Lesson 5: Authoring programs, learning objects, and educational software

Rounding and Sequence Words


Hello, summer school 2nd graders!

What are we doing today?

Today we have two goals:

Content goal: We will discover how to round numbers.
Language goal: We will use sequence words to help us understand the steps for how to round numbers.

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We will watch a power point show to help us discover how to round numbers.

But, before we do, we should review a few important words:

*Math words:

Let's look at the number 498.

• Tens place: In the number 498, the 9 is in the tens place.


• Hundreds place: In the number 498, the 4 is in the hundreds place.

Take a look at this number: 569

• What number is in the tens place? 9
  
• What number is in the hundreds place? 5
  

*Sequence words:

• Sequence words help us tell the order something happens in.
• Sometimes we use words like first, second, and third to tell the order.
• We can also use words like first, next, then and last.

The sequence words we will use to help us understand the steps for rounding are:

First, next, then, and last


Try this:

• Think about the first thing you did after school yesterday. Now, turn and tell a friend (and listen to what she or he says, too).


• Now think about this: what was the last thing you did before you got on the bus this morning? Turn and share with a friend.
  

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We are ready to discover how to round numbers!

You will need your math notebooks and a pencil for the next part of this lesson. When you have them on the table next to you, you will be ready to go!


Click on this link to go to the power point on our Summer math rounding wiki page:
http://mswilsonsellworkspace.pbworks.com/Rounding-Numbers

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Good luck, math masters!

Remember to use those sequence words to help you remember how to round numbers. Good luck and have fun!

Happy rounding,

-Ms. Wilson :-)

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Lesson Overview:

Students: incoming 3rd grade ELLs, of varying language and cultural backgrounds, and native English speakers
English language level: Intermediate ESL and native English speakers
Lesson time: 1 hour in classroom with laptops (one per pair of students, includes two pairs of headphones per laptop)
Class location environment: This lesson will be taught in a summer school class for students who have just completed 2nd grade. The class has about 7 ELLs and 7 native English speakers. Each student will work with a partner of a similar reading and math level (determined by summer school pre-test scores in each area), and will start by sitting down at an assigned laptop (which will be open to our class blog), reading over the start-up directions and checklist for the day, and getting started.

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Lesson Review:

How will you use this resource to meet the needs of your instructional
purposes?

The goals for this lesson are:

Content goal: We will discover how to round numbers.

Language goal: We will use sequence words to help us understand the steps for how to round numbers.

Voice Thread allows me to add in audio commentary to the rounding numbers power point, which scaffolds the lesson for less-confident readers. These students, therefore, have equal access to the information provided on the power point, which helps them reach the content goal.

Students who identify themselves are more confident readers are able to access the content through the embedded Slideshare version of the rounding numbers power point, which is identical to the power point on Voice Thread, but without the audio commentary.

The blog provides a review of sequencing words and guides students in using the sequencing words first and last in meaningful examples. Both the Voice Thread and Slideshare power points emphasize the use of sequencing words to help students understand the order of the steps to round a number. These factors help students reach the language goal for the lesson.

Why is this topic, information or content appropriate for the lesson you
plan to create (e.g., level of authenticity, relevance to target language,
register, accuracy, interest level, and motivation)?

The topic of rounding numbers is a part of the 2nd grade MN math standards, and is a skill many of the students still struggle with. The sequencing words are crucial signal words for students, as they impact success in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in all content areas.

I think students’ motivation and level of interest will be heightened by this lesson because of the choice to have it read to them, or to read it themselves. The fact that the lesson pace is student-driven will also help students feel more interested and motivated, as well as the fact that they are able to work with a partner.

What handouts or directions will you provide students to focus learning
and adapt this resource for your instructional resources?

Each student will have the rounding poem, start-up directions and a checklist on a half sheet of paper:

Rounding poem:
Find your number,
Then look next door:
5 or bigger, add 1 more,
4 or less, your number stays the same, and
All numbers to the right --> zero is their name!

Directions: Sit down with your partner at your assigned laptop. Read the information for Lesson 5 on the class blog. When it tells you to, go to our class wiki page and then choose if you would like to listen to the power point or read it yourself. If you choose to listen to the power point, press the pause button on a slide until you are ready to move on. Then, pres play again. (I will model this with the whole group.) Do 3 practice problems in your math notebook. Raise your hand when you finish, and I will come around to hear how you feel you did.

