Small Group Research Reading: A Place for Birds, Pages 5–6, 11–12, 13–14, and 17–18 | EL Education Curriculum

You are here

ELA G1:M4:U3:L4

Small Group Research Reading: A Place for Birds, Pages 5–6, 11–12, 13–14, and 17–18

You are here:

These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • RI.1.3: Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
  • RI.1.7: Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
  • RI.1.8: Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
  • W.1.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
  • SL.1.2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
  • 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).

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can identify and write about the reasons the author gives to support her point in the text A Place for Birds. (RI.1.1, RI.1.3, RI.1.4, RI.1.7, RI.1.8, W.1.8, SL.1.2)
  • I can use different strategies to determine the meaning of new words. (RI.1.4, L1.4, L.1.4a, L.1.4b, L.1.4c)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During the Closing, use the Language Checklist to track student progress toward L.1.4, L.1.4a, L.1.4b, and L.1.4c (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Learner: Choose the Reason (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Small Group Research Reading: A Place for Birds, Pages 5-6, 11-12, 13-14, and 17-18 (20 minutes)

B. Engaging the Learner: "Fascinating Birds" Jazz Chant (5 minutes)

C. Shared Writing: Caring for Birds: Class Notes (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In the Opening, students participate in a listening exercise that requires listening to a text to answer a question. After listening to the text, students choose an icon that represents the reason the author gives to support her point. This replicates the process used in the Unit 3 Assessment in Lesson 7.
  • In Work Time A, students take notes in small groups on different pages from A Place for Birds. These notes are then added to the Caring for Birds: Class Notes in Work Time B.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • Recall time spent in Units 1-2 working with icons. Students use this familiarity in the Opening to use icons to identify a reason an author includes in the text.
  • In Lesson 3, students watched the teacher model reading the text and take notes on the Caring for Birds: Class Notes of some of the reasons the author includes to support her point. In this lesson, students take notes in small groups that are then added to the Caring for Birds: Class Notes. Recall that this same process for taking notes to create class notes was used in Unit 2.
  • The Closing follows the routine established in Lessons 2-3.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Support students in the Opening by rereading the text when necessary. Consider also talking about the icons and what each of them represents before they answer the question.
  • Circulate during the small group Work Time to reread the pages to the group members. Consider also pointing out important parts of the illustrations and leading students through a brainstorm of ideas to create a short phrase for notes.

Down the road:

  • In Lessons 5-6, students repeat the listening exercise with a new passage to practice for the assessment in Lesson 7.
  • In Lessons 5-6, students read a new portion of the text A Place for Birds while continuing to focus on using vocabulary strategies and identifying an author's point and supporting reasons.

In Advance

  • Distribute materials for Work Time A at student workspaces.
  • Create groups of three or four students with mixed reading levels for Work Time A.
  • Consider marking the research pages each group will be reading with a sticky note.
  • Post: Learning targets, "Fascinating Birds" jazz chant, 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 I.B.6, I.B.7, and I.C.10

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs through opportunities to process content orally and to capture it in small group notes written in collaboration with others. This lesson builds on the work of Lesson 3 and prepares students for their unit assessment in Lesson 7.
  • Some students may find it challenging to create a short phrase for notes in their small group research reading (see levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Assign students to take notes on pages 11-12 of A Place for Birds, which was the sentence used for the Language Dive in Lesson 2.

For heavier support:

  • During Work Time B, consider working closely with a group of students to complete their notes as a shared writing experience.
  • Provide time for students to reread the notes they took during Work Time A before sharing them in Work Time B.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to support comprehension by activating prior knowledge and scaffolding connections for students. Continue to provide visual display of questions and student responses on chart paper or the board during discussions.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): During Work Time B, students are invited to read the jazz chant along with you. Students may not feel confident and may benefit from modeling and supported practice. Provide differentiated mentors by seating students who may be more confident reading aloud near students who may not feel as confident.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Recall that 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 (e.g., anchor charts and peer support).

Vocabulary

N/A

Materials

  • A Place for Birds (from Lesson 2; one per group and one to display; for teacher read-aloud)
  • Listening Exercise 1, Pictures A and B (one of each to display)
  • L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart (begun in Unit 2, Lesson 3)
  • Caring for Birds notebook (begun in Lesson 1; added to during Work Time A; page 3; one per student)
  • Caring for Birds: Class Notes (begun in Lesson 2; added to during Work Time A; see supporting materials)
  • Small Group Research anchor chart (new; teacher-created; see supporting materials)
  • Small Group Research anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Caring for Birds notebook (from Lesson 1; example, for teacher reference)
  • Caring for Birds: Class Notes (begun in Lesson 2; example, for teacher reference)

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: Choose the Reason (10 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Remind students that they have been reading a book to find the reasons an author gives to support her point.
  • Tell students that they will practice listening to a portion of the book to hear the reason the author gives. Then they will choose an icon that represents the reason they hear in the text.
  • Display page 2 in A Place for Birds and read it aloud:
    • "If we work together to help these amazing winged creatures, there will always be a place for birds."
  • Repeat this process with pages 7-8:
    • "Many birds need to build their nests in wide open fields. When people create new grassy areas, birds can live and grow."
  • Say: "We are listening for the reason the author gives. Listen closely: What is something people can do to help make a place for birds?"
  • Turn and Talk:

"What are you listening closely to figure out?" (something people can do to help birds)

  • Reread pages 7-8 aloud.
  • Display Listening Exercise 1, Pictures A and B.
    • Reread the question: "What is something people can do to help birds?"
    • Ask:

"Who can explain why your classmate came up with that response?"

