Building Background Knowledge: Bird Nests | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G1:M4:U2:L1

Building Background Knowledge: Bird Nests

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.1.5: Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
  • RI.1.7: Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
  • 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.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine the meanings of words to understand the meaning of a text. (L.1.4)
  • I can use details and captions in pictures of bird nests to identify why and where birds build nests. (RI.1.5, RI.1.7, SL.1.1, SL.1.1b)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During the Opening, use the Language Checklist to continue monitor student progress toward L.1.4 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).
  • During Work Time A, use the Reading Informational Text Checklist and Speaking and Listening Checklist to monitor student progress toward RI.1.5, RI.1.7, SL.1.1, and SL.1.1b (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Learner: Letter from an Ornithologist (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Picture Puzzle Protocol: Bird Nests (20 minutes)

B. Structured Discussion: Bird Nests (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Independent Writing: Bird Nests (10 minutes)

B. Turn and Talk: Opinions (5 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • This lesson launches Unit 2 with a new letter from the ornithologist. Throughout this unit, students continue to build their research skills and understanding of opinion writing as they work to answer the Unit 2 guiding question: "Why do people have different opinions about birds?" Specifically, students learn about people's opinions regarding the nest of Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk that built its nest in New York City.
  • Continue to nurture an inquiry-rich classroom environment by inviting students to observe and ask questions about bird nests as they look at photographs during the Picture Puzzle protocol during Work Time A. Students do not build a deep knowledge of bird nests throughout the unit, but this lesson is designed to help students gain a basic understanding of why and where birds build nests. This background knowledge about nests sets students up for a more focused study of one nest throughout the unit.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Work Time A, students listen to a new letter from the ornithologist and practice using vocabulary strategies to comprehend the letter. Students should be familiar with this routine from Unit 1.
  • This lesson has a similar structure to Unit 1, Lesson 1, as students listen to a read-aloud of a letter from the ornithologist, engage in small group observations, and begin to share their thinking about the unit guiding question.
  • Continue to use Goals 1-4 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may have difficulty putting the words of the caption in order during Work Time A. Consider cutting out the recurring sentence stems all in one piece (not separate words) so that the students only need to order the words that are unique to that sentence.
  • Students may need support as they engage in conversations with a partner during the Picture Puzzle protocol in Work Time A. Consider providing sentence frames: "I notice ____," "I predict_____," "I see_____."

Down the road:

  • Throughout this unit, students continue to build their skills and knowledge about opinion writing through research about Pale Male's nest. This lesson lays a foundation for this as students build background knowledge about bird nests and begin to discuss the concept of forming opinions.

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Picture Puzzle images for Work Time A in color, if possible. Cut each Picture Puzzle image into three or four pieces (depending on the number of students in the class) and place the pieces for each puzzle in a plastic bag or envelope. Label the bag with the corresponding number.
    • Nest caption pieces for Work Time A. Cut each nest caption piece and place in a different plastic bag or envelope and label with the corresponding number. Each small group will receive two bags: one with the Picture Puzzle images and one with the nest caption pieces.
    • The ornithologist envelope (large manila envelope) by placing the ornithologist letter #2 and Picture Puzzle images inside.
    • Bird Word Wall cards for nest and egg.
  • Strategically group students into groups of four for Work Time A.
  • Pre-distribute materials for Work Time A at student workspaces.
  • Review the Picture Puzzle protocol. (See the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • 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 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 by viewing pictures and captions and to participate in a structured discussion that provides 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. Particularly, students may have difficulty unscrambling the words in the nest caption pieces during the Picture Puzzle protocol to form complete sentences (see levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Before the Opening, consider previewing the letter from the ornithologist with students. Focus on the gist of the letter and invite students to identify academic words they already know and share their meaning with the class.

