Third Six Weeks: Weeks 1-2 Theme: Believe It or Not
Time Frame: 10 Days Genre: Informational Text, Biography
Writer: Jennifer Tippett Writing: Expository / TEKS:Use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings. ELAR 8.26; Participate productively in discussions, plan agendas with clear goals and deadlines, set time limits for speakers, take notes, and vote on key issues. ELAR 8.28; Use context (within a sentence and in larger sections of text) to determine or clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or ambiguous words or words with novel meanings. ELAR 8.2B; Use a dictionary, glossary, or a thesaurus (printed or electronic) to determine the meanings, syllabication, pronunciations, alternate word choices, and parts of speech of words. ELAR 8.2E; Make complex inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding. Figure 19.110.20D B; Speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language ELAR 8.27; Work productively with others in teams. ELAR 8.28; Summarize the main ideas, supporting details, and relationships among ideas in text succinctly in ways that maintain meaning and logical order. ELAR 8.10A; Establish purposes for reading selected texts based upon own or others‘desired outcome to enhance comprehension. Figure 19 110.20A; Ask literal, interpretive, evaluative, and universal questions of text. Figure 19.110.20B; Make subtle inferences and draw complex conclusions about the ideas in text and their organizational patterns. ELAR 8.10C; Plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate for conveying the intended meaning to an audience, determining appropriate topics through a range of strategies (e.g. discussion, background reading, personal interests, interviews), and developing a thesis or controlling idea. ELAR 8.14A; Brainstorm, consult with other, decide upon a topic, and formulate a major research question to address the major research topic. ELAR 8.22A; Apply steps for obtaining and evaluating information from a wide variety of sources and create a written plan after preliminary research in reference works and additional text researched. ELAR 8.22B
Objective:
- The students will develop and use wall charts and work collaboratively with peers to support learning. Engage in strategies to develop vocabulary.
- The students will apply knowledge text features and organizational structures to understand information text.
- The students will apply comprehension skills by learning and practicing active reading strategies.
- The students will write responses to questions about theme, genre, and techniques related to the study of informational text.
- The students will participate in whole group inquiry-based discussions.
- The students will engage in study to deepen understanding of grammar concepts: identify, analyze, and imitate authors‘techniques.
- The students will identify, analyze, and imitate the effects of authors‘stylistic techniques (e.g., WriteAbouts, WriteLikes).
- The students will use elements of the writing process to compose texts (informational text).
- The students will employ research strategies to gather, plan, organize, and present ideas and information.
Overview:
- Develop a deeper understanding of the characteristics and features of informational text;
- Develop a deeper understanding of the techniques used in writing informational texts;
- Develop a deeper understanding of the strategies one can use to become better reader and writer of informational text;
- Develop a deeper understanding of the research skills in exploring and planning future career paths.
Expository writing
Summarize
Text features
Idiom
inference
Six Weeks Project:
Write a feature article that synthesizes information from unit texts and independent research. Develop a web page that communicates the information included in the feature article.
Essential Questions:
How does comprehension of informational text contribute to lifelong learning?
What do these texts teach us about informational writing?
What techniques do these writers use in writing informational text?
How can research skills help us as readers and writers?
Suggested Lesson Ideas:
Introduction to Unit:
- Continue to build a close-knit community of learners, developing relationships that value and nurture each student.
- Consider asking students to reflect on the work they have done and what they have learned during the year. The wall charts, Reader‘s/Writer‘s Notebook, profiles, and other artifacts serve as reminders and documentation of growth over the year. Engage in discussion and goal setting as the 3rd six weeks begins.
- Emphasis on Reading, College and Workforce Readiness. Ask students to reflect and discuss the work they have done that will be especially helpful in their preparation for college and work. Ask, “What have they learned.” Allow time for a brief pair-share and discussion among the whole group. Tell students that the emphasis on preparation for the future will continue in this unit as they study informational text, research relevant topics, and make connections to career choices.
