Direct Instruction Lesson Plan

Grade Level/Subject: 2nd/Reading Central Focus: Comprehension- Using information gained in the text to describe how characters in a story.

Essential Standard/Common Core Objective: Date submitted: 8 April 2014 RL.2.7- Use information gained from illustrations and words in print/digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, and plot. Date taught: 20 March 2014 Daily Lesson Objective: Before, during, and after reading a short fictional text, students will use information from the text to describe a character and form an understanding of the character via a F.A.S.T. Chart. 21st Century Skills: Academic Language Demand (Language Function and Vocabulary): Language Function: describe Essential Vocabulary: F.A.S.T. Chart, Character Analysis, Observations Prior Knowledge: According to ELA CCSS RL.1.3 students should be able to describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details by first grade. Furthermore, students should be able to use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events. This lesson is also a review lesson, so the students should be familiar with finding details to describe a character. Activity Description of Activities and Setting When you begin reading a new book, what is one of the first things you do when looking at it? (Wonder what it is about, look at the cover/picture on the front of the book, read the title, etc.) What do you think you can learn from looking at the pictures on the pages and the cover about the character? (You can tell if the character is happy, sad, angry, etc.) What are some ways that looking at the pictures of a book could help us better understand the text? (Look at key details in a picture; you can take a picture walk to see how the character changes throughout the book, etc.) Today we are going to learn how to analyze a character in a story. Analyzing a character before, during, and after reading will help you better understand a text; its characters, and problems throughout the story. After we practice, you will be able to analyze a character on your own based off of information you find throughout the book. Knowing how to analyze a character by using information in the text will help you become a better reader since you will be able to use information gained through the text to show understanding. Good readers analyze characters when they read because it helps the reader better understand the text. When reading we look for character traits through action and dialogue. We also want to think of emotions and motives of the character, this will help you understand the character better. When reading any kind of text you should analyze the character. You can do this, before, during, and after reading, sometimes you can even understand a character before you finish the book. Character Analysis is finding character traits, actions, motives, emotions, and dialogue that will help you understand a character. When you analyze a character you find evidence about what a character is like from the text. You can use words, facial expressions, actions, thoughts, feelings, and relationships with other characters to help you analyze a character. Good readers do this before reading to get ready to read and during and after reading to make sure you understand the character. This will help you better understand a book. Explain that students will begin looking at the character of this story, before we begin reading by looking at the cover of the book. Students should ask themselves What do you think the characters attitude is in this story? and By reading the title, what do you think the characters problem will be in this Time

1. Focus and Review

2 minutes

2. Statement of Objective for Student

1 minute

3. Teacher Input

15 minutes

story? And How do you think the character will deal with his problem? Ask students How could we find the answer to these questions by just looking at the illustrations and text? (By looking at the characters face, posture, and how punctuation is used in the text). Introduce the F.A.S.T. Chart to the class. This will be created using a piece of notebook paper and two simple folds. Present the structure of the framework to the class (4 squaresFeelings, Actions, Sayings, Thoughts). Introduce Alexander Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday to the class. Tell students that as you read you will model how they should read a book while looking at the illustrations and text for clues about the character. While you are reading, be sure to think aloud and demonstrate how to analyze the character by looking at the illustrations and using character traits to help describe his actions and attitude throughout the story. Read the first few pages of the book. While modeling what to do during the think aloud, show students how to quickly analyze the character by keeping a close eye out for certain words, facial expressions, actions, thoughts, feelings, and relationships with other characters. Explain that these clues will help us analyze Alexanders character. Be sure students are aware that they will be completing a chart on these specific things to help them analyze Alexanders character. Think aloud. On the cover of Alexander Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday I see this character with red hair, I wonder who this character will be in the story? I can tell he is not happy because he kind of has a frown on his face. This tells me there will be a problem in this story. I also see that Alexander has his pockets pulled out, I wonder why? I am going to remember this by writing down all of my thoughts on this character. Since I am going to be writing these down later on our F.A.S.T. Chart I just want these to be quick notes that I can jot down and make into sentences later. As we read the book together, you will write down some observations on Alexander as we read too so that you can fill out your F.A.S.T. Chart as well. After demonstrating a few more observations, the teacher will begin teaching students how to use the F.A.S.T. Chart. Now that we know a few more things about our character lets take all of our observations and they will help us fill out our F.A.S.T. Chart, I will begin placing the labels on the Chart. Each box will have a different label. In the top left box will be Feelings, this is where we will right how we thought the character felt throughout this story and write how we know he felt that way. In the top right box will be Actions, this will be where we write the characters actions. In the bottom left box will be Sayings, this will be where we write the sayings that the character said that helps us analyze who the character is. The teacher would also have the students write what they would say to Alexander about saving his money. Last, the bottom right box will be labeled as Thoughts, here the students will write their thoughts about Alexanders character and how he changed throughout the story. Now that we have finished the book, I would like for everyone to keep your observations and we will use them to help create your F.A.S.T. Chart. Here is a sample of what you will be doing at your seat in just a minute...

Feelings: How the character felt throughout the story. How do you know the character felt this way?

