Much to Know About Pigs

Context and Overview

Today I am building content knowledge about pigs. Reading Charlotte's Web, provides for many opportunities to build content knowledge about animals, farms, life cycles, and farm products. The way I am building their knowledge about pigs today is through a video and an informational sheet. 

As students watch the video, they will take notes. I am providing them with a template to take notes. Then, students will read an informational sheet to continue gathering information about pigs. I created another template for them to answer text dependent questions.

Then, students will write a paragraph that shows what they have learned about pigs. Next, students will share their knowledge about pigs.

Finally, to keep moving along the story, Charlotte's Web, I am reading out loud the chapter, "A Meeting." I will have students sit on the rug as I read.

Lesson Opening:

I start with students on the rug and share the student friendly objective: "I can ask and answer questions about pigs."

Then, I will ask them: "What do you know about pigs?"  They will share with each other in partners and then a few will share their knowledge of pigs with the rest of the class.

I will transcribe their responses on a circle map.

To learn about pigs, I have created an All About Pigs template with text dependent questions for students to take notes as we watch the video together. I have taught my students how to take notes, using words, phrases, and illustrations. To help internalize this learning, they will take this information and write about it later. I pause the video in order to give my students time to write down their notes. I make this an interactive process. This video has no audio, the students need to read the text. I asked one of my students to underline the information that answered one of the questions we were looking at. Getting them out of their chairs makes for a more lively activity.

Here are examples of their notes:

•Pig Notes

•Pig Notes 2

•Pig Notes-Second page

•Another Second page of Pig Notes

Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0u9DjcbZYE

My students are reading independently an informational sheet on pigs. They will be answering text dependent questions on the template Swine Facts. This informational sheet is eight pages long. I have written the page number next to the question to help them find the information, yet they still need to read the informational page to find the answer(s).

In engaging my students in learning about pigs, I want to expand their knowledge of pigs. I want to make them aware of the many products we consume and use that come from pigs. I want them to build their reading stamina, given the eight pages of the packet, Ag Facts: Swine.  I want to challenge them to get better at navigating informational text by having them search for the information. My students benefit from this type of practice. 

Some of my students will need support to find the pages to where their questions can be answered. Some will need help with reading parts of the text since the amount of text may be challenging. While some of the students are working in small groups to help each other, they all need to read.

Given the length of the text, I pull 2-3 students to the round table to work with me to give them additional support.

Now students will write about what they learned about pigs. They will refer to the two sources to to write about what they learned.

As they write their paragraphs, I walk around and provide assistance. Some students need encouragement to begin. Some need reminders about how to use transitional words. I am reminding them to use elaborated sentences. Others will need support with what type of information they should include in their paragraph.

Here are examples of their paragraphs:

•Good Details About Pigs

•Good Job With Paragraph

•Interesting that Pigs Are Made of Bacon

•Yes Hogs Weigh That Much

•Yes Pigs Are Very Clean

Now, students are sharing their learning with their peers. After they share, each student gets feedback from their peers. The way in which the students give feedback is by providing two stars and one wish. 

•Two Stars: Two different students share what they specifically like about the content of the writing.

•A Wish: Another student shares specifically how they think the writing can be improved.

Here are the speakers for the lesson:

•He Learned This About Pigs

•She Learned This About Pigs

•What He Learned About Pigs

•What She Learned About Pigs