Reading Informational Texts: Researching Expert Group Natural Disasters | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G5:M4:U1:L5

Reading Informational Texts: Researching Expert Group Natural Disasters

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.
  • 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.
  • SL.5.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
  • SL.5.1a: Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • 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)
  • I can cite evidence from the text to support my answers to questions. (RI.5.1)
  • I can prepare for a Science Talk about how natural disasters affect the people and places that experience them by identifying appropriate evidence from sources about natural disasters. (SL.5.1a)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Natural Disasters Research note-catcher (RI.5.1, W.5.7, W.5.8)
  • Natural Disasters: Preparing for a Science Talk note-catcher (SL.5.1)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Learner:  Revisiting Class World Cafe Anchor Charts (10 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Expert Group Work: Researching Ways to Stay Safe During a Natural Disaster (30 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Preparing for a Science Talk (15 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: 

  • In this lesson, students again work in expert groups to research their natural disaster, focusing on ways to stay safe during it. They explore parts of FEMA's webpage, Ready.gov, as they research specific ways to stay safe before, during, and after their group's natural disaster (RI.5.1, W.5.7, W.5.8).
  • This lesson is designed for students to use an internet source as a text. If the technology necessary for students to complete the reading is unavailable, provide them with a printed copy of the webpages specific to their group's natural disaster.
  • In the Closing, students begin to prepare for a Science Talk in Lesson 7, during which they will synthesize their learning about natural disasters from the first half of Unit 1 to answer the question: "How do natural disasters affect the people and places that experience them?" Students review their research note-catcher and research texts to gather evidence to answer this question.
  • Students focus on working to become ethical people by focusing on a characteristic of their choice as they work in expert groups.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • Throughout Lessons 1-4, students have been researching natural disasters. In this lesson, students complete their research and begin to prepare to share their research in a formal discussion.

Areas in which students may need additional support: 

  • Students may require additional support when researching. Consider identifying specific parts of the webpage to help students focus in on the most relevant parts for their research Assessment Guidance:
  • Review student Natural Disaster Research note-catchers to assess how well they take notes and cite evidence to answer research questions and to identify common issues to use as whole group teaching points prior to the mid-unit assessment in the next lesson.
  • Consider using the Speaking and Listening Informal Assessment: Collaborative Discussion Checklist as students research and discuss in small groups in Work Time A (see the Tools page).

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will read a new text for the mid-unit assessment, using the same reading routines practiced throughout the first half of the unit.
  • Students will participate in a Science Talk in Lesson 7, drawing from their research throughout the first half of this unit.

In Advance

  • Prepare the technology necessary for students to access "Know the Facts, Be Empowered" (see Technology and Multimedia).
  • 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.
  • Work Time A: Prepare technology for students to access on an internet device: "Know the Facts, Be Empowered!" Know the Facts, Be Empowered! | Ready.gov. FEMA/DHS, n.d. Web. Accessed on 06 Feb. 2017. 
  • 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, preview links and/or use a filter service, such as www.safeshare.tv, for viewing these links in the classroom.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 5.I.A.1, 5.I.A.2, 5.I.B.6, 5.I.C.10

Important points in the lesson itself 

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to build on their research about natural disasters by reading empowering web research about how to stay safe before, during, and after a natural disaster. This research is a supportive preview for the PSAs students will write in the second half of the unit. Additionally, students also have opportunity to prepare for the Science Talk they will participate in during Lesson 7.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to distinguish between the evidence they need to find in "How Well is Your Community Prepared" to answer the research question during Closing and Assessment and the reasons and evidence they needed to find to support the author's point in the same article in Lesson 4. Be sure to clarify the difference for students in order to minimize any confusion (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:

  • During the Closing, consider playing a video or briefly Fishbowl an example of an effective Science Talk to provide a clear model for students.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to support comprehension by activating prior knowledge and scaffold connections for students. Continue to provide visual display of questions and student responses on chart or board during discussions.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): This lesson offers several opportunities for students to engage in discussion with partners. Continue to support those who may need it with expressive language by providing sentence frames to help them organize their thoughts.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Invite students to reflect on their learning from previous lessons in this unitto support students in understanding the value and relevance of the activities in this lesson. Continue to provide prompts and sentences frames for those students who require them.

