The Schoolyard Mystery by Elizabeth Levy

Text Level L Kristin Buholtz

1
Guided Reading Script-Narrative
Grade Level: 4th
Ability Group: LOW
Skill/Concept/Strategy Taught: Contet Clue!
1 Teacher !elect! tet and !kill/!trategy prior to lesson
The boo! selected "or guided reading groups is #The Schoolyard $ystery% based
on &
th
grade struggling readers
The reading strategy being "ocused on is using context clues to understand 'hat
'ords (ean
) Teacher introduce! text*
+ntroduces title and author
Today 'e are going to use a (ystery genre boo! called #The Schoolyard
$ystery% by Elizabeth Levy to help us practice using context clues to
"igure out 'ord (eanings o" so(e tric!y 'ords
Encourages students, prior -bac!ground. !no'ledge/experiences 'ith
topic/characters in the story
0e can use clues by loo!ing at certain parts o" a boo! or test to help us
(a!e in"erences 'hat the story (ight be about By loo!ing at the title and
the illustration on the "ront cover1 can anyone tell (e 'hat this story (ight
be about2
The Schoolyard Mystery by Elizabeth Levy
Text Level L Kristin Buholtz
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There is another text "eature or clue that (ight help us gain a better
understanding about 'hat the story is about +" 'e loo! at the bac! cover
there is o"ten a su((ary or a paragraph that gives us snea! pea! or
previe' about the story So let,s loo! at the bac! o" the boo! and see 'hat
it says
+nvites students to (a!e a text to text connection
+t sounds li!e there is a group o" "riends 'ho all have so(ething that (a!e
the( uni3ue and have co(e together to create a club/group called
#+nvisible +nc% to solve (ysteries 4ave any o" you ever created or been
part o" a club or group to do so(ething you li!e2
5rovides so(e in"or(ation about/"ro( the story -ne' vocabulary/un"a(iliar
topic/etc.
Today 'e are going to use this boo! to help us practice using context
clues to "igure out the (eanings o" 'ords 'e co(e across that (ight be
tric!y in this boo!
6n your graphic organizer + have put so(e 'ords that + thin! (ight be a
little tric!y during reading this boo!
These 'ords are -pin! and yello' tabs on side.*
bandages
shrie!ed
The Schoolyard Mystery by Elizabeth Levy
Text Level L Kristin Buholtz
3
'ailing
sala(ander
hostage
5robes "or !no'ledge o" 'ord (eaning/topic understanding
7an anyone tell (e 'hat you thin! any o" these 'ords (ean2
5rovides in"or(ation about the 'ord (eaning/topic
Than!s "or being brave and letting (e !no' 'hat you thin!8 you all (ade
so(e great guesses1 let,s see i" your guesses are right during our reading
Encourages students to interpret illustrations/"ront cover/bac! cover/title page o"
story
0e 9ust used the title o" the boo!1 illustration on the cover1 and bac! cover
in"or(ation as clues to (a!e in"erences o" 'hat this boo! is about :o'
let,s ta!e a picture 'al! to loo! at the illustrations and other text "eatures
-such as chapter headings ; pin! tabs across top. to help us (a!e deeper
connections and in"erences about the boo!
<e"ines proble( o" story/plot o" story/etc
The very "irst page o" the boo! provides us 'ith an interesting illustration1
'hat do you thin! is happening here2
The Schoolyard Mystery by Elizabeth Levy
Text Level L Kristin Buholtz
4
This illustration gives us a clue that there (ight be a proble( +t loo!s li!e
a ball (ight go (issing= -teal tab.
+nvites personal response to proble( or plot o" story
<o you agree that a proble( that (ight happen in this boo! is that there
'ill be a lost ball2 0hat text "eature or clue led you to that in"erence2
4ave any o" you ever lost a ball1 or lost anything and needed to "ind it2
<ra' attention to certain aspects o" the story -illustrations1 bubble
conversations/thoughts1 unusual print on the page1 etc.1 i" they o""er additional
#insight/(eaning% into story
<o you thin! this illustration or 'ords (ight give us a little hint as to 'ho
'ill help solve the proble( in the boo!2 -purple tab.
Explain 'hat these aspects are and ho' they can help the reader understand the
story (ore
This illustration loo!s li!e a card or business card1 doesn,t it2 6n the bac!