- Introduce the unit with a brief review of the theme, genre, and overarching questions. Review the culminating project and independent reading tasks.
- Connect and Engage
- QuickWrite: Ask students to write about their dream jobs. Then have a class discussion on what constitutes a dream career.
- Invite students to work on the survey activity by asking several of their classmates what their dream jobs are and why they chose the jobs they did. Let students compare and contrast their chosen careers.
- Provide students with information about the author and background to the article.
- To further engage students, let them watch the video trailer introducing the article and Steven Kutcher, the man behind Spider-Man.
- Encourage students to use active reading strategies such as annotating the text using the district‘s Code System for Note-Taking. Encourage students to write their notes on sticky notes and affix them on their books. Invite students to share their notes to the whole class.
- Develop Vocabulary in Context. Prior to reading, have a brief discussion on possible strategies students use in determining meaning of unfamiliar word. Then explain to students that sometimes a writer helps readers understand the meanings of unfamiliar, ambiguous, or novel words by providing specific clues. (See types of clues on p. R68). Model for the class how to choose an unfamiliar word from the article. Tell students what you think the word means based on clues you found surrounding the new word in the text. Record your response on the vocabulary building chart. Let students know that the fourth column should be completed after reading the entire article. Students may use a dictionary to complete the fourth column. Encourage students to use the chart throughout the unit to create their own individualized vocabulary lists. Students can refer to their vocabulary lists when writing their feature article.
- Read to Get the Gist of “The Spider Man Behind Spider-Man”
- Preview the Text. Introduce students to their first informational text. Tell students that informational text such as this has many features that are designed to support readers in navigating through resources and providing reader-friendly access to content. Have a brief discussion of some of the text features from the list. Then ask students to preview the article by skimming/scanning its text features. Ask: How many features did you find? What information do you think the article will provide? Record students’ responses on chart. Tell students that they will revisit their responses after reading the text. (See Skimming and Scanning Guide and List of Informational Text Feature.)
- Tell students that this text is an example of a feature article. Ask students what they think are the characteristics of an effective feature article. Chart students’ responses and revisit it after reading the entire article. Discuss the different types of feature articles. Allow students to cuts out a feature article of his or her choice from the newspaper or a magazine. Encourage students to give a brief summary of the article. Then ask students to identify and give specific reasons what made them think the article belongs to this type of feature article.
- As students read the text, ask them to keep in mind the following comprehension questions: What is the subject? What is the purpose? What is the main idea or message of the article? How do you know? Post the comprehension questions.
- Model Reciprocal Process during Read Alouds. Post active reading strategies chart (predict, clarify, question, and summarize). Begin reading the text aloud while students read along or students may listen to audio recording of the article. Use thinking aloud to model how you predict, clarify confusing ideas, and ask questions. Make your thinking as transparent as possible, so the students can better understand your conscious effort to use the active reading strategies as tools in understanding the content of the article. As you think aloud, make it clear which of the active
- Show students how you track your authentic thinking by recording your thoughts on sticky notes and affixing them to the text.
- As students demonstrate that they understand the steps, start engaging them in an interactive read aloud where the teacher does the read aloud while students actively predict, question, clarify, and summarize the text. Teacher guides and coaches the students‘ efforts. Encourage students to begin recording their thinking on sticky notes.
- Summarize. Ask students to retell the main idea or key points in the article in the order in which they appear in the original text. As students read the text, they also chart key points. Tell students that they will use these notes to summarize the article in their Reader/Writer Notebooks.
- StepBack on Reading: Ask students “What helped you figure out and understand what happened in this article? Why is it important to be an active reader while reading an informational text?”
- Invite students to reread the text and identify three sentences or ideas that are most significant to their understanding of the author‘s purpose or message. Students should use the T-chart as routine. Ask students to share their significant sentences and explanations first with a peer. Then share with the entire class.
- StepBack: Encourage students to reflect with a partner. Ask: What did you do to explain the significance to the text? What did you learn from hearing a range of moments and explanations? Students record their responses in their Reader/Writer Notebooks.
