Discover Our Topic: Design Thinking | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G6:M2:U1:L1

Discover Our Topic: Design Thinking

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.6.1

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • SL.6.1, L.6.4
Download Materials

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can infer the topic of this module from the resources. (RI.6.1)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket (L.6.4)
  • Work Time A: Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher (RI.6.1)
  • Closing and Assessment A: QuickWrite (W.6.10)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner – L.6.4 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Infer the Topic – RI.6.1 (15 minutes)

B. Introduce the Performance Task and Module Guiding Questions (10 minutes)

C. Launch the Text: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. QuickWrite: Design Thinking – W.6.10 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Read and Reflect: Students read and reflect on the guiding questions for the module and discuss them with their families. They should consider how the guiding questions make them feel. They can sketch or write about their ideas.

B. Preread Anchor Text: Students preread the first half of chapter 1 (pages 4–17) of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind in preparation for studying an excerpt from the chapter in the next lesson.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • RI.6.1 – Work Time A: Students participate in the Infer the Topic protocol and engage with resources (e.g., images and text excerpts) related to the topic of the module.
  • Students are introduced to the module anchor text, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, in Work Time C. Be aware that the descriptions of suffering presented in the book may be sensitive for students and that some students may connect with these issues personally and deeply. After exploring the text, students have time to reflect. Monitor students and determine if there are issues surfacing that need to be discussed in more detail as a whole group, in smaller groups, or independently. Be aware that reflections may be personal and students are not required to share them.
  • Be aware that The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind describes life in a poor Malawian village. In describing his community to the reader, one of the authors, William Kamkwamba, occasionally positions his life in rural Malawi as representative of African life overall. Although William’s intention is to present his experiences in Africa as he lived them, it is possible that his descriptions reinforce stereotypes of Africa as a homogeneous continent, comprised only of poor countries and communities. As students learn more about William’s community, it may be necessary to remind them that Africa is a vast, heterogeneous continent, and that not all of its countries and communities have the same struggles.
  • One of the module guiding questions asks, how can design thinking help solve a critical problem? During Work Time B, students will brainstorm critical and non-critical problems. Note that due to their age and varying levels of maturity, middle school students may have skewed ideas about what problems are critical to them. Use probing questions in a sensitive and open-minded manner to help students express what is critical in their lives.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • There are many resources online to extend learning about engineering and the design thinking process. Note students whose interest is piqued during the Infer the Topic protocol. Allow students to explore resources such as http://eled.org/0162 or http://eled.org/0163.
  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after the anchor text is launched in Work Time C, is available in the supporting materials. 

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • If students have worked on EL Education modules in Grades K–5, this module will build on those foundations.

Support All Students

  • Integrated ELL supports are marked throughout lessons with a ▲. These teaching suggestions support student comprehension without disrupting lesson flow or requiring extensive class time or additional materials. Deeper, high-leverage supports, designed to accelerate ELLs’ language development, can be found in the Levels of Support columns in each lesson.
  • Note that there is a differentiated version of the I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher ▲ used in Work Time A in the supporting materials. Differentiated versions of some materials are available in many lessons as a way to provide additional support to ELLs. 
  • Students may need additional support reading the text excerpts in the Infer the Topic protocol. Invite students to help each other by reading the excerpts aloud to each other. ▲
  • Consider pairing ELLs with a partner who has more advanced or native language proficiency. The partner with greater language proficiency can serve as a model in the pair, initiating discussions and providing implicit sentence frames, for example. ▲
  • It may be challenging for ELLs to understand the prologue in the anchor text, which introduces the reader(s) to William and his windmill invention without any context. Before reading the prologue aloud, remind all students that they do not need to understand every word and that chapter 1 will give them a clearer sense of the story’s subject(s). ▲
  • The homework for most lessons suggests that students preread the next chapter ahead of time; make it clear to students why prereading is valuable (i.e., prereading acquaints students with the central ideas ahead of time, so they can focus on details as they read; prereading gives students a sense of what is to come in the story, so they can prepare; the more times a student reads a text, the faster he or she can decode every word). Prereading may be an especially supportive practice for ELLs, as it provides an opportunity for them to verify the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary and acquaint themselves with the structure and/or key content of the chapter. ▲
  • An audiobook of the young readers edition of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is available online, though it is not free. Provide students with the option of purchasing the audiobook or checking it out from their local library on their own to support their understanding, if needed. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Monitor students’ I Notice/I Wonder note-catchers to ensure they are on the right track for inferring what the module is about at the end of the Infer the Topic protocol.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will spend some time discussing their reflections on the module guiding questions. As students move through Units 1, 2, and 3, they continue to build their understanding of the module questions, which they’ll revisit at the close of the module.
  • In the next lesson, students continue reading the text and building background by watching William Kamkwamba’s first TED Talk. Note that it is not necessary to keep the resolution a surprise. Students will know from the beginning that William is successful in building the windmill and bringing electricity to his village. The emphasis throughout this module will remain on the iterative nature of the design process he followed as he tested, failed, redesigned, and retested.

