Graphic+Organizer

Garra Ballinger and Melissa Scholl Dr. M. Using Sensory Images Advanced: Grades 4-6
 * Graphic Organizer**
 * Reading Comprehension Strategy: **
 * Instructional Level: **


 * Planning **


 * Reading Comprehension Strategy (RCS)

v Name the RCS. Using Sensory Images v Which AASL indicators align with this reading comprehension strategy? Note both the number and the actual language of the indicator. **1.1.2: Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.** **1.1.6: Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (for example, textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.** -Write, draw or verbalize the main idea and supporting details These may align with the lesson but they do not align with the reading comprehension strategy of using sensory images: **1.1.9 Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.** **-**Share knowledge and ideas with others by discussion and listening. **1.3.4 Contribute to the exchange of ideas within the learning community.** **2.1.2 Organize knowledge so that it is useful.** **-**Organize information into different formats (charts, drawings). **2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.** **-**Complete a graphic organizer using concepts that were learned during the inquiry experience. **2.1.5 Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions, and solve problems.** **-**Share information and ideas with others by discussion and listening. **2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings.** **-**Incorporate writing and oral skills to develop a product or performance. **2.3.1 Connect understanding to the real world.** **3.1.3 Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively.** **-**Choose and maintain a focus in a piece of writing. **3.2.1 Demonstrate leadership and confidence by presenting ideas to others in both formal and informal situations.** **3.2.3 Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others.** **3.3.3 Use knowledge and information skills and dispositions to engage in public conversation and debate around issues of common concern.** **3.3.4 Create products that apply to authentic, real-world contexts.** **3.4.1 Assess the quality and effectiveness of the learning product.** **4.1.1 Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth.** **-**Read, view, and listen to a variety of fiction and nonfiction for enjoyment and information. **4.1.3 Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres.** **-**Make connections between literature and their own experiences. **4.1.5 Connect ideas to own interests and previous knowledge and experience.** **-**Demonstrate comprehension of stories read independently or shared aloud. **4.4.5 Develop personal criteria for gauging how effectively own ideas are expressed.**
 * Reading Development Level: Advanced: Grades 4-6

Note: The levels indicated on the CS4TRC lesson plans correspond roughly as follows: Emerging: Grades K-1 Advancing: Grades 2-3 Advanced: Grades 4-6

However, these are approximations. Depending on the reading proficiency of the students with whom you work, these grades levels should be adjusted up or down. I have used some of the advanced lesson with 8th-grade students. LS 5443 students who are interested in serving at the high school level should choose an advanced lesson for this assignment or email the professor for several high school examples from her forthcoming book.


 * Instructional Strategies

Review these strategies on page 13 in CS4TRC. Thank you for providing this detail. I appreciate you thinking deeply about these.

v Which of these research-based instructional strategies have you used in your teaching? Name them. In my previous 2nd and 3rd grade teaching experience reading comprehension was vital to student success in all subject areas. Personally I have experimented, and in most cases used successfully, all of the instructional strategies, but in terms of strategies that I depended on and used often, I have most experience with: Identifying Similarities and Differences, Summarizing, Nonlinguistic Representations, Cooperative Learning, and Questions, Cues, and Advanced Organizers Examples: __Identifying Similarities and Differences:__ Venn Diagrams on many subjects including: whales/fish, police/firemen, George Washington/Abraham Lincoln-these were usually done on big chart paper as a culminating activity to check for student understanding/comprehension of previously taught material in multiple subject areas where the reading material was more difficult. We also used T-Charts to determine difference between two standard groups such as: magnetic/not magnetic, sink/float, person, places, things. I found that the use of visual diagrams helped students to recall inportant information as well as purposfully share their new knowledge in a format that was more pleasing to the eye and better than a worksheet.

