Instructional Notes

• Standard 3.6 asks students to distinguish their own point of view from that of an author of a text. This means that students must first determine what the author’s point of view is, and then decide whether or not they agree with it.

• Post the SQRR words: Survey, Questions, Read, Review.

• Optional Technology Connection: YouTube video against wind turbines

•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOY2GvViVRA

• There are no small group lessons today.

 

Materials/Resources

• It's All in the Wind (moderately complex text from ReadingWonders Anthology, Pages 456- 459; Teacher's Edition, Unit 5, Week 5, Pages T281A - T281D)

• SQRR words: Survey, Questions, Read, Review.

• Optional Technology Connection: video against wind turbines

• Author’s purpose QR codes

• Graphic organizer for notes

 

Essential Questions

• How can problem-solving lead to new ideas?

• What is the relationship between invention and innovation?

• How should we ask and answer questions about informational texts? How does providing explicit references to the text as the basis for answers allow us to demonstrate comprehension of informational texts? (RI.3.1)

• How should we determine the main idea, recount key details, and explain how they support the main idea to demonstrate comprehension of informational texts? (RI.3.2)

• How should we distinguish our own point of view from that of the author? (RI.3.6)

• How should we use information gained from illustrations (e.g. maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate an understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how events occur)? (RI.3.7

• How can problem-solving lead to new ideas?

• What is the relationship between invention and innovation?

• How should we ask and answer questions about informational texts? How does providing explicit references to the text as the basis for answers allow us to demonstrate comprehension of informational texts? (RI.3.1)

• How should we determine the main idea, recount key details, and explain how they support the main idea to demonstrate comprehension of informational texts? (RI.3.2)

• How should we distinguish our own point of view from that of the author? (RI.3.6)

• How should we use information gained from illustrations (e.g. maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate an understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how events occur)? (RI.3.7)

 

Student Learning Goals/Objectives

• Students will distinguish their own point of view from that of the author.

• Students will be able to determine the authenticity of a web source in order to gather information on a topic

 

 

Targeted Standards

 

RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

RI.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.

RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where when, why, and how key events occur).

W.3.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, 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.

SL.3.1.d Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

 

Targeted P21 Skills:

Social and Cross-Cultural Skills:

•             Respond open mindedly to different ideas and values.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving:

•             Analyze how parts of the whole interact to produce outcomes in a complex system.

Communication and Collaboration:

•             Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts.

 

 

Shared Learning Experience:

 

1. Open the lesson with a review on author’s purpose. Explain that in any type of text, an author may try to persuade, entertain, or inform you on a particular topic.

2. Model several examples with students on texts to show how students can determine what the author’s purpose is. Hand out QR Code activity for students to practice within their small group. Then, bring the group back together.

3. Explain to students that one of the most important factors to consider when reading informational texts (especially magazine or newspaper articles) is author bias.

• “Author bias may be very subtle – not readily detected. How can you tell?”

• Biased writing presents only one side of a story or may not tell all the facts. ”

• “The author doesn’t say, ‘This is what I think.’ The author simply omits the other side of the story or topic.”

4.  Provide a story to illustrate author bias, connecting “bias” and “lying by omission.”

• “Once when I was a child, my mother left a plate of cookies out on the table. In my house, we were not allowed to eat cookies before dinner. When my mother was not looking, my brother and I ate several cookies. My mother said to me, “I think some cookies are missing.”

• “I replied, ‘Brother ate some.’ I left out that I ate some, too. I omitted my eating some of the cookies, too. I gave a biased response to my mother so I wouldn’t get into trouble. This biased response was a lie, and my mother knew.”

• “And yes, I got into trouble for both eating the cookies and for lying!”

• If time permits, have students turn and talk to a partner to share a time they lied by omission and gave a “biased response.”

5. What the author thinks and writes is the author’s point of view.

• “Becoming a strategic reader – a reading detective – means being able to distinguish your own point of view (what you see and think) from that of the author. Strategic readers:

  • 1) Determine the main idea.

  • 2) Determine the author’s point of view about the topic.

  • 3) Look for bias. Does the article present both sides - the good and the bad (the positive and the negative) aspects of a topic or event?”

Explain to students that they will be able to apply their knowledge of author’s bias to web based research. Explain that students will be given a topic and it is their job to determine if the informational article is authentic, accurate, and contains little bias.

6.  Facilitate the reading of the short article, “Power for All” using SQRR strategies. Post the previously taught SQRR words: Survey, Questions, Read, and Review.

• “Survey the article to find out what it’s about. This is a little like detective work. It’s a quick sweep of the article.”

  • Have students point out and read the title and headings.

  • “Is the main idea provided in the title?” This will be determined at the conclusion of the reading.

  • Note and briefly discuss the photographs and captions.

  • Note boldface words.

• Question: Have students turn the headings into questions.

• Read: Have students read the sections of the article to answer them.

• Review: Have students discuss their answers as a class and determine the main idea of the article.

7. After reading, “Power for All,” create a class anchor chart that brainstorms the students’ new knowledge of power sources. Explain that students will be focusing research on a specific type of power source, wind power and wind turbines.

• 8. Students will have to determine the following: “Do you agree with the author’s point of view or do you agree with those who are against wind turbines? What is your point of view?”

8.  Explain to students that they will be using both print and digital sources to conduct their research in order to form their opinion. Relate back to author’s purpose, author’s bias, and the accuracy. Using the website, www.safeserachforkids.org, model to students how to use a website reliability checklist. Type in a topic, such as “turtle habitats.”

 

In the search list, you will find that ads for stores pop up, opinion websites are shown, and factual websites appear. Using the checklist, model how to eliminate websites to find only authentic information for research.

 

9. Once you have gone through the checklist and heavily modeled expectations for reliable websites, dismiss students to their devices to log on to Edmodo for their wind turbine research. On Edmodo, post a total of 6 websites: 3 pros to wind turbines and 3 cons. For both pro and cons to wind turbines, have 1 website be unreliable.

 

10. Before students begin their research, they will look at each individual website. Students are to use the checklist modeled in whole group to determine which of the 6 websites are reliable, and which of the 6 websites are not.

 

 

11. Once students have completed the website search, they may begin to conduct their research and take notes on both pros and cons using a graphic organizer provided by the teacher. Once the notes are finished, students will have enough information to formulate their opinion for their reader response log.

 

Independent and Applied Learning

• Reader Response Log(s) prompt: Do you agree with the author’s point of view or do you agree with those who are against wind turbines? What is your point of view?

• Independent Reading and/or Independent Writing:

  • Independent Reading and/or Writing may focus on work for upcoming invention convention.

  • Optional: Leveled Reader -

    • The Fuel of the Future (Blue) (ReadingWonders) 

    • The Fuel of the Future (Orange) (ReadingWonders) 

    • The Fuel of the Future (Green) (ReadingWonders)

      • Look for author’s point of view and distinguish your own.

      • Does the text reflect author bias?

• Differentiated small groups, as determined by students’ strengths and needs

 

Formative Assessment

• Checklist on website

• Reader Response Log

Routine Writing – Reader Response Log</li>< li>Participation in whole group and small group reading and discussions

 

Differentiation Ideas

• Differentiation Decisions

  • Quantity of student work may be adjusted to reflect students’ abilities.

  • Students who read below grade-level should continue to receive small group instruction in phonics and foundational reading skills, in addition to reading the mentor text.

  • Students’ writing in Reader Response Logs provides the teacher with valuable information to inform the focus or level of writing lessons.