Checklist: (to be marked with an “x” when completed) My partner and I are sitting at our assigned laptop. We read the goals for this lesson. I understand how to find where the tens place and hundreds place are in a number. I understand what some examples of sequence words are and that they help tell the order something happens in. I read all of the information for Lesson 5. I read the directions for the rounding numbers power point on our class wiki page and chose to listen to the power point or read it myself (circle one). I finished 3 practice problems in my math notebook. I raised my hand to report back to Ms. Wilson.

What are the potential problems, either language based or technical that
you may need to troubleshoot or prepare for?

Language-based: The rounding numbers power points require students to comprehend what they are reading or listening to, and then to apply what they have just learned to the practice problems. This could be difficult for some students with low reading/listening comprehension, and/or low math skills. The power points contain step-by-step directions with the signal words and walk students through two examples. I will be walking around to help students, and will situate students with lower comprehension/math skills close by students with higher skill levels to provide options for peer helping.

Technical: The Voice Thread power point moves on to the next slide after a certain amount of time, and although there are directions indicating to students they need to press pause when they are working on a slide (and I will model this for the class), it can be difficult for some students to remember. I am going to do more research on the Voice Thread website to see if there is a way to advance on mouse click instead of after a certain amount of time.

Lesson 4: Creating Online Exercises

Context Clues and Habitats Vocabulary


Hello, super smart scientists!

What are we doing today?


Today, we have 2 goals:

• Content goal: We will use what we know about habitats to fill out a crossword puzzle by matching a habitat with its description.
  
• Language goal: We will use our reading comprehension strategy, context clues, to help us match each habitat with its description.

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But first, let’s review what we know about habitats!

• What is a habitat? A habitat is the place a plant, animal, insect, or other living thing, lives in nature.


• What are some examples of habitats? Some examples include: pond, wetland, desert, prairie, cave, and woodland habitats.


• Different habitats have different kinds of plants, animals, insects, and other living things that live there.

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Now let’s review what we know about six different habitats:

Desert habitat
· Very dry
· Can be hot or cold






Pond habitat
· Small area of water
· Water is fresh, not salty
· Water does not flow (move)






Cave habitat
· A large hole
· Could be underground, in the side of a mountain, or under a cliff




Wetland habitat
· A lot of water in the dirt
· Some parts of the habitat are under water, some are on land






Prairie habitat
· Mostly flat land, some hills
· Covered with tall grass







Woodland habitat
· Land covered with many trees and plants




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Now, let's review context clues...

• Context clues are words or pictures that give us information to help us understand what we are reading.



• We are kind of like detectives, because we use clues from the context (words close by) to help us figure out words we don't know.
  

Example: Decide which habitat matches this description by looking at the context clue "frozen".

The ________habitat is an area where the ground is always frozen.

Arctic tundra habitat or tropical rainforest habitat

• Which of these two habitats would have frozen ground? Tropical or arctic?


• Think about what you know about things that are frozen-- frozen things are very COLD!


• Is a tropical rainforest habitat a very cold place? No, tropical rainforests are very hot places! So that can't be the answer....
  
• What about an arctic tundra habitat? Are they cold? Yes, we learned that arctic tundra habitats are very cold, so that is the correct answer!
  

Here is another example:

The _______ habitat covers 70% of the earth and is made up of salt water.

Hm...which habitat could this sentence be describing?

Does it describe a mountain habitat, lake habitat, or ocean habitat?

Use the information the sentence gives you to decide. This habitat covers a lot of the earth and is made up of salt water.

• Does that describe a mountain habitat? No, mountains are not made up of salt water and do not cover most of our planet.


• How about a lake habitat? No, lakes do not cover most of the earth, and are not made up of salt water.


• Does the sentence describe an ocean habitat? Yes! Oceans cover about 70% of the earth and are made up of salt water.

Context clues are great because they give us information that helps us understand what we are reading.
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After you finish reviewing the habitats here, click here to go to our
Richardson Nature Center wiki page and complete the habitats crossword puzzle.

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Nice work, scientists!

We are going to be so prepared when we go to the Richardson Nature Center. You should be proud of how well you used the clues to get your answers!