__Summarizing:__ I am avid believer in acronyms and using catchy phrases to help students remember things. Summary always proved to be a more difficult objective until I cam up with a catchy acronym to help students build a good summary of texts they had read. It was simple: BME is the Summary, and the rhyming helped students to always remember what to do. B-Beginning, M-Middle, E-End meant that after reading a selection students were to think back and visualize the beginning, middle, and end of the selection and write one sentence for each part. Having a solid background knowledge in story elements such as setting, characters, problem, events, and solution helped my students to formulate a plan, by creating three sentences based on the beginning, middle, and end of the selection. Choosing answers that were related to summaries of TAKS passages became so easy once students realized what a summary actually was, and how simple it was to build.

The beginning, middle and end strategy is something I used to teach my students in 3rd and 4th grade for summarization. I am a big user of foldables so after reading stories I would make a foldable folded into three and students would have to draw a picture and write at least one sentence from the beginning, middle and end of the book. Then I would tie this concept into TAKS by showing the students sample TAKS problems and we would break down their answers and label BME. Once the students realized how easy it was to write a summary they could usually make the foldable and complete it in less than 10 minutes.

__Nonlinguistic representations:__ I have personally called these many things: charts, graphs, diagrams, and visuals, but my students favorite term for these helpful strategic elements is "picture information". Even now as a 4th grade science teacher, I rely heavy on the use of these nonliguistic representations to help students grasp concepts. Recently we practiced using a concept map with our lesson on mixtures, and students seemed to have a well rounded understanding of what a mixture was due to our extensive and detailed input on the concept maps. Information is presented in many forms and medias, and this instructional strategy is a very useful tool in helping students become familiar with the many ways they may be presented text and information.

One strategy that I use for nonlinguistic representations is taking notes using pictures. For example, my fourth grade teachers asked me to help their students with note taking. I planned a lesson around the Texas Indian. With the fourth grade teachers we planned out all the important information that they wanted the students to gain then I went an printed out pictures that represented the information. Then I made a graphic organizer that the students had to fill in with the appropriate information about the Texas tribe, but they had to draw in the information. The next lesson the students had to search and find the information on the remaining tribes but this time they didn't have the pre-printed pictures. They did however have the same graphic organizer and they knew what information the needed to look for. The teacher carried the lesson over in class and required students to write a paper over their information. Since their graphic organizer didn't have anything but pictures the students were forced to use their own words and not just copy things from their text book or internet.

__Cooperative Learning:__ This strategy is probably the one I have relied on the most they past 11 years. Primarily because I feel that varying learning styles are suited best when they can cooperate with others learning with them. I always tell my students that what I have to say is important, but what they have to tell each other is just as important. We learn from each other and cooperative learning provides ample learning opportunities for students to experience modeling, guiding, and most importantly learning from each other.

__Questions, Cues, and Advance Organizers:__ I have always been a KWL user and understand completely how important it is to determine my student's prior knowledge, as well as set the tone for the new learning that lies ahead. The best example I can think of for this strategy is my experience in 2nd grade and how I began new thematic units of study. Whether it be frogs, whales, weather, money, presidents, or communities, each new unit began with questioning students prior learning and thinking. I am huge fan of journaling, so we always recorded our discussion in our journals, while I scripted eveything on big chart paper remsembling our theme. Students were eager to fill the frog or whale with facts they knew, or questions they wanted to answer, and the best part was answering our questions once we had located the answers. Through journaling, my students were able to respond to higher level questioning in their own words, without fear of orally expressing themselves. I was usually very surprised to read some of their thoughts and questions, as the cues in their journals led their learning in a whole new direction.

v Which of these instructional strategies do you need to learn? Name them and describe them. Personally I think that I could learn to better use setting objectives and providing feedback. I have been working really hard to implement rubrics into more of my project based learning. This year, as a 4th grade science teacher, I have found rubrics to be very helpful when grading students on lab work and journaling. The objectives have been set forth from the beginning and I feel like I can hold them accountable for more in the end. In terms of providing feedback I think my weakness is not allowing enough time to assess how the lessons went. I spend so much time teaching the objectives, reteaching the objectives, checking for understanding, and assessing student learning, that I seldom have time left to fully soak in what took place and how and what ws effective or not.

