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eWorkshop
Lesson Plans
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Reading and Writing in the Content Areas eWorkshop:
Content
Reading: I say, "Let the Kids Figure It Out!"
This
lesson plan was adapted by Anne
Hess-Mahan of the Arlington Public Schools for the Literacy
Matters' Content Literacy Professional Development eWorkshop
Summary:
Students used to yawn and say, "Oh, no, not Social Studies!"
when we used to just read and follow the textbook's lessons. I
have tried many things to liven it up: acting and drawing, etc.
All this has seemed an endless struggle for me and my 5th graders.
Then with this course, I have researched and tried many other
new strategies to help students, and I now hear excitement and
eager voices when it is Social Studies time.
Too
often our textbooks have us spoon feed these growing children's
minds and tell them what to know. I believe that as the students
read, they can be empowered. Give them the ability and opportunity
to choose a graphic organizer to help them synthesize material.
But alas! They can only do that IF they can identify the
text structure! So, my adapted lesson combines two lessons: one
on text structure and one on using graphic organizers. By searching
for signal words to identify text structure, students will then
know what kind of graphic organizer to use. Sounds easy? You should
try it and there's a great handout to share. A lot of my students
thought it was great. Now they understand the chapter so much
better as they go through it again and fill in THEIR OWN notes.
Has anyone else had a similar revelation?
Section
1: Select a Lesson to Adapt
Title
of reading selection: Reading Strategies for the Social Studies
Classroom
Author: Dr. Judith Irvin
Name and URL of lesson plan: The following lessons are an
adaptation of two lessons:
- Students'
preparation for the test will be improved by helping them to
organize their notes.
- Reading
comprehension of the Social Studies text will improve with tools
to help students synthesize the material.
- Social
Studies test grades will improve.
- Students
will learn to use graphic organizers for specific purposes.
Reason
why you chose this lesson:
I have been using a lot of previewing, predicting, and questioning
strategies (that I learned how to improve through this course)
to prepare students before they read. The logical next step is
to help my students learn how to organize relevant information
from the text. If they can identify the text structure, they can
choose an appropriate graphic organizer. So often, teachers give
out the organizer and students just use it blindly. I believe
that I can empower students to know which organizer to use once
they know the text structure. This will enable them to comprehend
the information, take notes, and study more easily.
Section
2: Plan Adaptation of Lesson
-
Helpful
prerequisite (but not necessary): lessons using graphic organizers
and previewing the text and its text features
-
Social
Studies textbook: do an initial reading of the chapter
-
Various
graphic organizers, esp. ones previously used in your class
-
The
graphic organizers designed by the students
-
Prizes
for the graphic organizer contest
-
The
chosen graphic organizer copied for each student
-
Copies
of the handout (see attached) about text structure signal
words and their corresponding graphic organizers to use. This
handout was adapted from www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/reading/signalwords.html.
The adaptations include examples of possible graphic organizers
to use for each type of text structure.
Management:
Whole class review of the graphic organizer we used for the
last chapter. Individual student homework to design a preliminary
organizer for this chapter. Whole class review of the text structures.
Small groups of students find the signal words within the chapter.
Whole class decision about the text structure, which organizer
to use, and what questions we want to know about each Native
American group. Students fill in the chosen graphic organizer
as the whole class rereads the chapter. Pairs of students complete
the organizer with information from the text. Students with
learning issues are with the teacher.
Strategies:
Prior to this lesson, students predicted the main ideas
of the reading and did their first reading. Then I started with
the text structure lesson, "Strategy 2: Understanding Text"
on the website: go.hrw.com/ndNSAPI.nd/gohrw_rls1/pKeywordResults?ST2Strategies.
I didn't use their handout because I went through each question
with the class as a whole. Then I added my own handout about
the signal words for text structure (this is adapted from another
website- see Materials list). I adapted it to show possible
graphic organizers (some of these are shown in the Graphic Organizer
lesson's handout). Next, I followed the Graphic Organizer lesson
called "Strategy 3: Using Graphic Organizers," found
at the same website. Note that within this lesson I did not
use their previewing, reading, and its specific handout.
- I
will survey students' opinions of the organization of their
notes.
- Reading
comprehension will be assessed with the chapter review questions.
- I
will compare Social Studies test grades with previous test grades
to determine improvement.
- The
determination of whether students know which organizer to use
will take place over the next few chapters. Predictions of which
organizer is to be used will be collected at the beginning of
each chapter.
Section
3: Implement the Lesson
-
Preview
the chapter as a whole class.
-
Pre-read
the chapter in pairs or individual fashion.
-
Announce
to the whole class a "contest" to have individual
students design a possible organizer for this chapter. "I
want any of you to try and make a graphic organizer for
this chapter. Make your design ready to be copied. It should
help us to take notes on information from each subheading
in the chapter. Notice that each subheading provides us
with similar information about each Native American region.
The one whose organizer is chosen wins."
-
Next,
with the whole class, review all the possible text structures
(compare-contrast, cause-effect, etc.) using the handout
of the signal words and corresponding organizers. Remind
them of the structure we discovered in the last few chapters.
Print out the accompanying handout "Signal
Words for Determining Text Patterns," to use with
your students.
-
Individuals
predict the text structure in their own notebooks.
-
In
small groups or pairs, students identify the signal words
in the textbook's chapter. Do this for 10 minutes or so.
The one with the most wins a prize.
-
Have
a class discussion, and then the class should be able to
agree on text structure.
-
Pull
out the graphic organizers made for the "contest,"
and show the whole class all the graphic organizers their
peers designed. Hopefully some will be fairly close. I actually
had two winners that were very close, and we used parts
of each in the final draft. Give each winner a prize.
-
Make
edits with the winner(s) using white-out, or have them re-do
the changes before you copy it for the class. The winning
organizer had the name of each group across the top. My
winners left the vertical side of the grid blank. I copied
it that way, and the whole class had to figure out the items
to put there.
-
We
added the questions we wanted to know about each Native
American group (native homes, clothing, food, etc.) to the
side of the chart. Everyone had to write these parts on
their own grid.
-
The
teacher demonstrates to the whole class how to reread the
chapter and fill in the organizer with notes. We did only
the first few Native American groups as a whole class, and
then we split up into pairs of students. They then went
off and filled in the graphic organizer while they reread
the chapter.
Section
4: Reflect on Results
List
three ways you found the lesson to be successful and tell what
evidence you used to support this view.
- Students
are engaged and enjoying the information. They are talking with
each other about what they've found.
- Students
agree that this has helped them organize the information to
help them study for the test. Some are making charts of other
information in other subjects!
- Students
are noting signal words in many other readings, so I know they
are generalizing their skills.
Print
out the accompanying handout "Signal
Words for Determining Text Patterns" to use with your students.
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