Strategy-Based Comprehension Instruction

Teacher Name: Eliza Corn Grade Level: 8th

Target Content/Lesson Topic: Literacy – Comprehension Date: November 30, 2023

This lesson is for a(n) __X__ whole class _____ small group _____ individual

Planning
Essential Question How can we clarify and strengthen our writing?
- What is the essential question that How do writers engage their readers?
this lesson addresses? What are the purposes for writing?
- What is the core purpose of the
lesson that includes the strategies
and skills necessary to accomplish
the deeper learning in the standard?
Sequencing Prior to this lesson, students have spent extensive time exploring authors purpose and the differences in
- How does this lesson fit into the persuasive, informative, and entertainment writing. Students practiced identifying and writing sentences to
larger unit of study? communicate specific purposes and have just finished analyzing the use of persuasion in media and advertising.
- Focus on a logical/hierarchical
sequencing of skills (e.g., main ideas Following this lesson, students will begin their informative project. They will research a topic of their choice,
before details, similarities before write an informative paper about the topic, and present their information to their peers in a slideshow.
differences). Learning in this lesson will support students as they begin the research process for their informative project.
Being able to identify main ideas and supporting details is a skill that will support them in gathering relevant
and reliable information for their project.

State Learning Standards W.8.2 – Write text in a variety of modes.

List the complete, relevant grade- b. Write informative or explanatory text, examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information
level standard(s). through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content by introducing and developing a
topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples, organizing ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

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 Learning Target(s) and Learning I can use details from a reliable source to support my main ideas when writing.
Objective(s) - Students will be able to write a paragraph about the impact of snoozing on cognitive performance using
- Choose your learning target(s) and evidence from the article to support their claim.
objective(s) based on the relevant
state learning standard(s).
- Write focused targets and
objectives that describe the specific
learning outcome (what students
should be able to do as a result of
the lesson).
- Be sure they are stated in
observable and measurable terms
(e.g., ABCD+T).
Grouping This lesson will be taught in a whole class setting during CORE. CORE is an intervention/enrichment period
Describe how and why students are where students are assigned based on demonstrated need for extra support/practice or enrichment/extension
grouped based on outside of academic periods. Students have been assigned to this CORE period based on demonstrated need or
- homogeneous, heterogeneous, desire for preemptive support before they begin their informative project.
randomized
- ability, interest, IEP goals, social or During the lesson, students will occasionally collaborate within their table groups to share ideas. Table groups
social-emotional, behavioral, are mixed ability to provide students with peer support, as well as strategically assigned to support classroom
language acquisition management. EL students are seated together for language support amongst students and from push-in ELA
teacher.
Co-Teaching Strategy During this lesson, I will be providing instruction (introducing the lesson, outlining expectations, reading loud,
Does this lesson involve co- guiding students through opportunities to practice inferencing).
teaching? If not, state N/A. If yes, Mrs. Wulf will be observing and walking around to engage and support students as needed.
identify the co-teaching model and Two other clinical students will also be present, observing students and providing support as needed.
what role each teacher will play.
-One Teach, One Observe; One
Teach, One Assist; Station Teaching;
Parallel Teaching; Supplemental;
Alternative; Team Teaching

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 Differentiation Content: This lesson is providing support to students who have demonstrated need for support or desire for
Describe how you will meet extension in previous writing assignments by teaching them a reading strategy they can use as they work
individual students’ needs by independently on their informative writing exploration. The article was chosen with student interest in mind,
adjusting the content, process, presenting a topic that is relatable and applicable to all students.
product, and environment based on
their readiness, interests, and learning
preferences. Process: Students will have a physical copy of the text to read as it is simultaneously being read aloud by the
teacher. Students will practice the reading strategy by completing a graphic organizer while reading. Students
will compare and share their thoughts with neighbors before being given a chance to share with the whole
class. Students will engage in opportunities to practice independently, with support from peers, and with
support from educational professionals. Students will be supported with prompting/questioning as necessary.

Product: The graphic organizer provides students with a template to organize the information that they find in
the article. Students respond to an open ended prompt, to which they may demonstrate what they have learned
in the lesson to the best of their ability.

Environment: Students will follow along silently while the teacher reads the text aloud. Students will
periodically be given time to record their thoughts and share ideas with their neighbors. Both teachers will be
available to provide support as needed throughout the lesson.

IEP Goals Relevant to Lesson (Add rows as necessary.)

