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Sample Kindergarten Grade Instructional Module
 The following is a sample module intended to provide an example of
possible instruction for Unit Four of the Fresno Unified School District Scope
and Sequence
(http://beta.fresnounified.org/dept/sss/curr/ela/ELA%20Scope%20and%20
Sequence/Forms/By%20Grade%20Level.aspx?InitialTabId=Ribbon%2EDoc
ument&VisibilityContext=WSSTabPersistence).
 Consider this a work in progress. As a sample instructional plan, it should
invite discussion and development. It is not intended to be prescriptive,
only suggestive. It may provide ideas and guidance. The module can be
adapted, modified, expanded, delivered as-is, or not used at all. It simply
provides an example of a shorter module of instruction which incorporates:
o Integration of interactive reading, writing, and speaking processes
o Text dependent writing and speaking
o Formative assessment opportunities
 Additional instructional supports should be planned in addition to the
activities contained within this sample module. Some suggestions are
included at the end of each task. Others to consider include:
o Extension activities for advanced students
o Read more challenging text (suggestions are listed in text set resources)
o Participate in a Literature Circle
o Explicit language instruction for English Language Learners
o Designated time to address Reading Foundational Skills, including
different levels of support for Phonics and Word Recognition
o Targeted instruction for grammar, conventions, and writing strategies.
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Kindergarten ELA, Unit 4 Sample Module
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Kindergarten Unit 4 Sample Module
Big Idea: Perseverance
Enduring Understandings of the module:
Never give up!
Possible essential questions addressed the Unit:


Why is it important to always try your hardest?
What does it mean to persevere?
CULMINATING MODULE TASK:
Prompt:
Did the Little Engine persevere? After reading The Little Engine that Could, draw/write a paper in which you
answer the question and explain your reasons on whether or not the Little Engine persevered. Give several
examples from the text to support your opinion.
Criteria for Success:
 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing.
 Name the book.
 State an opinion to answer the prompt.
 Provides a text based reason to support the stated opinion.
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Module Text Set
The Little Engine that Could
The Tortoise and the Hare
Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Michelle Kwan
Multi-media: Sesame
Street: Bruno Mars: Don’t
Give Up!
PebbleGo: Social Studies:
Self-Discipline
HM, Theme 7
HM, Theme 9
Curious About Words, Vol. 1, pp. 2021
Pebble Go>Biographies>Authors and
Artists>Artists>Walt Disney
Curious About Words, Vol. 1, pp. 1213
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p
Wp6kkz-pnQ
Scope & Sequence Anchor Text
Scope & Sequence Anchor Text
Scope & Sequence Suggested Related Text
http://www.pebblego.com/content/s
ocialstudies/pgo_player.php
PebbleGo>Social Studies>Being a
Good Citizen>Self-Discipline
Scope & Sequence Non-Print Text
Teacher Choice
Scope & Sequence Suggested Related Text
Scope & Sequence Non-Print Text
Possible Launching the Module Tasks:
Purpose: Activating students’ background knowledge, building schema, and preparing students to enter into content
through complex talk.
Launching the module could include activities that address the following concepts:
 Getting Ready to Read
 Exploring Key Concepts
 Making Predictions and Asking Questions
 Understanding Vocabulary
Task 1: Just Like Me! (SL.K.1a)
Purpose of task: This activity is to give students a non-threatening way to share things about themselves and to make
connections to the upcoming content.
Materials: List of statements to utilize with students.
Instructional Notes:
 Prior to activity, teacher develops a list of things for the students to agree/disagree with in regards to the
upcoming content.
 Some possible statements for this module might include:
a. I think it is important to always try your best!
b. Sometimes things are hard for me.
c. I get frustrated when something is hard and I quit.
d. When I am learning something new, I keep trying even if it is hard.
e. I have a dream of what I want to be when I grow up.
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Task 2: Task 2: Brainstorm (with teacher as scribe) (SL.K.1a-b, SL.K.6, L.K.1f)
Purpose of task: Activate students’ prior knowledge. Motivate students for upcoming learning.
Possible Prompts:
What is something that you have learned to do that was hard?
What is something that you have learned that took a lot of practice or that you had to try more than once before you
could do it?
Instructional Notes:
 After posing the prompt have students pair-share with a partner.
 Conduct a class discussion to allow students to share their thinking.
 Record students’ ideas for future reference and to guide instructional next steps.
Task 3: Music
Purposes of task:
 To give students a couple of concrete examples of “perseverance-never giving up”.
