Nicole Dickson

EDU 351
Basal Review
September 19, 2013
The goal of a language arts program is to provide each student a lifetime love of learning.
Using authentic children's literature selections in reading lessons complete with vocabulary
words, comprehension questions, and phonemic activities makes reading fun and begins a
lifelong adventure for students. As a teacher reviewing and validating basal readers is
imperative to igniting this spark. Using a First grade basal published by MacMillan McGraw
Hill I will show how a single selection, The Knee-High Man, aligns with the four theories of
language arts and five of The Common Core Standards.
Theory 1: A balanced, integrated language arts
Activity: Within each story, there are multiple options to integrate other content areas. One of
these options integrates math. Because the knee-high man wants to be taller, I would have
students measure themselves with a standard unit of measure. I would have them pair up and
with their partners; one child will stand against a large sheet of mural paper while their
partner marks their height. Then the other student will measure their height and they can
compare.
Theory 2: A literature-based language arts
Each selection of the anthology is a selection of real literature. In addition, the basal also
offers three other leveled books based on the same concepts, skills, and vocabulary as the

main selection. The three-leveled books provided with this story are Fun Run, A Bigger
House for June, and Pete's Chicken.
Theory 3: The classroom as a social community
Activity: Within the basal, there are many suggestions for making the classroom a social
community. In this activity, the students will choose a big animal and talk within their groups
about the food they eat. The group will then work together to write and illustrate sentences
from the animal's point of view, telling the Knee-High Man what he should eat in order to get
big.
Theory 3: The development of ongoing literature-based units in which children listen, speak,
read, and write
Each selection in this basal is based on the theme "Let's Find Out!" "Looking for answers is
an adventure."
The Common Core Standards
Reading and Literature
CC.1.R.L.10 Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: With prompting and support,
read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.
Activity: To aid in comprehension as a pre-reading activity, we will take a picture walk
through the book. As we do this, we will talk about the illustrations and text format. I will
explain that this is a play and that each character has lines to say. I will then have the children
look at the text and note the characters names and lines on each page. After the picture walk,
I will ask the children to look at the pictures and make predictions about the story. As they

predict I will chart their predictions and read them aloud with the class. I might ask questions
such as:
"How big does Sam look?"
"Why is Sam so unhappy?"
"What do you think he will do about being unhappy?"
Reading and Informational Text
CC.1.R.I.10 Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: With prompting and support,
read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.
Activity: Using informational texts, such as magazines and seed catalogues I will have the
students cut out pictures of different varieties of corn and make a display. To modify this
activity I would also have the students name the type of corn and list its characteristics.
Reading Foundations
CC.1.R.F.4.c Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding,
rereading as necessary.
Activity: In order to facilitate fluency I will have the students practice reading with
expression. I will have the students guess what type of voice Max the Mule might have. Then
we will discuss how he might sound when he gives advice to Sam. I will then have the
students get into pairs and practice reading Max's sentences aloud.
Writing
CC.1.W.5 Production and Distribution of Writing: With guidance and support from adults,
focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to
strengthen writing as needed.

Activity: I will have the students draw a picture of someone who is too tall and give this
person a name. Once their pictures are finished, I will have them write what advice they think
Sam would have for someone who is too tall.
Speaking and Listening
CC.1.SL.1 Comprehension and Collaboration: Participate in collaborative conversations with
diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger
groups.
Activity: I will divide the students into groups and have them work together to come up with
more lines for the play. Then I will have the students read their new lines aloud with
expression to one another.
I have provided examples of how the selection from the basal aligns with each of the four
theories of language arts. In addition, I have shown how the basal aligns to five of The
Common Core Standards.
Most Language Arts programs now use a Basal for their reading program. For that
reason, it is imperative that as teachers we know how to review a basal. Each Basal is
composed of a group of core materials including the student text and workbook,
supplemental practice, and enrichment exercises. The teacher's manual contains each of these
in addition to lesson plan ideas, intervention helps, and strategies to make each student
successful. It also contains an instructional guide and in-service support. In this support
guide, you can find scope and sequence chart and suggested lesson plans for the teacher.
Basal Readers have sequenced or spiral curriculum, which allows a teacher to know what
skills their students should have mastered. The skills in the reader generally build on one

another and introduce new things gradually. In addition, a basal includes reading, writing,
listening, and spelling. I see these as a valuable tool to determine a baseline for students.
Conversely, many teachers become overwhelmed when they see the amount of content a
basal offers. However, it is not necessary to teach every suggestion mentioned. As a teacher,
we have a professional duty to review the basal and evaluate its effectiveness for the
individual students of our class. Each idea offers an opportunity to modify and meet the
classrooms different learning styles and needs. These suggestions offer opportunities for the
teacher to differentiate instruction. For instance we know from Piaget that students eight and
under learn better from concrete experiences. If there is a subject that does not access their
personal schema, you can modify the lesson to something they have actually experienced. In
summary, although overwhelming a basal also offers important suggestions that a teacher can
utilize and modify to meet the needs of their particular classroom.