The Way I See It
Reading to Learn
Rationale:
In order for students to become successful readers, it is important that they
develop comprehension strategies and construct meaning from the text that they
are reading. One of the strategies available for students to use is
visualization in order to improve comprehension skills. Visualization is a
strategy that involves the reader constructing images inside their mind based on
the text they are reading. When readers visualize a text, they are able to
create a mental picture of the text, and thus make it more memorable and easy to
understand. In this lesson, students will learn to use visualization
strategies to aid in their comprehension of the text. They will practice
constructing images in their mind about the text and use their own drawings and
explanations to show what they are visualizing.
Materials:
-Drawing Paper
-Colored pencils, Crayons, and Markers
-Tuck Everlasting
by Natalie Babbitt (individual copies for each student)
-Checklist for assessment
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-Copy of the poem Food Fight by Kenn Nesbitt
-Copy of the poem I'm Staying Home from school today by Kenn Nesbitt (individual
copies for each student)
-Dry erase board (for teacher use)
-Dry erase markers (for teacher use)
Procedures
1. I will begin this lesson today by explaining to my students the
importance of comprehension in reading. "Today,
we are going to be working on something that is a very important part of
becoming a skillful read... comprehension! Does anyone remember what
comprehension means? Right, it means being able to understand and make
sense of what you have read, but sometimes this is really hard to do, especially
if there are no pictures or clues to help us better understand the text.
But, that's ok because there are comprehension strategies that we can use to
help us better understand our text."
2. "Today we are going to be reading a book during our lesson but first I want
to review some vocabulary words that will help us better understand our story.
Let's look at the word tranquil. Tranquil means to be very calm. Sometimes when
someone is sitting quietly we say they are tranquil." (demonstrate sitting
calmly)
A boy sitting quietly by the lake is tranquil. A boy running around with a ball
playing games is not tranquil.
Which one of there is tranquil?: A girl jumping rope or a girl watching others
play?
Finish this sentence… a tranquil tiger might want to….
3. Explain to the students the concept of visualization. "One
of the most useful comprehension strategies that we can use is the process of
visualization. Visualization is being able to construct pictures in your
head about what you're reading, even when there are no actual illustrations in
your book. Why don't we give it a try?"
4. Model the concept of visualization to the students. "I'm
going to read the poem Food Fight by Ken Nesbitt, and while I read, I am going
to try to create images in my head that help me better understand the story."
Read poem to students. "Ok,
as I read, I pictured a very messy lunchroom with all the teachers and students
standing up in the middle of all that mess. There was food everywhere!
It was on the wall, the floor, the tables, and even on people! Now, I'm
actually going to draw this picture on the board so you can see what I was
visualizing in my head as I read this poem". Draw picture on board
that depicts the scene that I described. "Is
this similar to what everyone else pictured in their minds? Ok...
Great! Now you try it!"
5. Give each student a copy of the poem I'm Staying Home from School
Today by Kenn Nesbitt. Say "Let's
read this poem together, and while we read it, I want you to try and visualize
in your mind the events that are taking place". Read poem
aloud as a class. Say "Now
pretend that you have to draw a picture of what you visualized in your head.
Does someone want to raise their hand and tell me what their illustration or
visualization would look like?" Allow several students to
share their visualizations with the class. Say "You
are doing a great job using your visualization strategy to help you comprehend
what you are reading, and because you are doing such a good job, I think it is
time that you put your visualization strategy to use as you read the first
chapter of Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.
6.
Pass out books to students and give book talk. "In
this story there is a young girl named Winnie who was very, very curious.
One day, she wandered out of her yard and into the woods behind her house where
she came upon a certain family- The Tuck's. The Tucks were very special
people because they drank from the fountain of youth and were guaranteed to live
forever! Let's read to find out what Winnie will do once she finds this
out! Looks like you'll have to read to find out what happens next to Winnie!
Now, I want you to read Chapter one of the book silently to yourselves, and
while you are reading, use your visualization strategy to help you comprehend
what you have read. When you finish reading that chapter, take out your
drawing paper and make an illustration of what you visualized in your head.
You may use your colored pencils and crayons to add detail to your illustration.
After you complete your drawing, write a short statement describing what you
have illustrated and how it represents the text you were visualizing."
Assessment:
I will assess my students using the illustrations and statements they
constructed concerning the text that they read. In addition, the
comprehension checklist will be used for assessment.
References:
Amy
Lewis
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/odysseys/lewisrl.html
Leah Smith
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/encounters/smithrl.html
Nesbitt, Kenn. Food Fight!
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poem.aspx?PoemID=192&CategoryID=28
Nesbitt, Kenn. I'm Staying Home from school today
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poem.aspx?PoemID=529&CategoryID=28
Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting. Sunburst, 1975.
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