Close Read: How Well Is Your Community Prepared? | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G5:M4:U1:L4

Close Read: How Well Is Your Community Prepared?

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.5.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
  • RI.5.8: Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
  • W.5.7: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
  • W.5.8: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
  • L.5.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
  • L.5.2a: Use punctuation to separate items in a series.
  • L.5.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can explain how the author uses reasons and evidence to support a point. (RI.5.8)
  • I can read an informational text closely and take notes in order to answer research questions. (RI.5.1, W.5.7, W.5.8)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Close Reading Note-Catcher: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (RI.5.1, RI.5.4, RI.5.8, W.5.7, W.5.8, L.5.2a, L.5.4)
  • Natural Disasters Research Note-catcher (RI.5.1, W.5.7, W.5.8)
  • Exit Ticket: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (RI.5.8)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reading for Gist and Unfamiliar Vocabulary: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (10minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Close Reading: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (30 minutes)

B. Language Dive: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Exit Ticket: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?"(5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Complete the Language Dive Practice: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" in your Unit 1 Homework.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your Independent Reading journal.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards: 

  • In this lesson, students read a new text to add to their research about natural disasters. This lesson serves as a transition in the first half of the unit--prior to this, the focus of students'research has been learning about what natural disasters are. In this lesson, the focus shifts to how to stay safe during one.
  • Note that similar to Lesson 3, the routine for reading for gist and unfamiliar vocabulary is slightly different than in previous modules. Students annotate their copy of the text, writing notes about the gist in the margin and circling vocabulary. Similar to Lesson 3, answers have been provided for teacher reference using the same note-catcher as used in previous modules.
  • In Work Time A, students are guided through a close read of "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" The purpose of the close read is for students to research ways to stay safe during natural disasters, and to explain how the author uses reasons and evidence to support a particular point in the text (RI.5.1, RI.5.4, RI.5.8, W.5.7, W.5.8, L.5.2a, L.5.4). Immediately following the close read in Work Time B, students participate in Language Dive focusing on a sentence from paragraph 4 of the same text. Because the Language Dive sentence is an example of a reason the author gives to support a point, you may want to consider incorporating the Language Dive into the close read as you discuss paragraph 4.
  • In Work Time B, students participate in a Language Dive that guides them through the meaning of a sentence from "How Well is Your Community Prepared." The focus of this Language Dive is identifying reasons and evidence an author gives to support a point (R.I. 5.8). Students then apply their understanding of the meaning and structure of this sentence when identifying reasons and evidence an author gives to support a point in the Mid-unit Assessment. Refer to the Tools page for additional information regarding a consistent Language Dive routine.
  • Students focus on working to become effective learners by focusing on a characteristic of their choice as they closely read the text.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Lessons 2 and 3, students developed research questions and have been working with sources to answer these questions. In this lesson, students add to their Natural Disasters Research note-catcher.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need support in understanding the difference between points, reasons, and evidence. Consider previewing these terms, or inviting students who need additional support in a group for focused teacher guidance during this part of the close reading.

Assessment Guidance:

  • Review students' close reading note-catchers and exit tickets to determine common issues to use as whole group teaching points.

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will read a new text to learn about specific ways to stay safe during the natural disaster they are researching.
  • During the close read, students are informally introduced to using punctuation to separate items in a series. Students will revisit this in the second half of the unit when writing their PSAs.

In Advance

  • Preview the Close Reading Guide: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" to identify the key instructional moves in closely reading the text.
  • Review Questions We Can Ask During a Language Dive anchor chart as needed (begun in Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2).
  • Preview the Language Dive Guide and consider how to invite conversation among students to address the questions and goals suggested under each sentence strip chunk (see supporting materials). Select from the questions and goals provided to best meet your students' needs. Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials).

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.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 5.I.B.6, 5.I.B.7, 5.I.B.8, 5.I.C.10

Important points in the lesson itself 

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with the opportunity to read a research text for gist before participating in a close read of the same text, and participate in a Language Dive focused on identifying reasons an evidence an author gives to support a point. Additionally, students prepare for the mid-unit assessment by completing an exit ticket with questions similar to those they will encounter on the assessment.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to distinguish between reasons and evidence. Model and think aloud the process for distinguishing between them, and provide students with the opportunity to do this with a variety of texts prior to the assessment (see Levels of Support and the Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Encourage students to use Conversation Cues with other students to promote productive and equitable conversation and enhance language development.

