Reading Comprehension Lesson Plan Title: Making Connections with Text Grade level: 2 # of students/group size: 21 Time needed:

25 minutes Big Idea/Goal: The goal is to help students use their schema to make connections between new and known information. Learning Goals: I want the students to understand how activating their background knowledge and making connections can help readers to get through the text with decoding unknown words and with making meaning. Objectives: Students will be able to write down their connections and speak about their connections verbally throughout the story. MA Language Arts Framework Standards: 1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). b. Build on others talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others. c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion. 4. Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. 5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. a. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy). Materials needed: Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber (can be adapted with other books as well), sticky notes, pencils, clipboards, reader response journals, just right books Lesson Development/Detailed Procedure: Introduction: Starts off as a whole group read aloud. Kids sit on rug with clipboards, 3 sticky notes, and a pencil. Im going to read this book called Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber. This is one of my favorite books ever! Im going to introduce a new reading strategy today called making connections. Making connections is what we do when we use our own experiences to relate to the book. Today, were going to learn about how using our own experiences to make connections with the books we read can help us to understand the story better. As readers, well stop and think about what we read and what we see. Well think about any similar experiences weve had with the setting,

characters, or plot. Sometimes we might think about these on our own and other times we may share them aloud with someone or write about them in our reader response journals. Show kids only the cover. When I look at the cover, I ask myself hmm what does this remind me of? What do I know about sleepovers? The title makes me think of sleepovers Ive had in the past. At my sleepovers we always used to watch movies and eat popcorn and then whisper to each other after it was time to go to bed. If I had never read this book before, I would be wondering about what will happen in this story. I wonder if Iras sleepover will be the same or different from how my sleepovers were when I was kid. Im going to start reading the story and model for you how I make connections while I read. When Im making a connection, I will put the book down on my lap so you know that I am thinking about a connection and have stopped reading. Guided Practice: Through out the story at three different points I will put the book down and model for the class, This makes me think of one time when I will then ask the students to write down on one sticky note what it reminds them of. Then I will ask them to turn and talk with a partner about the connections they've made. At the end of the whole group part of the lesson, I will ask students who can remind us what strategy we are working on and why it is helpful. The first place I will stop is when Iras sister starts to make fun of her for wanting to bring her teddy bear to her sleepover. This reminds me of my little piggy that I used to carry around everywhere and I couldn't go anywhere with out it. I think I understand how Ira feels. Next I will stop when Ira is listening to her friends scary story and she gets spooked. When I was a kid, my brother always made me watch this show called Beetlejuice and it always scared me so much I would be scared to go to sleep after. That made me want my piggy even more. I bet Iras feeling this way too. Finally I will stop when Ira finally goes home to get her teddy bear and feels so relieved to sleep with it. I could never fall asleep with out my piggy. I think Iras teddy bear must have been a big comfort to her. Independent Practice: After we have finished the story, wrote on all three sticky notes and talked with partners about connections, I will ask students to go back to their table seats and get out their reader response journals. I will ask them to write about the connections they made with the story. They will have their sticky notes with them at their tables to help them remember. To reinforce this strategy later on, I will ask students during read to a friend time to help each other use this strategy. I will tell them that I will go around and be listening to their conversations looking to hear them make connections with their just right books they are reading. Evidence/Evaluation/Assessment: My assessment will be based on what they write down on their sticky notes, the conversations they have with their partners about their connections, the way they answer the question at the end of the whole group lesson about what the strategy is and why it is useful, the quality of their writing in their writing journals, and their ability to practice this strategy on their own during read with a partner time. Differentiated Instruction: For modifications for students who need extra assistance, I will provide sentence starters for them when they write in their writing journals. For

example, When Iras sister makes fun of her for bringing her teddy bear to her sleepover, it reminds me of a time when One student in the class who has a hard time writing will be able to use his iPad for this activity. For enrichment for students who need more of a challenge, I will ask them to take this strategy a step further by using their connections to write about how this helps them to better understand/relate to the story.