Unit Project
Unit Project
Reading
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GOALS AND RATIONALE
CURRICULUM STANDARDS
OBJECTIVES
UNIT ASSESSMENT
OVERVIEW
WEB/WHEEL
ACTIVITIES EXPLANATION PAGE
VISUAL DISPLAY
TECHNOLOGY
LESSONS
LESSON
LESSON
LESSON
1
2
3
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
SERVICE LEARNING/COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
UNIT REFLECTION
about science topics and dinosaurs, which is a topic that both genders can
be interested in.
Some of the essential questions that students will answer throughout
the unit are, what is the plot of the story, what are some character traits,
what movtivated a character to do something, and how does the character
change throughout the book. While reading the story students will be asked
about the main idea of the whole book; as well as, individual chapters. Some
other questions deal with writing. These include, How can you use the
knowledge you have gained from reading the story to write an article about a
dinosaur; as well as, using the information you read from the website given,
summarize the important components.
Curriculum Standards
National Standards
References
National Council of Teachers of English (1996) Standards for the english
language arts. Retrieved from
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/Sample/Standar
dsDoc.pdf
New Hampshire Department of Education (2006). K-12 Reading New
Hampshire curriculum framework. Retrieved from
http://www.ed.state.nh.us/EDUCATION/doe/organization/curriculum/Cur
riculumFrameworks/CurriculumFrameworks.htm#ss
New Hampshire Department of Education (2006). K-12 Social Studies New
Hampshire curriculum framework. Retrieved from
http://www.education.nh.gov/instruction/curriculum/social_studies/docu
ments/frameworks.pdf
New Hampshire Department of Education (2006). K-12 Written and oral
communication New Hampshire curriculum framework. Retrieved from
http://www.ed.state.nh.us/EDUCATION/doe/organization/curriculum/Cur
riculumFrameworks/CurriculumFrameworks.htm#ss
Objectives
specific causes.
After reading chapter 5, students will analyze how Nate has changed
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Unit Assessment
Throughout the unit, students will be working on a variety of
activities that I will be assessing them on. Many of the objectives throughout
the unit deal with reading comprehension; so, in order to know if my
objectives have been met, I will need to listen to students resposes. Students
will receive different worksheets during the unit. These worksheets will
consist of reading comprehension questions, vocabulary practice, and
writing topics; such as, syllables, sequencing, or context clues. Students will
also have different in class assignments to complete. After reading the third
chapter, students will have to find different locations in New Hampshire by
looking through the chapters. After, they will need to find the population
density of that area. To know that my objectives have been met, I will have
the students plot the locations on an empty New Hampshire map and explain
the population density of the areas.
After students read chapter 7 they will begin a writing assignment.
First, students will research the the differences and similarities between birds
and dinosaurs. With this information, they will fill out a Venn diagram. During
the next lesson, students will take the information they researched and
create a newspaper article explaining that it is possible for birds to have
evolved from dinosaurs. I will be reading both the Venn diagram and the
newspaper article to see if my objective was met. Towards the end of the
book, the students will create a childrens book as a class. They will need to
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decide on the plot and help with the writing. The finished product will tell me
if the objective was met.
The final project they will have to do is to make a brochure. This
integrates their Social Studies project they are working on as well as
information they learned throughout the book. Many points during the book
different parts about taking care of a dinosaur is mentioned. The students
will take what they learned while writing the newspaper article and the
information they learned in the book to write a section in the brochure about
a fake dinosaur exhibit in a zoo or museum. For the rest of the aritcle, they
will use the research skills they practiced in the beginning of the unit and
summarize parts about their zoo or museum. I will observe students working
on their brochures; as well as, look at the final product to see if my objective
was met.
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Overview
Before starting this unit, the students took a mid year reading
comprehension test. The results of this were broken down into different
categories which consisted of reading comprehension, reading analysis, and
writing/grammar. This was able to tell me the parts the students needed
more practice with. Before this unit was started, the students were split into
two different reading groups. The reading groups were decided by state
testing scores and a evaluation from the reading specialist. When I introduce
the book, I will ask students about any previous experience with farming or
chickens in general. This will begin getting students interested because the
question is a little hint about what the story will be about. I will then ask
them about what they notice about the cover. The cover has a picture of a
boy, a hens nest, and a very shocked looking hen. From the title and the
picture this will get students thinking about what the story is about. After
both of those, I will then read the back cover and a little about the author.
Week 1
Lesson 1
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Lesson 2
Read chapter 2.
Ask reading comprehension questions about why people are
Lesson 3
Read chapter 3.
Ask multiple comprehension questions while the story is being
read.
Have students find locations in New Hampshire mentioned in the
locations.
Homework- Finding base word practice.
I have planned these lessons in this order because the activities
go along with the chapters they are reading. After the first lesson,
which has students read chapter one, I want them to talk about the
characters that were introduced, the setting, and the perspective
the story is being told. In the next lesson, the students continued to
read the story and ask questions about the story. The third lesson
has the students find the location of places that were mentioned in
the first 3 chapters. I wanted to have this activity go along with
lesson three, because most of the places mentioned throughout the
story were mentioned in the first three chapters.
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Week 2
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Read chapter 6.
