Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Reading an Opinion and Partner Reading: “Help Protect Butterflies!” | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G2:M4:U2:L6

Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Reading an Opinion and Partner Reading: “Help Protect Butterflies!”

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.2.1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
  • RI.2.2: Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.
  • RI.2.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
  • RI.2.8: Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.
  • RI.2.9: Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can respond to questions about key details from "Help Protect Butterflies!"
  • I can write notes about the dangers that butterflies face after reading "Help Protect Butterflies!"

Ongoing Assessment

  • Collect students' Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Reading an Opinion and use the Reading Informational Text Checklist to track students' progress toward RI.2.1, RI.2.2, RI.2.4, RI.2.8, and RI.2.9 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Preparing for Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Butterfly Breaths (2 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Reading an Opinion (35 minutes)

B. Movement, Partner Reading, and Note-taking: "Help Protect Butterflies!" (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Feedback and Celebration (3 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In Work Time A, students complete Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Reading an Opinion. They first read a new text, "Help Protect Butterflies!", independently and then answer text-dependent questions about it. They then listen to A Place for Butterflies read aloud and answer two additional questions, comparing the text texts. (RI.2.1, RI.2.2, RI.2.8, RI.2.9).
  • In Work Time B, students reread a text with a partner to look for notes to add to the Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Class Notes. These notes help students develop their written opinion for Unit 2 Assessment, Part II: Writing an Opinion in Lessons 8-10.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Lessons 2-4, students completed a cycle of reading and note-taking to learn about bats and the dangers they face before participating in a shared writing experience to support an opinion with reasons. In Work Time B, they continue a second cycle, begun in Lesson 5, by reading and writing notes about a new topic, butterflies, following a familiar instructional routine with identically structured informational texts.
  • In Work Time A, students independently read sections of A Place for Butterflies--the same text they listened to and read with partners during Lesson 5.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Reading an Opinion is administered in two chunks, with students reading one text and answering questions about it and then listening to another text read aloud and answering two additional questions. Consider alternative pacing of the assessment based on the needs of your class, including options to administer the assessment in nonconsecutive chunks of time, or allotting additional class time for students to reread and check over their work.

Down the road:

  • In Lesson 7, students will continue adding to their notes about the dangers that butterflies face and reasons butterflies are important. This new learning will be the basis for written work to support an opinion about butterflies as students complete Unit 2 Assessment, Part II: Writing an Opinion during Lessons 8-10.

In Advance

  • Preview Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Reading an Opinion and the agenda steps for Work Time A to familiarize yourself with expectations for students and suggested steps for administering the assessment.
  • Pre-distribute student copies of A Place for Butterflies to students' independent work spaces.
  • Prepare the Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Class Notes by writing the table and headings on chart paper. Color-code the headings: Dangers That Butterflies Face (red); Reasons Butterflies Are Important to Plants (yellow); Reasons Butterflies Are Important to Other Animals (blue).
  • Post: Learning targets and all applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

Consider using an interactive white board or document camera to display lesson materials.

  • If possible, display the assessment materials during Work Time A, as well as projecting pages of A Place for Butterflies as they are read aloud during the assessment.
  • Consider the use of an interactive white board to modify the shared writing of class notes into a sorting activity with the whole class. Allow students to add notes to the board without headings, then sort them into categories to co-construct the Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Class Notes. Sorting to create the chart headings helps students synthesize and make meaning from their notes.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided by in part by CA ELD Standards 2.I.B.6 and 2.I.B.7

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by inviting them to complete assessment tasks similar to the tasks completed with more support in Lessons 2-5. Students work with familiar content about pollinators in danger.
  • ELLs may find the assessment challenging. Encourage students to consult classroom resources. Give them specific, positive feedback on the progress they've made with learning English.
  • Ensure ELLs understand the assessment directions. Answer their questions, refraining from supplying answers to the assessment questions themselves (see Meeting Students' Needs).
  • After the assessment, ask students to discuss which assessment task was easiest and which was most difficult, and why. In future lessons, focus on the language skills that will help students address these assessment challenges.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to support comprehension by activating prior knowledge and scaffolding connections for students. Continue to provide visual display of questions and student responses on a chart or the board during discussions.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to offer scaffolds for students learning to set appropriate personal goals. Recall that appropriate goal-setting supports development of executive skills and strategies.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to support sustained engagement and effort for students who benefit from consistent reminders of learning goals and their value or relevance. 

