Seahorse and Sea Urchin

Common Core Connection

I am focusing on answering questions in this lesson. RI.1.1 is about answering and asking questions, but I am putting of asking questions until my very last lessons in the unit because I am trying to model asking relevant questions. This can be quite challenging for first graders.  I created several text dependent questions for the students to answer by rereading and analyzing the illustrations. Modeling asking text dependent questions helps support the CCSS shift towards using text evidence to back up ideas.

Lesson Overview

Seahorse is my text choice for the guided practice and Sea Urchins from YouTube is for the partner work. In the lesson, I am exposing the class to a video, allowing them to generate questions, and then giving them a chance to answer questions.

Students work with their Partners and do Transitions every twenty minutes. I have a video on each strategy in the resources.

Introductory Activity

The images of tropical fish are so pretty, so I project the lesson image of the sea horse for the class. The students ask each other questions about the image. While they are talking, I am assessing their ability to ask and answer questions.

Then I share the lesson plan. Last, we chant the lesson goal. I can answer questions about a text.