On this page we will share our Reading Lesson Presentations.
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Our June 16 groups
1. Jennifer, Marietta and Megan:
Reader's Theatre
Presentation
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| Lesson
Wind-Up What
is Reader’s Theatre and what might you have noticed during this lesson? v Reader’s
Theatre is a highly motivational strategy that connects oral reading, literature, and
drama. In Reader’s Theatre, students are asked to read or perform a script that has
usually been adapted from a piece of literature. In Reader’s Theatre, students are
not expected to memorize scripts. Students do not usually wear costumes and if they do,
they are very simple; the focus is on oral presentation. In order to prepare for this
presentation, the students will have to practice, resulting in repeated readings of the
script. v In
preparation for Reader’s Theatre, the class would discuss and practice some key
concepts prior to presenting such as: thinking about what type of voice and facial
expressions the character would use (depending on what the character is doing and
feeling), remembering to be the character even when you are not speaking, holding the
script without hiding your face, looking up often during reading and facing the audience,
talking slowly, clearly, and loudly (and breathing properly to ensure these things). v In
preparation for today’s lesson, we duplicated one script for every student in the
class. The students were then put into groups, provided with the scripts, and a space to
rehearse. The students were then asked to decide on roles and highlight their individual
lines before practicing and finally presenting to the class. Depending on time restraints
or the focus of the lesson, the teacher may decide to have all groups present on the same
day or different days. Today, after the first reading, we discussed the story as a group,
focusing on the feelings and of each character and the meaning of the story in order to
ensure that the students were connecting with and understanding the story (they must do
this in order to really get ‘in role’), and to bring closure to the lesson. What
is the rationale for Reader’s Theatre and what is the theory behind it? v Educators
have long elaborated on the benefits of using Reader’s Theatre for increasing reading
fluency and sight word vocabulary, improving reading comprehension, providing
opportunities to interpret dialogue and communicate meaning, and increasing awareness and
appreciation of plays as a form of literature. v Repeated
readings, a key aspect of fluency development, can often be tedious work for students. In
a Reader’s Theatre setting, repeated readings are not tedious but fun. It is both
easy and dynamic. The rehearsal is the essence of Reader’s Theatre because it is here
that students get practice becoming fluent oral readers. They must understand the story
before they can use their voices to convey that interpretation to others. It also
encourages students to read with expression and to practice important fluency attributes
such as pause, inflection, and intonation. v Taking
on character roles helps students understand literary elements such as motivation and
characterization. v Reader’s
Theatre scripts also promote listening skills as students follow along silently and listen
for spoken cues. v Repeated
reading practice improves students’ confidence in and enthusiasm for reading. It also
gives them a chance to practice in public speaking. v Reader’s
Theatre can be a wonderful opportunity for students who enjoy entertaining but are
frequently asked to refrain from doing so within the classroom to provide expertise and
entertainment for others. It is also a great opportunity for group interaction and student
cooperation. What
are some possible variations of Reader’s Theatre in the classroom and reasons for
them? v You
may want to have the students warm up with tongue twisters and other vocal exercises to
help them speak more clearly. v When
reading with primary reading levels, early ESL, or remedial reading groups, you may use
scripts that feature predictable stories where special words or phrases are repeated
throughout the script. v One
possible way of doing Reader’s Theatre is to do a circle reading which allows the
children to read all of the different parts, experiment with voices, and choose their
favorite roles. This method helps build reader confidence because it is non-threatening,
non-competitive, and gives all readers a chance to read all roles. v Reader’s
Theatre has been found effective not only for literacy but also for social studies.
Performing multicultural literature is one of the best ways for students to become
interested in and familiar with other cultures. v One
of the most valuable ways of doing Reader’s Theatre is to have the students take
either a piece of literature or their own creative writing, analyze it, and adapt it into
a script. The students will, almost unconsciously, be involved in analyzing the structure,
characterization, and description used in the literature. They will be stimulated to
creatively adapt their piece and will really ‘own’ their presentation. v Another
possibility is to have a group of students present a script and have the rest of the class
provide constructive criticism (for example, three stars and a question or suggestion) of
their acting. This will encourage and motivate the students to focus on good presentation
skills. v Other
possible activities include: determining character traits and the events related to a
specific character; completing a story map, sequencing the important parts of the story or
a series of events chain; comparing and contrasting various versions of the same story;
looking closely at the text and examining vocabulary, descriptive language, synonyms and
antonyms, etc. What
is the value of Reader’s Theatre at the grade 2/3 levels? v Two
of the P.L.O.s for grade 2/3 Language Arts are: it is expected that students will read
with support, becoming increasingly fluent and independent, and it is expected that
students will demonstrate a willingness to experiment with communication forms to respond
to, inform, and entertain others. Readers Theatre meets both of these fluency and
presentation goals in a fun and engaging way that is particularly effective for this age
group because it is both playful, stimulating, and confidence building. Further it is a
strategy that works well with students who have learned to read and are now needing to
focus on aspects of oral reading such as appropriate pauses or emphasis depending on
punctuation, etc. Useful
References and Resources Sloyer,
Shirlee (2003). From the page to the stage: The educator’s complete
guide to readers theatre. Westport, CT: Teachers Ideas Press. Wolfman,
Judy (2004). How and why stories for readers theatre. Portsmouth,
NH: Teachers Ideas Press. http://loiswalker.com/catalog/guidesamples.html Free
scripts and teacher’s guide. http://www.proteacher.com/070173.shtml Links to
resources, information, and free scripts. http://www.literacyconnections.com/ReadersTheater.php Links
to guids to implementing Reader’s Theatre. http://www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm Lots
of free scripts. http://bms.westport.k12.ct.us/mccormick/rt/RTHOME.htm Reader’s
Theatre basics. http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/carrick/ Information
on implementing within the classroom. http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/readerstheater.htm In
case you weren’t convinced… more information on the power of Reader’s
Theatre. |
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2. Heidi, Joni and Jane:
