Reading, Asking Questions, and Writing: Close Read-aloud, Session 3: A Tree for Emmy and Enjoying Trees Journal | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA GK:M4:U1:L4

Reading, Asking Questions, and Writing: Close Read-aloud, Session 3: A Tree for Emmy and Enjoying Trees Journal

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.K.1: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • RL.K.2: With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
  • RL.K.3: With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
  • RL.K.4: Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
  • RL.K.5: Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
  • RL.K.6: With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
  • RL.K.9: With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
  • 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.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.4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
  • L.K.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.K.1b: Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.
  • L.K.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
  • L.K.2a: Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I.
  • L.K.2b: Recognize and name end punctuation.
  • L.K.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.
  • L.K.4a: Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck).
  • L.K.6: Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can ask and answer questions about the characters, settings, and major events in the text A Tree for Emmy. (RL.K.1, RL.K.2, RL.K.3, RL.K.4, RL.K.5, RL.K.9, SL.K.2)
  • I can describe the different ways people can enjoy trees. (W.K.8, SL.K.4, L.K.1b, L.K.2a, L.K.2b, L.K.6)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During the close read-aloud in Work Time A, continue to use the Reading Literature Checklist to track students' progress toward RL.K.1, RL.K.2, RL.K.3, RL.K.4, RL K.5, and RL K.9, and the Speaking and Listening Checklist to track students' progress toward SL.K.2 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).
  • Continue to collect students' Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1 and use the Language Checklist to track progress toward W.K.8, L.K.1b, L.K.2a, L.K.2b, and L.K.6 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Poem and Movement: "The Many Meanings of Words" (5 minutes)

2. Work Time 

A. Close Read-aloud, Session 3: A Tree for Emmy, Pages 14-30 (20 minutes)

B. Engaging the Learner: Tree Stretch (5 minutes)

C. Independent Writing: Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1 (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment 

A. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol: Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1 (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards: 

  • This is the final lesson in a series of three in which students participate in a close read-aloud of the text A Tree for Emmy. During the close read-aloud, students continue to build their comprehension by asking and answering questions about the characters, setting, and major events. They also continue to use the Character Comparison Anchor Chart: A Tree for Emmy to track characters' experiences and major events and whether the experiences are the same or different (RL.K.9).

How this lesson builds on previous work: 

  • In Lessons 1-3, students wrote and sketched in their Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1 to describe ways to enjoy trees. They continue that work in this lesson. 
  • Students continue to reflect on the Unit 1 guiding question ("How are trees important to others?") through independent writing and the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol in the Closing.

Areas in which students may need additional support: 

  • During independent writing in Work Time C, remind students to use the classroom resources, such as Word Walls, anchor charts, and texts, to improve their writing. Consider allowing students to select a work area in the room that allows them to best use the resources they need.

Down the road: 

  • In Lesson 5, students complete the culminating task for this close read-aloud by independently comparing and contrasting characters' experiences from A Tree for Emmy. This task requires students to discuss these similarities and differences with a partner and then write about one similarity and one difference about character actions in the text. This task is preparation for the Unit 1 Assessment, during which students compare and contrast the experiences of characters in Oliver's Tree.
  • In Lessons 6, 7, and 9, students continue describing pictures of people enjoying trees in the Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1.

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Trees Are Important Word Wall cards for play, hide, and seek. 
    • Student workspaces with materials for independent writing in Work Time C: Enjoying Trees journal, pencils, and colored pencils.
  • Post: Learning targets, "The Many Meanings of Words," Tree Stretch chart, and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-3 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.10

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by revisiting "The Many Meanings of Words" poem and A Tree for Emmy to analyze word meanings and compare the experiences of characters. Students are supported through text chunking, guided discussion, and continued use of an anchor chart to organize their ideas visually. 
  • ELLs may find it challenging to produce the language to restate key details comparing Emmy and her family. After reading a few sentences, stop and ask strategic questions to encourage engagement and help students paraphrase. (Examples: "What does Emmy ask her Gramma for?" "Why is Emmy so upset after she plants her mimosa tree?" "What does she have to do to help the mimosa tree grow?") This encourages participation and models asking questions.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • In the Opening, continue the routine started in Lesson 2 that includes the simple refrain and gestures students can say and do to indicate two words that look and sound the same but have different meanings. 
  • Before students begin writing in Work Time C, invite them to practice their responses with a partner or small group. This gives them the chance to articulate their idea before writing, as well as modify or expand it as a result of their conversation.

