Ellie Kolodzieski

Emergent Literacy
EDUC 681
August 2013
Differentiated Lessons

Word Study

Segmenting Words into Sounds (Grades K-1)

Description & Objective

This lesson has been modified from 40 Intervention Strategies for K-6 Students by Elaine
K. McEwan-Adkins. It is an intervention strategy focused on building phonemic
awareness in emergent and early readers. This guided literacy strategy provides more
intensive instruction and guided practice in segmentation. Segmentation refers to saying
the individual sounds, or phonemes, after hearing the word spoken at a normal rate.
Direct instruction and teacher modeling are part of the lesson as well as scaffolding. In
the scaffolded practice, the words are broken into separate sounds. First, students begin
with the initial sound and then graduate on to segmenting words that contain up to four
phonemes.


Procedure

Teacher creates an advance organizer by putting a mystery word on the board and
explaining to the students that they need to know what the first sound is by using the I Do
It-We Do It-You Do It routine. The teacher and students both use a sound-counting
routine with their fingers for each individual sound. The teacher models, students
respond in unison, and then students respond in unison without teacher support ending
with individual students responding.


Modifications

Students in the early stages of literacy would be taught the lesson for teaching just the
initial sound segmentation. Gradually, this would build up to a more emergent level in
which students would be increase their ability to work with words containing up to four
individual phonemes. Dependent on student level, I would either be focusing on just the
first sound of a word or begin to increase up to four individual phonemes.

To correct whole-word segmentation, the teacher would model again (using sound-
counting routine with fingers), then the teacher and student respond together, ending with
the individual student saying the word.


Assessment

All students should respond correctly several times, with both the teachers support and
the students peers support. The teacher should be watching and listening for errors.
Then individual students should be called upon. If there are still struggles, return to the I
Do It-We Do It-You Do It format to allow for more practice. Immediately correct errors
using the error correcting routine written above (in modifications)


Home Connection

Parents can be taught this activity at a parent night and then would be able help guide
their child in segmenting words into sounds. Students should also be able to show their
parents how to do this with words that they are confident in and then build bigger words
with the guidance of their parent.


Oral Language

Dialogic Storytelling (Grades K-1)

Description & Objective

This scaffolded lesson (modified from Portraits of Literacy Development by Antonacci
and OCallaghan) allows emergent and early students to create the narrative to
accompany the pictures in Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson through
dialogic storytelling. This is a modeled, shared, and guided reading literacy strategy.
This strategy will help students to develop their oral language skills. Students will be
able to ask and respond to questions, participate during a shared time, and follow rules
for discussions. (Antonacci & OCallaghan, page 92). They will also be able to use new
vocabulary words and create stories from illustrations. This strategy will help students in
developing literary language and learn how to enjoy language.


Procedure

After first reading the story with they children, the teacher would then create their own
narrative to the story, or to parts of the story. The teacher provides a model for the
student and then challenges them to implement that same task with teacher guidance.
Having already read Harold and the Purple Crayon, children will be familiar with the
story. The teacher acts as a coach by prompting students with both questions and hints.
Then children, in turn, provide the narrative that accompanies the pictures. This is a
simple story that will allow students to put themselves into Harolds shoes choosing what
he will draw next and why and how the drawings made Harold feel.

This lesson can be done for all levels of readers, emergent, early, and fluent. The more
fluent they are in oral language, the more creative they will be. Students who are fluent
in oral language may be more comfortable with verbally defending their answers with
appropriate responses.


Modifications

This lesson can be done with a variety of books, preferably ones that have been read
together in class. If students are struggling, they can be given more hints and lead-in
statements. What if questions and open-ended questions can be helpful in creating a
dialogue.

Assessment

An informal assessment to check for understanding will be their participation in the
lesson. Did they try to be creative and add new vocabulary? Did they enjoy
participating? This lesson allows for many of the benchmarks in both early and emergent
literacy to be reached, such as telling a story with a picture, sequencing the story, and
participating in discussions.


Home Connection

After doing this lesson several times in the classroom, students could then involve their
parents at home in dialogic storytelling. At home, parents (or other adults) can act as
guides in doing this same type of lesson. Instructions would be sent home as to how to
partake in dialogic storytelling. Instead of the parent reading the book, they would ask
questions and get their child to tell the story in their own words. This could also be an
opportunity for students to come back and share the book that they read with their
peers.