| Reading
Lesson Plan
– Heidi
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| Joni “Penny in the Dust” Day
One and Two Activities End of Day One: 1. Introduce hot seat activity. Explain rationale: Going deeper into the text to find inferential material will help students discover further support for their topic sentences when writing literary paragraphs – and it’s fun! 2. How the hot seat works. I will be dividing the class into groups of four. Each group will be assigned a character from the story. As a group, students will brainstorm to develop questions to ask the other three characters. Students will also develop one question for their own character and brainstorm possible answers. The rationale for this is to prepare students for the hot seat activity. The students will go up on the hot seat as a group. Although they will not know beforehand what questions the audience may ask, they will have delved into their character’s motivation when thinking of an answer to the question they chose. This information will be the supporting evidence for their topic sentences in tomorrow’s literary paragraph write. Criteria: Each student must speak at least once. Students will have the remainder of the block to begin working with their groups. Students may bring in props and costumes to help them ‘get into’ the character. Students grouped by teacher pointing 1-2-3-4 All the 1s are the dad. All the 2s are the mom. All the 3s are the son. All the 4s are the daughter. Students meet with groups. Day Two: 1. Review hot seat criteria. (3-5 min.) - students are to get into their groups arranged by character, ie: all the fathers - students are to brainstorm for questions to ask each character, come up with 10 questions for each character. - think of one question for your own character, ie: the father, and develop an
answer for it – remind them - this is your preparation for being on
the hot seat - during the hot seat, each student must speak at least once, either a question or an answer - remember to be secretive, ears are listening! 2. Discuss, what is a probing question? (5 min.) - model the distinction between a factual question and an inferential question that reveals character motivation with the Little Red Riding Hood story. The assumption here is that students would be familiar with the story. If not, a quick in pairs summary may be called for. - factual question: where was Little Red Riding Hood going? - probing question: why did Little Red Riding Hood’s mother let her go out into a dangerous place? - and impromptu questions, such as how does a prop a student chose relate to character. 3. Students are given 30 minutes to develop questions and their answer in their groups. Remind students that the listening station is available for any who would like to review the story. 4. Hot
Seat! (4X5min.=20
min.) Teacher has character’s names written on four slips of paper. A student selects one, and that character group is on the hot seat first, and so on, until all four character groups have had a turn. We will model the hot seat. 5. Reflect in writing. (10 min.) Students are individually to reflect in writing what they have learned from the hot seat activity about one of the character’s motivations. This writing may be referred to during tomorrow’s literary paragraph write. Day Three: Rationale: Often students limit
themselves to overt, facts to support their topic sentences. The hot seat activity is
meant to take students through a process of probing character in a fun and interactive
way. This is the same process students will go through in later grades to find support for
their theses. The inferential questions are meant to activate higher order thinking skills
as well as prompt closer reading and re-reading of text as will be discussed by Jane (who
likely will design her third day a little differently). 6. Task. In a literary paragraph, choose a character from “Penny in the Dust” and discuss This character’s motivation.. Make sure to base your claims on evidence from the text.
10 min. Discuss task with a partner. What is the task asking you to do? Brainstorm for possible writing ideas. 10 min. Planning time for paragraph. Students may make lists or webs 20 min. Literary paragraph write. 10 min. Peer-editing. Editors are to a) read and edit for: 1. Meaning (is meaning clear) 2. Spelling 3. Grammar and b) afterward, read partner’s work to each other. Author, listen for where meaning is unclear, or if something could be stated differently. 20 min. Revision of literary paragraph. (notes from hot seat, copy of peer editing, and literary paragraph to be handed in). |
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Jane
LESSON OBJECTIVE: Students will: -re-think and re-read to obtain deeper
insight of short story / higher level thinking -utilize literary discussion pairs in
order to uncover new meanings, and support interpretations with ideas/facts from the
materials -link reading material to their own
written material to deepen understanding -read paragraphs aloud to each other to
enhance the understanding that writing is communication (awareness of audience) -use peer-editing and self-editing as a
way of re-reading, re-thinking, and re-creating MATERIALS / RESOURCES NEEDED: -copies
of the story (one per person) -pairs
pre-established by teacher based on reading levels (maximize range of students who can
benefit by pairing lower and higher level students) -literary
response journals -story
on tape (listening station) PREPARATION TO DO BEFORE LESSON: -students have done predictions based on
story title -students have viewed & discussed
contextual vocabulary in pairs (dictionary as supplement) -story has been read in a chunked form
(for vocab. purposes) -story has been re-read with specific
purpose in mind (searching for questions about character motives) -students have been assigned to a
particular ‘character group’ and brainstormed questions for other
‘character groups’ -students have participated in
‘hot-seat’ activity
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION STRATEGIES: ? Literary Response Entry
? Conference
? Peer-Evaluation
? Self-Assessment
? Pair/Share Discussion Participation
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Our June 23rd groups:
3. Jen, Chris, Danielle and Lisa
Overview (Danielle):
We decided to do a reading lesson focusing on Aboriginal stories. Our class is a grade 5 class and we are doing a unit on fables etc. Today is First nation stories. The reading strategies we are using are Readers theatre to create fluency and flash card scavenger hunt to focus on vocab.
Intro – Jen
explain goals
type of classroom and our suppositions
First teacher – Chris
Bring in drums etc to do salmon scene. read the best book to get the students attention. Start Vocab activity
Second teacher – Danielle
Chris gets them started on vocab flashcards The groups will come back and each group will do
readers theatre with their story. We may even
have them use props.
Compare and contrast one First nations story with a European fable
Art project? First nations art
Windup - Lisa
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Reading
Lesson:
Jen’s part: Introduction:
Grade: 5-7
Topic:
Aboriginal Stories
Strategies: Vocabulary, Fluency and Comprehension
Focus: Our first focus will be the use of a good hook that will interest and motivate students, while bringing in background knowledge. By allowing one to experience the hook themselves, they (teacher) will be able to feel the impact that I hook can provide and thus utilize them in their classroom. The hook establishes a setting that simulates a camp fire so students can experience aboriginal story telling in context.
