Readers’ Workshop Format



Lesson Plan

Lesson: Beginning Critical Literacy

|Book Citation |Encounter by Jane Yolen |

|Grade Band | 4-6 |

|Approximate length of time| |

|to teach the lesson |90 minutes, can be split into two parts. |

|Overview of lesson |Encounter will help students begin to understand critical literacy through learning about author’s purpose or bias. Students will |

| |discover the difference that point of view makes on a book’s overall message, and how they need to be aware of the messages when they |

| |are reading any text. Note: This lesson should only take place after lessons on inferring, summarizing, theme, and tracking important |

| |details have been completed. Students should be competent in using the above skills in order to successfully complete this lesson. |

|Type of Reading |Read aloud as a class, showing pictures. |

|Learning Objectives |Students will be able to identify author’s purpose or bias in a text. |

| |Students will be able to identify the ways that bias affects a text’s message. |

|Washington State Standards|READING |

|Addressed |2.2.3 Understand and analyze story elements. |

| |2. 4Think critically and analyze author’s use of language, style, purpose and perspective in informational and literary text. |

| | |

| |COMMUNICATION |

| |1.1 Uses listening and observation skills and strategies to focus attention and interpret information. |

|Materials required |*Encounter, Jane Yolen. |

| |*Document camera or large butcher paper with Making Inferences chart, pens |

| |*Large t-chart with “What we know about Christopher Columbus” on top, pens |

| |*Student Reflection Journals or paper |

| |*Suggested: guided reading books that deal with historical milestones (Civil War, Revolutionary War, World Wars, Civil Rights movement, |

| |etc). I found plenty for 4th and 5th grade reading groups! |

|Instructional plan |Preparation: Read through Encounter and determine appropriate stopping places for questions and inferences. |

| | |

| |Before Reading: |

| |Ask the class to brainstorm everything they know about Christopher Columbus. Place all responses on one side of a large t-chart. Tell |

| |the class that today’s objective is to understand how to determine an author’s purpose or bias, and how that affects what we’re reading.|

| |(Discuss the words bias and message if needed) |

| | |

| |During Reading: Read Encounter aloud, stopping to talk about the observations and inferences students are making. |

| | |

| |After Reading: |

| |Ask the class again to make a list of everything NEW they learned about Christopher Columbus, and add that to the remaining side of the |

| |t-chart. Partner share, then as a class share how (and why) their opinions and views of Columbus have changed due to reading that |

| |story. |

| |Discuss the author’s point of view. Is it likely the author is a good friend who really likes Christopher Columbus and agreed with |

| |everything he did? How did you know? (excerpts chosen to share, word choice, tone, etc) Discuss author bias and the fact that texts |

| |often express the author’s point of view, even texts which we think are non-biased! |

| |Re-read Encounter as a class. This time, begin by modeling your thinking about the text’s message and author’s bias. Then, invite |

| |students to participate in identifying the author’s use of language and storytelling and how that affects the book’s message. (Example: |

| |sailors treating the Indians like dogs by patting them on the head gave the sailors a negative image) |

| |Invite students to come up with alternate ways the author could have presented the same information which would have conveyed a |

| |different message. (Example: sailors were friendly with the Indians and would touch their hair to show friendship) |

| |Lead a discussion on the importance of understanding an author’s purpose, since literature is such an important media in our world. |

| |Brainstorm forms of literature which inform us everyday (newspaper, online articles, posters, etc) and discuss how author’s bias affects|

| |them. |

| |Partner work. Hand out either short excerpts from books pre-determined and photocopied, or have students use the chapter books they’re |

| |reading, to make inferences about the author’s perspective, purpose or bias and the overall message of the text. Working together, |

| |students should record findings in their reading journals and be ready to share findings with the class. (Note: I had planned ahead and|

| |my students were in small guided reading groups with books that dealt with huge historical issues ranging from the civil war to the |

| |apartheid in Africa. This enabled them to apply the strategy of determining author’s purpose directly to a book they were already |

| |involved in. Plus, they could get together with students working on a similar book and compare their findings with one another.) |

| |Discuss students’ observations as a class. Collect reading journals for assessment. |

|Assessment |Teacher will listen to students’ answers, looking for correct (plausible) identifications of an author’s bias or purpose in a text. |

| |Teacher will look at student responses (both verbal and written) for correct explanations of how author’s bias can affect a text’s |

| |overall message. |

|Extensions |Students explore author’s purpose or bias in classroom books. |

| |Students research and write two short reports on a historical event, both with accurate information but different points of view. |

| |For older students who are studying the U.S. judicial system: create a mock trial for Christopher Columbus to determine if he should be |

| |remembered as a hero or cruel entrepreneur. Students will have to do research to fulfill their roles. |

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download