1. OCA Prep Grade 6 Language Arts Fall 2014

2. Learning Target: I will be able to use text features to inform my understanding of a text.

3. Reading Comprehension Strategies Assessed Question One: Use text features Use prior knowledge to connect with text Predict what will happen; use text to confirm Ask questions throughout the reading process Question Two: Use main idea and supporting details to determine importance Question Three: Infer and support with evidence Question Four: Text to self Text to text Text to world Question Five: Metacognition

4. Mini-lesson: Use Text Features Common text features: titles, headings, subheadings, captions, maps, diagrams, charts, graphs, legends, bold and italicized text, glossaries, indexes, and cutaways. When you read, you need to recognize and use these features to help you understand the text.

5. Mini-lesson: Use Text Features You need to train yourself to look for and recognize text features. Slide your piece of text into a page protector and using a dry erase marker, please do the following: Circle all the text features you can find Identify what they are Pair Share – Explain how they help you to understand the text/what information they give you Using the OCA Student Response Sheet answer question 1. When finished erase your cover pages and begin reading Skateboarder Jailed.

6. Learning Target: I will be able to identify the main idea and supporting details of pieces of text.

7. Use Main Ideas and Supporting Details to Determine Importance You need to understand what the most important ideas are about what you are reading. The main idea is often stated in a sentence in the text. The other sentences contain pieces of information that tell more about the main (most important) idea. Sometimes the main idea and supporting details are included in the same paragraph, but sometimes they are written in a series of paragraphs. Headings sometimes help a reader determine the main idea of a piece of text. You have to be able to find, understand, and determine the importance of the main ideas before you can summarize.

8. Use Main Ideas And Supporting Details To Determine Importance You need to state the main idea in your own words. You need to determine what details are significant and discard the ones that are not. A simple graphic organizer can make this much easier: Main idea Supporting detail

9. Graphic Organizers Might Look Like…

10. Or something like…

11. Or even like… See white board…

12. What is the main idea? What are the supporting details? Canadian cities have varying bylaws on skateboarding use. For example, Vancouver has opened its streets to skaters for years as long as they use caution. However, in cities such as Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary, travelling by board on the street is illegal and subject to a fine. In Toronto, the bylaw states that when a sidewalk exists, skaters can’t travel on the street, except when crossing. Main Idea: Supporting detail:

13. Skateboarding is one of the fastest growing sports in North America: According to the National Sporting Goods Association in the U.S., participation in the sport nearly doubled between 1998 and 2007, with more young women also taking it up. Anecdotally, skateboard stores in Canada report more people returning to the sport, or taking it up for the first time at an older age Main Idea: Supporting detail:

14. The St. John River has much to offer any family that enjoys time spent on the water. The Small Craft Aquatic Centre is located on the banks of the St. John River, and the facility offers a wide variety of programs to keep the whole family water-active. Activities at the SCAC include: week long outdoor adventure camps (canoeing & kayaking) for 11-16 year olds, 2-week sailing camps for 6- 17 year olds and adult instructional programs in canoeing, kayaking, rowing, and sailing. Additionally, I would recommend the guided tours and equipment rentals are available for canoes, single and double sea kayaks, river kayaks, and rowing sculls. As you can see, there are many ways to enjoy the river while at the same time coming to appreciate and understand the beauty and richness of the Saint John River.

15. Main Idea: Supporting Detail

16. Every family should visit Fredericton’s lighthouse, located downtown and also on the banks of the St. John River, as it is fun for the whole family. You can enjoy the new food and beverage patio, operated by the Crowne Plaza Lord Beaverbrook Hotel, which boasts homemade ice cream of many unique flavours such as coffee & donuts (my favourite)! The lighthouse also provides live entertainment, which is noteworthy for those families who also enjoy music. Just as exciting is the interactive St. John Play and Learn Exhibit housed at the lighthouse that my children love to visit. Overall, a visit to this lighthouse is sure to be a wonderful and fun- filled experience for all.

17. Main Idea: Supporting Detail

18. Use Main Idea And Supporting Details To Determine Importance Students often confuse the main ideas with the topic or theme. It is important we have a common language and understand the terms: Topic-is the subject or what the text is about. We usually identify it using just one or two words. Main idea-the most important idea about the topic. It is written in a sentence or two. Theme-is the big idea from the text. It is often an idea or lesson the author wants the reader to know from reading the text. Supporting details-are bits of information that are used to verify and support the main idea.

19. Learning Target I can figure out what the author means even though it might not be written on the page by using my prior knowledge plus my observations (what I read/see in this case). This is called making an inference.