Yes, working in this area will also help you develop better and better rubrics. Brava! Let this be a particular focus on the lesson plan you develop for this assignment.

I believe that I really need learn how to better implement cooperative learning. As a classroom teacher I always did a lot of group work, but that is not really cooperative learning. After reading the lessons in CS4TRC and looking at the short directions and the idea of having students show their contributions in different colors may have worked out better. I always gave a rubric, but perhaps the short, precise directions printed on cards with the rubric and given to each group would have worked better.

Yes, designing group work to hold everyone accountable is important. Again, you can include this as part of the lesson plan you are codeveloping.

This is a two day lesson, which probably should be taught in a subsequent two day period so students are able to recall the prior days learning the following day.
 * Lesson Length: 2 sessions

Which makes a good case for a flexibly scheduled library program!

v What are your questions about the lesson length? You must have at least one. 1. If you are required to do a fixed schedule how could you adjust this lesson to fit in the time restraints? 2. Is it necessary to complete this lesson on two separate days? This lesson incorporates several different subject areas and could be done as a cross curricular lesson. In a case like this, could the lesson be carried over throughout the day from one subject to the next? The learning could be connected from Reading, to Science with the discussion of Senses, and finally to Language Arts in the discussion of figurative language and persuasive paragraph writing.

3. In the event that the daily tasks exceed the amount of time one has available, is it possible to break this lesson up into smaller pieces in order to allow for reviewing prior knoweldge elements such as the 5 senses and figuarative language within the classroom? I know the reading of the book and recording of the senses visualized will take a good chunk of time, and adding the aspect of figuarative language could lengthen the lesson beyond the time available, especially in a departmentalized schedule when there is a set block of time that cannot be changed. Certain aspects of the lesson could be completed in the classroom, while more in depth parts are completed in the library.

Your responses show that coteaching, cofaciliatating and student learning will most likely be compromised. Remember: EVERY schedule can be changed if there is a good reason - improve student learning outcomes!


 * Note:** If you have worked within the constraints of a fixed schedule in which students come to the library just one time per week, there are many options for increasing the amount of time you spend with students. School librarians must think about the fact that NO other teachers in their buildings introduce and teach a concept on Tuesday morning at 10:00 and NEVER mention it again until the next Tuesday morning at 10:00. This is simply not an effective instructional practice. What are your strategies for getting out of the fixed schedule library box?

The purpose of this lesson is to read a fictional text, visualize events from the text, use the text to identify sensory imagery, and use knowledge of the text and sensory imagery present within the text to write a persuasive paragraph displaying text evidence in order to convince someone that one predominant sense is used in owling.
 * Purpose

v How is the purpose of the lesson connected—or not connected—to your idea of the type of instruction that “should” take place in the school library? This lesson directly connects cross curricular learning which I feel makes learning meaningful for students. Students are able to see how books relate to concepts in the real world as well as other subject areas other than reading and use them to further learning on their own. In my opinion, literacy instruction in the library should be well rounded, and advanced, providing students with knowledge that extends classroom learning while building upon prior knowledge and establishing the connection for new learning opportunities as well. This lesson uses a work of fiction, but promotes nonfiction learning of owls as well with the use of owl calls. The objectives of this lesson provide rigor and depth that will demonstrate mastery and understanding of several key concepts. Also, this lesson can tie into so many other subjects. The tally marks alone can work its way into a math lesson. The connections to science can be limitless. Students could study the life cycle of an owl, dissect owl pellets and predict the diet of the owl.

Yes, to all of your ideas and thoughts... I think school librarians do a disservice to themselves and the profession when they set narrow limits for what constitutes a "library" or "information literacy" lesson/unit.

