We began phase two with excitement in the air, as the students knew that the animal projects were coming and had just been allowed on the San Diego Zoo website during their free time to select their animal. The animal project they were preparing to embark on was the hallmark project of second grade; that being said, it included reading comprehension, writing, and critical thinking skills that had not yet been taught or expected at the first grade level.
Recognizing the need for scaffolding of informational text and the research process, I chose to begin phase two by providing them with practice approaching informational text strategically. We began with the introduction of close reading, which I introduced in a very guided format with few symbols, in an attempt to keep the annotation complexity as minimal as possible. By minimizing the cognitive load of the annotations, the students could more easily adjust to the strategy for interpreting informational text, and the text complexity could be increased to a level appropriate for the animal projects in just a few weeks’ time.
Below you will see a day by day outline of Phase 2. Read on below to see detailed accounts of our activities and progress each week.
Recognizing the need for scaffolding of informational text and the research process, I chose to begin phase two by providing them with practice approaching informational text strategically. We began with the introduction of close reading, which I introduced in a very guided format with few symbols, in an attempt to keep the annotation complexity as minimal as possible. By minimizing the cognitive load of the annotations, the students could more easily adjust to the strategy for interpreting informational text, and the text complexity could be increased to a level appropriate for the animal projects in just a few weeks’ time.
Below you will see a day by day outline of Phase 2. Read on below to see detailed accounts of our activities and progress each week.
Week 1
We began with an introduction of the symbols used (pictured to the right), used on a guided informational text close reading assignment.
We first began by reading about Helen Keller, who both filled our quota for nonfiction informational text and continued the theme of American Heroes that we had been studying in social studies. I modeled critical thinking while reading the text, and the students provided me with the annotations that fit my interaction with each part of the text. For example, when I thought that it was probably very important to know that Helen Keller was blind and deaf, students raised their hands and said that I should underline those words (showing its importance), while others suggested circling “deaf,” as they were unclear on the meaning. This led to a fruitful discussion of why it was good for different people to have different annotations. The students were engaged, inquisitive, and critically thinking about what the world was like for Helen Keller and why she was a hero. Comprehension questions were oral to keep a low affective filter during this introductory stage.
We first began by reading about Helen Keller, who both filled our quota for nonfiction informational text and continued the theme of American Heroes that we had been studying in social studies. I modeled critical thinking while reading the text, and the students provided me with the annotations that fit my interaction with each part of the text. For example, when I thought that it was probably very important to know that Helen Keller was blind and deaf, students raised their hands and said that I should underline those words (showing its importance), while others suggested circling “deaf,” as they were unclear on the meaning. This led to a fruitful discussion of why it was good for different people to have different annotations. The students were engaged, inquisitive, and critically thinking about what the world was like for Helen Keller and why she was a hero. Comprehension questions were oral to keep a low affective filter during this introductory stage.
Our first informational passage that we completed together was about Neil Armstrong, which piqued the students’ interest with the discussion of space. We annotated the entire passage together, although they were asked to make different annotations than I did on the document camera. This annotation was to provide for a very gradual release of responsibility, particularly with the first graders in mind, to prevent nonfiction text from becoming a feared text type. The students had many ideas and suggestions during the annotation process, and were quick to refer to the annotation guide posted on the wall to explain their reasoning. I was very pleased with their progress and looked forward to beginning written comprehension.
We finished the week with comprehension questions, using the text to answer brief questions in a critical way. I created pairs, pairing 1st graders with 2nd graders and more proficient readers with emerging ones to create elements of re-teaching, discussion, and oral explanation between the two. The students were assigned into these scaffolded pairs and asked to bring their annotated texts with them for the comprehension questions. We answered the first two questions together as a class, as the student volunteers and I modeled our thinking aloud to demonstrate critical thinking and text-based answers. This was a quick progression from nonfiction text annotation to comprehension question answering, so I wanted to make sure they were supported both in their partner assignments and through heavy modeling.
From the guided discussion of the first two questions, the students completed the comprehension questions, referring back to the text as I monitored the room. It was a bit of a slower start for some groups, but seeing peer groups mentor each other through their understanding of the process without even having to intervene was wonderful and definitely increased everyone’s understanding of the text.
We finished the week with comprehension questions, using the text to answer brief questions in a critical way. I created pairs, pairing 1st graders with 2nd graders and more proficient readers with emerging ones to create elements of re-teaching, discussion, and oral explanation between the two. The students were assigned into these scaffolded pairs and asked to bring their annotated texts with them for the comprehension questions. We answered the first two questions together as a class, as the student volunteers and I modeled our thinking aloud to demonstrate critical thinking and text-based answers. This was a quick progression from nonfiction text annotation to comprehension question answering, so I wanted to make sure they were supported both in their partner assignments and through heavy modeling.
From the guided discussion of the first two questions, the students completed the comprehension questions, referring back to the text as I monitored the room. It was a bit of a slower start for some groups, but seeing peer groups mentor each other through their understanding of the process without even having to intervene was wonderful and definitely increased everyone’s understanding of the text.
Week 2
We began week two by continuing our space theme from the Neil Armstrong passage. The kids had been so excited about space after reading about him, and as their interest peaked after watching the space landing footage. Our first passage of the week was called “Eating in Space,” and explored the food astronauts eat and why it is different than the food we eat on Earth. The students remained in scaffolded pairs, although with different partners, to facilitate each other’s learning. We annotated part 1 and 2 together as a class, discussing frequently, and then they were released to their partner groups to finish the annotations.