 To motivate students about upcoming content.
Materials: Video
Instructional Notes:
 Pose the question: What is perseverance?
 Set the context of the video. “We are going to watch a video and I want you to see if you can figure out what
perseverance means.”
 Watch the video a couple of times.
 Conduct a class discussion about the video. Some sample guiding questions are as follows:
a. What activities were the Sesame Street characters trying to learn how to do?
b. Did the characters learn how to do the activity on the first try?
c. Was it easy for them at first?
d. What does Bruno Mars say never to do?
e. After watching the video and through our discussions, what do you think perseverance means now?
(Never give up!) *Note: Through the upcoming texts students can expand upon this definition and work
to be able to respond to the essential questions listed above.
Task 4: Digital Media
Purposes of task:
 Build background of the concept of perseverance.
 Give students concrete examples of the character trait, self-discipline. Explain that teaching themselves to
have self-discipline will help them to persevere and not give up, even when things are hard or when they have
to try to do something more than once.
Materials: Video: PebbleGo>Social Studies>Being a Good Citizen>Self-Discipline
Instructional Notes:
 Take students through each of the tabs of information. By clicking on the sound link, the computer will
highlight the text as it reads the text to the students.
 After each section, teachers may choose to have students turn and talk to a partner about what they heard.
 After reading all of the sections with students, teachers may choose to show students the accompanying
video of the 2012 US Olympians at the White House.
 Close this task by asking students to describe what perseverance means to them now.
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Entering the Text Set
Purpose: To engage students in complex text through reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Task 4: (may be broken up into multiple tasks)
Closely reading a text to gain an in-depth understanding of the message.
Recognizing common types of text.
Engage in group reading and writing activities with purpose and understanding.
Possible Strategies:
Prediction
Brainstorming
Read Aloud
Close Reading
Text Dependent Questions
Independent Writing
Materials: “The Little Engine that Could”, HM Theme 7 Read-Aloud
Instructional Notes (complex text, talk, & task)
Possible Before Reading Tasks:
 Prediction: Based on the illustration on page T65, have students predict what they think the text will be
about.
 Read the title and provide students with the opportunity to revise their predictions. Have students discuss
with a partner prior to moving into a whole class discussion.
Possible read aloud sequence:
1. Read the text once through to facilitate comprehension of the complete text.
2. Ask some general understanding text dependent questions to assess students’ level of comprehension of the text.
Possible general understanding questions:
a. What is the story about? How do you know?
b. Why is the Little Engine called “The Little Engine that Could”?
c. What helped the Little Engine get over the mountain?
3. Re-read the text with students for the purpose of being able to retell key details from the text. Stop along the way
to pose questions and allow time for collaborative conversations with diverse partners, small groups, and large
groups.
**Note: Teachers will need to ensure routines and procedures are in place to engage students in complex talk, both
with partners and whole class.
Possible Text Dependent Questions for Key Details include: (RL.K.1, SL.K.2)
*Teacher poses question and then gives time for students to pair-share before sharing out whole class.
1. What happened to the first engine that was pulling the toys?
2. How many engines did the toys ask to help them?
3. What were the engines’ replies when the toys asked for help?
4. Which engine finally agreed to help the toys?
5. What did the Little Blue Engine say she was used for?
6. What did the Little Blue Engine say as she pulled the toys over the mountain?
7. Why do you think the Little Blue Engine was able to do such a hard job?
Possible After Reading Tasks:
Independent/Shared Writing Opportunity (W.K.8, SL.K.5)
(W.K.1) Opinion Writing: What was your favorite part of the story? Using a combination of drawing, dictating, and
writing tell what your favorite part of the story was and why it was your favorite part.
Criteria for Success:
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a. Name the story.
b. State a preference about a part of the book.
c. Give a reason to support their opinion.
(W.K.3) Narrative Writing: Using a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing retell the story of “The Little
Engine that Could”.
Criteria for Success:
a. Narrate a single event.
b. Tell the events in the order they occurred in the text.
c. Provide a reaction to the events.
Task 5: (may be broken up into multiple tasks)
Closely reading a text to gain an in-depth understanding of the message.
Recognizing common types of text.
Engage in group reading and writing activities with purpose and understanding.
Possible Strategies:
Prediction
Read Aloud
Close Reading
Text Dependent Questions
Shared Writing
Independent Writing
Materials: “The Tortoise and the Hare”; HM Theme 9 Read-Aloud
Instructional Notes (complex text, talk, & task)
Possible Before Reading: (SL.K.1a-b)
 Prediction: Have students look at the picture on page T67. Have them study picture for two minutes.