Utilize their senses to vicariously experience an unfamiliar event Identify and record the senses used by the characters Analyze the text for the author's use of figurative language Synthesize information in order to compose a persuasive paragraph that uses evidence and figurative language from the text. Self-asses their persuasive paragraphs
 * Objectives

Review Bloom’s Taxonomy: []

v List at least one verb that is used to name what students will do for every objective in this lesson; list the corresponding level on Bloom’s. Use this chart. Notice the various levels.
 * Objective || Verb || Level on Bloom’s ||
 * Objective 1 || Utilize || Application ||
 * Objective 2 || Identify || Analysis ||
 * Objective 3 || Analyze || Analysis ||
 * Objective 4 || Synthesize || Synthesis ||
 * Objective 5 || Self-Assess || Evaluation ||

Children’s Literature multiple copies of //Owl Moon// Websites www.owling.com
 * Resources, Materials, and Equipment

Graphic Organizers Admit Slip (Web Supplement 4H) Category Matrix (Web Supplement 4I) Sample Persuasive Paragraph (Web Supplement 4J) Persuasive Paragraph Rubric (Web Supplement 4K)

Materials train whistle Equipment Overhead, data projector or interactive whiteboard

v Which are the different formats or genres used to support learners? The genre for //Owl Moon// is realistic fiction. Students also take part in a shared reading of the Owling Admit Slip, which is NONFICTION informational text about owling. Graphic organizers

Also, the owling Web site that offers owl calls.

v Which technology tools are used? If technology is not used in this lesson, do you think there are appropriate tools to help students meet the lesson objectives? Name those tools and how you would use them. This lesson uses multimedia in the form of a sound recording from the website [|www.owling.com]. This website connects the lesson from a fictional text to a nonfiction discussion of owls in the real world and the relationship between the behaviors of owl in the fictional book and those in the real world.

This lesson provides several opportunities for the teacher to project information in a larger format for whole group viewing. When using cooperative learning groups, it is helpful to use projections as a means to bring the small groups back together for whole group discussion as well as a regrouping tool. Students can be reminded of their tasks and directions and clarifications can be made to the whole group instead of individial cooperative learning groups. This also gives the cooperative learning groups a chance to learn from and discuss with the students not in their cooperative learning group.

One suggested additional use of technology would be a Powerpoint of several examples of figurative language within the text. This could be done in whole group and would appeal to visual learners who need to see the relationship between the text and the sense it is describing.

This is a good idea. Combining a visual that illustrates the figurative language could be powerful since the visuals in this picture book contribute significantly to the meaning.

Another suggestion could be to use the interactive whiteboard to read //Owl Moon// as an e-book. Then the teachers can highlight and take notes on the interactive board and the students could make the connection with their paper and pencil.

Yes! This could be an excellent method for introducing the tasks or to complete the lesson as a whole class if students need more support before applying the strategy to another text.


 * Collaboration

v How does this lesson maximize the benefits of two (or more) educators coteaching? Be specific. One example of the benefit of having two educators would be the writing conferences. With two educators conferencing with the students more of them would get that one on one attention during their writing and they would receive the guidance needed to make their writing great. In regards to collaboration, one thing I think that would be helpful is having the opportunity to rely on more time if needed. When a teacher and librarian collaborate, the teacher has the opportunity to preview learning before it begins in the library, making the best use of the alloted time the librarian has set forth for the lesson. Once the lesson is complete, the teacher can then extend the lesson taught by the librarian by continuing the topic into other subjects in a cross curricular manner. This type of instruction provides students with a clear understanding to the meaning of the concepts taught, and students are more likely to own the learning. As with any collaborative project, two heads are better than one. By working together and collaborating the lesson is of good quality and has been well thought and planned out successfully. Each of the partners brings their own level of expertise to the project, whether on the objectives or the students receiving intstruction on the objectives. Together, the lesson becomes more than just a set of objectives, and instead a meaningful learning experience.

