Focused Read-aloud and Writing, Session 1: Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G1:M4:U1:L7

Focused Read-aloud and Writing, Session 1: Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • RL.1.3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
  • W.1.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
  • SL.1.2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
  • L.1.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.1.1g: Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because).
  • L.1.1j: Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts.
  • L.1.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
  • 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 use clues from other words in a sentence to determine the meaning of unknown words. (L.1.4)
  • I can describe the characters, setting, and problem in Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon. (RL.1.1, RL.1.3, W.1.8, SL.1.2, L.1.1j, L.1.2)
  • I can write about the problem in Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon using evidence from the text. (W.1.8, L 1.1 g, L1.1j)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During the Opening, observe students as they begin to use clues from other words in a sentence to determine the meaning of unknown words and gather data on their progress toward L.1.4.
  • Collect students' Stories of Bird Helpers response journals and continue to use the Reading Literature Checklist and Language Standards Checklist to track student progress toward RL 1.1, RL 1.3, and L.1.1j (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Poem and Movement: "Bird Helpers" Two-Voice Poem (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Focused Read-aloud, Session 1: Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon, Pages 1-14(15 minutes)

B. Role-Play Protocol: Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon (10 minutes)

C. Independent Writing: Stories of Bird Helpers Response Journal (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Icon Sentences Protocol: Working to Become Ethical People (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • Work Times A, B, and C, as well as the Closing, contain repeated routines from Lessons 2-5. Refer to those lessons for more detail, as necessary.
  • The pages of Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon are not numbered. For instructional purposes, the page that begins with "Not all birds live in trees" should be considered page 2 and all other pages numbered accordingly.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In the Opening, students continue to work with the "Bird Helpers" two-voice poem introduced in Lesson 6. Students also reference the strategies from the L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart from Lesson 3 to figure out the meaning of unknown words in the poem.
  • Continue to reinforce routines established in Lessons 2-5, including the Role-Play protocol, Stories of Bird Helpers response journal, and Icon Sentences protocol.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • During the Opening, some students may need additional support finding clues from the lines of the poem to determine the meaning of unknown words. Consider having several printed-out copies available for students to follow along with if needed. Also consider providing a picture clue for the definition to help students locate context clues in the line.
  • Support students in the Closing by modeling creating a sentence with the new icon set. Invite students to touch each icon and repeat the word it represents, if necessary. Consider providing this sentence frame and posting it in a location for all students to view and access: "I have shown compassion toward someone by ______________ and showed respect toward someone by ______________."

Down the road:

  • In Lesson 9, students will use the Stories of Bird Helpers anchor chart to help them compare and contrast experiences between texts for the Unit 1 Assessment.

In Advance

  • If you did not previously record two people reading the "Bird Helpers" two-voice poem, strategically select a student who is a strong reader to assist in reading one of the parts during the Opening. Consider previewing and perhaps practicing the poem with the student before the lesson.
  • Distribute materials for Work Time C at student workspaces.
  • Preview page 6 of the Stories of Bird Helpers response journal to familiarize yourself with what will be required of students.
  • Post: Learning targets, "Bird Helpers" two-voice poem, 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 1-3 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.
  • Make a video of the read-aloud of Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon during Work Time A and post for families to watch at home to discuss vocabulary and practice reading fluently. Reference this video for the next lesson.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 1.I.B.5, 1.I.B.6, 1.I.B.8., 1.l.C.10, and 1.II.C.6

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to engage in rigorous work with vocabulary strategies through reading quality literature and role-playing.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to stay focused during the vocabulary work with the "Bird Helpers" two-voice poem, as it is a long text with no illustrations and many new vocabulary words (see levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Invite a volunteer to assist in reading the part of the bird in Lesson 8 and send a copy of the poem home so he or she can practice.

For heavier support:

  • Read the poem slowly as ELLs read along, and then gradually increase the pace of reading.
  • Consider helping students annotate their copy of the poem with cues to support reading with fluency. (Examples: Use the backslash sign to separate phrases, highlight punctuation for appropriate pausing, underline words or phrases to reflect the use of a different tone or volume, circle words to be stressed, etc.)
  • Write the words Maggie, because, so, and, and she and the phrases broke her beak, injured her eye, and tumbled down each onto cardstock to make sentence construction cards. Help students make compound sentences orally by manipulating the cards. Save these cards for Lesson 8 (see Tactile Writing Practice in the Meeting Students' Needs column in Work Time C).

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to embed support for unfamiliar vocabulary by providing explanation and visual examples. This will help students make connections and will support comprehension.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support strategy development during independent writing by modeling how to physically touch the spaces on the paper and draw lines for the words you intend to write.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to foster collaboration and community by providing prompts that guide students in knowing when and how to ask classmates or teachers for help.

