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

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ELA GK:S4:C21:L106

Setting Purpose: From Engagement Text to Decodables

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can retell events from the story "Josh and Chip at the Farm."
  • Work Time A (optional): Using evidence from the text, I can answer questions about the story "Josh and Chip at the Farm."
  • Work Time B: I can read the decodable text "Josh and Chip at the Farm." (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 recognize and read many high-frequency words by sight.
    • I can identify the name of each uppercase and lowercase letter.
    • I can look at each consonant and say its sound.
    • I can look at each vowel and say its short sound.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during Work Time.
    • Determine whether they can independently find a given letter or word.
    • Also determine whether they can segment consonant and vowel sounds within words, and identify familiar sounds in or automatically read high-frequency words.
  • Record students' progress on the Snapshot Assessment.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (3-5 minutes)

A. Engagement Text Read-aloud: "Josh and Chip at the Farm"

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Comprehension Conversation (optional)

B. 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)
  • Predetermine 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)

  • high-frequency (mystery) word, phoneme (sound), segment, blend (L)
  • sit in silence, sneak, farm, pen (T)

Materials

  • Enlarged Decodable Reader: "Josh and Chip at the Farm" (one to display)
  • Engagement Text: "Josh and Chip at the Farm" (one for teacher use)
  • Highlighter, highlighting tape, or Wikki Stix (for teacher use)
  • Decodable Reader: "Josh and Chip at the Farm" (one per student; see Student Workbook)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engagement Text Read-aloud: "Josh and Chip at the Farm"

  • 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: "Josh and Chip at the Farm."
  • Begin a read-aloud of the Engagement Text: "Josh and Chip at the Farm":

1. Teacher says: "Listen carefully as I read today's story, 'Josh and Chip at the Farm.' 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 will 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, _____. Finally, _____."

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Comprehension Conversation (optional)

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

"At the beginning of the story, what do Josh and Chip decide to do?" (sneak onto a bus and take a trip) "Whose idea is that?" (Chip's)

"When they first get off the bus and look around them, what do they see?" (trees, big red building with a white roof)

"What animals does the cat show them?" (pig, chicken [hen], rat)

    • Vocabulary and Language:

"At the beginning of the story, it says that Josh and Chip 'sit in silence for a moment.' What is another way to say that?" (They sat without talking; they were quiet and thinking.)

"The cat shows them a 'snorty pig.' What does the word 'snorty' tell us about the pig?" (It snorts a lot.)

"The author writes that the pig 'lives in a pen.' What must a pen be?" (the place where it lives) "What in the sentence helps us know that?" (The sentence says "lives in," so it must be where it lives!)

    • Digging Deeper: Extension Questions:

"Do Josh and Chip know where the bus is taking them?" (no) "How do you know?" (Chip says, "We can sneak on the bus and see where it takes us." When they got off the bus, they didn't see things they recognized. They didn't know what a farm was.)

"At the end of the story, Josh says, 'When we first got here, I thought the farm was so different from our neighborhood. In some ways it is, but in some ways it is the same, too!' How is the farm different from their neighborhood?" (pigs, hen, lots of trees, not many people, no tall buildings) "How was it the same?" (cat, rat)

  • Consider making comprehension questions optional if students need more time for learning routines for the decodable.
  • Consider providing students with sentence frames to help them answer comprehension questions. Example:
    • "I think [insert name of character] is _____ because _____."

B. 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."

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

1. Teacher displays Enlarged Decodable Reader: "Josh and Chip at the Farm."

2. Teacher says: "This book is based on the story 'Josh and Chip at the Farm.' I will read the words first, and then you will read the words with me. Look and listen for high-frequency words and 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 again. Teacher thinks aloud as he or she notices the high-frequency words "and," "in," "a," "where," "are," "they," "there," "is," "with," "see," and "of." Teacher highlights the words with a highlighter.

5. Teacher says: "Wow! This book has many of the high-frequency words we know well. We've been practicing them so much, we know them in a snap!"

