BEGINNING LESSONS: Reading to Learn
How do I help students read and understand non-fiction text?
Here is my basic lesson plan template for helping students understand non-fiction text. I recommend that you find non-fiction texts that are 3-4 paragraphs in length as you begin this process. With time, your students will gain skills and be able to use longer and longer texts.
Objectives: 1). Students will be able to remember more of the details from the non-fiction texts they read. 2) Students will be able to summarize information in complete sentences about non-fiction texts.
Materials: Each student given a passage to read that is 3-4 paragraphs. With time, you can increase in the complexity and length of the passages.
Sentence frames: The _________ (first, second, etc.) paragraph ____________ (details, explains, describes, informs).
- Give students the passage. Ask them to sit on the floor or somewhere away from pencils.
- Students chorally read the whole passage together.
- Students orally reread the first paragraph two times. Have one student read two sentences and then call on another student to read the next two sentences. Do not go in order around the circle!
- The first time through the paragraph call on stronger readers and the second time through the paragraph call on your weaker readers. Because the weaker readers have chorally read the whole passage and heard a stronger reader just reread the paragraph, they are normally able to read the sentences fluently.
- I DO- Teacher models a summary sentence using a sentence frame.
- WE DO-Next paragraph – repeat steps 3 and 4 for the next paragraph.
- Teacher models a summary sentence using the sentence frame. Partners face each other and also state a summary sentence of the paragraph.
- YOU DO- Next paragraph – repeat steps 3 and 4 for the next paragraph.
- Partners work together to come up with a summary sentence for the paragraph. Have different groups share their summary sentences.
- Writing - Students return to their desks, and by themselves reread the passage and write a summary sentence for each paragraph. They then answer 3-4 multiple choice questions and one open response question.
Remember, most teachers who are seeing good results (an average of 1 1/2 to 2 years reading growth in a single school year) do the reading process one to two times in class and also assign this for homework each night.