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Nicole Lalonde's Professional Portfolio                    


- Guided Reading

 
Text
 
I will be using the book titled Kangaroos which is a part of the momentum series of books that come complete with a teacher's guide and lesson ideas.  The authors are Marilyn Woolley and Keith Pigdon.  The momentum books have been created for guided reading, using the research compiled by Fountas and Pinell as a foundation.  Kangaroos is a level 26 (or level Q) book, for grade 4. The students in the group that I have chosen to work with are currently reading at a level 25 or 26, and this book should allow them to read at the appropriate level for instruction (90-95 percent accuracy). 
 
Overview of the text
This non-fiction book is about the characteristics and habits of the different species of kangaroos.
 
Context
The students are currently studying habitats as a part of their science and technology expectations for grade 4.
 
Purpose
 
The group that I have chosen to work with for this guided reading lesson are working towards applying several reading strategies independently.  After observing these students, I have noticed that they are able to apply some of the reading strategies that have been taught over the course of the year, and would benefit from further practice.  This lesson will help them improve upon their abilities to:
  • Make, confirm and revise predictions
  • Sort and classify information
  • Use all cueing systems (with an emphasis on meaning and visual Day 2)
 
Time Frame
5 days, 20-25 minutes a day
 
Materials
6 copies of the text kangaroos by Marilyn Woolley and Keith Pigdon 
Reader's notebooks
Chart paper and markers
Observation sheets
Overhead transparencies and projector
The internet
Books about other Australian animals, specifically, the koala, the platypus, the emu, the echidna, or the kookaburra
 
Expectations
Grade 4 language
Overall Expectations
 
Students will:
·         read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning 
·         recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning
·         use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently
 
Grade 4 Science and Technology: Life Systems ? Habitats and Communities
Specific Expectations
 
Students will:
·         classify organisms according to their role in a food chain (e.g., producer, consumer)
·         describe structural adaptations of plants and animals that demonstrate a response of the living things to their environment
·         recognize that animals and plants live in specific habitats because they are dependent on those habitats and have adapted to them
·         compile data gathered through investigation in order to record and present results, using tally charts, tables, and labeled graphs produced by hand or with a computer
 
Assessment Opportunities
Teacher observes and notes students' ability to:
  • draw on prior knowledge to make predictions
  • confirm, check and self-correct information
  • categorize information from the text
  • use three cueing systems with an emphasis on meaning and visual cues
 
Reflections for Teachers and Students
Students:
What strategies helped me to understand this reading?
Which strategies worked best?
 
Teachers:
How did students respond to questions?
What strategies is each student applying more readily?  What strategies need to be taught again so that they can be used independently?
 
Procedure
Day 1
Before Reading:
(p.201-204 Fountas and Pinnell)
 
Introduce the genre, title and authors of the book
Nicole: Today we are going to be reading a report called "Kangaroos" by Marilyn Woolley and Keith Pigdon.  What do you think this story might be about? (Kangaroos)  Has anybody read another book by these authors?
 
 
 
Invite students to use background knowledge to predict the information they will find
 
Nicole: We have been discussing different kinds of animals and habitats in our science unit.  What kind of information do you think we might find in a report about kangaroos?
 
Encourage students to use their background knowledge
 
  • Create a chart with the headings: Habitats, Sizes, Interesting Features, Habits, and Food.  Have the students brainstorm facts about kangaroos for each category, and record their responses
  • Ask the students to predict what they might learn about kangaroos from this book
 
Nicole:  Looking at the headings on this chart, is there any information that you already know about kangaroos that we can write down?
 
Ask for summary
 
Nicole:  What are you going to be reading about today?
 
  • Give the students a few minutes to look through the book (including the table of contents, chapter headings, and photographs)
 
Focus attention on the important information in the text and suggest a purpose for reading
 
Nicole: Remember that good readers determine main ideas. Is any way to easily find the main ideas in this book (chapter headings)? 
 
Draw attention to pictures and students can access information
 
Nicole:  You'll find information written under some of the pictures of animals in this book.  These are captions.  Why do you think the author has chosen to include captions in this text?  (The captions provide more information about the animal in the picture.)  You can read the captions before or after you read what is written on the page.
 
Draw attention to certain text features and how these features can help in sorting through information and reading comprehension
 
Nicole:  Before the reading starts in this book, there is a table of contents tells where certain information can be found in the book.  Can you tell me if the table of contents can help us use one of our reading strategies? (Finding main ideas) 
At the end of the book there is a glossary to help us to understand new words.   In other books that we have read, the words that are in the glossary are in bold in the text.  In this book they are not.  Why do you think the author chose not to put the words in bold? It may be helpful to you to read the glossary before reading the book.
 
