- I can describe what happens in pages 6-7 of Love That Dog and how Jack feels about it. (RL.4.3)
- I can determine the theme of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" from details in the text and summarize it. (RL.4.2, RL.4.5)
- I can identify the characteristics of poetry in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." (RL.4.1, RL.4.5)
These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:
- RL.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
- RL.4.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
- RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
- RL.4.5: Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.
Daily Learning Targets
Ongoing Assessment
- Gist of pages 6-7 on sticky notes in Love That Dog
- I Notice/I Wonder Note-catcher: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (RL.4.2, RL.4.5)
- Exit Ticket: Summarizing the Poem (RL.4.2)
Agenda
Agenda | Teaching Notes |
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1. Opening A. Engaging the Reader: Love That Dog, Pages 6-7 (5 minutes) B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes) 2. Work Time A. Analyzing What Happened: Love That Dog, Pages 6-7 (5 minutes) B. Close Reading: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (30 minutes) C. Determining Theme and Supporting Details: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (10 minutes) 3. Closing and Assessment A. Exit Ticket: Summarizing the Poem (5 minutes) 4. Homework A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal. |
Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:
How it builds on previous work:
Areas in which students may need additional support:
Assessment guidance:
Down the road:
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In Advance
- Strategically form triads for work during this lesson, with at least one strong reader per pair.
- Preview the Close Reading Guide: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" to familiarize yourself with what will be required of students.
- Review the Think-Pair-Share and Thumb-O-Meter protocols. See Classroom Protocols.
- Post: Learning targets, What Happens and How Does Jack Feel about It? anchor chart, What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart, and Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart.
Tech and Multimedia
- Work Time B and C: Students complete I Notice/I Wonder Note-catcher: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" using a word-processing tool--for example, a Google Doc.
- Work Time B and C: Students complete their note-catchers in a word-processing document--for example, a Google Doc--using Speech to Text facilities activated on devices, or using an app or software such as Dictation.io.
- Closing and Assessment A: Students complete exit tickets online in a Google Form, for example.
- Closing and Assessment A: Students complete their exit tickets in a word-processing document--for example, a Google Doc--using Speech to Text facilities activated on devices, or using an app or software such as Dictation.io.
Supporting English Language Learners
Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.8, 4.II.A.1, and 4.II.A.2
Important points in the lesson itself
- The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with a close read of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," a longer but somewhat less complex poem than "The Red Wheelbarrow," which will help ELLs discuss the meaning and characteristics of the poem line by line. Students also practice determining the theme and summarizing.
- ELLs may find it challenging to read between the lines of Love That Dog. Help them by discussing the cohesive elements of the poem and what they mean--for example, when Jack refers to "the person" in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and the blue car from the previous day. They may also find the style of English confusing in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (see Meeting Students' Needs column).
Levels of support
For lighter support:
- Invite students to create a graphic organizer that tracks the use of cohesive elements in Love That Dog. For example, students can enter "the snowy woods poem" and note that the poem appears in the back of Love That Dog and that the teacher read it aloud. They can enter synonyms and pronouns such as "the person" and note that the person is "I," the rider in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."
- Throughout the close read, display the stanzas from "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Record and display student responses next to or underneath the target language for visual reference. Invite students to add new vocabulary to their vocabulary log.
For heavier support:
- During Work Time C, distribute a partially completed copy of the I Notice/I Wonder Note-catcher: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." This will provide students with models for the kind of information they should enter, while relieving the volume of writing required.
- Be aware that some students may lack the background experience to fully understand "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." For example, they may be unfamiliar with the concepts of a village, snow, farmhouse, frozen, harness bells, and downy flake. Consider showing a brief video or a series of photographs to set the stage for the reading. (Example: Display photos of a person riding a harnessed horse through snowy village life, including a farmhouse, a snowflake, and a frozen lake. Briefly discuss the similarities and differences between this context and the communities students have experienced.) During the close read, provide heavier support by encouraging students to participate in the parts that allow acting out. Dictate lines for them to recite so that they practice using verbal language (see the Meeting Students' Needs column).
- Display, repeat, and rephrase all questions (see Meeting Students' Needs column).
Universal Design for Learning
- Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Because this is the first time students will be exposed to poetry characteristics, it is important to think about how to provide multiple means of representation to facilitate comprehension. One option is to review the What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart before reading "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Be explicit with students that they are looking for these characteristics as you read the poem to them. Another means of representation is to review the characteristics of a poem using the kinesthetic activity from the previous lesson.
- Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): In this lesson, students work on their summarizing skills. The exit ticket asks them to apply these skills using written expression. Help eliminate barriers to summarizing that may arise from the task of writing, particularly around organization, by providing students with a checklist designed to match the elements of a summary introduced in the previous lesson's supports. Ask students to check off items on the list as they include the elements in their writing. Additionally, have students color-code the different elements to add another method for tracking their own work.
- Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Because summarizing and poetry are new to students, they may not feel comfortable sharing their progress with the learning targets publicly. Consider offering an anonymous option to tell you their comfort level. Continue to emphasize that these are novel skills and knowledge that everyone is developing. Emphasize growth rather than relative performance.
