Noticing and Wondering: Helping Birds | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G1:M4:U1:L1

Noticing and Wondering: Helping Birds

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
  • SL.1.1b: Build on others' talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.
  • L.1.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
  • L.1.4a: Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  • L.1.4b: Use frequently occurring affixes as a clue to the meaning of a word.
  • L.1.4c: Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look) and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks, looked, looking).
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine the meanings of unknown words to understand the meaning of a text. (L.1.4, L.1.4a, L.1.4b, L.1.4c)
  • I can make observations about pictures of birds by looking closely at details. (SL.1.1, SL.1.1b)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During Work Time A and the Closing, use the Speaking and Listening Checklist to monitor student progress toward SL.1.1a and SL.1.1b (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Learner: Letter from an Ornithologist (15 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Picture Tea Party Protocol: Bird Pictures (25 minutes)

B. Reading Aloud: Lost and Found (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol: Habits of Character (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • This first lesson of the module transitions students from Module 3 into Module 4 by using what they have learned about birds and presenting a new area of focus: birds that need help.
  • While reading the ornithologist letter, students are presented with two questions: "Why should we care about birds?" and "How do characters in stories care for birds?" These two questions are the module guiding question and the Unit 1 guiding question. Students revisit the Unit 1 guiding question throughout the unit and reflect on the module guiding question in Lesson 9.
  • The Opening introduces students to the language standards L.1.4a, L.1.4b, and L.1.4c through the use of vocabulary strategies. Students revisit these standards more officially during Work Time in Lesson 3 and other focused read-aloud lessons in the unit.
  • In Work Time A, the use of the Picture Tea Party protocol is meant to engage students in the new direction of their bird study. Draw on students' natural curiosity by encouraging lots of notices and wonders as they share the ornithologist pictures and support conversation skills as needed.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • Recall that in Module 3, conforming to the Next Generation Science Standards, students built deep knowledge about birds, their body parts, and how specific body parts help birds survive. In this module, students apply this knowledge to make a meaningful contribution to their community. In Unit 1 in particular, students begin to learn about things people can do to help birds live and grow by examining how characters in stories care for birds.
  • Similar to Module 3, students continue to notice and wonder while observing bird pictures.
  • This lesson applies students' knowledge of habits of character to the unit topic of bird helpers.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support to see important parts of their picture. Consider drawing a circle or an arrow to point out key details to support students' observations.
  • Students may have a hard time recalling habits of character they have learned in previous modules. Display the Habits of Character anchor charts and circulate to review any habits as necessary.

Down the road:

  • Throughout this module, students discover more about birds and how they interact with people. They will develop a broader understanding of the problems birds face and how they are helped in order to understand the module's guiding question about why birds should be helped.

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Bird Helper Word Wall card for ornithologist.
    • Ornithologist envelope by placing the ornithologist letter and ornithologist pictures inside.
  • Distribute materials for Work Time A at student workspaces.
  • Strategically place students in groups of four or five with at least one strong writer per group for the Picture Tea Party protocol during Work Time A.

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 in part by CA ELD Standards 1.I.A.1, 1.I.A.3, 1.I.B.6, and 1.I.B.8

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to build schema about the topic of the module with pictures and to participate in structured discussion that will provide essential context for the entire unit.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to process the abundance of information about the new topic in order to articulate things that they notice and wonder (see levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Invite a student to highlight the evidence in the ornithologist letter that helps answer the question: "What does an ornithologist do, and why is an ornithologist writing to us?"
  • In Work Time A, during the Picture Tea Party protocol, frequently think aloud the cognitive process of making observations and asking questions about those observations.
  • Explain the purpose and goals of Conversation Cues to students. Tell them that they should listen closely for Conversation Cues, as they will respond to the cues throughout this module.

For heavier support:

  • If productive, create a four-column chart titled "Base Words and Word Parts 1." Add the headings "base word," "-ed," "-ing," and "-s" so that each word and extra part is the heading of a column. Write the words learn, learned, learning and learns in the corresponding columns. Continue to add to the chart throughout the unit. This chart gives students a visual representation to track the meaning of words using base words and extra parts.
  • Display, repeat, and invite students to rephrase the question: "What does an ornithologist do, and why is an ornithologist writing to us?" (Example: "What does the word ornithologist mean?" "What does the ornithologist want us to do?")

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Recall that some students may need additional support with visual perception. During the read-aloud, offer options for perception by displaying the text on a document camera or display an enlarged copy of the text to help direct students to the appropriate sentences on each page as they follow along.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Recall that some students may need support in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected. Appropriate goal-setting supports development of executive skills and strategies. Continue to offer scaffolds for students learning to set appropriate personal goals in this lesson.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue supporting students in linking the information presented in the text back to the learning targets. Invite students to make this connection by explicitly highlighting the utility and relevance of the text to the learning targets. Continue to include opportunities to refocus students' attention on the learning targets throughout the lesson and invite students to share how each learning activity is supporting their instructional goal.