Second, our reading activity works on 2 strategies – vocabulary and fluency. The vocabulary strategy will be similar to the scavenger hunt that was used in the text book, where students will have to read through the readings and find 5 words they don’t understand. By having students search for their own vocabulary words, makes the activity more meaningful in building understanding, as well as making students accountable as they will be asked to present their vocabulary words to the class during Reader’s Theatre.
Fluency will be built through Reader’s Theatre. We will present Reader’s Theatre with a spin that will give students more creativity and build on multiple intelligences.
Third, our follow-up after the reader’s theatre will be a discussion on the 2 stories that will compare and contrast the two. This is a comprehension strategy that will cause the students to look deeper and discover the moral within.
Materials
and Preparation
- Before this lesson, students would already have had practice using Reader’s Theatre (therefore little explanation will be needed)
- Typically when doing group work, groups should be made by the teacher to give ALL students an opportunity for success. Consideration will need to be given to struggling readers.
- Teacher would have a display of aboriginal books and stories throughout the class, as they are starting a new unit.
- It is assumed that the students have already done a unit on European fables and have learned comprehension strategies that enable them to identify the problem, the solution and the moral behind the story.
- Flash cards for vocabulary words will be needed. The teacher should model how to use these and explain their purpose.
- Photocopies of scripts should be made
- Props for the hook will be needed.
Objective:
To build on student’s positive feelings and enjoyment of literature:
- Providing exposure to a variety of literature (aboriginal stories)
- Giving students the opportunity to perform in Reader’s Theatre – allows students to use their creativity
- Motivate and interest students to read aboriginal stories, through a modeled Hook
To build fluency among students
- Reader’s Theatre: a strategies that requires re-reading and is engaging
To build vocabulary among students
- Have students to a scavenger hunt for new vocabulary words and find the meaning
- Present these vocabulary words to the class during Reader’s Theatre through the use of flash cards or actions so the audience can also learn the meaning
Purpose:
It is important for students to develop a “love” for reading and providing students authentic experiences such as a grandfather reading his story with drums in the background makes the experience more meaningful. Building fluency is also very critical as it influences comprehension. Reader’s Theatre is a fun and beneficial for all students in building fluency. Equally important for comprehension is vocabulary, therefore students must to be able to recognize and understand the words they are reading to develop a clear understanding.
Activities:
- Hook: Class will be introduced to aboriginal stories by having a story read to them in a setting that simulates how aboriginal stories are told. (Drums, tone, props) The students will gather around the teacher (grandfather) as the teacher reads an aboriginal story
- Assign Reader’s Theatre: The class will be divided into groups and will be given a short story to perform. Half of the class will be given an aboriginal story and the other half will be given an European fable. Before the students perform they will have to pick out 5 vocabulary words.
o Scavenger Hunt: Students will find the meaning of their 5 vocabulary words put these meanings on a flashcard.
- Practice Reader’s Theatre: Students will practice their performance incorporating the vocabulary strategies and actions to simulate more of a “play”.
- Present Reader’s Theatre: Students will present their performance to the class. During the performance flash cards or will be displayed when the vocabulary words arise
- Class Discussion: After the groups have presented there will be a follow-up compare and contrast discussion on the stories and how they relate to fables and fairy tales.
Assessment:
- Students would be assessed informally as they present their readers theatre and their follow up thoughts about the stories. Where the students able to compare and contrast the two stories.
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Chris’s part:
Scene/Setting: Hunting
camp – gathered around a campfire.
Ø
Props
include; cardboard cut-out of black bear, campfire, and salmon drying
Intro:
Aboriginal song: “Hello My Friends, Hello.” In Halq'eméylem.
Ø
Christopher
drums and sings lines in Halq'eméylem while other
members of the group sing in English
Song:
Hello my friends, hello…Hello my friends, hello… Hello my friends, hello my friends, hello my
friends, hello.
Setting: I’m going to share an Aboriginal story with you in a moment but before I do, can you tell me a time during the day, or a specific time when someone shares stories with you?
Anticipated
responses:
Bedtime
On the weekends
School
Aboriginal
stories:
Ø
“Aboriginal
stories, or oral histories, are only told when the time is right. Stories, which are generally told by an elder, are
not shared at just any time, they are reserve for teachable moment, or when the meaning of
the story is relevant, or the setting for a story is right.
Ø
The setting
we have here is a simulated hunting camp scene. Can
anyone attempt to tell me what is drying by the fire? And what the animal is in the
background (please be nice… it has drawn comparisons to a rabbit but it’s not)
Objective:
Practice vocabulary and word
meaning pulled from two different types of stories, and practice fluency using
reader’s theatre. Stories are told
across cultures, in many different languages, and in different settings. Today we are going to compare and contrast an
Aboriginal story with a European fable. Once
you receive your story you’re going to practice it in groups and then participate in
reader’s theatre.
Ø
“I’m
going to share an Aboriginal oral history with you, then I’m going to split you up
into two groups; one group will get a an Aboriginal story, and the other group will get a
European Fable.”
Share
Aboriginal story with them – “Caribou’s Journey.”
Ø
“Now
that I’ve shared a story with you I going to split you up into two groups, one group
will get an Aboriginal story, and the other group a European fable. We have altered the stories somewhat so that they
can be read like a script. If you remember
from last week, this process is called readers theatre.”
Ø
“Now we
did readers theatre last week so you all know the process.”
Now I split the groups up and hand one half the Ab. Story and the other group the fable.
Ø
“Class,
when you’ve finished practicing the readings in your group I’m going to give
each group 5 pieces of card. On each card I
would like you to choose five challenging words from the story you have just read, write
the word on one side and then turn it over and write the meaning of the word on other
side.”
Ø
“Does
everyone understand what I’m asking?”
When the groups have found their 5 vocabulary words and have written them down on paper; word on one side and meaning on the other, Danielle takes over by bring the groups together.
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Chipmunk Story
(Adapted for
Readers Theatre)
Characters:
Chipmunk
Tree
Grandmother
Granddaughter
Grandson
Narrator 1 and 2
Nar 1:
Grandmother sat on the beach listening to Grandson and Granddaughter.