Vocabulary
Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)
- theme, characteristics, supporting details (L)
- queer (T)
Materials
- Love That Dog (from Lesson 2; one per student)
- Sticky notes (one per student)
- Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2)
- Vocabulary logs (from Lesson 3; one per student)
- Academic Word Wall (begun in Lesson 1)
- Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Lesson 3)
- What Happens and How Does Jack Feel about It? anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2; added to during Work Time A; see supporting materials)
- What Happens and How Does Jack Feel about It? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
- Equity sticks (class set; one per student)
- Paper (blank; one piece per student)
- What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (begun in Lesson 3; added to during Work Time B; see supporting materials)
- What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
- I Notice/I Wonder Note-catcher: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (one per student)
- I Notice/I Wonder Note-catcher: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (example, for teacher reference)
- Close Reading Guide: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (for teacher reference)
- Exit Ticket: Summarizing the Poem (one per student)
Materials from Previous Lessons
New Materials
Assessment
Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. 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. Engaging the Reader: Love That Dog, Pages 6-7 (5 minutes)
"What happened?" (Responses may vary, but could include that Jack has written another entry about poetry in his journal.)
"What is the gist of this entry in Jack's journal? What is it mostly about?" (Jack doesn't understand the snowy woods poem, and he doesn't want to write anything else about the blue car.)
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"Place your finger on the person. Who is the person? What, in the text, makes you think so?" (The person in the snowy woods poem. Jack begins the day talking about the snowy woods poem. The person refers to the snowy woods poem.) "Place your finger on why do I have to tell more? I wonder why Jack asks this question." Tell students you will give them time to think and discuss with their partner. (The text refers to the blue car poem Jack wrote on October 4. Miss Stretchberry read Jack's poem and wants to find out what happened with the blue car. She asks Jack to tell, or write, more about the blue car. Jack says, "I don't want to write about that blue car ...") |
B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)
"I can describe what happens in pages 6-7 of Love That Dog and how Jack feels about it." "I can determine the theme of 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' from details in the text and summarize it." "I can identify the characteristics of poetry in 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.'"
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Work Time
Work Time | Meeting Students' Needs |
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A. Analyzing What Happened: Love That Dog, Pages 6-7 (5 minutes)
"What happens on these pages?" (Jack reads a poem about snowy woods and is told to write more about the blue car.) "How does Jack feel about it? What can you infer from what he says?" (Jack doesn't understand the snowy woods poem, and he doesn't want to write more about the blue car.) "How do you know?" (He writes, "What was up with the snowy woods poem?" and "I don't want to write about that blue car.")
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"What is Jack feeling confused or critical about?" (why the person in snowy woods stops) (MMR)
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B. Close Reading: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (30 minutes)
"We are going to dig into the content of the poem and what it means more in a moment, but what do you notice about the poem just by looking at it?" (Responses will vary.)
"Which groups of ideas from today are about structure?" Refer to What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference). "Which groups of ideas from today are about imagery?" Refer to What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference). "Which groups of ideas from today are about rhyme and meter?" Refer to What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference).
"What did you do when you were closely reading the poem? What strategies did you use?" (Responses will vary, but may include: looking back at the text to find the answer.) "How did that strategy help you to better understand the poem?" (Responses will vary.)
"Can you give an example?" (Responses will vary.)
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C. Determining Theme and Supporting Details: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (10 minutes)
"What is a theme in this poem? Record it at the bottom of your note-catcher."
"What is the theme of this poem? What is the main idea or message the poet wants you to take away?" (When you can, take the time to stop and appreciate the beauty around you.) "What details support this?" (The rhythm of the poem and the pattern of rhymes in each stanza [know/though/snow; queer/near/year] are predictable and soothing, as though taking the time to stop and appreciate beauty can be a peaceful and relaxing thing, even when in a rush. The imagery also helps the reader understand that the woods were beautiful and worth stopping for when he describes them as "lovely, dark and deep.")
"Can you say more about that?" (Responses will vary.)
Select volunteers to share their summaries with the whole group. Listen for students to say something like: "'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost is a poem about a person who stops, with his horse, to watch the snow fall in the woods on a dark winter evening. A theme of the poem is to take time to stop and appreciate the beauty around you. The rhythm of the poem and the pattern of rhymes in each stanza (know/though/snow; queer/near/year) are predictable and soothing, which makes it seem like even if you're in a rush, stopping is a peaceful and relaxing experience. The imagery and the rhythm help the reader understand that the speaker thinks the woods are beautiful when he describes them as "lovely, dark and deep." Refer to I Notice/I Wonder Note-catcher: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (example, for teacher reference) as necessary. Model this if student summaries did not include the correct information. |
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Closing & Assessments
Closing | Meeting Students' Needs |
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A. Exit Ticket: Summarizing the Poem (5 minutes)
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Homework
Homework | Meeting Students' Needs |
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A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal. |
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