Writing

Collaborative Writing (Grades 1-2)

Description & Objective

This lesson (modified from www.readwritethink.org) has students complete two
prewriting activities. One will be focused on brainstorming ideas using story maps, and
the other will be on creating beginnings of stories. Students will work on two
collaborative-writing activities and draft an oversized story on chart paper. This is a
lesson that I could do with my small group, but also expand into the regular classrooms.
It is meant for early and fluent writers, but emergent writers can also participate. This
lesson uses modeled, guided, and shared writing.


Procedure

Prior to writing, the teacher reads aloud the first few sentences from various childrens
books that have unusual, exciting, or descriptive openings. For example, Cloudy with a
Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. The idea of this lesson is that students will work
individually to continue on with the story. If we were to read Cloudy with a Chance of
Meatballs, we would read the first paragraph of the story that leads into this sentence:

Seconds later, something flew through the air headed toward the kitchen ceiling

Then one student would be chosen to individually write what comes next. This would be
followed by the next student who would read what has been written before and add the
next sentence to the story. The story is then passed on to another student and so on until
the story is complete. This story can be revised later in another lesson.

The teacher would first model this activity, then as a whole group, the class can work
together to create the story. Finally, students work individually (or in groups as
written under modifications).

Each student can either then read the sentence they wrote, or someone elses sentence
while remaining in the correct order that the story was written. The teacher can also
choose to read the story back to the children.


Modifications

Students who are emergent writers can participate by either drawing a picture for the next
part of the story or by working in pairs and having one student be the writer.

This strategy can be done with the whole class, or in small groups. Children can also
collaborate on writing stories. This will allow for a variety of ideas and student
backgrounds to influence the language and storyline. Shared writing allows students to
see how their peers are using specific strategies while they are composing. Less
proficient writers are supported during the group process. They are able to participate in
the writing activity, but wont feel overwhelmed by the amount of writing they need to
do.


Assessment

Students can initial next to their sentence so that the teacher knows everyone participated.
In this first phase of the lesson, grammatical and spelling errors will not be assessed. In a
later lesson, students will have a chance to revise their sentences. Effort and participation
will be assessed for this lesson. Did they write their sentence? Was it well thought out?
Is it legible? And so forth.


Home Connection

At home, students can do this activity with their family. They can choose a book from
the library or one at home and work together with their family to collaborate and continue
a story from the first sentence (or paragraph) of a book. This can be brought back and
shared with the class, if the student chooses.



Reading

Finding Just Right Books (Grades K-2)

Description & Objective

This is an excellent beginning of the year lesson for grades K-2. It is for emergent, early,
and fluent readers. The lesson helps students to remember (or learn for the first time if
they are kindergarteners) how to find books in the library that are appropriate for them
and how to treat books properly.

The story, Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Mims Hopkins, is about a
little girl who goes to the library and has to find just the right book for her. Not too hard,
not too easy, but just right. She also has to find books that are of interest to her.


Procedure

Students are gathered around to talk about reading. Where do they go to find books?
How do they know what books are a good fit for them? How do they show respect for
books? The teacher then reads Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians to the students.
Throughout the story, the teacher can stop, ask questions, guide students into making
guesses about what will happen next, etc.

In the story, Goldie Socks discovers how to treat books appropriately this could be pre-
discussed with the students and then revisited as we read to see if they were correct and
what additions they could talk about.

The students will also learn about the 5 Finger Rule a rule to use when trying to
figure out if a book is too hard or too easy for them, in order to find a just right book.

At the end of the lesson, each student would be given a bookmark with the 5 Finger Rule
on it as well as other ideas to choose a book. On the bookmark would be:

The Five Finger Rule
Look at the cover.
Read the title and the author.
Flip through the book.
Open to a page of the book.
Begin reading.
Each time you come to a word you dont know, hold up 1 finger.
After you finish reading the page, check to see how many fingers you are holding
up.
Too Easy: 0-1 fingers
Just Right: 2-3 fingers
Too Hard: 4-5 fingers

The lesson can also be expanded to work on compare and contrast (making a Venn
diagram to show Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians versus Goldie Locks and the
Three Bears) as well as creating character maps (depicting the characters feelings,
description, behavior, and personality traits) for the three bears and Goldie Locks.
Making connections, creating a series of events, cause and effect, and so on can also be
covered.