  • Have students read the glossary
 
During Reading:
 
Tell students to search for important information while reading and summarize it afterward
 
Nicole: When you are reading today, I would like you to try to find information to put under the headings on our chart, and to check to see if the information that we have already written down is right
 
  • Have the students read independently to the end of Chapter 1
  • While students are reading observe their ability to: use three cues (meaning, structure and visual) to problem solve text, search for information to help predict, confirm, check and self-correct
 
After Reading:
 
  • Ask the students to identify and summarize the main points in the first chapter, and record their responses under the appropriate heading in the chart
  • Students can finish reading the book independently or in pairs
  • Ask students to create their own chart in their reader's notebook and record the main points from the rest of the book.
  • Once finished they can compare with their group
 
Word Work
 
Have students search the text to find words that have the oo sound as in kangaroo.  Have them look for words with the same sound, but different spelling, and sort the words into groups that have the same spelling.
 
Day 2
Before Reading:
 
  • Explain that the students will be focusing on only one part of the book today
 
During the Reading:
 
  • Copy p. 14 to overhead transparency and project it onto the whiteboard
  • Cover certain words in the reading, leaving only the first letter of the word visible and have students solve the missing words
 
After the Reading:
 
  • Have students choose a paragraph to rewrite in their reader's notebooks with words omitted, leaving only the first letter visible
  • Students may trade notebooks and try to solve the missing words that other members in their group have omitted from the reading
 
Day 3
Before Reading:
 
  • Revisit the chart that students helped to create on the first day of reading
  • Have students recall interesting details that they learned while reading the book
 
During the Reading:
 
  • Have students re-read the text using sticky notes to indicate sections that are of interest to them
 
After the Reading:
 
  • Have students, in pairs, choose and discuss portions of the reading that were of particular interest to them
  • Have students create quiz questions based on the information provided in the book.  Quiz questions can be used in several ways:  they can be traded and answered by members of the group, they can be turned into questions for a board game, or they can be used as part of an evaluation for science
 
Day 4
Extension Activity:
  • Revisit the chart created on the first day of reading, asking students to notice once again the headings that are listed
  • Have students research (using books and the internet) one of 5 Australian animals, the koala, the platypus, the emu, the echidna, or the kookaburra.
 
Day 5
Extension Activity:
 
  • Use some of the key points from the chart created on the first day of reading and model how to expand key points into complete sentences
  • Have students use key points compiled on day 4 about another Australian animal to  write some factual sentences about their topic
  • Students should include at least one of the following: illustrations, tally charts, tables, and labeled graphs
Further Questioning for Students
 
Reasoning
Who or what do you think is the biggest threat to kangaroos? Give your reasons. Use what you have learned from your reading.
According to the story what do young joeys need to learn in order to survive? Explain in your own words.
 
Communication
From this story you learned that kangaroos live in family groups of about 50. What are other ways you could find out about how kangaroos live?
Do you think the sanctuaries that have been set up in Australia for visitors are a good idea? Tell why.
 
Organization of Ideas
Explain why the author used captions.
How do the pictures help the reader? What else does the author use to help the reader?
 
Application of Language Conventions
Why is the apostrophe mark used in the word cows'? (p.14)?
 Endangered and dangerous come from the same root word. What is the root word?
Is there a suffix or a prefix on endangered?  What are they?  What about the word dangerous?
 
Text Explicit Questions
According to the story what do young joeys need to learn in order to survive? Explain in your own words.
 
Text Implicit Question
Who or what do you think is the biggest threat to kangaroos? Give your reasons. Use what you have learned from your reading.
Do you think the sanctuaries that have been set up in Australia for visitors are a good idea? Tell why.
 
Experience-Based Question
Looking at the headings on this chart, is there any information that you already know about kangaroos that we can write down?
We have been discussing different kinds of animals and habitats in our science unit.  What kind of information do you think we might find in a report about kangaroos?
 
Teaching of conventions and organizational structure
Through the questions that I have added, as well as in my lesson plan, I have addressed the following conventions:
  • Apostrophes (p.14, cows', plural possessive)
  • Root words   
  • Suffixes
  • Prefixes
Endangered and dangerous come from the same root word. What is the root word?
Is there a suffix or a prefix on endangered?  What are they?  What about the word dangerous?
  • Vowel combination
Have students search the text to find words that have the oo sound as in kangaroo.  Have them look for words with the same sound, but different spelling, and sort the words into groups that have the same spelling.
 
 
Through the questions that I have added, as well as in my lesson plan, I have addressed the following for organizational structure:
 
  • Bold text
  • Glossary
At the end of the book there is a glossary to help us to understand new words.   In other books that we have read, the words that are in the glossary are in bold in the text.  In this book they are not.  Why do you think the author chose not to put the words in bold? It may be helpful to you to read the glossary before reading the book.
 
  • Title
  • Author
Today we are going to be reading a report called "Kangaroos" by Marilyn Woolley and Keith Pigdon.  What do you think this story might be about? (Kangaroos)  Has anybody read another book by these authors?
 
  • Pictures
  • Captions
You'll find information written under some of the pictures of animals in this book.  These are captions.  Why do you think the author has chosen to include captions in this text?  (The captions provide more information about the animal in the picture.)  You can read the captions before or after you read what is written on the page.
 
  • Table of contents
Before the reading starts in this book, there is a table of contents tells where certain information can be found in the book.  Can you tell me if the table of contents can help us use one of our reading strategies?? (Finding main ideas) 
 
                  
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