- I can describe the life of my poet and explain what inspired him or her to write poetry. (RI.4.1, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, L.4.4)
- I can cite evidence from the text to support the answers to my questions. (RI.4.1)
These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:
- RI.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
- RI.4.3: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
- RI.4.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
- L.4.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
- L.4.4c: Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
Daily Learning Targets
Ongoing Assessment
- Close Read Note-catcher: Expert Group Poet (RI.4.1, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, L.4.4)
- What Inspires Poets to Write Poetry? note-catcher (RL.4.5)
Agenda
Agenda | Teaching Notes |
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1. Opening A. Engaging the Reader: Selecting a Poet to Study (10 minutes) B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes) 2. Work Time A. Expert Group Work: Reading for Gist and Unfamiliar Vocabulary (10 minutes) B. Expert Group Work: Close Reading, Poet Biographies (25 minutes) 3. Closing and Assessment A. Sharing Our Work (10 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
- Prepare:
- The following poems for display: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," "The Pasture," "dog," and "Love That Boy." These poems can be found in the back of Love That Dog.
- Copies of the expert group biographies. Note that each student needs only a copy of his or her expert group poet's biography (see supporting materials).
- Expert Group Poet signs. Write the name of each expert group poet on a piece of paper: Robert Frost, Valerie Worth, and Walter Dean Myers. Post in separate areas of the room.
- Prepare a small label with each expert group text's text title to attach to a pin and place on the world map. This needs to be large enough to see, but not too large to cover up too much of the map.
- Read the Expert Group Poet Guide in conjunction with the biographies in order to familiarize yourself with what will be required of the students.
- Review the Thumb-O-Meter protocol. See Classroom Protocols.
- Post: Learning targets, Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart, and Discussion Norms anchor chart
Tech and Multimedia
- Work Time A and B: For students who will benefit from hearing the text read aloud multiple times, consider using a text-to-speech tool such as Natural Reader, SpeakIt! for Google Chrome, or the Safari reader. Note that to use a web-based text-to-speech tool such as SpeakIt! or Safari reader, you will need to create an online doc, such as a Google Doc, containing the text.
- Work Time B: Students complete note-catchers using word-processing software--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 and 4.I.B.8
Important points in the lesson itself
- The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to read closely, and to determine the gist and main ideas of complex text. This will expose them to vocabulary and syntax critical to their English language development. The lesson also provides opportunities for them to work in small groups, which will afford them more time to verbally exchange ideas in an academic context.
- ELLs may find it challenging to self-facilitate in their expert groups with less direct teacher support. Ensure that students are placed in groups with students of higher proficiency who can model the close reading procedure successfully. If necessary, spend extra time explaining and modeling the process of the expert group work to minimize confusion while the lesson is in progress. (Example: Invite a group to "fishbowl" the first question of the close reading session for the class.)
- In Work Time B, ELLs are invited to participate in a Language Dive conversation (optional). This conversation guides them through expanding the meaning of a sentence found in the Walter Dean Myers expert group poet biography. It also provides students with further practice analyzing and using prepositional phrases. Students may draw on this sentence when writing about what inspires poets to write poetry in their informational essays. A consistent Language Dive routine is critical in helping all students learn how to decipher complex sentences and write their own. In addition, Language Dive conversations hasten overall English language development for ELLs.
Levels of support
For lighter support:
- During the optional Language Dive, challenge students to generate questions about the sentence before asking the prepared questions. Example: "What questions can we ask about this sentence? Let's see if we can answer them together." (Who is the sentence about? What inspired Walter Dean Myers?)
- Invite advanced or intermediate proficiency students to facilitate the close reading session in their groups.
For heavier support:
- Group ELLs together in the Walter Dean Myers biography group and work with them closely during Work Time B. Read the biography aloud to the group as they follow along. Read it more than once if helpful. Facilitate student thinking and discussion to determine the gist of each part of the text. After guiding them through completing the Close Read Note-catcher: Expert Group Poet, facilitate an optional Language Dive conversation.
- During Work Time A, distribute a partially filled-in copy of the Close Read Note-catcher: Expert Group Poet. This will provide students with models for the kind of information they should enter, while relieving the volume of writing required. Refer to Close Read Note-catcher: Expert Group Poet (answers, for teacher reference) to determine which sections of the note-catcher to provide for students.
Universal Design for Learning
- Multiples Means of Representation (MMR): Provide multiple representations of the text in order to enhance comprehension and remove barriers during the close read (e.g., use a document camera to enlarge the print for some students or provide the book on tape for students who may be at a lower reading level). This way, more students can have access to the text.
