Setting Purpose: From Engagement Text to Decodables | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA GK:S3:C13:L66

Setting Purpose: From Engagement Text to Decodables

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can retell events from the story "A Book of Animals."
  • Work Time A (optional): Using evidence from the text, I can answer questions about the story "A Book of Animals."
  • Work Time B: I can read the text "A Book of Animals." (RF.K.3)
    • I can move my finger under words as I read them on a page, left to right and top to bottom.
    • I can identify the short sound for each vowel.
    • I can look at each consonant and say its sound.
    • I can recognize and read many high-frequency words by sight.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during the Opening. Determine whether they can retell events from the story.
  • Observe students during Work Time. Determine whether they can independently find a given letter or word.
  • Record students' progress on the Snapshot Assessment.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (3-5 minutes)

A. Introducing Engagement Text Read-aloud: "A Book of Animals"

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Introducing Comprehension Conversation (optional)

B. Introducing Decodable Reader: Partner Search and Read

3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Comprehension Conversation questions (if different from suggested questions)
    • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)
  • Pre-determine partnerships for retelling during Work Time B.
  • Gather materials for differentiated small group instruction (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T)

  • decode, proficient, retell (L)
  • communicate, creaking, kingdom, reader (T)

Materials

  • Enlarged Decodable Reader: "A Book of Animals" (one to display, see supporting materials)
  • Engagement Text: "A Book of Animals"
  • Highlighter, highlighting tape, or Wikki Stix (for teacher)
  • Decodable Reader: "A Book of Animals" (one per student, see Student Workbook)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Introducing Engagement Text Read-aloud: "A Book of Animals"

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"):

"Gather around together, and listen up well. We're going to read a story that you can retell. When we read the story, you will grow. At the end, you'll say back what you know."

  • Display Enlarged Decodable Reader: "A Book of Animals."
  • Introduce the Engagement Text Read-aloud instructional practice with the Engagement Text: "A Book of Animals":

1. Teacher says: "Listen carefully as I read today's story, 'A Book of Animals.' Listen for some of our keywords. After I am finished reading, you will retell the story to a partner and answer some questions about it."

2. Teacher reads the story aloud once or twice without interruption, pointing to the accompanying illustration from the Enlarged Decodable Reader for each section.

3. Students turn to a partner and retell the story in their own words.

  • Consider providing a copy of the Decodable Reader to students who need help retelling the story. The illustrations in the reader show the sequence of the story; students can simply retell the details based on what they see in the illustrations.
  • Consider providing students with sentence frames to help them retell the story. Example:
    • "In this story, first _____, then _____, and in the end, _____ happened in the story."

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Introducing Comprehension Conversation (optional)

  • Teacher asks the following suggested comprehension questions:
    • Recall:

"How did Anak and Watato feel at the beginning of the story?" (sad)

    • Vocabulary and Language:

"The story says Anak and Watato 'had met every ruler and learned all about the animals that live in each place.' A 'ruler' can mean a stick that measures things, and it can mean a person who rules over, or is in charge of, a place. Which one are they talking about?" (They are talking about the ruler of a place because they met the ruler of each of the kingdoms all around and learned about the animals that live in each kingdom.)

    • Digging Deeper: Extension Questions:

"After Anak and Watato wrote 'A Book of Animals,' do you think they were sad anymore?" (No. They were only sad at the beginning of the story because they thought they had nothing left to do. Jeffi gave them the idea to make a book, so then they had something to do.)

  • Consider providing students with sentence frames to help them answer comprehension questions. Example:
    • "I think [insert name of character] is _____ because _____."

B. Introducing Decodable Reader: Partner Search and Read

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"):

"Now we'll read a story with letters that we know. Get your finger ready to follow the flow. When we see a word, we'll stop and look and get our mouths ready to read the book."

  • Introduce the Decodable Reader: Partner Search and Read instructional practice:

1. Teacher displays Enlarged Decodable Reader: "A Book of Animals."

2. Teacher says: "We have been learning and reading a new poem every week. Now we are going to start reading books instead! This book is based on the story 'A Book of Animals.' I will read the words first, just like we did with the poem, and then you will read the words with me. Look and listen for high-frequency words and for letter sounds that you know."

