Reading Comprehension: 3A

Reading Comprehension: 3A

Monday

Pass out "Choosing Love; Story Word list" (student activity 1)

Thursday

You will read a short story called "Choosing Love" tomorrow. Today, you will create your own short stories to predit what the story is about. This is called story impression, which is a kind of prereading writing activity.

Hello class, my name is Josh. Although I am balding, my personality makes up for my lack of hair.

Briefly discuss the short stories students created in

lesson one.

Today you will read the story "Choosing Love."

You will compare the story you wrote with this

story.

We know that making predictions is a habit of a good reader. So before we continue, what do you think will happen in this story?

Allow time for responses

Have students finish reading the story. Once students have finished reading the story, continue discussing with the students the connections that they have made.

Will someone pleas share an example of a connection that was made between yourself and the story?

Allow time for responses. Have students continue sharing aloud examples of the other types of connections.

Distribute "Choosing Love"

Is this a narrative or an expository passage?

Lets prepare to read the passage "Choosing Love." First, we'll skim the passage. Remember, skimming a text can help successful readers answer questions they have before they read. Quickly skim the passage to find out whether it is narrative or expository.

Today we will focus on making connections. What does the text make you think of? Remember that connections in your reading can be made to self, to another text, or to other things that are going on in the world.

What connections did you make while reading? Think about connections that you may have made to yourself, to another story you have read that sounds similar, or to something else in the world.

Have students read the first part of the passage

Are there any words you came across that are confusing to you or that you do not know?

Clarify the pronunciations or meanings of the words if needed.

Expository?

Narrative?

It is a narrative because the passage contains dialogue and characters. Who appears to be the main character of this passage?

Now, using our word list and story elements, we can begin working together to compose our short story

The main character appears to be Charlie Harris.

Look at your paper. This word list contains words and short phrases from the story "Choosing Love" You will include these words in your stories. Read the list with me.

These words are important to the story you will read later. Before you create your own story, we will work together as a group using this word list to create a short story

Let's look at the story elements at the bottom of the page. These elements will help us write our group story. If we include these things in our story, we can be sure we have included the important parts of a story: character, setting, problem, obstacle, and solution or ending.

Charlie

electives

gazing

love

Emma

didn't know he existed

options

nudged

picked yoga

decision

Independent Practice

Are there any names in our word list?

Character and Setting - tells who the main character is and where and when the story takes place

Problem - Describe a problem the main character has and how it makes him or her feel.

Solution or Ending - Tell how the problem is finally solved or how the story ends.

Obstacle - describe how the character tries to solve the problem. Include how trying one solution leads to another event that keeps the problem from being solved.

Now that we have created a story together, everyone should have a better understanding of how short stories are written.

Now you will write your own short story using all of the words and using all of the story elements.

Charlie and Emma

What sentences could we write using the information we have for our first sentence?

First we must think about what electives are. What are electives?

Electives are optional courses students choose to take in school. Therefore, a good setting is school since we take electives at school. The time must be during the school year.

Now, our second element says to describe a problem that our main character, or characters, are experiencing. We need to find words from our list that could be used to describe the problem.

Allow another student to suggest the problem using words from the list (e.g., gazing, love, and didn't know he existed) Write the sentences on the board.

Continue calling on students to assist in addressing the remaining elements and writing their sentences to complete the story. Then read aloud the story for the group

Using the names Charlie and Emma,we need to decide a location where Charlie, Emma, and the next word on our list, electives could occur, as well as the time of day or year the story takes place. The setting is when and where the story takes place. What setting could we use for Charlie, Emma, and electives?

Allow a student to provide the first sentences. Answers should relate to Charlie and Emma at school or on class doing something pertaining to electives. Write the sentences on the board.

Friday

Read your passage, if you finish before the timer is up, read the passage again.

What you read + What you already know = Inference

You will now answer a few questions about the text, remember you have to show where you found your answer in the text.

When you make an inference, you make a logical guess using evidence from the text, your own knowledge, and common sense.

Many times inferences are confused with predictions because they are so closely related. But remember that predictions are educated guesses about what will happen next whereas inferences are educated guesses about what is happening or what has happened.

Tommy was so excited to unwrap his last birthday present. He saved the biggest for last, he just knew it was going to be the giant lego set that he always wanted. Tommy tore away the paper, excited to get to the lego box. When he saw what was under the wrapping paper, his shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh. He softly thanked his mom and dad and quietly walked to his room leaving the half opened present on the table.

He's Awesome!

Making inferences also involves finding deeper meanings in events and situations that are not actually stated.

You will now complete the worksheet, we will read the directions together, then you will complete the worksheet on your own.

It is important that the inferences we make are logical and make sense. In order to do this, we must analyze our thought process and determine whether we are using faulty logic or jumping to conclusions.

Sometimes authors leave out information in their writing. This causes the reader to

make an educated guess to determine the missing information. When you make an

educated guess about unstated information using the clues or evidence in the passage

and what you already know, you make an inference.

Listen to this example: Arthur slammed the door and

threw his backpack down after walking into the house. He knew that his parents would not be happy after reading this letter from his teacher.

What kind of mood does the author suggest Arthur is in?

What can we infer about the letter Arthur has from his teacher?

To answer the questions about the unstated information in the text, we had to infer.

Sometimes making inferences is called reading between the lines.

Good readers infer to find meaning for information that is not directly stated in the

text.

Let’s practice making inferences some more. We will read some sentences and make inferences about what is happening.

1. Everyone crowded around Samantha as she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and

made a wish.

2. Molly practiced the piano for two hours every day.

3. A baby yawns several times.

4. After finishing the race, Jason hung his head and walked slowly with a sullen

expression on his face.

5. The children huddled together as the rain and flickering light danced against the windows accompanied by echoing booms in the night.