Reading Aloud and Writing: Brave Irene, Part I and Weather Journals | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA GK:M2:U2:L11

Reading Aloud and Writing: Brave Irene, Part I and Weather Journals

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.K.3: With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
  • W.K.2: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
  • SL.K.2: Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
  • SL.K.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
  • L.K.6: Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can identify the characters and setting in the text Brave Irene. (RL.K.3, SL.K.2)
  • I can use high-quality words and pictures to describe what I observe about the weather. (W.K.2, SL.K.5, L.K.6)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During Work Times A and B, listen in as students Think-Pair-Share in response to questions about Brave Irene. Track students' progress on the Reading Literature Checklist for this module. (RL.K.1, RL.K.3)
  • During Closing A, circulate and observe students as they complete page 6 of the weather journal independently. Watch for students to observe and accurately name and describe the day's weather conditions. (W.K.2, SL.K.4)
  • During Closing B, listen for students to share ways they showed perseverance. (SL.K.1, SL.K.1a)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Developing Language: "Snowflakes" Poem (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Reading Aloud: Brave Irene, Pages 1-13 (15 minutes)

B. Role-Playing: Brave Irene (10 minutes)

C. Shared Writing: Brave Irene Story Elements (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Independent Writing: Weather Journals (15 minutes)

B. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In Work Time A, students are introduced to a new text, Brave Irene. This text introduces them to a new character whose daily activities are affected by the weather. During this focused read-aloud, students answer text-dependent questions about the text after hearing it read aloud. These questions are found directly in the body of the lesson; they have a skill-based focus for reading and are fewer in number than in a close read-aloud. (RL.K.1, RL.K.3)
  • Students continue to build independence and stamina as writers as they complete Steps 1-3 of the weather journal. (W.K.2, L.K.6, SL.K.5)
  • The pages of Brave Irene are not numbered. For instructional purposes, the page that begins with "Mrs. Bobbin, the dressmaker, was tired and had a bad headache" should be considered page 1 and all pages thereafter numbered accordingly.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • Students begin reading a new book about a character who is affected by the weather, Irene.
  • Students continue to work on their weather journals, this time attending to quality in Step 3. In Step 3, students select and color icons that represent clothing that is appropriate for the day's weather.
  • Students continue to think about perseverance and consider how they might show this habit of character when facing a challenge as learners.
  • Continue to use Goal 1-3 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Since many kindergarteners do not yet decode words independently, visuals are a helpful addition to anchor charts. Consider disassembling and cutting images from an extra copy of Brave Irene to use on the Brave Irene anchor chart. See recommended images on the Brave Irene anchor chart document in the supporting materials.
  • For many young learners, grasping the idea of high quality may be a challenge. A model and non-model support students' understanding the tangible application of this idea, but consider providing additional concrete examples as needed.
  • Students may also find it difficult to reflect on their demonstration of perseverance. As students work, name specific behaviors that show perseverance and provide examples that will support students to articulate their own progress toward this habit of character.

Down the road:

  • In Unit 3, students will write their own narrative stories about how the weather affected a character, so the reading of Brave Irene is scaffolding toward building an understanding of story structure and story elements. Students will apply their understanding of story elements as they plan, write, and revise their own stories.
  • Throughout Lessons 7-14, students complete a weather journal page independently daily. Across the arc of these lessons, the weather journal page adds more steps to complete. Students also focus on honing the quality of their work through a series of mini lessons focused on various criteria of high-quality work. Students will continue to identify and meet criteria of quality as their write their own narratives in Unit 3.
  • At the end of Unit 3, students will share their weather journals during a Weather Expo, the culmination of the entire module.

