Setting Purpose: From Engagement Text to Decodables | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G1:S3:C17:L87

Setting Purpose: From Engagement Text to Decodables

In this Lesson

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can retell the events from the story "Cubes and Cones."
  • Opening B (optional): Using evidence from the text, I can answer questions about the story "Cubes and Cones."
  • Work Time A: I can read high-frequency words and words that "don't play fair." (RF.1.3)
    • I can read first-grade words that "don't play fair" in isolation.
    • I can decode regularly spelled one-syllable words by mapping graphemes to phonemes.
  • Work Time B: I can read the decodable text: "Cubes and Cones." (RF.1.3)
    • I can decode regularly spelled one-syllable words by mapping graphemes to phonemes.
    • I can use what I know about the types of syllables to decode (read) a two-syllable word.
    • I can read first-grade words that "don't play fair" (irregularly spelled words) in text.
    • I can decode a word with a vowel in the middle and a silent "e" at the end.
    • I can read and understand grade-level texts.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during Work Time.
    • Determine whether they can independently find a given word.
    • Also determine whether they can decode CVCe words and identify familiar sounds in or automatically read high-frequency words.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (3-5 minutes)

A. Engagement Text Read-aloud: "Cubes and Cones"

B. Comprehension Conversation (optional)

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. High-Frequency Words: "kind," "many," "these," "too," "your," "fly," "take"

B. Decodable Reader: Partner Search and Read

3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40 minutes)

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Comprehension Conversation questions (if different from suggested questions)
    • High-Frequency Word Cards (teacher-created; one of each)
    • Interactive Word Wall (one to display)
    • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)
  • Predetermine partnerships for retelling during Opening A and Work Time B.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T)

  • decode, high-frequency, proficient, skills (L)
  • 3-D shape, chill, pinecone, shell (T)

Materials

  • Enlarged Decodable Reader: "Cubes and Cones" (one to display)
  • Engagement Text: "Cubes and Cones" (one for teacher read-aloud)
  • Movable letters (magnetic letters, Letter Cards in a pocket chart, or other letters that can be displayed and moved; one each for teacher modeling: letters to build the words: "kind," "many," "these," "too," "your," "fly," "take"; from Lesson 62).
  • High-Frequency Word Cards (teacher-created; one of each)
  • Interactive Word Wall (one to display)
  • Decodable Reader: "Cubes and Cones" (one per student)
  • Highlighters (one per student and one for teacher)
  • Highlighter tape (optional; for the teacher to use to highlight the Decodable Reader)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engagement Text Read-aloud: "Cubes and Cones"

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "The More We Get Together"):

"Gather round together, together, together. It's time to hear a story, a story, a story. It's time to hear a story and say what you've learned."

  • Display Enlarged Decodable Reader: "Cubes and Cones."
  • Begin a read-aloud of the Engagement Text: "Cubes and Cones":

1. Teacher reads the story aloud once or twice without interruption, pointing to the accompanying illustration card for each section.

2. Students turn to a partner and retell the story in their own words.
  • Consider providing a copy of the Decodable Reader to students who need help retelling the story. The illustrations show the sequence of the story; the student can simply retell the details based on what they see in the illustrations.

B. Comprehension Conversation (optional)

  • Teacher asks the following suggested comprehension questions:
    • Recall:

"What kinds of shapes are in this text?" (cubes and cones)

    • Vocabulary and Language:

"How would you describe something that is 3-D?" (something you can hold; something you can see all sides)

In the text, the author writes, "'Dice are cubes with dots on each side representing numbers.' The word represent means 'to stand for something'. So, if one side of the dice has five dots, what number do those dots represent?" (five)

    • Digging Deeper: Extension Questions:

"What would we call a shape that is like a cube but only two-dimensional?" (a square)

"What things can you think of that are cube- or cone-shaped?" (Answers will vary.)
  • For ELLs and students who need help: Consider providing picture cards of nouns in "Cubes and Cones" to support comprehension.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. High-Frequency Words: "kind," "many," "these," "too," "your," "fly," "take"

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "The More We Get Together"):

"Now it's time to learn high-frequency words together, it's time to learn about words readers and writers use a lot."

  • Begin the High-Frequency Words instructional practice. See Setting Purpose: From Engagement Text to Decodables lessons from Modules 1-2 for a more detailed description of the procedure.
  • Consider drawing students’ attention to the long vowel sound /ī/ in the word “kind.” Explain that while it isn’t a magic “e” that makes the “i” say its name, the pattern “-ind,” as in “find,” “kind,” and “blind,” does, and they will learn more about that pattern in the future.
  • Consider introducing the concept of a homophone (words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have a different meaning). Example: “too” and “to,” “your” and “you’re."

