Reading-ELA/ Grade 7

Unit 1: Short Stories

Essential Question: How do active readers read and respond to works of
literature?
ACQUISITION LESSON PLAN #1 (Reading Strategy)

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How do active readers use the reading strategies of

predictions, connections, questioning, visualizations, clarifications, and summarization to
improve their comprehension?

ASSESSMENT PROMPTS:
AP #1: Make reasonable predictions (before, during, after) while reading.
AP #2: Define and make appropriate text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections.
AP #3: Ask probing and clarifying questions while reading.
AP #4: Visualize using and recognizing descriptive details and sensory language.
AP #5: Determine or clarify the meaning of words or phrases (unknown, multiple meaning,
figurative, and connotative).
AP #6: Provide and objective summary of the text.

ACTIVATING STRATEGY:

Students will be asked to consider how they would rate

their reading ability on a Lickert scale. Stretching a rope across the front of the room (far left
side being an excellent reader and far right side being I cannot read at all, students will tie a
ribbon (or clip a clothespin) on the rope to indicate their self-determined reading ability. From
there, generalizations will be made about the class reading ability (e.g., More than 2/3 of the
class feel that they are good readers.) Discussion and activities regarding a good reader ensues.
Discussion and activities regarding the definition of reading follows.

KEY VOCABULARY:
pre-, -dict-, -ion, -ing, con-, clarify, reasonable, text, active reader, comprehension, reading
track, think aloud, internal conversation, -vers- and vert-, self-monitor, -vis- and vid-, mind
movie, visualizing, clarifying, chunking, summarizing, key points, objective, subjective, -ject-,
sub-,
TEACHING STRATEGIES and Supplies: Every Pupil Response activities, prepare
and add to the Graphic Organizer for the 6 Reading Strategies and morphemes. Reading and
applying strategies to student-chosen and teacher-selected text. Discussion and sharing. Rope
and clothespins (or tie-ons), iPads, dictionaries, thesaurus, notebooks, text (The Third Wish,
The Ransom of Red Chief, Zoo, The Sneaker Crisis, Stolen Day, All Summer in a Day,
Calebs Brother, Home, The Gentlemen of the Jungle), 4 Types of Questions guide sheet,
sticky notes, PAIR/SHARE activities

INSTRUCTION:

Instruction for AP #1: Make reasonable predictions.

Given a random book, students try to predict what the text will be about and what will
happen in the text.
Discussion on what they used to make their predictions.
Lead into TC + BK = I (P); modeling a reasonable prediction.
Add to your before reading prediction to make it better. PAIR/ SHARE
Turn and talk (time to reflect, considering three questions)

~Other than before reading a text, when else can predictions be made?
~Are predictions always correct, or accurate?
~Is there such a thing as a BAD (poor) prediction?
(SHARING OUT)

Students will make before, during, and after predictions while reading short stories.

Instruction for AP #2: Define and make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world
connections.

Students create 3 lists: Personal Information, Texts they have Read, and Worldly
Issues.
As we read through the short stories, each student is asked to be acutely aware of the
text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections that arise in the reading as they
read actively. Ask students to note the place in the text where these connections are most
strong for them. (Three different colored sticky notes.) Mark the text with the note. Jot
down on the note which type of connection it is, and why you are making that connection
with the text at that time.
Lead into TC + personal experience = T2S; current TC + past TC = T2T; TC + world
issues= T2W
Add to your before reading connections to make them better. PAIR/ SHARE
Turn and talk (time to reflect, considering three questions)

~What is the same in all three types of connections?

~Is there such a thing as a BAD (poor) connection?
~Which type of connection is the hardest for you? Which is easiest? WHY?
(SHARING OUT)
Students will make connections while reading short stories and drama.

Instruction for AP #3: Ask probing and clarifying questions when reading text.

As we read through the short stories, each student is asked to be acutely aware of things
that raise questions in their mind. Ask students to note the places in the text where these
questions arise. (Three different colored sticky notes.) Mark the text with the note.
Using the 4 Types of Questions guide sheet, jot down on the note which type of question
you believe it is, and tell why you are labeling it that way.
Lead into a discussion of question types and answers.
Students then create a right there question, a think and search question, an author and
me question, and an on my own question. PAIR/ SHARE

Turn and talk (time to reflect, considering three questions)

~How might knowing the type of question you are being asked be helpful?
~Which type of question is the hardest for you to create?
~Which is hardest for you to answer? WHY? (SHARING OUT)
Students will pose questions while reading short stories and drama.

Instruction for AP #4: Visualize text, using and recognizing descriptive details
and sensory language.

As we read through the short stories, each student is asked to be acutely aware of
description (precise words and phrases, descriptive details, and sensory language). Ask
students to note the places in the text where these details arise. (Three different colored
sticky notes.) Mark the text with the note, and jot down to which sense the detail refers,
and use textual evidence to tell why you are labeling it that way. PAIR/ SHARE
Lead into a discussion on how specific details contribute to story elements
(characterization, setting, conflict, etc.,)
Turn and talk (time to reflect, considering these 2 questions)
~What parts of speech present a clear and precise picture, or mind movie, for the

reader?
~ How does visualizing take reading from an inactive to active process? (In other
words, how does it make the invisible~~visible?) (SHARING OUT)
Students will seek out visualizations while reading short stories.

Instruction for AP #5: Determine or clarify the meaning of words or phrases

(unknown, multiple meaning, figurative, and connotative).

As we read through the short stories, each student is asked to be acutely aware of terms
and sections of the text that is not clear or does not seem to make sense. Ask students to
note the places in the text where these situations arise. (Three different colored sticky
notes.) Mark the text with the note. Then using a dictionary, search engine, or expert,
jot down on the note the clarification you have researched. PAIR/ SHARE
Turn and talk (time to reflect, considering three questions)

~How are clarification and questioning similar?

~How are clarification and questioning different?
~How does clarifying aid comprehension? (SHARING OUT)
Students will find text to clarify while reading short stories.

Instruction for AP #6: Provide an objective summary of the text.

As we read through the short stories, each student is asked to identify key details from
the text. These details should reflect the major points on a plot map (exposition, conflict,
rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution). Student can use the graphic
organizer of SWBS-TNF. Using 4-7 colored sticky notes, students jot down key details on
the note to form the elements of an objective summary.
Lead into a discussion of TMI vs. NEI, as well as objective vs. subjective.
Students then create objective summaries from short stories that are just right.

PAIR/ SHARE
Turn and talk (time to reflect, considering three questions)

~What is the difference between objective and subjective?

~Why are summaries supposed to be objective rather than subjective?
~Since summaries are should be objective, in what type of writing might subjectivity
be appropriate? (SHARING OUT)
Students create summaries while reading short stories.
`
ASSIGNMENT and/ or ASSESSMENT:
3 Connections lists
prediction practice, connections practice, questioning practice, visualization practice,
clarification practice, summarization practice
create a teaching tool or commercial that highlights how either predictions, connections,
questioning, visualizations, clarifications, or summarizations transform the active reader.
SUMMARIZING STRATEGY:
Collins Type 2- Students have 5 minutes to write about the benefits of predicting, connecting,
questioning, visualizing, clarifying, and summarizing as an active reader. They should identify
which strategy is most difficult and why they believe that to be true; as well as which strategy is
the easiest for them to accomplish and why.