Ask what would happen if this happened today and other
Lesson 6
dinosaurs.
Homework- Work on packet.
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The lessons this week mainly deal with getting farther into
reading the book. I choose to do the character mapping with
chapter 6 because that chapter is when Dr. Ziemer is
introduced. In that chapter there are many details about Dr.
Ziemer for students to add to the map. In lesson six I wanted
students to make the venn diagram because during the chapter,
Nate and Dr. Ziemer have a discussion comparing birds and
dinosaurs. So, I wanted students to go more in depth with this
research.
Week 3
Lesson 7
Read chapter 9.
Ask about when this story took place (what year approximately),
what they would do if they were Nate, and to predict what Nate
is going to do.
Once the students complete the venn diagram they will turn it
Lesson 8
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Week 4
Lesson 9
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there will be another plot diagram drawn on the board and this time
they will pick events from the story to put on the diagram. This gives
students more practice with plot diagrams. I wanted to do this activity
at the end of the book, so students can see what the conflict and
solution of the story was. This will conclude the entire unit because of
the summarization of the story.
There were two days about of the four weeks that the students didnt
work on the reading unit. Many of the days were spent silently reading and
working on work. Since I had little control over the random events that have
happened, many of the days were cut short and I had to be flexible about my
planning.
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Web/Wheel
Persuasiv
e Speech
Travel
Brochure
Langua
ge Arts
Newspap
er Article
Venn
Diagram
Graph of
Growth
Hen and
dinosaur
to egg
Proportio
ns
Mathemati
cs
Length of
Drive
Landmar
ks for
Growth
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Study
Dinosaurs
Herbivore
vs.
Carnivore
Scien
ce
New
Hampshri
e Mapping
Learn
about the
Smithsoni
an
Museum
Draw a
Scene
from the
Book
Draw
what will
hatch our
of the
egg
Ar
t
Make a
mural
Act out a
speech
they
would
give
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Act Our a Speech they Would Give- Close to the end of the book,
the main character has to give a speech on the television about how
they should save the dinosaur. I would have the students write up a
speech about what they would say if they had to try and save their
dinosaur.
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Visual Display
The following pictures are three examples of the studetns final project.
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Technology
Technology in Troy Elementary is rather limited; yet, I will still be using
it throughout my unit. Each classroom has a few comupters in their room and
there is also a cart of netbooks for student use. There are also projectors in
every room for teachers to use. In this lesson the most used technology will
be the computers in the classroom.
In lesson 3, students will use computers in their classroom t o look up
locations in New Hampshire and population densities. They will need to be
able to search the internet for quality maps to see locations; as well as, look
for accurate population density maps. In lesson 6 students will use the
computer in their classroom again. For this lesson they will need to use the
internet to research information about birds and dinosaurs and how they
compare. This is different from their research with the population densities
because the population density maps can be found on government websites
and students can look up pictures instead of websites; whereas, students will
need to look up accurate websites to research information. The students final
techonology interaction will be with a website from a different country. They
will need to use Microsoft Publisher and the website given to them to create
a travel brochure.
Before planning this unit I did research about websites I could use as a
reference during the unit. My teacher gave me a website where I could find
worksheets and writing prompts to give to the students. There were not
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many websites specifically about the book, but I looked up ideas for activities
that students could do throughout the lesson. Closer to the end of the book I
plan to use the projector to show students the places the book talks about in
Washington D.C.
Technology will be used throughout this unit. Even though the same
type of technology is being used, students are using it in different ways.
They will be researching different ideas and learning how to search within
one website. Students will need to problem solve, do research, and be
innovative with their travel brochure design.
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Lessons
Lesson 1
Name__Lindsay Tiddes____________ Date_1/23/12__________Grade
Level__6th___
Subject_Language Arts______________ Topic__Reading____________________
Purpose: Introduce and begin reading the book The Enormous Egg,
by Oliver Butterworth. Also, discuss the setting and characters of the
book.
Curriculum Standards
R:V:6:1.1: Using strategies to unlock meaning (e.g., knowledge of word
structure, including prefixes/suffixes and base words; or context clues;
or other resources, such as dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses; or
prior knowledge) (State)
R:LT:6:1.1: Identifying or describing character(s), setting, problem/
solution, or plot, as appropriate to text; or identifying any significant
changes in character or setting over time (State) EXAMPLE (of setting
changing): Inthis poem, how does the farms appearance change over
the years?
Objective(s): After reading chapters 1 and some of 2, students will be
able to discuss with another student the setting, characters, and what
perspective the story is being told from.
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35
36
Child Guidance:
Proactive Considerations:
Reactive Considerations:
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much. I will give students things to the lesson. Also, a behavior plan
listen for while the book is being
read.
misbehaves.
about the book. Students will need them through the assignment and
to work together to find details
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Differentiation:
Needs for Lesson Participation:
Modification Required:
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task.
Resources Used:
Butterworth, O. (1956). The enormous egg. Canada. Litlle, Brown & Company.
Edhelper. The enormous egg. Retrieved from
http://www.edhelper.com/books/Enormous_Egg.htm
New Hampshire Department of Education (2006). K-12 Reading New
Hampshire curriculum framework. Retrieved from
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http://www.ed.state.nh.us/EDUCATION/doe/organization/curriculum/Cur
riculumFrameworks/CurriculumFrameworks.htm#ss
Perfection Learning Corporation. (1995). Portals to reading series: The
enormous egg. Logan, Iowa.
