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ELA G4:M2:U1:L8

Interpreting Diagrams with Text

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.4.7: Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
  • L.4.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  • L.4.4b: Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can interpret a diagram in a text and use it to help me understand the text. (RI.4.7)
  • I can find the meanings of unfamiliar words by using affixes and roots. (L.4.4b)

Ongoing Assessment

  • "Fight to Survive!" diagram (RI.4.7)
  • Filled-out Affix Word Glossary -ity (L.4.4b)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

B. Reading Aloud: Pages 47-49 of Venom (5 minutes)

2. Work Time 

A. Interpreting the Diagram in Venom (15 minutes)

B. Interpreting the Diagram in "Fight to Survive!" (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment 

A. Using Affixes and Roots to Determine the Meaning of Unfamiliar Vocabulary (20 minutes)

4. Homework 

A. Choose one of the Affixes Practice sheets from the homework resources for this unit.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt to respond to in the front of your independent reading journal.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this lesson, students listen to new pages of Venom read aloud. They focus on interpreting a diagram from these pages and considering how it contributes to their understanding of the text (RI.4.7). Then they repeat this process with a diagram from "Fight to Survive!" (RI.4.7).
  • Students also dig deeper into using affixes and roots to help them determine the meaning of unfamiliar words by analyzing an excerpt of the "Fight to Survive!" text for affixes (RI.4.4b).
  • Students who finish finding words with the suffix -ity in "Fight to Survive!" could look for -ity words in their research text to add to the Affix Word Glossary -ity.
  • In this lesson, the habit of character focus is working to become effective learners. The characteristic they are reminded of in this lesson is persevere as students examine and interpret diagrams in two new texts.

How it builds on previous work:

  • Students continue to identify the main idea and supporting details and to orally paraphrase the text, as they have done previously in this unit (RI.4.2 and SL.4.2). This oral paraphrasing will support them in writing summaries in the next lesson. 
  • The research reading students complete for homework helps to build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to animals and specifically animal defense mechanisms. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help to describe and make sense of it.
  • Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently as the teacher reads Venom aloud in Opening B.
  • Continue to use Goals 1 and 2 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas where students may need additional support:

  • Students may need support understanding the meaning of the suffix -ity, as it is a difficult one to describe. Consider using plenty of familiar examples so that students can begin to understand the meaning by looking at how -ity changes familiar words.

Assessment Guidance: 

  • As students are interpreting the diagram in their "Fight to Survive!" text, circulate to clarify misunderstandings and use these as teaching points for the whole group.
  • Students will interpret a diagram in a new text in the End of Unit 1 Assessment in Lesson 10.
  • Consider using the Speaking and Listening Informal Assessment: Collaborative Discussion Checklist during students' small group discussions in Work Time B. See the Tools page.
  • For ELLs: Collect the Language Dive Practice Part I (Lesson 7).

Down the road:

  • In Lesson 9, students will summarize the "Fight to Survive!" text. They will be assessed on interpreting a diagram and summarizing on the End of Unit 1 Assessment in Lesson 10.

In Advance

  • Strategically pair students to answer the "Fight to Survive!" Questions. For example, consider pairing a more able reader with a struggling reader.
  • Post: Learning targets.

Tech and Multimedia

  • Opening B: Consider projecting the Venom pages using technology such as a document camera so that students can read along as you read the text aloud and can clearly see the diagram on page 48.
  • Work Time B: Consider using a text-to-speech reader such as Natural Reader for students to hear the "Fight to Survive!" text read aloud as many times as they require.
  • Work Time B: Consider creating a Google Doc for the "Fight to Survive!" text so that students can use web browser readers such as SpeakIt! for Google Chrome or the Safari reader to hear the text read aloud and also to annotate the gist online using the comments feature.
  • Work Time B: Students complete their "Fight to Survive!" questions in a word processing document, for example a Google Doc using Speech to Text facilities activated on devices, or using an app or software like Dictation.io.
  • Closing and Assessment A: Consider creating the Affix Word Glossary -ity online--as a Google Spreadsheet, for example--so that students can keep adding to it throughout the year.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.7, 4.I.B.8

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by making explicit the concept of a diagram and how diagrams can help readers process complex new information and associated language.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to integrate information from texts and diagrams. Consider scaffolding this process by demonstrating with a Venn diagram. Write one piece of information from the text in a "text" circle, a different piece of information from the diagram in a "diagram" circle, and a common or co-constructed piece of information in the intersection of the two circles. Ask students: "What's a diagram? Where do you usually find diagrams? Find a diagram in the classroom."

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Invite students to evaluate how well the diagram supports the ideas in "Fight to Survive!" Where is it most helpful, and where could it be more?