Brava! Cofacilitating student learning is a benefit to all. When educators use the same vocabulary and strategies and students hear and practice these in more than one learning environment, outcomes improve. Most teachers will LOVE you if you cofacilitate writing conferences because this is especially difficult for one educator to do alone. (Again, this requires communication between educators so they are comfortable with each other's assessments of students' writing.)
 * Assessment

v Are there multiple methods/tools for assessing student outcomes? If there’s one, name it. If there are multiple, name them. Yes, there are multiple methods of assessment involved in this lesson. The student's paragraphs are graded with a rubric as well as shared with the class to determine the effectiveness of persuasion. Student understanding of figurative language can be assessed by monitoring progress on the Category Matrix.

v Are there opportunities for learners to self assess? (AASLStrand #4: Self-Assessment Strategies) What are they? Yes there are several opportunities in this lesson for students to self assess their own work. 1. The students are given the rubric for the persuasive paragraph they can self-asses their paragraph 2. The students review their category matrix with their partner prior to beginning their persuasive writing. This self-check will ensure that students grasp the content that is required to complete the persuasive writing. 3. The students share their paragraphs with the class and vote on the sense that is most important in owling. The effectiveness of persuasion can be monitored and assessed based on student conclusions and voting.

Be sure to include student self-assessment in your lesson. This is one of the four strands in the AASL S4L.

Readingand/or writing Listening and speaking Other content areas Information literacy Educational technology
 * Standards

v What content-area standards are integrated into this lesson? List them. Use specific standards from state standards inTexas or the state you and your partner have negotiated.

Can you narrow these down to the few that are actually assessed with the category matrix and the rubric?

Reading: (1) Reading/Fluency. Students read grade-level text with fluency and comprehension. Students are expected to read aloud grade-level stories with fluency (rate, accuracy, expression, appropriate phrasing) and comprehension. (3) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:revised August 2011 (A) summarize and explain the lesson or message of a work of fiction as its theme; and (B) compare and contrast the adventures or exploits of characters (e.g., the trickster) in traditional and classical literature. (8) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about how an author's sensory language creates imagery in literary text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to identify the author's use of similes and metaphors to produce imagery Writing: (15) Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students are expected to: (A) plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate for conveying the intended meaning to an audience and generating ideas through a range of strategies (e.g., brainstorming, graphic  organizers, logs, journals); (B) develop drafts by categorizing ideas and organizing them into paragraphs; (C) revise drafts for coherence, organization, use of simple and compound sentences, and audience; (D) edit drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling using a teacher-developed rubric; and (E) revise final draft in response to feedback from peers and teacher and publish written work for a specific audience. Listening/Speaking: (27) Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to: (A) listen attentively to speakers, ask relevant questions, and make pertinent comments; and (B) follow, restate, and give oral instructions that involve a series of related sequences of action. (28) Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to express an opinion supported by accurate information, employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, and enunciation, and the conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively. (29) Listening and Speaking/Teamwork. Students work productively with others in teams. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to participate in teacher- and student-led discussions by posing and answering questions with appropriate detail and by providing suggestions that build upon the ideas of others.

Note: These lesson plans were published before AASL’s Standards for the 21st Century Learner were available.

Don't forget the matrix at: @http://storytrail.com/Impact/matrix.htm

v Which AASL indicators align with this lesson? Give both the number and the description for each. **1.1.9: Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding** - Listen to others with respect. - Share knowledge and ideas with others by discussion and listening **2.1.5 Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions and solve problems.** - Share information and ideas with others by discussion and listening. - Work in groups to create, share and evaluate simple information products **3.1.1 Conclude an inquiry-based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting on the learning** - Use simple rubrics to assess work. - Reflect at the end of an iquiry experience about new ideas to wonder about and investigate. **4.1.3 Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world and previous reading.** - Predict what will happen next in a story. - Retell a story using their own words and pictures


 * Implementation **

Motivation For this two day lesson, each day begins with a new motivation. The motivation for Day 1 used technology in the form of multimedia sound. The motivation for Day 2 is to share with students that they will have the opportunity to share their efforts at the end of the lesson. Students will also be voting on the most persuasive paragraph related to owling and senses.
 * Process

Motivation is also known as “anticipatory set” in the Madeline Hunter, EEI lesson plan design.

v Will this invitation to learn be effective in capturing students’ interest? Why or why not? Students will be eager to begin the lesson on Owls using the book "Owl Moon" after they listen to the owl call. This will motivate them to continue to learn more about this topic. This nonfiction element will make the reading of the fictional text meaningful to students as they search to understand which sense is more important in owling. Students will be interested in the topic and be ready to take part in the activities that the lesson presents to them.