Nar 2:
The two children were arguing about who would go up to the house to get some water
to drink.
Grandson:
I
went up to get the blanket to sit on, so you have to go this (Whiny voice) time.
Granddaughter: But,
last time I went to get the water. It is your
turn.
(Whiny voice)
Nar 1:
Grandmother called them over.
Grandmother: Sit
with me for a while. I have a story to tell
you
Nar 2:
For many years, Chipmunk scrambled up Tree’s trunk and out along his branches
to where his ripe cones grow.
Grandmother: Chipmunk
nibbled the stems, and one by one the cones would fall to the ground below
Nar 1:
Chipmunk always respected Tree’s offerings
Chipmunk:
Thank you,
Tree
Tree: You are welcome. I have plenty to share with you.
(Wise owl
voice):
Nar
2:
Chipmunk would run down to the ground, pick up each cone, take the seeds out, and
then run off in to the forest to hide them in his underground burrows.
Grandson:
That’s
not fair. Chipmunk got all Tree’s seeds
every year and never gave anything back.
Grandmother: For
many years that was true. Tree continued to
give his seeds to Chipmunk and never received anything in return
Nar 1: One hot dry summer, a storm crossed over the forest and a bolt of lightening hit the ground, starting a terrible wildfire. The fire burned for many days, and afterwards all of the small trees in the forest were gone.
Grandmother: Tree
survived but he was very sad that the forest no longer had any young trees.
Nar
2:
Chipmunk came to the rescue.
Grandmother: He
went to all his burrows and took out the seeds he had stored. He ran about the forest and planted them in the
warm ashes. For days he continued to plant
the seeds he had been given over the years by Tree.
Nar
1:
When the rains finally came, the seeds sprouted, and by the next spring there were
thousands of new trees growing in the forest. Tree
was very happy
Tree:
I am glad that I shared all my seeds with you.
Thank you for starting a new forest for all of us to enjoy. Thank you for starting
a new forest for all of us to enjoy.
Grandmother: You
see, you cannot count how many favours one person does against how many the other has
done.
Nar
2:
Chipmunk paid Tree back with one big favour that repaid the many small ones Tree
had given him.
Grandmother: Perhaps
you two need to think the same way. Instead
of competing against each other you could both look for ways to try and help each other. Trust that in the long run you will be repaid for
your kindness.
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Androcles
and the Lion
Characters:
Narrator 1 Lion
Narrator 2 Soldiers
Androcles Emperor
Nar1: Androcles was a slave
who suffered under a cruel and vicious master.
Nar 2: Although Androcles
worked from sunrise to sunset, his master gave him scarcely enough food to live on and
beat him time and time again.
Nar 1: At last Androcles made
up his mind to run away into woods.
Androcles: Even if I am
killed by wild beasts, it would be better than this.
Nar 2: When night began to
fall, a strange sound suddenly reached his ears – a moaning and whimpering as if one
nearby was in pain.
Nar 1: As he peered around
the trees he gasped and stood frozen in the shadow of the trees
Androcles: A lion!
Nar 2: the lion was licking
his paw with his great tongue and gnawing at it with his sharp teeth.
Lion: I can not get this
sharp thorn out of my paw by myself.
Androcles: (say in pity) The
lion is hurt!
Nar 1: Careful not to alarm
the lion, Androcles crept closer.
Nar 2: He gently took the
injured paw, pulled the thorn out and then bound up the wound with a bandage torn from his
cloak.
Nar 1: The lion licked
Androcles’ hand in gratitude and from that moment on they were friends.
Lion: Thank you, I shall be
eternally grateful
Nar 2: Every day the lion
went hunting and brought back fresh meat for Androcles to eat and every night Androcles
slept safely in the lion’s den.
Nar 1: But one day, as the lion was out in the forest, he
was captured by a band of hunters and Androcles was captured by a group of soldiers.
Soldiers: (To Androcles) Because you are runaway slave, you will be taken
to the city and thrown to the lions.
Nar 2: When the day of
Androcles’ execution arrived, even the emperor came to the crowded arena to watch.
Nar 1: the soldiers dragged
Androcles into the area and left him there.
Androcles: What a wretched
life! Those days I spent with the lion in the
forest were the only time I was happy.
Nar 2: Then the soldiers
released the lion. Androcles shut his eyes
expecting to be torn limb from limb.
Nar 1: But no tooth or claw
touched him.
Lion: Be not afraid, it is I, your friend!
Nar 2: Androcles opened his eyes to see his friend, the
lion, beside him and laughing joyously hugged the lion around the neck.
Emperor: (Much astonished) who is this slave who can tame
lions?
Nar 1: Androcles rose and
bowed to the emperor
Androcles: My Lord, I was
able to do this lion a kindness, and he has repaid me with greater loyalty than I have
ever found in the world of women and men.
Nar 2: And he told the
emperor his story
Emperor: Because I am impressed with your courage and
compassion, I am going to pardon you and set you free.
Nar 2: Androcles and the lion
returned to the forest, where they lived happily together the rest of their days.
Gratitude is not
limited to humankind
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Danielle’s part:
Chris gets them started on vocab flashcards, finding 5 words in their stories and writing them down. (half have First Nations Fable, other have Aesop’s fable).
I come in and bring groups back together. “so does each group have 5 flashcards? Where you able to figure out what the vocabulary words were using context in the story?” Double check to make sure everyone has a definition for their vocab. Then say “Ok we are going to reader’s theatre with your stories. But because you have been doing Reader’s theatre all year long we are going to add a level of complexity. You will try to add movements and actions to your story. Also one person will be the vocab flashcard person. That person will hold up the vocab word and the definition flashcard when the word is heard in the story. That way we all can learn the vocab word at the same time.” (Hopefully they have written the word and definition large enough so it can be seen.) The groups will come back and each group will do readers theatre with their story. (We will probably only have time to have one group do the first nations story and one to do the Aesop’s fable)
Compare and contrast one First nations story (Chipmunk and Tree)with a European fable (Androcles and the Lion) using a Venn diagram (we are going to assume that they have used this form of compare and contrast before). Use guiding questions such as:
What are similarities, what are differences?