Have students discuss with a partner what they think the story is going to be about.
Conduct a whole class discussion calling on students to report out something they heard their partner say.
 Vocabulary and concept development:
Prior to reading the text, have a short discussion regarding the differences between a tortoise and a turtle
(E.g. The simple difference = tortoises dwell on land, turtles in the water.) as well as the differences between a
hare and a rabbit (E.g. The simple difference = hares are larger and faster than rabbits. Hares have longer
ears and longer legs than rabbits.)
Other possible vocabulary that students will need for comprehension may include: bothering, bragged, dozed,
finish line, nuisance, contestants
Instruction aligned to objective:
Possible read aloud sequence:
1. Read the text once through to facilitate comprehension of the complete text.
2. Ask some general understanding text dependent questions to assess students’ level of comprehension of the text.
Possible general understanding questions:
a. What is the story about? How do you know?
b. Where was the setting of the story?
c. Who won the race?
3. Re-read the text with students for the purpose of being able to retell key details from the text. Stop along the way
to pose questions and allow time for collaborative conversations with diverse partners, small groups, and large
groups.
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**Note: Teachers will need to ensure routines and procedures are in place to engage students in complex talk, both
with partners and whole class.
Possible Text Dependent Questions for Key Details include: (RL.K.1, SL.K.2)
*Teacher poses question and then gives time for students to pair-share before sharing out whole class.
After the first paragraph, pause to pose the following questions:
1. What did Hare do more than anyone else in the forest?
2. What did Hare think of himself?
After the fifth paragraph, pause to pose the following questions:
3. When tortoise said he would race hare what did he tell hare that he had to promise to do?
4. Why did hare think it would be an easy promise to make?
5. What day did they agree to race on?
After the first column, pause to pose the following question:
6. How did Tortoise prepare for the race? Hare?
After the fourth paragraph in the second column, pause to pose the following questions:
7. About half way around the pond, what did Hare do?
8. What did Tortoise do?
9. What happened when Tortoise crossed the finish line?
After reading the last two paragraphs, pause to pose the following questions:
10. What woke Hare from his nap?
11. What is Tortoise’s prize for winning the race?
12. What lesson did Tortoise teach everyone that day?
Shared Writing Opportunity (Imaginative Narrative) (W.K.3, W.K.5)
Writing a different version of the story.
With teacher as a scribe, collaborate with students to construct a new version of the story.
Criteria for Success: During construction of the story focus on the sequencing events and providing a reaction to
what happened.
Independent Writing Opportunity:
(Opinion) (W.K.1, W.K.8, L.K.1a,f, L.K.2a-d, L.K.6)
Prompt: Do you think it was fair that Tortoise won the race?
Using a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing write an opinion piece where you tell if you think it was fair
that Tortoise won the race. Give a reason(s) from the text to support your opinion.
Scaffold Writing frame: I think it was/was not fair that Tortoise won the race. I think this because……
Task 6: (may be broken up into multiple tasks)
Closely reading a text to gain an in-depth understanding of the message.
Recognizing common types of text.
Engage in group reading and writing activities with purpose and understanding.
Possible Strategies:
Brainstorming
Read Aloud
Close Reading
Text Dependent Questions
Independent Writing
Materials: *Note: This task utilizes a read-aloud and digital media.
“Walt Disney” Curious About Words, Volume 1, pp. 20-21
PebbleGo<Biographies<Authors & Artists<Artists<Walt Disney
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Instructional Notes (complex text, talk, & task)
Bridging Conversation: (SL.K.1a-b, SL.K.6)
Connect back to the big idea of perseverance and the enduring understanding of never giving up. Explain to students
that so far they have been engaged with texts where make-believe characters have proven that they could do things
by not giving up. Now they will read about a real person.
Possible Before Reading Tasks: (RF.K.1a-c, RI.K.5, RL.K.6, RL.K.10)
Brainstorm
 Read the first question of the text: “What does the name Walt Disney make you think of?”
 Give students time to discuss with a partner and then take the discussion to a whole class discussion.
 Record students’ thoughts to reference later.
Possible During Reading Tasks: (RL.K.1, RL.K.2, RL.K.3, RL.K.4, RF.K.1a-d, RL.K.10, SL.K.1a-b, SL.K.2, SL.K.6)
Possible read aloud sequence:
1. Read the text once through to facilitate comprehension of the complete text.
2. Ask some general understanding text dependent questions to assess students’ level of comprehension of the text.
Possible general understanding questions:
a. Who is the text about?
b. What are some of the things that Walt Disney did in his life?
c. What character is Walt Disney the most famous for?