For heavier support:

  • During Work Time C, offer students a longer sentence frame and index cards with key vocabulary to support their responses. Circulate and check in with students one-on-one or in small groups to revisit the prompt and potential answers and/or scribe responses as needed.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Recall that some students may benefit from having an individual copy of the text to follow along in near-point as it is read aloud. Continue to support information processing strategy development and comprehension with A Tree for Emmy.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support students' ability to appropriately express knowledge about the content by varying the options for composition and communication. Match students' abilities and the demands of the independent writing task by offering alternatives, such as partial or full dictation.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Recall that some students may need examples of how to problem-solve when they want to write a word with tricky spelling. Continue to emphasize sustained effort and process by modeling how to sound out a word with tricky spelling and demonstrate how to use environmental print to support spelling accuracy.

Vocabulary

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

New:

  • play, hide, seek (L)

Review:

  • enjoy (L)
  • trunk, bark (T)

Materials

  • "The Many Meanings of Words" (from Lesson 2; one to display; for teacher read-aloud)
  • A Tree for Emmy (from Lesson 2; one to display; for teacher read-aloud)
  • Close Read-Aloud Guide: A Tree for Emmy (Session 3; for teacher reference)
    • Character Comparison Anchor Chart: A Tree for Emmy (new; co-created with students during Work Time A; see supporting materials)
    • Character Comparison Anchor Chart: A Tree for Emmy (example; for teacher reference)
    • Asking Questions to Understand a Story anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2)
  • Speaking and Listening Checklist (for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Reading Literature Checklist (for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Tree Stretch chart (from Lesson 3; one to display)
  • Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1 (from Lesson 2; added to during Work Time C; page 3; one per student)
  • Enjoying Trees image 3 (one to display)
  • Language Checklist (for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Trees Are Important Word Wall cards (new; teacher-created; three)
  • Trees Are Important Word Wall (begun in Lesson 1; added to during Work Time C)
  • Living Things Word Wall (from Module 3)
  • Pencils (one per student)
  • Colored pencils (a variety of colors per student)
  • Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 2)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

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: "The Many Meanings of Words" (5 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group. 
  • Display "The Many Meanings of Words" and read the title.
  • Follow the same routine established in Modules 1-3 to read "The Many Meanings of Words":
    • 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.
  • Reread Stanza 3 and invite students to act out the two definitions of trunk (e.g., straighten your body stiffly like a tree trunk and pretend to open up a toy trunk and put something away).
  • Reread Stanza 4 and invite students to act out the two definitions of bark (e.g., pretend your hands are bark covering the trunk and branches of a tree and bark out loud like a dog).
  • Provide specific, positive feedback on students' participation with the poem and tell them that they will continue to read "The Many Meanings of Words" in upcoming lessons.
  • For ELLs: (Connecting to Home Languages) Invite students to share words they know in their home languages that look and/or sound the same but have different meanings. Encourage them to ask their family members for ideas. 
  • For students who may need additional support with vocabulary: Consider creating a T-chart that displays the words and accompanying illustrations with different meanings side by side. (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Close Read-aloud, Session 3: A Tree for Emmy, Pages 14-30 (20 minutes)

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

"I can ask and answer questions about the characters, settings, and major events in the text A Tree for Emmy." 

  • Remind students that today they will continue to ask and answer questions to understand the story A Tree for Emmy.
  • Remind students that during the close read-aloud, they will pause and use the questions from the Asking Questions to Understand a Story anchor chart to help them understand the characters, setting, and major events as they read.
  • Display the text A Tree for Emmy and remind students that this is a storybook, or a book that tells something that happened, either true or made up. Remind students that this story is made up, or fiction. The author imagined these things happening.
  • Guide students through the close read-aloud for A Tree for Emmy using the Close Read-aloud Guide: A Tree for Emmy (Session 3; for teacher reference). Consider using the Reading Literature Checklist and the Speaking and Listening Checklist during the close read-aloud (see Assessment Overview and Resources).
  • During Session 3, refer to the guide for the use of: 
    • Asking Questions to Understand a Story anchor chart 
    • Character Comparison Anchor Chart: A Tree for Emmy 
    • Character Comparison Anchor Chart: A Tree for Emmy (example, for teacher reference) 
  • Refocus whole group. Give students specific, positive feedback on their close reading skills. (Example: "I noticed that you were able to ask questions about the major events in the story today using our Asking Questions to Understand a Story anchor chart.") 
  • For ELLs: (Paraphrasing: Learning Target) Invite students to explain the learning target in their own words. Encourage them to use the icons you've sketched above the words characters, major events, key details, and text. 
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Activate relevant prior knowledge of the learning target by inviting students to recall the previous read-aloud session in which they compared characters from the text. (MMR)