For heavier support:

  • Prepare sticky notes with pre-written words or drawings based on the gist of different sections of the text. During Opening A, students can match the gist represented on the sticky notes with each section of the text.
  • Consider enlarging the text, "How Well is Your Community Prepared" and annotating it during the close read in Work Time A. Display this enlarged text for students to refer to this lesson and throughout the unit.
  • During the close read, help students by encouraging them to participate in the parts that require acting out. Invite a more proficient student to dictate lines for them to recite so that they practice using verbal language.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): This lesson offers a variety of visual anchors to cue students' thinking. For those who may need additional support, consider creating additional or individual anchor charts for reference. Additionally, continue to chart student responses during whole class discussions to aid with comprehension.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): It is important to support self-monitoring and executive function skills. Continue to facilitate student management of information and resources by allowing them to identify unknown words and record them in their vocabulary log.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Similar to previous lessons in this unit, students have opportunities to share ideas and thinking with classmates in this lesson. Continue to support students' engagement and self-regulatory skills during these activities by modeling and providing sentence frames as necessary.

Vocabulary

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

  • point, reasons, support, valid (L)
  • well-organized, emergency, response, prepared, several, state, federal, private, agencies, standing by, rely, resources, critical, phase, acute, evacuated, vital, local, coordinate, community (T)

See Textual Analysis Resources for additional academic vocabulary to teach with "How Well is Your Community Prepared?"

Materials

  • "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (one per student and one to display)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Finding the Gist and Unfamiliar Vocabulary: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (answers, for teacher reference)
  • Vocabulary logs (from Module 1; one per student)
  • Academic Word Wall (begun in Module 1)
  • Domain-specific Word Wall (begun in Lesson 1)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Close Reading Guide: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (for teacher reference)
    • Close Reading note-catcher: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (one per student and one to display)
    • Close Reading note-catcher: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (example, for teacher reference)
    • Natural Disasters Research note-catcher (from Lesson 2; one per student and one to display)
  • Language Dive Guide: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (for teacher reference)
    • Questions We Can Ask During a Language Dive anchor chart (begun in Module 3)
    • Language Dive Chunk Chart: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (for teacher reference)
    • Language Dive Note-catcher: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (one per student and one to display)
    • Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (one to display)
  • Exit Ticket: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (one per student and one to display)
  • Exit Ticket: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (answers, for teacher reference)

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. Reading for Gist and Unfamiliar Vocabulary: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?"(10minutes)

  • Remind students that they are working towards creating a PSA to raise awareness about what to do to stay safe during a natural disaster, and that they have been researching specific natural disasters in expert groups to prepare for writing their PSA.
  • Distribute and display "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" and tell students that today they will work with a new text to continue their research on natural disasters.
  • Direct students' attention to the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and review as necessary.
  • Tell students like when they read their expert group texts in Lesson 3, when they read this text for gist, they will annotate the text instead of recording their ideas on a separate note-catcher. Remind students that they did this in the previous lesson by circling unfamiliar words and writing notes about these words and the gist in the margin of the text.
  • Invite students to work with a partner to read the text, annotating for gist and unfamiliar vocabulary. Refer to the Finding the Gist and Unfamiliar Vocabulary: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (answers, for teacher reference) as necessary. Remind students to record new vocabulary in their vocabulary logs.
  • After 7 minutes, refocus whole group and invite students to share any unfamiliar words and their definitions. Add any new words to the academic word wall and domain-specific word wall.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What research question do you think this text will help us answer?" (How can we stay safe during natural disasters?)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading: (Jigsaw Reading) Consider assigning sections of the text to each pair. Students can be responsible for reading those sections and then reporting back to their partner about the gist of each section. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with vocabulary: (Sketching and Acting Out Unfamiliar Vocabulary) Invite students to sketch or draw any unfamiliar vocabulary words they encounter in the text. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with strategy development: (Sharing Strategies) Invite students to share a strategy that helped them determine the meaning of an unfamiliar vocabulary word in the text. Provide sentence frames for support. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For students who may need additional support with sustained effort: Support students'understanding of the purpose for annotating the text for notes about unfamiliar words and the gist. Invite students to share why this is important for comprehension of a text, and how this support them in working toward the learning targets in this lesson. (MME)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes) 