Happy puzzling! :-)

Ms. Wilson

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Lesson Overview:

Students: 3rd grade ELLs, of varying language and cultural backgrounds
English language level: Intermediate ESL
Lesson time: 1 hour in classroom with laptops (one per student, includes one pair of headphones per laptop)
Class location environment: This lesson will be taught in the ELL or mainstream classroom, depending on the ELL model in place (pull out/collaboration). Each student will work individually, and will start by sitting down at an assigned laptop (which will be open to our class blog), reading over the start-up directions and checklist for the day, and getting started.

Lesson Review:

How will you use this resource to meet the needs of your instructional purposes?

This lesson has two goals:

• Content goal: We will use what we know about habitats to fill out a crossword puzzle by matching a habitat with its description.
• Language goal: We will use our reading comprehension strategy, context clues, to help us match each habitat with its description.

This lesson draws on the use of a blog, wiki and a HotPotatoes crossword application.

The blog serves to activate prior knowledge and build background by reviewing the concept of habitats. It defines the word and gives examples of different habitats, including a short description and picture of each. This review will help prepare students to fill in the crossword puzzle later in the lesson.

The blog also reviews the reading comprehension strategy of using context clues by giving the definition of the strategy and walking students through two related examples of how to use context clues to match a habitat with its description.

The blog then directs students to click on a link to get to our Richardson Nature Center wiki page, which is the host site for the crossword puzzle. Once students are on the wiki page, they will need to scroll down slightly to get to the crossword puzzle link, which is labeled and has an image of a crossword puzzle next to it.

The HotPotatoes crossword puzzle is set up with the step-by-step directions at the top, along with a word bank of all six habitat vocabulary words students will use. Students will need to click on a number on the crossword puzzle to see the clue for that word. They will need to use the context clues strategy to help them match the description with its habitat. When they finish the crossword puzzle, they click on “check” to check their answers. In the paid version of HotPotatoes, you can set it up so that the students’ scores are sent to your email…I think this is a cool idea and a good way to collect some informal assessment data.

By the end of the lesson, students will have completed a crossword puzzle using the context clues strategy to help them match a habitat with its description.

What handouts or directions will you provide students to focus learning and adapt this resource for your instructional purposes?

Each student will have the start-up directions and a checklist on a half sheet of paper:
Sit down at your assigned laptop. Read the information for Lesson 4 on the class blog. When it tells you to, go to our class wiki page and then click on the link to the habitats crossword puzzle. Complete the habitats crossword puzzle and then click “check” to check your answers. Raise your hand when you finish, and I will come around to hear how you did.

Checklist: (to be marked with an “x” when completed) I am sitting at my assigned laptop. I read the goals for this lesson. I understand what habitat means. I understand what context clues are and how they can help me when I am reading. I read all of the information for Lesson 4. I read the directions for the habitats crossword puzzle. I finished the crossword puzzle and clicked on “check”. I raised my hand to report back to Ms. Wilson.


Are the format, organization, design and language level of this resource appropriate for your instructional goals?

Format and design:
I think the blog’s reading format is appropriate for the goals of this lesson because it is separated into short, thematic text sections with pictures and text size to scaffold and aid in comprehension. The design of the Richardson Nature Center’s wiki page leads students to the link for the habitats crossword puzzle. The format of the HotPotatoes crossword puzzle is fairly straight-forward, with the directions and the word bank on the top of the page and the puzzle below. If the student does not read the directions carefully, they might be confused that the clues are not visible on the page (they have to click on the number to see its clue).

Organization:
The blog’s organization is very sequential, based on the goals and background knowledge needed to complete the habitat and context clues assignment. The organization of the wiki is fairly straight-forward; it leads students directly to the link for the habitats crossword puzzle. The organization of the crossword puzzle is also quite easy to follow, with the only complication being that students need to click on a number in a crossword box to see the clue for that number.

Language level:
I think the language level of the blog, wiki page, and habitats crossword puzzle is appropriate for the targeted students, as most of the words are tier 1 or tier 2. More challenging words or concepts, such as the different kinds of habitats and “context clues”, are scaffolded with definitions, examples and visual aids.

What are the potential problems, either language based or technical, that you may need to troubleshoot or prepare for?

