ED 215R LESSON PLAN

RATIONALE FOR THE LESSON:

As developing readers and writers, it is important for second graders to expand their
mental toolboxes to be more effective in these endeavors. To this end, the students have been
adding tools and strategies for reading and writing all year, though most recently with activities
and discussions centered on making connections to their texts. There are several types of
connections emphasized in literacy development: text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world.
Students have demonstrated their ability to make simple text-to-self connections on a consistent
basis and will focus on this more specifically in the future. However, the next connection textto-text is an area where they need work. We have worked on making inferences in series texts,
which relies on these text-to-text connections, and especially since they are still working with
series texts, its integral that they develop the ability to make text-to-text connections in order to
better understand what theyre reading.
This lesson, since it depends on what each individual student has read in the past, will be
simple to convey to students of various reading developmental levels. The key is that it does not
depend on their ability to decode text, but instead focuses on a skill that can be applied to books
of any difficulty, allowing the students to draw on their reading history rather than their reading
skills. With this same goal in mind, I will read the prompts aloud for the students, ensuring that
their focus is on the connections they want to make, rather than those difficult words that they
may have trouble decoding. I intend to utilize post-it notes in this workshop, having students
stick a post-it note where they made a text-to-text connection, and I will require an exit slip
from them before the end of the workshop with the prompts, What was the connection? and
How did it help you understand the text better? This way, I can be sure to have some material to
assess learning before the end of the day. Ill also incorporate some partner discussion during the
mini-lesson, drawing on Vygotskys Socio-linguistic Theory by having students share and
organize their ideas through communication.
The post-its are a routine that theyve established over the year in different activities, and
are used in a variety of ways. Exit slips, too, are a common routine for them, ensuring that they
practice the strategy/skill of the day at least once before leaving the room. The students have been
working in pairs throughout the year, and while the pairs themselves arent static partners can
and do change the intention is always the same: to share knowledge, practice discussion skills,
and expand their thinking through collaboration. The class as a whole has been using this partnersharing technique all year, so it is another well-developed learning tool that I will also certainly
utilize in this lesson. Overall, I am very lucky to be working with a group of second graders that
average into third grade reading levels, according to Fountas and Pinnells Text Level Ladder of
Progress, though these scores do vary from I-O; to address these variations, I will use read the
prompts aloud for students, allow them to work independently at a reading level that is
comfortable for them, and encourage discussion so that the class can benefit from their peers
differences in thinking. As a result, students at any reading development level will be able to
participate and contribute in different ways.
My means of assessment will be through the exit-slips, discussion, and conferencing,
during which Ill take notes of student learning and their strength in making text-to-text
connections, being sure to focus on how theyre thinking through the connections and what
makes sense to them.

OUTCOMES/GOALS:

For the Student:

CCSS.RI.3.9
Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two
texts on the same topic.

For the Teacher:

WTS #6: The teacher uses effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques as
well as instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and
supportive interaction in the classroom.
Performance:

The teacher knows how to ask questions and stimulate discussion in

different ways for particular purposes, for example, probing for learning
understanding, helping students articulate their ideas and thinking
processes, promoting risk-taking and problem-solving, facilitating factual
recall, encouraging convergent and divergent thinking, stimulating
curiosity, helping students to question.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE:
In order to deepen their reading comprehension, students will be able to make
connections between the text theyre reading and other texts or stories theyve read.

ASSESSMENT:
I will take notes on student learning during various parts of the workshop, including
partner discussions, group sharing, and independent work time. Students will also place post-it
notes in their book where theyve made a text-to-text connection, and will complete an exit slip
on one of these connections before leaving the workshop.

STRATEGIES FOR STUDENTS OF VARYING LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT

AND IDENTIFIED LEARNING NEEDS:
Mini-lessons that build on students prior knowledge are useful as teaching tools because
they can engage readers of all levels. As a result, Im confident that all students will be able to
learn from the model and remodels, if necessary that I provide on text-to-text connections,
especially since I plan to strengthen that learning with partner-based discussions and note-taking
on post-its at strategic points throughout the mini-lesson. I will also be reading the prompts aloud,
so the entire class will undertake the mini-lesson with a common piece of information and will be
able to apply their own reading histories in order to make a connection.
During our workshop and at any point in the future, this strategy of making text-to-text
connections will be applicable to any level of reading. At any developmental level, students will
be able to make connections between the book theyre reading and books theyve read in the past,
and will be better able to understand their current text. So that Jodi and I can assess their
application of this strategy, I will have students mark with post-its in their books where they made
connections and complete an exit-slip on one of these connections, and I will take my own notes
on the students learning during conferencing.