6. Teacher rereads page 1.

7. Teacher asks:

"Can you find the letter 'b'?"

8. Teacher says: "This letter makes the /b/ sound at the beginning of this word."

9. Teacher highlights the letter.

10. Teacher asks:

"Can you find the letter 's'?"

11. Teacher says: "This letter makes the /s/ sound at the end of this word."

12. Teacher highlights the letter.

13. Teacher asks:

"What vowel is in the middle of this word?" ("u")

14. Teacher says: "That's right! "u" makes the /u/ sound."

15. Teacher invites students to do use the thumb-tapping technique to tap out each sound and says: "This word is pronounced 'bus.' Great job!"

16. Teacher says: "Now I will give a book to each of you. You and your partner will read the book together. Pay close attention to the high-frequency words 'where,' 'they,' 'are,' and the vowels letters we know in the book."

17. Teacher distributes the Decodable Reader: "Josh and Chip at the Farm" to each student.

18. Students read "Josh and Chip at the Farm" with partners. Partners may take turns (by page or whole text), read in unison, or both.

19. As they read, partners search for high-frequency words and letters in the Decodable Reader: "Josh and Chip at the Farm" together, pointing to letters as they say their sounds. Teacher circulates to help partners who need additional support finding words.

20. Teacher says: "Today you searched for words and letters in a book, and you used that to help you read it!"

  • If readers in the Pre-Alphabetic or Partial Alphabetic phase need help finding the high-frequency words, consider allowing a reader in the Full or Consolidated Alphabetic phase to help them.
  • If students need help recalling letter sounds, remind them of the keyword and sound of the letter. Example:
    • The keyword for letter "b" in "bat" and "b" makes the /b/ sound.
  • As an extension for readers in the Full or Consolidated Alphabetic phases, consider providing a whiteboard. Direct students to write a word that begins with the letter being searched or a sentence with the high-frequency word being searched.
  • Encourage students to "tap out" the CVC and VC words they read or point to each letter as they say its sound.

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:

"What were some things that you did when you got stuck on a word?" (Responses will vary.)

"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 'the,' 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.

All Groups

Either today or another day this week after the Decodable Student Reader has been introduced, follow the Decodable Student Reader routine with each group. Differentiate the routine as needed based on students' microphase. See Lesson 71 or Independent and Small Group Work guidance document for the full routine. See supporting materials for Decodable Student Reader Planning and Recording Template.

Pre-Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Teacher guides students in cutting apart letters to build high-frequency words from this cycle.
    • Students cut apart letters from the Letter sheet.
    • Teacher guides students in building high-frequency words "the" and "they."
    • Students paste letters on the High-Frequency Words sheet.
  • Consider inviting students to make a box around high-frequency words in their Decodable Readers.
  • Consider also reading the Letter Stories: "a," "p," "s," or "h," found in the Learning Letters Book. After reading the stories, practice skywriting the letters. Repeat the following day with the remaining letters.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Letter Sheet A (one per student)
    • High-Frequency Words Sheet A (one per student)
    • Scissors and glue sticks (one of each per student)

Partial Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Students cut apart letters to build high-frequency words from this cycle:
    • Students cut apart letters from the Letter sheet.
    • Students build high-frequency words "there" and "where."
    • Students paste letters on the High-Frequency Word sheet.
  • Consider inviting students to make a box around high-frequency words in their Decodable Readers.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Letter Sheet B (one per student)
    • High-Frequency Words Sheet B (one per student)
    • Scissors and glue sticks (one per student)

Full and Consolidated Alphabetic:

  • Independent practice activity: Students complete "missing word" sentences:
    • Students write missing high-frequency words in decodable sentences.
    • Students create new sentences with high-frequency words.
    • Consider inviting students to make a box around high-frequency words in their Decodable Readers. Instruct students to underline any short vowel sounds they know.
  • Conference with students about Accountable Independent Reading.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • High-Frequency Word Sentences sheet (one per student)
    • Writing utensils (one per student)
    • Additional writing paper (optional)

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