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)
Engage the students:
Bring students to a common learning point:
**I like to show this book (and the powerpoint slide) because my students are familiar with this character or have seen the TV show. They immediately voice that what they've seen, what they know about this character and some books that they've read. By bringing all of the students to this interest level and to the same common knowledge, they are ready to move on and learn a new skill.
Introduce the lesson:
(I taught identifying details and connecting to a story in 2 previous lessons- “Connecting to the Theme With Elmer” and “Details, Details, Details".
**I used fairy tales in these slide because they are common knowledge for my students. I showed the book and we reviewed what happened in the story. Since this is a new skill, I wanted to use known text/illustrations to practice the novel questioning.
Modeling and Guided Practice:
The shift in Common Core standards to ‘close reading’ and using text features to answer questions if evidenced here. The students must look at story elements to verify information in the text. (RL.2.5) They must also determine the theme and key details (RL.2.2) by analyzing the author’s purpose and finding details in the illustrations and text.
Assign the task
Students work in groups
When students work together collaboratively and follow agreed-upon rules, they are exemplifying the Common Core Standard SL.2.1. The Standards encourage students to shift from individual work to ‘rich structured conversations’ with diverse partners.
Explain the task
Reflect on what we learned:
When students have the chance to recount details with supporting evidence, they are productive members of productive conversations, a new shift in the Common Core standards toward collaborative learning. (SL.2.4)
Scaffolding and Special Education: This lesson could be easily scaffolded up or down, depending on student ability.
Groups should be of mixed ability. Kids with high and low language levels can always learn from each other when working collaboratively. Make sure the special education students can copy answers on the organizer or get help from a friend. When reading the book, groups will have a 'reader'. Attention to group roles (reader, timekeeper, etc) should be well thought out so the students’ skills sets are appropriately accommodated for – higher student as reader, lower student as timekeeper).