Intermediate Guided Reading Lesson Plan
Title:Civilizations Past to Present: CHINA by Kevin Supples (National Geographic Reading Expeditions) / Genre: / Text Structure:
Narrative Informational / Level:
U
Literacy Standard: 6th Grade Standard I, Objective 2
Content Core Standard: 6th Grade Standard I, Objectives 1-4 / Purpose for Reading:
Understand some of the important contributions of ancient China to present-day civilization
ELL Strategies
Students reading at this level are likely to be quite fluent speakers of English although they may need more support with idioms, expressions, vocabulary, and multiple meaning words. This will affect their ability to draw conclusions and infer from the text. Encourage these students to use sticky notes or a notebook to jot questions they have while reading to be discussed/clarified at the guided reading table during the following session.
Other ELL strategies can be found at
http://coe.sdsu.edu/people/jmora/pages/4x4activity.htm
and tailored to the individual needs of your students. / Essential Questions:
· What Chinese innovations are seen in modern day society?
Before Reading
Vocabulary:
Tier 2 Vocabulary Words: High frequency words that are found across a variety of domains. Provide student-friendly explanations that tell what a word means in everyday connected language.
ancient
dialect
dynasty
empire
technologies
irrigation
social class
Activate/Build Prior Knowledge:
· Read the Historical Background section on the inside front cover. Call attention to the words dynasties, Great Wall, terra cotta army, Buddhism and the Silk Road. Note to students that if these things were important enough for the author to specifically mention in this section that they are probably important pieces of Chinese history to pay attention to as it comes up in the book.
· Remind students to use the text features (table of contents, glossary, captions, maps, bold text) to help them understand the text
· Compare the map of ancient and modern China with a globe or world map to orient students to the location
Comprehension Strategy:
Determining Importance
During Reading
Attend to Comprehension Within, Beyond, & About the text.
Suggested pacing:
1 day
After Reading
Attend to Comprehension Within, Beyond, & About the text.
Discussion questions:
· p. 8: Does the picture of the farmhouse look like what you think a typical farmhouse looks like? How is it different or the same?
· p. 10: You probably already knew that rice originated in China, but did you know that wheat and barley are major crops in northern China? What products do you regularly eat that are made with wheat or barley?
· p. 16: Have you ever thought of camels in a place outside of Africa or the Middle East? I wonder where else there might be camels? How could you find out?
· p. 20: What do you think about the terra cotta soldiers? Why do you think they are there? Does it remind you of another ancient culture?
Content Core Integration:(Science, Soc. St., Math, etc.)
Assessment:
Completion of the attached worksheet. / Activities:
· Have students research the controversy surrounding the Three Gorges Dam (see http://www.pbs.org/itvs/greatwall/dam1.html) and then take a position either for or against the building of the dam and write a persuasive essay making their point.
· Explore http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/hh/goplaces/article/0,28376,536985,00.html and create a travel brouchure showing the things you would want to see if you got to travel to China
*Not all activities will be done in each lesson. Some lessons may take multiple days to complete. However, all students should be reading each time you meet.
Name: ______
Civilizations Past to Present: China
Go back through the book to complete the following table.
Topic / Past / Both / PresentHouses
School
Farming
Food
Clothes
Festivals and Games
The Great Wall
Trade and Transportation
The Arts
On the back of this page, write a paragraph about China’s contributions to modern world culture.