Vocabulary

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

New:

  • learn, ornithologist, reread, advocate (T)

Materials

  • Ornithologist envelope (one to display)
    • Ornithologist letter (one to display)
    • Ornithologist pictures (one per student)
  • Bird Word Wall card (new; teacher-created; one)
  • Bird Word Wall (begun in Module 3; added to during the Opening)
  • Picture Tea Party Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 2)
  • Classroom Discussion Norms anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Bird Helper Notice and Wonder recording form (one per student)
  • Lost and Found (one to display; for teacher read-aloud)
  • Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 1)

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.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engaging the Learner: Letter from an Ornithologist (15 minutes)

  • Invite students to the whole group area.
  • With excitement, share that students will continue their study of birds in a new way today.
  • Display the ornithologist envelope.
  • Share that you have received an envelope with a letter and some pictures from an ornithologist who has heard about the bird riddle cards that students created in Module 3.
  • Take out the ornithologist letter and ornithologist pictures and display the letter.
  • Invite students to listen carefully as you read the letter aloud so that they can answer this question:
    • "What does an ornithologist do, and why is an ornithologist writing to us?"
  • While still displaying the text, read aloud the entire letter.
  • Tell students that there are some words you need to read again to help you understand this important letter.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can determine the meanings of unknown words to understand the meaning of a text."

  • Reread the first three sentences in the paragraph, emphasizing the underlined words: learning, learned, and learn.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What familiar word do you see in all of these words?" (learn)

Conversation Cue: "Do you agree or disagree with what your classmate said? Why? I'll give you time to think." (Responses will vary.)

  • Define learn (to get knowledge about a topic or experience).
  • Point out that even though some of the words have different endings, they all mean "getting knowledge about a topic or experience."
  • Draw students' attention back to the text and read the third sentence slowly: "I also like to learn about birds; that is why I became an ornithologist."
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What do you think the word ornithologist means?" (a scientist who studies birds)

"What clues in the sentence make you think so?" (The letter says that the ornithologist likes to learn about birds.)

Conversation Cue: "Who can add on to what your classmate said? I'll give you time to think." (Responses will vary.)

  • Reread the second to last sentence, emphasizing the bolded word: "Birds are so interesting, I often reread stories to make sure I learned everything!"
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What familiar word do you see in this word?" (read)

  • Think-Pair-Share:

"If the part on the front of the word, re-, means to do it again, what does the writer mean when he says, 'I often reread stories'?" (He reads stories more than once.)

  • Draw students' attention back to the text and read aloud the last sentence: "Please join me in sticking up for birds and becoming a bird advocate!"
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What do you think the writer wants us to do?" (stick up for birds)

"How do you know?" (The letter says, "Please join me in sticking up for birds.")

"Based on the clues in that sentence, what do you think an advocate is? (someone who speaks or acts in favor of something)

  • Remind students that their target was to determine the meaning of words to help them understand the letter.
  • Say:

"Now that we have spent time figuring out some tricky words, let's think about the question from the beginning."

  • Turn and Talk:

"What does an ornithologist do, and why is an ornithologist writing to us?" (An ornithologist studies birds; he wants us to read books about bird helpers.)

  • Show students the Bird Word Wall card for ornithologist (someone who studies birds) and follow the same process established in Modules 1-3: provide its definition, clap out its syllables, use it in a sentence, and place the Word Wall card and picture for it on the Bird Word Wall.
  • Display the ornithologist pictures.
  • Share that the writer has sent pictures that match the letter.
  • Share that now students will participate in the Picture Tea Party protocol to help them see details in the pictures the ornithologist has sent.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with vocabulary: (Using Strategies to Determine the Meaning of a Word: Finding the Extra Parts at the End of a Word) Using a color marker, draw a box around the extra parts in the words learning and learned in the ornithologist letter to highlight them. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: (Using Strategies to Determine the Meaning of a Word) Finding the Extra Parts at the Beginning of a Word) When discussing the word reread, underline it in the ornithologist letter and draw a box around the extra part (re-) at the beginning of the word.
  • For ELLs: (Explaining Meaning) Explain the meaning of the expression to "to stick up for" as supporting, defending, or speaking up for, in this case, birds. Discuss other expressions that mean the same. (Examples: side with, be on the side of, stand by, stand up for)
  • For students who may need additional support with auditory processing: Provide options for perception by displaying the focus question visually on chart paper or the board. (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Picture Tea Party Protocol: Bird Pictures (25 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

"I can make observations about pictures of birds by looking closely at details."

