Comprehending Chameleons
Rationale: The goal of this lesson is for students to understand what they are reading. Reading comprehension is very important because it increases the students’ motivation to read. When a student has the motivation to read, they begin independent reading which builds their vocabulary. Before a student can perfect reading comprehension, they must know how to pick out the most important parts of an article. By doing so, the students will be summarizing the article being read.
Materials:
-
Pencils
-
Paper
-
Highlighters
-
Copies of article “Chameleon” by Britannica School Elementary
-
Grading rubric
Procedures:
-
Students, in today’s lesson we will learn how to summarize an article which will help us better comprehend what we are reading. To summarize an article means to give a brief statement of the main points in a reading. If you can pick out the main points in the reading, you will know what the author is wanting you learn.
-
In front of everyone is a copy of “Chameleon.” A chameleon is a type of lizard that has a unique talent. As we read, we will pick out the important information that will help us learn about this special lizard.
-
To begin I would like for everyone to look through the article and pick out 5 words that look unfamiliar. Write these words on your paper and after reading the article, we will go back and write what each of these words mean.
-
Now that we are done with our vocabulary words, I will read the book aloud. As I am reading, you will follow along with me and highlight any phrases or words that you think are important. If you see the same phrase or word multiple times, it most likely has some importance to the article and needs to be highlighted. Let’s begin…
-
Now that we are done, I would like for you to go back through the article and read over what you have highlighted.
-
On your paper, write a short summary (3-5 sentences) on this article. The summary needs to consist of the most important facts that you read about the Chameleon.
-
Now let’s look back at your 5 unfamiliar words. From reading the article, you may have a better understanding of what the words means. If you are still unsure, you can bring your word to me, and I will help you find the meaning of the word. Write the definition of your 5 words on your piece of paper.
Assessment: For assessment, I will look over what the student has highlighted in the article and read their summary. Students will be assessed on the quality of their summary and the ability to find the main topics in an article. I will use this scoring rubric to grade their work:
Does the student’s summary…
-
Highlight pertinent information from the article?
-
Consist of 3-5 concise sentences?
-
Support the main topic of the article?
-
List 5 new vocabulary words & definitions
I will complete a comprehensive check by asking the students to answer the following questions on a sheet of paper:
-
What is the chameleon’s special talent?
-
Do chameleons live in a tree or in water?
-
What is one reason that a chameleon changes color?
-
How do chameleons catch prey?
References:
“Chameleon” by Britannica School Elementary
https://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/chameleon/390666
“Summarizing with Stripes” by AC Palmer