Speaking and Listening: Analyzing a Model of High Quality Work | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G1:M2:U3:L7

Speaking and Listening: Analyzing a Model of High Quality Work

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.1.3: Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
  • W.1.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
  • SL.1.4: Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
  • L.1.1f: Use frequently occurring adjectives.

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can plan my writing by discussing ideas with classmates. (W.1.3, SL.1.4)
  • I can analyze a model of high-quality work. (SL.1.1, SL.1.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During the Opening, monitor students' ability to participate in the Interactive Word Wall protocol and as they work to connect adjectives. (SL.1.4, L.1.1f)
  • During the temporal line game in Work Time C, circulate and listen to how students use temporal lines to signal event order. (W.1.3

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Building Vocabulary: Interactive Word Wall (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Engaging the Writer: Reviewing the Sky Notebook (15 minutes)

B. Analyzing an Example and Non-Example: "What the Moon Sees" Class Poem (15 minutes)

C. Developing Language: Temporal Line Game (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • This lesson invites students to analyze the "What the Moon Sees" class poem based on criteria for high-quality work. This analysis helps students to build their understanding and ability to produce high-quality narrative writing (W.1.3).
  • In Work Time C, the use of temporal lines in poems is just one aspect of how to use temporal words to signal event order. For the purposes of this unit, the temporal lines follow the model: "It is time of day." Examples of temporal lines that could be used include: "It is morning." "It is afternoon." "It is evening." Practicing using and ordering these temporal lines aids students as they begin writing their narrative poem in Lesson 8 (W.1.3).

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • Students will continue to use and connect adjectives to describe the sun during the Interactive Word Wall protocol. As needed, re-model the steps of the protocol.
  • In Unit 2, students used their Sky notebook to write down observations about the description and location of the sun and moon. In Work Time B, students read and review their Sky notebook to select three pages that describe the appearance and location of the sun at three different times of day. These pages will be used as the research base for their narrative poem.
  • In Lessons 4-5, students helped write the class "What the Moon Sees" poem. Today, students will analyze the poem in relation to the High-Quality Work anchor chart.
  • Continue to use Goal 1-3 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support as they reread their Sky notebook during Work Time A. Encourage them to "read" the pictures and labels. Students also may need support selecting and marking the three pages that they will use in Lessons 8-10. Remind them that they should search for pages that describe the sun at morning, midday, and evening. Encourage students to begin the selection process by locating these times of day in their Sky notebook.
  • For many young learners, grasping the idea of high quality may be a challenge. An example and non-example support students' understanding of the tangible application of this idea, but also consider referring back to Model of Excellence #1 from Lesson 3 as an additional example.
  • In Work Time C, students participate in the temporal line game in triads. Some students may be challenged to both follow the steps of the game and engage in the cognitive work the task involves. Consider involving another adult to host a group of students who need extra scaffolding.

Down the road:

  • This lesson prepares students for the Unit 3 Assessment, which will take place in three parts across Lessons 8-10: Students will independently write a three-verse narrative poem. When writing their narrative poem, students will use their Sky notebook as research, the "What the Moon Sees" example as a model, and the High-Quality Work anchor chart as support.
  • The temporal line game in Work Time C helps students build their bank of temporal lines that they will use when writing their narrative poem in Lessons 8-10.

In Advance

  • Determine:
    • Triads for the Interactive Word Wall protocol in the Opening.
    • Triads for the temporal line game in Work Time C.
  • Prepare the temporal line cards (see supporting materials).
  • Distribute materials for Work Time A at student workspaces to ensure a smooth transition.
  • Review the Interactive Word Wall protocol. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

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

  • Opening A: Record students as they participate in the Interactive Word Wall protocol to listen to later to discuss strengths and what they could improve on or to use as models for the group. Most devices (cellphones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video and audio recording apps or software.
  • Work Time B: Create the "What the Moon Sees" example and the "What the Moon Sees" non-example in an online format, such as a Google Doc, for display and for families to access at home to review.
  • Work Time C: Video-record students playing the temporal line game to review with students in later lessons as a reminder of what happened. Most devices (cellphones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video recording apps or software.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 1.I.C.10 and 1.II.B.4

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to practice using temporal lines orally as a way to plan their writing of a poem. Consider asking students how they might translate a similar phrase (e.g., it is nighttime) in their home language, and whether the structure of the sentence is the same  (e.g., noun + verb + time of day).
  • ELLs might find it challenging to choose three entries from their Sky notebook. Consider quickly modeling for students how to choose three entries. Think aloud as you decide which one to select. (Example: "I am looking for an entry that describes the sun at midday. I know this entry describes the sun at midday because I drew the sun high up in the sky. I will put my sticky note here, to mark this page".)

