1. Topic-
|
Reading (Inference)
Writing (Focus) |
| |
|
2. Goals: Aims/Outcomes-
|
1. To improve reading comprehension skills in students, specifically
with respect to the strategy of inferring.
2. To improve students' writing focus. |
| |
|
|
3. Objectives-
|
1. Students will learn strategies to be able to better infer meaning
from written works they encounter.
2. Students will understand the term "inference" and that "inferencing"
means making a logical conclusion based on what you read or observe
and what you already know.
3. Students will understand that a strong piece of writing focuses
on one topic.
4. Students will be able to identify sentences/phrases that are not
related to the main topic in a short writing sample. |
| |
|
4. Materials and Aids-
|
| SmartBoard, Smart Notebook files, Senteo receiver and clickers. |
| |
|
5. Procedures/Methods-
|
|
A. Introduction-
Anticipatory Set:
Over the past few days we've been working really hard on the questions
for the article "Telescopes" in Open Court. We did quite well when
it came to answering fact-based questions where the answer was easy
to find in the text. Today we're going to learn a great strategy for
finding out the author's meaning when the answer isn't right there
in the text. We might think of it as the difference between a "hand"
question (where we can put our finger right on a word or sentence
in the text that has the answer), and a "head" question (where we
have to use our heads and think about what the author might mean,
even when they don't come right out and say it directly). |
| |
|
|
B. Development-
1. Create anchor chart for "hand vs. head" questions. Title: "What
type of question is it?"
2 columns: "hand|head". With student input, record criteria for the
2 kinds of questions. Leave anchor poster visible for remainder of
lesson and post in room after lesson.
2. Open file 1 on SB. Direct instruction on meaning of inference,
and strategies for inferring. VOCAB: infer, inference, schema.
3. Have student volunteers complete the second chart at the SB.
4. Check for understanding, quick review of anchor chart.
5. Pass out Senteo clickers. Review/teach expectations for students
who may not have used Senteo before
6. Open SB file #2.
7. Have students turn on clickers.
8. Run SB file #2 quiz, save results for assessment purposes/benchmarking.
9. Students to return to "Telescopes", answer questions 7 -9 on their
own, applying their new inferring skills. Hand in papers for teacher
review.
10. Introduce Writing Lesson - Focus. ASK: "What do you do when you
concentrate" - short discussion about focus.
11. SAY: "Great examples! Writers concentrate - or focus - on what
they are writing. They try to keep all of their writing on one topic.
They don't want unnecessary information or details to distract the
reader from what they are trying to say." Explain we will look at
3 samples and discover which one is most focused and why.
12. Open SB file #3 and display sample #1. Read aloud with expression.
13. ASK: "Do you understand what the author has written? Does it make
sense? What is the topic? Does all of the writing remain on that topic?
Are there any parts that lose focus? Are there words that need to
be removed to improve the focus?"
14. Invite students to highlight parts of the passage that should
be removed to improve focus.
15. Repeat with samples 2 & 3
16. Students to practice writing a focused paragraph beginning with
this story-starter: "The dusty, old book was sitting there, just begging
to be read." |
| |
|
|
C. Practice-
1. Complete inference charts at SmartBoard.
2. Focused writing editing on SB.
|
| |
|
|
D. Independent Practice-
1. Senteo inferencing quiz
2. "Telescope" inference questions
3. Focused writing practice |
| |
|
|
E. Accommodations (Differentiated Instruction)-
This lesson offers multiple means of representation (visual: SmartBoard,
anchor chart, text; auditory: read aloud, direct instruction; kinesthetic:
Senteos, SmartBoard input). It also offers multiple means of expression
(oral discussion, pencil & paper, Senteo response). The use of multiple
points of entry offers students the opportunity to engage with the
material in multiple ways (affective domain).
The entire lesson is leveled at mid- to end-grade four to better meet
the specific learning needs of this group of students. |
| |
|
|
F. Checking for understanding-
1. Ongoing oral/SB responses.
2. Senteo results
3. Written response to inference questions for "Telescopes" (Open
Court)
4. Student writing samples. |
| |
|
|
G. Closure-
| How do you think your new skills using inference as a reader might
help you to be a better writer? How do you thing writing with focus
will help your readers to infer meaning from what you write? Do you
see the connection between these two skills? |
| |
|