Lesson Reflection:
Analysis:
This lesson flowed well, students were mostly engaged, and
answered my questions with enthusiasm. I wanted to use this lesson to
test the students to see how they work in a reading group, learn about
their reading abilities, and begin to learn their comprehension. I
wanted to talk about the setting and the characters, so they would
know what they were reading and who the people were in the story.
Students were not confused; this lesson did not give them anything to
be confused with. Some students were not confused by what I asked
them to do, but did not really put effort into the questions. I think the
students enjoyed having a different teacher and working in a smaller
group.
Planning:
If I were to do this lesson again in the future, I would keep the
reading portion the same and the questions the same. I would do many
things differently if I had to teach this again. I would change the
assignment to something different. Before I had them do a simple
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Lesson 2
Name__Lindsay Tiddes______________ Date___1/25/12______Grade Level__6th
____
Subject__Language Arts_____________ Topic___Reading____________________
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44
Assessment:
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Child Guidance:
Proactive Considerations:
Reactive Considerations:
students will get. I will also say the do their work I will warn them they
directions for the students.
46
read.
differently.
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Differentiation:
Needs for Lesson Participation:
Students will need to work
together or by themselves to read
the book.
Modification Required:
I will let the students decide how
they will read the chapter. Some
students may want to
independently read, while others
will want to partner read.
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http://www.ed.state.nh.us/EDUCATION/doe/organization/curriculum/Cur
riculumFrameworks/CurriculumFrameworks.htm#ss
Lesson Reflection:
Analysis:
This lesson went well, but I was missing 4 of my students. Since many
of the students were out, I had to change my plans for the day, as well as the
rest of the week. I was originally going to assign students roles to read, but
there were not enough students so I gave them the option of partner reading
or silently reading. My objective was not met. The students answered the
questions and completed the crossword, but the questions were poorly
answered. Students were confused by my prediction question. They could
not figure out how to use what they learned about one of the characters to
predict how he would impact the story. The students learned some new
vocabulary words. While they were working on the crossword, some students
would ask what a word meant and they would have to look it up in the
dictionary. The good thing about having a small group is it makes it easier for
me to help individual students. I think the size of the group had a positive
impact on the students.
Planning:
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If I had to teach this again, I would like to teach it the way I originally
planned. I would keep the questions mostly the same, but I would change the
wording of the prediction question. I would keep the homework the same. If I
taught this again, I would assign students roles so they can be involved in
the reading. This lesson is my first experience with having to be flexible with
my plans. After students were absent, I had to go over my plans and change
them. This was a great thing to experience before I get a job.
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Lesson 3
Name_Lindsay Tiddes_______________ Date__1/26/2012______Grade Level__6th
__
Subject__Language Art __________Topic__Reading_________________________
Purpose: Students will plot points on a New Hampshire map that they
find in their books.
Curriculum Standard:
SS:GE:6:1.3: Utilize maps, globes, graphs, charts, models, and
databases to analyze spatial distributions and patterns, e.g., climate
zones, natural resources, or population density. (Themes: C: People,
Places, and Environment)
Objective(s): Students will be able to locate places in New Hampshire
that are mentioned in The Enormous Egg.
Materials Needed for Learning Experience:
Teacher: The Enormous Egg, map of New Hampshire, post- its
for plotting, blank maps for the students, homework assignment
Students:The Enormous Egg books, pen or pencil
Anticipated Length of Learning Experience: 1 hour
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Each group will be given a chapter. Within the chapter they will
need to search for locations mentioned that are in New
Hampshire.
o Each group will also receive some extra locations that
appear in the rest of the book. This will help to make each
group have the same amount of locations.
Students will need to find the location as well as the approximate
population density.
o They can do this by searching on the internet for
population density maps.
Have students crowd around one computer. Show them how to
search for the location and where to find the maps.
Give students enough time to find all of the locations
o If students finish early have them compare the population
densities of the locations they found or have them find the
location and population density for Troy.
Have each group plot their locations. They will tell what they have
and then plot.
Once everyone has finished, there will be a discussion based on
the population densities of parts of the state.
When the discussion is finished, talk about the reading questions
they had about chapter 3.
Read the first question.
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Child Guidance:
Proactive Considerations:
Reactive Considerations:
students will get. I will also say the do their work I will warn them they
directions for the students.
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split up responsibilities.
Differentiation:
Needs for Lesson Participation:
Modification Required:
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Lesson Reflection:
Analysis:
I was very happy with the outcome of this lesson. The students were
engaged in the activity and worked diligently with each other. I wanted to
teach this lesson so the students could see where the towns are that are
mentioned in this book. This lesson also connects to them because they all
live in New Hampshire. To connect to social studies, I wanted them to find
the populations and compare them to the other towns. We also had a
conversation about the population densities. My objective was mostly met. I
made the mistake of showing the students a map that showed population.
So, they used that map more than the population density map. To meet the
curriculum standard, I had a conversation about the population densities and
what it means. The students learned where the setting of the story is
because each group looked for the town this story takes place in. I also think
the students were happy to do something different then just read a book and
answer questions.