3. Teacher reads the Enlarged Decodable Reader aloud at least once, pointing to each word as it is read aloud.

4. Teacher reads the text once more. Teacher thinks aloud as he or she notices the high-frequency words "I," "see," and "the." Teacher highlights the words with a highlighter.

5. Teacher rereads page 1. Teacher draws students' attention to the word "bear."

6. Teacher says: "This is one of the words in the poem that you already know: 'bear.' We know this word because it helps us remember the beginning sound of the letter 'b' and because we can recognize the picture that goes with it."

7. Teacher highlights the word.

8. Teacher says: "Now I will give a book to each of you. You and your partner will look for high-frequency words and keywords that you know in the book."

9. Teacher distributes the Decodable Reader: "A Book of Animals" to each student.

10. Students read "A Book of Animals" with a partner. Partners may take turns (by page or whole text), read in unison, or both.

11. As they read, partners search for high-frequency words and keywords in the Decodable Reader: "A Book of Animals" together, "circling" the word with their fingers. Teacher circulates to help partners who need additional support finding words.

12. Teacher says: "Today you searched for words in a book instead of a poem. Soon, you won't just be searching for words you know--you'll be reading new words!"

  • If readers in the Pre-Alphabetic or Partial Alphabetic phase need help finding high-frequency words, consider allowing a reader in the Early Full Alphabetic phase to help them. Or consider asking them to find the beginning letter of the word instead of the whole word.
  • As an extension for readers in the Full Alphabetic phase, consider asking students to think of a word that begins with the letter being searched.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

  • Emphasize that successful learners think about what they've learned and why it's important. Consider using a metaphor, such as a baseball player learning to keep his or her eye on the ball to know exactly when to hit it.
  • Ask:

"When we see a word that begins with the letter 'd,' how can we remember the sound it makes?" (Think of our keyword, "dog," and listen for the first sound or the sound that "d" makes at the beginning.)

"How will that help us with reading or writing?" (Responses will vary.)

  • For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Example:
    • "When I said the word 'elephant,' I _____."

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

Suggested Plan: Teacher works with the Pre-Alphabetic and Partial Alphabetic groups. At this point in the year, the teacher may be ready to meet with three rather than just two groups per day. If so, the teacher should work with students in the Full and Consolidated Alphabetic phases at least once per week. The teacher may choose to guide students through the suggested independent activity or refer to the possible practice activities.

Note: Groups not working with the teacher at a given time should be engaged in purposeful independent rotation work. Refer to the Independent and Small Group Work guidance document (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual) for more details.

Pre-Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Teacher guides students in cutting apart letters to build mystery words from previous cycles.
    • Students cut apart letters from the Letter sheet.
    • Teacher guides students in building mystery words "and" and "do."
    • Students paste letters on Mystery Words sheet.
  • Consider also reading the stories of "a," "n," or "d," found in the Learning Letters Book. After reading the story, practice skywriting the letter. Repeat the following day with the remaining letters.
  • Consider providing lined handwriting paper and having students practice writing the letters.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Letter sheet (one per student)
    • Mystery Words sheet (one per student)
    • Lined handwriting paper (optional)

Partial Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Students cut apart letters to build mystery words from previous cycles.
    • Students cut apart letters from the Letter sheet.
    • Students build mystery words "and" and "do."
    • Students paste letters on Mystery Words sheet.
  • Consider also reading the stories of "a," "n," or "d," found in the Learning Letters Book. After reading the story, practice skywriting the letter. Repeat the following day with the remaining letters.
  • Consider providing lined handwriting paper and having students practice writing the words.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Letter sheet (one per student)
    • Mystery Words sheet (one per student)
    • Lined handwriting paper (optional)

Full and Consolidated Alphabetic:

  • Independent Practice activity: Students complete "missing word" sentences with mystery words from previous cycles.
    • Students write missing mystery words in decodable sentences on Mystery Word Sentences sheet.
    • Students create new sentences with mystery words.
  • Conference with students about Accountable Independent Reading.
  • Choose a lesson from the K-2 Differentiation Packets to extend the students' learning. (Refer to the students' assessment data and the Assessment Conversion chart to determine an appropriate lesson or group of lessons.)
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Mystery Word Sentences sheet (one per student)
    • Additional writing paper (optional)
    • Writing utensil (one per student)

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