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

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ELA G1:S4:C23:L117

Setting Purpose: From Engagement Text to Decodables

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can retell the events from the story "A Little Seed."
  • Opening B (optional): Using evidence from the text, I can answer questions about the story "A Little Seed."
  • 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" (irregularly spelled words) in isolation.
    • I can decode regularly spelled one-syllable words by mapping graphemes and phonemes.
  • Work Time B: I can read the decodable text: "A Little Seed." (RF.1.3)
    • I can decode regularly spelled one-syllable words by mapping graphemes and 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 words with "-s," "-ed," and "-ing" endings.
    • I can decode words with other vowel patterns like "igh" and r-controlled vowels.
    • I can decode a word with a vowel team (two vowels that make a long vowel sound) in the middle.
    • I can read and understand grade-level texts.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during Work Time.
    • Determine whether they can independently find a given word.
    • Determine whether they can decode words with vowel spellings from this cycle and identify familiar sounds in or automatically read high-frequency words.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (3-5 minutes)

A. Engagement Text Read-aloud: "A Little Seed"

B. Comprehension Conversation (optional)

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. High-Frequency Words: "soon," "under," "little," "every," "really," "one," "anymore"

B. Decodable Reader: Partner Search and Read

3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Comprehension Conversation questions (if different from suggested questions)
    • High-Frequency Word Cards
    • 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, proficient, skills, high-frequency (L)
  • roots, plant, misty (T)

Materials

  • Enlarged Decodable Reader: "A Little Seed" (one to display)
  • Engagement Text: "A Little Seed" (one for teacher read-aloud)
  • Movable letters (from Lesson 96)
  • High-Frequency Word Cards (one of each; for teacher to place on the Interactive Word Wall)
  • Interactive Word Wall (one to display)
  • Decodable Reader: "A Little Seed" (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)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engagement Text Read-aloud: "A Little Seed"

  • (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: "A Little Seed."
  • Begin a read-aloud of the Engagement Text: "A Little Seed."

1. Teacher reads the story aloud once or twice without interruption, pointing to the illustrations in the Enlarged Decodable Reader 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 with retelling the story. The illustrations in the reader will show the sequence of the story; students 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 places did the seed land during its trip?" (roof, park, deep in grass)

    • Vocabulary and Language:

"What does it mean to 'begin to root'?" (Part of the plant begins to attach to the ground.)

"What is another word for 'misty'?" ("fuzzy," "blurred," "unclear")

    • Digging Deeper: Extension Questions:

"Plants come from seeds. What are some of the things described in the story that seeds need to grow?" ("rain," "sun," "wind," "time")

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. High-Frequency Words: "soon," "under," "little," "every," "really," "one," "anymore"

  • (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 From Engagement Text to Decodables lessons from Modules 1-2 for a more detailed description of the procedure.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support: Consider providing picture cards of nouns in "A Little Seed" to aid comprehension.

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 Partner Search and Read instructional practice. See From Engagement Text to Decodables lessons from Modules 1-2 for a more detailed description of the procedure.
  • If readers in the Pre-Alphabetic or Early Partial Alphabetic phases need help finding identified phonemes, patterns, or words, consider providing Letter Cards as support. The students can hold the letter next to each page and find the letter shape that matches.
  • If readers in the Pre-Alphabetic or Partial Alphabetic phase need additional help finding the high-frequency words, consider allowing a reader 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 readers 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 readers struggle 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 remembered the part of the word that 'doesn't play fair.'")

  • For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Examples:
    • "When I saw two vowels together, I _____."
    • "When I heard the sound _____, 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).

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 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 to spend more time with each vowel sound spelling pattern than the whole group lessons provide. Those working within the middle to late PA phase may be comfortable using the vowel team 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 20-22 to examine spelling patterns for long vowel sounds.
    • Use the Word List from Lesson 116 to work with vowel patterns from this cycle.
    • Spend time on lessons and/or patterns from a previous cycle that may need more practice. Consider using the Assessment Conversion chart to determine an appropriate previous cycle.
  • Related Activity Bank suggestions:
    • An Activity Bank activity from the High-Frequency Word category (HF)

Consolidated Alphabetic:

  • Check in with Accountable Independent Reading.
  • Follow up with Word Lists and exit tickets. Analyze words that were more challenging and discuss why.
  • Consider working with an appropriate common text, making connections to the vowel team patterns introduced, and holding text-based comprehension conversations.

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