o" the cover 'e read that a group o" "riends "or(ed #+nvisible +nc% and
together they solve (ysteries and have "un So do you thin! this (ight be
a 'ay o" letting their "riends !no' they can help the( solve (ysteries and
proble(s they (ight have2
The Schoolyard Mystery by Elizabeth Levy
Text Level L Kristin Buholtz
5
+ntroduce i(portant character-s. in story and unusual vocabulary involved 'ith
this character
There are several characters in this boo!1 but the (ain ones are the
characters 'e read about on the bac! o" the boo!* 7hip1 >ustin1 and
7harlene
7hip is invisible ; that 'ill be interesting to read about
>ustin reads lips ; he doesn,t hear very 'ell in one ear and has
learned ho' to read lips
7harlene is good at "iguring things out
?ocuses attention to begin reading
0e are going to start reading this boo! silently and to ourselves
0hen you co(e across a 'ord that (atches a 'ord on your graphic
organizer1 + 'ant you to 'rite do'n 'hat you thin! it (eans1 evidence "ro(
the text that supports your (eaning o" the 'ord1 and 'e 'ill regroup a"ter
reading to see i" you 'ere able to use context clues to help you solve the
(eaning o" the tric!y 'ords
+" you notice1 there is a blan! space on your graphic organizer 'here + did
not 'rite a tric!y 'ord + 'ant you to 'rite your o'n 'ord that you "ind
tric!y as you are reading1 then use context clues to "igure out the (eaning
o" the 'ord
The Schoolyard Mystery by Elizabeth Levy
Text Level L Kristin Buholtz
6
Let,s re"resh our (e(ory on di""erent 'ays 'e can use context clues -as!
"or any volunteered ans'ers1 then sca""old 'ith the re(ainder.
0e can use the in"or(ation in the sentences be"ore and a"ter the
'ord1 along 'ith the in"or(ation presented in the sentence that
contains the tric!y 'ord
@sing character "eelings or e(otions in the story can help us "igure
out the (eaning o" the 'ord
0e can use illustrations to help support our thoughts on the
(eaning o" the 'ord
There (ight be a 'ord part or part o" the 'ord that 'e already
!no'1 and 'e can use that in"or(ation to help us construct a
(eaning "or the ne' 'ord
0e can use a synony( "or 'hat 'e (ight thin! the 'ord (eans
and replace it to see i" the sentence (a!es sense
These are 9ust several 'ays to use the in"or(ation around our
tric!y 'ord as context clues to help us deter(ine the (eaning o"
the 'ord
A Students read the tet"
Students read the text silently or aloud in the s(all group
So let,s start reading silently1 + 'ill 'ant to listen to each o" you read 3uietly
to (e "or a little bit
The Schoolyard Mystery by Elizabeth Levy
Text Level L Kristin Buholtz
7
+" needed1 the teacher assist students 'ho (ay be need help reading
+" you need any help or get stuc! 9ust raise your hand
& Teacher and students di!cu!! and revi!it the text
The teacher as!s students 3uestions about 'hat they read/noticed in story
<id anyone read so(ething interesting they 'ant to share2
<oes anyone have a "avorite part you read2
B Teacher eplicitly teache! the reading proce!! !kill/!trategy using the ele(ents
"ro( the story
0hile 'e 'ere reading 'e 'ere "ocusing on being able to use context
clues to help us deter(ine the (eaning o" tric!y 'ords
Let,s loo! at the 'ords on your graphic organizer Cou (ay not have
gotten to all o" the 'ords in the story yet1 but let,s loo! at the ones 'e
have co(e across
Let,s start 'ith the "irst 'ord on our graphic organizer* #bandages%
o 7an so(eone tell (e 'hat the 'ord #bandages% (eans1 and
ho' you "igured it out2
The next 'ord is #shrie!ed%
o Shrie!ed is a "unny 'ord1 did anyone "igure out the (eaning
o" this 'ord by replacing it 'ith a synony( to see i" the
sentence still (ade sense2
The Schoolyard Mystery by Elizabeth Levy
Text Level L Kristin Buholtz
8
<id any o" you get to the 'ord #'ailing2%
o 0ho used the sentence be"ore the 'ord #'ailing% appeared
to help the( deter(ine the (eaning o" the 'ord2 0hat is a
synony( 'e could use to replace the 'ord #'ailing2%
4as anyone co(e across their o'n tric!y 'ord2
o 0hat 'ord did you co(e across1 and did you "igure out its
(eaning2 4o' did you "ind out the (eaning o" that 'ord2
Ds 'e continue to read this boo! 'e 'ill re"er bac! to our graphic
organizer to help us re(e(ber to use evidence and context clues
to "igure out tric!y 'ords in our reading
E Teacher etend! under!tanding o" students
Teacher discusses s!ill/strategy learned or plot1 setting1 characters1 sy(bolis(1
etc
7an anyone tell (e 'here this story ta!es place1 or 'hat the setting o" this
story is2
0ho in this story has character traits that (ight be explained as being a
bully to his class(ates2
<oes anyone thin! that this character -Keith. (ight be involved in
the proble( that arises in this story2
The Schoolyard Mystery by Elizabeth Levy
Text Level L Kristin Buholtz
9
+ 'ant us to loo! at the title "or chapter one -Tears in the 7lassroo(. +s
that a good title "or the chapter2 0hy/'hy not2 D"ter a little bit o" reading1
'hat other na(es chapters one could be titled1 'hy2
F GGTeacher 'or!s 'ith student on #ord #ork"
GGTeacher (ay or (ay not do this step