20. Mini-lesson: Infer And Support With Evidence You can figure out what the author is saying even if it might not be written down. You use your prior knowledge, clues from the text, illustrations, and captions to make meaning of the text. Not all authors tell you everything you need to know. You need to be a detective looking for clues or evidence in to the text to figure out the meaning.

21. Inference Warm-Ups The room was dark and quiet. We heard Carl and his mother come in the front door talking. I heard two girls in the corner giggle nervously. Another girl told them to be quiet. I hid behind the table where the cake and presents were set out. The tension in the room grew as we waited for them to open the door. Inference: where am I? Evidence:

22. Inference Warm-Ups The line stretched forever. People put their bags on the floor and inched them forward. My father and I removed our shoes. There was an announcement about a gate change and a delay on an arrival from Chicago. Inference: where am I? Evidence:

23. Inference Warm-Ups I arrived early for my appointment. The place was busy and smelled of chemicals. I found a place to sit and wait. The lady next to me had a towel around her head. I heard a blow dryer in the distance. It was loud over the music that was playing. Inference: where am I? Evidence:

24. Inference Warm Up The water felt so good on such a hot day. I heard the other children laughing and yelling across the way. The concrete was wet from a group of teenagers splashing each other in the corner. The lifeguard watched closely to keep children from running. Inference: where am I? Evidence:

25. Making Inferences Everyday after work Paul took his muddy boots off on the step of the front porch. Alice would have a fit if the boots made it so far as the welcome mat. He then took off his dusty overalls and threw them into a plastic garbage bag. Alice left a new garbage bag tied to the porch railing for him every morning. On his way in the house, he dropped the garbage bag off at the washing machine and went straight up stairs to the shower as he was instructed. He would eat dinner with her after he was “presentable,” as Alice had often said. What type of job does Paul have? How do you know this? Describe Alice. Give some evidence from the story to support your description. What kind of a relationship do Paul and Alice have? Why do you feel this way?

26. Question 3 on Sample OCA How is this question asking you to infer? How is making an inference different than making a guess? How can you support an inference? Complete question 3 of the sample OCA.

27. Learning Target I will be able to respond to an opinion question by using Text to Self Text to Text Text to World connections.

28. For example… In your opinion, should cities have the by-law that states everyone riding a bicycle must wear a helmet? A Text to Self connection might be: I was riding my bike, fell really hard on my head, and damaged my bike and helmet, but my head was intact. A Text to Text Connection might be: I read a study published in the Gleaner that found that bike injuries were reduced by 45% in Canadian cities that adopted the law. OR “A character in a book… A Text to World Connection might be: I know the World Health Organization has been promoting helmet use for years.

29. The final answer to the questions would look like… In my opinion I think all cities should have the bylaw that would enforce helmet use for people riding bicycles. One reason for this is because I was riding my bike, fell really hard on my head, and damaged my bike and helmet, but my head was intact. Additionally, I read a study published in the Gleaner that found that bike injuries were reduced by 45% in Canadian cities that adopted the law. And, on top of that, I know the World Health Organization has been promoting helmet use for years, and as this is such a reputable international organization, I think it best to side with them on this topic.

30. Look at question four on your sample assessment… Try answering the question using at least two of the three connections discussed. Remember to clearly state your opinion at the beginning of your answer..

31. Mini-lesson: Text To Self Text-to-self connections are highly personal connections that you make between a piece of reading material and your own experiences or life. An example of a text-to-self connection might be, "This story reminds me of a vacation we took to my grandfather’s farm."

32. Mini-lesson: Text To Text Sometimes when reading, you are reminded of other things that you have read, other books by the same author, stories from a similar genre, or perhaps on the same topic. These types of connections are text-to-text connections. You gain insight during reading by thinking about how the information you are reading connects to other familiar text. “This character has the same problem that I read about in a story last year,” would be an example of a text-to-text connection.

33. Mini-lesson: Text To World Text-to-world connections are the larger connections that you brings to a reading situation. You have ideas about how the world works that goes far beyond your own personal experiences. You learn about things through television, movies, magazines, and newspapers. Often it is the text-to-world connections that teachers are trying to enhance when they teach lessons in science, social studies, and literature. An example of a text-to-world connection would be when a reader says, "I saw a program on television that talked about things described in this article."

34. Learning Target I will be aware of your own thoughts and how I read while I am reading. I will be able to explain the strategies I use in order to understand what I am reading. This is called metacognition and it means you are able to “think about your thinking”.

35. Look at question #5 on your sample assessment Read the list of strategies. Which strategies do you commonly use? Are there any strategies listed that you are unfamiliar with? Which strategies did you use to help you read and understand this piece (check the boxes)? Model responses based on students responses to the last question.