Reading Component Strategy: ComprehensionTammy Hilton

EDU 740EDU 740EDU 740

Based on the text, “Creating Strategic Readers” ByValerie Ellery

Mini-Unit 1: ComprehensionBased on the novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Grade: 9Grade: 9Grade: 9

• Before Reading: Prior to beginning the novel, students will be given this anticipation guide to fill out. This will help generate a classroom discussion and allow students to preview some of the topics and issues the book will cover throughout the unit.

• Students will fill out only the first column before reading. Through discussion and reflection, students will give their rationales for their answers.

• F o l lo w u p : Students will fill out the 2nd column after reading. We will then see if their rationales have changed since reading about Melinda and her struggles with her 9th grade year, friendship, and overcoming date rape.

C o n n e c t io n : Ellery suggests that this activity will help students to “confirm or change predictions about the text” (Ellery, 180). The multiple intelligences used are: visual, verbal, and intrapersonal. Both reasons are to aid my students in the comprehension of the text from the beginning.

SpeakDuring Reading

Activity: JournalingActivity: JournalingActivity: Journaling• Goal/Objective: , To help students make connections to the text predict what may

, / . come next and work on their writing reflection skills

• Students will reflect on the following questions in their journals based on the text, Speak:

1. Why might Melinda have called the police on the party?

2. Should have disowned her because of it?

3. How would you feel if you were Melinda?

4. How would you feel if you had been her friend?

5. What do you think will happen next in the book?

6. Have you ever been in a situation where you acted in a moment and lived to regret it?

7. Have you ever been dumped by people they thought were your friends? What was the outcome?

• Follow Up: Students will share their thoughts will the class and I will grade their journals for participation.

• Connection: Ellery states that this activity will not only help with comprehension, but also encourage reluctant readers to participate. The multiple intelligences used in this activity are: visual, verbal, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. (Ellery, 186).

After ReadingSpeak

Comprehension Activity: Wordless Picture BookComprehension Activity: Wordless Picture BookComprehension Activity: Wordless Picture Book

• In the novel, Melinda had to work on a tree all year for an art project. This tree came to symbolize Melinda’s emotions, thoughts and feelings throughout the novel for the reader to interpret.

• In this activity, students will be asked to think of an object or images that they feel symbolize them visually. They will put these images together in a “wordless picture book”.

• Follow up: Students will present their pictures books to the class along with a written rationale as to why they chose the objects in their book. Students will also be asked to fill out the “after reading” column on the anticipation guide, now a reaction guide, and discuss how and/or why their feelings have or have not changed on the issues in relation to the text.

• Connection: Ellery feels this activity will help increase

Mini-Unit 2: ComprehensionTangerineGrade 10

• Before Reading: Book Introduction

• Goal/Objective: Students will create their own introductions to the text and choose key terms or phrases that will be used. They will also discuss their findings with the class

• Students will be given a brief summary of the text and a list of vocabulary words or phrases that will be used in the text. Students will also be given the textbook to look through and skim to get a sense of what the task is ahead of them. Students will work in groups and discuss the possible definitions to the words and overall predictions of what the book may be about.

• Follow Up: Students will share their predictions and definitions with the group and the class as a whole. We will then correct definitions if needed as a class. (I will give them the correct definitions).

• Connection: Ellery suggests that this pre-reading activity is a great way to generate interests in students, visualize, and think about vocabulary. The multiple intelligences used in this activity are visual, verbal, interpersonal, and intrapersonal (Ellery, 175).

During Reading: Connect and Reflect Connect and Reflect

Goal/Objective: To have students think about text-text, text-self, and text-world connections by creating puzzle pieces based on their reflection of the book.

Mini-Unit: Students will be given puzzle pieces with the following questions on them to answer:1. How does this story relate to my life?2. What does this remind you of?3. How is this similar to my life?4. Has something like this ever happened to you? 5. Have I read another book similar to this?6. How is this book similar to others I have read?7. How is this book

different from others I have read?8. What does this remind me of in the world?9. How does this part relate to the world?10. How are the events similar to those that happen in the world?11. How are the events different than those that happen in the world?

9. How does this part relate to the world?10. How are the events similar to those that happen in the world?11. How are the events different than those that happen in the world?

9. How does this part relate to the world?10. How are the events similar to those that happen in the world?11. How are the events different than those that happen in the world?

Follow up: Students will find classmate with similar answers to build their puzzle. To do this, a discussion must be had on the connections and reflections by students.

