Introducing the Research Text: Feathers, Not Just for Flying | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G1:M3:U2:L2

Introducing the Research Text: Feathers, Not Just for Flying

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.1.2: Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
  • RI.1.4: Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
  • RI.1.5: Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
  • RI.1.7: Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
  • W.1.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of "how-to" books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).
  • SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
  • SL.1.1a: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
  • SL.1.2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
  • L.1.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine the main idea of the text Feathers, Not Just for Flying. (RI.1.2, RI.1.7, W.1.7).
  • I can describe the structure of the text Feathers, Not Just for Flying. (RI.1.5, SL.1.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During Work Time A, use the Reading Informational Text Checklist to track students' progress toward RI.1.2, RI.1.5, and RI.1.7) (see Assessment Overview and Resources).
  • During the Closing, circulate and observe as students briefly discuss with a partner which academic goals they are excited to meet in the unit. Consider using the Speaking and Listening Checklist to document students' progress toward SL.1.1 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Song and Movement: "Spied a Feather" (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Reading Aloud to Determine Main Idea and Text Structure: Feathers, Not Just for Flying (25 minutes)

B. Language Dive: Feathers, Not Just for Flying, Page 2 (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Musical Mingle Protocol: Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In Work Time A, students are introduced to the first key research source of the unit, Feathers, Not Just for Flying. Students engage in a read-aloud to determine the main idea and identify the structure of the text. Understanding the text structure is essential to future research reading where students pull out key information about feathers during shared research.
  • The pages of Feathers, Not Just for Flying are not numbered. For instructional purposes, the page that begins with "Birds and feathers go together, like trees and leaves ..." should be considered page 2 and all pages thereafter numbered accordingly.
  • In Work Time B, students participate in a Language Dive that guides them through the meaning of a sentence from Feathers, Not Just For Flying. The focus of this Language Dive is on using adjectives (L.1.1f). Students then apply their understanding of the meaning and structure of this sentence when writing individual notes for the Science Talk in Lessons 10 and 15 and when they work on their informative writing piece in Lessons 12-16. Refer to the Tools page for additional information regarding a consistent Language Dive routine.
  • In the Closing, students are introduced to the core academic goals of the unit through the Unit 2 Learning Plan anchor chart. This serves as a "roadmap" for students so they are aware of the key learning and skills they are striving for in the unit.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Lesson 1, students were introduced to the idea that feathers are a distinctive and important body part for birds. This lesson sets the stage for a more in-depth study of feathers as students experience a read-aloud of the text Feathers, Not Just for Flying.
  • Continue to use Goals 1-4 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may find some of the Vocabulary in the text Feathers, Not Just for Flying a bit unfamiliar and challenging. During the initial reading today, the goal is that students understand the main idea, so more attention can be given to these challenging words in subsequent lessons.

Down the road:

  • Throughout Lessons 3-5, students continue to engage in group research reading and shared writing about feathers anchored in the text Feathers, Not Just for Flying.
  • Throughout Lessons 3-5, students continue to reflect on their progress toward the academic goals laid out in the Unit 2 Learning Plan anchor chart

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Bird Word Wall cards for the words soar, curved, and down.
    • Select a short, familiar song to play during the Musical Mingle protocol during the Closing and prepare necessary technology.
  • Preview the Language Dive Guide and consider how to invite conversation among students to address the questions and goals suggested under each sentence strip chunk (see supporting Materials). Select from the questions and goals provided to best meet your students' needs.
  • Review the Musical Mingle protocol. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1 and 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 1.I.A.1, 1.I.B.5, 1.I.B.8, 1.I.B.6, 1.I.C.10, and 1.II.A.1

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs through opportunities to learn language through song and movement and through looking closely at the text Feathers, Not Just for Flying to understand how to find the information they need.
  • Some students may find it challenging to listen to so many pages of Feathers, Not Just for Flying being read without stopping, especially if they do not understand some of the language used in the text (see "Levels of support" and Meeting Students' Needs).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • During the Closing, consider inviting an ELL to model using the sentence frame "I am most excited to learn ___________."

For heavier support:

  • To ensure students understand how the text structure works in the text Feathers, Not Just for Flying, consider rereading select pages of the text and discussing text structure.
  • During Opening A, encourage students to ask for help by asking questions. (Examples: "What does this say?" "What does this mean?")

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): In this lesson, students engage with Feathers, Not Just for Flying in a read-aloud. During this read-aloud, students notice conventions of nonfiction text. Students will need strong flexible thinking and metacognitive skills as they develop this knowledge. Provide scaffolds to support diverse abilities in using these skills, such as explicit highlighting of information in the text to guide students to new understanding.
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): Similar to Unit 1, continue to support a range of fine motor abilities and writing needs by offering students options for drawing utensils and writing tools. Recall that varying tools for construction and composition supports students' ability to express knowledge.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): To sustain engagement, continue to remind students of the learning goals and their value or relevance.

