Research Reading: The Sugar Maple | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA GK:M3:U3:L2

Research Reading: The Sugar Maple

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.K.1: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • RI.K.2: With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
  • RI.K.3: With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
  • RI.K.4: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
  • RI.K.7: With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
  • 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.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can research important information about the sugar maple tree using the words and pictures of a text. (RI.K.1, RI.K.2, RI.K.3, RI.K.4, RI.K.7)
  • I can find and record important information to contribute to class notes. (RI.K.1, RI.K.2, RI.K.3, W.K.7, W.K.8)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During reading aloud to research in Work Time A, use the Reading Informational Text Checklist to track students' progress toward RI.K.1, RI.K.2, RI.K.3, RI.K.4, and RI.K.7 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Poem and Movement: "Clay Leaves" (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Reading Aloud to Research: "Sugar Maple" (20 minutes)

B. Shared Writing: Sugar Maple: Class Notes (20 minutes)

3. Closing

A. Engaging the Artist: Planning a Collage (15 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • This is the first lesson in a series of three that takes students through the research process to create an informational writing piece and collage as practice for the performance task. The process includes research reading, note-taking, informational writing, and collaging.
  • This lesson connects to Next Generation Science Standard K-LS1. During Work Time A, students focus on the following performance expectation: "Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive." Help students make observations during the read-aloud to describe what the tree needs to survive and what the animals need to survive.
  • In Work Time A, students participate in reading aloud to research with the text "Sugar Maple" to gather information about the tree, what it needs to survive, and the animals that depend on it for food. There is an additional page of the text with interesting facts that is optional and not necessary for student research (RI.K.1, RI.K.2, RI.K.3, RI.K.4, RI.K.7).
  • Students create class notes by working with a small group to draw and label one piece of information presented in the text "Maple Tree." Student notes will be used to complete Sugar Maple Tree: Class Notes. Each of the small groups will be given an icon card that signals which part of the text they will take notes on. In the small groups, students receive one piece of blank paper. One student should write and/or draw the information. This paper will then be attached to the Sugar Maple: Class Notes to complete the chart. Students will continue to reference these notes throughout Lessons 3-4.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Lesson 1, students were introduced to the research-based performance task, the informational collage. This lesson begins the process with supported, whole group research before students begin researching specific trees in small groups.
  • This lesson follows a similar structure to Lessons 4-6 in Unit 2, allowing students to practice their research reading skills in a familiar and supported way.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • During reading aloud to research in Work Time A, the teacher reads "Sugar Maple" aloud and marks important information in the text using sticky notes. To ensure that students comprehend the needs of the tree and the different animals that get food from trees, consider having students act out the important information.
  • In Work Time C, students collaborate to create class notes and may need support in determining how to work together and break up the task. Consider grouping students with varying levels of language, reading, and writing proficiency. The students with greater proficiency can serve as models in their groups, initiating discussion and providing implicit sentence frames.

Down the road:

  • In Lesson 3, students review the Sugar Maple Tree: Class Notes by participating in the Role-Play protocol.
  • In Lessons 3-4, students participate in shared writing using the Sugar Maple Tree: Class Notes to inform their writing of the Describing the Sugar Maple class booklet and their sugar maple collages.
  • In Lessons 3-4, students practice collaging a sugar maple tree as preparation for the performance task. Begin pre-cutting construction paper of the necessary colors into appropriate different sizes and shapes to use during the collage process.
  • In Lessons 10-13, students follow a similar writing routine to write their own tree booklets and make a collage using research and notes taken in small groups during Lessons 5-8 for the Performance Task: Informational Collage.

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Living Things Word Wall Cards for trunk and branch.
    • "Sugar Maple" text by printing, in color if possible, and stapling the pages along the left side into a book.
    • Sugar maple images by printing in color, if possible
  • Strategically group students into six groups for the shared note-taking in Work Time B and pre-determine which groups will take notes on what part of the text.
  • Post: Learning targets, "Clay Leaves," and any 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.1, K.1.A.3, and K.I.B.8

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by providing explicit, whole class modeling of the research process as well as small group practice with note-taking. Students have the opportunity to engage with poetry and informational text that supports their content knowledge acquisition.
  • During the Closing and Assessment, ELLs may find it challenging to generate adjectives or ways to describe how a tree looks. Consider offering students wait time or allow them to partner with a friend to generate a list of words before calling on them to share.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • During Work Time A, after modeling once, invite students to place the sticky notes on the text in front of the group to surface misconceptions, offer guided practice, and celebrate student engagement.