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Consider inviting students to add sketches to represent the meaning of the Interactive Word Wall cards in Opening A.

For heavier support:

  • Consider creating a list of the steps students have taken in previous lessons and today as they prepare for writing their poem: Interactive Word Wall protocol, analyzing an exemplar, choosing entries that describe the sun at morning, midday, and evening from their Sky notebook, and practicing using temporal lines. Draw a small icon by each and keep displayed to support students as they move into writing their piece as well as to reflect on learning. 

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Throughout this lesson, embed support for unfamiliar vocabulary by providing explanation and visual examples. This helps students make connections and supports comprehension. Additionally, support auditory processing by posting discussion questions during each activity.
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): In this lesson, some students may need additional support in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected. Appropriate goal-setting supports development of executive skills and strategies. Offer scaffolds for students' learning to set appropriate personal goals, such as a checklist with three goals for the lesson.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): In Work Time C, students play the temporal line game, in which they physically move around to order themselves as a group according to their temporal phrases. Facilitate personal coping and self-regulation skills by modeling appropriate ways to express enthusiasm or excitement about the game and appropriate physical movement around classmates. (Example: Encourage students to stand next to their classmate while respecting personal space.)

Vocabulary

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

New:

  • temporal, dawn, first, then, next, finally, last (L)

Review:

  • analyze, model, morning, midday, noon, afternoon (L)

Materials

  • Interactive Word Wall Protocol anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2)
  • Interactive Word Wall cards (from Lesson 6; one set per triad)
  • Arrow cards (from Lesson 2; one set per triad)
  • Sky notebook (completed in Unit 2; one per student)
  • Sticky notes (three per student)
  • High-Quality Work anchor chart (begun in Lesson 3)
  • "What the Moon Sees" example (one to display)
  • "What the Moon Sees" non-example (one to display)
  • Temporal line cards (two sets per triad)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 4)

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. Building Vocabulary: Interactive Word Wall (10 minutes)

  • Invite students to the whole group area.
  • Tell students that they are going to use the Interactive Word Wall protocol again to make more connections between words, grow their brains, and become even stronger readers and writers. Today they will use adjectives that describe the sun.
  • Remind students that they used this protocol in the first half of the unit and review as necessary using the Interactive Word Wall Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Move students into pre-determined triads and distribute the sets of Interactive Word Wall cards and arrow cards. Use the same process from Lesson 3 to guide students through the protocol.
  • Gather students back together and offer specific, positive feedback on their participation in the protocol. (Example: "I noticed that Sophia waited her turn and made a connection between two words.")
  • Invite students to turn and talk with an elbow partner:

"What word connections did you make, and why?" (I connected red and blazing because that's what the sun looks like.)

"What step in this protocol did you do well?" (I sat in my triad. I waited my turn. I connected two cards. I explained my connection.)

  • Invite several students to share out and correct any misconceptions regarding word connections.
  • If there is a particularly challenging step in the protocol for all groups, consider re-modeling that portion briefly. 
  • For students who may need additional support with self-regulating, taking turns, and remembering their partner designation: Consider giving them an index card with an A, B, or C and tell them partner A will share first, then partner B, then partner C. (MMR, MME)
  • For ELLs: Consider inviting students to discuss the meaning of the Interactive Word Wall cards in home language groups before beginning the Interactive Word Wall protocol.
  • For ELLs: Check for comprehension by inviting students to paraphrase the rational for each connection in their own words. Restate or rephrase as necessary.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engaging the Writer: Reviewing the Sky Notebook (15 minutes)

