Content Objective: Students will be able to make predictions and adjust them based on their reading of All Kinds of Farms. They will also be able to use KWL charts to help them track their learning and read and understand new vocabulary words contained in the text. Students will also learn to find specific information in a non-fiction text based on the table of contents.
Language Objective: Students will be able to formulate questions to help them guide their reading. They will also be able to orally express their predictions and any revisions they had to make based on their level of oral proficiency. They will also engage in critical thinking out loud as they share what they think of critical discussion questions to be handed out to students to discuss in pairs.
Text: All Kinds of Farms (non-fiction)
Differentiation:
Students will work independently to form their own questions on their KWL charts. They will also read individually to find answers in the text. Students will also tell what their predictions were and whether they were true/they had to adjust them in a group setting. They will listen to each other in a group setting to learn from their peers.
All of the students are at an intermediate/advanced ELL speaking level, so they will all be expected to speak in complete sentences. They can also all write complete sentences using proper mechanics, and I will expect them to do so in their KWL charts and in their discussion partnerships. They will have graphic support from the text, which contains very clearly labeled photographs.
Before Lesson:
1.) Brief discussion with students about their previous visits to farms. What did they see growing or being raised there?
2.) Create a chart paper list of foods and animals on farms. Classify them into different categories as students tell their responses. “Would a pineapple grow on the same farm as green beans?. . .Probably not.” Students can then begin to see that there are different types of farms.
3.) Students look at the front of the book, the back and the pictures inside to make a prediction of what the book will be about. Model a think aloud for this. Students write their predictions on the top or back of their KWL chart.
4.) Students fill in “Know” on a KWL chart to list what they already know about farms. Then they think about what they want to know based on their predictions and fill in the “W” section.
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5.) Explain that the book has two chapters. Ask students where they might find information on a vegetable or fruit that grows on a farm, and information about a cow or chicken. Turn to the first pages of each chapter.
6.) Look through the vocabulary on each page of the book. Each picture is clearly labeled. Ask students to tell which words are new to them. Explain them as necessary, and ask students to use new words in sentences.
7.) Write new words on the board with books closed. One student reads, and another gives a definition.
8.) With white boards, have students pair up. One student picks a vocabulary word from the book, says it out loud. The other student writes it on the white board and gives an oral definition, a picture definition, or uses it in a sentence. The other student confirms or corrects spelling and definition. Switch.
9.) Refer back to KWL charts. Explain that students will write down what they learn as they read in the “L” section of the chart to confirm their predictions about the book.
During Lesson
1.) As students read, they will fill in things they learn about the different kinds of farms on their KWL chart.
2.) They will focus on using the labeled pictures in the book to help them with reading vocabulary that is still unfamiliar and to look at the first and last letter of a difficult word to see if they can figure out what the word is. They will also ask themselves if the word they come up with makes sense in the context of the book.
After Lesson
1.) Model think-aloud of prediction strategy, noting that you, personally, had to change your predictions about the contents of the book as you went through it. For example, maybe you thought the book would be about a dairy farm because there is a picture of a cow on the cover.
2.) Have a class discussion about whether students’ predictions were confirmed or needed to be revised as they went through. Also talk about what they learned about farms, using the KWL charts as a guide.
3.) Create a chart paper list of the things that grow on a farm and the things that live there to assess students’ understanding of the book. Tell them to talk about what they learned from the book this time. Compare it to the first chart to further visually demonstrate what they learned.
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4.) Give students discussion cards with extension questions about the book. In partners, have them discuss the contents of the book.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed based on the completion of their KWL charts. Since I work in a Montessori environment, I do not have a set rubric that will award specific amounts of points to students. Instead, I will have students complete their work according to the following standards:
-Students will identify at least one question they want to answer in their reading of the text in their KWL chart. They will also identify the answer to their question or state that they could not find it in the text on their charts.
-Students will make predictions of what they will find in the text and revise them as we move through the process of this lesson.
-Students will also learn where to find information in a nonfiction text based on a table of contents.
-Students will write in complete sentences, using appropriate capitalization and punctuation.
-Students will speak in complete sentences that express their opinions and provide textual support in their discussion partnerships.
-Students will also explain how to use at least one vocabulary word they learned from the text orally, in writing or with pictures that demonstrate their understanding of the word’s definition.
Standards:
Teacher Standards: 1.1 Plan and organize reading instruction based on ongoing assessment.
1.3 Develop reading comprehension and promotion of
independent reading including:
Comprehension strategies for a variety of genre.
Literary response and analysis.
Content area literacy.
Student independent reading.
1.4 Support reading through oral and written language development including:
Development of oral English proficiency in students.
Development of sound writing practices in students including language
usage, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, and spelling.
The relationships among reading, writing, and oral language.
Vocabulary development.
The structure of standard English.
1.5 Utilize Colorado Model Content Standards in Reading and Writing for the
improvement of instruction.
3.1 Design short and long range standards-based instructional plans.
3.2 Develop valid and reliable assessment tools for the classroom.
3.3 Develop and utilize a variety of informal and formal assessments,
including rubrics.
3.6 Provide effective verbal and written feedback that shape improvement in
student performance on content standards.
4.1 Utilize content knowledge to ensure student learning.
4.2 Enhance content instruction through a thorough understanding of all
Colorado model content standards.
4.3 Apply expert content knowledge to enrich and extend student learning.
6.2 Design and/or modify standards-based instruction in response to
diagnosed student needs, including the needs of exceptional learners and
English language learners.
Content Standards:
Reading Standards for Literature Grade 1:
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
Reading Standards for Literature Grade 2:
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
Reading Informational Texts Grade 1:
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.
Reading Informational Texts Grade 2:
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.
By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Sources:
[Lesson Plan]. All Kinds of Farms. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.readingatoz.com
Schulte, J. (n.d.). All kinds of farms. Available from http://www.readingatoz.com
Vacca, R.T., & Vacca, A. L. (2005). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the curriculum. (8th
ed.). (pp. 227-263). Boston: Pearson.