Victorie Penn

Reading Enrichment Unit

Theme: Bears
AASL Standards:
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual,
media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.
2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular
areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.
2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information.
2.1.5 Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make
decisions, and solve problems.
3.1.3 Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively.
4.1.2 Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world, and previous reading.
Content Standards:
ELAGSE1RL2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their
central message or lesson.
ELAGSE1RL3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
ELAGSE1RI1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
ELAGSE1RI2: Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
ELAGSE1RL5: Explain major difference between texts that tell stories and texts that give
information.
ELAGSE1RI9: Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same
topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
Lessons:
1. Picking Appropriate Books
 Activating: Try on an assortment of shoes and have students use thumbs up
or thumbs down if they fit just right. Explain to students that having a book
that fits just right is like having a pair of shoes that fits. Also mention that if
shoes fit just right, they all have different purposes. This is like choosing fiction
or non-fiction. Books need to fit the purpose and level of students.
Lesson: Students will check their AR book level to provide a guide for their
choices in the library (these are listed on the back of their library card).
Closing: Students will practice this skill by checking out appropriate books.

2. Fiction
Activating: Ask students to make an inference on if the book is fiction or non-
fiction.
Lesson: Read Bears New Friend aloud to students. Ask the following
questions:
1. What makes this book fiction?
2. Who did Bear find in the hole?
3. What did the friend do after they discovered Owl?
4. How would the story be different if the characters were humans instead
of animals?
Closing: After students have checked out their book, they will whisper to a
shoulder buddy about if their book if fiction or non-fiction and why.

3. Non-Fiction
Activating: Ask students to make an inference on if the book is fiction or non-
fiction.
Lesson: Use PebbleGo to read the section on Black Bears aloud to students.
Ask the following questions:
1. What makes this e-book non-fiction?
2. What color are they?
3. Where do they live?
4. What kinds of foods do they eat?
Closing: After students have checked out their book, they will whisper to a
shoulder buddy about if their book if fiction or non-fiction and why.

4. Compare and Contrast

Activating: Students will think-pair-share to their shoulder buddy about
everything they remember about Black Bears and Bears New Friend. Record
student responses. If recall is low, review the books with a picture walk or
leading questions.
Lesson: Explain to students how to compare and contrast with a Venn
diagram. Create a scaffolded Venn diagram (Black Bears- body, habitat, food,
life cycle; Bears New Friend- characters, setting, what happens) to help
students think about the elements of the books. Ask students to think-pair-
share about what some similarities are between the books. Record responses.
Closing: After students have checked out their book, they will compare and
contrast their book to their neighbors using their new vocabulary.

Lesson Materials:
 I used ActivInspire to create the flipchart below for the Compare and Contrast lesson. All of the
other lessons were read aloud activities with discussion questions, so there were no materials other
than the book and e-book.

Because the only available technology in the media center was a projector hooked to a
desktop computer, I called on students and entered their responses by using a wireless mouse and
keyboard. I tried to use color coding to help students see the similarities after we finished discussing
the two books. You will see below the student responses that were entered. We used the
think/pair/share method to generate student responses. There were a couple areas, such as the life
cycle in the Black Bears article and what happens in Bears New Friend, that students had trouble
remembering. Students were prompted with leading questions so that the organizer could be
completed in a timely manner.

Reflection:
If I were to teach this unit again, I would make changes regarding technology and scheduling.
Because time was limited, I was only able to schedule this particular class for two days. On the first
day, we completed lessons 1 and 2- choosing appropriate books and the fiction read aloud. This
seemed to go well. Most students remained on task the whole time and we were able to complete the
lessons in about 45 minutes. Each lesson took about 15 minutes, and 15 minutes was given in
between lesson 1 and 2 for students to check out books. On the second day, we completed lessons 3
and 4- the nonfiction read aloud and compare/contrast activity using the projector, again in about 45
minutes. Students were given a brief break between the lessons, which lasted 15 and 25 minutes,
respectively. I believe it would have been better to split lessons 3 and 4 into two separate days
because the students were unfocused by the end of the compare/contrast lesson.
I would have liked to have been able to do something more interactive with the technology,
especially in lessons 3 and 4. It would have been more enriching for students to access PebbleGo
independently or with a partner and pull up the information on Black Bears to read together on a
tablet. Also, I would have liked for students to be able to respond on their own to the compare and
contrast activity to increase engagement. Using a sticky note tool like Padlet would have been an
interesting way for students to answer. Since 1st graders are not fluent typers, they could respond
with a sound clip or picture of their answer.