3. Re-read the text with students for the purpose of being able to retell key details from the text. Stop along the way
to pose questions and allow time for collaborative conversations with diverse partners, small groups, and large
groups.
**Note: Teachers will need to ensure routines and procedures are in place to engage students in complex talk, both
with partners and whole class.
Possible Text Dependent Questions for Key Details include:
1. Why did Walt Disney’s family move to the farm?
2. What did Walt Disney first draw?
3. What was Walt’s first job?
4. Who was the first cartoon character that he drew?
5. What was his dream that came true in 1955?
6. What did Walt Disney not do that helped him to be so successful? (never gave up)
Possible After Reading Tasks:
Digital Media: PebbleGo<Biographies<Authors & Artists<Artists<Walt Disney
Instructional Notes:
 Take students through each of the tabs of information. By clicking on the sound link, the computer will
highlight the text as it reads the text to the students.
 After each section, teachers may choose to have students turn and talk to a partner about what they heard.
 After reading all of the sections with students, show the accompanying video that talks about how Walt
Disney persevered and found his success with the debut of Mickey Mouse in the cartoon “Steamboat Willie”.
 Close this task by asking students to describe how Walt Disney persevered. Then ask students what
“perseverance” means to them now.
(Informative/Explanatory) (W.K.2, W.K.8, L.K.2a-d, L.K.6)
What were the results of Walt Disney never giving up? Draw and write to explain the things that Walt Disney was
able to accomplish because he didn’t give up.
Criteria for Success:
a. Name what they are writing about.
b. Supply some information about the topic.
(Informative/Explanatory) (W.K.2, W.K.8, L.K.2a-d, L.K.6)
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Prompt: Using drawings and writing, explain Walt Disney’s life and his accomplishments, by making a timeline.
Task 8: (may be broken up into multiple tasks)
Closely reading a text to gain an in-depth understanding of the message.
Recognizing common types of text.
Engage in group reading and writing activities with purpose and understanding.
Possible Strategies:
Read Aloud
Close Reading
Text Dependent Questions
Application of Foundational Skills
Shared Writing
Independent Writing
Materials:
Michelle Kwan; Curious About Words, Volume 1, pp. 12-13
(Optional) Michelle Kwan video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wazOhkRuySI
Instructional Notes (complex text, talk, & task)
Activator/Bridge:
We have been learning about perseverance, or never giving up, even when things get hard. We have read about
make-believe characters and real people. We are going to continue our learning by reading about someone who
became a famous Olympic athlete.
Possible Before Reading Activities: (RI.K.5, RL.K.6)
 Discuss the picture on page 12 of the Curious About Words Big Book
 Brainstorm: What do you know about ice-skating? The Olympics?
Vocabulary Preview: (L.K.5c, L.K.6)
 Some possible words that may require direct vocabulary instruction or step asides during the read aloud may
include: audience, entertainer, competition, glide, gracefully
 Depending on students’ needs, teachers will need to make instructional decisions on how to develop the
vocabulary. (E.g., direct instruction, step asides during reading, using visuals, acting out the verbs through
TPR activities, etc.)
Instruction aligned to objective:
Possible read aloud sequence: (RL.K.1, RL.K.5, RL.K.10)
1. Read the text once through to model fluent reading and facilitate comprehension of the complete text.
2. Ask some general understanding text dependent questions to assess students’ level of comprehension of the text.
Possible general understanding questions:
a. What is the text about? How do you know?
b. What are some things that Michelle Kwan did?
c. Why was Michelle able to skate so well?
3. Re-read the text with students for the purpose of being able to retell key details from the text. Stop along the
way to pose questions and allow time for collaborative conversations with diverse partners, small groups, and
large groups. **Note: Teachers will need to ensure routines and procedures are in place to engage students in
complex talk, both with partners and whole class.
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Consider incorporating ways for students to respond in writing. (E.g. pictures, words, phrases, sentences, etc.)
One strategy may be “Thinking Boxes”. Teacher would then choose which four questions to utilize for
“Thinking Boxes”.
Some possible detail oriented text dependent questions include:
a. How old was Michelle when she knew she wanted to learn how to ice skate?
b. How did Michelle become an excellent ice skater?
c. Why was Michelle also called an “entertainer”?
d. What other things has Michelle done besides ice skating?
