Unit 2 Assessment: Identifying Story Elements in a Text

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

• RL.K.3: With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
• W.K.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
• L.K.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• L.K.1a: Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
• L.K.6: Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.

Daily Learning Targets

• I can identify the character, setting, and major events of the text One Hot Summer Day.(RL.K.3, W.K.8, L.K.1a, L.K.6)

Ongoing Assessment

• In Work Time C, collect student response sheets from the Unit 2 Assessment as a work sample to demonstrate progress toward RL.K.3, W.K.8, L.K.1a, and L.K.6.

Agenda

1. Opening

A. Developing Language: Poem Share (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Reading Aloud: One Hot Summer Day (15 minutes)

B. Role-Play: One Hot Summer Day (10 minutes)

C. Unit 2 Assessment: Identifying Story Elements in One Hot Summer Day (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face: Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

• This lesson serves as the culmination for this unit. Students demonstrate their developing understanding of narrative story elements and how weather affects people.
• This lesson includes the Unit 2 Assessment, in which students identify the character, setting, and several major events of the text One Hot Summer Day, which they hear read aloud. (RL.K.3, W.K.8, L.K.1a, L.K.6)
• Although this is a formal assessment of identifying story elements, students should experience the lesson as routine. Do not overemphasize the assessment; instead, use this as an opportunity to continue to gather meaningful data.
• Similar to Lessons 11-14, students experience a lesson cycle in which they listen to a text, role-play several portions of the text, and then identify common story elements of that text. (RL.K.3, W.K.8, L.K.1a, L.K.6)
• The pages of One Hot Summer Day are not numbered. For instructional purposes, the page that begins with "It's summer, and it's hot" should be considered page 2 and all pages thereafter numbered accordingly.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

• In Lessons 11-14, students heard two narrative texts read aloud, role-played several portions of those texts, and together with their classmates identified common story elements of the text. Now students experience the same cycle of instructional activities with slightly less scaffolding and support.
• Continue to use Goal 1-3 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

• Some students might find the Unit 2 Assessment challenging. For those students who have difficulty remembering story elements, consider allowing them to use a copy of the text to support them in answering the questions. Additionally, consider partnering with those students to discuss the character, setting, and events with them before they complete any drawing or writing.

Down the road:

• In Unit 3, students will continue their study of narrative texts as they closely examine Snowy Day as a mentor text for their own narrative writing.

In Advance

• Prepare:
  • Unit 2 Assessment (see Assessment Overview and Resources).
  • Student response sheets for the assessment by writing each child's name on a response sheet.

  Tech and Multimedia

  Consider using an interactive white board or document camera to display lesson materials.

  • If you recorded students reading the "Snowflakes" or "Clouds" poems or saying the rainbow or lightning cheers in previous lessons, play these recordings for them to join in with.
  • If students were recorded participating in the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol in Unit 1 or role-playing in previous lessons, consider playing these recordings to remind them of the process.
  • Students complete their Unit 2 Assessment using word-processing software, such as Google Docs.
  • Students use speech-to-text facilities activated on devices or use an app or software like Dictation.io.

  Supporting English Language Learners

  Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards K.I.B.6, K.I.C.10, and K.I.C.12

  Important points in the lesson itself:

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by inviting them to complete assessment tasks similar to the classroom tasks completed in previous lessons. Students have the opportunity to complete a graphic organizer about story elements similar to the one they have completed in Lessons 11-14.
  • The assessment may be challenging, as it is a big leap from the heavily scaffolded classroom interaction for some ELLs. ELLs will be asked not only to independently apply cognitive skills developed throughout the unit, but also to independently apply new linguistic knowledge as well.
  • Make sure that ELLs understand the assessment directions. Answer their questions, refraining from supporting them with the skill being assessed. See additional support in the lesson.
  • After the assessment, ask students to discuss what was easiest and what was most difficult on the assessment, and why. In future lessons, focus on the language skills that will help students address these assessment challenges.

  Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): During the read-aloud, students discuss what the character in the story does when it finally rains. This is a great opportunity to make connections across texts and support comprehension. When discussing what the girl in this story does, highlight patterns by inviting students to compare the character's actions to the girl's actions in Come on, Rain!
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): Kindergarteners demonstrate a wide range of writing skills and may benefit from additional writing supports. To help students express their ideas on the Unit 2 Assessment response sheet, offer options for drawing utensils, writing tools, and scaffolds.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Students have worked hard to learn about weather in this unit. After inviting them to celebrate their learning with a lightning cheer, ask them to suggest ideas for other weather-related cheers or celebrations that the class might do together.

  Vocabulary

  Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

  New:

  Review:

  • character, setting, major events (L)

  Materials

  • "Snowflakes" poem (from Lesson 11; one to display)
  • "Clouds" poem (from Lesson 13; one to display)
  • Rainbow cheer (from Lesson 13; for teacher reference)
  • One Hot Summer Day (one to display; for teacher read-aloud)
  • Role-Play Protocol anchor chart (begun in Lesson 11)
  • Brave Irene anchor chart (begun in Lesson 11)
  • Umbrella anchor chart (begun in Lesson 13)
  • Unit 2 Assessment response sheet (one per student; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Pencils (one per student)
  • Crayons (class set; variety of colors per student)
  • Unit 2 Guiding Questions anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)
  • Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Conversations Partners chart (from Module 1)
  • Lightning cheer (from Lesson 1; for teacher reference)

  Materials from Previous Lessons

  New Materials

  Assessment

  Each unit in the K-2 Language Arts Curriculum has one standards-based assessment built in. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

  Opening

  A. Developing Language: Poem Share (5 minutes)

  • Gather the whole group of students.
  • Tell them that today is an exciting day because they are going to recite all of the poems they have learned in the unit!
  • Invite students to stand up.
  • Display the "Snowflakes" poem. Invite students to join you as you recite the poem aloud and act out the motions.
  • Repeat this process with the "Clouds" poem.
  • Invite students to join you in the Rainbow cheer to celebrate their hard work learning, remembering, and reading the poems.
  • Consider providing differentiated mentors by seating students who may be more comfortable reading aloud in a large group near students who may not feel as comfortable. (MMAE)

  Work Time

  A. Reading Aloud: One Hot Summer Day (15 minutes)

  • Display One Hot Summer Dayand read the title aloud.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

  "What weather words do you see in the title?" (hot, summer)

  "What do these words make you think will happen in this story?" (Responses will vary, but may include: a little girl will play outside in the sun; the little girl will sweat in the heat; the little girl will go to the pool.)

  • While still displaying the text, begin reading slowly, fluently, and with expression, pointing to each word as you read it.
  • Pause after reading page 18 and, using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

  "The author says, 'It's getting dark and cloudy,' and we can see lots of clouds in the picture. What do you think is going to happen?" (It might rain. There might be a thunderstorm.)

  • While still displaying the text, continue reading, without interruption, until the text is finished.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

  "What are some of the things the little girl did on this hot summer day?" (She stayed in the shade, she ate popsicles, she watched her shadow on the sidewalk, and she stayed by a fan.)

  "What happened after the rain came?" (The girl danced in the rain, she splashed in the rain, and then she played on the swings at the playground because it was cooler.)

  • If productive, cue students to think about their thinking:

  "How does our discussion about One Hot Summer Day add to your understanding of how the weather affects people?" (Responses will vary.)

  • As you prepare students for the read-aloud, provide options for physical action and sensory input by differentiating seating. Some students might benefit from sitting on a gym ball, a move-and-sit cushion, or a chair with a resistive elastic band wrapped around the legs. (MMAE)
  • As you talk about what the girl in this story does, highlight patterns by inviting students to compare the character in this story to the girl in Come on, Rain! (Example: "The girl in this story dances and splashes in the rain. How is this similar or different from what the girl did in Come on, Rain!?") (MMR)
  • For ELLs: During the read-aloud, display the text on a document camera or display an enlarged copy of the text to help direct students to the appropriate sentences on each page.

