- I can read a text to research what makes something living. (RI.K.1, RI.K.1, RI.K.3, RI.K.4, RI.K.7)
- I can record information from my research about what makes something living. (W.K.8)
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.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
- L.K.1c: Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).
- L.K.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.
- L.K.5: With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
Daily Learning Targets
Ongoing Assessment
- During the Opening, circulate, listen, and take note of students' ability to use and form singular and plural nouns. Use the Language Checklist to make note of students' progress toward L.K.1c (see Assessment Overview and Resources).
- During the Language Dive in Work Time B, listen to and make note of students' ability to reconstruct the sentence and explain the focus structure. (L.K.4, L.K.5)
- Collect students' Living Things research notebooks as evidence of progress toward W.K.8.
Agenda
Agenda | Teaching Notes |
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1. Opening A. Poem and Movement: "What's Alive and What's Not?" Version 1 (10 minutes) 2. Work Time A. Reading Aloud to Research Living and Nonliving Things: What's Alive?, Pages 13, 18, and 20 (15 minutes) B. Language Dive: What's Alive?, Page 20 (15 minutes) C. Engaging the Researcher: Making and Recording Observations (15 minutes) 3. Closing and Assessment A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes) |
Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:
How this lesson builds on previous work:
Areas in which students may need additional support:
Down the road:
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In Advance
- Strategically pair students for the Opening.
- Prepare:
- Living Things Word Wall cards for seed, bend, and follow.
- Technology necessary to play "Budding Conifer Timelapses" in Work Time C.
- Distribute Materials for Work Time C at student workspaces.
- Preview the Language Dive Guide and consider how to invite conversation among students to address the language goals suggested under each sentence strip chunk (see supporting Materials).
- Post: Learning targets, "What's Alive and What's Not?" Version 1, and 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.
- Work Time C: Show "Budding Conifer Timelapses" video. "Budding Conifer Timelapses--Earth: A New Wild." PBS Learning Media, 2014. Web. 6 September 2016. (For display. Used by permission.)
Supporting English Language Learners
Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards K.1.A.1, K.1.B.4, K.1.C.10, and K.1.C.12
Important points in the lesson itself
- The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to interact with text, multimedia, and plants in ways that support academic knowledge acquisition through movement, visuals, and discussion.
- ELLs may find it challenging to express their ideas fully during Turn and Talk times, especially if they are still internalizing new Vocabulary. After allowing students to grapple, encourage them to use sentence starters, movement, and the Word Wall. Tell them it's okay to ask for help or complete their thought in another language first. Remind students that they will have many opportunities to practice expressing their learning.
Levels of support
For lighter support:
- To help students grapple with expressing their ideas, provide shorter sentence frames throughout the work times. This prompts language while requiring students to generate more of their own syntax and content.
For heavier support:
- During Work Time A, model and think aloud how the illustrations in What's Alive? demonstrate text meaning by stopping after a sentence and asking: "Where can we find that idea in the pictures?"
- During Work Time C, as students draw and write their observations, provide index cards with illustrated key words to those who have trouble writing. They can use the index cards as guides for writing labels.
Universal Design for Learning
- Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Some students may need additional support with visual perception. Continue to offer options for perception during the read-aloud and pausing for clarification of new Vocabulary.
- Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): Continue to support students in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected.
- Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): As students engage with the text during this lesson, continue to support students in linking the information presented back to the learning target to emphasize and remind them of the instructional goal.
Vocabulary
Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)
New:
- bend, follow (L)
- seed (T)
Review:
- plural, singular, noun (L)
Materials
- What's Alive and What's Not" Version 1 (from Lesson 2; one to display)
- Singular and Plural Noun cards (from Lesson 3; one per pair)
- Markers (one per student)
- Language Checklist (see Assessment Overview and Resources)
- Singular and Plural Nouns anchor chart (begun in Lesson 3)
- Living Things Criteria anchor chart (begun in Lesson 3)
- What's Alive? (from Lesson 2; one to display; for teacher read-aloud)
- Living Things Word Wall cards (new; teacher-created; three)
- Living Things Word Wall (begun in Lesson 1; added to during Work Time A; see Teaching Notes)
- Language Dive Guide III: What's Alive? (for teacher reference)
- Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (new; co-created with students during Work Time C; see supporting materials)
- Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
- Language Dive Chunk Chart III: What's Alive? (for teacher reference)
- Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks III: What's Alive? (one to display)
- Language Dive Chunk Pictures III: What's Alive? (one set per student)
- What Researchers Do anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)
- "Budding Conifer Timelapses" (video; play in entirety; see Technology and Multimedia)
- Living Things research notebook (begun in Lesson 2; added to during Work Time B; page 4; one per student)
- Pencils (one per student)
- Crayons (class set; variety of colors per student)
- Living Things research notebook (from Lesson 2; example, for teacher reference)
- Sorting Living and Nonliving Things anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2; manipulated during the Closing)
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
Opening | Meeting Students' Needs |
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A. Poem and Movement: "What's Alive and What's Not?" Version 1 (10 minutes)
"What is a noun?" (person, place, or thing) "What does singular mean? Plural?" (one person, place, or thing; many people, places, or things)
"How can we tell if a word is singular? Plural?" (It only talks about one person, place, or thing. It ends with an -s or -es.)
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Work Time
Work Time | Meeting Students' Needs |
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A. Reading Aloud to Research Living and Nonliving Things: What's Alive?, Pages 13, 18, and 20 (15 minutes)
"I can read a text to research what makes something living."
"What evidence or information does this page tell us about how to know if something is living?"
"Was anything the same about the (cat, bird, flower, and tree)?" (Yes, they all need air; etc.) "How do we know that cats and plants are living?" (They both move and grow.)
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B. Language Dive: What's Alive?, Page 20 (15 minutes)
"What do you remember about Language Dives we have done before and from our study of weather?" (They were teacher-led, with the teacher asking questions about the sentence strip chunks and the students responding.)
"Think about our work with Language Dives. What questions do we ask about the sentences? What questions do we ask about the chunks? What questions do we ask about the words? I will give you time to think and discuss with your partner." (Responses will vary.)
"How will thinking of our own questions for a Language Dive help us during a Language Dive? I will give you time to think and discuss with your partner." (The questions will help jog our thinking about important language features in the sentence.)
"Now that we have completed our first new Language Dive, what additional questions should we add to our Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart?" (Responses will vary.)
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C. Engaging the Researcher: Making and Recording Observations (15 minutes)
"What did you observe about how living things move and grow?" (The tree grew pine needles and pine cones.)
"Who can add on to what your classmate said? I'll give you time to think." (Responses will vary.)
"I can record information from my research about what makes something living."
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Closing & Assessments
Closing | Meeting Students' Needs |
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A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)
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