Reading Comprehension Strategies Lesson Plan

Teacher: Mrs. Elizabeth Martin, taught in Mrs. Aimee Porco’s Vernfield Elementary Class
Grade Level: 1st grade

I. Content and Standards:

a. PA Standards Aligned System - CC.1.2.1.F: Ask and answer questions to help
determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
b. PA Standards Aligned System - CC.1.3.1.B: Ask and answer questions about
key details in a text.
II. Prerequisites:
a. Students use picture clues to form content inferences;
b. Students understand the basic concept of text inferences;
c. Students make predictions about what will happen in text; and
d. Students check understanding of text by noting words that they do not
understand as they read.
III. Instructional Objective:
a. This will be an introductory lesson to the ways in which questioning can be a
reading comprehension strategy. At the end of the lesson, students will be able
to do the following and are presented with this learning objective: I can ask
questions while I read to keep my reading comprehension on track.
i. The following areas will be focused on during modeling to show why we
ask questions as we read:
1. To make sure we are thinking about what we are reading;
2. To help us to notice details in the text; and
3. To help us to understand what we have read.
IV. Instructional Procedures:
a. Schedule:
i. Mini-lesson (9:15-9:35)
ii. Independent Reading Practice (9:35-9:45)
iii. Partner Reading Practice (9:45-9:55)
iv. Closing (9:55-10:00)
b. Before: I will present the book This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen to the class,
showing only the cover. We will analyze the cover of the book, using the picture
clues to drive curiosity. I will ask the class what they know about the book from
looking at the cover and what they are wondering, This should generate some
questions being asked.
c. During:
 i. Did you know that good readers ask questions while they read?
This is posed to the class and the Good Readers Ask Questions anchor
chart is shown. The question words inside the large question mark are
read and clarified – Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?, Which?
Whose?, Etc.
ii. Below the question mark, bullet #1 is revealed: 1. To keep reading
comprehension on track. This will be our only focus for this lesson. The
instructional objective of Reading Workshop will be written on the board:
I can ask questions while I read to keep my reading on track.
Students will mirror the objective of the day.
iii. Subsequent bullet points will be revealed in other lessons – 2. To build
our reading stamina, 3. To help us to remember the story, and 4. To
grow our brains.
iv. Mini-me is introduced. I will explain how everyone has a “Mini-me” in
their heads who talks to them while they read and asks questions about
what is being read. A small cutout of Mrs. Martin on a popsicle stick is
shown and introduced as Mini Mrs. Martin. Mini Mrs. Martin will “talk” to
me about the front cover of the book, asking questions that come to
mind. These will be pre-written and stacked on a Post-It paper stack so I
will stick them to the anchor chart as they come up.
v. This is Not My Hat will be read to the class and for the first few pages, I
will model with Mini Mrs. Martin, having her “talk” to me about questions
that form as we read. These will again be on pre-written Post-Its that I
will stick to our anchor chart as they come up. This will continue until the
last few worded and the picture-less pages at the end.
vi. For the last few pages, I will have the students think independently of a
question and then turn and talk to their learning spot partners to come up
with some good questions together for each page. I will draw 2-3 name
sticks for each page to share with the class and will populate new Post-
Its with the questions that are generated for a selected page. A whisper
release will be done for others who did not have their name chosen to
share.
vii. Move into independent reading practice. Students will be instructed that
they will get their book boxes and will also get 2 Post-Its with question
marks on them. We will revisit our objective of the day - I can ask
questions while I read to keep my reading on track. Tell them that
they will chose one book to practice reading that they will want to share
 with their partners later on. They will independently go through this book
and put a question mark Post-It on pages where they come up with
questions as they are reading. I model this using This is Not My Hat to
show how they are to be using their Post-Its as they read. I indicate that
when they head the timer go off, they will move into partner reading. We
discuss what a transition looks like as they will move from one activity to
the next. Directions are written on the board in a list form. Students turn
and repeat the multi-step directions to a partner and then we review the
list together prior to the transition.
viii. When the chime sounds, they move into partner reading. Students will
share the book that they just analyzed with their partners and will share
the questions that they came up with. They will also see if their partners
had additional questions that they did not think of.
ix. As the student independently read and read with their partner, the
teacher will walk around with the iPad and record them on See Saw
talking about their book and the questions that they are generating as
they read. This will be posted to the student accounts.
x. When the timer sounds, the Learning Spots song is sung and children
return to the carpet. I will pull sticks and call a set of partners to come to
the front of the circle to show a page in their book and the question they
came up with. The objective of the day is revisited when they share to
see if the class is in agreement that these questions are helping to keep
their reading on track.
V. Materials and Equipment:
a. Book This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
b. Questioning anchor chart
c. Post-Its with pre-populated question marks (2/student)
d. iPads and See Saw app
e. Checklist with class list
f. Self-evaluation exit tickets
VI. Assessment/Evaluation:
a. Formative assessment will be performed via checklist on the student class list to
gauge understanding. This will be done for whole group time, independent
reading and partner reading time. The teacher will move around among the
children, asking them questions as they read to gauge understanding, noting
students who do and do not show understanding.
 b. Authentic assessment will be done via recording them in the See Saw app,
asking them to orally share the book they are reading and a question they had as
they read through this book.
c. Formative assessment will be performed at the end of the class by having
students self-evaluate by filling in the self-evaluation exit ticket, indicating
whether they understand, are getting it, or need more help.
d. **By the week of 10/16, the class will start using a written exit ticket for lessons.
They will be given a Post-It and will write their name on it. One question will be
posed to the class and each student should write their answer down on the Post-
It. They can then place it on the classroom traffic light, showing if they Get It
(green), are Getting It (yellow) or are Confused (red).
VII. VII. Differentiation: Individualized Activities:
a. The lesson will be universally designed in order provide visual and auditory
components of the mini-lesson.
b. The child with Down ’s syndrome will work with his paraprofessional aide using a
Pete the Cat book, since this is his favorite genre. They will generate questions
as they read and utilize the same Post-Its during reading. *This was done during
the afternoon on the day that you observed. I sat down with the paraprofessional
and explained the lesson to her. She met with him and focused on this technique
while reading together.
c. Independent and partner reading will be leveled so that students are using books
that are just right for them ability to practice the common questioning skill.
d. Considering there is limited reading and writing ability in the class this early in the
year, assessments will be oral and the See Saw assessment will appeal to
individual learning modalities and multiple intelligences. *Going forward, a brief
written assessment will be included through modeling on the board.
VIII. Technology:
a. iPads and the See Saw app; student accounts are in use for each student.
IX. Self-Assessment
a. I will collect self-assessment data to determine how successful my lesson was
by:
i. Having the traffic light exit ticket that will show me at a glance how
confident students felt with the new material, which equates to their level
of understanding and the overall success of the lesson.
ii. Checklist will provide a snapshot of who appeared to be understanding
and who did not during both whole-group, independent and partner time.
This will show how successful my lesson was in teaching the students.
iii. The instructional objective will be stated and revisited several times
throughout the lesson, whenever a new activity is introduced and at the
end of the lesson. This will ensure that the objective is the goal of the
lesson and allow me to self-evaluate if this was the case.
iv. I will self-assess classroom management during the lesson by having the
students mirror important directions back to me and by having them
repeat new transition tasks to me before transitioning.
v. The ability of students to apply the concept of questioning as I record
them on See Saw will show that the concept is understood.