Reading Session 12 Lesson: Changes in character feelings

Teacher: Jenna Graziadei Grade Level: 2

I. Content Standards

Connecticut State Standard:

1. RL.1.2 Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central
message or lesson.
2. RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
3. RL.2.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning
introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
4. RL.2.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to
demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

II. Essential Questions

1. What is the difference between feelings and traits of characters?

2. What text evidence can be used to discuss and analyze the feelings of characters?
3. How are a character’s feelings affected by an event?
4. How do a the character’s feelings change throughout a text?

III. Prerequisites

This is the final segment of the third reading unit of the year during which the students
have closely studied characters in their stories. Therefore, the prerequisites would be
those skills learned and developed throughout the unit’s lessons. This would include the
ability to do the following:

• Reflect on reading to empathize with characters

• Connect the event that got the problem started to the character’s feelings when telling
about the important parts of a story
• Connect the character feelings to their plan of action to solve a problem or reach a goal
• Connect the character plan and the sequence of the plan to the solution
• Connect the solution to the character feelings
• Create a tool to help understand the important parts of the story (braidy)
• Think about and keep track of the important parts of the story using the book and
braidy as my helpers
• Keep track of character’s actions and words to infer feelings
• Use precise words to describe character traits
In particular, the study of the character’s feelings in relation to the plan of action and
solution should be mastered, as well as the retelling of the story in order to be able to
identify events that exhibit certain feelings of the character, along with the key concept of
being able to compare and contrast the changes in these feelings from beginning to end,
and all the parts in between.

IV. Instructional Objectives

At the end of this lesson the students will be able to:

1. Read a story and analyze a single event to comprehend the feeling exhibited by the
selected character.
2. Track the feelings they feel the characters talk and actions represent across situations
throughout the text.
3. Analyze how a character’s feelings have changed across and text, and why this is
important to their comprehension skill development and understanding of empathy.
4. Reflect on their progress towards achieving the goal set by the learning target based on
their work during the engagement activity.

V. Instructional Procedures

1. The opening activity will involve the students making a connection to the new lesson’s focus
based on prior knowledge. The previous lesson will have entailed an analysis of traits that
define Elsa. The students will analyze the images to determine the emotions felt by the
character. They will provide evidence for their choices. This activity and prompting will be
necessary to help the students understand the difference between traits and feelings.
2. The students will unpack the lesson’s learning target that is ‘I can explain how a character’s
feelings change using text evidence.’ The students will reflect on what this means to them.
An emphasis will be placed on the meaning and importance of ‘change’ and ‘text evidence’.
3. To continue unpacking the learning target, the students will share ideas as to why it is
important to look at a character’s feelings. The students should be guided towards the
concepts that it helps them more deeply understand the character, as well as develop
empathy. In addition, they should come to understand that awareness of actions, talking, and
situational characters is critical in understand the factors that can affect feelings.
4. To further this thinking, the students will reflect on the importance of looking at how a
character’s feelings change. The discussion should be pushed towards growing one’s thinking
about who the characters are, along with growing knowledge about people to be good
citizens.
5. The ‘I do’ stage requires that the students closely observe the teacher modeling the process
that they are intended to utilize individually. The short text, The Lion and the Mouse will be
read once. The teacher will then go through the story piece by piece to analyze each feelings
exhibited by the lion. Notes will be taken on how these feelings are shown through what the
character says and does. The teacher will use thinking aloud for this note-taking, as well as
while analyzing the changes seen in the character’s feelings, and the purpose.
6. The ‘We do’ stage requires that the students listen carefully to the story read to them, Julius
The Baby of the World, while critically thinking about the feelings exhibited by Lilly,
evidence of those feelings, and how they change. At least three pages with strong evidence of
feelings will be chosen. They will be read and analyzed individually.
7. The ‘You do’ stage requires that the students use their ‘just right’ texts and the worksheet to
track the feelings of a selected character. Text evidence must be provided for each feeling
listed. Once the text has been analyzed to its entirety, the students must reflect on the feelings
that have been tracked and a paragraph must be written explaining how their character’s
feelings have changed. This is an opportunity for them to use transition words in their
explanation. This portion of the worksheet is critical in order to ensure that they have strived
to develop skills associated with the learning target.
8. While the students are independently working, those who were not entirely confident in their
abilities to work individually will be pulled aside for a 5 minute strategy group during which
the concepts will be re-explained and clarified for the students while continuing modeling
and ‘We do’ practice so that the teacher can observe an understanding of the skills at a level
that confirms their ability to go off and work alone.
9. The teacher will travel around the classroom during work time to take notes, prompt, model,
and provide all types of guidance to students when necessary.
10. When the worksheet has been complete, the students will participate in ‘Friend Share’ during
which they must discuss their tracking and analyses. The peer listening will have the
opportunity to ask questions and offer respectful suggestions.
11. The final requirement is that the students create a Seesaw reflection. They will use their
worksheets, texts, and reflective minds to create a short video or pictorial presentation during
which they will discuss how they feel they have done with the new concepts, how it was used
during their reading, and how they fare in relation to the learning target.

