End of Module Celebration: Feathered Friends Savers | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G1:M4:U3:L16

End of Module Celebration: Feathered Friends Savers

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • SL.1.4: Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
  • SL.1.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.
  • W.1.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can share my Feathered Friends Saver using a loud and clear voice. (SL.1.4)
  • I can answer questions about my Feathered Friends Saver using complete sentences. (SL 1.6)
  • I can write a letter to the ornithologist that describes what I have learned about caring for birds. (W.1.8)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During Work Times B and C, use the Speaking and Listening Checklist to monitor student progress toward SL.1.4 and SL.1.6 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Song and Movement: "Birds Are Helpful" (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Speaking and Listening: Sharing Our Feathered Friends Savers (25 minutes)

B. End of Module Reflection: Letter Back to the Ornithologist (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflecting on Learning: Working to Contribute to a Better World (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this culminating lesson, students share their module performance task and learning with visitors, helping to support students' speaking and listening skills and cultivate a sense of pride and ownership in their work.
  • Based on the needs of your students, consider repeating all or part of Lesson 16 Work Time (as an optional Lesson 17 "flex day") to give students an additional audience with whom to share their work. Ideally, students are given an opportunity to present their work to an audience from outside of the classroom. Creating work for an authentic audience motivates students to meet standards and engage in revision. Through the process, they develop perseverance and they realize that they can do more than they thought they could.
  • During Work Time B, students write a letter back to the ornithologist to share one of the most compelling facts they have learned in the module.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • The structure of the lesson allows students to present songs, knowledge, and writing learned throughout the module. After presenting, students reflect on what they have learned in the module in terms of both content and character.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may feel uncomfortable sharing their writing with visitors. Remind them that they had time to practice in the previous lesson. Provide support and encouragement as necessary by asking a supportive adult in the school to sit near students who may need extra help.
  • During Work Time B, some students may have difficulty recalling something they have learned. Encourage them to use visuals around the room to prompt their memory if needed.
  • Some students may need extra time to complete the reflection. Consider offering dictation support or carving out an additional few minutes during the day for them to finish.

In Advance

  • Prepare students' Feathered Friends Savers in the whole group area to distribute during Work Time A.
  • Distribute copies of the Feathered Friends Saver Reflection Questions at student workspaces for Work Time A.
  • Determine groups of three or four students for the Celebration of Learning in Work Time A.
  • Distribute copies of the "Birds Are Helpful" song and "Fascinating Birds" jazz chant for visitors to follow along with during the Opening and Work Time A.
  • Post: Learning targets, "Birds Are Helpful," "Fascinating Birds" jazz chant, 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.

Supporting English Language Learners

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

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to present their learning about a topic to an authentic audience, to reflect on ways they have grown as learners over the course of the module, and to take risks in reading and speaking while seeking the support they need.
  • ELLs may find it stressful to perform in front of visitors they might not know. If students feel bashful about reading aloud, gently encourage them to participate but avoid forcing them (see levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Invite the student chosen in Lesson 13 to welcome the visitors, introduce the song "Birds Are Helpful," and invite the rest of the students to stand up to sing.

For heavier support:

  • Consider previewing the pre-determined groups using the Presentation Groups chart to explain that the chart tells who is in their group as well as the order in which they will present.
  • Some students could benefit from practicing reading their Feathered Friends Saver out loud one more time before guests arrive.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): When sharing and celebrating culminating work with visitors, it is important to also document the group's learning processes. Highlight aspects of the learning and writing process that were important in this unit.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): In this lesson, students share their work from Unit 3. Continue to support students in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the expectations for sharing with visitors.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): During the celebration of work, some students may experience anxiety or concern about sharing in front of a group. Minimize these threats and support self-regulation by inviting students to share in a smaller group setting with one or two visitors.

Vocabulary

N/A

Materials

  • "Birds Are Helpful" (from Lesson 11; one per visitor and one to display)
  • Feathered Friends Saver Reflection Questions sheet (from Lesson 14; one per visitor)
  • Ways We Share Our Work anchor chart (begun in Lesson 14)
  • Presentation Groups chart (one to display)
  • Presentation Groups chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Feathered Friends Saver Reflection Questions anchor chart (begun in Lesson 14)
  • "Fascinating Birds" jazz chant (from Lesson 2; one per visitor and one to display)
  • Letter Back to the Ornithologist template (one per student and one to display)
  • Working to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)

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: "Birds Are Helpful" (5 minutes)

  • With excitement, welcome the visitors.
  • Distribute and display "Birds Are Helpful."
  • Tell students that today is an exciting day because they are going to share lots of learning from their bird research with their special visitors. They will begin by sharing the "Birds Are Helpful" song they have learned.
  • Invite students to stand up and sing the song.
  • Repeat the song one more time, this time inviting the visitors to join in and sing using their copies of the "Birds Are Helpful" song as a reference.
  • Invite the visitors to applaud the students' performance.
  • For ELLs: (Putting Students at Ease) To put students at ease, consider introducing the visitors by quickly identifying them in groups according to their roles within the community (teachers, secretaries, parents). As you name each group, the visitors can stand up, smile, and wave to the class.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Speaking and Listening: Sharing Our Feathered Friends Savers (25 minutes)

  • Refocus students whole group.
  • Tell students and visitors that the students have learned a great deal about how to care for birds.
  • Tell students that now they will get to show their learning by sharing their Feathered Friends Savers with the visitors.
  • Briefly share that they will gather in small presentation groups with a few other classmates and one or two visitors. Once they are in their groups, they will take turns sharing their Feathered Friends Savers and will answer questions from the visitors based on the Feathered Friends Saver Reflection Questions sheet.
  • Remind students that they practiced answering these questions in the previous lesson.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can share my Feathered Friends Saver using a loud and clear voice."

