Bend I Session 5: Compare and Contrast Key Excerpts from Plants in Different Habitats, in Partnerships
Bend I Session 6: Close Reading Using Complex Passage from Plants in Different Habitats
Focus Standards z Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.4 z Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.4A z Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.4B
Focus Standards z Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/ effect, first/second/third in a sequence). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.8
BEFORE READING Rally students to the work of comparing and contrasting two habitats you studied in the previous session. “Yesterday, we read about a bunch of different habitats around the world. And, we heard about all the special plants that live in those habitats and the ways they adapt to their environments in order to survive. Last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about those different habitats. I started to wonder what was the same about the habitats and what was differ- ent. I thought we could investigate that together today, studying more about two habitats: deserts and tropical rainforests.” DURING READING Distribute copies of key sections from the text. Channel partners to compare and contrast the two habitats and their plants, referencing key parts of the text as they talk.
Rather than reading aloud a new section of text, we suggest you use this time to channel students to reread and discuss earlier passages from Plants in Different Habitats . We suggest “Desert Plants,” pages 18–19, and “Tropical Rainforest Plants,” pages 14–15.
BEFORE READING Briefly introduce the text, planning for the minimal amount of frontloading.
Whenever you lead close reading sessions, aim to keep the amount of front loading you do minimal, only discussing the information that is critical for students to understand the text and that students will prob- ably be unable to discern from the text while reading. You can always backfill other informa- tion while reading if you notice holes in students’ understanding or misconceptions. You may have students who are unable to access the text independently. Might you read it aloud to a small group on the carpet? Might you translate the text into a different language? Might you feed the text into an AI platform and alter the text’s Lexile Level to correlate to stu- dents’ reading abilities, or alter the text to include more defini- tional support? If students need more assis- tance with phrase boundaries, you might add slashes to the text to signify cueing pauses. You can use single slashes to mark shorter pauses, and double slashes to mark longer pauses (Rasinski, 2003). For instance, you might mark the first sentence this way: Introduced plants / often grow quickly / in their new habitats // and use up / the nutrients, / water, / and space. //
“There’s one more section from Plants in Different Habitats that I thought we could study together. This section is different from the sections we read yesterday because it doesn’t focus on one specific habitat. Instead, this section looks at a few types of plants that can live in any habitat.” DURING READING Read the first section of the text aloud, and then ask students to read “Taking Over” inde- pendently. Encourage them to mark unfamiliar words. Channel partners to discuss what they just read. Distribute copies of “Native Plants,” pages 28–29. “I’ll start reading. Follow along with me. When I get to the section titled ‘Taking Over,’ you’ll take over!” Read the first portion of the text, modeling fluent reading. “It’s your turn—read ‘Taking Over’ on your own. As you read, think about what this section is mostly about. Use your pen to circle any unfamiliar words that you want to talk about with your partner.” Give students a few minutes to read the text independently. Circulate, noting reading rate and which words students indicate are unfamiliar. “Talk with your partner. What was this section mostly about? What unfamiliar words did you circle?” Demonstrate how you read the “Taking Over” section fluently. “Listen to how I read this section, ‘Taking Over,’ aloud. I’ll especially work on my phrasing, so I use my voice to scoop up words that make sense and read them together.” Read aloud the section titled “Taking Over,” modeling fluent reading with an emphasis on phrasing. Pose a series of questions to engage students in comprehending the section titled “Taking Over.” We suggest asking 1 to 2 questions about each sentence across the three-sentence passage. “Let’s dive into this section together. We’ll read aloud a sentence, then talk about it, then read aloud the next sentence and talk about it. Reading the text this closely will help us really understand what the author is trying to teach.”
“Right now, I’ll give you and your partner copies of different sections of Plants in Different Habitats . Partner A, you’ll get ‘Desert Plants,’ and Partner B, you’ll get ‘Tropical Rainforest Plants.’ When you get your section, reread it, and then talk together about how the plants in each habitat are similar and dif- ferent from one another. I’ll post a few sentence starters you can use as you talk.” (Possible responses: Both desert plants and tropi- cal rainforest plants are similar because they often have shallow root systems. However, desert plants
have shallow roots in order to take in more water, whereas tropical rainforest plants have shallow roots in order to take in more nutrients from the ground. Another similarity is that both deserts and tropical rainforests have plants that are adapted to low amounts of water. Cacti have no leaves and thick waxy stems, so they can keep all their water inside. Epiphytes have roots that are adapted to take tiny bits of water from the air.) AFTER READING Encourage students to teach someone else what they’ve learned about desert and tropical rainforest habitats. “As you leave school today, think about ways these plants and their habitats are similar to and different from where you live. Take a few minutes to teach someone else what you’ve learned.”
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GRADE 3 • Unit 2 • Let’s Gather
Unit 2 • Book 2 • Plants in Different Habitats
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