How is the story structure the same, different?
Do both stories have a clear moral?
What are the similarities between the morals?
(I will probably end up modelling this activity rather than getting the class to do this because of time constraints.)
Extensions:
First nations art project. I will bring book I have on first nations art.
Spirit Faces: contemporary masks of the northwest coast by Gary Wyatt
First nations reverence for nature I have a book that has stories then an ecological activity.
Keepers of the Earth by Michael Caduto and Joseph Bruchac
Different forms of first nations writing. Book of first nations poems written by young people.
Dancing Teepees Selected by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve
Aesop’s Fables By Jerry Pickney
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Lisa’s part:
Lesson
Wind-up
When we discussed our reading presentation,
we thought that the lesson should be
interactive and motivating to the students (Grades 5-7). Thus, we thought that
reader’s theatre would be a great way to get each student involved in the lesson and
practising reading strategies. Students would be motivated because they get to work in
groups, assume a role in the story, and those attention-seeking students would have the
chance to be praised for their outgoing behaviour rather than reprimanded. The repeated
reading opportunities from reader’s theatre are beneficial for all readers, but
especially those who struggle with reading and/or are reluctant readers. Struggling and
reluctant readers gain fluency, confidence, and a sense of achievement from re-reading
stories until mastery, given that they are interesting to the students. Also, all readers
dig deeper into the text when assuming “roles” from the stories and their
comprehension improves. I will not go into
detail about the history of reader’s theatre because you have already heard that from
a past presentation, but it is safe to say that reader’s theatre has many benefits.
Although we are aware of the benefits of reader’s theatre, we thought that our
lesson should include an extension activity in which students also act out the material
from the text so that it is more of a “play” than a radio show. We decided that
this would help kinesthetic learners who learn by being more hands-on and moving around.
The students take turns practising reading and acting out the texts so that everyone is
re-reading and using movement to illustrate the story. This extension also requires
students to visualize what the words are portraying, which is another essential reading
strategy.
After considering how this activity would be motivating and improve fluency, we
also thought that a vocabulary component could be added to further improve fluency and
comprehension. We decided that students could do a vocabulary scavenger hunt before
starting reader’s theatre to ensure that any difficult words could be fully
understood. This also encourages readers to search out unfamiliar words while or after a
first reading of a text, which is another reading strategy. To ensure that the vocabulary
would be meaningful and thus, memorable, we decided that the students could write the
vocabulary words on flash cards so that the students watching (and giving) the performance would have visual as well verbal
cues for the words and their meanings.
After coming to a decision about the activities we would have for the main part of
our lesson, we decided that a great idea for reader’s theatre/play would be
aboriginal stories and fables because they have morals that all students can relate to. We
wanted to start off the lesson by creating the setting for an aboriginal story turned into
a play to “hook” the students and model the activity and reading strategies that
the students would be using. We chose to have more than one story so that students would
be more motivated to pay attention during the performances, because they will see and hear
another story, and make connections between that story and the one that they presented on.
We decided to conclude the lesson by drawing comparisons between the aboriginal stories
and European fables because this would spark a discussion about morals and how students
can connect to them in their own lives, another essential reading strategy. Also, by
having a compare and contrast, reading comprehension will be improved because students
have to apply what meaning they have taken from their story to the new story they are
viewing in other presentations.
The assessment for this lesson involves monitoring the groups to ensure that each
student is taking turns re-reading and collaborating on how to act out the text. The
teacher can informally assess whether or not the students are improving their fluency as
they practice and ask questions to ensure that students are using the reading strategies
to improve comprehension. The teacher can formally assess the students’ fluency and
comprehension during the performances, follow-up compare and contrast section, and
discussion about personal connections to the morals.
We thought that this lesson would be appropriate for students in grades 5-7 because
it is cross-curricular (Social Studies, English, Drama, and Personal Planning- social
responsibility) and can be extended into studies of other past and present cultures. We
also thought that this lesson was appropriate for older students because there is implicit
reading strategies being taught, which is good for those students who need to be reminded
of how to read without boring those students
who automatically practice good reading strategies. This lesson could easily be adapted
for younger grades if there was more modelling and simpler texts were chosen. There is a
lot going on in this lesson, so if it was used in younger grades, more time would need to
be allotted to complete the lesson.
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4. Erika, Diana, and Melissa
T t
Erika: Introduction
Audience: Kindergarten students
Objective: To teach students the letter Tt through phonemic awareness, letter name, letter shape, and print awareness.
Focus: In the first part of the lesson the teacher begins by engaging the students with a hook. The hook consists of the teacher taking things that start with the letter Tt out of a special bag. The students have to guess what these things have in common when you say what they are. The teacher then goes on to introduce the sound, name and shape, both capital and lower case, of the letter Tt.
In the second part of the lesson the teacher reads the poem “Teddy bear” a few times. Each time the teacher reads the poem she asks the students to focus on different things. The teacher concludes the lesson by getting the students to say the objects that start with letter Tt as she/he or a student puts them back in the special bag. Then the teacher asks the students for other things or people they know that start with the letter Tt.
Materials: Teddy Bear poem, objects that start with the letter Tt, bag to put objects in, pointer (toothbrush), letter Tt handouts.
Note: It is important that the teacher thinks about placing struggling students close to where she/he is standing so they stay focused through out the whole lesson. Furthermore, it is also important that the students are seated so they can all see the poem, like in a semicircle.