Vocabulary

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

New:

  • source, structure, academic (L)
  • spied, soar, curved, down (T)

Review:

  • main idea (L)

Materials

  • "Spied a Feather" (one to display)
  • Bird Word Wall cards (new; teacher-created; three)
  • Bird Word Wall (new; teacher-created; see Teaching Notes)
  • What Researchers Do anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1)
  • Feathers, Not Just for Flying (one to display; for teacher read-aloud)
  • Language Dive Guide: Feathers, Not Just for Flying (for teacher reference)
    • Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 3)
    • Language Dive Chunk Chart: Feathers, Not Just for Flying (for teacher reference)
    • Language Dive Note-catcher: Feathers, Not Just for Flying (one per student and one to display)
    • Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: Feathers, Not Just for Flying (one to display)
  • Unit 2 Learning Plan anchor chart (new; teacher-created; see supporting Materials)
  • Musical Mingle Protocol anchor chart (new; teacher-created; see supporting Materials)
  • Short, familiar song (song; play in its entirety; see Teaching Notes)
  • Classroom Discussion Norms anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1)
  • Speaking and Listening Checklist (for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)

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. Song and Movement: "Spied a Feather" (10 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Tell them you have a new song to share with them and teach them about birds' feathers.
  • Display "Spied a Feather."
  • Tell students that before you sing the song, you want to focus them on a few key words. Direct students' attention to the word spied in the first line of the song, read it aloud, and tell them that this is a word that is important for them to know in order to understand the song.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Based on clues in the song, what do you think the word spied means?" (discovered)

  • Confirm students' definition or clarify as needed.
  • Direct students to the word soar in the fourth line. Read the sentence and ask students to give a thumbs-up if they think they know what soar means based on clues in the sentence (to fly high with little effort).
  • Show students the Bird Word Wall cards for soar (to fly high), curved (not straight), and down (fine, soft, fuzzy feathers) and follow the same process established in Unit 1: Provide its definition, clap out its syllables, use it in a sentence, and place the Word Wall card and picture for it on the Bird Word Wall.
  • Tell students that you will sing the song first on your own as they listen, and then they will join in. Invite students to think of hand gestures, motions, or actions that could go along with the song as you sing.
  • Sing just the first verse of the song, tracking the print as you sing. Show students that this verse repeats two more times throughout the song.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What are some hand gestures, motions, or actions that could go along with this verse of the song?" (Responses will vary, but may include: holding hands up to eyes to show spying and putting hands up in a questioning stance.)

  • Invite students to stand up and join you in singing the first verse of the song, using their own chosen hand gestures and actions.
  • Repeat the singing and gesturing process with the remaining verses.
  • For ELLs: (Reviewing Vocabulary Words) Challenge students to listen to the definition of some of the words in the poem and think about a word in the poem that matches the definition. (Example: "What word in the poem means to fly high with little effort?")
  • For students who may need additional support with far-point display: Consider providing individual copies of the song. (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reading Aloud to Determine Main Idea and Text Structure: Feathers, Not Just for Flying (25 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Tell students that today they will begin research to help them answer the question "How do birds use their body parts to survive?"
  • Share that their first job as researchers is to learn about feathers. Reread the unit guiding question, substituting the word feathers for body parts: "How do birds use their feathers to survive?"
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Where might we find information to answer this question?" (Responses will vary, but may include: in a book, by watching a video, by talking to a bird expert.)

  • Direct students' attention to the What Researchers Do anchor chart and read aloud the fourth bullet:
    • "Gather evidence from text."
  • Tell students that another word for research text is source (something we use to get information to answer a research question).
  • Share that you are going to read aloud parts of a new source so they can begin to answer the research question:
    • "How do birds use their feathers to survive?"
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can determine the main idea of the text Feathers, Not Just for Flying."

  • Review the definition of main idea (what the text is mostly about).
  • Remind students to listen closely as you read and to think carefully about the main idea. Tell them you will ask each of them to share what they think the main idea is when you are finished reading.
  • Display Feathers, Not Just for Flying. Share with students that they can learn about feathers from this book. Draw students' attention to the title of the book and read the title aloud.
  • While still displaying the text, complete a first read of pages 1-14, 17-18, 21-22, and 27-28, reading slowly, fluently, with expression, and without interruption.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What was this book mostly about?" (Feathers have many jobs and help birds survive in different ways.)

"How might some of these jobs help birds survive?' (Responses will vary, but should be directly connected to the text: The heron's feathers create shade so that the bird can find fish and frogs to eat. The heron must eat to survive.)

  • Direct students' attention to the second learning target and read it aloud:

"I can describe the structure of the text Feathers, Not Just for Flying."

  • Define structure: how the words and pictures are organized in a text.
  • Say: "When we know how a text is organized, we can more easily find the information to help us answer our questions. Let's look closely at the structure of this source to help us as researchers when we start to gather information in later lessons."
  • Leaf through the pages and ask:

"What are the chunks you notice on each page?" (phrase at the top that is like a heading; text in a box and pictures and caption under the picture)

"Are the pages exactly the same?" (No. The pictures and text change places.)

