Underlined words below are lesson vocabulary words that are emphasized and written on sentence strips for my Reading & Writing word wall. I pull off the words off the wall for each lesson, helping students understand this key 'reading and writing' vocabulary can be generalized across texts and topics. The focus on acquiring and using these words is part of a shift in the Common Core Standards towards building students’ academic vocabulary. My words are color coded ‘pink’ for literature/’blue’ for reading strategies/’orange’ for informational text/'yellow' for writing/’green’ for all other words)
Get students engaged:
Bring students to the same learning point:
Set the lesson purpose:
Modeling and Guided practice:
Second graders can connect to stories, but seldom use these connections to bring more meaning to the text without explicit instruction. By modeling and guiding students through the process of identifying ideas that they can connect to and determining key ideas, they are able to see how their connections can fit together sequentially into the main theme of the story. Students that can recount stories and determine key ideas (RL.2.2) in 2nd grade will continue through 6th grade, setting the foundation for determining the theme of a piece and providing concrete evidence of the details.
Independent Practice:
Explain the Project:
Student share:
Scaffolding and Special Education: This lesson could be easily scaffolded up or down, depending on student ability.
For my special education students, they needed a lot of support with making deep connections. I prompted them as I walked around and gave one boy ideas on his desk slate so he could participate. Although this was hard for them and they needed lots of support, they really enjoyed participating in the guided practice and did develop an understanding of what a 'deep connection' could be.
For my higher level students, this was great lesson to challenge them. As I walked around, I asked them about their connections and really asked them to hone in on how the connection helped them to understand. It was good practice for them to explain 'how they know what they know'. Great cognitive ed thinking!