Planning:
If I taught this lesson again I would keep mostly everything the same. I
would keep the concept of the lesson the same as well as the homework the
same. One thing that I would have done differently was make the students
find the population density and not just the population. This was an
important part of the lesson because it related to the curriculum standard. I
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would also have the students write on the map instead of use post it notes.
This is just personal preference each way works the same. I really enjoyed
watching the students actively engaged in this activity and working
cooperatively with little distraction. This lesson was another experience that
connecting lessons to the students is effective.
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Lesson 4
Name__Lindsay Tiddes______________ Date__1/30/12_______Grade Level__6th
___
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Procedure:
1. Introduction
Have some students remind the group where they left off
in the book at the end of the last lesson.
Ask, at the end of chapter 3 what makes Nate less
discouraged about the egg?
2. Body of Learning Experience
Begin reading chapter 4 out loud.
At the end ask.
o What do Nates parents think about Dr. Ziemer? How
can you tell?
o Why doesn't Nate notice that the egg has hatched?
Begin reading chapter 5. Have students volunteer to read.
o At pg. 46 ask what it means by hullabaloo.
o Ask, What kind of doctor is Dr. Ziemer?
o How do you think Albert Kennedy is going to react to
the telegram?
o What is Nates new conflict now that the dinosaur is
born?
o What trait is Nate going to have to gain to begin
taking care of a dinosaur?
3. Conclusion
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Reactive Considerations:
students will get. I will also say the do their work I will warn them they
directions for the students.
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much. I will give students things to corner of the room at the desk
listen for while the book is being
read.
Differentiation:
Needs for Lesson Participation:
Modification Required:
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This lesson went okay. Overall, the readings and work went well. The
only thing that I am having trouble with is behavior management because
some students keep talking while we are reading or discussing about the
book. I taught this lesson the way I did because I wanted to read two
chapters for one of my lessons so I could finish a few days before the week of
vacation. I wanted to leave some time in case we fell behind and time for the
students to work on their final project. I gave the students the worksheet I
did to look at their cause and effect skill and also work with metaphors. For
homework I gave the students practice with similes because the students
midyear reading comprehension test said they needed help with similes. The
objective was met by most students. Some students did better with the
cause and effect than others. The students had difficulty analyzing how Nate
has changed since the beginning of the book. Most of them needed to be
prompted to figure out the correct answer. Students were confused with the
question about what person the story is being told from. I tried to explain it
by asking what perspective, but they still did not understand. The students
were happy to learn finally what came out of the egg.
Planning:
If I taught this lesson again, I would teach it the same way. I would
have read the two chapters and asked the same questions as well as give
the same worksheets. I would have dealt with the misbehaving students
differently. If I did this same lesson again I would have disciplined one of the
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students by making him move to the corner sooner than rather later. This
time I had him move closer to the end of the lesson, which did not have any
impact on the students. This makes me feels that I need to learn how to be
stricter and be consistent with my disciplining. I have known this for awhile,
but this reminded me I need to change sooner rather than later.
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Lesson 5
Name_Lindsay Tiddes____________ Date_1/31/12_____________Grade Level__6th
__
Subject_Language Arts_______________ Topic__Reading_____________________
Purpose: Students will make a character web of the two main
characters.
Curriculum Standard:
R:LT:6:2.2: Describing characters traits, motivation, or interactions, citing
thoughts, words, or actions that reveal characters traits, motivations, or
their changes over time (State)
R:LT:6:1.1: Identifying or describing character(s), setting, problem/ solution,
or plot, as appropriate to text; or identifying any significant changes in
character or setting over time (State) EXAMPLE (of setting changing): In this
poem, how does the farms appearance change over the years?
R:LT:6:3.1: Demonstrating knowledge of use of literary elements and devices
(i.e., imagery, exaggeration, simile, metaphor, foreshadowing, or suspense)
to analyze literary work (State)
Objective(s): After reading chapter 6, students will analyze the main
characters traits and create a character web.
Materials Needed for Learning Experience:
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Read chapter 6.
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3. Conclusion
Hand the students the packet that will be due on Friday.
Assessment:
Formative: I will check in with the students with the questions I
ask as well as the responses to the character web we make
together.
Summative: The finished product of the character web will be
the summative assessment. I will know if the objective has been
met by looking at the character web.
Child Guidance:
Proactive Considerations:
Reactive Considerations:
students will get. I will also say the do their work I will warn them they
directions for the students.
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much. I will give students things to facing the window until the end of
listen for while the book is being
read.
Differentiation:
Needs for Lesson Participation:
Modification Required:
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Lesson Reflection
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Analysis:
This lesson went about the same as yesterdays lesson. Most of the
students read the book well. There were again a few students that were
being distracting to the rest of the students. I taught the lesson the way I did
because I wanted the students to have practice analyzing characters. I
wanted the students to look at the characters actions and figure out what
mental trait goes along with it. The objectives were almost fully met. It took
awhile to get students to think the way I wanted them too, but eventually
they got there. They didnt figure out many traits, but they did figure out a
few. Students were confused with what I meant by traits. Once I explained
they used very simple adjectives when I wanted them to think of more
complex ones.