  • Remind students that they practiced reading their writing in a way that visitors can understand what they are reading and that everyone is really excited to hear them!

"I can answer questions about my Feathered Friends Saver using complete sentences."

  • Direct students' attention to the Ways We Share Our Work anchor chart and briefly review it.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"When you are answering questions from the visitors, what is it important that you remember to do?" (speak clearly and loudly, make eye contact with visitors, listen as others share)

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

"While other students are sharing, what should you do?" (keep voices off, listen carefully, look at the speaker)

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

  • Display the Presentation Groups chart and point out that the chart tells who is in their group as well as the order in which they will present. Refer to the Presentation Groups chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
    • Distribute students' Feathered Friends Savers and move students into pre-determined groups.
    • Remind students that once the first reader has shared, they should move to the second reader, and so on until all the students in the group have shared.
    • Ask the visitors to help keep the group moving along and offer support as needed; however, they should save questions for later when they will be prompted to ask specific questions of students.
    • Invite visitors to ask the first student in their group to share his or her Feathered Friends Saver.
    • Circulate as students share and offer guidance and support as necessary.
    • Provide frequent time checks so that students and visitors anticipate moving to the question-and-answer portion.
  • Once all students have shared, direct students' and visitors' attention to the posted Feathered Friends Saver Reflection Questions anchor chart. Remind visitors that these same questions are written on the Feathered Friends Saver Reflection Questions sheet.
    • Remind everyone that the visitors will choose two or three questions from the list to ask students, and the students will take turns answering them.
    • Invite visitors to begin asking questions.
    • Circulate as students and visitors engage in the small group conversation and listen in as students respond to the visitors' questions.
  • When 2 minutes remain, signal students to clean up.
  • Refocus students whole group.
  • As a culmination to students' sharing, display the "Fascinating Birds" jazz chant and invite students to complete the chant for visitors.
  • Thank visitors for joining the class in this special celebration of students' learning.
  • For ELLs: (Putting Students at Ease) To help students feel more comfortable in their small groups, consider doing a quick round of introductions of the visitors and students in the small groups before starting the presentations.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: (Previewing Questions) Consider allowing students who need more support to choose which questions from the Feathered Friends Saver Reflection Questions sheet they want to answer beforehand, so they can practice their answers and build confidence. Ensure that visitors know of this accommodation, so they know which questions to ask those students. (MMAE, MME)
  • For ELLs: (Pacing Prompts) Encourage students to speak up when they would like to hear something repeated. Empower them with questions they can ask to regulate the pace of the questions. Examples:

"Can you please repeat what you said?"

"Can you please speak more slowly?"

B. End of Module Reflection: Letter Back to the Ornithologist (20 minutes)

  • Say:

"We have received three special letters from the ornithologist inviting us to learn specific things about birds. I think it would be amazing if we wrote letters back to her to share one of the most interesting things we have learned about caring for birds during our study!"

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

"I can write a letter to the ornithologist that describes what I have learned about caring for birds."

  • Tell students that they should think about a fact connected to their learning about bird helpers, Pale Male, or their learning from A Place for Birds.
  • Display the Letter Back to the Ornithologist template. Tell students they will now have a chance to show the ornithologist a special fact from their learning as they complete this letter.
  • Read the template aloud.
  • Tell students that they will write a fact, draw a picture to match the fact, and write their name. Focus them on the spaces provided on the template for these three parts.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"What is the one fact you want to share with the ornithologist?" (Responses will vary.)

  • After students share, distribute copies of the template and transition them to their workspaces to complete it.
  • As students work, circulate and provide support as necessary.
  • After students have completed their writing and drawing, invite them to share their completed letter with an elbow partner.
  • Give students specific, positive feedback on writing and drawing about their learning.
  • For ELLs: (Verbal Writing Practice) Invite students to orally share the most interesting things they have learned about caring for birds during the study that they want to share with the ornithologist before writing.
  • For students who may need additional support with written expression: As you invite students to write their letters, vary the options for expression by offering the opportunity for verbal responses as students dictate their ideas, offering partial dictation, or offering sentence stems or frames. (MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning: Working to Contribute to a Better World (10 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Tell students that now that they have created and presented their Feathered Friends Savers, they will reflect back on the character habit for this unit.
  • Direct students' attention to the Working to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart.
  • Remind students that their Feathered Friends Savers supported them in reaching the goal "I can apply my learning to help our school and community."
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"How do you feel about creating and sharing something that will help the birds in our community?" (Responses will vary, but may include: happy, proud, important, helpful.)

Conversation Cue: "Can you give an example?"(Responses will vary.)

  • Tell students that throughout their lives, they will have the chance to contribute to their community and that you challenge them to keep working hard to do things that serve the people around them.
  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their excellent, inspiring work learning all about caring for birds during Module 4!
  • Invite students to form a standing circle and join you in the "Flying High Five" cheer.
  • For ELLs: (Celebrating Achievements) Take a moment to encourage students by acknowledging and explicitly pointing out the achievements of ELLs. Make a point to name areas in which students have improved, especially those who may have struggled.
  • For students who may need additional support with oral language and processing: Allow ample wait time as students respond during the discussion. (MMAE, MME)

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