- Multiples Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Because students will need to have a good understanding of their poet's biography to write the informative paragraph, remove barriers to reading. The poet biographies may be above some students' reading levels. Consider allowing students to complete the note-catcher as they listen to the book on tape.
- Multiples Means of Engagement (MME): Students select the poet for their informative essay. Some students may feel pressure to select a poet on the spot. Consider providing the options and additional resources ahead of class so that they have more time to make a decision.
Vocabulary
Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)
- biography, cite evidence, initiative, collaboration, gist (L)
- Frost biography: though, publishing, couple, struggled, published, career, culture, traditional, structured, patterns, objects, informal, themes, words, accomplished (T)
- Worth biography: object, degree, illustrator, publisher, published, illustrated, illustrate, events, experiences, objects, words, whatever, whether, paradise, affection, career, struggling (T)
- Myers biography: words, throughout, realized, council, publication, experience, characters, words, community, considered, several (T)
Materials
- "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (one to display)
- "The Pasture" (one to display)
- "dog" (one to display)
- "Love That Boy" (one to display)
- Expert Group Poet signs (four to display)
- Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)
- Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
- Expert group poet biographies (one per student in each expert group)
- Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2)
- World map (from Lesson 5; one to display)
- Labeled pin (three to display)
- Compass points (from Lesson 5; one to display)
- Close Read Note-catcher: Expert Group Poet (one per student and one to display)
- Close Read Note-catcher: Expert Group Poet (answers, for teacher reference)
- Academic Word Wall (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1)
- Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 3)
- Discussion Norms anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1)
- Expert Group Poet Guide (one per student)
- Sticky notes (several per student)
- Vocabulary log (from Unit 1, Lesson 3; one per student)
- What Inspires Poets to Write Poetry? note-catcher (from Unit 1, Lesson 10; one per student and one to display)
- What Inspires Poets to Write Poetry? note-catcher (from Unit 1, Lesson 10; example, for teacher reference)
- Language Dive Guide (optional; for ELLs; for teacher reference)
- Sentence strip chunks (optional; for ELLs; one to display)
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: Selecting a Poet to Study (10 minutes)
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B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)
"I can describe the life of my poet and explain what inspired him or her to write poetry." "I can cite evidence from the text to support the answers to my questions."
"What kind of book is A River of Words?" (an informational text; a biography) "What is a biography?" (an informational text about someone's life)
"What do we mean by cite evidence from the text?" (We need to find proof in the text that answers a question or supports our thinking.)
"What does it mean to collaborate?" (You work well with others to accomplish a goal or task.)
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"What does the life of my poet mean?" (the things the poet did; the things the poet experienced) "What is another way of saying the life of my poet?" (my poet's life) "Can you reread the whole sentence and use an 's to change the phrase the life of my poet?" (I can describe my poet's life and explain what inspired him or her to write poetry.) |
Work Time
Work Time | Meeting Students' Needs |
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A. Expert Group Work: Reading for Gist and Unfamiliar Vocabulary (10 minutes)
"How did we find the gist when reading about William Carlos Williams earlier in the unit?" (We read sections of the text and thought about what the text was mostly about.)
"Where did your group's author live?" (Responses will vary.) "Where is that located on the map?" (Responses will vary.)
"Which continent do we live in?" (Responses will vary.) "Where are we in relation to [the city/state]?" (Responses will vary, but students should use the compass points.) "Has anyone had any experience with [the city/state] that they would like to share?" (Responses will vary.) |
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B. Expert Group Work: Close Reading, Poet Biographies (25 minutes)
"What poet is this text about? Write the name of the poet in the top box on your note-catcher."
"How did the strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart help you to better understand the text?" (Responses will vary.)
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Closing & Assessments
Closing | Meeting Students' Needs |
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A. Sharing Our Work (10 minutes)
"What did you do today to become effective learners?" (Student responses may vary, but could include: initiative--making decisions about which revisions to make on work based on peer and teacher feedback)
"What does it look like to show initiative? If you were watching a group working together, what would you see?" (When the group members aren't talking to one another or working well together, one person steps up to make a decision to help move the group forward, or someone acts as a facilitator and allocates roles, or does things without being asked.) "What does it sound like to show initiative? If you were watching a group working together, what would you hear?" ("How about we try this?" or "I have an idea. Perhaps we could ...")
"So, do you mean _____?" (Responses will vary.)
"What inspired your poet to write poetry?"
"Can you give an example?" (Responses will vary.)
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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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