  B. Role-Play: One Hot Summer Day (10 minutes)

  • Tell students that now, just like in the last four lessons, they will get to act out parts of the text from One Hot Summer Day so that they can understand it better.
  • Tell students they are going to use the Role-Play protocol. Remind them that they used this protocol in Lessons 11-14 and review as necessary using the Role-Play Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Move students into pairs and invite them to begin the Role-Play protocol for the following sections of text:
  1. Pages 4-5
  2. Pages 16-17
  3. Pages 20-23
  • After 8 minutes, refocus whole group and offer them specific, positive feedback on their role-playing. (Example: "I noticed all of you really thinking about what the words of the text were saying so that you could act out exactly what you heard.")
  • Tell students that now they will get a chance to write and draw about the character, setting, and events from One Hot Summer Day.
  • Invite students to pitter-patter like raindrops back to their tables.

  C. Unit 2 Assessment: Identifying Story Elements in One Hot Summer Day (20 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning target and read it aloud:

  "I can identify the character, setting, and major events of the text One Hot Summer Day."

  • Briefly review the definitions of character, setting, major, and events with students.
  • Remind students that in previous lessons, they identified these same story elements after reading and listening to Brave Irene and Umbrella.
  • Direct students' attention to the Brave Irene anchor chart and the Umbrella anchor chart and briefly review the work that students did to identify the character, setting, and major events of those two texts.
  • Point out the Unit 2 Assessment response sheet, pencils, and crayons already at their workspace.
  • Invite students to point to the first box on the Unit 2 Assessment response sheet and read aloud what is written in the first box:
    • "Character"

    "Who is the character we read about in One Hot Summer Day?" (a little girl)

    • Invite students to draw and write about the character from One Hot Summer Day in the first box on the Unit 2 Assessment response sheet.
    • Refocus whole group and invite students to point to the second box on the Unit 2 Assessment response sheet and read aloud what is written:
      • "Setting"

      "Where did this story take place?" (a city, on the sidewalk, at the playground, or in the street)

      • Invite students to draw and write about the setting from One Hot Summer Day in the second box on the Unit 2 Assessment response sheet.
      • Refocus whole group and invite students to point to the three boxes on the second page of the Unit 2 Assessment response sheet and read aloud what is written:
        • "Events: First, Middle, Last"

        "What are some things that happened in this story? What are some things that the little girl did in the story?" (She chased her shadow, she ate popsicles, she drew in the shade, and she couldn't play in the sandbox. Then it rained and she danced in the rain. Then she played on the swings at the playground.)

        • Invite students to draw and write about the events from One Hot Summer Day in the three boxes on the second page of the Unit 2 Assessment response sheet.
        • Refocus whole group and offer them specific, positive feedback on their work identifying story elements. (Example: "I noticed that everyone included the events in the order in which they happened, making sure to think about what happened first, what happened next, and what happened last.").
        • To help students express their ideas on the Unit 2 Assessment response sheet, offer options for drawing utensils (examples: thick markers, colored pencils), writing tools (examples: fine-tipped markers, pencil grips, slant boards), and scaffolds (examples: picture cues, shared writing, extended time). (MMAE)
        • For ELLs: Ask students to recall and describe one way that they worked toward the learning targets in the past five lessons.
        • For ELLs: Ensure that ELLs clearly understand all assessment directions. Rephrase directions for them. Monitor during the assessment to see that students are completing the assessment correctly. Stop those who are on the wrong track and make sure they understand the directions.

        Closing & Assessments

        A. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face: Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

        • Refocus whole group.
        • Direct students' attention to the Unit 2 Guiding Questions anchor chart.
        • Tell students they have been working on answering the unit's guiding questions and read them aloud:
          • "What is weather like around the world?"
          • "How does weather affect people?"

          "What is weather like around the world?"

          "How does weather affect people?"

          • As students talk, circulate and listen in. Take note of the ideas students are sharing and select a few students to share out whole group.
          • Invite students to return to their seats.
          • Offer students specific, positive feedback on all of the work they completed this unit. (Example: "This unit's guiding questions were challenging, and you all did a lot of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and drawing to get more information so you can answer them!")
          • Invite students to join you in the Lightning cheer to celebrate all of their hard work.
          • After you invite students to celebrate their learning and hard work with a lightning cheer, ask them to suggest ideas for other weather-related cheers or celebrations that the class might do together. (MME)
          • For ELLs: Before beginning the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol, display the text, On the Same Day in March and briefly review related anchor charts. Give students a minute to think about the Unit 2 Guiding Questions to prepare for sharing.

          Refer to the Assessment Overview and Resources for all supporting materials for this lesson.