LESSON PLAN 3/13/2012

Name: Cassandra Ekkert Grade level: 1st grade Observation: 1 2 3 4

Long-term specific goal(s) for LESSON: Students will increase their reading fluency and comprehension.

1. Title of Lesson: The Four Seasons Reading Group 2. Short-term specific goal(s) for lesson: The students will use the reading strategy of connecting life experiences and using prior knowledge to understand informational text. The students will apply their knowledge and understanding of seasons to categorize words and pictures appropriately. The students will demonstrate an understanding that words ending in er can be used to compare things. The students will demonstrate the ability to collect, record, and apply data, as well as to compare and make conclusions about data.

3. Standards addressed:
CC.1.OA.5 Add and subtract within 20. Relate counting to addition and subtraction (e.g., by counting on 2 to add 2). CC.1.MD.4 Represent and interpret data. Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another. CC.1.R.I.1 Key Ideas and Details: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. CC.1.R.I.2 Key Ideas and Details: Identify the main topic and retell key details of a 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. CC.1.R.F.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. CC.1.R.F.4.a Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. CC.1.R.F.4.b Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression. 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. CC.1.SL.1.a Comprehension and Collaboration: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). CC.1.SL.1.b Comprehension and Collaboration: Build on others talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. CC.1.L.5.a Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: Sort words into categories (e.g., colors, clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. 11.A.1c Collect data for investigations using measuring instruments and technologies. 11.A.1d Record and store data using available technologies. 11.A.1e Arrange data into logical patterns and describe the patterns. 11.A.1f Compare observations of individual and group results. 12.E.1b Identify and describe patterns of weather and seasonal change.

4. Background of the Lesson:

The long-term goal of reading groups is for students to increase their reading fluency and comprehension. Connecting prior knowledge/experience is one skill that can help students increase their level of comprehension when interacting with an informational text. So is developing understanding of the meaning of certain components of words (-er). Listening to stories, reading independently, and re-reading are practices that help students increase reading fluency. This informational text is a level E reader. The students in this reading group have only recently moved from level D to level E readers and some may need additional assistance decoding the text. This classroom uses the Reading A-Z reading program, an online guiding reading resource center. The Four Seasons text, some elements of the lesson plan, and the content vocabulary words have been adopted from readinga-z.com. This is the students first reading of The Four Seasons. Because they are likely to unfamiliar with the text and some of the vocabulary, the teacher will do the first reading aloud, then allow the students to do the second reading independently popcorn style.

5. Lesson Procedure Time Activities Dialogue

page _________ Environment Comments

10:00

Transition: Students will meet on the carpet after recess. Bridget will remind students of their reading groups and the location of the group in the classroom. Building Background Knowledge: Teacher will begin by soliciting responses from students about their favorite outdoor activities. Teacher will record these answers on the white board. Teacher will then ask about students favorite time of year. Teacher and students will re-visit the activities list and discuss which activities are most appropriate for which season

T: Okay guys, take your seats. Before we read our story today, I want to make a list on the board. I want to make a list of all of your favorite activities to do outdoors. Who can tell me something they like doing outside? S (anticipated response): play, play soccer, swim, sled, garden T: What a list, guys! There are a lot of fun things you like to do outdoors. Now I was wondering about your favorite time of year, your favorite season. M., whats your favorite season? How about you, C.? H.? B.? Let me write these answers on the white board too. M., youre favorite season was [summer]. What activities did we write on the board that you could do outside in [summer]? S (anticipated response): Play soccer. T: Yes, I agree. When it is warm and sunny outside, that is a good time to play soccer. What about snow sledding? Is that a good activity to do outside in the summer? Why or why not? S (anticipated respons): No. Because there wont be any snow because it is hot in the summer. ____________________________________________________

10:05

Reading Group will meet at desks in front of the classroom. Rotate one desk inward so that the group can see and hear each other. Arrange desks so that students can see the white board. Materials: 4 copies of book; 4 pencils, 4 clipboards; 4 survey worksheets; magnets of season pictures from text

10:10

Introduce the book

T: Look at the cover of this book. Today, we are going to read The Four Seasons. Looking at the cover and knowing the title, what do you think this book is going to be about? S (anticipated responses): The four seasons. Fall, summer, spring, winter. Activities to do outside in the different seasons. What happens to trees in the different seasons. The weather during the different seasons.

10:12

Introduce Reading Strategy: Teacher will model the use of the reading strategy connecting life experiences and prior knowledge to understand informational text.

T: Before we read this story together, I want to tell you guys about something good readers do. Good readers think about what they already know about a topic in the book. When I look at the cover of this book, I see things that make me think about winter. Since I know something about the seasons, I know it will be easier to read this book since I already have some of that information I my head. Good readers always try to make a connection between the book they are reading and what they already know from their own experiences. You guys already have some ideas in your head from these lists we made on the board. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------T: Okay, now lets read the story. Turn to page 3. Im going to read it first and I want you guys to follow along. After I read the story, you guys are going to have a turn reading out loud. T: Lets talk about that word, longer. If the days get longer in Summer, which season has the longest days, summer or spring? S (anticipated response): Summer T: Thats right, summer. We sometimes use words that end in er when we are comparing two things. Lets look for words ending in er as we continue to read. (can demonstrate more er comparisons if necessary) _____________________________________________________

10:13

Listen to Story/Discuss words ending in er: Teacher will do first reading of story aloud.

10:18

Students read story/Revisit making connections: Teacher will call on students popcorn style to complete second reading.