  • Turn to another page and ask:

"Are there always three chunks of information on each page?" (yes)

  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their thinking about the structure of the text.
  • Ask:

"If we understand how the pages are organized, how would that help us find the information we need?" (The heading tells us the feather's job, the text box gives more explanation, the caption tells us what kind of bird has that kind of feathers, and the pictures show us the feathers and the birds.)

  • Tell students that tomorrow they will read parts of the text more closely and write down some of the information they learn on class notes.
  • Invite students to stand up and sing the "Spied a Feather" song from the Opening.
  • For ELLs: (Text Structure: Using a Pattern as a Model) Discuss structure through analyzing a pattern of colors. Display a repeating pattern of two or three colors (example: blue, green, yellow / blue, green ...). Ask and say:

"Can you guess which color you will find next?" (yellow)

"What is your evidence?" (I see blue and green.)

"A pattern can also be called a structure. How did this structure make it easier to guess which color you will find next?" (You know what to expect because you know the pattern, or the way it is organized.)

"Texts also have a pattern or organization or structure, because it makes it easier for readers to know what information you will find next."

  • For ELLs: (Using Text Structure: Print) Students may find it challenging to identify text structure in Feathers, Not Just for Flying because the illustrations might remind them more of a story than an informational text. Tell students this informational text includes illustrations instead of photos.
  • For students who may need additional support with conventions of nonfiction: Provide an enlarged page from the text with annotations to scaffold navigation of conventions of nonfiction used in this text. (MMR)

B. Language Dive: Feathers, Not Just for Flying, Page 2 (15 minutes)

  • Tell students they will now participate in a Language Dive using the same format from Unit 1.
  • Direct students' attention on the Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart and remind them that they thought of their own questions to ask during a Language Dive.
  • Reread page 2 of Feathers, Not Just for Flying.
  • Focus on the sentence:
    • "That's because feathers have so many jobs to do."
  • Use the Language Dive Guide: Feathers, Not Just for Flying and Language Dive Chunk Chart: Feathers, Not Just for Flying to guide students through a Language Dive of the sentence. Distribute and display the Language Dive Note-catcher: Feathers, Not Just for Flying and Language Dive sentence strip chunks.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Musical Mingle Protocol: Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group and offer specific, positive feedback on completing the Language Dive.
  • Tell students that there are some important academic goals that they will try to meet during this unit as they learn about birds' bodies. Define academic (having to do with school).
  • Direct students' attention to the Unit 2 Learning Plan anchor chart and read aloud the text in the academic goals column only:
    • "Use books to research beaks and feathers"
    • "Write a shared writing piece about our feathers research"
    • "Write my own piece about our group research"
    • "Describe how different feathers and beaks help a bird survive"
    • "Create scientific drawings of beaks and feathers"
  • Invite students to think about one of those academic goals that they are most excited to reach.
  • Encourage students to consider a learning goal that might be a stretch or challenge for them.
  • Give students 30 seconds of think time and ask them to show a thumbs-up when they have an idea.
  • Tell students they will now use the Musical Mingle protocol to share the learning the learning goal they are excited to reach.
  • Referring to the Musical Mingle Protocol anchor chart, explain the steps to students:
    • Point to the image of the music note. Tell students that you will play a short, familiar song.
    • Point to the image of the heads in a circle. Tell students that when they hear the music start, they will move or gently dance around the room and form a circle with two or three other people.
    • Point to the image of the person walking. Tell students that once they have formed a circle with two or three other students, they will walk in a circle with their group until the music stops.
    • Point to the image of the hand next to the person walking. Tell students that once the music stops, they will stop and drop hands.
    • Point to the image of the ear. Tell students to listen for a prompt to discuss with their group.
    • Point to the image of the people talking. Tell students they will then have a conversation with the people in their group.
    • Point to the image of the people raising arms. Tell students everyone in their group should raise their arms once everyone in the group has had a chance to share.
  • Answer clarifying questions.
  • Direct students' attention to the Classroom Discussion Norms anchor chart and quickly review their jobs as speakers and listeners.
  • Guide students through the Musical Mingle protocol using the Musical Circle Protocol anchor chart and the following prompt:

"Which learning goal are you most excited to reach?"

  • If productive, cue students to think about their thinking:

"How does our Musical Mingle protocol add to your understanding of the learning goals? I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner." (Responses will vary.)

  • Circulate to support students and use the Speaking and Listening Checklist to gather data on students' progress toward SL1.1.
  • Invite students to return to their seats.
  • Share that in the next lesson they will have a chance to practice some of the learning goals on the Unit 2 Learning Plan anchor chart: researching feathers so they can describe how feathers help birds survive and creating a scientific drawing of a feather.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Using Anchor Charts: Adding Visuals) Consider annotating the academic goals column using pictures and words while reading aloud the text. (MMR)
  • For students who may need additional support with self-regulation: Promote positive expectations by reassuring students who may feel overwhelmed that they will have adequate time and support to achieve their goals during this unit. (MME)

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