For heavier support:

  • During the Closing, consider creating and/or posting classroom Materials that offer visuals and realia for words to describe the texture, shape, and colors of trees.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): In this lesson, students engage in a read-aloud of "Sugar Maple." Students need strong flexible thinking and metacognitive skills as they develop this knowledge for subsequent note-taking. Provide scaffolds to support diverse abilities in using these skills, such as explicit highlighting of information in the text to guide students in new understandings.
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): In this lesson, individual students are asked to share ideas with the whole group. As students share out, provide options for expression and communication by offering and modeling sentence frames.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Throughout this lesson, students have opportunities to share ideas and thinking with classmates. Some may need support for engagement during these activities, so encourage self-regulatory skills and help them anticipate and manage frustration by modeling what to do if they need help from their classmates.

Vocabulary

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

New:

  • trunk, branch (L)
  • clay, some, moose (T)

Review:

  • text, high quality, collage, bark (L)
  • sap, leaves, water, sun, depend, nuts, twigs, buds, wood (T)

Materials

  • "Clay Leaves" (one to display)
  • "Sugar Maple" (one per group and one to display; for teacher read-aloud)
  • Sugar Maple: Class Notes (one to display)
  • Sugar maple research icons (one per group)
  • Paper (blank; one piece per small group)
  • Pencils (one per student)
  • Crayons (class set; variety of colors per student)
  • Living Things Word Wall (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1; added to during the Opening; see Teaching Notes)
  • Sugar Maple: Class Notes (example; for teacher reference)
  • Tape (one roll; used by the teacher to adhere groups' notes to the class notes)
  • Model of Informational Collage (from Lesson 1; one to display)
  • Sugar maple images (one set per student)
  • Collage planner (one per student and one for teacher modeling)
  • Living Things Word Wall card (new; teacher-created; two)
  • Collage planner (example; for teacher reference)
  • High-Quality Work anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)

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. Poem and Movement: "Clay Leaves" (5 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Display "Clay Leaves" and read the title.
  • Follow the same routine established in Modules 1-2 to read the "Clay Leaves" poem:
    • Direct students' attention to the posted "Clay Leaves" 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.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is this poem about?" (leaves that fall from trees and turn to clay)

  • If productive, use a Goal 4 Conversation Cue to encourage students to add on to what a classmate said:

"Who can add on to what your classmate said? I'll give you time to think."

  • Tell students that the poem teaches us that when leaves fall to the ground, they "turn to clay," which means the leaves will break down and turn into soil, or dirt, which is also called clay.
  • Provide specific, positive feedback on students' participation with the poem and tell them that they will continue to read "Clay Leaves" in upcoming lessons.
  • For ELLs: (Gestures) Consider using gestures when applicable as you read the poem, especially for the words grow, trees, move, wind, and blow. As you reread the poem, invite students to mimic your gestures.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with Vocabulary: (Visuals) Consider sketching a picture of Vocabulary or attaching realia such as leaves. (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reading Aloud to Research: "Sugar Maple" (20 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can research important information about the sugar maple tree using the words and pictures of a text."

  • Remind students that a text is something they read.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"According to the learning target, what are we researching as we read today?" (important information about the sugar maple tree)

  • Tell students that they will find this information by reading to answer the research questions: "What do trees need to live and grow?" and "What do trees provide to help other living things live and grow?"
  • Tell them that by researching this as a class, they will be prepared to research new trees in small groups as they work to write and create an informational collage for the performance task that teaches others about the tree.
  • Display the text "Sugar Maple."
  • Guide students through the process of reading aloud to research used in Unit 1-2 and read aloud the entire text:
    • For each page, read the text fluently, pausing to:
  • Define in context the following words as you read them in the text: some (an amount or number that is not stated) and moose (the largest kind of deer; male moose have very large antlers, and all moose have hooves).
    • Pause after reading page 2 to think aloud: "The water drop and sun are both filled in halfway, and they both say some. These symbols must show how much water and sun the tree needs. So, if it's filled in it would be a lot of water or sun, and if it is empty it would be no sun or water."
    • Turn and Talk:

"What does the sugar maple need to survive?" (some water and some sun)              

"What does the sugar maple provide to other living things?" (food for squirrels, deer, and moose)

  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their ability to listen closely and find information to answer the research questions: "What do trees need to live and grow?" and "What do trees provide to help other living things live and grow?"
  • Invite students to move their bodies and act like one of the animals from the text to show how it depends on the sugar maple for food.
  • For ELLs: (Realia) Consider having examples of items that exemplify new and reinforced Vocabulary to share as you discuss them during the read-aloud.
  • Provide white boards and dry-erase markers as an option for students to record key details. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For students who may need additional support with oral language and processing: Continue to allow ample wait time during the discussion. (MMAE, MME)

B. Shared Writing: Sugar Maple: Class Notes (20 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

I can find and record important information to contribute to class notes.