For heavier support:

  • Before Work Time A, consider pulling students aside to preview the steps in the Picture Puzzle protocol as well as the pictures and captions of bird nests that will be used. Show them the Picture Puzzle Protocol anchor chart, read it together, and explain how it will be used.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): In this lesson, support comprehension by activating prior knowledge. Consider a brief review of Unit 1 to highlight relevance and scaffold connections for students. Additionally, provide questions visually as well as verbally. For example, display questions on chart paper or the board during discussions.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Recall that appropriate goal-setting supports development of executive skills and strategies. Continue to offer scaffolds for students learning to set appropriate personal goals, such as a checklist with one goal during each learning activity.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Throughout this unit, sustained engagement and effort is essential for student achievement. Recall that some students will benefit from consistent reminders of learning goals and their value or relevance. Students who may need additional support with sustained effort and concentration are helped when these reminders are built into the learning environment.

Vocabulary

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

New:

  • egg, caption (L)
  • impact, amazing, pester, unusual, opinion, nest (T)

Review:

  • ornithologist, prediction (L)

Materials

  • Ornithologist envelope (one to display)
    • Ornithologist letter #2 (one to display)
    • Picture Puzzle images (one piece per student and one or two pieces to display)
  • L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart (begun in Unit 2, Lesson 3)
  • Picture Puzzle Protocol anchor chart (new; teacher-created; see supporting materials)
  • Picture Puzzle Protocol anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Classroom Discussion Norms anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Speaking and Listening Checklist (for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Bird Word Wall card (new; teacher-created; two)
  • Bird Word Wall (begun in Module 3; added to during Work Times A and B; see Teaching Notes)
  • Nest caption pieces (one set per group and one set to display)
  • Reading Informational Text Checklist (for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 3)
  • Bird Nests anchor chart (new; co-created with students during Work Time B; see supporting materials)
  • Completed Picture Puzzle images (to display)
  • Bird Nests anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Index card (one per student)

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 (10 minutes)

  • Invite students to the whole group area.
  • With excitement, share that students have received a new envelope from the ornithologist!
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is an ornithologist?" (a scientist who studies birds)

  • Display the ornithologist envelope.
  • Share that you have received an envelope with a new letter and some pictures that will give them information about their new topic of study related to birds.
  • Display ornithologist letter #2.
  • Invite students to listen carefully as you read the letter aloud. Share that they will listen so they can answer this question:

"What does the ornithologist tell us about our new topic of study?" (We are going to read, talk, and write about a very unusual bird named Pale Male.)

Conversation Cue: "What, in the letter, makes you think so?" (Responses will vary.)

  • While still displaying the text, read aloud the 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 words to understand the meaning of a text."

  • Remind students that they can use the L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart to help determine the meaning of words.
  • Reread the first sentence in the second paragraph, emphasizing the underlined word impact.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What clues do you see in this sentence that might help you know what impact means?" (affect)

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

  • Define impact (a strong and powerful effect).
  • Draw students' attention back to the text and read the first part of the second sentence of the second paragraph slowly:
    • "Birds are all around us, and sometimes they do amazing things ..."
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What do you think the base word of amazing is?" (amaze)

  • Say:

"We know that amaze means to surprise, and if we add the extra piece -ing, it changes into a describing word. So amazing means full of surprise or wonder."

  • Reread the second part of that sentence, emphasizing the underlined word pester: "... but other times they may do things that pester us."
  • Continue to use total participation techniques when inviting responses from the group. Ask:

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

  • Say:

"If we know that a pest is something that bothers or annoys us, that gives us a clue to the meaning of this word. If we add the extra piece -er to the word, it turns it into an action. So pester means to bother or annoy."

  • Reread the first sentence of the last paragraph aloud:
    • "You are going to read, talk, and write about a very unusual bird named Pale Male."
  • Ask:

"What base word do you see in unusual?" (usual)

"What does usual mean? (normal or common)

  • Say:

"The word piece un- at the beginning of the word means not, so if Pale Male is not usual, he is not common or ordinary. He is special. I can't wait to learn about Pale Male!"

  • Reread the second to last sentence aloud:
    • "I will be curious to hear your opinion, or what you think, about Pale Male after you complete your research."
  • Ask:

"What clues do you see in this sentence that might help you understand the meaning of the word opinion?" ("what you think")

  • Ask:

"What do you think the ornithologist wants us to do?" (learn about Pale Male)

"How do you know?" (The letter says, " ... after you complete your research."

  • 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 did the ornithologist tell us, and what does she want us to do?" (The ornithologist told us that people can have different feelings about birds. She wants us to learn about Pale Male and think about our own opinions.)