Planning:
If I taught this lesson again, I would do the activity a little differently,
but I would keep the same sequence of activities. I would still have students
read the chapter and then we would do a character web. If I did the
character web again I would make sure to have certain situations ready to
tell the students. By telling them the situations I would hope they would
think of more descriptive adjectives. I could have also given them a
descriptive adjective and had them find a situation that reflects it. If I had to
teach this again, I would have definitely given two students behavior reports.
This showed me that I cant hesitate when it comes to disciplining. I have
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worked too hard on these lessons for students to fool around the whole time.
Teaching the group of students I have makes me realize that some students
care a lot more about school than others. Unfortunately, a few students in
this group do not put much effort into their work and complains whenever
they get any sort of work. It is also hard to get answers that relate to the
topic being discussed.
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Lesson 6
Name__Lindsay Tiddes_____________ Date_2/1/12__________Grade Level__6th __
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o Why couldnt Dr. Ziemer tell Nate how fast the dinosaur
would grow?
3. Begin having students read chapter 7 out loud.
Body of Learning Experience
4. When finished Ask, who is Uncle Beazley?
5. Read chapter 8.
6. Tell students they will be activity comparing and contrasting
birds with dinosaurs.
7. Tell them they have two options, they can pick one specific
dinosaur and one specific bird or they can compare birds in
general with dinosaurs in general.
8. I want more than one word statements. I want an explanation
or details from the website you found it from.
9. They will be using a Venn diagram. If they think there is not
enough room, they can write numbers in the diagram and
write it on another page.
Conclusion
10.
11.
12.
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Reactive Considerations:
students will get. I will also say the do their work I will warn them they
directions for the students.
79
misbehaves.
read.
Differentiation
Needs for Lesson Participation:
Modification Required:
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students.
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Lesson Reflection:
Analysis:
Overall this lesson went well. The students finally behaved and we
were able to work well through the chapter and activity. I taught the lesson
the way that I did because the activity related to the chapter in the book.
During the chapter, the two main characters have a conversation about how
dinosaurs relate to birds. So, I had the students find out more information
about how dinosaurs and birds relate. My objective was met. Each student
was able to create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the topic. The
students were interested in the fact that dinosaurs and birds could compare
in general. I know this because before I introduced the activity, they asked
questions about the conversation in the story. Some students were confused
by how the two could compare because they did not know about any sort of
evolution between the two.
Planning:
If I taught this lesson again, I would do mostly everything the same. I
would use the same questions and the same activity. If I did teach this again,
I would have found specific websites for students to look at. This would have
given the teacher the opportunity to know what the student is looking at and
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give students websites that are filled with accurate information. I would have
also told the students what they will be doing with the Venn diagram. During
the activity I wasnt exactly sure what I was going to have them do. So, I
should have figured it out so students could be thinking how they would have
used the information they found. Another thing I could have done would have
been to give students different options of how they wanted to write this
information down. This goes along with my teaching philosophy because I
like to try to teach to as many different learning styles as I can. That is also a
new strategy I could have used during the lesson. I could have also found
books for students to look in, instead of just the internet.
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Lesson 7
Name_Lindsay Tiddes_______________ Date_2/5/2012_______Grade Level_6th _
Subject__Language Arts_______________ Topic__Reading____________________
Purpose: Students will write a newspaper article about how it is
possible for dinosaurs to hatch out of chicken eggs.
Curriculum Standard:
W:RC:6:1.1: Selecting appropriate information to set context/background
(Local)
W:RC:6:1.3: Connecting what has been read(plot/ideas/concepts) to prior
knowledge or other texts, by referring to relevant ideas (Local)
W:RC:6:2.1: Stating and maintaining a focus(purpose), a firm judgment, or
point of view when responding to a given question (Local)
Objective(s): After making a Venn diagram comparing birds and
dinosaurs, students will construct a newspaper article about how it is
possible for dinosaurs to hatch out of chicken eggs.
Materials Needed for Learning Experience:
Teacher:The Enormous Egg book, packets, activity directions
Students: The Enormous Egg book, pencil
Anticipated Length of Learning Experience: 1 hour
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2. At the end of pg. 85, ask does this story take place close to
now? (No 100 dollars is not a lot now a days)
3. What would they do if their egg hatched out a dinosaur?
4. Ask, what do you think Nate is going to do with the
dinosaur?
5. Tell students they will be writing a newspaper article about
how it is possible for a dinosaur to come out of a chicken
egg.
6. They will be using what they wrote in their Venn diagrams.
7. Hand out the little piece of paper.
8. Explain that I have written a beginning for them if they
want to use that or write their own.
Conclusion
1. Make sure students have handed in their packets and tell
students what they have not handed in.
2. Hand out the new packet. Have them write the assignment
in their agenda books and check it with a teacher before
they leave.
Assessment:
Formative: I will be checking in on the students by listening to
their answers to the questions I ask about the book.
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Reactive Considerations:
students will get. I will also say the do their work I will warn them they
directions for the students.
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read.
Differentiation
Needs for Lesson Participation:
Modification Required:
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students.