Diana: Teaching Phonemic Awareness: the Sound/Letter ‘t’ – Part 1
10 minutes
Hook:
? have ready a collection of objects/picture of objects that begin
with the sound/letter ‘t’ in a bag/box – train, truck, tree, toothbrush,
towel…
? gather students into a semi circle
? let students know you are going to show them something very
special
? they are not to call out at all, but to look at the items being
shown/displayed
? pull out items, one at a time, and without naming them put them
on display in the centre of the semi circle for all students to be able to view
? ask the students to look carefully at all the objects
? wait for 10 seconds (approx) to allow students to absorb the what
the items are (or as many as known)
? ask students to then put up their hand if they think they know
why these items are special
? your goal is to have a student(s) identify that all the items
begin with the sound ‘te’ (or letter ‘t’) [sound isolation; onset
relationships]
? to assist in this goal, you may add a student to the group whose
name begins with ‘t’; you may begin to have students identify/name the objects
one at a time; you may need to repeat and emphasize the sounds/words identified
Model the
Sound:
? model the sound ‘te’ (ie. not ‘tah’) –
that it’s just the ‘t’ alone without any other sounds (or letters)
? have students repeat after you the ‘te’ sound; repeat
several times as needed
? have students repeat after you the name of each of the items
displayed as each is pointed to or perhaps raised up, each time emphasizing the
‘te’ sound
? repeat again, this time a bit faster [fluency]
Identify
the Letter Name:
? ask the students to put up their hand if they think they know the
letter that makes the ‘te’ sound; ask
him/her to show you what the letter ‘t’ looks like (the student may demonstrate
by fingering it in the air, pointing to the letter around the room, making the shape with
his/her body…)
? write the letter (large print) on the board, noting both the uppercase ‘T’ and
lowercase ‘t’, and that sometimes we use one and sometimes we use the other ,
and that we will talk about this more at a later time
Model the
Shape:
? have students stand up and take a step back (if possible) to give
a little space between each child
? ask students to show you by using their bodies, what this letter
looks like (have fun with this)
? model writing the letter by using your finger in the air. Be explicit – talk it out while
demonstrating… “starting at the second floor, make a straight line all the way
down to the first floor; take your finger away and above the ceiling of the first floor,
starting from the left side, make a straight line across from the left to the right
side.” (note: if facing the students be aware to cross your ‘t’ from right
to left so that from their perspective you are crossing it from their left to right)
? have students sit back into their semi circle, and face and be
able to see the chart paper with the verse written on it
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melissa: Teaching Phonemic Awareness: the Sound/Letter ‘t’ – Part 2
10 minutes
Poem Activity:
1. Read poem on chart to the class
point to the words with the toothbrush as the poem is being read
while reading, emphasize the words that begin with the “t” sound
2. Read a line at a time
Students echo read so that they are following along with the teacher
3. Counting the number of t’s in the poem
See if the students remember the proper way of reading. Pose the question of what a “good reader” looks likes. (left to right, top to bottom)
Get a volunteer to come up to the front and count the letter of ‘t’
4. Reread the poem
Again the Children are just listening and following along
Every time the students hear the ‘t’ sound they are going to raise their hand
Teacher pauses after each time the ‘t’ sound is heard. The teacher may have to repeat a line so that children who missed hearing the ‘t’ sound the first time is given a second chance
5. Incorporate actions into the poem
Ask the students what kinds of actions are in the poem
Get students to invent some kind movement for the actions that they hear in the poem so we could act them out while reading the poem
What does skidoo look like?
Teacher rereads poem while the class acts out the poem every time they hear one of the action words
6. Put toys back into the bag
Teacher and students repeat the each object as it is being put back into the bag
Ask what other objects they could think of that also starts with the letter ‘t’
May have to give them hints:
- teeth
- toe
- tent
- table
- Tammy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Diana:
The idea for this student made book
came from www.enchantedlearning.com. (This site requires membership/dues for a full
sized version… unfortunately, I am not a subscriber.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erika:
Here is the Teddy Bear poem we used for our lesson:
Teddy bear, Teddy bear,
Turn around.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear,
Touch the ground.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear,
Show your shoe.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear,
Now skidoo.
And the worksheet that allows the students to fill in the Tt in the poem is the following:
_eddy Bear, _eddy Bear,
_urn around.
_eddy Bear, _eddy Bear,
_ouch the ground.
_eddy Bear, _eddy Bear,
Show your shoe.
_eddy Bear, _eddy Bear,
Now skidoo.
Other extensions:
1. Have students draw pictures of things, place, people etc. that begin with the letter Tt.
2. Make pretzels from dough in the shape of the letter Tt.
3. Draw letter Tt in sand or salt boxes (cookie sheets work good for this).
Erika: Conclusion
Rationale and Theory:
By starting the lesson with objects that start with the same sound the students are associatively learning the letter Tt sound. CMCM points out that this type of learning is believed to be the easiest, quickest, and longest lasting way of learning (p.36). This is also activating any prior knowledge the student might have, correct or incorrect, about the sound of the letter Tt and it focuses the students’ attention. It also gives the teacher an idea about what students are already familiar with the relationship between the sound and name of the letter.
In the next part of the lesson the students learn the isolated sound of the letter Tt, which is a phoneme or the smallest unit of speech in words, and they learn the name of this sound. It is important the teacher models the correct sound for the letter and gives the students a chance to practice it properly. Furthermore, the teacher can correct any pronunciation mistakes at that time. The lesson started with the sound of the letter because most students will have some knowledge of what the letter Tt sounds like from their everyday speech. The teacher is helping the students make the connection in identifying the letter Tt sound with the letter Tt name.
After modelling and practicing the letter Tt sound, the teacher teaches the shape of the letter Tt in various ways. The reason for giving the students various ways to demonstrate the letter Tt shape is because it appeals to various types of learners and it keeps them engaged. For example, the movement appeals to the kinaesthetic learner and the printing on the board appeals to the visual learner.
Next, when the teacher reads the poem a few times it allows the students to focus on different things each time the poem is read. The first time the poem is read the students just listen to get their attention focussed on listening. The second time, the students echo read with the teacher each line of poem, while listening for the sound the letter Tt makes. The third time, the teacher asks a few students to come up to the poem and count how many letter Tt there are in the poem. The reason for doing this is so the students are developing a concept of print, how a reader reads across the page in a left-to-right, top-to-bottom fashion. At this time, the teacher can also review other letters she/he has taught the class by asking students to come up and count those letters in the poem. The fourth time, the teacher reads alone and the students listen for the letter Tt sound and raise their hand every time they hear it said. The students are further developing phonemic awareness here because they are gaining the ability to hear when words start with the letter Tt sound. The last time the poem is read, the students stand up with the teacher and do the actions to the poem, which is just to get the students up and moving and having fun with the poem.