- Write-About-Guiding Question: What is the author’s attitude toward the topic? How did it influence his career choice and affect his career advancement?
- Write the guiding questions on the board, chart paper, or a transparency and give students 3-5 minutes to write their answers to the questions in their Reader/Writer Notebooks. Remind students to provide their responses with supporting evidence from the article.
- Share Responses in Pairs
- Ask students to turn and talk to a partner. Give students five minutes to discuss their responses. Remind students that this partner talk is preparation for a whole group discussion on the same question.
- Inquiry-based Discussion
- Engage students in a whole group inquiry-based discussion for about 20-25 minutes. Remind students about the norms for the inquiry-based discussion. Keep the discussion norms posted.
- StepBack: Based on the discussion, would you change your response in your WriteAbout? If so, how and why would you change it? Press students to be specific in their answers. Engage in a whole class sharing.
- Allow students to work with a partner in studying author‘s techniques. Ask: What techniques does the author use to communicate her idea and purpose? How do text features and text structures help support the reader in gaining an understanding of the article? Invite students to revisit the List of Informational Text Features. Add new responses to the chart.
- Revisit Characteristics Chart. Ask students what they like about the article; have students refer to the text when sharing. Then ask: What did the writer do to make the article interesting and easy to comprehend? Guide students in comparing their responses with what is on the chart.
- Show students the list of different types of feature articles. Ask: What type of feature article is The Spider Man Behind Spider-Man? How do you know? Discuss the elements of the feature article.
- If needed, have mini-lessons on common text structures (i.e. cause-effect, chronological, problem-solution, etc.). Guide students in identifying and analyzing text structures used by the author in this article. Ask: Why is it important to understand how the author organizes the ideas and information in the selection?
- Research on Career Choice: Point out how Krutcher‘s passion for insects led him to pursue a career in that field. Guide students to think about their own career choice. Show students how to use Career Matchmaker, an interactive interest inventory, which provides individualized feedback on one‘s career choices. Students may save results on career suggestions in their Career Cruising on-line portfolio.
- Encourage students to choose two possible career choices they are interested in pursuing from the list generated by Career Matchmaker. Ask students to complete career choice chart to give them the opportunity to reflect on their career option. Allow students to share their choices with a small group.
- StepBack: What does your career choice reveal about yourself?
- Prewriting
- Finding and Narrowing a Topic. Tell students to think about the career that interest them. Then encourage students to think of topics related to their choice of career. Students brainstorm and list possible topics on Feature Article Organizer Form 1. Then students are asked to stand up and form two lines, facing each other. Each student is given two minutes or less to quickly read the list to a partner. Each partner is required to listen without giving any comment while the list is being read. Then the partner must pick one topic he or she would be most interested in learning more about. This process should be repeated again after the students step to the right and face a new partner. Give students opportunity to share with at least two or three different partners before switching roles and listen to their partners‘ lists. This process is designed to help the students pick a topic that would not only interest them but their audience/peers as well.
- Remind students to keep all their writings and readings on informational text inside their Feature Article Research Folders.
- Guide students to narrow their topics by following the guidelines listed on page 1079. Explain to students that their topic must be specific and interesting enough to develop into a feature article. (See examples.)
- Encourage students to engage in a nonfiction inquiry by using the KWL chart found in the middle part of their Feature Article Form 1. Invite students to write what they (K) know about the topic and what they (W) want to answer (questions). Students will write their responses on what they (L) learned on the topic after they are given time to do their research in the school library.
- Guide students in outlining informational text. Give students time to organize their research data using a flow chart or an outline.
- Give students an opportunity to learn more about their topics by using any of the following methods: use the internet, talk with people, use print resources, and talk with a librarian.
- Ask students to complete an exit slip reflecting learned information. An exit slip is a written reflection completed by a student to explain what he/she learned or had difficulty with or question about the day‘s lesson or activity. It must be handed in before student exits the room.