  • Direct students' attention to the learning targets and read them aloud:
    • "I can explain how the author uses reasons and evidence to support a point."
    • "I can read an informational text closely and take notes in order to answer research questions."
  • Underline the words point, reasons, and support. Turn and Talk:

"What is a point?" (a big idea that supports the focus of the text and is explained in the text)
"What are reasons?" (explanations given to support a point)
"What is the difference between a reason and evidence?" (A reason is an explanation to support a point; evidence is a specific fact or detail.)
"What word could you use to replace the word support in these learning targets?"(prove)
"What do you think you will be doing in this lesson? What makes you think that?"(reading a text and thinking about the big ideas that the author is explaining it, and the reasons and evidence the author gives to prove these ideas)

  • Point out that reasons are different from evidence: while both can be used to support a point, evidence shows that a reason is valid, or logical and reasonable. Tell students that you can usually put the word "because" in front of a reason. If you can't put "because" in front, then it is probably evidence.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, and invite them to read the habits of character on the chart to themselves. Tell students to choose a habit to focus on as they work today.
  • For ELLs and students who my need additional support with vocabulary: (Displaying Definitions) To reinforce the difference between reasons and evidence, write the definition of each term on a piece of chart paper and display the chart for students to refer to during the upcoming close read and Language Dive, as well as during the Mid-unit Assessment in Lesson 6. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Checking Comprehension of Concepts) Check comprehension of the words reasons and evidence by inviting students to first give a reason and then some evidence for the point that it is important to work hard in school. Provide sentence frames for support. Examples:
  • Reason: "It is important to work hard in school because ________."
  • Evidence: "Some evidence that working hard in school is important is _______." (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Close Reading: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (30 minutes) 

  • Guide students through the Close Reading Guide: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (for teacher reference).
  • Refer to the guide for how to integrate the following:
    • Close Reading Note-catcher: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?"
    • Close Reading Note-catcher: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (example, for teacher reference)
    • Natural Disasters Research note-catcher
  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the learning targets and how well they demonstrated the habit from the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart they decided to focus on today.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with information processing: (Enlarged Close Read Text: Color-coding) Consider using a different color to highlight sentences on the Enlarged Close Read Text (see For heavier support) that correspond with the point, reasons and evidence students discuss, and use corresponding colors to record students responses to the research questions on the displayed Natural Disasters Research note-catcher. This will help student make connections between the information in the article and the information they need to include on their note-catchers. (MMR, MMAE

B. Language Dive: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (10 minutes) 

  • Tell students they will now participate in a Language Dive using the same format from Module 3.
  • Focus students' attention on the Questions We Can Ask During a Language Dive anchor chart and remind them that they thought of their own questions to ask during a Language Dive.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"What is one question you can ask during a Language Dive?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Reread the fourth paragraph of "How Well is Your Community Prepared?"
  • Focus on the sentence:
    • "But these agencies, like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross, can take days to arrive at the scene."
  • Use the Language Dive Guide: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" and Language Dive Chunk Chart: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" to guide students through a Language Dive of the sentence. Distribute and display the Language Dive Note-catcher: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" and Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?"
  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the learning target.
  • For students who may need additional support with oral language and processing: Allow ample wait time after asking questions during language dive. (MME, MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Exit Ticket: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (5 minutes) 

  • Distribute the Exit Ticket: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?"
  • Read aloud the questions on the exit ticket and invite students to complete it. Refer to the Exit Ticket: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (answers, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with strategy development: (Rephrasing Selected Response) Invite students to rephrase selected response questions--and answer them--before they read each answer choice. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with sustained effort: (Revisiting Learning Targets) Revisit the learning targets introduced in Opening B. Invite students to rephrase them with specific examples. (MME)

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Complete the Language Dive Practice: "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" in your Unit 1 Homework.

B. 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 writing fluency: (Oral Response) Read aloud, discuss, and respond to your prompt orally, either with a partner, family member, or student from Grades 4 or 6, or record an audio response. (MMAE)

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