Vocabulary

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

Review:

  • growth mindset (L)

Materials

  • A Place for Butterflies (from Lesson 5; one per student and one to display)
  • Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Reading an Opinion (one per student; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Comparing Two Texts about Bats anchor chart (begun in Lesson 4)
  • "Help Protect Butterflies!" (one per pair)
  • Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Class Notes (new; co-created with students during Work Time B; see supporting materials)
  • Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Class Notes (example, for teacher reference)
  • White boards (one per pair)
  • White board markers (one per pair)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

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. Preparing for Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Butterfly Breaths (2 minutes)

  • Gather students in the whole group meeting area, inviting them to stand in a space where they can safely stand in the shape of a letter "T," holding their arms straight out beside them.
  • Remind students of the Butterfly Breaths routine they learned in Lesson 5:
    • Stand calmly with your arms at your side.
    • Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose, filling your belly with air.
    • As you breathe in, slowly raise your "wings" straight out to your sides.
    • Breathe out slowly through your mouth, lowering your wings back down.
  • Lead students through the breathing exercise for about a minute, calmly reminding them of the reading and writing skills they have been building and practicing during this unit. Encourage students to feel confident and proud of their effort to strengthen their skills and for their growth mindset.
  • Invite students to quietly sit down in the spot where they have been standing.
  • For ELLs: (Explaining Similarities) To ensure comprehension and to encourage language production, prompt students to explain how doing the Butterfly Breaths routine mimics the movement of a butterfly. (Example: "It looks like we are flapping our wings just like butterflies.")

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Reading an Opinion (35 minutes)

  • Remind students that in the first five lessons of this unit, they read informational texts about bats and the dangers they face and used their new knowledge to create a shared written opinion that was supported by reasons.
  • Remind students that after completing the shared writing about bats, they began researching the dangers that butterflies face.
  • Tell students that starting today and for the rest of the unit, they will continue researching this topic in order to write an opinion piece.
  • Remind students that in order to write an opinion supported by reasons, they must first read and collect information about the topic.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can respond to questions about key details from 'Help Protect Butterflies!'"

  • Say:

"You have been practicing your reading and writing skills during this unit, and because you are developing a growth mindset, you know that this practice makes your skills stronger."

  • Tell students that for the first part of today's lesson, they're going to check in on how their reading skills are developing by reading an informational text about butterflies and answering some questions about it.
  • Transition students to their workspaces and point out the copies of A Place for Butterflies already there.
  • Distribute Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Reading an Opinion and orient students to the directions for Questions 1-6.
    • Direct students not to move on to Questions 7-8 until you tell them to do so.
    • Invite students to independently read "Help Protect Butterflies!" and answer Questions 1-6.
    • Circulate to support and observe students as they work. As students complete the first six questions, encourage them to reread the questions and check their answers.
    • Students who work quickly through this portion of assessment and have reviewed their work may quietly read their copy of A Place for Butterflies while waiting for instructions to complete Questions 7-8.
    • Once all students have completed Questions 1-6, refocus whole group.
  • Tell students that, for the last two questions, they will compare "Help Protect Butterflies!" with A Place for Butterflies. Remind students that they did a similar comparison with "Bats' Roosts in Danger!" and A Place for Bats in a previous lesson. Refer to the posted Comparing Two Texts about Bats anchor chart as needed.
    • Review the directions and statements listed in the chart, answering clarifying questions as needed. Tell students that you will read the first eight pages of A Place for Butterflies aloud; remind them that they have already heard and read these pages (in Lesson 5).
    • Read aloud pages 1-8.
    • Invite students to use their copies of A Place for Butterflies and "Help Protect Butterflies!" to complete Questions 7-8.
    • Remind students that they can use text features to help them skim A Place for Butterflies rather than rereading the entire set of pages, and that they can refer to the posted Comparing Two Texts about Bats anchor chart.
    • Circulate to support students as they work. For students who complete the assessment quickly, encourage them to review their work and continue reading other sections of A Place for Butterflies independently.
  • Collect the assessment and transition students back to the whole group meeting area. Direct students to sit with enough space that they will be able to lie down and leave space for other students to lie down, too.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with motivation: (Recalling Learning Targets) Invite students to discuss how they previously worked toward each learning target. (MME)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Outlining Assessment) While explaining, display a "map" or outline of the assessment. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with visual processing: (Reading Aloud and Monitoring Assessment) Read aloud the entire assessment. Rephrase directions. Monitor to see that students correctly complete the assessment. (MMR)

