NCDPI – AIG Instructional Resource: Background Information

Resource Title: The Great Kapok Tree RAFT Assignment
Subject Area/Grade Level (s): ELA Grade 1 / Time Frame: 4 to 5 days, approx. 30-45 minutes each day
Common Core/Essential Standard Addressed:
RI.1.8 Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g. comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
W.1.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.
Additional Standards Addressed:
L.1.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a.  Capitalize dates and names of people.
b.  Use end punctuation for sentences.
c.  Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series.
d.  Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
e.  Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
Science, 1.L.1.2 Give examples of how the needs of different plants and animals can be met by their environments in North Carolina or different places throughout the world.
Science, 1.L.2.1 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different animals (including air, water, and food) for energy and growth.
Brief Description of Lesson/Task/Activity: (This lesson for AIG learners follows a close reading of The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. The classroom lesson should include independent reading of the book as well as teacher read-aloud. Students should learn vocabulary from the book and should be able to demonstrate understanding of key details in the text and their central theme or lesson (interdependence, environmental awareness.) This lesson could be part of a larger science unit encompassing the important role the rainforest plays in our environment. In this lesson, the learner will find evidence in the text that shows cause and effect relationships, reasons in the text explicitly given to support a point and will produce a written work through a RAFT assignment. In this lesson extension, he or she can choose a specific role or voice to support a point or opinion. The RAFT assignment allows the learner to apply the text to the real world and a real audience.
Type of Differentiation for AIGs (include all that apply): Enrichment x Extension x Acceleration
Adaptations for AIGs: x Content x Process x Product
Explanation of How Resource is Appropriate for AIGs: A RAFT assignment is appropriate for an AIG learner because it employs higher level thinking skills and student choice to help the student produce a creative, differentiated product. It allows students to explore new points of view and to synthesize information gleaned from the reading in a unique way based on the student’s modality of learning. This RAFT assignment uses accelerated standards as well, and acceleration is a viable choice for differentiation based on the student’s level of readiness. This lesson focuses on the logical connections made through cause and effect, as well as through supported points of view, a third grade standard.
Needed Resources/Materials
·  The Great Kapok Tree, by Lynne Cherry – a classroom big book or the book shown on a document camera for the whole class viewing
·  The Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
·  Attached RAFT assignment
·  Attached text-dependent questions
·  Paper and pencil, or a computer
·  A graphic organizer for showing cause and effect relationships
Sources: Cherry, L. (1990) The Great Kapok Tree. Singapore, Thailand: Voyager Books.
TEACHER NOTES: The teacher will need to explain and give examples of opinion writing if this is the first time the student has been asked to produce this style of writing. Opinion writing explains a point of view where the writer takes a side. For example, students could write about school uniforms and could decide if they want or do not want school uniforms and give reasons and evidence to support their point of view. Likewise, the students, as a rainforest animal, could give reasons why the man with the ax should spare their tree and give evidence to support the point of view. The added challenge is to write from a different perspective.


