COMPREHENSION ESSENTIALS
Characters’
Characteristics Chart Map
Reading? What? Understanding what I read? What do you mean Ms. Garcia?
We all have
experienced difficulty comprehending certain texts throughout our career.
Reading readiness needs to start in elementary years, so
students don't struggle with understanding what is being read.
Comprehension may turn boring with the same old paper. For reading,
I recur to http://www.fcrr.org which
is the Florida Center for Reading Research. This is part of the teacher reading development at
SBBC and has scientific research strategies that have been proven . They have awesome non-monotonous reading plans as well as kid
friendly maps such as the one below found at http://www.fcrr.org/curriculum/PDF/G2-3/2-3Comp_1.pdf. Some of the strategies used in
this series of books in 2nd grade are PWA (picture word association), QAR (question-answer relationship) and a comprehension map in the form of two kids
intertwined with a VENN diagram to compare characters.
Grade
Level: Second
Next
Generation Sunshine State Standards:
LA.2.1.7.7
I.
Learner
Objective:
·
The student will be able to describe, compare and contrast characters in text.
II.
Core
Activity:
·
Begin activity by showing a picture of a
boy and a girl together to engage picture word association (PWA) while students
are seated on the carpet.
·
Ask students to predict the girl and boy
family relationship.
·
Ask who has siblings and if they get
along well.
·
Introduce the Magic Tree House # 1 book:
Dinosaurs Before Dark.
·
Ask students what they see in the cover
of the book to activate picture word association (PWA), formulate questions and
ask students to predict what will happen in the story.
·
Text chunk by reading two chapters every
day.
·
Teacher does think aloud by asking
previously formulated questions on a sticky note. Questions to think aloud are: who are Jack
and Anny, how are they related, how are they alike and how they are different.
·
Ask students to predict what will happen
in the subsequent chapter.
·
Ring a bell to transition to the closure
activity.
·
During the days that the story is read,
student are to keep a diary/reading journal where they summarize the chapters
read as well as illustrating by making pictures of the read chapters.
III.
Closure
Activity/Assessment:
·
After Dinosaurs Before Dark is read,
teacher does a Question-Answer Relationship (QAR).
·
Then, teacher provides the students with
characters’ characteristics chart map that has two pictures of people with an
oval between their arms that serves as a Venn diagram.
·
The
questions/commands are:
·
Head: Name of the character.
·
Shirt: What would you do if you were the
character?
·
Left shirt sleeve: How does the
character look like?
·
Right shirt sleeve: What things does the
character do?
·
Left leg of pants: Do you like the
character? Why or why not?
·
Right leg of pants: Something important about the character.
·
Teacher will model by going over the
questions.
·
Assess by accuracy of answers in the
characters’ characteristic chart map.
IV.
ESE
and ESOL strategies/accommodations:
·
A13 Use of illustration/Tactile graphic
images: Display picture of the cover of
the book as well as illustrations in the chapters.
·
A8 Modeling: Model and guide through activity.
·
C6 Labeling: Label characteristics map with characters’
name and their descriptions.
·
C7 maps: Characters’ characteristics
chart map.
·
F1 Activating and/or building prior
knowledge.
·
F6 QAR.
·
F7 Read Aloud.
Upon completion of this book the teacher may reward the student by using:
Upon completion of this book the teacher may reward the student by using:
For further Magic Tree House resources visit: http://www.magictreehouse.com/#home?intro=0. It has game and activities that can be used as teaching resources or as part of reading centers.