  • Display one or two of the Picture Puzzle images.
  • Share that the ornithologist has sent pictures that match the letter and that students will now participate in a new protocol that will help them see details in the pictures.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with activating prior knowledge: (Reviewing Charts) Review the language on the L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart and invite students to recall how they used the chart in Unit 1. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Annotating Text: Context Clues) Annotate the ornithologist letter as you think aloud about clues in other words in the sentences to figure out the meaning of impact. (Example: Circle the word or and connect it with arrows to the words impact and affect to show how or signals that the words have a similar meaning; write the definition by the word impact in the letter.) (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with vocabulary: (Using Strategies to Determine the Meaning of a Word) Using a color marker, draw a box around the extra parts in the words amazing, pester, and unusual in the ornithologist letter to highlight what the extra part of each word is. (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Picture Puzzle Protocol: Bird Nests (20 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Tell students that today is an exciting day because you are going to share with them a new protocol and a new topic of study!
  • Tell students they will now use the Picture Puzzle protocol to look at mystery images that will give them a clue as to what they will be learning, reading, writing, and talking about throughout the course of the new unit.
  • Move students into pre-determined groups of four and invite them to label themselves A, B, C, and D.
  • Refer to the Picture Puzzle Protocol anchor chart and explain the steps to students:
    • Point to the image of the puzzle pieces. Tell students that you will give each of them a piece of the picture puzzle. When they get their puzzle piece, they should look at it closely. Have students put on their imaginary glasses to indicate looking closely.
    • Point to the image of the people facing each other with speech bubbles. Tell students that once everyone has looked closely at their puzzle piece, you will signal them to share with their small group using the sentence frame: "In my puzzle piece, I see_______." Student A should share first.
    • Point to the image of the completed puzzle. Once every group member has shared, they should collaborate to complete the picture puzzle.
    • Point to the image of the people facing each other with speech bubbles. Tell students that once they have completed the puzzle, they will share what they notice, a prediction about what they might learn, or a question about their picture, using a sentence frame. Student A should share first. Review the definition of prediction as necessary (a statement about something that might happen or is expected to happen). Post the following sentence frames:
      • "I see _____, so I predict we might learn about ______."
      • "I see _____, so I wonder _____."
    • Point to the image of the people raising their hands. Once every group member has shared, they should raise their hands to show that they have finished talking and listening.
  • Answer clarifying questions and model the process as necessary. Refer to the Picture Puzzle Protocol anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Direct students' attention to the Classroom Discussion Norms anchor chart and quickly review their jobs as speakers and listeners.
  • Distribute the Picture Puzzle imagesand guide students through the protocol.
  • Circulate to support students and consider using the Speaking and Listening Checklist to gather data on their progress toward SL.1.1.
  • Refocus whole group and invite a few students to share their observations, predictions, and questions.
  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their work during the Picture Puzzle protocol.
  • Confirm students' predictions about learning about bird nests.
  • Show students the Bird Word Wall card for nest (a structure of sticks and other materials that birds make to hold their eggs) 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.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

"I can use details and captions in pictures of bird nests to identify why and where birds build nests."

  • Share that now students are going to look even closer at the details in their pictures and read a caption that tells them more about the nest. Specifically, they should think about why birds build nests and where they build them.
  • Tell students that they are going to have an added challenge of putting together another puzzle--this time for the caption!
  • Review the definition of caption (words that describe a picture).
  • Display one set of nest caption pieces.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What strategies could you use to figure out what order the pieces go in?" (put all the words out first and try to read them; look for words with capital letters; look for the word that has the ending punctuation)