In Advance

  • Distribute materials for Closing A at student workspaces to ensure a smooth transition.
  • Post: Learning targets, Weather Journal: Page 6 Model, Weather Journal: Page 6 Non-Model, and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

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

  • Record the whole group reading the "Snowflakes" poem and post it on a teacher web page or on a portfolio app like Seesaw for students to listen to at home with their families. Most devices (cellphones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video and audio recording apps or software.
  • If students were recorded participating in the Think-Pair-Share protocol in Unit 1, consider playing these recordings to remind them of the process.
  • Create the Role-Play Protocol and Brave Irene anchor charts in an online format, such as a Google Doc, for display and for families to access at home to reinforce these skills.
  • Record students as they role-play to listen to later to discuss strengths and what they could improve on or to use as models for the group. Most devices (cellphones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video and audio recording apps or software.
  • Students complete their weather journals using word-processing software, such as Google Docs.
  • Students use speech-to-text facilities activated on devices or use an app or software like Dictation.io.
  • If students were recorded sharing their weather journal in Lesson 6, consider playing the recordings to remind them of the process.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards K.I.B.6, K.I.C.10, and K.I.C.12

Important points in the lesson itself:

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by providing opportunities to deepen comprehension and practice oral language by acting out key events from the text Brave Irene.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to comprehend parts of the text, as it contains some challenging academic language and the class will not examine it as closely as other read-alouds. Stop often to check for comprehension. Encourage students to look closely at the illustrations to help determine the meaning of the text. Consider guiding students through the Mini Language Dive during Work Time A.

Levels of support:

For lighter support:

  • During Work Time B, challenge students to use language from the unit's Language Dives and vocabulary from the text as they act out events from Brave Irene. (Example: "I am nearly freezing in the cold! The snow is whirling all around me!")
  • During Closing and Assessment A, as students continue working on their weather journals, encourage students who have received heavy support with the activity to work more independently.
  • During the Mini Language Dive, challenge students to generate questions about the sentence before asking the prepared questions. Example: "What questions can we ask about this sentence? Let's see if we can answer them together."

For heavier support:

  • During Work Time B, empower students to ask their partners for help if they are not sure what to say. Encourage them to say, "line," if they feel stuck. Their partners can then suggest something for them to say.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): During Work Time B, students are introduced to the Role-Play anchor chart. Providing visuals for each step can support students in reading and referring to the chart. You can customize the display of information by displaying photos of individual children modeling each step of the role-play.
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): During Work Time A, students are introduced to the text Brave Irene. This story provides an opportunity for students to connect the characters' expressions to their feelings. Provide options for expression by inviting students to make facial expressions to demonstrate the feelings of each character as you read.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): During the Closing, students reflect on how they persevered as learners. Students have had several opportunities to review the term persevere in this unit and can begin to apply it to their own lives. Optimize relevance and motivation by asking them to reflect on one way they might persevere outside of school.

Vocabulary

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

Review:

  • character, setting (L)

Materials

  • "Snowflakes" poem (one to display)
  • Brave Irene (one for teacher read-aloud)
  • Think-Pair-Share anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Role-Play Protocol anchor chart (new; teacher-created; see supporting materials)
  • Brave Irene anchor chart (new; co-created with students during Work Time C; see supporting materials)
  • Brave Irene anchor chart (completed, for teacher reference; see supporting materials)
  • High-Quality Work anchor chart (begun in Lesson 7)
  • Weather Journal: Page 6 Model (one to display)
  • Weather Journal: Page 6 Non-Model (one to display)
  • Pencils (one per student)
  • Crayons (class set; variety of colors per student)
  • Weather journal (from Lesson 6; page 6; one per student)
  • Perseverance anchor chart (begun in Lesson 7)

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

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Developing Language: "Snowflakes" poem (5 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group. Tell them that they are going to practice the words and motions to a poem.
  • Display the "Snowflakes" poem.
  • While still displaying the text, complete a first read of the text, reading slowly, fluently, and without interruption.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is this poem mostly about?" (snow)

  • Invite students to stand up.
  • Chorally read aloud the first line: "The snowflakes are falling by ones and by twos."
  • Ask:

"What motion might we use to show this first line?" (Responses will vary, but may include: making a 1 and 2 with fingers and moving them down slowly in front of your face.)

