Chamberlain_Lesson Plan 1

Reading Lesson Plan # __1__ Rationale (What evidence do you have that your focus students need to learn this skill/strategy?): These students are both “good” readers, but because reading generally comes easy to them, they rarely take the time to stop and actually think about what they are reading. In the end, they will have read whole pieces of text fluently and correctly, but are unable to say what it was that happened in what they read.  Instead of simply “charging through” the text, I want them to practice pausing and asking themselves, What will happen next? Why? In what ways could this story go?  Tompkins labels predicting as one of the strategies used for comprehension (pg. 262), and I think that practicing this strategy would be beneficial for these students to help them practice reflecting on what they read and how certain information relates to others parts of a story or text. Objective for this lesson: Throughout examining and interpreting Chapter VII of Stuart Little, students will recognize the importance and relevance of making predictions by providing specific examples from the book, and in their own life. Materials & supplies needed: Stuart Little by E.B. White, pages 36-46 (Chapter VII), paper, pencil

Procedures and approximate time allocated for each event  • Introduction to the lesson  (What will you say to help children understand the purpose of the lesson?  How will you help them make connections to prior lessons or experiences?  How will you motivate them to become engaged in the lesson?) (3 minutes)  To begin with, I will ask the students to predict whether recess will be indoors or outdoors that day, and then ask them why they made the prediction they did.  My purpose of asking them this is to get them thinking about predictions that they make in everyday life, and get them engaged in what we are about to do.  As Tompkins says, by making predictions, “readers become more engaged in the reading experience and want to continue reading” (pg. 262).  I also asked them why they made a particular prediction, with the intention of allowing them to make the connection that they make predictions based off of previous knowledge and prior experiences.  For example, if it was raining when they were walking into school that morning, they make take that knowledge, along with a previous experience of having recess inside the last time it was really wet out, to predict that they will probably have indoor recess today.  In a similar way, during this lesson, I will be asking the students to use previous knowledge from the excerpt of the story, along with their own personal experiences, to predict what will happen next in the chapter at designated stopping points. • OUTLINE of key events during the lesson (Include specific details about how you will begin and end activities; how you will teach students what the strategy is, how to use the strategy, and when to use it; what questions you will use; how you will help children understand behavior expectations during the lesson; when/how you will distribute supplies and materials) (20 minutes) I am going to read you a chapter from the book Stuart Little, by E. B. White.  In this chapter, we are going to read about a toy sailboat race, in which  one of the boats is controlled by a mouse named Stuart.  Now, every so often I am going to stop and ask you to make a prediction for me.  A prediction is like making a guess about what will happen next. We often make predictions at “pivotal points” (Tompkins, pg. 266) in a text, and can make them by thinking about what we already know or have experienced before.  Predicting is a strategy we can use when we read to help us understand the text better, because it makes us really pay attention and want to find out what happens next.  When we stop, I want you to write these predictions down on your paper so you can collect your own thoughts before we share.  That means no talking with other while we’re writing.  Deal? Questions: Stopping points for students to make predictions. 1)     “…This particular policeman was not only a big, heavy man, but he had just eaten a big, heavy meal…” page 39 2)     “…Towering above the Wasp like a mountain, the wave came crashing and piling along the deck, caught Stuart up and swept him over the side and into the water…” page 40 3)     “…In a jiffy the two boats were in a terrible tangle…” page 43 4)     “…The he looked back, and to his great joy he perceived that the Lillian had gone off into a wild direction and was yawing all over the pond…” page 45 After each prediction, I will have the two students share their predictions with one another before we continue to read on.  Once the chapter is over, we will talk about if our predictions were always the same, and how they wer different.  We will also talk about whether or not it is okay for our predictions to be off.  Does that mean we’re bad readers if we are not always accurate in our predictions?  Even if they are not correct (it is okay if they are incorrect!), predictions allow us to become engaged in the story – they allow us to use our prior information and experiences to almost become an active participant in what we are reading.  In a way, it is like solving a mystery and collecting clues to lead us to the correct conclusion.  The further we read and the more experiences we have, the closer we come to solving our mystery resolution.  • Closing summary for the lesson (How will you bring closure to the lesson and involve children in reflecting on their experiences?  How will you involve them making connections to prior lessons or prepare for future experiences?  What kind of feedback do you want from them at this time?) (5 minutes) In closing the lesson, I will ask the students to reflect back on the predictions they made during the lesson and chose one they felt really confident in.  Why did they feel confident in that prediction?  Did they use clues and information from the text to help them make those predictions?  Did they think about prior experiences?  For further reflection, I will ask them when they have made predictions before, and when they might need to use predictions again.  Is there any necessary information that they must have before they make predictions, and why that information is necessary.  I will also ask in what kinds of situations we can make predictions.  Some examples that I might hear are in real life, reading a book/poem/etc, watching a movie, and sports.  Can they use what they learned today to help them make predictions in the future?  Ongoing-Assessment: (How will you know the students are progressing toward your identified objective?  What will you observe for and/or take notes on to help you plan follow-up instruction?) Once I finish the reading the chapter and the students have made all of their predictions, I will ask them how making predictions can help us with our reading.  Their answers will be able to give me an indication as to whether or not they understood the point of the lesson, and their predictions themselves will provide me feedback as to whether or not they are able to take the information they learn in a text and apply it to further their understanding.

Adaptations: Based on what you know about your focus students, what Academic, Social and/or Linguistic Support will be needed during the lesson? Both of my focus students are a little more shy and reserved, so I will be sure to make them feel comfortable, and I think that the simple fact of only having two students in the small group will put them at greater ease automatically.  I will be reading the chapter to them while they listen, so this will take care of any differences in reading level and/or speed, and hopefully will help them to focus on the story, rather than about reading fast enough or pronouncing every word correctly.