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Lesson 8
Name_Lindsay Tiddes_______________ Date__2/8/12______Grade Level_6th _____
Subject__Language Arts_____________ Topic__Reading/Writing_________________
Purpose: The class will create a childrens book about the hen instead
of the dinosaur.
Curriculum Standard:
W:EW:6:1.1: Creating a clear and coherent (logically consistent) story line
W:EW:6:1.2: Establishing context, problem/conflict/ challenge, and resolution,
and maintaining point of view, (1st person, 3rd person, or omniscient)
R:LT:6:1.1: Identifying or describing character(s), setting, problem/ solution,
or plot, as appropriate to text; or identifying any significant changes in
character or setting over time (State) EXAMPLE (of setting changing): In this
poem, how does the farms appearance change over the years?
R:LT:6:1.2: Paraphrasing or summarizing key ideas/plot, with major events
sequenced, as appropriate to text (State)
Objective(s): As a class students will create a childrens book in a
different point of view compared to The Enormous Egg
Materials Needed for Learning Experience:
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going to be.
12.
descriptions
15.
16.
17.
a new one.
18.
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22.
Conclusion
25.
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Reactive Considerations:
students will get. I will also say the do their work I will warn them they
directions for the students.
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read.
Differentiation:
Needs for Lesson Participation:
Modification Required:
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students.
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Lesson Reflection:
Analysis:
This lesson went very well. The students were happy that they were
able to talk about how the story would have gone from a different point of
view. I taught this lesson because I wanted to use the questions the students
continued to ask and turn it into a lesson they would enjoy. I also wanted
students to have an opportunity to do something they enjoyed more, either
writing or drawing. Students got an option of which they would prefer to do
for the book. During this lesson, the students learned more about how to find
a climax or how to write a story using a plot diagram. I know this because I
had students decide on the climax first, which allowed them to see that the
climax is the most important part of the story. We then used the climax to
write the rest of the story. During this lesson I also wanted to introduce their
final project. I wanted students to begin thinking about it because they would
soon start working on it. Overall, my objectives were met.
Planning:
During this lesson there were many aspects that did not go well. The
schedule for the day was different in the afternoon, so students spent the
first 15 minutes of the reading period working on something else. This made
the rest of the lesson much shorter and this lesson needed a lot of time. I
also had to go to a different room which was bigger and had more
distractions. There was also multiple behavior issues that made this lesson
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not go as smoothly as it could have. If I taught this lesson again I would have
done everything the same because the main problem was the shortened
time. I would have dealt with the behavior issues in a more strict way. It was
mostly talking, so there were multiple ways I could have disciplined the
students. I could have given them seats, moved their seats, sent them to
their teacher, or if it was very bad given them a behavior plan. I would have
liked to do it in a different room with a larger white board to write on. The
plot diagram ended up being small and hard to write on. If I did this again I
would have figured out an easier way to finish this whole idea within one day.
This experience gave me another lesson in flexibility. There have been many
times throughout the semester that I have had to be flexible and I know
there will be many more times.
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Lesson 9
Name___Lindsay Tiddes_______________________ Date__2/9/12___________Grade
Level__6th ____
Subject____Language Arts_________________________
Topic____Reading___________________________
Purpose: As a class the students will bring closure to the entire book.
Curriculum Standard: R:LT:6:1.1: Identifying or describing character(s),
setting, problem/ solution, or plot, as appropriate to text; or identifying any
significant changes in character or setting over time (State) EXAMPLE (of
setting changing): In this poem, how does the farms appearance change
over the years?
R:LT:6:2.3: Making inferences about cause/effect, external conflicts (e.g.,
person versus person, person versus nature/society/fate), or the relationship
among elements within text (e.g., how the historical era influences the
characters actions or thinking) (State)
R:LT:6:2.2: Describing characters traits, motivation, or interactions, citing
thoughts, words, or actions that reveal characters traits, motivations, or
their changes over time (State)
Objective(s): After completing the story The Enormous Egg, students
will work in groups to create a plot diagram of the book.
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Introduction
1. Read the last chapter of the book.
2. Ask about why the town of Freedom has a parade for Nate.
3. Have a discussion about the main idea of the story and the
authors purpose for writing this story.
Body of Learning Experience
1.
2.
3.
4.
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Proactive Considerations:
Reactive Considerations:
students will get. I will also say the do their work I will warn them they
directions for the students.
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much. I will give students things to corner of the room at the desk
listen for while the book is being
read.
Differentiation
Needs for Lesson Participation:
Modification Required:
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students.
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This lesson went well. Some groups succeeded on their own with the
plot diagram, while others needed more scaffolding. I taught this lesson the
way I did because I knew from pretesting that students needed practice with
determining parts of the plot. Earlier in the unit, students had practice with
this while working as a class; so, I wanted them to try to figure it out on their
own. Even with the students who needed more support, everyone
understood it eventually, my objective was met. Some students had difficulty
discovering the resolution to the story. The students were excited to be able
to participate with the plot diagram on the board. Being able to write their
own events and taping them to the board, allowed them to participate in a
hands on approach with the topic.
