Reading Lesson

Marina Brandle
UNIT BIG IDEA
Joined effort produces valuable results. Students will explore the idea that hard work pays
off, but that working hard together will produce even greater results. This idea will be
introduced and discussed throughout the lesson. Students who work diligently together on
the assigned work will be given a small prize (sticker) to reiterate that valuable results
come from hard work.

LESSON RATIONALE
Students will spend a majority of their schooling career interacting with text books and
other forms of nonfiction literature. It is important that they know how to navigate
nonfiction text and understand the significance of text features.

READINESS
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal(s)—
a. Students will display an understanding of text features as found in nonfiction
literature.

B. Objective(s)—
a. Students will locate different forms of text features in nonfiction text.
b. Students will develop familiarity with nonfiction text and text features.
c. Students will discuss the contribution of text features to a text, explaining the
importance or benefit of the features.

C. Standard(s):
a. 3.RN.3.1 Apply knowledge of text features to locate information and gain
meaning from a text (e.g., maps, illustrations, charts, font/format).

II. Management -
a. Time: ~70 minutes
-Whole Group (Anticipatory Set): 5-10 minutes
-Guided Reading (Stations): 10-15 minutes each
-Additional Stations: 10-15 minutes each
-Guided Reading with Mrs. Price
-MyOn
-Foundational Reading
-Word Ladder
-Reading Skills Informational
-My guided reading station will be for the last two rotations.
-Closure: 10-12 minutes
-Cut and Paste Matching Worksheet
 b. Space
-Students will be moving from station to station during reading block. I will
address them in whole group, dismiss to stations, and lead a guided reading
station. Students will either be at their desks or at their designated station area(s).
Some students will be pulled out for learning lab during this block.
-My station will be located at the floor table. Mrs. Price will lead a station at her
table. Other stations will be at student desks or in designated reading areas,
depending on the station.

c. Materials:
-Sample article with text features
-nonfiction text samples/books
*See selected texts attached
-nonfiction piece of text for guided reading
-worksheet (below), matching text features to examples
file:///Users/marinabrandle/Downloads/FREENonfictionTextFeaturesMatchingAc
tivity.pdf
-text features list/chart for reference
-text features checklists
d. Expectations/Procedures:
-Students are to remain on-task throughout reading block. At my station,
they will read the text I provide to themselves. Then, they will work
collaboratively to determine which text contains the most text features.
-If off-task, they will redirected. If asked more than twice, they will begin
losing DoJo points.

Group 1: Justin K(pull-out), Aschten, Carsten, Michael(LLI)

Group 2: Justin C (LLI)., Carmon, Nathanniel (LLI), Mykal, Brandon

Group 3: Jamaurion, Kayleigh, Zenny, Sam, Philip, Emoni

Group 4: Prisha, Liberty

Group 5: Khloe

III. Anticipatory Set

• “I brought an article in today for us to read together [I will hand papers to our paper
passer]. Our paper-passer will hand you the article that we will read together. It talks
about the life cycle of butterflies or moths. I have it up here on the doc cam, take a look,
I have two versions of the same article. Which one is easier to understand? [I will have
one article with no text features and one with all of the text features included] Why
is it easier to understand? Now, let’s read together, I want you all to follow along with
your finger. [I will ask Mrs. Price if it would be better for me to read alone, or for
them to follow along and repeat after me, as she has done in class before.] Before we
 start, do you all remember when you worked on text features with Mrs. Price? Keep an
eye out as we read for any text features you might find!”
• Purpose: “Remember that text features are important because they help us better
understand what we are reading!”
• Following the reading, I will ask students if they noticed any text features and allow
for answers.
• “Okay, now we are going to start stations. While you are working at your stations with
me and with Mrs. Price, do your very best work! Work hard and support one another,
because when we work hard together, we learn so much better, don’t we?”
• I will dismiss into stations and begin my first guided reading station.

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

IV. I will lead two guided reading groups. The differentiation was made according to the
three students within those two station groups. One student, in particular, is ahead
of her peers. She has a solo station catered to her skill level. While text features are
still the subject, there is a different text set aside for Khloe. The complexity of her
text varies from the other groups’ in sentence structure, text size, and vocabulary.
Below, two guided reading groups will be outlined: one for Khloe, and the other for
the other groups with which I will be working.

V. Guided Reading Groups:

a. Guided Reading Group One (for Khloe)
• Prereading:
“I thought, today, we could read out of this book. What kind of genre do you
think this book is? Do you think that this book is fiction or nonfiction? [allow
for answer] Right, it’s nonfiction. It’s about real things in real places. I’m going
to have you go ahead and read this to yourself so then we can talk about it.
• Reading:
I’d like you to look at the picture and then read only the first paragraph. [allow
for her to read assigned section]. Can you read me one sentence that told you
what we would be reading about? [allow for answer] Khloe will read the rest
of page 36 of Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Guide to Insects and Spiders.
• Responding:
“What did you think of this? Is there something you learned that you didn’t
know before? Was there something you read that you did know already? [allow
for answer]
• Exploring:
How were butterflies described in this text? How big was the giant birdwing
butterfly? Did the text talk about the butterfly’s life cycle? Can you show me
where? Read that part to me.
What kind of text features are on this page? [allow for answers; title, side
bars]. What did the side bars do on this page? [allow for answers, follow up
with the following questions to assist]. Did they give you additional
information? [We will explore types of text features and how they help us as
readers]:
 Captions: Help you better understand a picture or photograph
 Comparisons: These sentences help you to picture something {Example: A whale shark is a
little bit bigger than a school bus.}
 Glossary: Helps you define words that are in the book
 Graphics: Charts, graphs, or cutaways are used to help you understand what the author is
trying to tell you
 Illustrations/Photographs: Help you to know exactly what something looks like
 Index: This is an alphabetical list of ideas that are in the book . It tells you what page the idea
is on.
 Labels: These help you identify a picture or a photograph and its parts
 Maps: help you to understand where places are in the world
 Special Print: When a word is bold, in italics, or underlined, it is an important word for you to
know
 Subtitles: These headings help you to know what the next section will be about
 Table of Contents: Helps you identify key topics in the book in the order they are presented