Connection: Ellery suggest this activity will enhance student motivation to read and build on their background knowledge. It will also help them to make connections to the text, characters, events and each other through reflection and discussion.

After Reading: Talk ShowTalk Show

Goal/Objective: Students will work in groups to reflect back on the text now that it is complete.

Mini-Unit: One student will play talk show host, one will play the author of the book and one student will be the reader. All of the other students will be placed in groups. The host will keep things going in the “ game” and keep track of score as well as asking the questions. The host will also begin with a brief summary of the book. The “ author” will make statements that may or may not be true and the teams will have to discuss whether the author’ s interpretations and statements are correct. The teacher’ s role is to take notes for

the follow up activity. Follow up: Students will write reflections on how they felt taking on the roles as author, host, team, or reader in this activity. They will also reflect on what they learned from this activity. The teacher will display all the notes he/she took and students

will also write these down to study with for an upcoming test. Connection: Ellery suggests that this activity, which is to be done after reading, will help students to

reflect and think about the text after completion at a much deeper level. The comprehension strategy here is interpretation and drawing conclusions.

Reading Component: ComprehensionBased on: Tuesdays with Morrie

Grade 10Grade 10Grade 10

Before Reading: Text Traits--Getting to know the text

Goal/Objective: Students will preview their upcoming novel, “Tuesdays with Morrie” to determine purpose and structure.

Mini-Unit: Begin with a mini lesson on text traits. Students will look at headings and subheadings provided by the teacher and make a guess as to what they think the text is about. Students will then be given our class novel. They will work with a partner to skim through the book and look at the book’s structure and determine a purpose for our reading. Students will then share their findings with the class and we will begin making a chart of their findings.

• Follow up: Students and I will refer back to the chart as we read to confirm or change our predictions until we reach the end of the book.

Connection: Ellery suggests using this activity to motivate students to want to read. It will also help them with working with a partner and making predictions.

During Reading:Scenarios with T-chartsScenarios with T-charts

Goal/Objective: To help students make “inferences about a scenario based on evidence” (Ellery, 201). Students will work with a partner to do this.

Mini-Unit: Students will be given a list of scenarios from our reading of the text so far. They will work in partners to reflect on the text and what clues were given about the scenario. If the outcome is not known, they can make predictions about what might come next. Students

will then write the evidence behind their thinking and rationales. This can be done with a courtroom scenario in class where students present the scenarios to a judge and their peers are the jury and deliberate on whether the partners (lawyers) presentations are valid and/or correct.

Follow up: Students will share the scenarios they were given with the class along with their conclusions and predict ions.

Connection: Ellery suggests that this activity, when done during reading, can improve student’s comprehension by encouraging them to infer and draw conclusions about the text. It will also help them work with a partner and reflect on the text. The multiple intelligences used in this activity are visual, verbal, interpersonal and intrapersonal (Ellery, 201).

After Reading: Mind MappingMind Mapping

/Goal Objective: To have students make connections to the text through art work and wordsStudents will reflect and use artwork to create a map of main . .ideas from the text and the relationships between what they chose These relationships will be shown visually

Mini-Unit: Students will create a visual map of the novel, Tuesdays with Morrie. Students will pick a word or image they feel is the central point to the novel. Those could include friendship, love, or death. Students will then draw or write 5-7 ideas that relate to their central word/drawing. These will come out of that center concept to create a map like structure. The maps should be personalized by their own thoughts and reflections, which will enhance the relationships of concepts

and themes for them in the novel.

Follow up: Students will post their maps for other classmates to see and discussions will be made about the text. Then students will be asked to write a brief reflection about how the activity helped them and if it changed their thinking about the novel at all.

Connection: Ellery suggests this after reading activity is a great way for students to work on synthesizing and making connections through the use of visual images. The multiple intelligences used in this activity are visual, verbal, and intrapersonal

(Ellery, 214).

References

Anonymous. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/35022768/Scenarios-with-T-Charts-Lesson-Plan. Accessed June 11, 2012.

Ms. Baribeau. “Literature Circle Character Analysis”. (2009). http://baribeaueng4c.edublogs.org/2009/11/19/literature-circle-character-analysis/ Main Website: edublogs.org

Ellery, Valerie. Creating Strategic Readers: Techniques for developing competency in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. (2009). United States. International Reading Association, Inc.

Humpage, AJ. All Write---Fiction Advice. (2011). http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2011/01/tools-for-short- story-and-novel-writing.html