In Advance

  • Prepare
    • Academic and domain-specific word walls (created in Module 1): Keep blank word cards and markers located close by. This is an area of the classroom in which academic and domain-specific words will be added throughout the year.
    • Infer the Topic resources (see supporting materials), and post them around the room.
    • Performance Task anchor chart (see Performance Task download on the Module Overview page).
    • Module Guiding Questions anchor chart (see Module Overview).
  • Besides the resources displayed around the room for the Infer the Topic protocol, students should also consider the images in the text as well, specifically the map prior to the title page and the photographs of William and his windmill just after page 150. Determine whether you will distribute the anchor text before the protocol for students to view or if you will display a few copies of the text and the contained images around the room.
  • Create strategic groupings for the Think-Triad-Share protocol in Work Time A.
  • Consider posting a large map of Africa with Malawi highlighted.
  • If a previous class of students has already completed this module, consider displaying a model performance task from a former student. This will allow students to make connections between the model and the performance task requirements.
  • Read the prologue in advance to identify plot points and vocabulary that may require clarification or sensitivity.
  • Review the student tasks and example answers to get familiar with what students will be required to do in the lesson (see Materials list).
  • Prepare copies of handouts for students, including entrance ticket (see Materials list).
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Opening A: Complete the modeling for the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher with the class in an online word-processing document, such as http://eled.org/0158.
  • Work Time A: Students complete their Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catchers in an online word-processing document, such as http://eled.org/0158.
  • Work Time A: Students complete their note-catchers in a word-processing document using speech-to-text facilities activated on devices or using an app or software such as http://eled.org/0143.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 6.I.A.1, 6.I.B.5, 6.I.B.6, and 6.II.A.1.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson uses both short passages and engaging images to introduce a new module topic, which students infer through an interactive protocol. The diversity of media used in this protocol supports ELLs who have lower reading abilities and may benefit from visual supports. Also in this lesson, a new anchor text is launched. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tells the remarkable story of an adolescent's initiative and perseverance in the face of critical community problems. To spark student interest in the text and to reduce the amount of reading expected on the first day of a new module, students listen only to the short prologue read aloud before beginning chapter 1 in the following lesson. Lesson 1 also features the first optional Mini Language Dive: Mini Language Dives are 5-minute tasks that support student understanding of the text and improve students' abilities to understand and independently replicate the useful linguistic structures they encounter.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to begin a new text, especially if they do not have the vocabulary knowledge or decoding abilities to read with ease or if they struggled to complete the anchor text in Module 1. Also, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind may be a more challenging text than The Lightning Thief, as it tackles scientific concepts and contains vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to students. Note, however, that many of these unfamiliar words are science-related or regionally specific (e.g., maize, famine, or circuit board) and are likely to be unfamiliar to all students, not just ELLs. ELLs may be heartened to recall that even native speakers of English encounter words that are unfamiliar or challenging. Furthermore, the text carefully introduces many of its challenging words, offering clear definitions in the text (e.g., "My family grew maize, which is another word for white corn," p. 6). Throughout the module, be sensitive to differences in students' reading abilities and remind them that reading the text will be a class effort, completed one excerpt at a time. Continue to encourage students to use provided chapter summaries to reinforce or verify their understanding of the text's key events. Locate opportunities throughout the module to celebrate reading milestones and generate motivation to continue through the text.