  • Tell students that they will now follow the same routine established in Unit 2 to take notes on the text to answer the research questions: "What do trees need to live and grow?" and "What do trees provide to help other living things live and grow?"
  • Share that they will work in small groups to complete the Sugar Maple: Class Notes. Tell them that in their group, they will research and make a note for one important piece of information about the sugar maple. Each group will get one piece of paper and have one person draw and/or write the notes.
  • Move students into their pre-determined small groups and distribute the sugar maple research icons: describing the tree, the need for sun, the need for water, and the three animals that depend on the tree. Tell students that they should match this icon to the part of the text that has the same picture. That is the section where they will focus their research.
  • Point out that the text ("Sugar Maple"), paper, pencils, and crayons are already at their workspaces.
  • Invite students to work together to find the important information in the text, discuss it with their group members, and then begin drawing and labeling their notes.
  • Circulate to support students as they navigate the roles of the small group note-taking. Remind students to use the Living Things Word Wall and applicable anchor charts to support their writing. Refer to Sugar Maple: Class Notes (example; for teacher reference) as needed.
  • After about 10 minutes, gather students whole group. Offer specific, positive feedback on their work collaborating and taking notes in their small groups.
  • Invite each small group to share their notes with the class by showing their notes and reading them aloud. As students share out, tape their notes to the Sugar Maple: Class Notes.
  • After all groups have added their notes to the anchor chart, read the completed anchor chart aloud.
  • For ELLs: (Equity in Presenting) To ensure that all students have the opportunity to present, consider encouraging each group member to share one part of the work he or she has completed.
  • For students who may need additional support with self-regulation: As students work on their notes, support time management strategies by using a visual timer. (MME)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engaging the Artist: Planning a Collage (15 minutes)

  • Display the Model of Informational Collage and remind students that a collaged tree is what they will practice as they work toward the final informational collage.
  • Display a set of the sugar maple images. Tell students that these are images of the sugar maple tree in the fall when its leaves change colors. Ask:

"What colors, shapes, and textures do you see on the sugar maple tree?" (Responses will vary, but may include: The bark is rough and brown; the trunk is like a long rectangle; the leaves are green, red, and orange.)

  • If productive, cue students to add on to what a classmate said:

"Who can add on to what your classmate said? I'll give you time to think."

  • Tell students that before they collage, they will plan the colors and shapes they will need for the different parts of the tree using the collage planner.
  • Show students the Living Things Word Wall cards for trunk (the main stem of a tree) and branch (a woody part of a tree or bush that grows out from the trunk; limb) and follow the same process established in Modules 1-2: provide their definitions, clap out their syllables, use them in a sentence, and place the Word Wall cards and pictures on the Living Things Word Wall.
  • Model how to complete the planner for the trunk, bark, and branches. Refer to the collage planner (example, for teacher reference) as necessary:
    • Color the square under the column labeled "color" dark brown.
    • Draw a quick sketch of the trunk, bark, and branches under the column labeled "shape."
  • Tell students that they will find a set of sugar maple images, collage planners, crayons, and pencils at their workspaces.
  • They will closely observe the sugar maple tree and then plan their collage by coloring the accurate color and drawing the shapes they will need.
  • Transition students to their workspaces to begin planning the sugar maple collage.
  • Circulate and support students as they complete the planner, referring them back to the sugar maple images for accuracy in color and shape as needed.
  • After most students have completed their planners, gather students whole group. Tell them to leave their collage planners at their workspace.
  • Direct students' attention back to the Model of Informational Collage.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you notice about this collage? What makes this collage high quality?" (No white space is visible. The artist chose colors that match the tree image. The artist carefully selected paper for size and texture.)

  • Invite them to look carefully at the layers of paper. Point out how each piece of paper is cut or torn very small and how you cannot see any white space between or underneath.
  • Tell students that they will begin creating their own paper sugar maple collages by tearing or cutting small pieces of paper and layering them in the next lesson as practice for the performance task.
  • Direct students' attention to the High-Quality Work anchor chart and focus them on the first two bullets:
    • "has carefully planned and created artwork"
    • "includes details in the artwork and writing"
  • Tell students that these will be the criteria to focus on while collaging.
  • Invite students to look again at the Model of Informational Collage. Ask:

"Does this collage look like it was carefully planned and created? Why?" (Yes, because the colors, shapes, and textures used all match the tree images.)

  • If productive, use a Goal 4 Conversation Cue to encourage 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."

"Does the collage include details in the artwork?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Yes, it has details in how the artist layered the paper and selected the colors and shapes.)

  • Tell students that in the next lesson, they will begin working on their own sugar maple collages.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with verbal expression: (Reference) Consider posting and reviewing the names of colors students will likely use to describe the trees. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Cross-curricular Connections) Consider posting labeled pictures of geometric shapes you've learned about in math and asking students to find parts of the tree that most resemble those shapes. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: (Realia) Consider sharing different items that represent the textures rough, smooth, bumpy, scratchy.
  • For ELLs: (Comprehension) As you review Vocabulary and place it on the Word Wall, consider inviting students to recall which parts of our bodies the author of Are Trees Alive? compared to the parts of a tree.

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