Modifications

For emergent and early readers, this can help introduce them to the understanding of
knowing that some books will be too hard and some too easy for them. For more fluent
readers, this will be a reminder at the beginning of the year as to what to look for. For
emergent writers, the graphic organizers (Venn diagrams, character maps, etc.) can be
done orally and together as a group. Early writers can work with a small group and fluent
writers can work independently.


Assessment

To check for understanding, students can first practice the 5 Finger Rule with classroom
books. When students feel confident, they can visit the library and practice with various
books there. When they feel that they have found an appropriate book, the can find the
teacher and demonstrate the 5 Finger Rule. The reward for this can be getting to check
out the book.


Home Connection

By showing their parents (or other adult) the Five Finger Rule, children can work with
their parents to find a book appropriate for them. This will also help parent to understand
what are just right books for their children. If able, students can visit the public library
with their family using this exercise and discovering what books they should be checking
out and also how to treat books from the library appropriately. Goldie Socks and the
Three Libearians ends with the readers finding a special place to read a reading nook.
I would encourage my students to find a special place at home, a corner, under a table, by
a window, etc. that would be their own reading nook.


Childrens Literature

Snowflake Bentley (Grades 2)

Description & Objective

This lesson (for early to fluent literacy students) will allow students to build on previous
knowledge through brainstorming and graphic displays before partaking in reading
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. They will increase their listening skills
by listening to modeling, directives, and read-aloud. They will also be able to write a
new article focusing on the main characters life (Willie Bentley) and his discovery.
Students will increase their speaking skills by discussing Willie Bentleys life and
discovery with peers and teacher.


Procedure

Students will be provided numerous frontloading activities to build on their background
knowledge and make connections. We would start with a group discussion on things we
know about life in the 1800s, Vermont, snowflakes, photography, and farm life. The
teacher (or students) can create flash cards for new vocabulary words. In small groups,
students can create interactive reading guides by first making a knowledge ladder for the
words SNOWFLAKE and make connections.

The teacher then reads aloud Snowflake Bentley to the students. Remind students to
think about the things they already know that are connected to the story and to picture in
their head what the author is saying. During natural pauses, have the students sum up
what the author is saying in their own words. Discuss with them how they feel about
Wilsons story and what it makes them think about.

Provide a graphic organizer for students of a snowman with text boxes at the top of it for
the main idea and supporting details; or students can write words or phrases that stick
out in the story. As students become more exposed to graphic organizers they can
create a newspaper article, from the 1800s, sighting the new discovery of a way to
photograph snow crystals. They could include a short biography about Willie Bentley.
I would provide examples of this on the board. However, as much as possible, students
should be responsible for what goes in the article and share their progress with their
peers.

The teacher can model interpretation by first showing a short video made by
meteorologist Mish Michaels at: http://snowflakebentley.com/vid.htm! This is a 3-minute
video taken in Vermont to recreate the life of the Snowflake Man.
He died a poor man, but rich with satisfaction.
What does this mean?
Discuss meteorologists and snowstorms
What do you think these mean? (similes)
snow was as beautiful as butterflies
Snow in Vermont is as common as dirt.


Modifications

Many modifications can be made throughout this lesson. Graphic organizers can be
altered for emergent or early writers; fluent writers may be able to create their own.


Assessment

To check for understanding ongoing, informal assessments will be taking place
throughout the lesson. Questions and discussions can assess comprehension. I can use
their news article as a sample of their work to share with homeroom teachers and parents.
As a Title teacher, I do not assign grades, but I can still use this as an assessment of their
skills and knowledge gained and the effort put into the project.

Students will also be able to assess themselves through a personal comprehension self-
assessment:
Remembering (main idea) Willie Bentley discovered a way to capture
snowflakes in photographs
Understanding (author is telling you) Willie was fascinated by nature and
loved sharing his snow crystals
Applying connect to personal understandings
Analyzing how is this similar/ different to what you have heard before?
Evaluating authority of the author
Creating how has the author changed your understanding?


Home Connection

At home, students can share their findings about Willie Bentley with their families.
Perhaps they have a hobby that theyd like family support on and could research it with
their parents. Willie Bentleys hobby was photographing snowflakes, he had quite a bit
of family support in this; it would be great to see childrens passions being supported at
home, too.