MINILESSON Use Teaching, Acting and Gestures to Solidify Learning CONNECTION Share an example of how one student taught about a fascinating topic. Emphasize how teaching others can help you hold onto what you are learning.
“Readers, I don’t know about you, but I’ve become so interested in plants that I was learn- ing more about them last night at home. Last evening, my nephew Joel told me about a magazine article that he read about a special species of plant: carnivorous plants, which are plants that eat animals. Thumbs up if you’ve read about carnivorous plants in one of your books. My nephew told me about one species of carnivorous plant called a pitcher plant. “I’m going to teach you just as Joel taught me. Will you notice how Joel taught me?
An earlier version of this mini- lesson is probably teachers’ all-time favorite nonfiction mini- lesson. Teach this with special confidence and power, as you’ll find it ignites your kids’ learning and energy.
“Joel said (make your voice sound like an expert), ‘Did you know that pitcher plants can eat frogs?’” Show a picture of a pitcher plant with a frog on it. “If a frog gets too hot (wave your hand by your head to cool down), it will hop inside a pitcher plant to get some shade.” Pretend that your hand is a hopping frog.
“A pitcher plant is filled with sharp hairs. The sharp hairs inside the pitcher plant will trap the frog.” Use your other hand to trap the frog. “Next, all the fluids inside the plant will break down the frog until all that’s left is the skin on a frog’s foot.” Point to your foot as an example. “Isn’t that fascinating? “Joel taught me a lot. I think I learned from him especially because of the way he taught: he pointed to illustrations and used his body to act out the text. He really helped me picture what he wanted me to learn.” Name the teaching point. “Today I want to teach you that when you research a nonfiction topic, it’s important to learn all you can, to read in a way that lets you hold onto what you are learning, so you are ready to teach others. To teach others what you’ve learned, you can use an explaining voice, topic words, acting out, even a teaching finger to point to illustrations.” Add this point to your “Nonfiction Readers Research New Topics” anchor chart. TEACHING Read aloud a section of text, and then recruit students to help you teach what you just learned. Using an explaining voice, topic words, acting out, gestures, and a teaching finger. “Let’s try this. I’ll project a section from Plants in Different Habitats titled ‘Plant parts,’ and then let’s read it in a way that sets us up to teach what we learn. Here goes.” Project “Plant parts” on page 5, and read the section aloud. “For now, let me try to teach what we just learned, trying to use some of the same teaching techniques that my nephew used last night. Notice not just what I teach about plants, but also how I teach.” Point to the sticky note on the anchor chart. “Notice if I use topic words, if I act things out, and if I point to details in the text. Ok, here goes.”
Nonfiction Readers Research New Topics
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Bend I • Strengthen Nonfiction Research Skills: Researching Plants
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