Writing about Literature: The Central Message in The Little Hummingbird | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G2:M4:U1:L3

Writing about Literature: The Central Message in The Little Hummingbird

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.2.1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text
  • RL.2.2: Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
  • RL.2.3: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges
  • RL.2.4: Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
  • W.2.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
  • SL.2.2: Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine the central message of The Little Hummingbird based on how the character's respond to the problem/challenge. (RL.2.1, RL.2.2, RL.2.3)
  • I can write a paragraph recounting The Little Hummingbird and its central message." (RL.2.2, SL.2.2, W.2.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • After Work Time B, collect student writing from the culminating task and use the Reading Literature Checklist to track students' progress toward RL.2.2 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Song and Movement: "We Do What We Can" (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Close Read-aloud, Session 2: The Little Hummingbird, Pages 11-16 (20 minutes)

B. Close Read-aloud, Culminating Task: The Little Hummingbird (25 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment 

A. Reflecting on Learning: Working to Contribute to a Better World (5 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this Lesson, students participate in Session 2 of a close read-aloud of The Little Hummingbird. This marks the end of the first cycle of reading, role-play, oral recounting, and writing.  After hearing the story multiple times, students determine its central message and recount it orally. Next, they write a paragraph identical to their oral rehearsal, which serves as the culminating task of the close read-aloud. Recall that this cycle repeats throughout Lessons 4-10, becoming a predictable structure for students when reading, analyzing, and writing about folktales and fables. (RL.2.1, RL.2.2, RL.2.3, SL.2.2, W.2.2).
  • In the Opening, students continue to think about how words and phrases supply rhythm and meaning in songs. This supports their understanding of how to make meaning from repeated language. (RL.2.4)
  • During Work Time A, students determine the central message of The Little Hummingbird. Students examine how the characters respond to the problem/challenge in order to infer the message (RL.2.2, RL.2.3).
  • In Work Time B, students orally recount the story and central message of The Little Hummingbird (RL.2.2). This serves as a scaffold for the paragraph they write as the Culminating Task (W.2.2).

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Lesson 2, students identified the story elements in The Little Hummingbird. In this lesson, they go deeper by using their knowledge of story elements to determine and write a full paragraph about the story elements and central message of The Little Hummingbird. By revisiting the Unit 1 guiding question, students continue to explore how pollinators, in works of fiction, make the world a better place.
  • Continue to use Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversations.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • If students need additional support to write independently, consider pulling a small group of students to provide them extra scaffolds in the writing process. Consider providing students time to orally tell what they are going to write before writing. Additionally, consider allocating additional time for those students who need it.
  • In the Opening, some students may need additional support to identify rhythm and repetition. Consider using additional poems or songs with clear rhythm and repetition in other parts of the school day to reinforce this skill.

Down the road:

  • In Lessons 5, 7, and 9, students write new paragraphs about the central message in fables and folktales in preparation for the Unit 1 Assessment in Lessons 11 and 12.
  • During the Openings in Lessons 3, 4, 5, and 6, students will continue to sing the song "We Do What We Can" and start to determine the meaning of a new word formed when a prefix is added.

In Advance

  • Preview the Close Read-aloud Guide: The Little Hummingbird (session 2 and culminating task; for teacher reference)
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

Consider using an interactive white board or document camera to display lesson materials.

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-3 to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided by in part by CA ELD Standards 2.I.B.6, 2.I.B.8, and 2.I.C.10

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to prepare for writing by using story elements to orally recount a folktale.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to write their paragraphs independently after recounting The Little Hummingbird only once. Provide additional opportunities for students to practice recounting to prepare for writing. Provide sentence frames and additional models to support independent writing (see Levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support

  • During Work Time B, invite students to mentor those who need heavier support as they recount The Little Hummingbird and write paragraphs.

For heavier support

  • During Work Time B, distribute a version of pages 2-3 of the Fables and Folktales response notebook with sentence frames to support writing the paragraph. Refer to Fables and Folktales response notebook (example, for teacher reference) to determine useful sentence frames.
  • During Work Time B, consider working closely with a group of students to complete their paragraphs as a shared writing experience.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to support comprehension by activating prior knowledge and scaffold connections for students. Continue to provide visual display of questions and student responses on a chart or the board during discussions.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support strategy during independent writing by modeling how to physically touch the words/spaces on the sentence frame and draw lines for the words to be written. Recall that this helps students recall their original ideas during the writing process.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): During this lesson, some students may need additional support with sustained effort. Continue to provide targeted feedback that encourages sustained effort during each activity and encourages the use of specific supports and strategies, such as the Word Wall and peer support.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

Review:

  • recount, central message, paragraph (L)

Materials

  • "We Do What We Can" (from Lesson 2; one to display)
    • Close Read-aloud Guide: The Little Hummingbird (Session 2; for teacher reference)
    • Reading Literature Checklist (see Assessment Overview and Resources)
    • Story Elements and Central Message Class Notes: The Little Hummingbird (begun in Lesson 2)
    • Fables and Folktales response notebook (one per student)
  • Independent Paragraph Writing Page: The Little Hummingbird (pages 2-3 of the Fables and Folktales response notebook)
    • Fables and Folktales response notebook (example, for teacher reference)
  • Unit 1 Guiding Question anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Assessment

Each unit in the K-2 Language Arts Curriculum has one standards-based assessment built in. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

https://curriculum.eleducation.org/

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Song and Movement: "We Do What We Can" (10 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Display the "We Do What We Can" song. Remind students that they have been singing a song with repeated lines.
  • Invite students to sing the song chorally.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What can we learn from this song?" "Does this song have a central message?" (We can all do things to make our space a better place.)

