ELA GK:M3:U3:L9

Small group research: Taking Notes and Unit 3 Assessment, Part III

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

W.K.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).
W.K.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
SL.K.1a: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).
SL.K.1b: Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.

Daily Learning Targets

I can write about patterns in living things using my research. (W.K.7, W.K.8)
I can discuss the patterns in how living things meet their needs. (SL.K.1a, SL.K.1b)

Ongoing Assessment

Circulate and observe students throughout the Science Talk in Work Time C. Use the Speaking and Listening Checklist to document progress toward SL.K.1a and SL.K.1a (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

Agenda	Teaching Notes
1. Opening A. Poem and Movement: "Connecting Trees" (5 minutes) 2. Work Time A. Shared Reading: All about Trees Anchor Chart (15 minutes) B. Preparing for a Science Talk: Tree Patterns Note-catcher (15 minutes) C. Unit 3 Assessment, Part III: Science Talk (20 minutes) 3. Closing A. Poem and Movement: "Who Depends on Trees?" Version 1 (5 minutes)	Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards: In Work Time A, students reread the All about Trees anchor chart to name patterns about the trees' needs, the foods they provide, and how animals get the food. The Opening, Work Times B and C, and Closing A all contain repeated routines from Lessons 6-7. Refer to those lessons for more detail, as necessary. How this lesson builds on previous work: This is the final lesson in a series of four that has opened with the poem "Connecting Trees." In Lessons 5 and 8, students considered research questions about the needs that trees have and what trees provide to other living things. In this lesson, they discuss patterns they notice about living things and how they meet their needs in a final Science Talk. Areas in which students may need additional support: Students may need additional support transferring the ideas from the All about Trees anchor chart to their individual notes. Down the road: In Lessons 10-13, students will use their research and notes to help them write an informational booklet about their tree, which serves as the text for their performance task.

Teaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Poem and Movement: "Connecting Trees" (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Shared Reading: All about Trees Anchor Chart (15 minutes)

B. Preparing for a Science Talk: Tree Patterns Note-catcher (15 minutes)

C. Unit 3 Assessment, Part III: Science Talk (20 minutes)

3. Closing

A. Poem and Movement: "Who Depends on Trees?" Version 1 (5 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

In Work Time A, students reread the All about Trees anchor chart to name patterns about the trees' needs, the foods they provide, and how animals get the food.
The Opening, Work Times B and C, and Closing A all contain repeated routines from Lessons 6-7. Refer to those lessons for more detail, as necessary.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

This is the final lesson in a series of four that has opened with the poem "Connecting Trees."
In Lessons 5 and 8, students considered research questions about the needs that trees have and what trees provide to other living things. In this lesson, they discuss patterns they notice about living things and how they meet their needs in a final Science Talk.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

Students may need additional support transferring the ideas from the All about Trees anchor chart to their individual notes.

Down the road:

In Lessons 10-13, students will use their research and notes to help them write an informational booklet about their tree, which serves as the text for their performance task.

In Advance

Distribute Materials for Work Time B at student workspaces.
Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

Consider using an interactive white board or document camera to display lesson Materials.

Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-2 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 K.1.A.3, K.1.B.6, and K.2.C.6

Important points in the lesson itself

The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by returning to practice reading and reciting "Connecting Trees" and the riddles in "Who Depends on Trees?" Students build Vocabulary and fluency discussing content-specific knowledge as they prepare for and participate in a Science Talk and the Unit 3 Assessment, Part III. ELLs will benefit from recursive exposure to the words and syntax they have learned throughout this unit and previous ones. Consider creating a "grab bag" of verbs to use in a game during the Opening. Pull out one verb at a time and ask students to use it in a sentence. See how many verbs the group can use in 1 minute.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

During Work Time A, ensure that students are comfortable and familiar using the Vocabulary and syntax to describe patterns in a way that matches the fluency of their ideas. Remind them that they practiced talking about patterns in Are Trees Alive? and also the Language Dive in Lessons 1 and 7. After inviting students to share ways to talk about patterns, offer them frames to support that.

For heavier support:

During Work Time A, to illuminate the concept of patterns, consider introducing a Venn diagram to facilitate showing how two things might look different but can share common needs and characteristics. Use two leaves to provide a simple model of how to use language frames to highlight the similarities between two things. (Examples: "This leaf is ______" and "This other leaf is ______" and "They both ________.") Use simple and obvious comparisons of shape, texture, and color to demonstrate the concept of similar.

