The Adventures of Isabel

Teaching Plan for a small group lesson

Day 1 Before Reading Activate prior knowledge: Have students read the question. Discuss their answers to how they would feel if they encountered a bear, a giant, and a witch. Preview vocabulary: Read the list of words with the students. Read aloud with them once, and then a second time. Discuss the questions at the bottom and address any problems that the students have. -Give students the poem. Give them words from the word drill, and then have them find them in the poem. This is to make sure that students will be able to take the words from isolation into the contact of the poem. -Talk about what the poem looks like. Do they notice the stanzas? Which creature does Isabel meet in each one? -Discuss the reading strategy of visualizing. Students should make a mental image as they read the poem. -Have students read the poem on their own. Encourage whisper reading so they have auditory feedback as well. If they finish early, they may go on to the picture for After Reading. -Listen to students read. See if they were able to keep the words from the prereading to the reading activity. Make a note of words that cause problems with several students so that you can address them on Day 2. **Make sure that you have the poem copied on a separate sheet of paper so students dont have to flip back and forth. After Reading -Students will draw pictures of what they visualized, and then share them. -Emphasize precision of details from the text, as well as specific words from the text.

During Reading

Day 2 Before reading -Review the word drill. From the first lesson, put words that students had trouble with on notecards. Model using syllables to figure out how to pronounce the words. -Discuss the meanings of words again with more clues like the ones on the Vocabulary Preview part.

During reading

After reading

-Tell students that poems often require multiple readings to understand them well. -Have students read the poem on their own, and then add to their drawings from Day 1. -Set up a choral reading with the group. Ideas: alternate lines by boy/girl, each choose a stanza to present, alternate students read with teacher reads. Talk about speed, expression, and so forth. -Short answer response question. Teach the SEE method Statement, examples, explanation. Guide students toward making a statement about Isabel, and then finding text evidence. The last part may be new to themthey will have to make an explanation, to show how their evidence proves their statement. -Allow students time to complete and share.

The Adventures of Isabel

Before Reading In this poem, you will read about a girl who meets a bear, a witch, and a giant. How would you feel in this situation?

Vocabulary Preview These are some words from the poem. Which ones do you know already? enormous cross straightened hideous rancor Zwieback ravenous wrinkled horrid self-reliant rage witch cavernous sprinkled giant crowed scurry grind

Write a word that could describe a bear describe a giant describe someone who solves her own problems describe a huge, open mouth describe a piece of toast Which word means really, really ugly? to run away quickly? very, very hungry? During Reading Whisper read the poem. As you read, remember to use the reading strategy of visualizing.

After Reading Draw a picture to show what you visualized as you read the poem. Label the details in your picture.

Short Answer Response Write a word or phrase to describe Isabel. Support your response with details from the text. I think that Isabel is _________________________ Text detail 1_______________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Text detail 2________________________________ _________________________________________ Explanation _________________________________________ (How do your text details support your statement?) _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________

Statement Examples

Also by Emily Kissner:

Looking for more ideas for helping students to write short answer responses for standardized tests? In The Forest AND the Trees: Helping Readers Identify Important Details in Texts and Tests, you can learn more about helping students use details to understand what they read and support their thinking. With chapters about real-life details, inferences, visualizing, and content area details, you will find resources to use immediately in your own classroom. Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Retelling: Skills for Better Reading, Writing, and Test-Taking examines how to teach summarizing and why it is so difficult for many students. The book includes assessments, rubrics, and activities to help students build summarizing skills.

Both books are available from Heinemann.