Elizabeth Moeller ECI 545: Theory and Research in Literacy

“There are a number of fantastic texts that are worth the work required to understand them. It’s just that teachers should know why these texts are complex, if they are appropriate for students in the classroom, and how they might best be taught.” Fisher, Frey, and Lapp, 2012, p.50

Location Coopers Elementary School Nash County Public Schools Home of the Bulldogs! Grade Level Second Student Group Mixed Ability Why? I wanted to expose each student, regardless of ability, to the complex texts and the rigorous text dependent questions.

Two – Tiered Lesson RI.2.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area. RI.2.5: Know and use various text features to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently. Main Objective RI.2.6: Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe. Culminating Activity SL.2.2: Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Literacy Theories Social Constructivism Reader Response Theory Schema Theory Social Constructivism Scaffolding Schema Theory Tuning Reader Response Theory Efferent Responses

First Text Giant Pandas by Kira Freed Lexile Level: Developmental Reading Assessment Level: 28 Note: Perfect Fit! Qualitative Reflection Considerate Text Coherent Text Appropriate for Audience Second Text Giant Pandas by Gail Gibbons Lexile Level: 860 Developmental Reading Assessment Level: 38 Note: Stretch Band Qualitative Reflection Increase in Complexity Sentence Structure Considerate Text

Admit Slip What do you know about giant pandas? Anticipation Guide True or False? KWL Plus What I Know What I Want to Learn What I Learned What I Thought I Knew {Misconceptions}

Before Reading Making Predictions Introduce Vocabulary Terms Content Specific During Reading Show Me the Evidence! Importance of Rereading and Reflecting on Thinking

Giant Pandas, by Gail Gibbons 1. What is the author’s purpose for using a map? What do the colors show? 2. Why did the author use the word “poor” to describe the giant pandas eyesight? 3. Compare and contrast a bark and a squeal. When might a panda bark? Giant Pandas, by Kira Freed 1. Describe what makes a panda “easily recognizable” in the wild. 2. What is the author’s purpose for writing the section titled “Food and Feeding?” 3. Describe the signs that giant pandas use to mark their territory.

Lesson One 3, 2, 1 Lesson Two Tree Map: Can, Have, Are Culminating Activity VoiceThread Each student had the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the Author’s Purpose by reflecting on a section of text. “I know that the author wanted to explain _____ because _____.”

1. Building knowledge through content – rich nonfiction. Students were able to actively construct knowledge while reading the text and refine, or tune, their schema. 2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational. Students were able to answer text dependent questions with specific evidence from the text. 3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language. The two texts that I selected for the lesson increased in complexity. The first text was easier for my students to interact with and understand, due to the author’s use of text features. The second text was much more difficult for my students because the author did not use text features, and the sentence structure was much more complex.

Close Reading In the future, I would not read the entire text with the students, but a small section of text. This would allow for a close reading of the text, which would increase the students ability to answer text dependent questions. Text Because I used a trade book for the second read aloud, each student did not have a copy. In the future, I will make a copy of a portion of the text for each student. This way, each student can annotate the text to help them better understand the meaning. Author’s Purpose Instead of waiting until the culminating activity for my students to demonstrate their understanding of the Author’s Purpose, I will assess the objective throughout. Graphic Organizer Post – It’s

Questions? Suggestions?