B. Movement, Partner Reading, and Note-taking: "Help Protect Butterflies!" (20 minutes)

  • Give students specific, positive feedback on completing Part I of the Unit 2 Assessment.
  • Remind them that for the rest of this unit, they will be reading and writing about butterflies. Exuding wonder and amazement, ask:

"Do you know about the incredible change that happens before a butterfly can become a butterfly?"

  • Briefly describing the process of metamorphosis, invite students to act out each step as you speak. Say:

"Butterflies start out as caterpillars. Show me how you can lie on the floor like a caterpillar."

"Caterpillars eat A LOT to build up energy to become a butterfly. Show me how you can pretend to munch on plants like a caterpillar."

"Caterpillars wrap themselves up in a tight wrapping called a chrysalis. Show me how you can make yourself very small into a tiny ball, and wrap your arms around you like a chrysalis."

"Inside the cocoon, big changes take place. The caterpillar becomes a butterfly! Slowly, the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis. Show me how you can unwrap yourself from your chrysalis."

"The butterfly stretches its new wings wide to dry them with air. Show me how you can stand up and stretch your wings as wide as you can. Really stretch your arms wide, and stand on the tip of your toes."

"Finally, the butterfly can fly! Show me how you can slowly flap your wings, and find your research partner who has also emerged from his or her chrysalis."

  • Refocus whole group, inviting students to sit next to their research partner.
  • Explain that once a caterpillar begins its life as a butterfly, it must work to survive in its habitat. Tell students that, like bats, butterflies face challenges to their survival. Now they get to read to learn more about this.
  • Read aloud "Help Protect Butterflies!", pausing only to clarify vocabulary.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is this text mostly about?" (how weather affects butterflies)

  • Display the Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Class Notes, anddirect partners to reread the text together to choose important notes to add to the class notes chart.
  • Distribute white boards with white board markers, and tell students they will write their notes on these white boards.
  • Invite students to begin working.
  • Circulate and listen in as students discuss and write notes. Pre-select pairs with notes to share with the whole class.
  • When 5 minutes remain, refocus whole group. Call on pre-selected pairs to share notes and capture them on the Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Class Notes. Refer to Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Class Notes (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Visuals: Lifecycle of a Butterfly) While describing the lifecycle of a butterfly, display a diagram with illustrations of each stage, or sketch them as you describe. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: (Reading Twice) It may be necessary for some students to hear the text read aloud twice. Consider doing so for the whole class and/or working closely with select partnerships to support rereading as necessary.
  • For students who may be overwhelmed by too much print on a page: Reduce anxiety and support sustained effort by offering a copy of "Help Protect Butterflies!" with one paragraph per page. (MMR, MME)

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Feedback and Celebration (3 minutes)

  • With excitement, offer specific, positive feedback to students for their reading and note-taking. Invite students to high-five their partner.
  • Lead the class in a favorite class cheer to celebrate their hard work before previewing the next lesson: learning more about the dangers that face butterflies and why butterflies are important.

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