Language-based problems: The success of this lesson depends on students’ reading comprehension the concept review and the crossword directions. Although I had tried to be intentional about providing visual scaffolds and examples, and breaking up text into smaller, related chunks, some students still might not make the connection between the context clues strategy and the crossword puzzle clues. I will be walking around the room to check on students, and will ask reminding/redirecting questions if I see some students having difficulty.

Technical problems: In order for the crossword puzzle to work, the pop-up blocker has to be turned off (or at least has to allow pop-ups for this website). This could be a slightly tedious task for the teacher to get set-up before the students arrive, but should not be a problem once the blocker is set to allow pop-ups from the website.

Lesson 3: Evaluating Podcasts, Videocasts,Digital Stories


Hello, 3rd graders!



What are we doing today?

Today we have 2 goals:

• Content goal: We will discover more about animal and insect habitats by taking a field trip to the Richardson Nature Center.



• Language goal: We will make predictions about the animals, insects and habitats we think we will see on our field trip to the Richardson Nature Center.
  

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REVIEW THESE IMPORTANT WORDS:

• habitat: the place a plant, animal, insect, or other living thing lives in nature

Some examples of habitats are: woodlands, ponds, meadows, marshes, lakes, deserts, mountains, caves, tropical forests, prairies...and many more.

• prediction: a guess about what you think will happen

Examples: I predict it will rain today. I predict we will learn a lot about habitats on our field trip.

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Your job today:

• Review the important words habitat and prediction above.


• Go to the Richardson Nature Center page on our class wiki.

To get to our class wiki, click on this link: http://mswilsonsellworkspace.pbworks.com/.

Then, go down to Student Response Pages and click on Field Trips.

Then, click on Richardson Nature Center.

• Listen to the podcast about the Richardson Nature Center on our wiki page.


• Follow the steps at the end of the podcast and on the wiki page to make 3 predictions about what you think we will see at the Richardson Nature Center.


• Post your 3 predictions on our Richardson Nature Center wiki page.

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Excellent work! I am excited to read your predictions for our fabulous field trip to the Richardson Nature Center!
-- Ms. Wilson






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Lesson Overview:

Students: 3rd grade ELLs, of varying language and cultural backgrounds
English language level: Intermediate ESL
Lesson time: 1 hour in classroom with laptops (one per student, includes one pair of headphones per laptop)
Class location environment: This lesson will be taught in the ELL or mainstream classroom, depending on the ELL model in place (pull out/collaboration). Each student will work individually, and will start by sitting down at an assigned laptop (which will be open to our class blog), reading over the start-up directions and checklist for the day, and getting started.

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Lesson Review:

How will you use this resource to meet the needs of your instructional purposes?

Content goal: We will discover more about animal and insect habitats by taking a field trip to the Richardson Nature Center.

Language goal: We will make predictions about the animals, insects and habitats we think we will see on our field trip to the Richardson Nature Center.

The blog/wiki/podcast combination used in this lesson meets the instructional goals by:

• First, the blog provides students with a review and examples of the important words used in this lesson.
• Then, the wiki provides a photo slide show of the Richardson Nature Center to help build some background.
• The link to the podcast is also on the wiki page, as well as a scaffold for students needing support to comprehend the podcast: a link to the podcast’s script.
• The content of the podcast provides background knowledge on what a nature center is, what a pond habitat is, and what a visit to the nature center entails. The podcast also gives explicit instructions for making predictions, and provides sentence frames for students to use as a guide for their predictions.
• The wiki page reiterates the prediction instructions, including the questions and sentence frames. It also lays out the directions for how to post to the wiki page, and offers an example of what the completed predictions should look like.
• By the end of the lesson, students will have posted their three predictions about animals, insects and habitats on the class wiki, thus beginning to discover more about animal and insect habitats.

What handouts or directions will you provide students to focus learning and adapt this resource for your instructional goals?

• Each student will have the start-up directions and a checklist on a half sheet of paper:
• Sit down at your assigned laptop.
• Read the information for Lesson 3. When it tells you to, go to our class wiki page and listen to the podcast about the Richardson Nature Center.
• Make your 3 predictions after you listen to the podcast, and post them on our Richardson Nature Center wiki page.
• Checklist: (to be marked with an “x” when completed) I am sitting at my assigned laptop. I read the goals for this lesson. I understand what habitat means. I understand what prediction means. I read all of the information for Lesson 3. I listened to the podcast about the Richardson Nature Center on our class wiki page. I posted my 3 predictions on our class wiki page.
  

