Lesson plan – “Call of the Klondike” Informational Reading – Day One (Middle School

ELA, General Education SDAIE)

Description
● In this excerpt from “Call of the Klondike” students learn about the Klondike Gold Rush
and the experiences of Stanley Pearce and Marshall Bond, two men who organized one of
the earliest expeditions to the goldfields in the frigid Klondike region. Students will
practice their comprehension by focusing on organization, vocabulary, and use of prior
knowledge. Teacher will make use of the Listen-Read-Discuss model to assist in
comprehension.

Goals, objectives and learning outcomes

ELA Common Core Standards:

- Reading: Informational Text - RI.7.1
- Writing - W.7.1.A, W.7.1.B, W.7.6
- Speaking & Listening - SL.7.1.A, SL.7.1.C, SL.7.1.D

WIDA (Nevada ELD Standards)

- English Language Development Standard 2: English language learners communicate
information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of
Language Arts

ELD Standards – California

- SL.7.1: Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative
discussions on a range of social and academic topics
- W.7.6, SL.7.2: Interacting with others in written English in various communicative
forms (print, communicative technology and multimedia)
- L.7.1: Listening actively to spoken English in a range of social and academic
contexts

OBJECTIVES:

1. Perform an initial reading of a text and demonstrate comprehension by responding to

short analysis and inference questions with textual evidence.

2. Practice defining vocabulary words using context and using word relationships to
increase understanding.

3. Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations to express ideas and

build upon the ideas of others.

Tools and materials

-Excerpt: “Call of the Klondike”
- KWL Chart
- ELL/Lower-Third worksheet to guide reading/comprehension questions
-Notebooks or paper
-Pencil or Pen
-PowerPoint Presentation
-iPads/technology for students (if available)

Procedure: (Essential Question – What drives us to undertake a mission?)

1. As a class, review the title of the article and essential question for this unit. Ask
students what they know about the gold rush and complete a KWL chart as part of the
introduction to the lesson.
2. English Learners and all students:
▪ Have students view a photograph of a group of people preparing to leave
Seattle for the Klondike region. Students will discuss the following
questions:

● What do you think is happening in this photo?

● What can we tell about the individuals in the photo? Do they all
look prepared for this expedition?

o ELL students/lower 1/3 will work with upper third to

discuss these questions.
3. Students will add one detail to the class KWL chart, adding a detail that they know
about the gold rush or something they want to know.
- English Learners and lower third:
- When drafting a response to the KWL chart, these students will be
assisted by the teacher and upper third to add to the chart.
4. Teacher will lead in the Listen-Read-Discuss activity of the excerpt. The reading will
start with the teacher leading a first read of the excerpt. The class can also listen to
narration of the excerpt. After reading through the text once, students will re-read
using an annotation guide and will complete the guide.
- English Learners and lower third:
- Students will read along with the class. When re-reading, these
students will pair up with a partner in the upper third. Students should
refer to the glossary on their handouts for words they do not
understand. If there are unfamiliar words that are not included in their
glossary, students can use available technology to perform a quick
search of the definition.
5. Students will pair up and discuss/answer the following questions:
- How much gold did the 68 miners bring back on the S.S. Portland, and how
much was it worth?
- What effect did the arrival of the miners on July 17, 1897, have on the
residents of Seattle?
- What is a stampede, as it is cited in this selection? (Here, a stampede is miners
 rushing to a possible claim site.) How many people went on the Swede Creek
stampede, and what was different about this particular stampede?
- Summarize the third paragraph of the excerpt. What is it mostly about?
*These questions will provide the teacher with an idea of the class comprehension of
the text.
- English Learners and lower third:
- Students will be paired with upper third to discuss these questions.
ELL students will use the sentence starters as a guide to help them
discuss.
6. Students will be assigned a website to research. Students will explore the site in depth
and answer questions, discuss with their group, and informally present their findings.
The teacher will model how to use the site and explain the following questions to
help students understand their task and what to look for during research.
- Sites: http://tinyurl.com/kwotkuj http://tinyurl.com/mj4gnqx
- Answer and Discuss:
1. Why was the Chilkoot Pass such a challenge?
2. How did miners get from Lake Bennett to the goldfields
around Dawson City?
3. What was the significance of Eldorado Creek?
4. Why wasn't it possible for miners to simply scoop up gold?
- English Learners and lower third:
- Students will work with their assigned groups and conduct research
and discuss questions. Students can reference their handout or article
for assistance.
Closure
1. Students will refer back to the essential question for a brief discussion, relating it to
the text. Students will also add one element to the “L” section of the chart, showing
one thing they have learned following the reading.

Assessment and Evaluation

1. Teacher will circulate during group work for students, ensuring students are correctly
accomplishing annotations.
2. Teacher will check in with ELL/lower 1/3 groups to ensure understanding.
3. Essential question response/discussion answers/informal research presentation will be
used as an assessment.

Rationale

I chose the Listen-Read-Discuss comprehension format because the excerpt was rather
short but packed with terminology and informational elements that require a closer look than just

a single read-through. According to McKenna and Robinson (2014), this concept allows teachers

to “fully develop in advance” the concepts and ideas of a reading or unit (p. 153). I believe that

since this reading has a wide variety of terminology and concepts that students might not be

familiar with at first, I believe the discussion and reading of this prior to their assignment would

better equip them to comprehend the concepts and terminology in the text. This technique will

hopefully allow for me to appropriately model the text and concepts the students will be focusing

on. For lower third, ELL, and students with exceptionalities, I have provided supports for these

groups, including a handout with vocabulary and other terms to better help their comprehension

of the text. These students will also be paired with students from the upper third of class as they

work to complete the second reading of the text. I will also be available to assist these groups,

guiding their reading and understanding of the text.