GUIDED READING ACTIVITIES for Mary Ann S Mountain
GUIDED READING ACTIVITIES FOR Mary Ann’s Mountain
Written by Mary Ann Rose Hart
(Teacher Pages)
Pages / Activity / When to Introduce Activityand Reading Skill Addressed / Materials Needed and Notes
1-7 / Elements
of Literature
and
Author Notes / - Teacher can decide when to draw attention to elements as reading takes place and as worksheets that apply are completed.
-Students can head one piece of notebook paper for each element of literature. They can begin recording their responses as discussions take place and as reading takes place. This serves for a good review and as preparation for tests.
-Skill: to understand the elements of different genres of literature and to use that knowledge to improve reading Before, during and after reading the book. / -handout, ”Elements of Literature”, pages 6-7, that should be kept in student folder along with notebook paper for additional responses
8-9 / Using the Genre
to Predict and
Prediction Chart
for Entire Book / -Before reading the book and after reading the book
-Have the whole reading group work on this with the teacher recording the sentences on the board.
-Skill: to stimulate interest in a particular piece of writing and to facilitate comprehension of what is to be read. / -Prediction Chart transparency
-recording sheet of Prediction Chart to be kept for use at the end of the story
-handout, “Elements of the Genre, Novel” to be used after reading the first page or chapter
10 / Prediction Chart
Chapter by Chapter / -Before reading each chapter / -Prediction Chart handout per child… I keep these in a holder on a board where students have easy access.
11 / Anticipatory Questions:
Connect to What I Know / -Before reading the book. These are with the set of questions for the entire book. / -book
-handout, “Elements of the Genre, Novel or Realistic Fiction”
-handout of all questions to be kept in reading folder and questions for board
-newspaper articles, books, magazine articles, Internet search results on coal mining,
coal mine disasters, farm life, cats, cows, weather wisdoms
-travel brochures about the Breaks Interstate Park
-United States, Virginia maps
-brochures or articles on “The Crooked Road – Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail”
-world map and atlas to locate Guam and Okinawa
-a sample of an embroidered piece of fabric, a crocheted piece of fabric, a quilt, a darned sock with the oval wood block used to
-research on USA and world events in 1957 like the Sputnik, the first transistor radio, etc.
-research on entertainment of the era (Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball)
12-15 / Reflection
Questions / -After reading each section of book
-Skill: to allow the learner a chance to integrate what he/she knows with what has been read and to think about new learning in a new and different light. / -questions on board/overhead
-student handouts to be kept in reading folders
16-17 / Vocabulary lists for each section of the book / -Before reading each section
-Skill: To aid comprehension, to introduce regional and cultural differences in language and to understand non-standard English / -student handouts to keep in reading folder
18-29 / Cloze Sentences
and
Answers / -Before each section and before each lesson until students are fluently reading the sentences
-Skill: to aid comprehension by using new vocabulary in context and to give the learner confidence in the use of new words. / -Cloze sentence worksheets per child, pages 18-28
-Answers: page 29
30-50 / Vocabulary Study
Vocabulary
Line-Up
and
Playing Cards / -Before every class period until fluency is achieved
-Teacher can divide up the list to fit within the allotted time for this. I use the first five minutes of the class period. The next day, begin with the last word you used today.
-Skill: to provide opportunity for fluency in reading and for knowing at least one meaning of a particular word as it will be used in the text. / -Teacher notes: pages 30-31
-Playing Cards: pages 32-50
-vocabulary card baggies per child
-extra sets of vocabulary baggies to be kept in the classroom
-The correct order of the cards will follow the order of the vocabulary lists. This gives the teacher the opportunity to divide up the list and each use on separate days to fit the allotted time for this activity.
51-72 / Critical
Reading Skills Worksheets
and Schemata
Worksheets / -Throughout
-worksheets to be used at teacher discretion / -figurative language, pages 51-53
-answers: page 54,55
-cause and effect, pages 56-63
-answers: page 64
-fact and opinion, pages 65-67
-Venn diagrams, pages 68-69
-character web, page 70
-sequencing worksheet for plot,
page 71
-chart on “Mood”, page 72
73-90 / Section Tests
and
Answers / -After each section of chapters
-Skill: create the opportunity for a learner to assess his/her strengths and weaknesses by having the student to analyze his/her test and to hold the learner accountable. Use a checklist to mark skills needing improvement like: cause/effect relationships, inferential skills, sequencing skills, drawing conclusions, vocabulary development, identifying elements of literature, identifying figurative language, etc. / -Section Test per student for each section of chapters
-Chapters 1-6, pages 73-77
-Chapters 7-15, pages 78-82
-Chapters 16-27. pages 83-88
-Answers, pages 89-90
*Notes from the author/teacher:
§ Earlier in my career, I failed to see the real connection between student understanding and achievement that extended prediction activities made. When I began to spend a whole class period on prediction activities, I saw students become more eager to read the text and more excited about what they read. Students never let me forget the prediction chart when we read new stories or books. For this book, it might be a good idea to have students to research some of the background for the book. These topics are found in the pre-reading/anticipatory questions.
§ I learned to allow students more time to connect what they know to what will be read. Brochures, newspaper and magazine articles, books, and Internet searches provide students with information on topics that may be completely foreign to them. It is necessary to help students understand topics which they may know nothing about.
§ This author/teacher uses a rubric to grade work when not putting an actual grade on each paper. Checks are used to show work that is completed out of a required number of worksheets and activities. Participation in group and class discussions is part of the check system. As I rotate around the room to listen in on group discussions, I record checks when I hear individual students interacting. Those checks become a part of the required number of checks needed for completion of work. This practice affirms to the students that the teacher is listening and is interested in what they had to say. Those checks let the teacher know when and where I needed to intervene.