  • Tell students that once they receive their bag of nest caption pieces, they should first work together to put them in order and then read the caption aloud. Tell students that they will see some familiar words, but they may also have new words that are tricky to read. Explain that they should try the decoding strategies they know, but that you will walk around and help them as needed.
  • Briefly explain that after they have put their caption together and read it, they should talk about the information in the caption and any additional details they see in the picture.
  • Distribute the nest caption pieces and invite students to begin unscrambling the words to form a complete sentence.
  • Circulate as students work and offer guidance and support as necessary. Use the Reading Informational Text Checklist to track students' progress toward RI 1.5 and RI 1.7.
  • After students have assembled their captions, read and discussed them, invite them to fly like birds back to the whole group area.
  • For ELLs: (Sentence Frames: Modeling) Provide copies of the sentence frames for students to use during the protocol and model using the captions with a nest picture during the protocol.
  • For students who may need additional support with self-regulation: Help students anticipate and manage frustration during the protocol. (Example: "If I feel frustrated or overwhelmed while I am trying to put the pieces in order, I can stop for a second and take a deep breath to refocus.") (MME)

B. Structured Discussion: Bird Nests (15 minutes)

  • Tell students they are going to use the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol to discuss bird nests. Remind them that they used this protocol in Module 3 and review as necessary using the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face anchor chart. (See the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Guide students through the protocol using the following question:

"What did you learn about bird nests from looking closely at the details and reading the caption?"

  • After students have shared with a partner, direct their attention to the Bird Nests anchor chart.
  • Tell them they are now going to capture some of their new learning about why and where birds build nests on this chart.
  • Tell students that you are going to display the completed Picture Puzzle images one at a time.
  • Share that when you show the one from their group, each member of the group should stand up to talk about that picture and caption.
  • Display completed Picture Puzzle image #1.
    • Invite students from that group to stand up.
    • Ask one or two students from the group to share details they noticed in the picture.
    • Ask one or two different students to read aloud the caption.
    • Invite the rest of the class to Think-Pair-Share:

"What did you learn about nests from this picture and caption?" (Some birds lay eggs in their nests.)

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

    • Show students the Bird Word Wall card for egg (an object that contains a baby animal in a shell) 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.
    • Attach the completed Picture Puzzle image #1 to the Bird Nests anchor chart. Refer to the Bird Nests anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) asnecessary.
  • Repeat the above process with completed Picture Puzzle images 2-7.
  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their conversations about bird nests. Tell them that in the coming days, they will learn about one specific bird nest: the nest of Pale Male!
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Visuals) Consider reviewing the completed Bird Nests anchor chart and adding visuals to the captions underneath each picture. (MMR)
  • For students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: Allow students 1 minute to think before sharing. (MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Independent Writing: Bird Nests (10 minutes)

  • Think-Pair-Share:

"What's one new fact you learned about bird nests today?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Birds build nests to have a safe place to sleep; birds build nests to keep their babies safe; some nests are inside holes in trees.)

  • Tell students that they will now write the fact they learned about bird nests on an index card.
  • Distribute cards and invite students to write their fact on the card.
  • After they have completed their writing, invite students to stand up and give an elbow partner a wing shake (stand facing each other and flap their imaginary wings in celebration of their work learning about bird nests).
  • Gather students whole group.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with activating prior knowledge: (Using Visuals) Before posing the question "Which is the most amazing bird and why?" consider recalling the birds students studied in Unit 1 and in Module 3. Consider showing the texts used in Unit 1 and the bird photographs used in Module 3 to help students choose the most amazing bird. (MMR)
  • For students who may need additional support with fine motor skills: As students write their fact on an index card, offer partial dictation. (MMAE)

B. Turn and Talk: Opinions (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention back to ornithologist letter #2.
  • Reread the Unit 2 guiding question at the bottom of the letter:
    • "Why do people have different opinions about birds?"
  • Turn and Talk:

"What is an opinion?" (what you think about something)

  • Tell students that you are going to ask them a question about birds, and they are going to share their opinion with a partner.
  • Turn and Talk:

"We have learned about many different kinds of birds over the last couple of months. Which is the most amazing bird and why?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Circulate and listen in as students discuss and pre-select a few students with different bird preferences to share with the whole group.
  • Refocus whole group and invite the pre-selected students to share out.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Did all of these students share the same favorite bird?" (No.)

  • Say:

"Sometimes people have different opinions about things, and that is okay. In this case, the class had many different opinions about amazing birds. Sometimes problems arise when people have different opinions. We are going to learn much more about sharing and writing about opinions in our new study. I think you are ready for the challenge!"

  • Tell students that in the next lesson they will begin to learn about that unusual bird in ornithologist letter #2: Pale Male.

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