Vocabulary

  • critical, inference, prologue (A)
  • symposium (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Academic word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Equity sticks (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Affix list (one per student; see Tools page)
  • Vocabulary logs (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 (example for teacher reference)
  • Infer the Topic resources
  • Directions for Infer the Topic (for teacher reference) (one for display)
  • Performance Task anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (see Performance Task download on the Module Overview page)
  • Module Guiding Questions anchor chart (see Teaching Notes)
  • Online dictionary (see Teaching Notes)
  • Text Guide: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (for teacher reference)
  • Gist anchor chart: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (example for teacher reference)
  • QuickWrite: Design Thinking Process (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 (one per student)
  • Online or paper translation dictionary (for ELLs in home language)
  • Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher (one per student)
  • Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher ▲
  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (text; one per student)
  • Board and dry-erase marker (optional; one each per student)
  • Sticky notes (two per student)
  • Synopsis: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Prologue (one per student)
  • QuickWrite: Design Thinking Process (one per student)

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Download this Performance Task

Opening

Opening

A. Engage the Learner - L.6.4 (5 minutes)

  • As students enter the classroom, distribute Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 and allow time for students to record their responses. Refer to the Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 (example for teacher reference) for possible responses.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What does it mean to make an inference?" (To draw a conclusion from given evidence and one's background knowledge.)

  • Explain that, similarly to Module 1, students will be participating in an activity during this lesson to infer the topic of the new module.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning target and select a volunteer to read it aloud:

"I can infer the topic of this module from the resources."

  • Point to the word infer already recorded on the academic word wall. Using a total participation technique, such as equity sticks, ask:

"What is the relationship between the words infer and inference?" (Infer is the verb form; inference is the noun form.)

  • Remind students that they saw this learning target in the previous module.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Infer the Topic – RI.6.1 (15 minutes)

  • Focus students on the Infer the Topic resources posted around the room.
  • Distribute the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catchers or the optional Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catchers ▲ . Focus students on the question at the top, and read it aloud:

“What do you think you will be learning about in this module?”

  • Tell students that the purpose of the note-catcher is to take notes to help them remember their thinking. It isn’t something they will hand in for assessment, so they can record in pictures or words. They do not need to write in full sentences. ▲
  • Be transparent about why students are noticing and wondering (because it is a helpful way to understand and explore a new topic or text).
  • Remind students that they used the Infer the Topic protocol in the previous module, and review as necessary using the Directions for Infer the Topic.
  • Distribute the text, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Besides the resources displayed around the room, students should also consider the images in the text as well, specifically the map prior to the title page and the photographs of William and his windmill just after page 150.
  • Guide students through the protocol. Allow them to choose what resources to observe, so those who may not be able to read independently have the option to view an image. Mixed-proficiency pairs can choose the resources they want to observe and begin by discussing what the resources mean. ▲ Encourage students to agree or disagree with one another about what the resources mean using sentence frames. Examples: “I agree because _____.” “I disagree because_____.”
  • Refocus whole group. Think-Triad-Share:

“Now that you have looked at some resources, what do you think this module might be about?” (Responses will vary, but could include windmills, experiments, a boy in Africa, and inventions that improve people’s lives.)

  • If productive, cue students to elaborate or expand upon their answers:

“Can you say more about that? I’ll give you some time to think and write or sketch.” (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target, using a checking for understanding technique—for example, using Thumb-O-Meter. Scan student responses and make a note of students who might need support. Check in with them moving forward.

For Lighter Support

  • If it is feasible to do so, host individual reading check-ins with ELLs before they begin the Module 2 anchor text. During these meetings, work with students to identify their reading strengths, as well as pinpoint areas of possible growth. Help students develop action plans for working toward their goals. Plan to meet with students again at the end of the module to track their progress and adjust goals as needed. This process supports a growth mindset for developing readers and facilitates opportunities for students to take charge of their own learning.

For Heavier Support

  • If it is feasible to do so, host individual reading check-ins with ELLs before they begin the Module 2 anchor text. Before these meetings, create a list of clear and specific statements that students can use to help them pinpoint their strengths and areas of growth. Students can use a 1–5 scale, or a more visually appealing alternative, to express the extent to which they believe the statements apply to them. These statements might include the following:
    • I can read quickly in English and still understand what I read.
    • I enjoy reading in English.
    • I enjoy reading in other languages.
    • I understand most words I read in class.
    • I know how to determine the meaning of words I don’t know.
    • I feel comfortable using a dictionary.
    • I can usually determine the central idea of what I read.
  • During Work Time A, invite students who need heavier support to use the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher ▲ . This resource features more specific questions, honing student attention and reducing cognitive overload.

B. Introduce the Performance Task and Module Guiding Questions (10 minutes)

  • Direct students’ attention to the Performance Task anchor chart, and read the task aloud.
  • As students may be overwhelmed by the performance task expectations, assure them that they will continue to explore the meaning of the chart in subsequent lessons and units.
  • Turn and Talk:

“What do you notice?” (Responses will vary, but may include the following: We will be researching problems and their solutions. Instead of a traditional presentation, we will be having several conversations with smaller audiences.)