  • Tell students that adding movements to a song often helps to communicate its meaning. Say: "Yesterday, you noticed the song is talking about us. To show that you believe you can do something to make the space a better place, we will add hand movements to make sure people know you are singing about yourselves."
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What movements go with we?" (Responses will vary, but may include: pointing at ourselves.)

"What movements go with our space?" (Responses will vary, but may include: opening hands wide.)

  • Invite students to sing the song again chorally with movements.
  • With excitement, share that tomorrow, they will keep working with this song as a way to learn about prefixes.
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Provide individual copies of the poem and invite students to sketch illustrations above key words and phrases. (MMR, MME)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Close Read-aloud, Session 2: The Little Hummingbird, Pages 11-16 (20 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:
    • "I can determine the central message of The Little Hummingbird based on how the character's respond to the problem/challenge."
  • Remind students that the central message is the important thing that [the author] is trying to teach us through this book. Explain that the characters' responses to the problem/challenge helps the reader to understand the central message.
  • Guide students through the close read-aloud for The Little Hummingbird using the Close Read-aloud Guide: The Little Hummingbird (Session 2; for teacher reference). Consider using the Reading Literature Checklist during the close read-aloud(see Assessment Overview and Resources).
  • During Session 2, refer to the guide for the use of:
    • Story Elements and Central Message Class Notes: The Little Hummingbird
  • Refocus whole group. Give students specific, positive feedback on their close reading skills. (Example: "I saw you using the anchor chart with notes from the text to help you think about the central message.")
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with activating prior knowledge: (Example Paragraph) Display an example of a student's paragraph from a prior lesson to refresh their memories about what a paragraph is. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: (Recalling Language Dives) Refer to the Language Dive in Lesson 1 to support students' understanding of the central message of The Little Hummingbird. Ask:

"Based on our Language Dive work, how did the bee help? What did we learn from it? So what can we learn from the hummingbird?" (The bee did a small deed and made a big difference. The hummingbird also tried to help and do what it could.)

B. Close Read-aloud, Culminating Task: The Little Hummingbird (25minutes)

  • Read the second posted learning target:
    • "I can write a paragraph recounting The Little Hummingbird and its central message."
  • Review the meaning of the underlined words, noting student-friendly phrases or symbols directly on the displayed learning target to support understanding of the vocabulary:
    • Paragraph: a group of sentences that develop an idea
    • Central message: the important thing that [the author] is trying to teach us through this book.
  • Guide students through the culminating task for close read-aloud for The Little Hummingbird using the Close Read-aloud Guide: The Little Hummingbird (Culminating Task; for teacher reference).
  • During the Culminating Task, refer to the guide for the use of:
    • Story Elements and Central Message Class Notes: The Little Hummingbird
      • Fables and Folktales response notebook (one per student)
  • Collect student work to determine where they may need support in recounting a story and stating the central message when writing a paragraph.
  • For ELLs: (Noticing Parts of Speech) Ask:

"How am I using the word recount differently when I say, 'I can recount the story' and when I ask, 'What is your recount of the story?'" (In the first example, recount is a verb, or an action word, that means to retell the story elements of a story. In the second example, a recount is a noun, or a thing. It is the word for your specific telling of the story.)

  • For students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: Before sharing, invite students to briefly draw a few illustrations as visual supports for their oral recount of the story. (MMAE, MME)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with strategy development: (Modeling and Thinking Aloud: Writing Paragraphs) Model and think aloud writing one or two sentences of a paragraph based on the oral recount of The Little Hummingbird before prompting students to work independently. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with planning: (Color-Coding: Informational Paragraphs) While modeling, color-code each part of the paragraph to support students with paragraph structure. If possible, use the same colors used when introducing informational paragraphs in Module 2. Encourage students to write or underline using colored pencils as they draft their own paragraphs. (MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning: Working to Contribute to a Better World (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Unit 1 Guiding Question anchor chart, and read the question aloud:
    • "What does it mean to make the world a better place?"
  • Briefly review the story elements and central message from The Little Hummingbird. Turn and Talk:

"How did the hummingbird try to make her world a better place?" (She tried to put out the forest fire.)

Conversation Cue: "Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Preview tomorrow's work: reading another folktale about pollinators!
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with motivation: (Revisiting the Learning Targets) Revisit the learning target introduced in Work Time B. Ask students to give specific examples of how they worked toward achieving it in this lesson. Invite students to rephrase the learning targets now that they have more experience recounting and writing paragraphs. (MME)

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