Planning:
If I taught this lesson again I would teach it mostly the same way. I
would keep the activity the same, but I would more strategically make the
groups. One of the problems was students discussing things that were off
topic, so I would try to partner students with people who they would not
socialize with as much. This would also help the students who needed more
help. I would hope that if a student understood the concept they would help
the other students who did not understand. This lesson goes along with my
teaching philosophy because this lesson was more students centered than
teacher centered. They came up with the events and put them on the plot
diagram. The teacher did facilitate the discussion, but the groups did most of
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the talking. So, the students were more engaged with the activity because
they participated throughout it.
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Background Information
During 6th grade students should be able to read well and also
comprehend what they read. These skills are always improving and are
continuously being worked on throughout each grade. My unit is based
around a chapter book called The Enormous Egg, by Oliver Butterworth.
This book is about a hen that lays an enormous egg. A dinosaur ends up
hatching out of the egg which leads the main character responsible for
figuring out what to do with the dinosaur. The main character meets a
scientist who helps him take care of the dinosaur and takes the dinosaur to a
museum in Washington D.C. Throughout the chapter book students will need
to work on many different aspects of reading comprehension, so it is
important to research what each part means and how to have students
practice it. When working on reading comprehension, students are working
on reading for meaning. They can do this through looking at parts like the
plot, vocabulary, theme, finding evidence to support ideas, and there are
many other parts to reading comprehension. During the unit students will
also have practice with word identification strategies through syllable and
vocabulary work.
During 5th grade students should be able to figure out syllables through
the rules and sounds. When working with vocabulary, context clues and prior
knowledge will help them decode a word. Students should have also had
practice with identifying characters, setting, and plot. There are not that
many differences between what students do in 5th grade than 6th grade. The
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When students understand the context of the story, they can then
discover more about the actual plot. A plot of a story includes events that
make up the story. There are many pieces to the plot of a story. In the
introduction or exposition, the characters and setting is introduced. During
this section, it is important for students to determine which characters are
the main characters. The reader learns how the characters relate to each
other, some of their traits, and goals. Also, the reader will learn who the
protagonist and antagonist is. The protagonist of the story is the character
that the story circles around; whereas, the antagonist is the character that
goes up against the protagonist. There are also minor characters who
support the protagonist. Throughout the book there are characters that make
an obvious change. Those characters are called dynamic and the characters
that stay the same are static (Roane State Community College).
Along with the characters and setting the main problem for the story
is introduced in the exposition. The next part of a plot is the rising action. In
this section there are a series of events where the main character begins to
work toward the main problem and develop it. The climax is the next part of
a plot. This is the turning point of the story and decides how the rest of the
story is going to go. Once a decision is made by the main character about
the major conflict, the next part is the falling action. The falling action is
made up of events that occur because of the decision made by the main
character. Finally, the last piece of a plot is the resolution, or conclusion. This
is where the main character finally has a solution for the conflict that
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happened during the climax. Talking with students about these parts of the
plot will help them to find what the main conflict and solution of the story is
(Annenberg Foundation).
Along with finding the conflict and solution, the theme is important to
find. This is one of the most difficult aspects to find in a story. The theme of a
story is the moral or message the whole story is trying to tell. It can also be
the main idea or concept of the story(Annenberg Foundation).
Another concept to talk about when reading picture books or chapter
books is the point of view the story is being told in. The narrator is the
person or thing that tells the story; yet, the narrator isnt always in the story.
Stories can be told in first-person, second-person, third-person, or can be told
from an omniscient narrator. A story told in first-person is when someone
who is in the story and involved in the conflict tells the story. Second-person
narrator is when the narrator addresses the main character by saying you
while telling the story. A narrator speaking in third-person is not involved in
the story and is just telling the story. The other type of narrator is an
omniscient narrator. This type is known as an all knowing
narrator(Annenberg Foundation).
Learning about and practicing reading comprehension is an important
part of literacy in all grades. In 6th grade the literacy is becoming more
advanced and requires students to know more about what is going on in the
story. Students in grades prior begin doing this, but in 6th grade it is
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Family Involvement
Dear Parents or Guardians,
I wanted to take this opportunity to first introduce myself and
express my excitement to be working with your child these next few
months. Over the course of the next month, students will be reading
the chapter book, The Enormous Egg, by Oliver Butterworth. This
fictional story is about a young boy from a small town in New
Hampshire whose chicken hatched out a dinosaur. This made the boy
famous. He ended up raising the dinosaur and taking it to Washington
D.C. where it was going to live. The main goal of this reading unit is
having more practice with reading comprehension. Students will be
analyzing characters, learning new vocabulary, and working on
different projects relating to the book.
There will be a few different assignements students will be
getting throughout the unit. Multiple different worksheets will be
assigned for students to complete. There will be some vocabulary
worksheets. If students have difficulty with this I encourage you to
direct them to a dictionay. Within the worksheets will be questions
about the book. These studetns will be able to answer by looking
through their book. During the final week of the unit, students will
create a brochure pretending they own a zoo that has a live dinosaur
exhibit. For this assignment, some students may want to work on it at
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school program that teaches students about farm animals and taking care of
them on a daily basis. This program also allows students to see and interact
with some of the farm animals(Stonewall Farm).