MATERIALS:
Post-it notes/clipboards/pencils (Brookfield Elementary)
Two short prompts (provided by me, found on the Chula Vista School District website)
http://www.meade.k12.sd.us/Curriculum/2nd%20Grade%20Fluency%20Passages/2nd
%20Fluency%20Passage%2023.jpg
http://www.meade.k12.sd.us/Curriculum/2nd%20Grade%20Fluency%20Passages/2nd
%20End%20of%20Year%2025%20001.jpg
Text-to-text connection poster (provided by me, found on Read Write Think from Cathy Simon)
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson228/text.pdf
Exit slips (provided by me)
What was the connection? and How did it help you understand the text better?

TOTAL TIME NEEDED:

~1 hour and 15 minutes (have 9:30am 10:50am)

PROCEDURES:
Introduction: ~5min
Make sure students are seated next to their reading partners and have post-its to write on.
o These routines are well-established reminders about note-taking and partnersharing interactions shouldnt be necessary.
The other day, I was reading a book about a knight fighting a dragon. He wanted to save
the princess! It made me think about another book Ive read, one where a little boy was
searching for his lost puppy. I realized that both the boy and the knight wanted to save
someone! I just thought it was so neat how the stories were about such different things,
but they were still connected.
Im sure that when youre reading, you all make connections to something youve already
read, but you might not even notice when you do! Today, we are going to make sure
everyone can make these text-to-text connections, because they help us become stronger
readers.
o These connections help us have a clearer picture in our heads of whats going on,
and gets us excited about reading more! If we enjoyed that last book and can
connect it to the new one, then that means well probably enjoy this one too!
Transition into, I have a pair of text prompts here that will help us practice making
connections, and well do that as a group hopefully we can come up with lots of
connections, since youve all read so many different books!
Introduce purpose:
o We are going to make text-to-text connections between these prompts and stories
or books weve read before, so that we can understand the prompts better.
We will use post-its and partner discussion to get everything straight, so
keep your ears open!
Read the title again and start delving into demonstration/participation.
Demonstration and Participation: ~10min
READ first and second paragraphs of the first prompt (Lilys First Movie)
I already recognize a text-to-text connection! I once read a book called
Cold Mountain, and two friends were separated, just like Lily and Nick!
Put a post-it by first paragraph that says Cold Mountain

By making this connection, I can understand better whats going on in

Cold Mountain, the two friends were awfully sad when they were split
up, which means it would be a safe guess to say Lily and Nick feel the
same way.
READ the rest of the passage and explain, Now, I could have made another connection
for example, I once read a book about the circus that had an elephant in it. Does this
connection help me figure out anything about the story, though?
o TURN AND TALK Does this connection help me understand the story of Lily
and Nick any better? Why or why not?
Now, while Im reading the second prompt, I want everyone to write down one good
connection remember, a good text-to-text connection is one that helps us understand the
story more deeply, somehow!
o POST-ITS Write down your connection while Im reading, and well share a
few of them afterwards.
o READ - One Last Thing
o GROUP SHARE for connections be sure to discuss how the connections help
us understand the story better.

Closure/Recap/Transition: ~5min
Now, weve learned that making good, strong, text-to-text connections isnt so hard, and
can help us understand what were reading in new ways.
We made some really great text-to-text connections! Id like you to do the same in your
own, independent reading, and be sure to mark each of these text-to-text connections
using a post-it in your book, just like we did together here.
Half-way through reading time, Im going to hand out exit-slips as well, and I want you
to pick your FAVORITE, strongest, text-to-text connection, and write it down for me on
the exit slip before you leave today.
Before the end of class, well come back together as a group to recap our work with textto-text connections! Off you go, readers!
Practice: ~50min
Students will use post-its to mark the text-to-text connections that they make during
independent reading.
I will use this time for conferencing, and take notes on student learning and the text-totext connections that they make, along with any issues that come up and problems that they may
have.
AFTER TWENTY MINUTES: Depending on what came up during conferencing, use this time to
clear up any shared misconceptions, or to point out what certain students are doing that might be
helpful to others. Remind students that good text-to-text connections help us understand what
were reading and are more than just, These books both have elephants, or, They went to the
grocery store in both stories.
This is when I will also hand out the exit-slips for students to fill out.
Performance/Wrap-up: ~5min
Students will choose their strongest, favorite text-to-text connection and write it on the exit slip
before we get together to close the workshop.
We have made such great text-to-text connections today, and weve learned that by
making these connections, we can think about what were reading in new ways.
GROUP SHARE: Exit-slip connections choose a few strong connections and ask
students to share. Be sure to have them explain how the connections they made helped
them understand their story better.