“What do you wonder?” (Responses will vary, but may include the following: What might a “flip-down” visual look like? How will I find an innovator to present?)

“Now that you have analyzed the performance task, has your inference of what this module might be about changed? How?” (Responses will vary.)

  • Clarify anything pertinent to this specific performance task. Consider displaying a model performance task from a former student. Ask students to make connections between the model and the performance task.
  • Direct students’ attention to the Module Guiding Questions anchor chart, and read the questions aloud.

“How can design thinking help solve a critical problem?”

“How do habits of character help people to solve critical problems and contribute to a better world?”

  • Turn and Talk:

“Why do we have guiding questions for each module?” (Responses will vary, but may include the following: to help focus our learning, to help us think about the performance task.)

  • Underline the word critical. Turn and Talk:

“What does this mean? What strategy can you use to find out?”

  • Invite students to work in their triads to determine the meaning of the word, and use a total participation technique to select a student to share with the whole group (of the nature of a crisis; serious or dangerous).
  • Using an online dictionary, display the multiple definitions of the word critical. Point out that there are multiple meanings of the word critical. Model swapping out the different definitions to find the one that makes the most sense in the context of the guiding question.
  • Turn and Talk:

“Give an example of a critical problem and a non-critical problem.” (Responses will vary, but may include the following: A critical problem is not having access to clean water. A non-critical problem is spilling your water bottle in the cafeteria.)

  • If needed, have students review or define the meaning of the prefix non- before responding to the question.
  • Add critical to the academic word wall, including translations in home languages. ▲
  • Redirect student attention to the Module Guiding Questions anchor chart. Tell students that these are the questions that will guide their thinking and learning throughout the module.
  • Turn and Talk:

“What do you notice?” (Responses will vary, but may include the following: we are going to be incorporating the habits of character into our learning on the topic.)

“What do you wonder?” (Responses will vary, but may include the following: what does design thinking mean?)

“Now that you have analyzed the guiding questions and performance task, has your inference of what this module might be about changed?” (Responses will vary.)

  • If productive, cue students to repeat or paraphrase the ideas of others:

“Who can repeat what your classmate said? Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?”

  • Clarify that in this module they will explore how design thinking can be used to solve critical problems.
  • Turn and Talk:

“What does this topic mean to you at this point? Why might it be meaningful to study this topic?” (Responses will vary, but may include the following: coming up with creative solutions will be an important life skill, especially when tackling problems that affect a lot of people.)

“From what you know so far, what are you looking forward to about this topic?” (Responses will vary, but may include the following: I enjoy tinkering, engineering, and building things; it sounds like that will be part of our learning in this module.)

  • Acknowledge that some students may already know something about this topic. Explain that for homework they will reflect on the guiding questions and how they feel about them based on their own experiences, and that this will be discussed more at the beginning of the next lesson. And note that some students may know nothing about the topic—it will be fun to dig in together!
  • Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target, using a checking for understanding technique. Scan student responses and make a note of students who might need support. Check in with them moving forward.
  • N/A

C. Launch the Text: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (10 minutes)

  • Point to the word prologue. Invite students to retrieve their affix lists. Draw a chart like the one below on the board. Guide students in a Think Aloud, breaking the word apart into its prefix and root word.

Word Parts  |  Meaning  |  Origin
pro-                   | before          | Greek   
-logue               | word             | Greek 

  • Think-Pair-Share:

“In your own words, state a definition of the word prologue.” (Before the words.)

“Where in the table of contents of a book would you expect to find a prologue?” (At the beginning.)

  • Clarify that a prologue is a section of a text that comes before the first chapter, or the main body, of a book or text. Invite students to record prologue in their vocabulary logs, and add it to the academic word wall.
  • Ask students to retrieve their text, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Direct students to the table of contents, and invite them to find the prologue.
  • Tell students they will now spend 2 minutes looking through the book with their partner and discussing what they notice and wonder. Partner B will share a notice or a wonder first, and then partner A, and then partner B again, and so on.
  • Provide boards and dry-erase markers or sticky notes as an option for students to record (in drawing or writing) their ideas. This helps scaffold active listening for key details.
  • Use equity sticks to select students to share out what they notice and wonder about the book. As students share out, draw an I Notice/I Wonder chart on the board and complete as students share out. Listen for suggestions such as the following:
    • Notice: The story takes place in Malawi, Africa.
    • Wonder: Why would a windmill change people’s lives?
  • Invite students to turn to page 1. Read aloud pages 1–3 of the prologue as student read along silently. Note that while students may read in small groups or individually in future lessons, students will benefit from this initial introduction to the text as a whole class.
  • Read aloud the selected excerpt, using the Text Guide: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (for teacher reference) for comprehension and vocabulary questions as needed. Read aloud, and remind students to read along silently.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

“What happened?” (A crowd of locals gathers as William prepares to turn on his windmill for the first time. William speaks to the windmill as if it were a person, willing it to work properly. It does and the doubtful crowd gasps in astonishment. William has done the seemingly impossible.)