Vocabulary

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

  • science talk (L)
  • facts, empowered (T)

Materials

  • Class World Cafe anchor charts (begun in Lesson 1; added to during Opening A; see supporting materials)
  • Class World Cafe anchor charts (begun in Lesson 1; example, for teacher reference)
  • Research texts (one per student)
  • Natural Disaster Videos (from Lesson 2)
  • Expert group texts (from Lesson 3)
  • "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" (from Lesson 4)
  • Natural Disasters Research note-catcher (begun in Lesson 2; added to during Work Time A; one per student and one to display)
  • Natural Disasters Research note-catcher (begun in Lesson 2; example, for teacher reference)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • "Know the Facts, Be Empowered!" (one per student and one to display; see Technology and Multimedia)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Academic Word Wall (begun in Module 1)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Lesson 1)
  • Vocabulary logs (begun in Module 1; one per student)
  • Natural Disasters: Preparing for a Science Talk note-catcher (one per student and one to display)

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: Revisiting Class World Cafe Anchor Charts (10 minutes) 

  • Focus students on the Class World Cafe anchor charts and remind them that they used these charts to record their ideas about natural disasters after discovering the topic in Lesson 1.
  • Invite students to chorally read the questions on each chart aloud:
    • "How can natural disasters affect the people who experience them?"
    • "How can natural disasters affect the places that experience them?"
    • "How can we prepare for a natural disaster?"
  • Invite students to skim through their research texts and to review their Natural Disasters Research note-catcher, thinking about any information that could be added to the charts.
  • Select students to share out. As students share, capture their ideas on the corresponding chart. Refer to the Class World Cafe anchor charts (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with information processing: (Jigsaw Learning) Allow expert groups to be responsible for skimming their research texts and note-catchers to answer just one question from the World Cafe charts, rather than all three of them, making sure that at least one group answers each question. Groups can then report back to the larger group about what they learned. (MMAE)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes) 

  • Invite students to move to sit with their expert groups. Focus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart and invite them to whisper-read the habits of character on the chart. Tell students to discuss in their groups and choose a habit to focus on as they work today.
  • Direct students' attention to the learning targets and read them aloud:
    • "I can read an informational text closely and take notes in order to answer research questions."
    • "I can cite evidence from the text to support my answers to questions."
    • "I can prepare for a Science Talk about how natural disasters affect the people and places that experience them by identifying appropriate evidence from sources about natural disasters."
  • Focus students on the first two learning targets and point out that they have seen similar ones in Lessons 3 and 4.
  • Invite students to skim over their Natural Disasters Research note-catcher. Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What research questions do you need more information for?" (How can we stay safe during natural disasters?)

  • Point out that, while they gathered some information about how to stay safe during natural disasters in the previous lesson, they need specific ways to stay safe during their natural disaster. Tell students that today they will work with a new source to find information to answer this question.
  • Focus students on the third learning target. Point out that they have all been researching different natural disasters, so in the second half of the unit they will participate in a Science Talk as a way to share what they have learned about natural disasters. Today, they will look through their notes and begin collecting evidence for the Science Talk
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Stopping Between Learning Targets) Consider stopping after each learning target has been read to ask students what they think they will be doing in this lesson. Invite students to rephrase the learning target in their own words to ensure comprehension. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with vocabulary: (Synonyms to Support New Vocabulary) Underline the word appropriate in the third learning target and invite students to think of synonyms, or words that could replace appropriate without changing the meaning of the sentence (good, relevant). Clarify the meaning of the word in the context of the learning target as needed, and write the synonyms above the word on the learning target. (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Expert Group Work: Researching Ways to Stay Safe During a Natural Disaster (30 minutes) 

  • Remind students that they have worked with a variety of sources to research natural disasters: they have watched videos, read an informational text about their group's disaster, and read a general article about how to prepare for natural disasters.
  • Tell students that today they will work with a website that is part of the Ready Campaign. Explain that the Ready Campaign is a national public service advertising campaign to raise awareness about how to prepare and respond to emergencies, including natural disasters, developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Connect FEMA to "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" read in the previous lesson--it is an example of a federal agency, or an organization run by the federal government, that helps communities in the United States after natural disasters and other emergencies.
  • Allocate technology and model how to open and navigate "Know the Facts, Be Empowered!" Invite students to access the webpage.
  • Read aloud the introduction on the webpage, inviting students to follow along, beginning with: "Emergencies can be scary."
  • Focus students on the following words and use the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to review and/or determine the meaning of the words. Add them to the Academic and Domain-Specific Word Walls and invite students to add them to their vocabulary logs:
    • facts (something known to be true)
    • empowered (make someone stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life)
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What point is the author of this website making?" (The more you know about emergencies, the more confident you will be in dealing with them when they happen.)