B. Decodable Reader: Partner Search and Read

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "The More We Get Together"):

"Now you will read a story, a story, a story. Now you will read a story with words that you know."

  • Begin the Decodable Reader: Partner Search and Read instructional practice. See Setting Purpose: From Engagement Text to Decodables lessons from Modules 1-2 for a more detailed description of the procedure.
  • If students in the Pre-Alphabetic phase need help identifying letters/digraphs, consider providing Letter Cards as support. The students can hold the letter next to each page and find the letter shape that matches.
  • If students in the Pre-Alphabetic phase need additional help finding the high-frequency words, consider allowing a student in the Full or Consolidated Alphabetic phase to help them. Or consider asking them to find the beginning letter of the word instead of the whole word.
  • As an extension for students in the Late Full Alphabetic or Consolidated Alphabetic phases, consider providing a whiteboard. Direct students to write a word that begins with the letter being searched or a sentence with the high-frequency word being searched.
  • If students need help with words that "don't play fair," direct them to the Interactive Word Wall. Or have them read the rest of the sentence and think about which high-frequency word would make sense in the blank.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

  • Emphasize that successful learners keep track of and reflect on their own learning. Point out that they are doing this each time they consider how what they did today helps them become more proficient readers.
  • Invite students to reflect and share with a partner (or whole group). Ask:

"What did you do today that is helping you become a more proficient reader?" (Responses will vary. Example: "I looked for the magic 'e' at the end of words.")
  • For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Examples:
    • "When I saw a magic 'e,' I _____."
    • "When I saw a word that doesn't play fair, I _____."
    • "When my partner _____, I _____."

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

Suggested Plan: Teacher works with students in the Pre-Alphabetic, Partial Alphabetic, and Full Alphabetic groups. Students in the Consolidated Alphabetic group do not work with the teacher today.

Note: Groups not working with the teacher at a given time should be engaged in purposeful independent rotation work. Refer to the Independent and Small Group Work Guidance document for more details (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual).

All Groups
Either today or another day this week after the Decodable Student Reader has been introduced, follow the Decodable Student Reader routine with each group. Differentiate the routine as needed based on students' microphase. Refer to the Independent and Small Group Work guidance document (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual) for full routine and Decodable Student Reader Planning and Recording Template.

Pre-Alphabetic:

  • Aim small group instruction at building students' knowledge and skills of letter identification and phonological awareness.
  • Use the Assessment Conversion chart to determine appropriate Kindergarten lessons and Activity Bank ideas to use in daily small group instruction.
  • Consider using the Decodable Reader from the whole group lesson as a resource during this time. Example:
    • Teacher identifies a grapheme or phoneme (based on the needs of the group). Students look for the grapheme. Student volunteer identifies the grapheme, makes the sound, and possibly practices proper formation (skywriting or whiteboard).

Partial Alphabetic:

  • Students in the early to middle Partial Alphabetic (PA) phase may need more time with CVCe patterns than the whole group lessons provide. Those working within the middle to late PA phase may be comfortable using the CVCe patterns introduced in this cycle. If so, small group work may include extended practice of Work Time.
  • Suggestions for working with students at the early to middle PA phase:
    • Use the Decodable Reader from the current cycle and Cycles 15 and 16 to solidify CVCe patterns by having students locate those words.
    • Spend time on lessons and/or patterns from a previous cycle needing more practice. Consider using the Assessment Conversion chart to determine an appropriate cycle.
    • Prepare short decodable sentences with CVCe words. Examples: "Sam and James want to bake a cake." "The hike went up the pike to the snake hole." "Pete and I smell the fumes."
    • Cut up the decodable sentences and have students reconstruct them.
  • Related Activity Bank suggestions:
    • An Activity Bank activity from the High-Frequency Word category (HF) or the Vowels category (V)

Full Alphabetic:

  • Suggestions for working with students at the early to middle Full Alphabetic phase:
    • Check in with Accountable Independent Reading.
    • Follow up with Word Lists and exit tickets. Analyze words that were more challenging and discuss why.
    • Extend Work Time B by reflecting on strategies used and patterns recognized in the Decodable Reader: "Cubes and Cones."
    • Consider working with an appropriate common text, making connections to the syllable patterns introduced, and holding text-based comprehension conversations.

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