Vocabulary

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

New:

  • glide, towering, heal, ledge, smaller (T)

Review:

  • base word, setting, characters, compassion, respect, perspective

Materials

  • "Bird Helpers" two-voice poem (from Lesson 6; one to display)
  • L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart (begun in Lesson 3)
  • Stories of Bird Helpers anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2; added to during Work Time A; see supporting materials)
  • Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon (one to display; for teacher read-aloud)
  • Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon Icon Set #1-7 (one set to display)
  • Stories of Bird Helpers anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2; example, for teacher reference)
  • Role-Play Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 2)
  • Stories of Bird Helpers response journal (from Lesson 2; added to during Work Time C; page 6; one per student)
  • Stories of Bird Helpers response journal (from Lesson 2; example, for teacher reference)
  • Icon Sentences Protocol anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2)
  • Classroom Icon Set (from Lesson 2; one set per pair)

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: "Bird Helpers" Two-Voice Poem (10 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Display the "Bird Helpers" two-voice poem and remind students that they were introduced to this poem in the previous lesson.
  • Remind students that this two-voice poem is read from the perspective of a bird and a bird helper.
  • Review the definition of perspective (the way you see or look at something).
  • Invite a student volunteer to assist you in reading the part of the bird helper while you read the part of the bird.
  • Tell students that you and the volunteer will read the poem aloud as they listen. Read aloud the entire poem slowly, fluently, with expression, and without interruption.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can use clues from other words in a sentence to determine the meaning of unknown words."

  • Direct students' attention back to the poem and focus them on the underlined words.
  • Tell students that these underlined words may be new and unknown.
  • Direct students' attention to the L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart and review as needed. Tell them that they will continue to work on using these strategies to figure out the meaning of unknown words.
  • Follow the same routine from Work Time C of Lesson 4 to guide students through using the L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart to determine the meaning of the word glide:
    • Focus students on the first strategy on the anchor chart.
    • Reread the first line, prompting students to listen for the other words that might help them figure out the meaning of glide.
    • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What are the clue words in the line that tell you that glide means to move smoothly?" (through the sky, wind)

    • Continue rereading lines 2-5 of the poem aloud and repeat this process with the word ease in line 5, but this time defining the word for students (with no problems).
    • Think-Pair Share:

"What are the clue words in the line that tell you that ease means with no problems?" (speed past, flying past windows, easy as can be)

    • Repeat this process with the words towering and heal, inviting students to choose one to define and use context clues.
    • Think-Pair-Share:

"What does the word towering (or) heal mean? (towering means tall; heal means to become healthy)

"What are the clue words in the line that tell you what the word means?" (towering = clouds, high; heal = wing, will be fine)

Conversation Cue: "How can the clue word strategy help you understand words you don't know? I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner." (Responses will vary.)

    • If time permits, reread the poem using a new student volunteer to assist you in reading the part of the bird while you read the part of the bird helper.
  • Tell students that in the next lesson they will reread the poem one last time and will practice using the second strategy on the L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart (finding the base word) to figure out the meaning of new, unknown words in the poem.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Annotating Text Context Clues) As students discuss the meaning of the underlined words, annotate the displayed poem with clues from other words in the sentence using different colored markers. (Example: Circle the words through the sky and wind and draw an arrow to the word glide; write the meaning of the word glide beside it.) (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Focused Read-aloud, Session 1: Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon, Pages 1-14 (15 minutes)

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

"I can describe the characters, setting, and problem in Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon."

  • Direct students' attention to the Stories of Bird Helpers anchor chart and tell them that today they will add information about a new text to this chart. Review the chart as necessary.
  • Display Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon. Share with students that today they will listen to a part of the story read aloud and will begin to add icons to the Stories of Bird Helpers anchor chart for this particular text.
  • Tell students that they should listen for information that identifies the characters, setting, and problem.
  • Direct students' attention to the L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart and tell them that they will continue to work on using these strategies to figure out the meaning of unknown words.
  • Display pages 1-4 and read aloud the text on pages 2 and 3.
  • While referencing the L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart, tell students to use the first strategy on the chart (clues from other words) to figure out the meaning of the word ledge on page 3.
  • Reread the second sentence of the second paragraph on page 3 that begins "She takes little jumps ...," prompting students to listen for the meaning of ledge in the text.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What does the word ledge mean?" (a small and narrow part of a wall)

"How do you know?" (The text says, "She takes little jumps along the ledge ..." and the photograph on page 4 shows Maggie holding on to a narrow part of her nest.)

  • Invite students to stand up in their places and pretend to take little jumps on the ledge of their nest.
  • Think aloud to confirm thinking. Say:

"Maggie is probably taking little jumps on the ledge because she doesn't want to fall off. I know her nest is high up on a building. A ledge must be a small, shelf-like part of a wall."

  • Define ledge (a narrow part like a shelf that comes out of a wall).
  • Ask students to think about the characters and setting of this story and ask:

"Who is the main character in the story?" (Maggie)

"Where does Maggie live (setting)?" (in a nest on a ledge in a tall building)

  • Direct students' attention back to the text and read pages 5-8 aloud.
  • Point to the word smaller on page 8.
  • While referencing the L.4 Vocabulary Strategies anchor chart, tell students to use the second strategy on the chart (using the base word) to figure out the meaning of the word smaller on page 8.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What base word do you see in smaller?" (small)

"Why do you think the ending -er is added to this word?" (to change the meaning of the word)

  • Remind students that sometimes extra parts are added to certain base words to change the meaning of the word.
  • Tell students that the ending -er means more.
  • Think aloud to confirm thinking. Say:

"If the ending -er means more, then the word smaller must mean more small. This makes sense because the sentence says that Maggie watches smaller birds fly by. These other birds are more small than Maggie."