  • Refocus students whole group.
  • Tell students that in the next lesson, they will begin to plan and write their "What the Sun Sees" poem that describes what the sun might "see" at different times of day.
  • Remind students that in the last unit, they did a lot of work to record their observations and descriptions of the sun in their Sky notebook. Remind them that they described what the sun looked like at different times of day using descriptive adjectives.
  • Tell student that they will now review their Sky notebook and pick three entries, one each that describes the sun at morning, midday, and evening.
  • Point out the Sky notebook and the sticky notes located at their workspaces.
  • Tell students they will use the sticky notes to mark the three entries.
  • Transition students to their workspaces and invite them to begin working.
  • Circulate and remind students to find entries that describe the sun during morning, midday, and evening.
  • If students are having difficulty selecting pages in their Sky notebook, prompt them with further focusing questions:

"Which illustration in your Sky notebook shows the sun at morning? Midday? Evening?"

"Where was the location of the sun during morning? Midday? Evening?"

  • When 5 minutes remain, signal students to stop working and direct them to return to the whole group gathering area with their Sky notebooks.
  • Invite students to turn and talk to an elbow partner:

"What page did you select?" (I chose a page that describes the sun at midday.)

"How did you know that the page selected represented morning, midday, or evening?" (It was midday because the sun was high in the sky and bright and round. It was evening because the sun was orange and setting over the horizon.)

  • Invite a few students to share out.
  • Tell students that they will refer back to these selected pages as research for their "What the Sun Sees" poems.
  • To support self-regulation and independence, provide a clear routine for what to do with unfinished work and use a visual time timer. (MME)
  • For ELLs: When reminding students of the work they did in their Sky notebook, consider using an actual example of a descriptive adjective from a student's Sky notebook. (Example: I was looking at Jasmine's Sky notebook, and as you can see, she wrote that the moon was bright. Nice adjective, Jasmine!")
  • For ELLs: Consider inviting an ELL student who had difficulty finding pages in his or her Sky notebook to share select pages with the whole class. This can validate the work and effort of the student and give an opportunity to practice oral language.

B. Analyzing an Example and Non-Example: "What the Moon Sees" Class Poem (15 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:
    • "I can analyze a model of high-quality work."
  • Review the words analyze (to examine or study closely) and model (a strong example).
  • Remind students that when they analyze a model of high-quality work, they study a strong example to get criteria for high quality.
  • Direct students' attention to the High-Quality Work anchor chart and read the title aloud: "High-Quality work ..."
  • Point to the criteria listed below the title and read them aloud:
    • "Includes details in writing"
    • "Follows conventions"
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What does it mean to include details in writing?" (It means that the writing is not plain, but is interesting; the writing is descriptive.)

"What does it mean to follow conventions?" (You use complete sentences and punctuation and spell words correctly.)

  • Confirm students' thinking and explain that including details in writing means that you write with descriptive details about your topic. Explain that following conventions means that you write with complete sentences, use end punctuation, and spell Word Wall words correctly.
  • Share that today students will use the High-Quality Work anchor chart to analyze two models to determine which one best exemplifies high-quality work.
  • Display the "What the Moon Sees" example and the "What the Moon Sees" non-example.
  • Invite students to compare the example and the non-example, paying attention to the two criteria on the High-Quality Work anchor chart.
  • Pointing to the non-example, ask:

"What do you notice about the details used to describe the moon in this poem?" (The details aren't that interesting; it seems boring; they seem plain.)

"What do you notice about the use of conventions in this poem?" (It is missing periods. Some words are spelled incorrectly.)

  • Pointing to the example, ask:

"What do you notice about the details used to describe the moon in this poem?" (The details are interesting; it's more descriptive; I get a picture in my mind as I read it.)

"What do you notice about the use of conventions in this poem?" (It has complete sentences. It uses periods. Words are spelled correctly.)

  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Which example best shows high-quality work, and why?" (the second one, because it has descriptive details and follows conventions the best)

  • If productive, cue students with a challenge:

"What if we remove the lines about the dinner, raccoon, or children? I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner." (Responses will vary, but students should discuss that the example would lack detail and thus would possibly be of lesser quality.)