VI. Materials and Equipment

• Two mentor texts will be used during the ‘I do’ and ‘We do’ stages of the lesson that have been
selected by the teacher based on appropriateness for the students and more importantly, the
evidence of changes in a character’s feelings that will help guide the mini-lesson’s discussions.
• A ‘just right book’ selected by the student that is at the appropriate reading level based on their
literacy development exhibited in previous circumstances.
• A Chromebook that will allow for access to Seesaw on which the lesson’s reflective activity
will be created.
• A clipboard that can be used as a hard surface that will allow the students to utilize flexible
seating options for the lesson.
• A pencil to use for tracking the character feelings and summarizing their reflective thoughts on
the changes that can be seen.
• An engagement activity worksheet will be provided to each student to guide them through the
task of tracking character feelings, providing text evidence to support their choices, and
analyzing the ‘data’ to make conclusions about the changes exhibited by the character.
• A slideshow will be used as a mini-lesson to initiate thoughtful reading reflections associated
with the feelings exhibited by a character, how they change based on the events, and how they
change overall across the text. The slideshow will repetitively touch upon the purpose of this
knowledge.

VII. Assessments/Evaluations

• Self-reflection: The students will reflect on their learning and progress towards reading
goals in their Seesaw videos/pictures. They will be discussing the processes that they
carried out while completing the activity’s worksheet, as well as the learning target that
was practiced. The students will make judgements within the ‘yes’, ‘starting to’, and
‘not yet’ framework that has been utilized repetitively throughout the year. The teacher
can use this information to analyze who may need additional explanations of the
material, if the teaching method needs to be altered, and how to conduct a review in the
lessons over the following days to gradually expand upon and advance the skills of the
students.
• Mud-bugs-clear: Throughout the mini-lesson’s discussions, the students will be asked
to show with their thumbs how they feel about their understanding and retention of the
new content that must be used in the activity. This will be done at points deemed
appropriate and necessary by the teacher. Based on the student responses, the teacher
will rephrase the information and ask for questions that can be answered in order to
help the larger population of students.
• Anecdotal notes: The teacher will walk around the classroom checking on the progress
of the students. Notes will be taken as they ask students to share with them their
thoughts throughout the activity. Questions will be used to further their thinking. Such
data will be tracked for the teacher’s reflective purposes. This will help to get a
perspective of their thought processes. Notes will be taken on any questions students
may have because if one child has a misunderstanding, it is highly probable that other
students will as well. In the case that help is needed, guidance will be provided through
 prompting so that students can arise to the correct answers themselves. This will help
assess the students’ ability to collect data by listening to them interact with their peers
to gather information.
• Activity worksheet: When the students complete the worksheet, they will move their
individual clothes pins to the ‘yes’, ‘not yet’, and ‘starting to’ mats from which their
worksheets will be organized and analyzed for purposes of organizing strategy groups
within a block schedule for the following day’s lesson if necessary.
• Portfolio: A portfolio will be used to assess each student’s overall development and
progress throughout the unit and school year, as well as analyze their use of their new
skills in future situations. The Seesaw from this lesson and evidence of the students
efforts will be included in the digital portfolio that is created by each second grade
student. The portfolio will be comprised of all projects and activities created within
each subject area throughout the two weeks. The final product will be used and
discussed during student-led conferences. The finalized portfolio will be graded with a
rubric with defined guidelines to give the student the appropriate score and provide
some written feedback.

VIII.Differentiation

• The books used for the ‘I do’ and ‘We do’ parts of the mini-lesson will be read aloud, and can
also be accessed as an audio book from the link provided to address the needs of students who
have hearing, attentional, and literacy needs.
• During the ‘I do’ stage, modeling will be used to exhibit expectations to all students,
particularly any ELLs and students with special needs that are being worked with.
• The ‘We do’ stage will involve the students in a guided practice that will allow them to begin
working through the analysis process that is to be utilized independently. This will provide an
opportunity for additional modeling and prompting, as well as the answering of questions for
clarification should the need arise.
• Within the ‘You do’ phase, the students will use one of their individual ‘just right’ books that
implies that the text is at the appropriate level based on their literacy development throughout
the year. It will be a text that they are able to read with accuracy and fluency, as well as
comprehend.
• The students will self-assess prior to independent work as to whether or not they are feel they
are at ‘yes’, ‘starting to’, or ‘not yet’ in relation to their understanding of the content and
lesson’s learning target. This information will be used to pull a small-group of students to the
side as the rest begin working for a 5 minute strategy lesson during which the information will
be rephrased, reviewed, and practiced to ensure that the students have a clearer idea of the
engagement activity.
• Written, in-the-moment checklists are provided for the ELLs and students with IEPs to
establish a more structured approach for them within the individual activity.
• As the teacher walks around the classroom while the students work on the assignment,
additional prompting and guidance will be utilized should any ELLs and students with special
needs exhibit the need in order to fully engage in the reading and activity.
 • The teacher can offer alternative phrasing or methods for what they are being asked to do
and guide them through additional examples.
• The teacher will utilize any accommodations that could benefit the students with special
needs to maintain their activeness in the lesson.
• Beyond the teacher’s guidance, other students will be able to collaborate with ELLs and
students with special needs that can allow for information to be presented in a different manner
that the child can better understand.

IX. Technology

A slideshow will be used to expose students to the information and skills necessary to participate
in the engagement activity. The Seesaw application will be used for further reflection and
exhibition of their learning, which will be accessed on their Chromebooks. This technology
usage is intended to enhance the literacy development of the students.

X. Self-Assessment

• The teacher can use the information from the assessments to analyze who may need
additional explanations of the material, if the teaching method needs to be altered, and
how to conduct a review in the lessons over the following days to gradually expand
upon and advance the skills of the students.
• The assessments taking place within the lesson can be used to make swift
determinations about any alternative directions that must be taken to increase success,
which includes the additional of detail, restructuring the lesson, and using strategies for
additional guidance.
• Observations gathered from the teacher’s anecdotal notes provide a context for any
questions, confusions, or individual student challenges that should be addressed in
future lessons. The teacher can use this information to structure review sessions for
skills and concepts.