Student Teacher: Ashley Roman

School:
Date: March 3rd, 2020
Time: 10:30 - 11:00 a.m. / 1:30 - 2:00 p.m.

Subject​: Reading Workshop

Topic:​ Reader’s can read challenging books
Grade: ​Kindergarten
Mini-Lesson Time:​ 7 minutes

New Jersey Student Learning Standards:

RF.K.4. Read emergent text with one-to-one correspondence to develop fluency
and comprehension skills.

Objective: ​Students will combine all of their reading super powers to read books that are
getting harder.

Materials:
● CURRICULUM: ​Bigger Books, Bigger Reading Muscles​ by Lucy Calkins
● Leveled books
○ A - ​Quack the Duck
○ G - ​Pete the Cat: A Pet for Pete
● Anchor charts:
○ We Are Super Readers
○ Challenging Books Have… (Authentic)

Lesson Sequence:
1. Connection
● The teacher will call the students to the carpet; the teacher will sing the gathering
song, “We Are Gathering.”
● Teacher: “Oh my goodness readers! I have been waiting to tell you something for
so long now! Last week, we were measuring the lengths of objects, and I noticed
something really cool. Do you want to know what it is? Okay, you all grew taller!”
○ Teacher will call on two students to stand up, and then will call the rest of
the class to stand up and show their growth.
● Teacher: “Wow! You have all grown so much since I first started here! You must
be eating a lot of vegetables!”
● Teacher: “Super readers, this is perfect! You have grown to be tall, strong, and
ready to read for our new reading unit”
● Teacher: “Today, we are going to take a look at the bigger and harder books.
Here’s the inside scoop readers, when we know ​how​ the books will get harder,
we can use our super powers to read ​even​ the hard books” (Calkins, 2015, p. 3)
2. Teaching
 ● Teacher: “Today, I am going to show you that books go from easier to harder.
You can gain more power to read these harder and harder books! It’s great that
you have grown and worked on those muscles, we are going to use them today!”
● Teacher: “Just like we study our words, we can study our books. Can you help
me ​study t​ hese books? (thumbs up) Will you help me notice how the books go
from easy to hard to hardest?”
● Teacher: (Level A Book)“Let’s take a look at the first book. What do you think?
Easy, hard, or hardest?” (give time to think) “Easy. Why? There is only one
picture and three words.”
3. Active Engagement
● Teacher: (Level G Book): “Let’s try another book. I am going to open it up. I want
you to study the pictures and the words on the page. Remember to use your
super powers to decide if this book is easy, hard, or hardest! Now, turn and talk
to the person next to you.”
● (students turn to talk with a partner)
● Teacher: “Wow readers! I saw you using many super powers to decide if this
book was easy, hard, or the hardest.”
● Teacher: “Okay, let’s take a poll. This is book 1 (level A), this is book 2 (level C),
and this is book 3 (level G). Show me using your fingers, which book was the
hardest?”
● Teacher: “Let’s list what makes a book challenging, or hard. If you have an idea,
raise a hand.”
○ Anchor Chart: “Challenging books have…. More words, new words,
longer words, surprise endings” (Calkins, 2015, p. 4)
○ Use the example level G text to show more words, new words, longer
words, and surprise endings
● “Way to go super readers! You noticed a lot in these harder books! When we
know what makes a book hard, we can prepare to use our super powers to read
them!”
4. Link
● “Readers, this new unit is taking us on an adventure of new powers to help us
read the hard parts of a book. You already have so many powers, and know so
much!”
● Review super powers using the anchor chart ​We Are Super Readers​.
● Teacher: “Now, it’s time for us to think about our own books. I will call you by
table to sit down, take the books out of your book baggy, and read independently.
Who can repeat those directions?”
● Teacher: “Blue table… yellow table… red table… green table…”

Assessment
● The teacher will use an informal assessment to assess how students approach new
books and difficult books. Students that were able to book shop the previous week have
new books in their book baggies. The other students will access the familiar texts in their
 book baggies, so checklist aspects may apply to one group and not the other. If a
student is found to not be using super powers, then a small group will be called. If a
student is found to be hesitant with new books, then a small group to introduce

Does the student use sound

power?

Does the student use picture

power?

Does the student use

persistence power?

Does the student use book

talk power?

Does the student use pointer

power?

Does the student pause at

new words?

Does the student pause at

familiar words?

Does the student look at the

front cover picture and read
the cover?

Does the student review the

front cover and title?

How does the student rank

the book (easy or hard)?
(Add title of book)
 References:
Calkins, L., Hartman, A., & Dunford Franco, E. (2015). ​Super Powers: Reading with Print
Strategies and Sight Word Power​. Heinemann Publishing: Portsmouth, NH.
Dougherty, S. (2019). “Gradual Release of Responsibility Model.” ​Gradual Release
of Responsibility: A Framework for Planning Instruction.
New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts: Kindergarten.​ “New Jersey
Department of Education.” ​State of New Jersey Department of Education,​ NJ
Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Office of Information
Resources Management (OIRM), Bureau of Geographic Information Systems
(BGIS), 2016,
https://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2016/ela/k.pdf