Content Area Reading Lesson Grade Level: Fourth Topic: North American Neighbors Expository text: Bednarz, S., Clinton, C., Hartoonian, M., & Hernandez, A., et al. (2000). Explore our land. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. BEFORE READING: (ABC Brainstorming) I. Motivation: How many of you have neighbors? What types of neighbors do you have? Today we are going to talk about some neighbors that you might not think of: our neighboring countries. II. Prior Knowledge: What country do we live in? The United States. How can you describe where our country is located in the world? One way you could describe its location is by saying it is in the Western Hemisphere. Another way might be to say that it is south of Canada and north of Mexico and Central America. What continent does our country belong to? North America. The United States has many different regions with different characteristics. III. Purpose Today we are going to be reading about our North American neighbors. We will be learning about the different regions that surround our country. http://www.readingquest.org/pdf/abc.pdf IV. Direct and strategy instruction A. Strategy: Before we begin reading, let's talk a little bit more about our topic. We are going to be doing an ABC Brainstorm. An ABC Brainstorm is a list of words and phrases for every letter of the alphabet relating to a particular topic. A summary paragraph is then written about the topic. Our purpose for doing an ABC Brainstorm is to activate our background knowledge to prepare ourselves for reading and discussing our topic. B. Steps: 1. Identify the topic 2. List the letters of the alphabet (or use handout) 3. Individually brainstorm words and phrases for each letter relating to the topic 4. Share ideas with a partner 5. Write a summary paragraph about the topic 6. Share ideas with the class MODEL: Let's pretend our topic is Communities. First, I will list the letters of the alphabet on my paper (or use the handout). Now I am going to brainstorm words and phrases that relate to communities. After coming up with this list, I am going to discuss my ideas with a partner to get even more ideas. Now I am going to write a summary paragraph about communities. Finally, I would share my ideas with the class. GUIDED PRACTICE: Now let's switch over to our topic for today: North American Neighbors. Using the charts I am passing out, let's do an ABC Brainstorm. At the top, let's write down the topic. Now let's write down some words and phrases that we come up with when we think of our North American neighbors. These could include things that make a country unique, such as the name of the country, important geographical regions, ways that people earn a living, and cultural backgrounds. Write down ideas as students contribute them. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE: Now that we have listed some words and phrases together, why don't you each brainstorm on your own for a minute, and then we'll pair up to share our ideas. Students brainstorm individually, then with a partner. Now that you have a good list, take a couple minutes and write a summary paragraph about the topic: North American Neighbors. Students write paragraphs. Now that we have our paragraphs written, let's go around and share our ideas. You may either share your paragraph or some of the words that you listed in your ABC Brainstorm. http://forpd.ucf.edu/strategies/stratMap.html DURING READING: (Concept Definition Mapping & Dialectical Journaling) Bednarz, S, Clinton, C, Hartoonian, M, & Hernandez, A. (2000). Explore our land. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Differentiation: On-level text: Read pages as instructed. Below-level text: Low-level students will be paired with above level students for reading the text. OR Ver Steeg, C. (1991). Exploring world communities. New York: D.C. Heath & Co. (Gr. 3) Above-level text: Armbruster, B. (1986). Western hemisphere: America's neighbors. Lexington: Ginn. (Gr. 6) V. Text Structure: Expository text- 4 th grade social studies textbook- Description and Comparison Read pages 405-407 (not Canada paragraph) aloud as a whole group by asking for volunteers for each paragraph. Students read pages 407-411 quietly in pairs, filling out as much of the concept maps as they can, and writing at least four entries in their dialectical journals. VI. Vocabulary Before we start reading today, let's take a look at the new vocabulary words we don't know yet to help us understand the text! We have five new vocab. words that we're going to fill out concept definition maps for. First, we're going to write each word in the center of a separate concept definition map. As you come across each vocabulary word in the reading, you're going to answer the questions, "What is it?" What is it like?" and "What are some examples?" to fill out your maps. We will also be using our dialectical journals as we read. Take out your journal and I would like you to make at least FOUR entries. Remember: your quotes go on the left, and your responses or questions go on the right! Words to teach:
Words used in context for student prediction/practice: The first vocabulary word we come to is on page 407. It says, "Canada has ten provinces and two territories. A province is a division of a country. It's a lot like a state." These sentences tell me a lot about what the vocabulary word, province , means! I can get enough information to fill out my concept definition map. Who answered the "What is it?" question? [Fill out the province concept map as a whole class. Then, ask for pairs of students to come up, fill out the concept definition map for the next vocab. word, and "teach" the class about the word. Repeat this for each word.] VII. Content The main idea for the lesson is that the United States is linked geographically, economically, and culturally with Canada, Mexico, and Central America. Students will read the text with the vocabulary words in mind and react to specific quotes in their journals. The content focuses on shared land and histories of the North American countries, and characteristics of the land and people of Canada and Mexico (and Central America). AFTER READING: (Dialectical Journal) VIII. Questioning Reread: Let's look back in our books at page 410. What did we learn about Mexico and Central America and their relation to the United States? Let's reread the paragraph together as a class. [After rereading] What kinds of responses did you make in your journals about this paragraph? What was interesting or surprising? What's the big idea of this section? How could we summarize this section? IX. Writing to Learn Activity Write a paragraph about Canada, Mexico, and Central America using the terms: province, mestizo, multicultural, NAFTA, and isthmus. X. Follow-Up Activities In your journals, now you can finish or expand on your responses or reflections in the right-hand column to the quotes and comments you wrote down in the left-hand column. After rereading your quotes and responses, write three sentences summarizing what we read today so that you can remember it better. Then share with a small group of peers a few of the quotes each of you wrote in your journal. You may have different quotes than other members in your group. That's ok. Each person chose quotes that he/she felt were most important in the text. XI. Closure Independent practice of the strategy: Students will complete their journal entries for the chapter independently (outside of class if they don't finish in class). Independent content work: Complete practice book review sheet. Assessment: Summarizing paragraph with vocabulary terms - 15 points; Review each student's dialectical journal - included at least 4 quotes and responses.
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CA Reading Lesson
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