The Lotus Seed Lesson Plan Description: Students will be learning how to incorporate questioning as a reading strategy through

the picture book, The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland and Tatsuro Kiuchi. Following this activity, students will practice this strategy with their own just-right books and share their processes of thinking with the class. Context: 3rd Grade, 25 students, classroom setting Standards: EL.3.2.2 2006 Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information from the text. EL.3.2.3 2006 Show understanding by identifying answers in the text. EL.3.2.4 2006 Recall major points in the text and make and revise predictions about what is read. Materials: The Lotus Seed; Written by Sherry Garland with illustrations by Tatsuro Kiuchi Students just-right books Post-its/Sticky notes Writing utensils of choice Chart paper Clipboards Procedure: 1. Read The Lotus Seed aloud to the class in the classroom reading area. 2. During the read aloud, model questioning through asking your own questions out loud and recording them with sticky notes in your book. 3. At the end of the read aloud, go through each of your questions and write them on the chart paper. 4. Individually, ask students if each question was answered one-by-one throughout the first read. 5. Mark whether the questions were answered or not by putting a check mark by the answered questions. 6. For each check-marked question, ask the students what the answer was, using the book as a tool for evidence. 7. Tell the students that as they go out and read during readers workshop, try to use questioning as a strategy for deeper understanding. 8. Allow 40-50 minutes for students to read, whether its individually, as a group, or in partners. 9. Meanwhile, go through to each group/individual and conference with them, asking what they are reading, their strategy, how its working, the questions they

have, how they are answering those questions, what their plan is next, etc., to assess how they are doing with questioning. 10. Act as a facilitator for the students during this time. Give assistance when needed, give suggestions, guide students if they have any questions or need any help, etc. 11. Encourage students to record their questions in any way that makes sense to them. (For example, they may use sticky notes, write them out on paper, make a chart, etc.) 12. After the 40-50 minutes of reading, bring the students back together in the reading area, and tell them to bring a pencil and their clipboards. 13. Have student volunteers share what they did during that time, specifically how they used questioning to further their understanding of their book or topic. 14. Tell the students that we are going to return to The Lotus Seed. However, this time, you want them to ask the questions. 15. Pass out sticky notes to all the students (about 5-10 each). 16. Tell the students that as you read, they are to record their questions on their sticky notes, and we will share them at the end. 17. Read aloud The Lotus Seed. 18. After the reading, have the students put their sticky notes with questions up on the board. 19. Ask them to overlap repeating questions. 20. Once they have done this and returned to their seats in the reading area, go through each of their questions and sort them into answered and unanswered questions. 21. For the answered questions, talk about what the answer is and where that answer is found. 22. For questions dealing with character traits, motivations, or feelings, talk about those answers, or if they are unanswered, infer what the answer might be. 23. For unanswered questions, talk about how you might find the answers, or if you could make an inference as an answer. 24. After all questions have been addressed and discussed, ask the students how questioning is a good reading strategy. 25. Discuss questioning as a reading strategy and encourage students to continue using it in their reading across all content areas. Adaptations: The Lotus Seed lesson can be altered for any student. During the 40-50 minute reading time, students are using just-right books. This allows a student with a reading disability to choose a book at his/her level, and he/she can have time working individually with the teacher on both reading the book and using questioning as a strategy. If a student has a disorder, such as ADD/ADHD, he/she can choose a book with content of his/her interest as a strategy for differentiation. If a student is not able to participate fully due to physical restrictions, then the lesson will have to be altered to create a least restrictive environment.

What I want students to learn and be able to do: Standards: EL.3.2.2 2006 Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information from the text. EL.3.2.3 2006 Show understanding by identifying answers in the text. EL.3.2.4 2006 Recall major points in the text and make and revise predictions about what is read. Ultimately, I want students to feel comfortable effectively using questioning as a reading strategy. By doing this, they will be able to ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information from the text, as they will be using their schema to inquire. Furthermore, they will revise predictions about what is read, while recalling major points and themes within the text. I will be able to assess their understanding by reading the sticky notes with corresponding questions related to the story. Assessment: I will assess the effectiveness of my lesson through running records and student involvement/comprehension. Ellin Keene and Susan Zimmermann articulate how important it is to move away from worksheets with comprehension questions, utilizing more student-driven instruction, in their book Mosaic of Thought (Keene). I would prefer not to distribute traditional test worksheets for this reason. I will determine whether the students are asking appropriate, relatable questions, looking for answers through the text and prior knowledge, and inferring answers that are not evident within the text. I only deem it possible to assess this type of knowledge through informal discussion and whole class work. In addition, during the 40-50 minutes of reading, I will be performing running records with the students to determine whether or not they fully understand the questioning strategy. If students do not seem to be utilizing this strategy effectively, then I can regroup and re-explain it. Reflection: I chose to use The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland and Tatsuro Kiuchi because it is a brilliant picture book, but also has challenging concepts for students to comprehend. The subject matter is more serious than most books 3rd grade students would be reading. The lotus seed from the story is a symbol of life and hope for the protagonist. Some students may find it more difficult to understand the significance of a small seed or the fact that a Vietnamese family is being forced to flee from their home country to escape a terrible war. A major theme in this story is appreciating those who must start anew without forgetting their past experiences. This story can be eye-opening to students who have maybe lived a more privileged and sheltered life. The Lotus Seed is a wonderful book for questioning, as it encourages higher-level thinking questions, like why questions. Moreover, its a book Debbie Miller uses to teach questioning. She sets a great example for how it can be used effectively (Harvey Inquiry: Kids Choice Topics: The Lotus Seed). Debbie Miller encourages re-reading and sharing responses, while stressing the importance of tracking ones wonderings.

The Lotus Seed lesson embodies Regie Routmans Optimal Learning Model perfectly because it leads to a gradual release of the learning strategy from the teacher to the student. The process is as follows: I do, you watch; I do, you help; you do, I help; you do, I watch. For the I do, you help stage, the students assist in going through the questions and deciding whether they are answered or not, and if they are answered, then what is that answer. For the you do, I help stage, the students are practicing using the questioning strategy on their just-right books with the teacher facilitating when necessary. For the you do, I watch stage, the students ask their own questions, sort them, and find the answers with the second read through of The Lotus Seed.