  • Direct students' attention back to the text and continue reading pages 9-14 aloud. Prompt students to listen for information about the problem Maggie faces.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What happens to Maggie?" (She flies into a building and breaks her beak and injures her eye.)

"Who helps her?" (special people and doctors)

"Where do they take Maggie?" (wildlife hospital)

  • Direct students' attention back to the Stories of Bird Helpers anchor chart and focus them on the first three columns.
  • Turn and Talk:

"Who are the main characters?" (Maggie and the special people/doctors)

"Where does the story take place?" (in the nest on the ledge and in a wildlife hospital)

"What is the bird's problem?" (Maggie flies into a building and breaks her beak and injures her eye.)

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

  • Invite a student volunteer to come up and place icons #1-4 from the Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon Icon Set, #1-7 in the corresponding columns.
  • Review the three columns once completed. Refer to the Stories of Bird Helpers anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Tell students that in the next lesson they will listen to find out how Maggie is helped and how the story is resolved. They will also work together to complete the last three columns of the chart.
  • For ELLs: (Discussing Icons) Discuss what each picture from the Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon Icon Set #1-7 represents.
  • Before reading, provide white boards and dry-erase markers as an option for students to record (in drawing or writing) their ideas. This will also help scaffold active listening for key details. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For students who may need additional support with language: Consider writing the base word (small) and the ending (-er) on index cards and visually demonstrate adding the ending to the base word while explaining the function of the ending (means more small; used when we are comparing two things). (MMR)

B. Role-Play Protocol: Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon (10 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Tell students they are going to use the Role-Play protocol to act out a portion of the story so that they better understand Maggie's problem. Remind them that they used this protocol in the first half of the unit and review as necessary using the Role-Play Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Guide students through the protocol using pages 9-13 of Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon.
  • Refocus whole group and invite one or two pairs to share their role-play.
  • Give students specific, positive feedback on following specific steps of the Role-Play protocol.

Conversation Cue: "How did the role-play add to your understanding of what happened to Maggie? I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner." (Responses will vary.)
  • For ELLs: (Describing Photographs) To ensure that students notice major events in the story, invite them to describe the photographs on pages 9-13 of Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon. (Maggie leaves the nest to practice flying. She crashes into the side of a building. She is on the ground. Her beak hurts, and her eyes aren't working right. She is put in a crate.)
  • For ELLs: (Strategic Grouping) Consider pairing students with a partner who has more advanced or native language proficiency. After the protocol, invite a partnership in which there was an ELL to share their role-play with the class. Prompt the ELL to share what part of the text they acted out.
  • For students who may need additional support with self-regulation: Invite students to share how they could handle confusion or disagreement that may arise as they plan the role-play with their partner. (MME)

C. Independent Writing: Stories of Bird Helpers Response Journal (15 minutes)

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

"I can write about the problem in Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon using evidence from the text."

  • Tell students that now they will discuss and write about what happened to Maggie.
  • Follow the same routine from Work Time C of Lesson 2 to guide students through completing page 6 of their Stories of Bird Helpers response journal. Note: Students will write their response in the form of a compound sentence.
    • Think-Pair-Share:

"What happened to Maggie?" (She flew into a building.)

"Why is this a problem?" (because she broke her beak and injured her eye)

    • Circulate and listen in and select a few students to share out.
    • Transition students to their workspaces by having them soar like peregrine falcons and invite them to complete page 6.
    • Circulate to support students as they write. Refer to the Stories of Bird Helpers response journal (answers, for teacher reference) as necessary. 
  • For ELLs: (Tactile Writing Practice) Help students make compound sentences orally by manipulating the sentence construction cards (see Supporting English Language Learners).
  • For ELLs: (Using Charts: Conjunctions) Use the chart titled Conjunctions, begun in Lesson 5, to help students understand which conjunction might work best when writing compound sentences or using them in conversation.
  • For students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for written expression: Allow students to discuss and rehearse their sentence before writing. (MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Icon Sentences Protocol: Working to Become Ethical People (10 minutes)

  • Tell students they are going to use the Icon Sentences protocol to think about how they showed compassion and respect like the characters did. Remind them that they used this protocol in Lessons 2-5 and review as necessary using the Icon Sentences Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
    • Move students into pairs and distribute the Classroom Icon Set.
    • Guide students through the protocol using the following prompt:
      • "What is an example of a time when you had to show compassion and respect toward someone like the doctors did when they found Maggie?"
  • Give students specific, positive feedback on following specific steps of the Icon Sentences protocol. Tell them that in the next lesson they will think about how the characters in Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon show respect and compassion.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: (Providing Think Time) Before inviting responses from the group, consider giving students time to think and process the question. Say: "I'll give you time to think and write or sketch." (MMAE, MME)

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