Reread the line aloud as a group and add the agreed-upon motion.

  • Repeat the above steps for Lines 2-4.
  • Once each line has been read and motions have been determined, read aloud the entire poem and act it out with the motions.
  • Invite students to sit back down.
  • Tell students that today they get to read an exciting new book about a different character who is affected by the weather.
  • Invite students to push the button on their brain to show they are ready to learn!
  • Consider providing differentiated mentors by seating students who may be more comfortable reading aloud in a large group near students who may not feel as comfortable. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: Clarify that "by ones and by twos" means one at the same time and two at the same time. Tell students that they walk in the hallway by twos when they are with a partner and by ones when they are by themselves.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reading Aloud: Brave Irene, Pages 1-13 (15 minutes)

  • Display Brave Irene. Share with students that they can continue to learn about how weather affects people by reading this book. Draw students' attention to the title of the book and read it aloud.
  • While still displaying the text, complete a first read of pages 1-13, reading slowly, fluently, with expression, and without interruption.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What was this part of the book mostly about?" (Irene is trying to deliver a dress to the duchess. She is traveling through snow and wind to try to get to the palace.)

  • Tell students you are going to read several pages from the text, and then they are going to use the Think-Pair-Share protocol to answer questions with an elbow partner. Remind them that they used this protocol in previous lessons and review as necessary using the Think-Pair-Share anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • As needed, provide the sentence starter:
    • "I think _______."
  • Reread page 2. Invite students to Think-Pair-Share with an elbow partner:

"What is Mama's problem?" (She is sick and needs to get the dress to the duchess.)

  • Show students the illustration on page 3. Invite them to Think-Pair-Share with an elbow partner:

"What is Irene doing?" (She is packing up the dress to deliver to the palace.)

  • Read the first sentence on the bottom of page 3, beginning, "Irene put on...." Invite students to Think-Pair-Share with an elbow partner:

"How does Irene prepare for the weather?" (She puts on her boots, hat, coat, and mittens.)

  • If productive, cue students with a challenge:

"What if it was hot outside? Then how might she prepare for the weather? I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner." (Responses will vary.)

  • Show students the pictures on pages 6-7. Invite them to Think-Pair-Share with an elbow partner:

"What can we tell about the weather by looking closely at these pictures?" (The snow is falling; the wind is blowing; the wind is so strong it is bending the trees; the wind is so strong Irene is walking backward.)

  • Show students the pictures on pages 10-11. Invite them to Think-Pair-Share with an elbow partner:

"What is happening here?" (The dress flew out of the box.)

  • Display the illustration on page 13. Invite students to Think-Pair-Share with an elbow partner:

"What is happening in this picture? What clues can you see in the picture to help you know how Irene is feeling?" (Irene is sitting in the snow. She looks sad and hurt because she is frowning and she is touching her leg.)

  • Briefly tell students that in the next lesson, they will finish the book to find out what happens to Irene and the dress!
  • Tell students that they will now have a chance to act out parts of the story to help them understand it better.
  • When reading aloud, provide options for expression by inviting students to make facial expressions to demonstrate the feelings of different characters. (Examples: "Yes, Mama is sick. Show me what your face looks like when you are feeling sick" and "You're right, Irene looks sad and hurt. Can you show me what your face looks like when you are feeling sad and hurt?") (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: Mini Language Dive. Ask students about the meaning of chunks of this key sentence from the text: "The wind wrestled her for the package-walloped it, twisted it, shook it, snatched at it." Write and display student responses next to the chunks. Examples:
    • Place your finger on the chunk: "The wind wrestled her for the package" and ask:
      • "What character is this sentence about? Who is her?" (Irene)
      • "What does this chunk tell us?" (The wind was blowing so hard that it felt like it was trying to blow the package out of Irene's hands.)
    • Place your finger on the chunk: "walloped it, twisted it, shook it, snatched it."
    • Discuss the meaning of each word and invite students to pretend they are the wind and that they are walloping, twisting, shaking, and snatching the package. Ask:
      • "What is the setting of this part of the story?" (outside; in the snow)
      • "How does this part of the story show how the weather affects the characters?" (The wind is so strong that is making it hard for Irene to hold the package.)