Are the format, organization, design and language level of this resource appropriate for your instructional goals?

Format and design:

I think the blog’s reading format is appropriate for the goals of this lesson because it is separated into short, thematic text sections with pictures and text size to scaffold and aid in comprehension. The format of the Richardson Nature Center’s wiki page also includes photos, the podcast, and short text sections, which I think help guide ELLs in completing the assigned task.

Organization:

The blog’s organization is very sequential, based on the goals and background knowledge needed to complete the prediction assignment. The organization of the wiki is fairly straight forward; however students do need to follow a few links to finally arrive at the Richardson Nature Center page.

Language level:

I think the language level of the blog, wiki pages, and podcast is appropriate for the targeted students, as most of the words are tier 1 or tier 2. More challenging words or concepts, such as habitat and predicting, are scaffolded with definitions, examples and visual aids.

What are the potential problems, either language based or technical, that you may need to troubleshoot or prepare for?

Language-based problems: The success of this lesson depends on students’ listening and reading comprehension of the podcast, podcast script, and the directions. Although the podcast is not very long and includes a lot of voice inflection and questions to hold students’ attention, it is still possible for students to zone out or get lost while listening (even if they have the script in front of them). However, I think assignments that require independent work can be great practice for ELLs because they can go at their own pace, and have the option to listen to all or part of the podcast as many times as they need to.

Technical problems: Posting to the wiki page could still pose a challenge for some students because it requires so many steps: first you need to login, then find the next available posting space by going to the very bottom of all of the posts, then change the font/color/size/style, then perhaps comment on a friend’s post, then publish. It could be easy to get confused or lost in the middle of all of those posting steps. I will be around to help students who have trouble, and hopefully after the first few times posting, students will get the hang of it.

Lesson/Review 2: Evaluating and Using Web 2.0

Lesson/Review 2: Evaluating and Using Web 2.0


Hello 3rd grade students!

What are we doing today?


Today we have two goals:

Content goal: We will write a reflection to tell about our field trip to the Como Zoo.

Language goal: We will summarize our thoughts using a 3-2-1 thinking map.
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But first...... what is a reflection?

A reflection (or reflecting) is thinking about your experiences.

When we reflect about something, we can ask ourselves questions, like:

• What did you like about it?
  
• What didn't you like about it?


• Did you make any connections between this new experience and something you already knew or had done before?


• Would you want to have this experience again?
  
• How did you feel while you had this experience?


• If you could go back and change something about this experience, what would you change?

When we reflect on our experiences, it helps us to make sense of what we think and feel.

When some people reflect on an experience, they visualize looking into a mirror and seeing their thoughts written out in words. Does that help you? Try it! Think about how you are feeling today. Pretend you are looking into a mirror and that you can see your thoughts in words. What words would you see? Happy, sad, mad, tired, hungry....?
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Did you ever notice that you have LOTS of ideas and thoughts in your mind?
For example, if someone asks you what you did yesterday, there are probably many things you could say. But, you don't always need to or have time to give all of the details.

That's why we use summarizing!


Summarizing means telling only the most important part(s) of something.

When you are reflecting on an experience, it can be helpful to summarize your thoughts or ideas into three, two or even just one important point.

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Here is your job for today:

We will use summarizing to help us reflect on our field trip to the Como Zoo.

1. First, think about this question: What did you enjoy about the field trip?


2. Now, summarize your thoughts by picking 3 things you enjoyed the most.


3. Share those 3 things with your partner.


4. Next, think about this question: What did you learn at the Como Zoo?


5. Now, summarize your thoughts by picking 2 of the most important things you learned.


6. Share those 2 things with your partner.


7. Last, think about this question: Would you change anything or do anything differently if you went on this field trip again?


8. Now, summarize your thoughts by picking 1 thing you would definitely change about the field trip.
   
9. Share that 1 thing with your partner.

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You are ready to post your reflection on our class PB Wiki page!