B. Engaging the Learner: Tree Stretch (5 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Invite students to stand up and spread out inside and around the edge of the whole group meeting area. As needed, remind them to move safely and make space for everyone.
  • Display the Tree Stretch chart and remind students that they learned the Tree Stretch in Lesson 3.
    • Invite students to join you in the Tree Stretch.
    • Repeat one or two times or as time permits.
    • Offer students specific, positive feedback on engaging with the Tree Stretch calmly.
  • For ELLs: (Connecting to Self) Encourage students to imagine and then share a different kind of tree they would like to be as they follow the steps.

C. Independent Writing: Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1 (20 minutes)

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

"I can describe the different ways people can enjoy trees."

  • Follow the same routine from Work Time C of Lesson 3 to guide students through writing and sketching in their Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1:
    • Display Enjoying Trees image 3 and consider using the routine from Module 3 to closely observe all parts of the picture.
    • Turn and Talk:

"How are the people in this picture enjoying trees?" (The kids are hiding. The kids are playing hide and seek, etc.)

Conversation Cue: "Who can explain why your classmate came up with that response? I'll give you time to think." (Responses will vary.)

    • Circulate and listen as students share using the Speaking and Listening Checklist to track their progress toward SL.K.4 and the Language Checklist to track progress towards L.K.1b, L.K.2a, L.K.2b, and L.K.6. 
    • Add the Trees Are Important Word Wall cards for play (an activity done for amusement or fun), hide (to put out of sight), and seek (to look for) to the Trees Are Important Word Wall using the same process established in Modules 1-3.
    • Remind students that they can use words and phrases they learned from the text A Tree for Emmy and the Living Things Word Wall to help them write.
    • Point out the following materials at student workspaces: Enjoying Trees journal, pencils, and colored pencils.
    • Remind students that their writing must contain a noun, the person or people, and a verb that describes what the people are doing.
    • Transition students to their workspaces and invite them to begin work on page 3.
    • After about 8 minutes, signal students to stop writing and collect their journals.
    • Gather students whole group.
    • Offer students specific, positive feedback on their descriptive writing.
  • For ELLs: (Paraphrasing: Learning Target) Invite students to explain the learning target in their own words. Encourage them to use the icons you've sketched above the words describe, different, people, enjoy, and trees. 
  • For students who may need additional support with sustained effort: While circulating, support students in writing complete sentences by prompting them to reflect on their work. (Example: "Hmm, this just says 'hiding.' Can I learn what you think about how people enjoy trees by just reading that word? What can you tell me about hiding? I want to hear more!") (MME)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol: Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1 (10 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group with their Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1.
  • Tell students they are going to use the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol to share their journal entries. Remind them that they used this protocol in Module 3 and review as necessary using the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol anchor chart. Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.
  • Tell students to reread their Enjoying Trees Journal, Part 1 entries and select one to share.
  • After 3 minutes, refocus whole group.
  • Tell students that as they share, they should read their journal entry fluently and clearly. 
  • Guide students through the protocol to share their journal entry.
  • As students talk, circulate and listen in to support their ability to share their ideas clearly by offering sentence frames and other supports as needed.
  • Refocus whole group and, with excitement, tell students that they will continue reading, writing, and discussing ways to enjoy trees over the next several lessons!
  • For ELLs: (Receiving Positive and Corrective Feedback) As you circulate, make note of one correct and one incorrect use of syntax and/or vocabulary. At the end of the protocol, without attributing the examples, guide the students in a brief review of each. 
  • Support communication and engagement by pairing students with strategic partners to ensure that they have a strong, politely helpful partner to support their efforts at sharing their journal entry. (MME)

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