The motivation for Day 2 is succesful in capturing student interest by informing students that their effort is important and their work will be shared with another class. This form of motivation helps students to own their learning and in turn will result in a better product. Students want to have something good to share with others and will work hard to make their persuasive paragraph very convincing. Peer reflection in the form of voting provides a sense of competition, which is very popular at this particular age group.

v What are your ideas to increase student buy-in to this lesson? Give at least one. I think that this lesson provides numerous opportunites for cross curricular learning. Some things I might add to the increase student interest are: *Bring in feathers for students to touch and feel. Use this to jog student's memories and check for prior knowledge of the the five senses. *Show students a powerpoint or animated slide show using real images of owls. Have students discuss any special adaptations or traits they may be familiar with. *Share with students funny similies and metaphors in order to review figurative languge. Let students work with their group to complete a funny similie or metaphor related to school and then share with the class. *Students could observe real owl in the natural habitat by viewing owl cams. An example of an owl web cam is http://birdcam.xcelenergy.com/owl.html

Hurray! These are excellent ideas. You should never feel limited by published lesson plans.

Student-friendly Objectives

v Are these objectives at the instructional level of the targeted students? Give an example. Yes, these objectives are targeted for the right instructional level. For example, "Identify and use tally marks to record the senses used by the characters", all the key words in this objective are words that fourth graders should be familiar with ( tally, senses & characters) This objectives within this lesson are approriate for the the advanced 4-6 grade levels. In particular, the objectives of figurative language and persuasive writing are both TEKS that students in grades 4-6 are required to learn. Depending on the grade level, the depth and rigor associated with the objective could vary.

v Are there terms in these objectives that may need to be taught to students? Give an example. Some students may not know what a simile or metaphor is in the objective "Identify and quote similes and metaphors that relate to each sense". Depending on the grade level, the term figurative langugae may have been introduced using more simplified vocabulary terms such as similie and metaphor. Students prior experience with this type of writing may have been more creatively introduced, for example the students wrote similies and metaphors of their own. This lesson addresses a much more complex level of Bloom's and has the students use their prior knowledge of what similies and metaphors are to analyze text. The connection between locating the figuartive language and using it to analyze the senses of characters will need to be addressed up front.

Agreed.

Presentation

v Describe the modeling aspect of this lesson. One the first day the teachers are actually modeling what the students need to do. As one teacher is reading aloud from //Owl Moon// the other teacher is closing her eyes to visualize. Then the educator tells what she visualized and and marks the tally for the sensory images. Modeling this will give the students the opportunity to see exactly what is expected and how they can complete their assignment. Modeling is a great way to show reluctant participants or struggling learners exactly what is expected of them and how they can successfully accomplish the task at hand. Another aspect of modeling is when the educators put the similes and metaphors in quotation marks. This is a great time to mention giving credit to authors for their work and teaching students how to avoid plagiarism. On day 2 of the lesson the educators participate in role play as they discuss the predeominant sense of owling. The educators use this as the basis for demonstrating how the students will build a convincing persuasive paragraph. The educators also orally share a sample persuasive paragraph with the class and lead the students in assessing it with the rubric they will be using to assess their own work.

v How are the benefits of two or more educators maximized in the presentation component? The presentation components of this lesson both involve modeling for students. The day 1 presentation benefits heavily from having two educators present, as the educators demonstrate for the class exactly how the students are to participate and work together with their partner to read the text and complete the category matrix. Having two educators model this is an effective tool for visual learners who must see what is expected of them, versus hearing or reading it from the procedures list. Also, by reviewing the rubric in the presentation and telling the students how important it is to include evidence from the text the learners can incorporate these aspects into the writing.

