Johannah Murdock

3rd Grade
December 15th, 2017

Whole Group Lesson - Author’s Purpose

Small Group Lesson - Text Features

Scien-trickery: poems and expository texts

Goals:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding
of a text, referring explicitly to the test as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.5 Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when
writing or squeaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe
how each successive part builds on earlier sections.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.5.A Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words
and phrases in context.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools to locate information
relevant to a given topic efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3. Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps,
photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where,
when, why, and how key events occur).

Transition: Students will be doing a brain break prior to this lesson.

Students will be called to the carpet to grab a Reading Street

textbook and have a seat in their assigned seats:
● Students will sit with their books closed.

Segment 1:

Connection: This week you all read an expository text about stars called
Seeing Stars. Today we’re going to read a different genre of text
called poetry. But you might notice some similarities to expository
texts while we are reading.

Teaching Point: Knowing the genre of a text can better help us understand the text.
● As we read these sets of poems, look for expository details
How: (informational) and ask yourself, what does this tell me and
how?

Student engagement: Teacher begins explaining slide on what poetry is.

● Put your finger on your nose if you’ve ever read a poem
before
○ One that I have read that you have probably also
read or sung is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
● Turn and talk to your neighbor about a poem you have
read
Teacher explains poetry from slide
● Poetry is a genre that is generally to entertain, but can also
be used to inform.
 Johannah Murdock
3rd Grade
December 15th, 2017

● Poetry uses imagery (words that help you see, smell, and
hear what is happening), figurative language (her smile
shined brighter than the sun), and imagination to express
ideas.
● Poets use rhythmic language and/or words that rhyme to
create mood or feeling.
Teacher facilitates discussion comparing and contrasting
expository texts (students read Seeing Stars the previous day) and
poetry
● Teacher uncovers venn diagram to show what she thought
of.
● Students think of ideas of each part of the venn diagram
that aren’t already there (expository, poem, similarities)
○ Call on students with hands raised

● Have students open their textbooks to page 462.

○ Before we read, look at how the poem is organized.
These are call stanza
● Let’s begin the book
○ I will read it while you follow along. Finger on
“when”... teacher reads poem, modeling fluency
and rhythm
○ Read Revealing City to yourself
○ Turn to your partner and tell them what the riddle is
and why
○ What is the answer to this riddle? Pull sticks
○ How was the title a clue?
● Page 464: Turn the page
○ This poem is called Gee!
○ Follow along with your finger as I read
○ Now take turns reading lines with your partner, A’s
go first
○ What clues can be found in this poem?
■ Turn and talk
■ Pull sticks
○ Read the bottom of the page
■ This is an expository section
■ Why would the author include this in their
book?
● Discussion
● Page 465:
○ This poem is called Go, Moon, Glow!
○ Before we read, I want to point out one unfamiliar
word. Look at the last line of the second stanza, the
word celestial, repeat after me “celestial”. Celestial
means “outer space” or “relating to the sky”
○ Also, notice the quotations? What could those
mean? Call on students who raise their hands
 Johannah Murdock
3rd Grade
December 15th, 2017

(someone is speaking)
○ I’ll read, and when I stop everyone reads the next
two words. Finger under I’ll….
○ Now whisper read this poem to yourself
○ Turn and talk: what is the riddle about?
○ Read expository section at bottom of page
■ A lunar eclipse… that sounds familiar. Who
here remembers the solar eclipse we had
this last summer? Turn and talk to a
neighbor.
○ Why do you think the author used both a poem and
an expository section? Call on students who raise
their hands.
● How are these three poems alike? I will give your 2
minutes to think silently to yourself. Now turn and talk to
your neighbor. Write on board 3-4 ideas students come up
with.

Active student Students will be reading and sharing with their partners and the
engagement: whole class.

Link: Next time you read a book, try to figure out which kind of text it is
and think to yourself; why would the author write this way?

Transition: Excuse students to independent reading and small groups. My

small group will meet with me at the side table.

Segment 2

Connection: Review text features and introduce new text features we

will see in this text with anchor charts and modeling
● Review: table of contents, captions, and headings
● Introduce: fact box, diagram, index, glossary, and
caption

Teaching Point: Use text features and search tools to locate information
relevant to a given topic efficiently. Use information gained from
illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to
demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why,
and how key events occur).

Small Group Work: We will be reading Sky Watch, you have already read this on your
own.
● Each student will have their own copy of the text
● Show students anchor chart of text features and review
● Open to the table of contents
○ Remember that when we are reading an
informational text with a table of contents, we don’t
 Johannah Murdock
3rd Grade
December 15th, 2017

have to read the entire book. We can look for the

sections we want to learn more about and just read
those sections.
○ To begin with, we’re going to read the section on
Blocking Out Light. When you find the page
number, put your finger on it. (pg.16)
● Page 16: take turns reading sentences out loud while other
students follow along silently.
○ What text features do we see on these pages?
■ Diagram, label, heading
○ How do these diagrams help you understand an
eclipse?
○ Now let’s turn to the section about starry skies
(pg.19)
● Page 19: Read Starry Skies silently to yourself, then the
diagram, then the fact box (teacher will quietly have
students whisper read to her)
○ Discuss what each of these are and their purposes
○ Now turn to the page about galaxies (pg.24)
● Page 24: captions will be already covered on this page.
○ How can I know what this picture is without a
caption?
○ Take turns reading. What do you think it is?
○ Remove covers and see how well they guessed.
● Glossary and Index
○ Turn to pages 30 and 31
○ How are the Glossary and the Index the same?
○ How are they different?
○ How might I use these?
● Students will each get a piece of paper to write on
○ Find one text feature in this book. Write down what
the text feature is, what page I can find it on, and
how it helped you.

Teacher Monitoring The teacher will be reading student responses as they are written
and will be probing students to dig deeper as they share their
responses.

Teaching Point/Share: Allow students to share their text feature as they finish.

What were some of the big ideas of this text?

Wrap up/ Dismissal: Now everyone place their book in a neat pile in the middle of the
table, quietly take your paper and put it in the green basket. You
may then get a book from your book box to read silently.

Materials:
● Smartboard and notebook slides
● Sticky notes to cover captions in Sky Watch
 Johannah Murdock
3rd Grade
December 15th, 2017

● Reading Street textbooks

● Sky Watch
● Note paper
● Pencils
● Text feature anchor chart