B. Role-Playing: Brave Irene (10 minutes)

  • Tell students they are now going to participate in the Role-Play protocol to help them act out parts of Brave Irene. This will help them to better understand the story. Direct students' attention to the Role-Play Protocol anchor chart and read the steps aloud.
  • Tell students that for this first role-play on page 3, you are going to model with a student volunteer.
  • Invite a student volunteer to join you in front of the class.
    • Think aloud: "Step 1 is to listen carefully to a certain part of the text read aloud."
    • Read the bottom paragraph on page 3 in front of students.
    • Continue your think-aloud:

"For Step 2, we need to think and talk about what the character is saying and doing."

"(Student name), what do you think is happening here?" (Irene is getting ready to go out into the snow.)

"I agree. I think Irene is preparing to take the dress to the palace. She is putting on her boots, hat, coat, and mittens."

    • Continue your think-aloud:

"Step 3 says to act it out when we hear the word 'Action!'"

    • Invite students to make the action sign by putting their arms out in a V shape and clapping their hands together as they say, "Action!"
    • Role-play page 3 with the student volunteer.
    • After about 1 minute, say, "Cut!" and point out Step 4 on the protocol.
    • Model stopping quickly and responsibly.
    • When done with the role-play, make tent arms with the student volunteer.
  • Ask students to give you and the student volunteer silent applause for taking a risk and doing the Role-Play protocol in front of the class.
  • Tell students that now they will have a chance to do the Role-Play protocol with a partner. Answer clarifying questions.
    • Invite students to stand up and face an elbow partner.
    • Reread the bottom of page 3 of Brave Irene aloud.
    • Invite students to engage in the Role-Play protocol. Circulate and support students as necessary.
    • Repeat the above steps with the text on pages 6 and 13 of Brave Irene.
  • Give students specific, positive feedback on following specific steps of the Role-Play protocol. (Example: "I noticed that Joel and Gibran thought carefully about the words they heard before they began acting.")
  • Remind students that acting out parts of stories can help us understand the story better.
  • For ELLs: When preparing the Role-Play Protocol anchor chart, customize the display of information by including photos of individual children modeling each step. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: Consider pairing students with a partner who has more advanced or native language proficiency. The partner with greater language proficiency can serve as a model in the pair, initiating scenes and providing dialogue.

C. Shared Writing: Brave Irene Story Elements (10 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Brave Irene anchor chart.
  • Tell students that now that they've had an opportunity to read and role-play portions of Brave Irene, they will think about some of the important parts of the story.
  • Specifically, they will identify the characters and setting of the story.
  • Direct students' attention to the learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can identify the characters and setting in the text Brave Irene."

  • Review the definitions of key words in the target:
    • identify (to find out what something is)
    • characters (the people in a story)
    • setting (where the story takes place)
  • Invite students to take out their imaginary bows and take aim at the target.
  • Redirect students' attention to the Brave Irene anchor chart.
  • Invite students to put on their imaginary reading detective glasses so they can look for clues that will help them identify the characters and setting.
  • Display pages 2-3 of Brave Irene and prompt students to look for clues in the pictures.
  • Invite students to Think-Pair-Share with an elbow partner:

"Who are the characters?" (Irene and her mother)

  • Write these characters on the Brave Irene anchor chart in the first box and add visuals to accompany them. Refer to the Brave Irene anchor chart (completed, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • While still displaying the text, slowly flip through pages 4-7 and invite students to look for clues in the pictures about the setting.
  • Ask:

"What is the setting of this story?" (a snowy and windy day in the woods)