  • Tell students they are now going to use the Picture Tea Party protocol to describe the details in the pictures. Remind them that they used this protocol in Module 2 and review as necessary using the Picture Tea Party Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Move students into pre-determined groups of four or five and invite them to label themselves A, B, C, etc.
  • Direct students' attention to the Classroom Discussion Norms anchor chart and review it.
  • Distribute the ornithologist picturesand guide students through the protocol using the following prompt:
    • "What are these pictures showing us about birds?"
  • Once all groups have shared, invite students to walk back to their workspace with their ornithologist picture.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What is something you noticed in your picture?" (Responses will vary, but may include: birds, bird helpers, bird problems.)

Conversation Cue: "How is what _____ said the same as/different from what _____ said? I'll give you time to think." (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to write their notices on the pre-distributed Bird Helper Notice and Wonder recording form.
  • After 1 minute of writing time, Turn and Talk:

"What is something you are wondering after looking at your picture?" (Responses will vary, but may include: How do birds get hurt? How do we help birds? What happens when birds are hurt?)

Conversation Cue: "How is what _____ said the same as/different from what _____ said? I'll give you time to think." (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to write their wonder on the Bird Helper Notice and Wonder recording form.
  • After 1 minute of writing time, use the Bird Boogie Transition from Module 3 to transition students with their Bird Helper Notice and Wonder recording forms back to the whole group area.
  • Direct students to place their recording forms in their laps.
  • Invite several students to take turns sharing their question about their pictures with the whole group. Consider recording or posting questions on the board as they share.
  • Give students specific, positive feedback on sharing their questions.
  • Tell students that as they continue to study birds, they will work to answer many of these questions.
  • Remind students that in the Opening, they heard the letter writer give them a challenge to "read some books and ask yourself: How do characters in stories help care for birds?"
  • Share that students will learn a lot about bird helpers by answering this question as they read books about birds and the characters who help them.
  • For ELLs: (Using Sentence Frames) Offer students copies of these sentence frames to use during the protocol: Examples:
    • "I see __________, so I predict we might learn about ________."
    • "I see_________, so I wonder___________."
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with expressive fluency: (Student Modeling) Consider inviting a group to model completing the Picture Tea Party protocol and cold call students to repeat or add to what the volunteers have said, using the sentence frames. This will provide an opportunity to check for comprehension while giving students practice using the sentence frames before the protocol begins. (MMAE)
  • For students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for written expression: Scaffold student writing by offering a word bank at the top of the Notice and Wonder recording form. (MMAE)

B. Reading Aloud: Lost and Found (10 minutes)

  • Refocus students whole group.
  • Display Lost and Found. Draw students' attention to the title of the book and read it aloud.
  • Tell students that this is a story of a bird helper but is more make-believe.
  • While still displaying the text, complete a first read.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What was this book mostly about?" (a boy helping a penguin)

"Does this book seem like a real way to help a bird? Has anyone ever seen a professional worker help a bird?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Tell students that they will continue to read books about other characters who help birds.
  • For ELLs: (Clarifying Meaning) Clarify that a professional worker could be a vet, an ornithologist, or someone who has been trained to work with birds.
  • For ELLs: Mini Language Dive. "That night/the boy couldn't sleep/for disappointment."
    • Deconstruct: Discuss the sentence and each chunk. Language goals for focus structure:
      • for + disappointment: "What?" Disappointment is what the boy felt; he wanted to help the penguin, but he didn't know how. (preposition; noun)
    • Practice: I couldn't _____ for disappointment.
    • Reconstruct: Reread the sentence. Ask:

"Now what do you think the sentence means?"

"How does your understanding of this sentence add to your understanding of the text?"

    • Practice: That _____ I couldn't _____ for disappointment. Ask:

"Can we divide this sentence into two or more sentences? How?"

  • Before reading, provide white boards and dry-erase markers as an option for students to record (in drawing or writing) their ideas. This will also help scaffold active listening for key details. (MMR, MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol: Habits of Character (10 minutes)

  • Remind students that the ornithologist challenged them in the letter by asking them to read books to find out: "How do characters in stories care for birds?"
  • Tell students they have read a narrative story about a boy who helped a penguin.
  • Share with students that bird helpers often demonstrate habits of character.
  • Tell students they are now going to use the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol to discuss habits of character. Remind them that they used this protocol in Module 3 and review as necessary using the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Guide students through the protocol using the following prompts:
    • "What habit of character do you think the boy showed in Lost and Found?"
    • "What other ways might people help birds?"
    • "What habits of character do you show when you help a teammate?"
  • Share with students that they will get to read a new book about a bird helper in the next lesson!
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: (Adding Visuals: Writing a List) Invite students to help you write a list of habits of character that bird helpers often demonstrate. Display the list and invite students to choose from it as they participate in the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: (Multiple-meaning Words) Make sure students understand that the word character in this context is different from a character in a story.
  • For students who may need additional support with self-regulation: Help students anticipate and manage frustration by modeling what to do if they need help from their partners. (Example: "I can remember when I'm sharing that if I forget my idea or need help, I can ask my partner. My partner could help me by giving me prompts to share my thinking.") (MME)

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