7th Grade Social Studies - Lesson 1: Introducing Reading Strategies (PDF)

7th Grade Social Studies Unit 2: Beginnings of Human Societies SS070201 Lesson 1 Lesson 1: Introducing Reading Strategies Big Ideas of the Lesson There are a variety of strategies good readers use to help them understand what they read. Good readers are metacognitive -- they think about their own...

7th Grade Social Studies Unit 2: Beginnings of Human Societies SS070201 Lesson 1 Lesson 1: Introducing Reading Strategies Big Ideas of the Lesson There are a variety of strategies good readers use to help them understand what they read. Good readers are metacognitive -- they think about their own thinking while they read. Good readers think about what they are reading by summarizing, predicting, questioning, clarifying, and visualizing. ● Good readers connect what they are reading to what they already know or have already experienced. ● Good readers monitor their own understanding as they read and notice confusion. ● Good readers use different strategies when they are confused, such as using context clues to make sense of what they read, re-reading, asking questions, or using textual aids (pictures, tables, glossaries, etc.). ● ● ● Lesson Abstract: This lesson focuses students to concrete reading comprehension skills. The teacher introduces and models a technique known as a Think-Aloud. This technique is incorporated throughout the course as it is a research-tested method to help students become more aware of their thinking as they read. Students practice their first think-aloud of the year with a partner and write reflectively about the process. Content Expectations1: 6 and 7 - H1.2.1; H1.2.2 Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies: RH.6-8.2 and 4; WHST.6-8.4 and 10 Key Concepts evidence metacognition social institutions Lesson Sequence 1. Ask students to write down their thoughts on the following question, “What do you think reading is? How do you read? What makes someone a good reader?” After they have finished writing, elicit responses from students. Teacher Note: This is meant to expose students’ misconceptions about what it takes to be a good reader. 2. Explain to students that you are going to model how to preview a unit using a special technique called a think-aloud. Tell students they will get a chance to practice this technique and use it throughout the course. Before using the technique, explain that the purpose of a think-aloud is to make visible in ‘real time’ what a good reader is thinking while they are reading. Distribute and 1 The language of the content expectations and the common core standards can be found in the Reference Section at the end of the lesson. Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Copyright © 2010-2015 by Oakland Schools Page 1 of 3 July 13, 2015 7th Grade Social Studies Unit 2: Beginnings of Human Societies SS070201 Lesson 1 review “Student Think-Aloud Observation Sheet”, located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson 1). Be sure to highlight the following with students: In a think-aloud, the reader makes the following mental processes visible. (usually 2-3 of these will be demonstrated in one think-aloud): a. Predicting what will happen in the text b. Creating images/mental pictures of what is happening in the text c. Connecting new information with prior knowledge d. Monitoring comprehension and noticing any confusion e. Interpreting a diagram, chart, image, graphic f. Using context clues to make sense of what they read g. Asking questions/wondering about something in the text Instruct students to use the chart to keep track of the techniques you use in your think-aloud and the number of times you use each. Teacher Note: In a think-aloud, teachers read a passage from the text aloud AND pause to articulate their thinking along the way while students read along with the same passage silently. It’s like eavesdropping on someone’s thinking. Making thinking visible allows students to “see” how one constructs meaning out of text. It is necessary to prepare your think-aloud AHEAD of time and to address the big ideas listed above (how the text compares to another subject, things you would expect to see, how historians choose what to write about, etc.). For this first think-aloud, do not let it exceed 10 minutes. Decide which parts of the text you are going to use and make specific notes on where you are going to pause and what you are going to say. 3. After the think-aloud, ask students to write down their thoughts on the questions on the bottom of their handout. When they are done writing, ask students to share their thoughts with a partner and then ask for a few volunteers to share their responses with the class for a brief discussion. 4. Now, students will have a chance to practice a short think-aloud with a partner. Distribute the handout “Strategies of Good Readers”, located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson 1). Also distribute “Introduction to History Part 2”, located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson 1). Instruct the students that one partner will read the first and third paragraphs while the other will read the second and fourth paragraphs. With each section, they will practice two to three different mental processes using the think-aloud prompts from the “Strategies of Good Readers” handout. 5. As a class, talk about what it was like to engage in a think-aloud. What seemed strange or uncomfortable about it? What was easy? What was hard? Were there some think-aloud prompts that were easier than others? What was it like to listen to someone thinking aloud? How is this helpful? Assessment To check student understanding, and to introduce students to using these practices with their textbook, choose one portion of the unit preview from your textbook that you would like all students to use to do a think-aloud. Direct students back to the handout “Strategies of Good Readers” located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson 1). Have students again develop a short plan Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Copyright © 2010-2015 by Oakland Schools Page 2 of 3 July 13, 2015 7th Grade Social Studies Unit 2: Beginnings of Human Societies SS070201 Lesson 1 for their own think-aloud choosing 2-3 strategies that they will employ in their own think-aloud. Move around the room and monitor student participation. Reference Section Content Expectations 6 and 7 Explain how historians use a variety of sources to explore the past (e.g., artifacts, H1.2.1: primary and secondary sources including narratives, technology, historical maps, visual/mathematical quantitative data, radiocarbon dating, DNA analysis). 6 and 7 H1.2.2: Read and comprehend a historical passage to identify basic factual knowledge and the literal meaning by indicating who was involved, what happened, where it happened, what events led to the development, and what consequences or outcomes followed. Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies: RH.6-8.2: Determine the main ideas or information of a primary or a secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RH.6-8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies. WHST.6-8.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. Instructional Resources Equipment/Manipulative Overhead projector or Document Camera/Projector Student journal or notebook Teacher Resource Bloom, Amy, Kimberly Hase, and Stacie Woodward. Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson 1). Teacher-made materials. Oakland Schools, 2012. Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum Copyright © 2010-2015 by Oakland Schools Page 3 of 3 July 13, 2015