The theory behind this lesson is that the goals this lesson focuses on, phonemic awareness, letter name, letter shape, and print awareness are the foundation for developing decoding and spelling skills, and ultimately successful readers and writers (CMCM p.86-87). Reading is not an innate ability; children must learn how to read and learning the basics of reading are important skills. Furthermore, a child’s level of phonemic awareness is highly correlated with their success in beginning reading (CMCM P.27).
How this lesson is multileveled:
This lesson is multileveled because many different levels of students can feel successful in the activity. For example, if a student is weak at the pronunciation of the letter they can still be successful in identifying the letter and making the letter shape. Another reason this lesson is multileveled is because multiply things are being learned from it, such as letter sound, letter name, letter shape, and print awareness.
Value of this lesson:
The value of doing this lesson is that is building the foundation for learning how to read. It is also an interesting and interactive approach to teaching the letters and it supports various types of learners. There are also many different extensions from this lesson that can be done. One activity is getting the students to practice printing the letter Tt on their own or with support. Another activity is having the students think about other objects, things or people on their own that start with the letter Tt and draw them or bring them in for sharing.
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Lana's Turtle http://www.naturalchild.org/gallery |
5. Carla, Tammy and Heather
‘What is
Recycling’
Prescribed Learning Outcome: Learn to ask questions that foster
explorations and investigations relevant to the content. (Grade 4 IRP)
Specific Learning Outcome: The students will understand the meaning
of recycling.
Hook: Bring in recycling bin. Fill with
crumpled newspaper. Place various recyclable objects in the bin as well as non-recyclable
objects.
Before: Many items present in household waste
are recyclable provided that the householder has the initiative to recycle and a
convenient outlet exists for the recycled materials. It has been estimated that recycling
takes only two minutes each day.
What
does recycling mean?
- recycling
is a multi-stage process that describes:
o People saving their recyclables for the
curb or depot.
o The materials being collected and
prepared for market.
o Industries buying those materials back.
o Transporting shipments of materials to
buyers, and
o People buying new products that have
been made from recycled materials!
- Have
you seen this symbol before? It’s called a mobius loop (pronounced: mo-bi-us) and it
is recognized around the world. Each arrow stands for the 3 main components or the
recycling system.
o The companies that make products and
sell them to households and businesses.
o People who buy products and separate
their recyclable trash, and
o The recycling industry that collects,
sorts and processes our recyclable materials, and gets them back to the manufacturers who
will make new products from them.
- Imagine
each arrow supplying goods or materials to the next one.
If one arrow
stops doing its job, waste will result. It’s the continuous cycle that makes the
recycling system work.
Recycling
helps to conserve energy and natural resources, contributes to the economy, and reduces
the amount of municipal waste requiring disposal. Recycling also promotes an awareness of
the finiteness of our natural resources and offers and environmentally acceptable method
of municipal waste management.
During: Engage the class in a discussion on the
subject of recycling. Survey the class to determine whether any students assist in a
family recycling effort, or recycle on their own. Ask for descriptions of how recycling is
accomplished and what materials are recycled. Why do they recycle? Have any students
visited a recycling center?
Activity #1: Hand out lyrics to Jack
Johnson’s “The 3 R’s”
Let the
students listen to the song. Let them echo read with the teacher. 2x’s. Then have
them choral read with the song.
*This song
would be repeatedly practiced to prepare for a later date. ie. Earth Day.
Activity #2: Name that Symbol
Give students
a sheet with various recycling symbols on it. Give them a bag of symbol meanings. See if
they can match the symbols together. Working in groups.
Activity #3: Have the class brainstorm a
list of questions that they might ask to others about recycling. Suggestions include:
- Do
you know the meaning of the term “recycle”?
- Do
you recycle? Why
- Why
don’t you recycle?
- Do
you think you should recycle?
- What
materials do you recycle:
- How
do you recycle?
- Where
do you recycle?
- How
much time is devoted to recycling each day or week?
- Do
you think you could recycle more?
Activity#4: Have each of the students
create posters to put up around the school and in classrooms. These posters would be used
to assess the learning by the students about the various ways to recycle.
After: Most people are familiar with the word
recycling. But sometimes we forget that it means more than just throwing a pop can into
recycling boxes. Imagine each arrow supplying goods or
materials to the next one. If one arrow stops doing its job, waste will
result. It’s the continuous cycle that makes the recycling system work.
Is recycling
the only answer?
We all know
the benefits of recycling, but remember the 3 R’s? Well, recycling is the 3rd
‘R: - after reduce and reuse! Recycling is a great thing to do.
So, keep on
recycling… but do these things first:
Reduce the
amount of waste you generate. We can ask ourselves some important questions before we buy
something new:
·
Do we really need it?
·
Can we use something else instead?
·
Can it be repaired if it breaks?
·
Can it be recycled?
Materials:
- recycling
bin
- stickers
for on recycling bins
- newspaper,
cans, jars etc.
- Lyrics
to Jack Johnsons “The 3R’s”
- CD
player.
- Index
Cards with recycling symbols.
- Poster
paper and crayons, felts, scissors.
Recycling
Resources
Flower pot
landfills www.eduref.org/virtual/lessons/environmental_healthe/enhooo2.html.
www.cln.org/themes/recycle.html
www.atl.ec.gc.ca/udo/reuse.html
www.leeric.lsu.edu/energy/rrr/
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6. Nicky, Amelia and Steve
Nicole’s Part
Time: 30 min.
Objectives:
* To demonstrate reading strategy – Echo reading. To review 5 w’s in order to further
comprehension.
Emphasis is on comprehension and getting students to see the enjoyment of reading through
echo reading.
* To discuss rationale and theory behind this reading strategy and pair share
activity.
* To discuss value of lesson for students in grade 1.
