Nature Detective - Digging into Research
Unit Overview
NATURE DETECTIVE - DIGGING INTO RESEARCH
| 2nd grade |
| 7 lessons |
| The theme of this unit, becoming a detective who wants to learn about nature, engages students with communication arts content. The theme allows students to connect text with their own experiences and the wider world as they learn research skills. |
| Students explore key words and questions in research, locate information from key words and questions in resources, and give credit through discussions for others’ ideas, images and information. |
| This unit consists of seven lessons. Students review features and elements of nonfiction text and apply their understanding of research skills to produce their own expository writing. |
| Handouts including graphic organizers |
| Formative and Summative Assessment |
| Glossary |
Unit Plan: Lessons
| Establish the Theme |
Word |
HTML (with links to documents) |
| Discover a Purpose for Keywords |
Word |
HTML (with links to documents) |
| Ask Questions about a Topic |
Word |
HTML (with links to documents) |
| Locate Information in Resources |
Word |
HTML (with links to documents) |
| Retell Events |
Word |
HTML (with links to documents) |
| Give Credit to Sources |
Word |
HTML (with links to documents) |
| Publish a Report Booklet |
Word |
HTML (with links to documents) |
Essential Questions:
| How do key words and questions help with research as a nature detective? |
| How do I locate information in provided resources? |
| Which graphic organizer can help with my research? |
| Why should I give credit to sources? |
| How would I publish facts found in my research? |
Summative Assessment and Scoring Guides:
PREVIOUS LEARNING |
TARGETED LEARNING |
FUTURE LEARNING |
Identify and explain information in text, pictures, title, and charts.
|
R3A Locate and interpret information in illustrations, title, headings, captions, diagrams, charts, and graphs
|
Locate and interpret key information in illustrations, title, chapter headings, table of contents, charts, diagrams, captions, and maps to answer questions . |
Find resources on topics of interest with assistance |
IL1A Formulate key words and questions with assistance to locate resources on topics of interest. |
Students must be able to write multi-paragraph expository essays (including problem/solution) that contain a thesis statement, supporting details/examples (from a variety of sources) and evidence that readers’ concerns and arguments have been anticipated and addressed.
|
|
IL1B Locate information on key words and questions in provided resources, with assistance |
Locate information on the keyword in provided resources |
Use details from the text to ask questions to clarify understanding, to recognize important information in text, identify main ideas and supporting details.
|
R3C Use details from the text to answer questions to clarify understanding, identify main ideas and provide support, retell sequence of events and make inferences based on text
|
Use details from the text to answer questions, retell main idea and important details; organize a sequence of events, identify simple cause and effect, draw conclusions, compare and contrast texts and identify author’s purpose for writing text.
|
Give credit, through discussions, for others’ ideas, images and information with assistance. |
R3C Give credit through discussions for others’ ideas, images and information. |
Informally give credit for others’ ideas, images and information found in various resources
|
Follow a writing process to brainstorm and record ideas in written form, generate a draft in written form, revise by adding detail and deleting unnecessary information with assistance, edit and proofread for capitalization and punctuation in sentences with assistance, publish writing with assistance. |
W1A Follow a writing process to use a simple graphic organizer in prewriting, generate a draft, reread and revise work (with/without assistance), edit and proofread for capitalization and ending punctuation, publish writing with assistance. |
Follow a writing process to independently use a simple graphic organizer in prewriting, generate a draft, routinely reread and revise work, routinely edit and proofread for capitalization and ending punctuation, independently publish writing.
|
Write expository text with related sentences. |
W3C Write expository text, with assistance, with a main idea and supporting details. |
Write expository text with a main idea and three or more supporting details |
|