Possible After Reading Tasks:
Digital Media:
Michelle Kwan video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wazOhkRuySI
Shared or Independent Writing Opportunity (W.K.2, W.K.8, L.K.1a, b, e, f, L.K.2a-d, L.K.6)
*Note: Teacher will need to make instructional decisions, based on students’ needs, regarding whether these
writing opportunities should be shared writing or independent writing.
1. Informative/Explanatory
Prompt: Using drawings and writing, explain Michelle Kwan’s life, by making a timeline.
2. Opinion (W.K.1, W.K.8, L.K.1a, b, e, f, L.K.2a-d, L.K.6)
Prompt: Do you think Michelle Kwan showed perseverance? Why or why not? Draw/write a paper in which
you answer the question and explain your reasons on whether or not the Michelle Kwan persevered. Give
several examples from the text to support your opinion.
CULMINATING MODULE TASK:
Prompt:
Did the Little Engine persevere? After reading The Little Engine that Could, draw/write a paper in which you
answer the question and explain your reasons on whether or not the Little Engine persevered. Give several
examples from the text to support your opinion.
Criteria for Success:
 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing.
 Name the book.
 State an opinion to answer the prompt.
 Provides a text based reason to support the stated opinion.
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Glossary of Strategies
1.
Brainstorm: (Skillful Teacher Activator)
Students generate things they know or associate with a topic and sort them into groups or
categories. Sorting into and labeling categories often serves as a trigger for generating
more ideas within a category. Brainstorming on post-it notes can make sorting easier. A
display of students’ brainstorming can serve as a visual reference for confirmation, editing,
and making additions to students’ initial knowledge
2. Bridging Conversation: Building on previous knowledge and establishing a link between the
students and the content.
3. Choral Reading
For more information visit: http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/choral_reading
Choral reading is reading aloud in unison with a whole class or group of students. Choral
reading helps build students' fluency, self-confidence, and motivation. Because students are
reading aloud together, students who may ordinarily feel self-conscious or nervous about
reading aloud have built-in support.
4. Collaborative Group Poster (C3 Training—Based on work from WestEd and Kate Kinsella)
This strategy is used to help students synthesize their understandings in a visual form with
close reference to the text. It encourages creativity and helps students to self-assess
using a rubric.
Students are given time to think individually about how to represent their thinking and the
text read. In small groups, the group must reach consensus on one (or more) image, quote,
and original phrase - all should be primed with ideas to share and from which to build their
consensus. As groups plan and create their poster, a rubric is essential to ensure that they
discuss the text, stay on task, and use images to highlight main ideas rather than merely to
decorate the poster. Each student in the team uses a single marker, a different color from
any other team members, for his or her work on the poster, as well as for signing the poster
when the group agrees it is complete. The first time students do a collaborative poster,
they should have 30 minutes to complete it, but no more (do not compromise). After 30
minutes, post the posters as they are and have students assess them. Team may revise their
posters in their own time.
Decrease the time for work on subsequent poster assignments until students work within a
20-minute timeframe.
5. Echo Reading
Echo reading is a form of modeling oral reading where the teacher reads a line of a story
and the student echoes the teacher’s model by reading the same line, imitating intonation
and phrasing.
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6. Interactive Writing
Interactive writing makes the writing process visual to the whole class. Reading literature is
an excellent way to initiate interactive writing in the class, and the teacher can continue
using literature as the class does interactive writing with any new book that is read
throughout the year.
7. K-W-H-L Chart (Know, Want to know, How will I learn, Learned)
For more information you can visit the following link:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/KWHL/
When used as an activator it is used to preview a topic that students have had experience
with. This activator can be completed as a whole class, in partners, or individually. Students
brainstorm what they know and want to learn about the upcoming topic. The “how” column is
so students can brainstorm how they are going to learn what they want to know. It can then
be revised when the “learn” column is filled in to reflect how they learned what they
learned. The “learned” column can be utilized during the learning or after to record what
students have learned.
8. K-W-L Chart (Know, Want to know, Learned) (Skillful Teacher Activator)
When used as an activator it is used to preview a topic that students have had experience
with. This activator can be completed as a whole class, in partners, or individually.
Students brainstorm what they know and want to learn about the upcoming topic. The
“learned” column can be utilized students during their learning or after to record what they
have learned.
9.