Student IEP Goal

Accommodations and/or Modifications Required for Students in Special Education (Add rows as necessary.)
Student(s) Required Accommodation/Modification

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Supports for English Language Learners (Add rows as necessary.)
Student Necessary Supports (e.g., Sheltered English strategies, grouping strategies)
Ulyses Copy of the text in English, section 1 will be completed with guidance from the teacher, reexplained directions as
needed, graphic organizer presented in English
Silverio Copy of the text in English, section 1 will be completed with guidance from the teacher, reexplained directions as
needed, graphic organizer presented in English
Gerardo Copy of the text in English, section 1 will be completed with guidance from the teacher, reexplained directions as
needed, graphic organizer presented in English
Jiselle Copy of the text in English, section 1 will be completed with guidance from the teacher, reexplained directions as
needed, graphic organizer presented in English
Frecy Copy of the text in Spanish, section 1 will be completed with guidance from the teacher, reexplained directions as
needed, graphic organizer presented in English & Spanish

Assessment
Formative Assessment Student learning during this lesson will be formatively assessed through the “write to respond” writing prompt.
- How will you monitor student Based on what they learn from the article, students will practice informative writing by writing a brief paragraph
learning throughout the lesson? that includes a main idea and supporting details. This is an opportunity to practice gathering information and
- Be specific about how your practice using it to produce writing in their own words before they begin working on their informative project.
assessments connect directly with the
lesson objective.
Formative Evaluation Criteria
- What material(s) will you use to Student Name:
evaluate learning?
- Attach a copy of your checklist, ロ Student states a main idea.
rubric, observation criteria, or other ロ Student provides details to support their main idea.
measure.

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 Summative Assessment Students will be summatively assessed on their mastery of this standard through their informative project. In
How will students demonstrate this project, students will research a topic of their choice, use their research to write an informative paper, and
mastery of the standard? present their information to their peers in a slide show.
Note: This assessment does not have
to occur during/after this lesson but
in upcoming lessons.

Summative Evaluation Criteria Informative Project Rubric

- What material(s) will you use to
evaluate learning?
- Attach a copy of your checklist,
rubric, observation criteria, or other
measure.

Procedures
Opening: Introduction and Hook
Connection to Previous Learning
● Anticipatory Activity (Hook) I will begin by asking students:
● Activate prior knowledge. - How did you sleep?
● Be sure students understand - How many hours do you usually sleep at night?
procedures and instructions for - How did you sleeping habits change during break? Did you sleep more or less, stay up later, go to bed
the lesson. earlier, etc.?
● Establish clear expectations. - How do you usually wake up? Do you wake up naturally, set one alarm, set multiple alarms, sleep
● Model concept. through your alarms, etc.?
The groupings/instruction/lesson
progression may look different in different Introduction
parts of the lesson!
For your informative project, you will be writing an informative paper and presenting your information to the
class. Today we are going to practice informative writing based on an article we are going to read about sleep.
- This article has 3 sections. For each section of the article, we are going use our graphic organizer to
identify the main idea of the section along with 3 details that support the main idea.
- Sections 1 and 2 we will do as a class, and then you will identify the main idea and supporting details for
section 3 on your own.

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 - After you finish reading the article, you will use the details you collected on your graphic organizer to
write a response to the article.

During: Lesson Progression During

In this portion of the lesson, you will
be letting go and letting students SECTION 1: I will read section 1 aloud to the entire class.
engage in productive struggle; - Modeling (“I do”): I will model identifying the main idea and 1 supporting detail for this
engaging in gradual release (“I do, we section.
do, you do”), inquiry, guided or o To find the main idea of this section, I want to think about how what I just read relates to the
independent practice, or other title. I think that this line (“those extra minutes could boost your cognitive performance when
learning methods. Please write what you first get up”) does a really good job of connecting this section to the title of the article.
you are looking for in terms of: o I also think that the line that comes right after (“Cognitive processes are…”) is really important
● Students’ thinking and how because it defines that word, “cognition”, used in the title. I’m going to include that as one of
they will start the lesson. my supporting details.
● Provide appropriate support
(not explaining how to do it). - Guided Practice (“We do”): I will ask students to provide the other 2 supporting details for this
● Provide worthwhile section.
extensions. o What other details stood out to you in this section?
● Provide opportunities for ▪ Authors will sometimes use statistics or quotes to support their ideas.
students to engage in using o How does the detail you chose support our main idea?
the academic language.
This is where you will be suggesting
or modeling specific strategies SECTION 2: I will read the section 2 (“No Impact on Mood or Sleepiness”) aloud to the class.
and helping students choose which - Guided Practice (“You do w/ support”): As a whole class, students will discuss and agree on a
strategy makes sense to them. main idea, then students will be given 5 minutes to work with their table groups to find the 3
However, you must make sure ideas supporting details.
come from students. o How does what we just read relate to the section header, “No Impact on Mood or Sleepiness”?
▪ In informative articles like this, authors will use section headers to give the reader a
quick preview of the main idea of that section. Based on what we read in this section, is
the header an accurate representation of the main idea?
o What details in this section support the main idea?
▪ To find supporting details for a header like this, a good strategy is to break it up. For
example, we could find one detail about mood and one about sleepiness.
▪ Again, statistics and quotes are always a good place to look for supporting details.

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 SECTION 3: Students will read section 3 (“Snoozing Helps Prevent Groggy Feeling”) independently.
- Independent Practice (“You do independently”): Students will work independently to identify
the main idea and 3 supporting details in this section.
o I will move around the room and provide support to students as needed.
▪ What is the overall idea of this section?
▪ How does the information in this section connect to the section header or title of the
article?
▪ Does the section header accurately express the main idea of this section?

Write to Respond: Students will write a brief paragraph responding to the question: “What impact can
snoozing have on cognitive performance?”
- Students will independently respond to the prompt in 4-5 sentences, supporting their claim with
evidence from the article.
- Once all students are finished writing, graphic organizers will be turned in to the basket.

