. Reading Answer Key Q1 • Motivation (DOK 2) Why hide the fishing rod? Correct: "He knew Sheila Mant did not like fishing." Q2 • Symbolism (DOK 2) What does the "pull" symbolize? Correct: "A chance to do what he truly loves." Q3 • Evaluation (DOK 3) Was it a good choice? Correct: "No, because Sheila left anyway and he lost his passion." Q4 • Theme (DOK 3) What is the lesson? Correct: "Do not hide who you are to make others happy." SPED Scaffolding Strategies The "Scale" Metaphor Use the Catch Organizer to help students "weigh" the options. Ask: "Which side of the paper feels more like the boy?" This helps students see that he is betraying his own identity for a temporary crush. Connecting to Regret Students often relate to the feeling of regret. Ask them to share a time they chose a "Sheila Mant" (something they thought would make them cool) over a "Bass" (something they actually love). Choice Journeys Unit • 2026