For heavier support:

  • Before the end of unit assessment, review ELLs' knowledge of animal names, specifically: otter, snake, butterfly, octopus, kitten, pufferfish, crab, lion, porcupine, rhinoceros, squid, barracuda, lizard, armadillo. 
  • As students prepare to read independently on the end of unit assessment, have them practice the following reading strategies:

1. Read the headings and captions and look at the pictures. Ask yourself: "What is this text mostly about?"

2. Quickly read the text and underline the important words you know. Ignore the words you don't.

3. Read the first sentence of each paragraph to understand the gist of the paragraph and of the entire text.

4. Take notes about the gists as you read.

5. Answer any questions asked at the end of the text, going back to the text to underline and take notes about the answers before writing.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Practice interpreting diagrams by meeting with a small group of students who need support. Use any diagrams in their independent reading books to ask questions like: "What does this diagram tell you?" and "How does this diagram help you understand the text?" Connect these questions back to the term main idea for these students so that they are clear about what skill they are really working on. They will need to be thinking about main idea during today's lesson.
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): Give students who struggle to learn new vocabulary more exposures to the word by having them act out, draw, or list similar words for the -ity words found in Closing and Assessment A of this lesson.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Consider offering selected shorter passages to specific groups based on the readiness and needs of the group. This provides an opportunity for students to read a complex text within the fourth-grade level span but differentiates the length of the text, not the complexity.

Vocabulary

Key: (L): Lesson-Specific Vocabulary; (T): Text-Specific Vocabulary; (W): Vocabulary used in writing

  • interpret, affix, root (L)
  • ability, toxicity, responsibility, community (T)

Materials

  • Equity sticks
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (from Module 1)
  • Pages 47-49 of Venom (one to display)
  • "Fight to Survive!" (from Lesson 7; one per student and one to display)
  • "Fight to Survive!" Questions (one per student and one to display)
  • Affix List (one per student; distributed in Module 1)
  • Affix Word Glossary -ity (one per student and one to display)
  • Affix Word Glossary -ity (answers, for teacher reference)
  • Academic Word Wall (begun in Module 1)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Lesson 2)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. 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. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and ask for volunteers to read them aloud: 
    • "I can interpret a diagram in a text and use it to help me understand the text."
    • "I can find the meanings of unfamiliar words by using affixes and roots."
  • Underline the word interpret in the first target and ask students to discuss with an elbow partner. Use equity sticks to select students to share out:

"What does interpret mean?" (figure out the information being presented and what it means)

  • Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically persevere. Remind students that as they will be working to figure out the information presented in the diagrams in the texts they read today, they will need to persevere.
  • Focus students on the words affixes and roots in the second target and ask them to discuss with an elbow partner. Select volunteers to share their ideas with the whole group:

"What is an affix? What is a root?" (An affix is letters added to the beginning or end of a word, and a root is the main part of a word. It tells us what the word is all about.)

  • Record any new vocabulary on the Academic Word Wall.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Point to examples of diagrams from the complex texts or around the classroom. Ask: "How is a diagram different from a text? How does a diagram help you understand a text?" (MMR)

B. Reading Aloud: Pages 47-49 of Venom (5 minutes)

  • Display pages 47-49 of Venom beginning at the quiz question at the bottom of page 47. Read these pages aloud as students follow along, reading silently in their heads.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: As a pre-reading strategy, show students the headings, pictures, and captions on pages 47-49. Ask: "What do you think this section will be mostly about?" (MMR)
  • For ELLs: Remind students that the words in the diagram are from a very old language called Latin. In English, science often uses Latin words.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Interpreting the Diagram in Venom (15 minutes)

  • Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner, then cold call students to share out:

"What was the main idea or main ideas of the pages we just read aloud from Venom?" (Examples: 1) Scorpions inject venom or prevenom into prey with stingers on their tails. 2) Venom is for larger prey; prevenom is for smaller prey because it takes more protein and more energy to make.)

  • Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner, then select volunteers to share out:

"What supporting details did you hear to support the main idea?" (Examples: 1) They inject neurotoxic venom into their prey, as well as their enemies, with stingers on their rear ends. 2) Scorpions need venom to subdue larger, more dangerous prey or to escape from enemies that won't leave them alone. 3) Prevenom has less protein and requires less energy to make. It works against smaller, non-threatening species and causes greater pain.")

  • Invite students to use the main idea and supporting details to orally paraphrase the text with an elbow partner. Ask for volunteers to share their paraphrasing.
  • Focus students on the diagram on page 48.
  • Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner, then use equity sticks to select students to share out:

"What does this diagram tell you?" (The diagram labels the body parts of the scorpion.)

  • Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner, then cold call students to share out:

"How does this diagram help you to better understand the text?" (The text describes the different parts of the scorpion, but without the diagram it would be difficult to know what those parts look like and what a scorpion looks like. The diagram makes it clear.)