Universal Design for Learning

Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to embed support for unfamiliar Vocabulary by providing explanation and visual examples. This will help students make connections and support comprehension.
Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): Continue to support strategy during independent writing by modeling how to physically touch the words/spaces on the sentence frame and draw lines for additional words you intend to write. This helps students recall their original ideas later in the writing process.
Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to foster collaboration and community by providing prompts that guide students in knowing when and how to ask classmates or teachers for help.

Vocabulary

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

Review:

patterns (L)
touches, underground, crumbly, shines, tiny, connected (T)

Materials

"Connecting Trees" (from Lesson 6; one to display)
All about Trees anchor chart (begun in Lesson 6; added to during Work Time A)
All about Trees anchor chart (begun in Lesson 6; example, for teacher reference)
Tree Patterns note-catcher (one per student and one for teacher modeling)
Tree Patterns note-catcher (example, for teacher reference)
Pencils (one per student)
Pinky Partners Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 2)
Science Talk Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 2)
Speaking and Listening Checklist (for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
"Who Depends on Trees?" Version 1 (from Unit 2, Lesson 2; one to display)

Assessment

Each unit in the K-2 Language Arts Curriculum has one standards-based assessment built in. 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

Opening	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Poem and Movement: "Connecting Trees" (5 minutes) Gather students whole group. Display the poem "Connecting Trees" and read the title. Follow the same routine established in Modules 1-2 to read the "Connecting Trees" poem. Direct students' attention to the posted poem. Invite students to first listen as you read the poem fluently and without interruption. Reread the poem with students and invite them to read along as you point to the text. Invite students to stand and show just the verbs or action words in the poem with their bodies. Reread the poem and help students locate the verbs by acting them out yourself. (Examples: rain falls, drinks, connects, sun shines, grows, and look closely) Continue rereading as time permits. Give students specific, positive feedback on acting out the verbs in "Connecting Trees."	For ELLs and students who may need additional support with language: (Practicing Parts of Speech Game: Verbs) Consider adding a game in which students are challenged to use as many verbs as possible within 1 minute. See the Supporting English Language Learners section for more details. (MMR)

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Poem and Movement: "Connecting Trees" (5 minutes)

Gather students whole group.
Display the poem "Connecting Trees" and read the title.
Follow the same routine established in Modules 1-2 to read the "Connecting Trees" poem.

Direct students' attention to the posted poem.
Invite students to first listen as you read the poem fluently and without interruption.
Reread the poem with students and invite them to read along as you point to the text.

Invite students to stand and show just the verbs or action words in the poem with their bodies.
Reread the poem and help students locate the verbs by acting them out yourself. (Examples: rain falls, drinks, connects, sun shines, grows, and look closely)
Continue rereading as time permits.
Give students specific, positive feedback on acting out the verbs in "Connecting Trees."

For ELLs and students who may need additional support with language: (Practicing Parts of Speech Game: Verbs) Consider adding a game in which students are challenged to use as many verbs as possible within 1 minute. See the Supporting English Language Learners section for more details. (MMR)