  • Focus students on the different emergencies and their corresponding illustration below the introductory paragraph. Point out that each of their disasters is listed here. Model navigating this part of the webpage, pointing out that the page for each disaster follows the same structure. Choose a disaster to show students, pointing out the different parts of the webpage:
    • the heading and paragraph that explains the natural disaster.
    • the illustration depicting the disaster, to the right of the paragraph. 
    • the list of other emergencies that can be learned about on this website, on the left of this paragraph.
    • the graphic of a person with a speech bubble: "Am I at risk?", and corresponding caption.
    • the box labeled Before/During/After; model clicking on each of these headings, noting how the information in the box changes.
    • the "Words to Know" list.
  • Tell students that they will now look at the section of this website for their group's natural disaster. Tell them that as they read their group's webpage, they should take notes in the appropriate parts of their Natural Disasters Research note-catcher. Remind students that they should focus on looking for information about how to stay safe, but that they may find new information answering other research questions. Clarify as needed.
  • Invite students to begin working. Circulate to support students as they work. Remind them to only record relevant information from their group's webpage, or facts and details related to the research questions. Remind them that the notes they take are to help them remember the facts and information they are collecting to use later in their writing, so they do not need to write in complete sentences. Refer to the Natural Disasters Research note-catcher (example, for teacher reference) as needed.

Conversation Cue: "Can you say more about that?" (Responses will vary.)
Conversation Cue: "So, do you mean ______?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the first two learning targets.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with self-regulation: (Orally Reviewing) Before inviting groups to read the web page about their natural disaster, encourage them to orally process in pairs the information they collected on their research note-catcher during previous lessons. (MME)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with strategy development: (Modeling and Thinking Aloud: Adding Notes to Research Note-catcher) Model and think aloud the process for answering research questions about a natural disaster that is not being researched by an expert group. (Example: Click the link for wildfires, read about how to stay safe during them, and then think aloud the process for identifying information that answers each research question. This supports students' understanding of how to navigate the website, as well as provide concrete examples of relevant facts and details to answer the research questions.) (MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with planning for writing: (Action Words and Phrases) As expert groups finish collecting research, focus their attention on the section of their note-catcher about how to stay safe during a natural disaster. Invite students to first underline and then share any action words or phrases they used (or the website used) to describe how people can stay safe before, during, and after their natural disaster. (Examples: build, make, stay away, look out, evacuate, listen, etc.).As they share, list the words on a chart paper entitled "Action Words and Phrases," and save the chart for students to refer to when writing their PSAs in the second half of the unit. (MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Preparing for a Science Talk (15 minutes) 

  • Remind students that a Science Talk is a discussion about big or important questions scientists have, and that researchers frequently share information they learn with others and ask questions to help build understanding and expand their thinking about the topic. Remind students they did this when studying the rain forest in Module 2.
  • Tell students they will discuss the following research question during a Science Talk in an upcoming lesson:
    • "How do natural disasters affect the people and places that experience them?"
  • Distribute and display the Natural Disasters: Preparing for a Science Talk note-catcher and point out the different sections, reminding students that they used a similar note-catcher to prepare for the Science Talk in Module 2.
  • Briefly model how to complete the note-catcher using evidence from texts read during the unit:
    • Model skimming "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" to identify quotes that might provide evidence to answer the Science Talk question.
    • Record those quotes in the first box of the displayed note-catcher with the title of the text. Refer to the example already recorded on the note-catcher to show students how to record their evidence.
    • Point out that the right-hand column provides space to justify the evidence provided in the left column. Again, refer students to the example already recorded on the note-catcher to see how to record their evidence.
  • Tell students they will work with their expert group to begin collecting evidence from any of their research texts to add to the Natural Disasters: Preparing for a Science Talk note-catcher. Remind them to use specific evidence from the text to support their thinking.
  • Invite students to begin working.
  • After 10 minutes, refocus whole group. Reassure students that it is okay if they have not finished gathering evidence, as they will have a chance to continue doing so prior to the Science Talk.
  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the third learning target and how well they demonstrated the habit from the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart they decided to focus on today.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with information processing: (Modeling and Thinking Aloud: Identifying Evidence) Because students identified evidence that supports the point of the article "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" in Lesson 4, they may find it difficult to distinguish that evidence from the evidence that answers the research question in this lesson. Clarify the difference for students, and model and think aloud the process for finding all of the evidence from "How Well is Your Community Prepared?" in order to minimize any confusion. Students can then work in their groups to identify evidence from their expert group texts to add to their note-catchers. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with writing fluency: (Sketching before Writing) Model doing quick sketches within the Preparing for a Science Talk note-catcher as placeholders for information. Say: "You can sketch first so that you don't forget the information you want to add. Then you may go back later and write." (MMAE)

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 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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