  • Explain that when a diagram, graph, or other feature is present in a text, students should look at it carefully because it may provide additional information or help them understand the information presented in the text.
  • Ask the following questions and invite students to consider the text and the diagram when determining answers:

"What is the name of the stinger at the end of the scorpion tail?" (aculeus)

"In which part of the body are the venom glands found?" (telson)

"What is the difference between the metasoma and the mesosoma?" (The metasoma is just the tail; the mesosoma is the main body.)
  • For students who may need additional support determining the main idea of the read-aloud text: Consider providing them with their own copy of the text to follow along while it is read aloud. It may benefit these students to have the main idea and/or key details highlighted in advance. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: Note the main ideas on an anchor chart during the discussion. Underneath the main ideas, note the supporting details. Consider using whatever visual may have been used on the Determining the Main Idea anchor chart in Lesson 5.
  • For ELLs: Mini Language Dive. Ask students about the meaning of the chunks of a key sentence from the text: "They inject neurotoxic venom into their prey, as well as their enemies, with stingers on their rear ends." Write and display student responses next to the chunks. Example: 
    • "Place your finger on the sentence: They inject neurotoxic venom into their prey, as well as their enemies, with stingers on their rear ends."
    • "Who is They?"
    • "What do They inject?"
    • "What does toxic mean? What does neuro mean?"
    • "Where do They inject it?"
    • "How do They inject it?"
    • "They is a word that talks about a person or thing that has already been spoken or written about. We use it after we first talk about the name of a person or thing instead of always saying the name of the person or thing again and again."
    • Point out that this one sentence tells who, then what, then where, then how.
  • For ELLs: In preparation for the end of unit assessment, give students practice with vocabulary selected response questions. Example:

Part A

What is the meaning of escape as it is used in Paragraph 2 on page 49?

A. evade

B. excite

C. expect

D. evaluate

Part B

Which evidence from Paragraph 2 best supports the answer to Part A?

A. "... it requires a lot ..."

B. "... will jump around ..."

C. "... to get away"

D. "... want to study ..."

B. Interpreting the Diagram in "Fight to Survive!" (15 minutes)

  • Invite students to take out their "Fight to Survive!" texts.
  • Display and distribute "Fight to Survive!" Questions.
  • Read the questions aloud as students follow along on their own copies. 
  • Tell students that they are going to work with a partner to use the text and diagram to answer the questions.
  • Pair students up and ask them to begin working.
  • Circulate to support students as they answer the questions.
  • Refocus whole group and invite partners to pair up with another pair to share their answers. Invite students to revise their answers if they recognize that they answered incorrectly.
  • For students who may need additional support with reading: Consider offering selected shorter passages to specific groups based on the readiness and needs of the group. This provides an opportunity for students to read a complex text within the fourth-grade level span but differentiates the length of the text, not the complexity. (MMR, MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Using Affixes and Roots to Determine the Meaning of Unfamiliar Vocabulary (20 minutes)

  • Invite students to work with their assigned partner from Work Time B. 
  • Focus students on the word ability. Say it aloud and invite students to say it aloud too.
  • Remind students that one strategy for determining the meaning of unfamiliar words is to use affixes and suffixes. Ask them to discuss with their partner, then select volunteers to share out:

"What word do you think might be the root of this word?" (able)

"What is the affix on this word? Is it a prefix at the beginning or a suffix at the end? (suffix, -ity)

"What other words do you know that have this suffix?" (Examples: activity, maturity, responsibility. Record on the board.)

"How does the -ity change those words? What is the root? How does adding -ity change the root active? How does -ity change the root mature?" (It tells you the state.)

  • If productive, cue students to clarify the conversation by confirming what they mean, and to listen carefully and seek to understand:

"So, do you mean _____?" (Responses will vary.)

"Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to refer to their Affix List to determine the meaning of -ity.
  • Tell students that -ity is Latin and remind them that Latin is an old language that was spoken in Europe a long time ago. 
  • Display and distribute an Affix Word Glossary -ity for this module. Remind students that they completed one of these in Module 1. Review what should be recorded in each column of the glossary using the word ability.
  • Invite students to work with their partner to find, underline, and try to determine the meaning of all of the words with the suffix -ity in their "Fight to Survive!" text. Remind them to record these words on their Affix Word Glossary -ity.
  • Refocus the group and invite students to share out. Listen for them to share ability, toxicity, responsibility, and community and to be able to break up the words into the root and the suffix, as they should have done on their glossary. Refer to the Affix Word Glossary -ity (answers, for teacher reference). Add any new words to the academic and domain-specific word walls and invite students to add translations in native languages.
  • Focus students on the learning targets. Read each one aloud, pausing after each to use a checking for understanding protocol for students to reflect on their comfort level with or show how close they are to meeting each target. Make note of students who may need additional support with each of the learning targets moving forward.
  • Repeat, inviting students to self-assess against how well they persevered in this lesson.
  • For students who may need additional support with sustained effort: Pair students strategically to ensure that those needing support with reading and/or writing have a respectful, supportive partner. (MMAE, MME) 
  • For ELLs: Help students use translation tools and add the translation next to the word.
  • For ELLs: Encourage students to add a Context column and include the phrase the word is used in (collocation). Example: take primary responsibility for. Recording words in context or as part of familiar groupings can help ELLs recall the meaning of the words more easily. These word groupings also help ELLs communicate more accurately and appropriately.

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Choose one of the Affixes Practice sheets from the homework resources for this unit.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt to respond to in the front of your independent reading journal.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading and writing: Refer to the suggested homework support in Lesson 1. (MMAE, MMR)

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