  • Share that in the subsequent lesson, they will begin to write their "What the Sun Sees" poem. Explain that these poems will be evaluated using the criteria for high-quality work that is found on the High-Quality Work anchor chart and that students should keep these criteria in mind as they begin writing. 
  • For students who may need additional support with working memory and/or vocabulary: Provide a drawing or photograph as a visual cue for each criterion. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For ELLs: When reviewing the words analyze and model in the learning target, consider displaying the Models of Excellence #1 and #2 used in Lesson 3 and reminding students that in that lesson they analyzed the writing in those models: They examined them closely to determine what makes them high quality. Tell students they will do the same today with different models.
  • For ELLs: Invite students to refer to Models of Excellence #1 and #2, used in Lesson 3, to think of high-quality examples of details and conventions in writing. (Example: "What do you remember about the writing in this model of excellence that made it high quality?)
  • For ELLs: To add a visual support to the analysis of both examples, consider underlining the details in each example and then comparing them to give a clear picture of what interesting, descriptive details look like as opposed to boring and plain

C. Developing Language: Temporal Line Game (15 minutes)

  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their ability to analyze and compare two different poems for details used in writing. (Example: "I noticed that you all looked very closely at the details to figure out the differences between the two poems.")
  • Tell students that they will now participate in a new word game that will introduce them to temporal lines used in poems.
  • Define temporal (about time). Tell students that temporal lines are groups of words that show time.
  • Demonstrate each step of the game with two student volunteers:

1. Tell students they will be assigned to a group of three (triad). One person will be A, another person B, and the third person C.

2. Each triad will receive two sets of temporal line cards

3. From the first set, distribute one temporal line card to each person in the triad.

4. Each person should read and review his or her card.

5. When every person in the triad is ready, they work together to arrange themselves in order according to their temporal line card. Example: (first, "It is morning"; second, "It is noon"; third, "It is evening.")

  • Repeat the steps above with the second set of temporal line cards.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"How will you show your group you are listening to them?" (use eye contact; stay on task)

  • If productive, cue students to listen carefully:

"Who can repeat what your classmate said?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart and read aloud what is written for integrity.
  • Remind students to focus on showing integrity while participating in this new word game. Students should continue to focus on following directions and staying on task.
  • Distribute temporal line cards and move students into pre-determined triads. Invite triads to find a quiet location in the classroom to complete the game.
  • After 5-7 minutes, signal students to stop talking and direct them to return to the whole group gathering area.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What were some of the temporal lines that you heard?" (It is morning. It is noon. It is dusk.)

  • Remind students to keep these temporal lines tucked inside their minds as they prepare to begin writing their "What the Sun Sees" poem.
  • To support vocabulary development before students begin the game: Offer cards with a drawing or photograph as a visual cue for each temporal word. (MMR, MME)
  • For ELLs: Display all temporal line cards for the game and ask students what they notice about the sentences (they all start with the phrase it is). Clarify for students that it is in these sentences refers to the time of day: midday, noon, night, etc.
  • For ELLs: Display all temporal line cards for the Temporal Line Game. Ask students about the meaning of the temporal line "It is morning." Draw a picture on the card based on student responses (example: a picture of the sun coming up behind a hill, with an arrow that shows it is coming up). Repeat with the other temporal line cards using the apparent position of the sun in the sky to draw simple pictures that show where the sun can be seen or not seen at that time. 

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

  • Refocus students whole group.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read them aloud:
    • "I can plan my writing by discussing ideas with classmates."
    • "I can analyze a model of high-quality work."
  • Invite students to turn and talk with an elbow partner:

"How did your Sky notebook help you begin to plan your 'What the Sun Sees' poem?" (It had descriptions of the sun at different times of the day that I already wrote.)

"What criteria should our writing include to make it high quality?" (descriptive details; it should follow conventions)

  • As students talk, circulate and listen in. Take note of the ideas they are sharing and target a few students to share out with the whole group.
  • Refocus students whole group and invite the selected students to share out.
  • With excitement, tell students that in the next lesson, they will begin writing their own high-quality "What the Sun Sees" poem.
  • For students who may be uncomfortable sharing their own reflections with the entire class: Consider allowing them to share what their partner said so that they still have a chance to speak in front of the class. (MME)
  • For ELLs: Ask students whom you invite to share with the whole group to show the descriptions from their Sky notebook they used to begin planning their poem.

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