Marzano Vocabulary (Classroom Instruction that Works pages 128-129)
A five step process for teaching new terms and phrases. The instructional sequence allows
for multiple exposures to the new term or phrase in multiple ways. :
STEP 1: Present students with a brief explanation or description of the new term or
phrase.
STEP 2: Present students with a non-linguistic representation of the new term or phrase.
STEP 3: Ask students to generate their own explanations or descriptions of the term or
phrase.
STEP 4: Ask students to create their own non-linguistic representation of the new term or
phrase.
STEP 5: Periodically ask students to review the accuracy of their explanations and
representations.
10. Shared Reading
Shared Reading is an interactive reading experience. Children join in the reading of a book
or other text as guided by a teacher or other experienced reader. Shared Reading is
generally accomplished using a text that all children can see. Student interactivity is the
distinguishing feature of Shared Reading versus Reading Aloud. During the reading the
teacher involves the children in reading together by pointing to or sliding below each word in
the text. This provides children the opportunity to participate and behave like a reader.
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Shared reading models the reading process and strategies used by readers. The teacher
deliberately draws attention to the print and models early reading behaviors such as moving
from left to right and word-by-word matching. Shared Reading creates a risk-free
environment, allowing children to focus on the enjoyment of the story.
11. Shared Writing
Shared writing enables teachers to make the writing process concrete and visible to
students. In shared writing, the teacher and students compose text together, with both
contributing their thoughts and ideas to the process, while the teacher acts as scribe,
writing the text as it is composed.
12. Sorting Cards and Pictures (Skillful Teacher Activator)
Students are given a set of cards containing written or pictorial information related to an
upcoming topic and asked to sort the information in some way. The goal is to get students
actively engaged with and immersed in data related to the topic and get them talking so
that they can share their knowledge and experiences.
13. Summarizing
Summarizing is being able to take larger selections of text and reduce them to their bare
essentials: the gist, the key ideas, the main points that are worth noting and remembering.
Webster's calls a summary the "general idea in brief form"; it's the distillation,
condensation, or reduction of a larger work into its primary notions.
14. Text Dependent Questions
A text-dependent question forces students to go back to the text. It is a question they
could not answer if they did not read, and even if they did read, they will still need to refer
back to the text to answer the question.
15. Think-Draw/Write-Pair-Share
The Think-Write-Pair-Share approach to class discussions can increase participation (or
help you identify why a question is confusing). Pose a question to the class and give students
time to think and write notes individually for 2-5 minutes, then have them share their
answers with a partner for 2-5 minutes. Finally, ask specific pairs to share main points in a
whole class discussion. Think-write-pair-share allows students time to gather their thoughts
and find necessary vocabulary. This is important for non-native speakers of English, but it
also benefits native speakers who are unfamiliar with the specialized language of the
course. The Think-Write- Pair-Share technique also gives students an opportunity to
rehearse their answers with each other before speaking in front of the class.
16. Thinking Boxes (Janiel Wagstaff Quick Start to Writing Workshop Success. Scholastic,
2011.) Students engage in several brief episodes of two-three minutes of thinking, jotting
and sketching while working through material they are reading, watching/listening to, or
otherwise learning. Simply have students fold a piece of paper into boxes and number them.
Thinking Boxes dramatically increase student engagement with the material they’re learning
or considering. Stopping to think and jot keeps the brain active and takes into account the
Fresno Unified School District
Kindergarten ELA, Unit 4 Sample Module
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limits of working memory. Thinking Boxes increase students’ writing fluency, enable
teachers to gauge learning and redirect or reteach when necessary, and allow us to honor
the students’ thoughts and voices through quick sharing.
17. Think-Pair-Share
Think-Pair-Share is a cooperative discussion strategy developed by Frank Lyman and his
colleagues in Maryland. It gets its name from the three stages of student action, with
emphasis on what students are to be DOING at each of those stages. We know that
students learn, in part, by being able to talk about the content. But we do not want that to
be a free-for-all. Think-Pair-Share is helpful because it structures the discussion.
18. Visual Literacy
Visual Literacy has been defined as the “ability to understand, interpret and evaluate visual
messages” (Bristor & Drake, 1994). According to Wikipedia (2011), “Visual literacy is based
on the idea that pictures can be ‘read’ and that meaning can be communicated through a
process of reading.”
For more information on visual literacy:
http://www.iste.org/docs/excerpts/MEDLIT-excerpt.pdf
http://www.reading.org/Libraries/inspire/williams.pdf
Fresno Unified School District
Kindergarten ELA, Unit 4 Sample Module