  • As students share out, capture their ideas in the setting box of the Brave Irene anchor chart, along with corresponding visuals. Refer to the Brave Irene anchor chart (for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Give students positive specific feedback regarding their reading and listening. (Example: "You were careful reading detectives today as you looked for clues in the pictures to help you figure out the characters and setting.")
  • When reviewing the word setting, maximize students' transfer of this term by reminding them of the "setting" in other familiar texts. (Example: "Remember when we read Llama Llama Time to Share? The setting for that story was Llama Llama's house, because that's where the story took place.") (MMR)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Independent Writing: Weather Journals (15 minutes)

  • Tell students that they will continue to be detectives, but now they are looking for clues about the day's weather so they can complete their daily weather journal entry.
  • Remind students that just like in other lessons, today they will record the daily weather on their own.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

"I can use high-quality words and pictures to describe what I observe about the weather."

  • Invite students to take out their imaginary bows and take aim at the target.
  • Direct students' attention to the High-Quality Work anchor chart and review as necessary.
  • Tell students that today they are going to focus on what makes high-quality work in Step 3 of their journals.
  • Display the Weather Journal: Page 6 Model and Weather Journal: Page 6 Non-Model side by side.
  • Invite students to compare Step 3 of the model and the non-model.
  • Point to the model and focus students on Step 3. Ask:

"What do you notice about this step of the weather journal?" (The coloring is careful because it is in the lines and all the space is filled with color.)

  • Point to the non-model and focus students on Step 3. Ask:

"What do you notice about this step of the weather journal?" (The color is outside the lines, and there is still some white space.)

  • Share that today students will complete Steps 1, 2, and 3 of page 6 of the weather journal. Today the challenge is to do high-quality coloring in Step 3.
  • Point out the pencils, crayons, and weather journals already at students' workspaces. Direct them to page 6 and invite students to begin working on Step 1 of their journals.
  • Give students 7-9 minutes to complete their weather journal work. As they work, circulate and engage with them about their work. Reread the sentence frame in Step 2 and refer students to the Weather Word Wall as needed. Consider prompting students by asking:

"How does your coloring show high quality?"

  • Signal students to stop working through the use of a designated sound, such as a chime or whistle. Model cleanup, keeping directions clear and brief. Invite students to walk safely to the whole group gathering area, bringing their weather journals with them for the Closing.

B. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Perseverance anchor chart and read it aloud while tracking the print:
    • "I challenge myself."
    • "When something is hard, I keep trying."
    • "I ask for help if I need it."
  • Say:

"We've been talking about the word perseverance the last few days. Let's practice saying the word together again. It's a big word!"

  • Invite students to say perseverance aloud several times with you.
  • Pointing to each corresponding icon on the Perseverance anchor chart, remind students that the mountain shows a big challenge, the mountain climber shows a person who keeps going, and the helping hand picture shows someone getting help when it's needed. All are important parts of perseverance: to try challenges, to keep going, and to ask for help.
  • Share that when people show perseverance, they persevere.
  • Model using the word in a sentence: "I persevered when I learned how to tie my shoe."
  • Ask:

"How did you persevere today when you were completing your weather journal?" (Responses will vary, but may include: trying hard to color neatly or write a word; asking for help to locate a weather word.)

  • Provide a sentence starter:
    • "I persevered today as a learner by ______."
  • Invite students to Think-Pair-Share their reflection.
  • Refocus the group and invite several students to share their responses. Refer to the Perseverance anchor chart as needed to help students connect their actions to the aspects of perseverance listed on the chart.
  • Tell students that in the next lesson, they will finish the Brave Irene book and complete a brand-new part of their weather journals!
  • After students share how they persevered as learners, optimize relevance and motivation by asking them to reflect on one way they might persevere outside of school. (Example: "Now that I know the word perseverance, I'm thinking about other ways I can persevere. When I go on my morning jog, I'm going to persevere by challenging myself to run a little longer every day. How will you persevere outside of school?" (MME)
  • For ELLs: Briefly review the learning target from Work Time C. Ask students to rephrase the learning target with an example of how they identified the character and setting of Brave Irene. (Example: I persevered today as a learner by finding the characters in Brave Irene.)

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