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ELA G4:M4:U3:L1

Launching Research of How Kids Can Take Action

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.4.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
  • W.4.8: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
  • SL.4.3: Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can identify the reasons and evidence Kid President gives to support the point that kids can be heroes. (SL.4.3)
  • I can research how kids can take action to make a difference in their community. (W.4.7, W.4.8)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Listening Closely: "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" note-catcher (SL.4.3)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Learner: The Hope Chest, Page 255 (15 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Listening Closely: "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" (30 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment 

A. Reviewing the Performance Task and Guiding Questions (10 minutes)

4. Homework

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

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • This lesson connects the reading of The Hope Chest completed in Units 1-2 to the research and performance task focused on throughout this unit: how kids can take action to make a difference in their communities. Students begin by discussing a quote from The Hope Chest where Violet realizes she wants to work to make a difference in the lives of others. Students then watch the video "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President." This engaging and motivating video helps frame the unit: Kids can, and should, take action in their communities. (W.4.7, W.4.8)
  • In Work Time A, students listen to "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" and take notes. They then use their notes to discuss reasons and evidence Kid President gives to support the point that kids can be heroes (SL.4.3).
  • Students focus on working to contribute to a better world as they begin their research on how kids can take action and make a difference.
  • The research reading that students complete for homework helps build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to inequality and ratifying the 19th Amendment. This kind of reading continues over the course of unit.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Units 1-2, students read and discussed the themes of The Hope Chest: inequality is injustice, stand up for what is right, and do something to make a difference. This lesson launches Unit 3, where the focus is on how kids today can take action to make a difference.
  • Continue to use Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support in determining the reasons and evidence Kid President gives to support his point. If necessary, replay the video so students can listen for these specific aspects of the video.

Assessment guidance:

  • Review students' Listening Closely note-catchers to initially assess how well they can identify reasons and evidence to support a point after listening to a speaker and to identify common issues to use as whole group teaching points in Lesson 3.

Down the road:

  • Students will research how kids have made a difference and develop their own project on how they will take action to make a difference in their community.
  • Over the course of the unit, students will research how kids have made a difference to inform their plan for how they can make a difference in their communities. In the next lesson, they will begin working in jigsaw groups to research specific projects kids have developed across the United States to help others.

In Advance

  • Prepare the technology necessary for students to watch the video, "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" on devices (see Technology and Multimedia).
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • 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.
  • Work Time A: Prepare technology for students to watch the video on devices with headphones if possible, "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" (one per student, one per pair, or one per triad):
  • Consider that YouTube, social media video sites, and other website links may incorporate inappropriate content via comment banks and ads. Although some lessons include these links as the most efficient means to view content in preparation for the lesson, teachers should preview them and/or use a filter service, such as www.safeshare.tv, to view the links in the classroom.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 4.I.B.5, 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.8, 4.I.C.10

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by building on their learning from previous units and making explicit the connections between content covered in the first two units and the work students will do in this unit; providing ample time for partner discussion and reflection; and allowing students to listen to and discuss the gist of the Kid President video before taking notes on it. 
  • ELLs may find it challenging to identify reasons and supporting evidence for the point made in the Kid President video. Reassure students by explaining that they will have more opportunities to practice the skills and process the information introduced in this lesson during the unit (see Levels of support and Meeting Students' Needs).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Challenge students to repeat and rephrase all lesson questions for students who need heavier support.

For heavier support:

  • Consider inviting students to watch, "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" to students before the lesson. Giving them an opportunity to process the language in the video before watching it as a whole class will increase their comprehension, lower their anxiety level, and likely increase their participation during Work Time A.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): In this lesson, support comprehension by activating prior knowledge. Consider a brief review of Unit 2 to highlight relevance and scaffold connections for students. Additionally, provide questions visually as well as verbally. For example, display questions on a chart or the board during discussions.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Recall the importance of supporting self-monitoring and executive function skills. In this lesson, facilitate student management of information and resources by allowing students to identify unknown words and record them in their vocabulary log.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): As in previous units, sustained engagement and effort throughout this unit is essential for student achievement. Some students may need support to remember the goal for the work they are doing in this unit. These students benefit from consistent reminders of learning goals and their value or relevance.

Vocabulary

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

  • make a difference, take action, research, reasons, evidence, points, support, notes (L)
  • hero (T)

Materials

  • The Hope Chest quote (one to display)
  • Academic Word Wall (begun in Module 1)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Unit 1)
  • "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" (video; play in entirety; see Technology and Multimedia)
  • Devices (for students to access "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" video; see Technology and Multimedia)
  • Listening Closely: "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" note-catcher (one per student and one to display)
  • Listening Closely: "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" note-catcher (example, for teacher reference)
  • Performance Task anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1)
  • Module Guiding Questions anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1)
  • Working to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Researchers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 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. Engaging the Learner: The Hope Chest, Page 255 (15 minutes)

  • Give students specific, positive feedback on completing Unit 2 and the hard work that went into completing The Hope Chest.
  • Display The Hope Chest quote and select a volunteer to read it aloud.
  • Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol:

"Based on this quote, how does Violet feel? Have you ever felt like Violet? When? Why?" (Responses will vary.)

