Eastern Connecticut State University Lesson Plan Format
Student Teacher: Karen Mann
Grade Level: 2
Length of Lesson: 50 Minutes
Content Standards:
RI.2.5 Reading Informational Text: Craft and Structure – Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
The learning tasks outlined in this lesson plan will provide meaning to the various text features, examples of each feature, and opportunity for exploration of these text features in print.
Prior Knowledge/Connections:
In an informal, discussion-based pre-assessment, students were generally able to find the article’s title and a photograph within the text, and the majority were able to define what bold print is. Most students could not correctly define table of contents, caption, subheading, glossary, or index.
Since the students in this class do not have an extensive background in text features, the purpose of this lesson will be based mostly in the identification of these features within a text. At a later date, we will use this knowledge to more easily locate and understand content within a text.
Student Learning Objective(s):
Students will be able to identify 1-2 examples with page numbers of the following text features within an article: Title (1), Table of Contents (1), Bold Print (2), Photograph (2), Caption (2), Subheadings (2), Diagram (1), Glossary (1), and Index (1)
Vocabulary:
Text Feature: the components (parts) of a story or article that are not the main body of the text
Title: the name of the story or article
Table of Contents: a list of chapters or section titles with their corresponding page numbers, found before the main text
Bold Print: thicker or darkened text used to emphasize a word or phrase
Photograph: a picture made by using a camera, will depict a real life scene (not a drawing, painting, or cartoon)
Caption: a title or short explanation of a picture (usually under the picture)
Subheadings: a short title of a portion of the text
Diagram: a simplified drawing of the way something looks or works (usually with labels)
Glossary: an alphabetical list of words found in a text and their meanings, found after the main text
Index: an alphabetical list of names, subjects, etc. with the page numbers that they are referenced on, found after the main text
Assessment-Essential Key Question:
Using the attached graphic organizer, students will be able to identify, briefly describe (or quote), and provide page numbers for 1-2 examples of each text feature (title, table of contents, bold print, photograph, caption, subheadings, diagram, glossary, index)
Materials/Resources:
Scholastic News “Exploding Melons and Other Ways Weather Changes Our Food” April 2017
Chart Paper, Markers
Scholastic News “Follow that Bottle” April 2017
Searching for Text Features Worksheet
Pencil
Learning Activities:
Instructional Strategies:
As a class, students will take turns reading aloud “Exploding Melons and Other Ways Weather Changes Our Food.” After reading, I will go over the definitions of various text features one at a time. After each definition I will prompt students to find an example within the text to add to a group list of examples. (20 minutes)
The class will then break into pairs and read “Follow that Bottle.” Pairs will then work together to find examples of each of the text features and record them individually on the Searching for Text Features worksheet. (30 minutes)
Grouping Strategies:
In the second portion of the lesson, students will be paired with someone of a complimenting ability (predetermined). This will give students who are ahead of normal pace to practice their knowledge by teaching/assisting another student, and will give students who are behind normal pace an opportunity to learn from their peers.
Initiation:
- Direct students to the carpet, begin explaining the lesson while a student passes out Scholastic News articles
- Explain to students that we are going to explore the different parts of books and articles that we read, outside of the main text, and how they can help us to better understand the text and help us quickly find specific information that we are looking for in a text.
- First we will do this as a group, then students will have the opportunity to explore this in pairs
Lesson Procedures:
- Tell students that we are going to use the article in their hands to find examples of different text features (first we will read, then we will pick it apart)
- (Complete first 20 minutes section of learning activities)
- Show students the graphic organizer, give one example of a text feature, how to list it and provide the page number
- Direct students to follow the same pattern we just did as a class. Take turns reading the text out loud, then go back and identify text features together, and record them in the graphic organizer.
Closure:
- Collect worksheets after 20-30 minutes
- Share a few completed worksheets on the projector and review the given responses as a class
- Prompt students to decide whether the answers given were correct, why or why not?
- After completing the review, wrap up by reiterating that these various text features help us to better understand the text
- Explain that now that we know what the text features are, we can use them as resources, give examples (photographs, glossary, etc.)
- We will have the opportunity on a later day to practice using these text features for better understanding
Intervention:
- Students who have a hard time writing can place sticky notes on their examples and list page numbers on the graphic organizer
Enrichment:
- As an optional bonus, students can answer the following on the back of their papers: Explain how one of the text features helped you to better understand “Follow that Bottle.” Provide specific example and page number.
Karen About Kids 