Two educators can also show how they have different responses to the text or identify different bits of figurative language. Students should note that all readers to not achieve comprehension in exactly the same way.

Student Participation Procedures or Student Practice Procedures

v Are the directions clear? Give an example. I believe the directions are very clear. The directions were short and to the point. For example, in the first lesson there are only three simple, kid friendly directions: "1.Take turns reading one page at a time and listening/visualizing the story. 2.Takes turns recording senses used by tally marks. 3.Take turns quoting simile/metaphor quotes on a shared graphic organizer." These directions are easily understandable and students should have no problem understanding them nor figuiring out what their task is. The directions also have a key word of "take turns", which clear states that each of the students need to participate and do each part of the assignment. On day 2, the students are given four concise procedures to follow. The procedures use vocabulary which has already been introduced in the lesson through prior instruction or modeling from the educators. The third procedure, "Compose an individual persuasive paragraph that uses evidence from the text and similies and metaphors to convince the reader that one sense is predominantly used in owling." Although rather lengthy, this procedure clearly states exactly what the persuasive paragraph must include. Students can read over this objective once they have completed their paragraph and self check their product to make sure they have included all necessary elements, before completing the final procedure which is to self-assess with the rubric.

Good. It is important for educators to conduct a task analysis of all the steps and lay those out for students.

Guided Practice

v How are the benefits of two or more educators maximized in the guided practice component? Yes, the educators are maximized in both of the guided practices. In the first guided practice the educators are monitoring the students reading, visualizing and record keeping. One benefit to having two educators involved in the guided practice portion of a lesson is to decrease student wait time. By having both educators available to students during the day 2 guided practice, the educators are able to work with twice as many students as they monitor individual paragraph writing. Students may need additional help with the using the rubric to assess their work, and the availability of both educators during this time will ensure that students are able to accomplish more in the alloted time. As with any collaborative project, having the opportunity to hear someone else's comments on your work is helpful to students as well. Sometimes it just takes it coming from someone else for a student to grasp what they have had difficulty with.

Yes! Sometimes students can help one another in this way. Two adults,however, are usually better in guiding students' practice.

Closure

v Are students active in the closure component? What are students doing for closure? Yes the students are active in both lessons during the closure. On day one students are counting their tally marks and sharing some of their simile and metaphors. On the second day the students are divided into groups and are sharing their paragraphs. Afterwards, The students are voting on the most important sense. The outcome and closure of this entire lesson focuses on student understanding and involves the students sharing, discussing, and self-assessing their work and the work of their classmates.

Keeping students active in the closure is important. They, not teachers, should summarize the learning.

Reflection

v How is the reflection component related to the learning objectives? There are several reflection questions. The questions about visualization and sensory images can help the learner effectively write and learn how to add voice into this writing assignment as well as other writing assignments. Asking the students about the visualization is giving them a tool that they can put in their writers toolbox and hopefully use in the paragraph. Also, talking about figurative language and exposing the students to this type of writing will more than likely have an influence on their writing style. Students are able to take what they have learned from this lesson, visulaizing, figurative language, and persuasive writing, and reflect on why these objectives are important and necessary for them to know. Students begin to grasp the meaning behind the lesson and take on personal ownership of the lesson as they decipher how these concepts can be used in any subject area as a useful and helpful strategy.


 * Extensions

v What are your other ideas for extensions to this lesson? Describe at least one. 1. Students can draw and illustrate the figurative language they find in the story and make a classroom book to display their work. 2. After completing this lesson students should have a good grasp on figurative language and how it is used by authors to add expression to their writing. Students could use the learning in this lesson as a stepping stone to Owl Research that will also be completed as a collaborative library/classroom project. Students will work to gather nonfiction sources and information in order to write an informational article about owls. Their article must include figurative language that depicts information and facts they have learned about owls. Example: Students learn that owls have very keen hearing and could include a figurative language statement such as: The owl can sounds that no one else can.

These are excellent ideas for extending this lesson.


 * Remember: ** Extensions are further invitations to classroom-library collaboration. They are worth thinking about during the planning stage!