Actions: The characters actions. What did the character do? How did this affect the character? Thoughts: What do you think about the character? What are some character traits to describe the character? How has the character changed throughout the story?

Sayings: What were some things the character said that helped you understand him/her better? What would you say to the character?

Say, Good readers do this before reading to get ready to read and during and after reading to make sure you understand the character. This will help you better understand a book. So I want to be that you can describe the character, Alexander. In the beginning, before I started reading I noticed that Alexander looked kind of upset on the cover, so I will use that as one of my observations. Analyzing the character helped me clarify the text. The teacher will finish reading the book to the class going slow enough so that students have an opportunity to write down observations. As you read, do not resume modeling with analyzing the characters. Since this lesson is a review, students should be familiar with the process and will complete the task on their own in the Independent Practice portion of the lesson. Once completed, ask students Does my example provide information that describes the character, Alexander, only? Students can do thumbs up for yes and thumbs down for no. In pairs, have students Think, Pair, Share. Students will be partnered up based upon their seating and will share observations about the character. On the Whiteboard, the teacher will also provide some questions that the students will need to discuss with their partner. The students may also record some observations on their notes sheet so that they can add it to their F.A.S.T Chart. 4. Guided Practice Next, have students share back with the class their observations and how they found their answers within the text. Listed are the questions that will be written on the board for the Think, Pair, Share discussion: 1. Who gave Alexander his dollar? (His grandparents). 2. Alexanders mother told him he should save his money for what? (A walkie-talkie). 3. What did Alexander do with his dollar? (Spent it on bubble gum, losing 5 minutes

5. Independent Practice

6. Assessment Methods of all objectives/skills:

bets, a snake rental, bad word fines, lost, candy bar, magic trick, and a garage sale). 4. What does Alexander have left now? How does he feel about that? (Bus tokens, Alexander is not happy about that at all). Now, the students will complete their F.A.S.T. Chart on the character Alexander from Alexander Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday. Fold your notebook paper hamburger style once, then hamburger style again. You will not need to unfold your paper until asked to. Think of the questions you discussed with your partner in your Think, Pair, Share and how you can include that discussion on your F.A.S.T. Chart. We also want to be sure that we include some character traits that will describe Alexander. Begin placing the labels on the Chart. Each box will have a different label. In the top left box will be Feelings, this is where we will right how we thought the character felt throughout this story and write how we know he felt that way. In the top right box will be Actions, this will be where we write the characters actions. In the 20 bottom left box will be Sayings, this will be where we write the sayings that minutes the character said that helps us analyze who the character is. You will also write what you would say to Alexander about saving his money. Last, the bottom right box will be labeled as Thoughts; here you will write your thoughts about Alexanders character and how he changed throughout the story. Now that we have finished the book, I would like for everyone to keep use your observations and use them to help create your F.A.S.T. Chart. You will need to write your observations in full sentences. If you are having difficulty with a square, get help from your partner. You can share with your partner to see if you are able to find some observations to fill each box. You must have a minimal of 2 observations in each box. If you finish early Criteria for evaluating students products Full Mastery- Students have written brief notes throughout the story. On their F.A.S.T. Charts, students have written at least 2 observations in full sentences and provided proof. o If all of the observations are correct and make sense, but not written out in full sentences the student will still receive Full Mastery, but will be reminded to follow directions. o If the student writes all observations in full sentences, but not all of the observations are correct or make sense the student is still able to receive Full Mastery if they have written at least 6 of their 8 observations correctly and accurately. Partial Mastery- Students have written brief observations throughout the story. On their F.A.S.T. Charts, students have written observations mostly in full sentences and provided proof from the text. o If the student has written all observations in full sentences, but has not written 10 or more of the observations correctly, then the student will receive Partial Mastery. o If the student has written some observations in full sentences and provided between 4-6 observations correct, they will receive Partial Mastery. No Mastery (reteaching needed)- On the students F.A.S.T. Chart, the student has written brief observations that are not correct or do not make sense and provided little to no proof with from the text. o If the student has recorded more than 4 inaccurate observations, they have not reached mastery. o If the student writes some observations in full sentences, but recorded more than 4 inaccurate observations, they have not reached mastery. o If the student writes all observations in full sentences, but has recorded more than 4 inaccurate observations, they have not reached mastery. *In order for an observation to be correct, the students must show accurate proof of

7. Closure 8. Assessment Results of all objectives/skills:

where they found it and it must be meaningful opinions of the character that could be easily seen from the text. Since the observations will vary, there is no set correct answer. How do we analyze a character? Why do good readers need to know how to 2 minutes analyze a character?

Targeted Students Modifications/Accommodations: For the ELL students, I will provide a partner who is familiar with the other language (Spanish) and allow the two students to work together. Materials/Technology: Alexander Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday. Notebook paper per student for F.A.S.T. Chart. Notebook paper per student for notes on story. References: Alexander Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday Reflection on lesson:

Student/Small Group Modifications/Accommodations: For struggling learners, I would have students write their questions directly onto the F.A.S.T. Chart and work with a partner to help find the proof throughout the text.