The next day, the students returned to their partners with their annotated texts to answer their comprehension questions. As they began to get more accustomed to the format, they started to engage in deeper discussions with their partners and others around them, going beyond the comprehension questions to wonder, inquire, and explore the material fully.
For the second half of the week, we switched to “What Colors Can Animals See?”, in preparation for beginning our animal research next week. This time, the students were released to their new partners (still scaffolded), and asked to annotate the entire passage on their own. Though this was a big task for week two of informational texts, I wanted to push the partners to support each other and get a truer measure of their current understanding of annotation and informational text. While some students initially struggled with the freedom, asking for an assignment of how many annotations they needed, they all grew dramatically during this time, grappling with the material at a deeper level than before.
To close the week, students returned to their partners to complete comprehension questions from “What Colors Can Animals See?”. The students now clearly understood that their annotations directly impacted their comprehension questions, and were becoming more skilled at showing me where in the text they had discovered the answer. Their discussions were deep and meaningful, and they had many ideas about color vision, the world around them, and what it must look like to their pets!
The next day, the students returned to their partners with their annotated texts to answer their comprehension questions. As they began to get more accustomed to the format, they started to engage in deeper discussions with their partners and others around them, going beyond the comprehension questions to wonder, inquire, and explore the material fully.
For the second half of the week, we switched to “What Colors Can Animals See?”, in preparation for beginning our animal research next week. This time, the students were released to their new partners (still scaffolded), and asked to annotate the entire passage on their own. Though this was a big task for week two of informational texts, I wanted to push the partners to support each other and get a truer measure of their current understanding of annotation and informational text. While some students initially struggled with the freedom, asking for an assignment of how many annotations they needed, they all grew dramatically during this time, grappling with the material at a deeper level than before.
To close the week, students returned to their partners to complete comprehension questions from “What Colors Can Animals See?”. The students now clearly understood that their annotations directly impacted their comprehension questions, and were becoming more skilled at showing me where in the text they had discovered the answer. Their discussions were deep and meaningful, and they had many ideas about color vision, the world around them, and what it must look like to their pets!
Week 3
This week began with a difficult assignment that I had been preparing them for since the introduction of informational text – the animal research project. The students had already begun constructing their papier mâché animals, and were incredibly excited to learn more about their animals. While the second graders would be collecting the research to fill the five areas of their project – Appearance, Families, Habitat, Diet, and Fun Fact – from online sources, the text complexity of Google searches and even kids’ zoo websites were not at an appropriate level for first graders.
Since this was the case, I created informational reading passages for each of the first graders’ animals. Download and view a sample page here. Their research was multifaceted, so I sorted the information under headings, making the beginning to their research very accessible, and then providing a paragraph or two for them to dive into critically and determine the importance of themselves.
Each subject area of the project – Appearance, Families, Habitat, Diet, and Fun Fact – was introduced in an engaging way before reading that section each day, to ensure that students had a good grasp of the definition of what they were looking for. An example of one of the captivating techniques I used to grab their attention and reinforce our discussions of animals is this video I created, displayed below. These introductions and discussions allowed students to better understand the content and discuss it with their peers.
Since this was the case, I created informational reading passages for each of the first graders’ animals. Download and view a sample page here. Their research was multifaceted, so I sorted the information under headings, making the beginning to their research very accessible, and then providing a paragraph or two for them to dive into critically and determine the importance of themselves.
Each subject area of the project – Appearance, Families, Habitat, Diet, and Fun Fact – was introduced in an engaging way before reading that section each day, to ensure that students had a good grasp of the definition of what they were looking for. An example of one of the captivating techniques I used to grab their attention and reinforce our discussions of animals is this video I created, displayed below. These introductions and discussions allowed students to better understand the content and discuss it with their peers.
We began by reading for the first project area, exploring the format of the information page without reading the passage. The students discovered and explained the headings themselves, piecing apart the text and breaking it into comprehensible chunks as a pre-reading strategy – exciting stuff! Each day, they attended a mini-lesson on strategically reading and were released to independently research a specific area of their project, getting their completed notes signed off by me at the conclusion of each day.
Note taking in the same class period as annotating proved to be difficult for the first graders at first, but as the week progressed they became accustomed to the format, as well as the text that they had read multiple times that week.
Note taking in the same class period as annotating proved to be difficult for the first graders at first, but as the week progressed they became accustomed to the format, as well as the text that they had read multiple times that week.
Week 4
Now for the grand finale! Their animal project was due to be showcased that Friday, so the students were poised and ready to turn their notes into refined sentences about their animal. We began by going back to our whiteboard framing of sentences using the 5 W’s, but altered it by selecting which W’s were relevant for each area of research. For example, when describing an animal’s habitat, it is not necessary to list the time, unless you are describing their current location in comparison to a previous one or the location of an extinct series, neither of which we will be doing. An example is:
Habitat (higher level): The African elephant lives in the grasslands of Africa because they need water and mud to stay cool and protect themselves from the sun.
Habitat (lower level): The African elephant lives in the grasslands of Africa. They need to live near lots of water so that they can squirt it on themselves to stay cool.
In the above sentences, students are following a 5 W’s format centered specifically around habitat:
By organizing these complex sentences in terms of the 5 W’s that are appropriate for each content area, and providing them with the pronouns, articles, and connecting words they need to generate high level sentences, students were able to create unique and detailed sentences about each area. Unfortunately, as time ran short, we were limited to 1-2 quality sentences about each content area researched. Students had difficulty referring back to their notes without directly restating them, but this was appropriate for both their grade level and the novelty of the assignment. We finished the week with beaming, proud faces as the student body and parents came and observed our animal constructions and the research that accompanied them.