    • Invite students to take time to independently consider each icon.
    • After 10 seconds, invite students to respond by either choosing listening exercise Picture A by placing their hands on their head or listening exercise Picture B by placing their hands on their knees.
    • Invite a few students who have chosen the first picture (grass) to explain why they have chosen that picture and confirm their thinking.
    • Correct misconceptions about the second picture (flying bird) by telling students that saving winged creatures is part of the author's point, not a reason to support her point.
  • Tell students they will do more work with identifying the author's reasons in small groups.
  • For ELLs: (Identifying Book Structure) Remind students of the repeating pattern on the header of each page (problem and solution).
  • For ELLs: (Using Sentence Frames) Use a sentence frame for students to answer the question: "Which ways did the author suggest we can help birds live and grow?" (Example: "When people _____________, birds can live and grow.")
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Discussing Icons) Discuss what each picture from Listening Exercise 1 represents. (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Small Group Research Reading: A Place for Birds, Pages 5-6, 11-12, 13-14, and 17-18 (20 minutes)

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

"I can identify and write about the reasons the author gives to support her point in the text A Place for Birds."

  • Tell students that today they will read certain pages from the text as a small group to identify one of the author's reasons.
  • Display pages 2-3 in A Place for Birds.
  • Tell students to look for important parts of the illustration to help them read the text and understand the author's reason.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

"I can use different strategies to determine the meaning of new words."

  • Tell students that while they are reading in small groups, they may need to use their vocabulary strategies to figure out what a word means.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Why is it important for us to figure out what new words mean?" (to help us understand the text)

  • Direct students' attention to the L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart and briefly review it.
  • Share with students that after they have read their group's pages, they will then work together to take notes in a shorter phrase (a group of words that makes up part of a sentence) and a picture. They will record the notes in their Caring for Birds notebook on page 3.
  • Display the Caring for Birds: Class Notes and review the notes.
  • Think aloud to remind students how to take notes. Say: "We wrote the author's point at the top. Here we have taken notes on the reasons the author gives to support her point. On each set of pages, we have found a way people harm birds and how people can help them. See how we drew a picture and then wrote a couple of words to help us remember."
  • Direct students' attention to the Small Group Research anchor chart and review the groups and their assigned pages from the book. Refer to the Small Group Research anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Transition students into small groups.
  • Distribute student copies of A Place for Birds  to each group, direct groups to their Caring for Birds notebooks at their workspaces, and invite them to quietly begin working.
  • Remind students to work together to reread the sentences and use the illustrations to help.
  • Circulate to support students and help groups by rereading the sentences aloud as they follow along, if necessary. Refer to the Caring for Birds notebook (example, for teacher reference) as needed.
  • When circulating, prompt student discussions by asking:

"What does that sentence mean?"

"How could you say that sentence in fewer words?"

"What could you record in your notes?"

  • Give students a 2-minute warning to finish up their note-taking as a small group.
  • Collect books and refocus whole group.
  • Tell students they will bring their notes with them as they move back to whole group so that they can share their notes with the class.
  • For ELLs: (Clarifying Vocabulary: Fooled) While reading the sidebar on page 15 of A Place for Birds, clarify the meaning of the word fooled (tricked). Say: "The birds are tricked by the reflection of the trees on windows."
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Rereading) Reread pages 5-6, 11-12, 13-14, and 17-18 of A Place for Birds as needed when students are working in their small groups. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for written expression: (Verbal Writing Practice) Invite students to orally describe the bird's problems before writing. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with vocabulary: (Using Strategies to Determine the Meaning of a Word: Finding Prefixes) To give extra practice with this strategy, circle or underline the extra part in the word restart and ask students how it helped them figure out the meaning of the word. (MMR)

B. Engaging the Learner: "Fascinating Birds" Jazz Chant (5 minutes)

  • Invite students to stand in their places to get a little movement break!
  • Follow the same routine from the Opening of Lesson 2 to review and engage in the jazz chant and the accompanying movements.
  • Repeat the chant as time allows before refocusing whole group.
  • For ELLs: (Pronunciation Practice) Invite students to practice pronouncing the adjectives in the jazz chant.

C. Shared Writing: Caring for Birds: Class Notes (20 minutes)

  • Give students specific, positive feedback on taking notes in their small groups.
  • Tell students that they will now help add to the Caring for Birds: Class Notes about the reasons the author gives to support her point in A Place for Birds.
  • Display Caring for Birds: Class Notes and read the author's point aloud:
    • "People do things to give birds problems, but people also find ways to help birds."
  • Briefly review each reason already written on the Caring for Birds: Class Notes.
  • Invite groups one at a time to share their notes.
  • As groups share out, clarify and mediate thinking to correct any misconceptions. Capture students' ideas on the Caring for Birds: Class Notes. Refer to the Caring for Birds: Class Notes (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Read each note aloud as it is added to the chart.
  • For ELLs: (Rereading) Read the notes added during the lesson to the Caring for Birds: Class Notes.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

  • Follow the same routine from the Closing of Lesson 3 to discuss the unit guiding question.
    • Reread the unit guiding question at the top of the Caring for Birds: Class Notes:
      • "How can people care for birds to help them live and grow?"
    • Turn and Talk:

"Which ways did the author suggest we can help birds live and grow?" (build birdhouses; keep animals out; turn lights off; keep pets inside)

"Which of these ways do you think you can help birds live and grow in your own house, community, or here at school?" (Responses will vary.)

    • Remind students that they will continue to hear about more ways to help birds in the coming lessons.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Review Class Notes) Review the Caring for Birds: Class Notes before posing the question: "Which ways did the author suggest we can help birds live and grow?" (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: (Using Sentence Frames) Use a sentence frame for students to answer the question: "Which ways did the author suggest we can help birds live and grow?" (When people _____________, birds can live and grow.) (MMAE)

Get updates about our new K-5 curriculum as new materials and tools debut.

Sign Up