Work Time

Work Time	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Shared Reading: All about Trees Anchor Chart (15 minutes) Tell students that they have learned a lot about how different trees meet their needs and provide for other living things. They will now look closely to find patterns among the different trees. Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud: "I can write about patterns in living things using my research." Review the definition of pattern (something that is the same and repeats over and over again) as needed. Remind students that researchers seek out patterns in the world around them. Direct students' attention to the All about Trees anchor chart and read it aloud. Point out all they have learned about different types of trees. Reread the anchor chart and invite students to read it with you while doing hand motions or gestures. Tell students that they will look through the information about all of the trees to find patterns. To help find the patterns, they will think about how the trees are the same. Follow the same routine from Work Time C of Lesson 6 to add to the All about Trees anchor chart using the following questions: "What is the same about all of these trees?" (They all need water, and they all provide animals with food.) "What are some patterns you notice about all of the trees?" (All of the trees need light and water.) If productive, cue students to agree or disagree and explain why: "Do you agree or disagree with what your classmate said? Why? I'll give you time to think." Refer to the All about Trees anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.	For ELLs: (Connection to Home Languages) Invite students to use their home languages when describing patterns. For ELLs and students who may need additional support with verbal expression: (Sentence Frames: Comparing) Invite students to use a modified version of the frame they practiced during the Language Dive in Lessons 1 and 7: "Instead of ________, this tree has ________. They both _______." (MMAE) For students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: Provide scaffolds as students share during the discussion. (Example: "What difference did you notice about something these trees need?") (MMAE)
B. Preparing for a Science Talk: Tree Patterns Note-catcher (15 minutes) Refocus students whole group. Offer specific, positive feedback about the many patterns they discovered about the trees they have researched. Tell them that they will now write about those patterns. Tell students that they will use the All about Trees anchor chart to help them complete the Tree Patterns note-catcher. They will then use these notes during the Science Talk. Display the Tree Patterns note-catcher and read aloud the columns: "Pattern 1" "Pattern 2" Tell students they should write about at least one pattern to be prepared for the Science Talk. Turn and Talk: "What is a pattern that we just discussed that I could record in the Pattern 1 column on my note-catcher?" (All trees need light and water. They all provide animals with food.) As students discuss, circulate to help support those who have not yet identified a pattern they would like to write about. Invite one or two students to share out. As students share out, quickly sketch a picture that shows their idea on the Tree Patterns note-catcher. Refer to the Tree Patterns note-catcher (example, for teacher reference) as necessary. Tell students they will now return to their workspaces to complete their note-catchers. Encourage them to hold their ideas in their minds as they move to their workspaces. Say: "Lock your ideas about patterns in your brain. If you can think it, you can write it!" Point out the Tree Patterns note-catchers and pencils already at their workspaces. Transition students to their workspaces, inviting them to move like an animal that depends on a tree for food. Invite students to begin writing. Circulate to support them as they work and to refer them back to the All about Trees anchor chart as necessary. After about 5 minutes, invite students to bring their notes and return to the whole group area. Tell students they are going to use the Pinky Partners protocol to share their Tree Patterns note-catchers. Remind them that they used this protocol in Lessons 6 and 8 and review as necessary using the Pinky Partners Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.) Guide students through the protocol using the following prompt: "What patterns can we observe in how living things meet their needs?" Tell students that next they will share what they have learned about trees in a Science Talk.	For students who may need additional support with fine motor skills: Offer choice for expression by providing a template that includes lines. (MMR, MMAE)
C. Unit 3 Assessment, Part III: Science Talk (20 minutes) Refocus students whole group. Offer specific, positive feedback on their hard work completing their note-catchers. Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud: "I can discuss the patterns in how living things meet their needs." Tell students they are now going to use the Science Talk protocol to discuss what they've learned about the patterns that exist among trees. Remind them that they used this protocol in Lessons 6 and 8 and review as necessary using the Science Talk Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.) Guide students through the protocol using the following question: "What patterns can we observe in how living things meet their needs?" As students participate in the Science Talk, circulate to observe pre-selected students and use the Speaking and Listening Checklist to document progress toward SL.K.1a and SL.K.1b. Gather students whole group. Offer specific, positive feedback on their work during the Science Talk.	For ELLs and students who may need additional support with activating prior knowledge: (Recalling Previous Learning) Before beginning the Science Talk, consider probing students to remember some of the miscues and corrected ways to share information during a Science Talk. Use the sentences/language you scribed from Lessons 6 and 8 to jog their memories. (MMR) For ELLs: (Pacing Prompts) During the Science Talk, encourage students to speak up when they would like to hear something repeated. (Example: "Can you please repeat what you said?")

Closing & Assessments

Closing	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Poem and Movement: "Who Depends on Trees?" Version 1 (5 minutes) Remind students that they have learned so much about living things over the past several weeks, and their study of living things will soon come to a close. This means that they will soon be able to celebrate and share all of the learning they have done! Display "Who Depends on Trees" Version 1 and tell students that they will be looking back at some of the poems and songs they have learned so that they will be ready to share them at the Celebration of Learning. Follow the same routine established in Modules 1-2 to read "Who Depends on Trees?" Version 1. Direct students' attention to the posted "Who Depends on Trees?" Version 1. Invite students to first listen as you read the riddles fluently and without interruption. Invite students to try to remember the motions or gestures that go with the poem. Reread as time allows. Tell students that they will continue to practice songs and poems so they are prepared to share their learning at the celebration.	For ELLs: (Charades: Verbs) Consider inviting a few students to lead a game of charades of verbs found in the "Who Depends on Trees?" riddles. Support students by pointing to and rereading the color-coded and illustrated verbs in the riddles that they can select from.

Closing