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

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ELA GK:S4:C22:L111

Setting Purpose: From Engagement Text to Decodables

In this Lesson

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can retell events from the story "The Bowling Alley."
  • Work Time A (optional): Using evidence from the text, I can answer questions about the story "The Bowling Alley."
  • Work Time B: I can read the decodable text "The Bowling Alley." (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: "The Bowling Alley"

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 the story 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)
  • bowling alley, set, pin, might (T)

Materials

  • Enlarged Decodable Reader: "The Bowling Alley" (one to display)
  • Engagement Text: "The Bowling Alley" (one for teacher use)
  • Highlighter, highlighting tape, or Wikki Stix (for teacher use)
  • Decodable Reader: "The Bowling Alley" (one per student; see Student Workbook)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engagement Text Read-aloud: "The Bowling Alley"

  • 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: "The Bowling Alley."
  • Begin a read-aloud of the Engagement Text: "The Bowling Alley":

1. Teacher says: "Listen carefully as I read today's story, 'The Bowling Alley.' 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 their partners 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 does Josh find in the alley?" (a bowling pin)

"What type of ball do they decide to bowl with?" (a soccer ball)

"Who wins the game of bowling?" (Chip)

    • Vocabulary and Language:

"What does the author mean by 'not a whole set' of bowling pins?" (Josh and Chip find five pins. In a game of bowling, a "set" typically has 10 pins.)

"What does it mean when Chip pushes the ball with 'all his might'?" (He uses all of his strength to roll the ball towards the bowling pins to knock them down.)

    • Digging Deeper: Extension Questions:

"How does Chip know what a bowling pin is?" (He has seen them in a real bowling alley.) "How do you know?" (Chip said, "I snuck into the bowling alley once." This is a special place people bowl, not the "alley" behind the buildings.)

"At the end of the story, Josh says, 'I will practice and beat you next time.' How can he practice?" (He can set the pins up in the "alley" in back of the building and practice knocking down the pins with the soccer ball.)
  • 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: "The Bowling Alley."

2. Teacher says: "This book is based on the story: 'The Bowling Alley.' 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 "see," "a," "by," "the," "is," "it," "one," "he," "will," "see," and "all." 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 'p'?"

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

9. Teacher highlights the letter.

10. Teacher asks:

"Can you find the letter 'n'?"

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

12. Teacher highlights the letter.

13. Teacher asks:

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

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

15. Teacher invites students to use the thumb-tapping technique to tap out each sound and says: "This word is pronounced 'pin.' 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 'will,' 'is,' 'it,' and the vowels letters we know in the book."

17. Teacher distributes the Decodable Reader: "The Bowling Alley" to each student.

18. Students read "The Bowling Alley" with their 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: "The Bowling Alley" 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 "p" is "parrot," and "p" makes the /p/ sound."
  • Consider inviting students to identify the sound made by each letter in steps 8, 10, and 11.
  • As an extension for readers in the Full Alphabetic 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.
  • If readers need help with high-frequency words, direct them to the Interactive Word Wall. Or have them read the rest of the sentence and think about which high-frequency word would make sense in the blank.
  • 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 'will,' 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 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 previous cycles.
    • Students cut apart letters from the Letter sheet.
    • Teacher guides students in building high-frequency words "is" and "it."
    • Students paste letters on the High-Frequency Word sheet.
  • Consider inviting students to make a box around high-frequency words in their Decodable Readers.
  • Consider also reading the Letter Stories: "a," "t," "c," or "n," found in the Learning Letters Book. After reading the stories, practice skywriting the letters.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Letter sheet A and writing utensil (one per student)
    • High-Frequency Words sheet A (one per student)
    • Scissors and glue sticks (one 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 "one" and "all."
    • Students paste letters on the High-Frequency Words sheet.
  • Consider inviting students to make a box around high-frequency words in their Decodable Readers.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Letter sheet B and writing utensil (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 and writing utensil (one per student)
    • Additional writing paper

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