Guided Reading Lessons

Name: Sean Addley Grade: 2^nd Grade Date: 4/16/08

Objective: Students will compare main characters in a fictional story.

Standards: R.NT.02.01, R.CM.02.03

Materials: Tikki Tikki Tembo (Mosel, 1968), Paper for everyone, Pencils for everyone, easel with big paper, marker

Lesson Procedures:

1. Pre-reading (4 minutes)

· Introduce Text – I will do a quick picture walk, pointing out the main characters which will be compared. I will ask question about the illustrations and if they see common themes throughout the book.

· Introduce Purpose – I will explain to the students that we are going to be finding similarities and differences between two main characters in the story who happen to be brothers. I will further explain that I will be reading the book two times and the first time I want them to be good listeners. The second time I read, I will encourage them to take notes on their paper about the characters.

2. Reading (8 minutes)

I will completely read the text once through while students actively listen. As I read the story a second time I will encourage the students to try to find similarities and differences while I read about the two brothers, while still paying attention, taking notes on their paper.

3. Responding (6 minutes)

I will ask the students if they were able to come up with any really good examples of similarities or differences. I will also ask if any of the students have any brothers or sisters of their own. I will encourage students to share some similarities and differences they have between their siblings. After sharing, I will ask if any of the similarities/differences they have with their siblings are the same that are seen in the story, bringing us back on track.

4. Exploring(13 minutes)

· Strategy Introduction – I will draw a Venn diagram on the easel, labeling one circle “Chang” and the other circle “Tikki Tikki Tembo…” I will share with the students this is a tool called a Venn diagram which I used when comparing similarities and differences.

· Engaging – I will ask one of the students to share an example of the similarity/difference they came up with. We will discuss if the example is a similarity or difference, stressing that differences are unique to that one character and similarities are shared by both.

· Practice –I will share that in a Venn diagram how similarities go in the middle because this part is shared by both circles, therefore differences would go in that individual character’s circle. I will ask for student examples of similarities/differences and write them in the appropriate place on the Venn diagram on the easel. I will do this with each student and one of their examples.

5. Applying(5 minutes)

I will ask student to use the marker and put one more example on the easel. This I will ask to be done independently with no help from others, reminding them to remain silent and respectful.

Accommodations:

Reading twice (allows for better detail recognition)

Notes (will focus more on the story than remember their thoughts)

Easel / Diagram (learning styles)

Assessment:

I will review what each student posted on the easel. The examples which identify a difference/similarity of the two brothers will have met the lesson objective.

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Summary:

This lesson was taught with a small group of four student who were chosen by me. I chose with a range of abilities who were behaving good throughout the day.

Reflection:

The students were very engaged with this activity. The first excitement was due to this being the first time I independently taught them a real type lesson. Personally I didn’t see much difference than any other time I guided a station, but the students seemed to. This excitement was flattering, but I had to make sure to not let things get out of control too early. I had to remind them that it is okay that we have fun but to remember that we are students and as long as our fun involves learning then we are okay. After this brief reminder, I had all eyes back on me and mouths were closed. After I introduced the book and did a picture walk, the students were really into the colors and the pictures, I was hoping this would keep them engaged while I read the book, however after they heard the “Tikki Tikki Tembo…” for the first time; this became their new focus of the story. After reading the story two times, the students shared their similarities and differences. I am happy to say that each student was able to come up with at least one similarity and one difference between the brothers. Some simply said one wears yellow and one wears blue, where as some were more deep talking about their personalities. One thing that I still need to work on is my read-aloud abilities, as I mentioned in a previous post, I believe when I read to the students I rush when I get nervous. This time I was in a smaller group, which helped with the nerves, but I still feel I could have slowed down the text a bit more. It is hard to gauge what is appropriate for each grade during specific times of the years. This is something I hope to gain with more experience in the classroom. While reading the story, I did not have to pause for much side talk. Again, I believe this is because the group was much smaller and the stakes were much higher if an individual began to talk. Additionally, I chose the students to join the group, so they felt special and realized that this was a privilege to be sitting, learning, and enjoying a book with Mr. Addley, this also helped in managing the group. The students realized that they were chosen, this is a privilege, and they need to maintain an appropriate behavior.