"The last sentence of this quote says, '... that what she was doing was going to make a difference to somebody.' What does it mean to make a difference?" (doing something meaningful to help someone else)

"Violet is 11 years old--just a kid--but she wants to make a difference. Do you think kids can make a difference?" (Responses will vary.)

Conversation Cue: "Why do you think that?" (Responses will vary.)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: (Sentence Frames) To provide lighter support, invite more proficient students to create sentence frames to bolster participation during the discussion. Invite students who need heavier support to use the frames. (Example: "The quote shows that Violet feels ________." "To make a difference means to ____________." "I think that kids [can/can't] make a difference because_______.") (MMAE)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the learning targets and read them aloud:

"I can identify the reasons and evidence Kid President gives to support the point that kids can be heroes."

"I can research how kids can take action to make a difference in their community."

  • Circle the words reasons and evidence in the first target.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What are reasons and evidence?" (A reason is an explanation for why an author thinks something is true; evidence is facts or details based on research or observation that support a reason.)

  • Underline the word points and tell students that a point an author or speaker makes is a big idea that supports the focus of the text, and is explained in the text. Tell students that, as in their own writing, speakers support, or prove, their points with reasons and evidence.
  • Focus students on the second learning target and underline take action. Remind students that they have been discussing this phrase throughout the module, and that it means to do something to cause a change.
  • Circle the word research. Turn and Talk:

"What does it mean to research?" (to study and collect information about a topic)

"Based on the second learning target, what do you think you will be researching in this unit?" (how kids can make a difference)

  • Record any new words on the Academic Word Wall and Domain-Specific Word Wall, and invite students to add translations in home languages.
  • Tell students that throughout the first half of this unit, they will research how kids have made a difference in their communities, and that they will begin their research today by watching a video and thinking of reasons and evidence the speaker gives to show that kids can make a difference in their communities. 
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Adding Definitions to Learning Targets) As the class discusses the definition of words in the learning targets (reasons, evidence, point, research), consider writing the definition above each word on the posted target, then invite students to state the learning targets in their own words. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: (Making Connections to The Hope Chest) When discussing the definition of take action, ask:

"Can you identify a character in The Hope Chest who took action to make a difference? Describe how the character's actions made a difference." (Responses will vary, but may include: Chloe took action when she left home and went to New York City to fight for the women's suffrage movement, which eventually led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment.)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Listening Closely: "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" (30 minutes)

  • Tell students that they are going to watch a video featuring the character Kid President to learn more about how kids can make a difference.
  • Invite students to watch the video, "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" on devices.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is the gist of this video?" (Kid President tells kids how they can be heroes.)

  • Tell students they will use this video to practice how a listener can take notes and explain how reasons and evidence support a point the speaker makes. In this video, Kid President makes the point that kids can be heroes.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"According to Kid President, what is a hero?" ("Heroes are just ordinary people who've done extraordinary things. They inspire other people to be extraordinary.")

  • Remind students of the listening and note-taking they did in Module 2 when they learned about animal defense mechanisms. They listened to a text read to them several times, first just listening and then taking notes. Then they used their notes to paraphrase what they heard.
  • Point out that what they will be doing in this unit is slightly different: They will still listen and take notes, but instead of paraphrasing, they will think about the point the speaker is making, and identify reasons, or explanations, for why he or she thinks something is true, and evidence, or facts or details, that support their reason.
  • Distribute and display the Listening Closely: "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" note-catcher. Tell students they will use this note-catcher to record their notes. Focus students on the first page of the note-catcher and select a volunteer to read the headings. Answer any clarifying questions.
  • Turn and Talk:

"How do we take notes when listening to a text read aloud or to a speaker?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Jot down what the text or speaker says as he says it; write notes, not complete sentences; and try to write explicit details: write what you hear or observe, not inferences you are making as you listen.)

  • If a review on taking notes while listening is necessary, replay the first 30 seconds or so of the video and briefly model.
  • Invite students to watch the video again and to record notes and questions they have in the appropriate spots on the note-catcher as they watch.
  • Invite students to share any new or unfamiliar vocabulary from the video, adding any new words to the Academic Word Wall and Domain-Specific Word Wall, and inviting students to add translations in home languages.
  • Tell students that now that they have watched the video again and taken notes, they can think about the reasons and evidence Kid President gives to support the point that kids can be heroes.
  • Remind students that a reason is an explanation for why an author thinks something is true. So for this video, they need to think about the explanations Kid President gives for why he thinks kids can be heroes.
  • Tell students that usually when they are identifying a reason, the reason should start with the word because, as in "Kid President thinks kids can be heroes because...." The point--that he thinks kids can be heroes--comes first, followed by because and the reason.
  • Model identifying a reason Kid President gives to support the point that kids can be heroes. While modeling, be sure to:
    • Use the sentence starter: "Kid President thinks kids can be heroes because ..."
    • Think aloud about what Kid President thinks a hero is and why that means a kid can be one.
    • Refer to the first reason given on the Listening Closely: "For the Heroes: A Pep Talk from Kid President" note-catcher (example, for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Display and invite students to turn to the second page of their note-catchers. Drawing from student responses, model recording a reason Kid President gives to support the point that kids can be heroes.
  • Turn and Talk:

"Kid President thinks kids can be heroes because regular people can be heroes. What evidence, or facts and details, does he give to support or prove this reason?" (Student responses will vary, but may include: Heroes are ordinary people who do extraordinary things. "You don't need a cape and you don't need money.... You just need to care.")

  • Select students to share out. Invite students to record this reason and evidence in the appropriate spot on their note-catchers.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"What is another reason Kid President gives to support the point that kids can be heroes? What explanation does he give for why he thinks this is true?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Kid President also thinks kids can be heroes because kids can do extraordinary things.)

"What evidence, or facts and details, does he give to support or prove this reason?" (Responses will vary, but may include: When he was 12, Nathaniel raised money to help schools in central Africa get clean water; when she was 15, Madison started a beauty pageant for kids with special needs.)

  • Select volunteers to share out, inviting students to record this reason and evidence in the appropriate spot on their note-catchers.
  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the first learning target.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for written expression: (Stopping to Take Notes) During the second viewing, consider stopping the video several times to give students time to take notes about the section they just watched. This will allow students to focus on one task at a time and listen carefully to each section. Remind students that it is not necessary to write in complete sentences when taking notes. (MMAE, MME)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with strategy development: (Modeling and Thinking Aloud: Taking Notes) Briefly model taking notes while listening to a short section of the video and thinking aloud the process for students. Remind them that it is not necessary to write in complete sentences when taking notes. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: (Sentence Starters) Display the sentence starter used during the modeling and encourage students to use it when discussing the second reason Kid President gives for why kids can be heroes. Consider displaying sentence starters for students to use when discussing evidence, as well. (Example: "Kid President thinks kids can be heroes because __________. Some evidence he gives to support this reason is _______________.") (MMAE)
  • For students who may need additional support with fine motor skills: Offer choice with the note-catcher by providing a template that includes lines within each box. (MMR, MME)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reviewing the Performance Task and Guiding Questions (10 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Performance Task anchor chart and read the prompt. Remind students that they are working toward taking action in their community and writing a press release sharing what they did and the impact of the project.
  • Direct students' attention to the Module Guiding Questions anchor chart and focus students on the first and second guiding questions:
    • "What can we learn from the process of ratifying the 19th Amendment?"
    • "How can stories inspire us to take action to contribute to a better world?"
  • Point out that although they will not be taking on as big of an issue as Violet did in The Hope Chest, they can learn from Violet and from the kids they research throughout the unit on ways they can take action against inequality to lead change.
  • Focus students on the third guiding question:
    • "How and why can we encourage and support others to contribute to a better world?"
  • Tell students they will be working to answer this question throughout the unit.
  • Direct students' attention to the Working to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart and review the heading at the top: "Put learning to use to improve communities." Remind students they have been practicing and reflecting on these habits throughout the school year.
  • Point out the following habits:
    • "I take care of and improve our shared spaces and the environment."
    • "I apply my learning to help our school, the community, and the environment."
  • Tell students that these habits embody making a difference and will be the focus of this unit--students will research how kids have taken action to make a difference. Then, as a class, they will determine a need in their community and develop a plan on how they can take action to address the need. They will carry out their plan, and for the performance task share the details of their project and their impact.
  • Tell students that in the first half of this unit, they will research. In the second half, they will create and carry out their project; write a PSA, or public service announcement, to raise awareness about the issue they are addressing; and write their press release.
  • Direct students' attention to the Researchers Do These Things anchor chart and remind them of the research they did in previous modules, specifically about animal defense mechanisms in Module 2.
  • Review the criteria on the anchor chart.
  • Remind students that in Module 2, they had a research question to guide their work throughout the module. Write the following on the board, and tell students this is the research question for this unit:
    • "How can kids take action to make a difference?"
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"Based on Kid President's video, how can kids take action to make a difference?" (Kids should think about what they're not okay with, then think about what they have and who can help them solve the problem.) 
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Providing a Model) Consider providing a model of a performance task from a former student and inviting students to discuss how the model relates to and answers the module guiding questions. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with activating prior knowledge: (Recalling Examples) When reviewing the criteria on the Researchers Do These Things anchor chart, invite students to share specific examples of how they met the criteria when researching animal defenses during Module 2. (MMR) 

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with written expression: (Oral Response) Read aloud, discuss, and respond to your prompt orally with a partner, a family member, or a student from Grades 3 or 5, or record an audio response. (MMAE)

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