Closing: Wrap-Up and Extension Wrap-Up

End the lesson with a final review of - This graphic organizer helped us to break down this article into main ideas and supporting details.
key ideas and knowledge. This is o Did you feel like filling out the organizer helped you understand the article better?
where you have students talk about o Were there any parts of the article that you still had trouble understanding?
their thinking and share strategies o What was the most challenging part of this activity?
with the whole class. It’s important
to name strategies and use academic Looking Ahead
vocabulary here, extending the lesson - When you begin researching for your own informative writing, this is a strategy you can use to pull the
to broader ideas. important information out of the articles you read about the topic you choose.
● Promote a community of
learners.
● Listen actively and probe
thinking without evaluating
or telling them how you
would do it.
Summarize main ideas and identify
future problems that they would be
able to solve using the thinking you
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 have discussed. Provide a brief
preview of what the next lesson will
include.
Curricular and Instructional Article: Students will read this NEWSELA article as they complete their graphic organizer. This article was
Resources or Materials chosen based on student interest and is relevant and applicable to all students. NEWSELA presents this article
- List and provide a brief rationale at a variety of Lexile levels to reach students at different reading levels.
for all necessary lesson resources and - Article in Spanish: provided as ELA support
materials. If not original, cite the
source. Graphic Organizer: This graphic organizer will provide students with an easy-to-replicate reading strategy that
- Attach/link a copy of all materials they can use for support during their informative project.
the teacher and students will use - Graphic Organizer in Spanish: provided as ELA support
during the lesson; e.g., handouts,
questions to answer, slides,
worksheets, and so on.
Supplies, Equipment and Overhead projector, highlighters, computer, loose leaf, pencils
Technology
- List all other supplies that need to
be available.

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Eliza Corn

EDU 440 –Preparation Portfolio Design

Dr. Shannon Prince

November 30, 2023

Strategy-Based Comprehension Instruction Reflection

My mentor teacher and I collaborated on the planning process of this lesson. We chose a

strategy that the students would be able to apply to what they are currently working on in class.

Students are in the midst of an informative project, where they research a historical figure,

write an informative essay about their life and impact, and then create a presentation to teach

their classmates about their historical figure. While researching, students have been

demonstrating difficulty and need for support with gathering the main ideas and key events of

their topics, so this strategy was picked with the intention of helping them streamline the

research process. To incorporate the responses to the student literacy lives survey that we gave

to the students earlier in the semester, we chose to practice the strategy with an article about

sleep. Sleep habits are a major topic of conversation in my placement, so we felt that this article

could provide them with some information about the importance of sleep and healthy sleeping

habits that they could think about practicing in their own lives. It was a little bit challenging for

us to find an article that incorporated more of the students’ interests, so in the future I would

like to incorporate student interest in a small group way, so students can interact with content

that is closely tailored to their interests. That being said, I absolutely noticed a difference in
engagement between this lesson and my first lesson, and the incorporation of more high-

interest text definitely influenced that change.

According to both my mentor teacher and supervisor, I demonstrated a lot of growth in

the instruction portion of this lesson plan. My mentor teacher noted that I did a great job

introducing the lesson and modeling the reading strategy for the students but suggested that I

get students a little bit more involved in the modeling process by asking questions to gauge

student understanding. The students were very engaged, followed along quietly while I read

aloud and kept track of information on their graphic organizer as we moved through the lesson.

My mentor teacher observed that about 90% of the students were really engaged with the

lesson, compared to about 70% during my last observation. A students worked, I was able to

move around the room and assess how well they were using the reading strategy to

comprehend the text. I noted that students were recording really strong ideas in their graphic

organizers. There were a handful of students who were not following along closely with the

reading and not filling out their organizers, but even most of those students were at least

engaging in conversation about the text with classmates around them. My supervisor reassured

me that sometimes, even though it’s not following my expectations, getting students to engage

with the content in any way is better than not at all.

During portions of the lesson where students were expected to work independently or

with a partner, I moved around the room and used questioning to keep the students on task and

thinking about the content. I also moved around the room as I read the article aloud for

students, which was a suggestion that my supervisor gave me after my first observation. I found

that positioning myself amongst the students while leading instruction resulted in more
students engaging in on task behavior. Instead of some students possibly going on their phones

or chatting with their neighbors, they were tuned in to the reading. I think that the strategic use

of a high-interest text as well as the graphic organizer that I created to accompany the text did a

lot to help me maintain a controlled learning environment during the lesson. If students finished

the section we were working on before time was up, they were always able to move on to the

next part independently, keeping everyone occupied.

To improve my teaching going forward, my goal is to do a better job of incorporating

academic language. I think that this would support my students in building really strong and

secure understandings of the content. When teaching, I tend to ramble a little bit when I’m

explaining a concept. I think that I could be better at preparing precise wording for explaining

key concepts to better support my students. I also would like to dive deeper into the

incorporation of student interests and discourses in content instruction. I got a little taste of it in

this lesson, but I think I could do so much more to increase engagement simply by finding

resources that are deeply relatable and interesting to students.