"Where's The Word 'Think'?" Worksheet
I wrote the Core Word "Think" lesson based on the structure of the Group Speech sessions my students at Elim take part in each week. Their speech-language pathologist (SLP) has them focus on a different word each week, and they practice saying the word on their devices and identifying it by marking it on paper. There is also a video or song featuring the word that is played during each session. For this lesson, I had my students practice with the core word "think". I began with having them say the word each time they heard me read it in the "I Think" short story. Then, they practiced utilizing 'think' in sentences by expressing their opinion on whether objects presented were big or small. This was done through reading the "Big or Small?" story. Afterwards, I played the "Think, Think, Think" song for students to listen to, and they could press their device each time they heard the word 'think'. Once the music video was over, I had them practice identifying the word 'think' on the "Where's The Word 'Think'?" worksheet. Out of the 2 words presented side-by-side, they had to pick the word that said 'think'.
IPTS Standard #6 states that "the competent teacher has foundational knowledge of reading, writing, and oral communication within the content area and recognizes and addresses student reading, writing, and oral communication needs to facilitate the acquisition of content knowledge". My Core Word "Think" lesson meets Knowledge Indicator 6F, which says that "the competent teacher recognizes the relationships among reading, writing, and oral communication and understands how to integrate these components to increase content learning". In order to identify and construct the meaning of a word, students need to hear the word being said aloud, they need to see it in writing, and they need to listen to how it is used in everyday conversation. This lesson included reading, writing, and oral communication components to ensure that it reached different types of learners so that all could learn the word. Building off of that, my Core Word 'Think' lesson also meets Performance Indicator 6J, which says that "the competent teacher selects, modifies, and uses a wide range of printed, visual, or auditory materials, and online resources appropriate to the content areas and the reading needs and levels of each student (including ELLs, and struggling and advanced readers)". I created both short stories for this lesson ("I Think" and "Big or Small?"), as well as the "Where's The Word 'Think'?" worksheet. I included the "Think, Think, Think" song as an auditory component. I also included it because my students love music and I knew that they would enjoy listening to it.
This is one of my favorite lessons I have ever taught. I knew that I wanted to utilize a structure that my students were familiar with to allow for a smooth, easy transition from the day's previous activity. Because of this, they knew exactly what they had to do for each part of the lesson. I loved creating this lesson knowing that my students were going to have the opportunity to practice with the word 'think' through a wide variety of activities, and I know that this was a major reason why I had so much fun teaching it. Communication has always been something that matters very much to me, and being able to provide my students with several opportunities to communicate during this lesson brings so much joy to my heart.
This is my close reading lesson plan that I wrote for my Middle Grades Literacy class. I chose to focus on teaching how characters' actions influence the plot of a story. The book I picked to teach this concept was The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Baker. After reading part of the story and modeling how to fill out the Character Influences chart, I had students work in groups to read more of the book and fill out the chart together. Then, they shared their responses with the class, and afterwards they read and worked on the chart independently.
My close reading lesson plan meets Knowledge Indicator 6C, which is that "the competent teacher understands communication theory, language development, and the role of language in learning". This lesson follows the gradual release method of responsibility, which begins with modeling, and is followed by guided practice and independent practice. All of these components involve different forms of communication: modeling is teacher-to-student communication, guided practice is either teacher-to-student or student-to-student communication, and independent practice is student-to-self communication. Designing my lesson using this method will allow students to gain experience and knowledge about all of these forms of communication, therefore helping them to become more well-rounded and increase their social/emotional skills.
My close reading lesson incorporated reading, writing, and oral communication in each of the 3 activities I had students take part in. Reading, writing, and speaking are all forms of communication in themselves, and because of that, they are essential for students to learn and participate in. I loved creating this lesson because I learned so much about how students and teachers can communicate with each other through close reading, and learn more about each other in the process.