§ Students can discuss the questions found on the Elements of Literature hand-out or response questions presented for each section. In literature circles or small groups, students can read silently or take turns reading. I let that be their choice. They must, however, all participate in discussions. Students who finish earlier than others can preview and begin work on handouts.
§ Set a timer to keep students on task when needed.
§ I have found that demanding time-on-task in the classroom works better than making multiple homework assignments. Because many students don’t like homework, they will do their best to complete tasks in the allotted classroom time.
§ Students need freedom to express their thoughts. Avoid grading response journals, but do hold the student responsible for completing the tasks, and record as an activity completed or not completed. Give students who did not put much thought into their responses time to do a better job as a homework assignment.
§ I recommend small groups of no more than four for discussions. This provides more accountability from each child. Then, during whole-class discussions, a reporter from each group provides the group’s responses when called upon.
§ Students in each group are given specific jobs that they rotate for each lesson. These jobs are:
Materials Manager – picks up and returns materials, worksheets, and books
needed for each reading session (Baskets or specific areas are designated for each groups’ materials.)
Secretary -records responses from the groups’ assignments for the reporter
-collects completed worksheets for teacher inspection
Reporter -reports the group’s responses to entire class
§ Movement around the room and the need to use quiet voices should be taught before using small group work.
§ Literature Circles or small groups: Literature circles guarantee that every child participates in thinking and responding. Literature circles can be set up to answer the questions after reading each group of chapters. The group selects a different reporter for each session. The group can be given comparison charts and other schemata for recording responses. This author likes for the circles to discuss responses as a whole and then have students to record their own answers in order to increase personal commitment to the assignment. It is very important that the teacher constantly move from one group to the next to monitor the activity. It helps for each student to have a pocket folder for keeping all paperwork until the book is completed and tests are all done.
ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE: Use as you read the story selection.
(Student Pages)
Element / Things to Think AboutNARRATOR:
1. Who is telling the story?
2. Did the author give the novel an interesting “voice”? Would the story have been as interesting told from another person’s perspective? Explain. Support your answers. / Answer questions from the first box.
_____first person when author uses the words “I” or “me” when telling the story?
_____second person when author speaks to “you” directly when relating a story.
_____third person narrator who uses the words “she”, “he”, or “they” when telling the story?
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE:
What is the most important reason the author wrote this novel or reading selection? / _____to entertain the reader
_____to give the reader factual information
_____to persuade or change the reader’s opinion about a topic
_____to teach a lesson or moral
MOOD OF SELECTION:
1. How does the author make you feel when you read this selection? Is the mood lighthearted, somber, defending an idea of someone, attacking an idea or someone, supporting a cause or someone?
2. What parts make you happy, sad, angry, sympathetic etc. Explain your answer and cite examples to support your thoughts. / -First of all think about the entire book. Think about the questions asked. Then find some sections in the book that support your thoughts. Either quote some parts of the book or paraphrase the parts that support your answer. Use your own thoughts but support them with examples from the novel. You may use the T-chart activity sheet.
-handout, “T-Chart on Mood”
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:
1. Does the author use personification, similes, metaphors, repetition of words or phrases, idiomatic expressions , dialect, street talk, colloquialisms or speech particular to a region of a country or other manners of speech to interest the reader.
2. Give examples from the novel or reading selection that explain how this language made the story more interesting. / Complete the activity sheets provided by your teacher or prepare your own chart or project.
SETTING:
1. Where and when does the story take place?
2. How did the author use the setting to make the story interesting?
3. Would the story have been more interesting if it had taken place in another era (time) or in another part of our country or our world. Explain.
4. Would you like to visit the place where the story takes place? Why, or why not? / Answer questions from the first box.
MAIN CHARACTER:
1. What are the physical features of the main character?
2. What kind of person is the main character(s)? What are some of the character’s good and/or bad qualities? What makes the character special or different from other main characters?
3. Could you relate to the main character? How? Always explain and support your answers with examples.
4. How did the main character change from the beginning to the end of the story? / Use a character web to help you write a descriptive paragraph about the distinguishing traits of your main character.
PLOT:
1. What were the most important events in the story from beginning to the end?
2 Were the events in the story interesting enough to hold your attention? / Complete a sequence chart after reviewing the chapters of the story or write a paragraph describing the events from beginning to end.
THEME:
1. What is the selection about?
2. What are some things you learned by reading this story?
3. What reasons might the author have had for writing this story selection? / Write a short paragraph telling what the story is about?
It may even be helpful to avoid using the name of the main character and to pretend the story could be just about anyone like the main character. It is best to keep your explanation short rather than lengthy with too many details.
GENRE:
Use your knowledge of genres to identify this reading selection. Identifying the genre before you read is a good strategy because it helps you to predict what the story might be about based on what you already know about the genre.
How does being able to identify the genre help you to predict in general what this story selection will be about? / Use the worksheet in “Before I Read/Connect to What I Know” to determine the genre of this reading selection. You might check two.
___mystery ___ nonfiction
___autobiography ___ science fiction
___biography ___ realistic fiction ___folk tale ___ historical fiction
___tall tale ___ novel
___fairy tale ___ legend
AUTHOR’S CRAFT:
1. Does the author use language in the conversations that sounds the way the people talk in their part of the world?
2. Does the author’s use of language help or hurt the story?
3. Does the author leave memorable images in your mind? Name some.
4. Quote some sections of the story where the author uses special words or figurative language to help you see, hear, touch or taste what is happening.
5. Does the author repeat some of the same happenings, events, or characters’ thoughts in the story? Why do you suppose the author does that?
6. What is your favorite part of the story? Would you read something else by this author? Explain.
7. What did the author have to know in order to write this book? / Discuss in your reading group or with your teacher.
Elements of the Genre Called a Novel