NCDPI AIG Curriculum Resource Outline

STAGE ONE: ENGAGE
Day 1 (may take 45 minutes to an hour)
Hook the student by playing “Who am I?” with rain forest animal names written on sticky notes and stuck to each student’s back. Each student can ask other classmates a total of three questions that have yes or no answers to help them answer “Who am I?” This should not be longer than 10 minutes. Was anyone able to discover his or her assigned animal with only one question?
Determine the students’ prior knowledge of the rain forest with a KWL chart. List student responses under the K column. Find out what else they would like to learn about the rain forest and record this under the W column.
Introduce the story and explain that in the story there is a problem that needs solving and that this problem creates or could create more problems.
Instructional Input: After reading and discussing key elements and details of the book, discuss the problem or conflict of the story. Each student will work on his own to fill in a Somebody---Wanted---But---So chart at his or her own desk. Each student will show an understanding of the plot, conflict, and conflict resolution by completing the chart. Answers should be close to this:
Somebody: a man
Wanted: to cut down the great kapok tree
But: the animals and tribal boy of the rainforest persuaded him not to
So: the man changed his mind, put down his ax, and left the rainforest without completing his task.
Explain that this could also be interpreted as cause and effect. The cause in this instance is the animals’ persuasive efforts and the effect was the man changing his mind about cutting down the tree. Have the students in pairs look through the text for more cause and effect relationships, and when writing their responses on the cause and effect chart, the teacher should ask the students to think about potential effect as well. Specifically have them make inferences using the text about what the effects would be if the man with the ax had chopped down the tree. Give the student groups 10 minutes to find as many cause and effect relationships as they can, citing the pages on which they made their findings. For example: “The Kapok Tree is home to many birds and animals” said the jaguar on page 14 (cause) and that this gives the jaguar the animals he can prey upon for dinner (effect). Likewise, if the tree had been cut down (cause), the jaguar would lose a source of his dinner (effect). The second statement is inferred from the text. A graphic organizer can be used as a way to list the cause and effect statements for all students to see.
At this point the teacher may pose text dependent questions to the students to get them to identify and understand the central message o lesson of the story. The questions and text exploration will also help the students to know the author’s purpose in writing the text, and the reasons he gives, through the story line and characterization, to support points in the text.
These questions are listed as an attachment to this lesson (see resources).
To extend this lesson, students will now have the opportunity to write opinion pieces related to the central message of this book.
They will do this by assuming the roles presented in the text for a real audience.
STAGE TWO: ELABORATE
Day 2
Introduce The Great Kapok Tree RAFT writing activity to students. (see attachment and resource list)
Explain the premise for a RAFT and the process for completing a RAFT, and give a timeline for RAFT completion. Today students can work on planning their RAFT assignments and work on a rough draft to include finding evidence to support the opinion or view of their role. Discuss other sources of evidence, such as websites about rain forest animals, non-fiction books or magazines about rain forest animals, classroom science curriculum materials relating to their rainforest study, etc. Remind the students to think through the lens of the role they have chosen. Tell them: How would you think or feel or act as a forest animal, or as the kapok tree, or as a poet, or as the man with the ax? They are to write in this voice, not their own. Guided practice can be a guided writing assignment where the AIG learners collectively contribute to one of the RAFT assignments to give them practice in giving voice to someone (or something) else. This should be done as whole group lesson.
Day 3 and 4
For day 3,the students will complete a rough draft and will edit their work. On day 4 (or day 5 if more time is necessary), they will write a final draft that they will share with the class. As an alternative, the final product can be completed as a homework assignment. The final product can be handwritten, or students may choose to use word processing.
After the students share their writings, ask the students to help you finish the KWL chart by telling you what they learned about the rain forest through this book and this lesson.
STAGE THREE: EVALUATE
1. The teacher can assess the students as they answer the text-dependent questions and participate in the class discussions of the text to determine if each student can:
·  identify the reasons the author gives to support points in the text, and
·  retell the story, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of the central message or lesson
2. The teacher can assess the students’ “Somebody…Wanted…But…So” statements and graphic organizers (if used) to determine if each student is able to describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (cause and effect). Look for correct, logical and text-dependent cause and effect relationships.
3. The students’ writing should be evaluated based on the following criteria using either a rubric or a checklist. Students can also complete a self-evaluation of their work using the same criteria.
·  The RAFT is completed with a role, audience, format, & topic from the choices listed.
·  The RAFT assignment is written in the correct voice/role and is directed at the chosen audience.
·  Student produced reasons support the chosen topic.
·  Evidence is given for the reasons from the text or other sources (such as from science materials or websites).
·  The RAFT shows the student’s ability to demonstrate, with guidance and support, command of standard English capitalization, punctuation and spelling.
TEACHER NOTES: The teacher can tier the assignments of the RAFT according to a student’s readiness and writing ability. The RAFT can also be used as a writing prompt for all students in the group using a strong verb that directs the writer to a specific purpose, such as:
You are the man with the ax on your way back home from the rainforest.
(Role)
Write a letter to your boss explaining why you did not complete your job.
(Format) (Audience) (Strong verb) (Topic)
Teachers may want to use this method to help students to learn to write effectively for an audience if the choice menu (as provided for this lesson) is not desired.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project