• Applying:
Now we are going to look at all of these books and see if we can find text
features. I want you to tell me which book you think has the most. I have this
check list for you to check off as you look. As you look for these text features, see
if you can determine how they help you read that page. We can talk about it as
you look. [I will ask supporting questions as she explores the nonfiction
literature and as she locates different text features, aiming to deepen her
thinking of text features and why they help readers]

b. Guided Reading Group Two (Prisha/Liberty)

• Prereading:
We are going to be reading out of this book, The Science of Insects. This is a
nonfiction text. How do we know that it’s nonfiction? [allow for answers] [I
will hold up the book to the pages that they will be reading] How will we read
this? Will we read these sentences first? [allow answers] Where will we read
after that? Here? No? Here? Why? [this will be a reminder of how to read the
text in order, not just by page].
• Reading:
I want you to read this part [I will indicate on the page] and when you are
done, I want you to put a bubble in your mouth like this and at the same time
try really hard to cross your eyes like this [I’ll demonstrate; students will begin
reading. I will remind them to be quiet for their peers as they begin to finish.]
• Responding:
Well, what did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you learn
anything new? Did you read anything you already knew?
• Exploring:
What is it called when nymphs shed their skin (molting)? What are the four
parts of the life cycle? Do all insects have the same type of life cycle? Where
does the text tell you that they are not all the same?
 What kind of text features are on this page? [allow for answers; title, side bars,
bold text, pictures]. Did they help you understand what you read? Why/How?
[We will discuss different kinds of text features and how they help us as
readers]:
What do the bolded letters mean? Are these words important? Are they
common words, or uncommon—are we likely to know what they mean or do
you think we won’t know what they mean?

 Captions: Help you better understand a picture or photograph

 Comparisons: These sentences help you to picture something {Example: A whale shark is a
little bit bigger than a school bus.}
 Glossary: Helps you define words that are in the book
 Graphics: Charts, graphs, or cutaways are used to help you understand what the author is
trying to tell you
 Illustrations/Photographs: Help you to know exactly what something looks like
 Index: This is an alphabetical list of ideas that are in the book. It tells you what page the idea
is on.
 Labels: These help you identify a picture or a photograph and its parts
 Maps: help you to understand where places are in the world
 Special Print: When a word is bold, in italics, or underlined, it is an important word for you to
know
 Subtitles: These headings help you to know what the next section will be about
 Table of Contents: Helps you identify key topics in the book in the order they are presented

• Applying:
Now, we are going to look at all of these books and see if we can find text
features. You have to work together to determine which book you think has the
most text features. I have these check lists for you to check off as you look. I
recommend you write the title of each book over a different checklist so you
can really keep track of text features. As you look for these text features, see if
you can determine how they help you read that page. We can talk about it as
you look. [I will ask supporting questions as they explore the nonfiction
literature and as they locate different text features, aiming to deepen their
thinking of text features and why they help readers]

VI. Check for understanding:

a. During guided reading groups, text features will be discussed. What are
they/what do they include? Why are they helpful? Groups will be full of
questions aimed at exploring text features further.
b. Students will complete a worksheet which will assess their understanding of
text features in a literal sense (matching types of text feature to examples).

VII. Closure:
a. “What did you enjoy doing today during your stations? Did you learn anything
new?” [allow for answers]
b. “Thank you so much for working hard with me and with each other today! You
really did great work. I want to give each of you a sticker because of how much
effort you put in today. Before I pass out stickers, I do want to do one last thing
 with you guys. You will be working on it at your seats and you will need scissors
and glue. When I see you working hard on this worksheet, I will come and give
you your sticker.”
c. file:///Users/marinabrandle/Downloads/FREENonfictionTextFeaturesMatchingAc
tivity.pdf
i. (see screenshot attached of matching activity); will only do if time allows.

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

Formative Assessment:
I will be asking many questions throughout our guided reading time which
will prod the thinking of students and assess the development of their
understanding
Summative Assessment:
The worksheet I will introduce during my closure will assess understanding
of text features.
REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS
(CAEP K-6 3.b)
1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why
not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
a. Bloom’s Taxonomy
b. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
7. Did you have any difficulties in getting your students to read to themselves? Why
or why not?
8. Were students participating in conversation?
9. Was conversation successful? How could you improve this approach?
10. Were your objectives fully met? Why or why not?