Click here to go to our PB Wiki: http://mswilsonsellworkspace.pbworks.com/

• Go down to Student Response Pages


• Look for Field Trips


• Click on the word "here". This will take you to a new page.


• Then, click on Como Zoo. This will take you to our Como Zoo page.
  
• Read the instructions, and post your reflection. :-)
  

Happy Reflecting!!

Ms. Wilson





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Lesson Overview:

Students: 3rd grade ELLs, of varying language and cultural backgrounds
English language level: Intermediate ESL
Lesson time: 1 hour in classroom with laptops (one per pair of students for reading, then one per student for reflection posting)
Class Location environment: This lesson will be taught in the ESL or mainstream classroom, depending on the ESL model in place (pull out/collaboration). Students will be paired with another student of their choosing, since it is important they feel comfortable with their partner for paired sharing of thoughts and ideas. Laptops will be open to the class blogs, but students will start the lesson in whole group to receive instructions/checklist handout and choose a partner. Once at the laptop stations, students will follow instructions as laid out on handout. When students are ready to go on to the class wiki page, each student will be given their own laptop to work on.

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Lesson Review:

How will you use this resource to meet the needs of your instructional purposes?
Content goal: We will write a reflection to tell about our field trip to the Como Zoo.

Language goal: We will summarize our thoughts using a 3-2-1 thinking map.

The blog/wiki combo of this lesson meets the instructional purposes by:
· First, providing students with background knowledge on reflecting and summarizing to prepare them to do both (info on blog).
· Then, providing students with directed questions to help them think about their experiences, time to practice summarizing their thoughts into 3, 2, or 1 main point(s), and an opportunity to share their summarized reflective thoughts out loud with a partner. (blog)
· After students have used think-pair-share to help them summarize and reflect upon their experience at the Como Zoo, an example of a 3-2-1 reflection is provided on the wiki Como Zoo page to model what their posted reflection could look like. Explicit instructions are posted on the page to guide students through posting their reflections.
· By the end of the lesson, students will have summarized their thoughts both orally and in writing, and will have posted their reflection on the class wiki.

What handouts or directions will you provide students to focus learning and adapt this resource for your instructional resources?
· Each student will have the start-up directions and a checklist on a half sheet of paper:
o Choose a partner to work with, then go to a laptop.
o Read the information for Lesson 2. When it tells you to, share your ideas with your partner.
o When you get to the end of the blog, raise your hand and I will bring you another laptop so both you and your partner can post your reflections.
o Checklist: (to be marked with an “x” when completed) I have a partner and we are sitting at a laptop. I read the goals for this lesson. I understand what reflecting means. I understand what summarizing means. My partner and I read all of the information for Lesson 2. My partner and I shared our “3-2-1” ideas about Como Zoo out loud with each other. I posted my reflection on our class wiki.

Are the format, organization, design and language level of this resource appropriate for your instructional goals?
· Format and design: I think the blog’s reading format is appropriate for the goals of this lesson because it is separated into short, thematic text sections with pictures and text size to scaffold and aid in comprehension. The Como Zoo wiki page’s format also includes photos and short text sections, which I think help guide ELLs in completing the assigned task.
· Organization: The blog’s organization is very sequential, based on the goals and background knowledge needed to complete the reflection assignment. The organization of the wiki is fairly straight forward; however students do need to follow a few links to finally arrive at the Como Zoo page.
· Language level: I think the language level of both the blog and wiki pages is appropriate for the targeted students, as most of the words are tier 1 or tier 2. Harder words or concepts, such as reflecting and summarizing, are scaffolded with definitions, examples and visual aids.

What are the potential problems, either language based or technical that you may need to troubleshoot or prepare for?
· Language-based problems: This lesson is very text-heavy, so students who are less-confident readers or who have trouble with reading comprehension may struggle to complete the reading section. I would love to be able to record myself reading the Lesson 2 info from the blog, and have audio buttons students could click on the blog itself. I hope to find a tool or plug-in that makes this possible soon!
· Technical problems: Posting to the wiki page could be tricky, because students will need to login, then find the next available posting space by going to the very bottom of all of the posts, then they will probably want to change the font/color/size/style, then perhaps comment on a friend’s post, then publish. There are a lot of steps, and lots of potential to get confused or lost. I will be around to help students who have trouble, and hopefully after the first few times posting, students will get the hang of it.