“What were you feeling for the narrator as you read the prologue? Why? What habits of character were you practicing as you read?” (Student responses will vary, but may include practicing compassion for him as he described how he had been teased and as the people gathered called him “crazy,” and feeling anxious that the machine might not work and he would be laughed at even more. At the end of the prologue students may have felt relief and pride for him.)

  • Invite a student to paraphrase the key points in more comprehensible language for those who need heavier support. ▲
  • Think-Pair-Share:

“What is the gist? What is this part of the book mostly about?” (William premieres his invention in front of a doubting crowd and discovers that it works.)

  • Model recording gist (key words, not full sentences) on a sticky note, and invite students to do the same, sticking them at the front of the prologue for quick reference. Students will also benefit from adding the page numbers and their initials on the sticky note for easier materials management. Refer to the Gist anchor chart: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (example for teacher reference).
  • Remind students that finding gist is not a new skill, since they practiced it during Module 1. Also remind them that their goal is to understand what the story is mostly about after a first read, and it is okay if there are parts they don’t quite understand yet.
  • Turn and Talk:

“How does this first part of the text align with your inferences during the Infer the Topic protocol? Were your inferences correct?” (Answers will vary.)

  • Use Synopsis: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Prologue to review and note key details for this excerpt. This will help to complete students’ understanding of the events, especially if they are not able to complete the reading of the full chapter.
  • Invite students to record select words from the text in their vocabulary logs and add them to either the academic word wall or domain-specific word wall.

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time C, after launching the text and reading the prologue, invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to more carefully examine the way William is introduced in the text (RI.6.3). This Mini Language Dive also gives students the opportunity to clarify the meaning of an unfamiliar word (L.6.4) and interpret the authors' use of figurative language (L.6.5).

For Heavier Support

  • To support ELLs' independent Notices and Wonderings when launching the text in Work Time C, provide students with scaffolded instructions for locating important information (e.g., names of the main characters, details about the setting) within the text. These instructions could include the following:
    • "Scan the text for character names that you see repeated many times. Who do you think are the main characters of this book?"
    • "Read the chapter titles on the contents page. What words do you recognize in the chapter titles? What questions do you have about the words?"
    • "Go to page 4 and find the paragraph that begins 'My name is William Kamkwamba.' Where does William live?"

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. QuickWrite: Design Thinking - W.6.10 (5 minutes)

  • Distribute QuickWrite: Design Thinking Process. Display the Design Thinking Process graphic from the Infer the Topic Resources for students to reference as they write. Direct students to begin.
  • Refocus whole group after 4 minutes.
  • Invite students to reflect on how habits of character were demonstrated during this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

Homework

HomeworkLevels of Support

A. Read and Reflect

  • Students read and reflect on the guiding questions for the module and discuss them with their families. They should consider how the guiding questions make them feel. They can sketch or write about their ideas.

B. Preread Anchor Text

  • Students preread the first half of chapter 1 (pages 4–17) of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind in preparation for studying an excerpt from the chapter in the next lesson.

For Lighter Support

  • This is the first lesson in Module 2 that asks students to preread chapters from the anchor text as homework before reading the chapters together in class. Develop a list of prereading strategies that students who need lighter support can use when prereading on their own. These may include the following:
    • Use an English dictionary to clarify the meaning of unfamiliar words.
    • Ask and answer simple questions about the chapter using who, what, where, when, why, or how questions.
    • Create a "mind-map" to connect important details, characters, or events to one another.

For Heavier Support

  • This is the first lesson in Module 2 that asks students to preread chapters from the anchor text as homework before reading the chapters together in class. Develop a list of prereading strategies that students who need heavier support can use when prereading on their own. These may include the following:
    • Use a translation dictionary to verify the meaning of unfamiliar words.
    • Skim and scan for the names of key characters, places, or events.
    • Isolate and read the first sentences of each paragraph in the chapter, noting important plot details.

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