T: Okay, now its your turn to read the story. Lets all turn back to page 3 and Im going to ask M. to start reading for us. Make sure that you are following along, because I might call on you next! T: (stopping at page 7) As Ive been reading, Ive been thinking about things I like to do during each season. Right now, Im thinking about how I like to collect different colored leaves in the fall time. Remember, connecting to my own experiences helps me understand what I am reading about. ______________________________________________________

10:23

Categorize Pictures from story: Teacher will pass out pictures from the story that the students will place on white board under appropriate seasonal heading.

T: Okay. Now I have a game about the seasons! I have some pictures that I found in the story, but Im not sure what seasons they are from. I am going to pass out some of these pictures and maybe you guys can help me figure out what season they go with.

Questions to ask: Why did you put it there? Is there somewhere else it could go? Why didnt you put it here? ____________________________________________________

10:30

Survey Classmates: Teacher will use previously collected information on the board to determine the most liked season of the reading group.

T: Thanks for your help, guys. Now I have all my pictures back in order. Now I was thinking about what you told me were your favorite seasons. I was wondering if there was a season that more students liked than others. Lets find out how many people in our group liked each season. (Students and teacher will count the number of students who liked each season and represent the number with blocks). Hmmm.. Heres our data. What season does our reading group like the most? S: (anticipated response) [whatever season has most blocks] T: How can you tell that more people in our group like that season? S: (anticipated response) Because there are more blocks. The block tower is taller.

Teacher will pass out clipboards and assign students to interview others about their favorite season

T: Im wondering about some of your other classmates. I wonder if most of them like [season] the most too? Should we ask them? S: (anticipated response) Yeah! T: Okay. Im going to give you a clipboard and ask you to go ask 1 or 2 of your classmates the question on the clipboard, What is your favorite season. Make sure that you write down the students answer and then come back here and well add a block to the appropriate season. Then we will try to figure out what season our class likes the most.

Teachers and students will discuss survey results and come to a conclusion about what season is most liked by our class

T: Okay. Nice work guys. Lets look at the data weve collected. What season does our class like the most? S: (anticipated response) [whatever season has most blocks] T: How can you tell? S: (anticipated response) Because there are more blocks. Because the block tower is taller.

10:40

Wrap-up: Teacher will dismiss students to make a choice for rotation

T: Nice work today, guys. We are all done with our reading group. You can now choose to re-read this book again with a partner or pick a different rotation

Students have the following choices during rotations: read to self, read to others, write in journal

6. Evaluation:
(How will you know whether or not you have achieved your short-term specific goals? What did the childrens responses to this lesson tell you about whether your goals were met? Connecting prior knowledge and experiences: Do students share prior knowledge during introductory discussion? (e.g., favorite season, outdoor activities) Do students make comments during the story connecting prior knowledge and experiences? Categorize words & pictures: Do students correctly categorize pictures by season? Are students able to provide supports for their decisions based on prior knowledge and information from the text? Are students able to provide support against wrong answers? Using er words for making comparisons: Are students able to answer questions about comparisons using words that end in er? Collecting, recording, and comparing data: Do students accurately collect data from classmates (do they ask a clear, specific question)? Are students able to record students responses to questions? Are students able to apply responses to graph on the white board? Do students accurately use the graph to make comparisons and conclusions about the question What season is most liked by our class?

7. Post Lesson Reflection:

One thing I would change about this lesson is to reprint the books in color. These guided readers are printed from a website and can be printed in either black & white or color. Typically, printing the books in b & w will suffice but color is an important descriptor when identifying and distinguishing between seasons. For example, in summer the leaves on trees are green, and in fall they are orange and yellow. The students were not able to cue into these differences because the texts illustrations all looked very similar in b & w. Maki ng this change would help students increase their understanding of the texts content because they would be able to use the illustrations to get more information about the topic. The students were very eager to use the magnets to sort seasonal pictures. I believe that the use of these mate rials increased the students level of participation in the sorting activity. It also allowed the students to be able to sort on their own (without having to ask the teacher for help to read every single word). We ran late for reading groups because the teachers were out of the classroom for an RTI meeting. Before I left for the meeting, I gathered everything that I and the students would need for this lesson and placed the materials close to our work station. This allowed me to get right to work with the students when I returned from the meeting and we did not miss any extra work time. What were some challenges with this lesson? What surprised you? One challenge of working with this particular reading group is keeping the students on task. 3/4 of the students in this group have been identified with ADHD and are easily distracted as well as distracting to their other group mates. It may be worthwhile looking into ways to make our meeting space more secluded (w/ less outside distractions) by putting up dividers or maybe even doing the lesson on the group carpet and asking students who are reading to themselves to use their desks or other classroom spaces. If possible, it also might help to break this group into two smaller groups of two. The teacher could work with 2 students for hour and then switch to work with the other two students. This would also allow the teacher more time to work one-on-one with students, as this group is the group with students who need the most support with reading. I was surprised by how little background knowledge this group of students actually had about seasons. I had assumed that they would be familiar with some common seasonal concepts (like the changing of leaf colors), but several students were not. Because of the teachers meeting, this lesson was cut short and students did not have time to complete the classroom tally ab out favorite seasons. The students will keep the book The Four Seasons in their classroom book bags and this activity can be completed at a later time. (Students should probably at least quickly review the story before setting out to do the surveys with classmates).

What would you change about this lesson and why would those changes improve it?

How did your organization and materials affect the success of the lesson?

Additional comments?