If the teacher wants to take students on a full day field trip, students
can go to the Boston Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts. This
museum has a wide variety of exhibits. In this museum there is a 65 million
year old fossil of a triceratops that students can get a look at. They will be
able to see exactly how big this dinosaur can get. There are also other
dinosaur exhibits for students to look at. There is a Dinosaurs Alive! film in
the imax theater and other fossils from different time periods. Going to this
museum relates directly to one of the main characters of the book, the
dinosaur. At the museum students can see how big a dinosaur can get, so
there can be a discussion about having that large of an animal in New
Hampshire(Museum of Science Educators).
There are many opportunites to get involved with the community or
take different field trips while reading this book. The Enormous Egg discusses
different ideas relating to farm animals, newspapers, and dinosaurs. Luckily,
in this area there are many different places to visit and people to talk to that
can teach students more about these topics.
References
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Annotated Bibliography
Annenberg Foundation (2012). Literature: What makes a good story?
Retrieved from http://www.learner.org/interactives/literature/read/pov1.html
This website gives different definitions to parts of reading
comprehension. The topics consist of ideas like point of view, setting,
plot, characters, and main idea. It also gives different questions you
can ask students while talking about a specific topic.
Butterworth, O. (1956). The enormous egg. Canada. Litlle, Brown & Company.
This story is about a boy whose family has a hen that laid an enormous
egg. The egg contains a triceratops. This instantly made the boy
famous, but also caused a problem because the dinosaur needed to be
moved to somewhere safe. The story is about the boys journey through
being famous and trying to save the dinosaur.
Edhelper. The enormous egg. Retrieved from
http://www.edhelper.com/books/Enormous_Egg.htm
This source gives teachers different worksheets for students to
complete. These worksheets consist of vocabulary, analogies, and
quizzes. It also can make tests for once the entire book has been read
and differnet writing prompts for students to complete daily.
Headley, A., Smith, V. (1998). Do reading: The enormous egg. Splash
Publications. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?
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a=v&q=cache:cf8LzIPtrYMJ:www.splashpublications.com/files/enormousegg.p
df+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgHeHdsl0pytoomM_D4kOV1gSGW
PHTHIhKxgwBsiFzHlYRK6_MUsdk2finCw3ZsOPP3_qq15oDPR8xXHpOFBv1EwUOxjcJDFI0uJh16N8TfoOgqad2IyH8NkZKL6d91wEvRgK&sig=AHIEtbSFPQAsJyQA8zvF-mZKK95yDoUnMw.
This publication gives teachers a resource to get ideas about different
activities to do with their students. The link above is only a peek of the
entire publication, which can be purchased. It gives different
worksheets relating to geography and context clues that relate to The
Enormous Egg.
Horowitz, S. H. (2009) Reading comprehension- Reading for meaning.
Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/readingcomprehension-for-meaning/?page=3
This is an article that talks about the different techniques talking about
how reading comprehension can be implemented. It also gives real life
examples of these strategies being used.
Museum of Science Educators. (2012). Exhibit Investigations. Retrieved from
http://www.mos.org/educators/field_trip_resources/field_trip_activities/li
ve_presentations&d=4997
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This website tells educators what exhibits and films that can be used
for educational purposes. You can pick what grade levels and topics to
look for and the list is narrowed down to your topic.
New Hampshire Department of Education (2006). K-12 Reading New
Hampshire curriculum framework. Retrieved from
http://www.ed.state.nh.us/EDUCATION/doe/organization/curriculum/Cur
riculumFrameworks/CurriculumFrameworks.htm#ss
This is a resource for teachers that consists of the New Hampshire
curriculum standards for reading for grades K-12.
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Unit Reflection
This project took me through the process of developing a unit for a
group of students. Going through all of the different steps in this unit
allowed me to see the different opportunites one chapter book can ha ve
within the curriculum. Throughout this unit I learned different strategies for
teaching reading; as well as, all of the parts of a unit to think about while
creating one. I learned that there are many different aspect of reading to
teach and it is important to figure out what aspects students need practice
with the most. Also, that there are many different ways to present reading
concepts to students. While teaching this unit with the book The Enormous
Egg, I learned that every subject can be integrated into reading. I was able to
take this one book and integrate it into social studies, reading, arts, and
writing. There were also many parts of this book that related to mathematics.
Also, I was reminded of all of the different topics that can be taught along
with reading. These consist of the basics of character, setting, and plot; but,
then go deeper into ideas like main idea, protagonist, or figurative language.
Teaching this unit showed me that I like to try to differentiate the
lessons I teach to reach the students interests. This consist of making more
hands-on lessons or taking some of their questions they ask and turn it into a
lesson. If I could teach this again, I would try to find other ways to do some of
the lessons I had to make them more hands-on. I would want to try making
the lessons more student centered than teacher centered. The lessons that
went the smoothest were the lessons the students participated in more.
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Especially the lesson with students drawing pictures. Many students really
enjoyed drawing a picture. Knowing this, I could have had students draw a
picture of a major event and answer a writing prompt that went along with it.
If I did teach this lesson over again, I would have like to complete all of
the steps of this unit, besides the lessons, before I taught the lessons. This
would have given me more ideas of how and what to teach. Unfortunately,
this time there was not enough time to write everything before I had to
concentrate on the lessons. Overall, this unit proved to me what my teaching
style is and how I like to interact with students while teaching reading.