Lesson 1/Review 1: Evaluating and Using Websites

Butterflies and Word Chunking Lesson

Hello students!

Here is what we are doing today:

• First, watch a video to show you how to “chunk” a word. Click here to watch the video: http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/chunking/load.htm?f
• Click the Back arrow as soon as the video is over to come back to this page.


• After you watch the video, practice “chunking” these words out loud with a partner:

-Ba / na / na --> banana

-Colorful

-Monkey

-Computer

-Students

• Now work with your partner to read the Butterflies handout out loud.

When you come to a word you don’t know, underline it with a colored pencil, and then “chunk” it! Use your colored pencil to draw lines in the word to show how you “chunk” it, like this: ba/na/na.

• Both you and your partner should read out loud and “chunk” the words. You will each have your own paper to write on.


• When you finish reading, write 3 of the new words you learned how to read on your word wall.


• Then, turn your Butterflies paper in to the teacher.


• Last, you can play the Blending Bowl game to make words. Click here to play: http://pbskids.org/lions/games/blending.html

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Overview:

Students:

1st grade ELLs, of varying language and cultural backgrounds

English language level: Intermediate ESL

Lesson time: 1 hour in classroom with laptops (one per pair of students)

Class Location environment: This lesson will be taught in the ESL or mainstream classroom, depending on the ESL model in place (pull out/collaboration). Students will be paired with another student at a similar or slightly higher reading level for this activity. Laptops will be open to the class blogs, but students will start the lesson in whole group for modeling of the lesson. Once at the laptop stations, students will click on video link, and then follow the remaining steps to complete the lesson.

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Review of Lesson and Web Resource:

How will you use this resource to meet the needs of your instructional
purposes?
Starfall’s video on chunking words is a great activity to build phonemic awareness and reading fluency among emergent readers because it models the strategy and offers opportunities for interactive guided practice. Students then use the chunking strategy to help them read a nonfiction text on butterflies as a part of a unit on insects.


What handouts or directions will you provide students to focus learning
and adapt this resource for your instructional resources?
I will provide a handout of the Butterflies reading to each student, so they can demonstrate how they are chunking words by drawing separator lines between chunks (ba/na/na). Students will also have their personal word wall handouts out, so they can add 3 new words from the reading. After they turn in their reading handouts, I will look over how well they used word chunking, and will use this information to modify/adjust the next day’s lesson. The students will then get their reading handouts back, and will add them to their insect unit resource folder, so the information is accessible to them at any point in the future.

Are the format, organization, design and language level of this resource
appropriate for your instructional goals?
The resource I chose for this lesson is Starfall, which is a website geared towards emerging readers. The video on chunking words provides audio and pictorial scaffolds for students, and is interactive. The video’s introductory song has a very fast tempo, and will probably be difficult for many intermediate ELLs to understand, but the speed of the rest of the video is determined by the student’s mouse clicks. The video includes some of the words students will see in the Butterflies reading, as well as other common Tier 2 words, which helps students practice the skill.

What are the potential problems, either language based or technical that
you may need to troubleshoot or prepare for?
One potential language based problem that could arise is that emerging readers may have difficulty independently reading and understanding the lesson directions posted on the blog. I would love to include audio clips of me (or a student) reading the directions for each step. I will also model each step for students on a projector prior to sending students to their partner work stations.

One potential technical problem is that the Starfall video opens in the same window as the blog, so students need to click the back button on the browser to return to the blog after the video. Also, at the end of the video, there is an arrow that brings the viewer back to a page filled with Starfall stories and other videos. I will have to explicitly communicate what students should do as soon as the video ends to continue with the day’s lesson.

Hello and Welcome!

Hello everyone!

My name is Andrea and I am an ESL teacher at an elementary school, where I work mostly with kindergarten through third graders. I really enjoy my students, who come from many different language and cultural backgrounds. The largest language group represented among my students is Spanish-speaking, with high numbers of students also speaking Somali, Russian, Vietnamese, Laotian, and several North African languages.

In my ESL classes, we focus on learning academic English language skills through science and social studies content. We have had a lot of fun exploring the five senses, life cycles, and global communities. I am looking forward to learning more about how to use technology to enhance and support student learning.

Thanks for visiting my blog! :-)