Materials:
* The book Mortimer by Robert Munsch
Steve’s Part
Introduction:
Good afternoon, class. We are giving a primary-level presentation today. We are going to be reading a Robert Munsch story called “Mortimer,” then doing a comprehension exercise called the 5 W’s: who, what, when, where and why. We will begin by doing the 5W’s as a class for a story that all of you will all already know, then we will read the new story. We will read using echo reading, where the students repeat or read certain passages along with the teacher. The teacher models proper pronunciation and tone of voice, and the children then echo what the teacher read, the way she read it. We will finish by doing a pair/share exercise with the 5W’s.
Introductory exercise with the 5 W’s,
for accessing prior knowledge, which means finding out what the Students already know
about the conventions of fiction
and preparing them for what is to come.
Nicole’s Part
-Reading the story Mortimer, by Robert
Munsch
-Read using echo reading, where the
students repeat or read along with the teacher, certain passages. The teacher models
proper pronunciation and tone of voice, and the children then echo what the teacher read,
the way she read it.
-5 W’s exercise: Who, what when,
where, and why, is a comprehension exercise that all students are capable of doing.
Introduction to lesson:
-Nicole tells students they are going to talk about the story they read last week, “Little Red Riding Hood” Then reminds students that there are five important things in every story, which they have been talking about each day in class.
-Each day previous to this lesson, one W has been introduced and discussed separately with the students. These include who, what, where, why and when.
-Nicole asks students if they remember any of the five w’s. With the class, Nicole goes over them. They talk about the five w’s from the story “Little red riding hood”.
Nicole then tells class that today we will be reading a new story and will find the five w’s in it. Nicole explains that after the story, each person will discuss with a partner that I chose for them and then we will all share with the class what each pair came up with.
Hook: Students come to carpet. Amelia reads the book, “Mortimer” with students and has students echo read. Reminds them to watch for the 5 W’s in the story.
Amelia’s Part
Mortimer by Robert Munsch
1) Before reading:
· Discuss VARK (Visual, Auditory, Read/write, Kinesthetic)
· Importance: engages of variety of senses and learning styles. When all are actively involved in a variety of ways, learning happens through many different levels and methods. The memory is also triggered through the various stimulations and in turn what is learned lasts longer as it is associated with a range of input.
2) Lesson for
a grade 1/2 class:
· Focus: Active Involvement using methods that stimulate areas in VARK while using a teaching strategy such as the 5 W’s.
· Hypothesizing/Predicting: “What do you think this story is about?”
· Reminder: “I wonder who will find all the 5 W’s in this story? Keep tract with your 5 fingers… I may give hints along the way!”
· Involvement: “Mortimer needs your help acting out this story!”
· Echoing:
o Repeating words (cue = sign)
o Singing a song (cue = sign)
o Foot motions (cue = volunteer or me)
o Voices (cue = story + volunteer or me)
· Drama: Use own imagination and style for voices in story (have fun with it!)
· Clarifications: “What does this word mean?”
3) After reading:
· Activating background knowledge: “Why do you think Mortimer did this?”
· Discussion on the 5 W’s
· Activity:
o Pair and Share
Nicole’s Part
-Tell students they will now be put into pairs and remind them what
they need to discuss and that they will be sharing with everyone what their pair comes up
with.
-CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING: Ask, any questions?
-Put students into the assigned pairs. Give
them 10 minutes to discuss with their partner.
Circulate room to make sure everyone is on task.
-Give warning when there is only 1 minute left.
-Have students come back to carpet and have a discussion about what the five w’s were from the book. Teacher records findings on board.
Closing:
-Tell class that now they all know the five things needed to write their own story.
Steve’s Part
Wind Up:
Hello again, fellow teachers. I will
now be discussing the rationale for our lesson. We chose Mortimer for a number of reasons, one of them being
its potential for echo reading. Mortimer has two refrains, the first being Mortimer’s
annoying song, and the second being the six “thumps” that are heard on the
ascending and descending of the stairs. Mortimer’s song has the rime of clang and
bang, but the real reason for the echo reading here is to enhance the enjoyment of reading
the text, to make this not just a storytime in which the teacher reads to the kids, but an
experience shared by the whole class. We added physical movement to the echo reading for
the same reason. It shows students that the reading of a story can transcend the
convention of eyes scanning a page, and become an action, a performance.
We started with the introductory exercise with the 5 W’s to access prior
knowledge, which means finding out what the students already know about the conventions of
fiction and preparing them for what is to come. We chose the 5W’s for a comprehension
exercise because it requires a lot of information from the story but does not demand the
same wording from each child. There are different ways of wording the “What” or
the Problem of the story, so this question can be used for a class discussion. This
exercise is also multilevel, because though not every student will likely get all the five
W’s correct, every student should be successful on the Who and the Where.
We started the discussion of the 5
W’s by asking the students for definitions, and we did this for two reasons. First,
we wanted to gage the students’ understanding of the 5 W’s, and second, we
wanted to get them analyzing a story from memory rather than just giving them the
definitions and applying them. We chose Litte Red Riding Hood because it would be known to
almost every student. By doing this exercise before reading Mortimer, we can be sure that
the students will be capable of doing the assignment when the story is finished.
We chose to use the Pair/Share method for this exercise because this builds
community within the class and makes sure that every student has considered the questions.
You could just verbally ask the students about the What or the Where, but not all may
participate, whereas if you do pairing and sharing, with one person writing the answers
down, then every student will have something to say if called upon.
We feel this is a valuable lesson because it enourages the enjoyment of reading,
demands the active participation of the class, its introduction prepares students for the
following assignment, and has an assignment that can be challenging for all class members.
Proscribed
Learning Outcomes: (PLO’S)
Students
are expected to:
--ask and respond to questions before,
during, and after reading or listening.
--describe the main topics or ideas in
communications they read.
--predict, retell, and sequence events and
ideas from selections they have read, heard, or viewed.
--describe aspects of stories, including
characters, where and when the events took place, and what happened.
--offer direct responses to their reading,
listening, or viewing experiences supported by reasons, examples, and details.
--demonstrate abilities to use
grammatically correct language when speaking and when writing simple sentences.
--demonstrate a willingness to participate in a variety of shared activities that include listening to stories and presenting their own work.