Lesson 8

Strategy Focus: Background Knowledge,Vocabulary, Preview, Prediction, Self-Question,

Connections, Infer, Retelling, Character Analysis
Common Core State Standards:
Reading Standards for Literature Grade 9-10
CCSS 2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its
development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and
refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS 4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific
word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and
place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Writing Standards Grade 9-10
CCSS 5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a
specific purpose and audience.
CCSS 6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update
individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technologys capacity to link
to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
Speaking and Listening Standards Grade 9-10
CCSS 1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (oneon-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 910 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively
CCSS 2: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of
formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Language Standards Grade 9-10
CCSS 1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking.
CCSS 2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
CCSS 3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in
different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend
more fully when reading or listening.
CCSS 4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grades 910 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies.
CCSS 6: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and
phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career
readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when
considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Student Learning Objective

 I can read and comprehend text in English using many reading strategies.
I can infer authors meaning.
I can retell a story.

Materials
Blue Beans by PJ Gray (Lexile Level 20L)
Pre-reading Graphic Organizer
Individual Reading Conferencing Checklist
Comprehension Quiz
Look at a Character Graphic Organizer (From Reading Comprehension)
Character Traits Graphic Organizer (From Reading Comprehension)

Lesson Description (Reading Period)

Warm Up Ask which students have a job. Allow students time to share where
and when they work and what they do. Have a class discussion about balancing
work and school responsibilities. Ask students if they ever miss out on fun events
with friends because of their job. Tell them that these experiences are background
knowledge for the book Blue Beans by PJ Gray. In the story, Rosa also has an
after school job.
Modeling Review the reading strategies chart. Add infer to the during reading
section. Explain that sometimes where you are reading you may need to guess the
meaning of the authors words. Doing this is called inferring. Read aloud Blue
Beans by PJ Gray. Infer why Rosa is angry when the unknown caller asks for
blue beans.
Guided Practice/Independent Practice Independently, students preview the text
and work on their pre-reading graphic organizer. Then students read the story on
their own and work on Fill in the Blanks and text questions. While students are
working independently, hold individual reading conferences with each student.
Listen to each student read the book and then retell the story. Ask for predictions,
connections, and inferences during the conferences. Use the Individual Reading
Conferencing Checklist to determine what students know and areas for
improvement.
Differentiation Individual reading conferences allow the teacher to assess student
needs abilities, and address the individual need of each student.
Lesson Description (Writing Period)
Warm Up Pair students with one partner. Each person makes a list of words to
describe their partners appearance and personality. Partners share their words
with the class. Generate two class lists, one for appearance words and one for
personality words.
Modeling Review the reading strategies chart, add character analysis to the
during and after reading columns. Explain that thinking about what the text says

about a characters personality and actions can help you make predictions and
understand events in the story. Using the document camera and projector, display
Look at a Character Graphic Organizer on the whiteboard. The class completes
this together describing the appearance of the teacher. Then display Character
Traits Graphic Organizer. This time the students write personality words to
describe the teacher.
Guided Practice Now look back at Blue Beans by PJ Gray. Give students their
own copies of Look at a Character. Together describe the main character, Rosas
appearance. Tell students that when analyzing a character in a story, personality
traits are more important than appearance. Give students their own copies of the
Character Traits Graphic Organizer. Together come up with 2 personality traits of
Rosa. Find evidence in the text to support these traits.
Independent Practice Independently, students decide on 2 more personality traits
for Rosa and find text evidence to support their decisions. The teacher will walk
around the room helping individual students.
Differentiation Individual conferences allow the teacher to address the individual
needs of each students and work with them to improve their writing skills.
Assessment of Student Learning (Did students meet the learning objectives?) Students
are formatively assessed on their comprehension of the text using observations and a
checklist during individual reading conferences and the questions they answered
independently. Students are assessed summatively using a comprehension quiz. Students
are also formatively assessed on their writing during conferencing and summatively
assessed on their final copies of the character traits graphic organizer with text evidence.
Teacher Reflection (What went well? What Changes should I make?) Students did well
on their assessments, showing that they comprehended the text after several readings.
Students had difficulty inferring meaning and retelling the story. This lesson there was
more focus on fluency and pronunciation, and formative observations show improvement
in this area.