LESSON ONE: Establish the theme
Discuss the work of detectives and share touchstone text series such as Arthur, Cam Jansen, and Encyclopedia Brown . Students imagine they are detectives and find information about nature. Using non-fiction materials on nature, students reflect on non-fiction text, headings, captions, diagrams, and graphs.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS
R3A Locate and interpret information in illustrations, title, headings, captions, diagrams, charts and graphs.
LESSON MATERIALS
§ Sources of Literature
o None
§ Supplies
o Flip chart
o Overhead
o Grade level appropriate non-fiction texts on topics of nature
o Library books of detective series such as Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones by David Alder.
§ Handouts provided
§ Words to know
o fiction
o graphic organizer
o non-fiction
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Students complete a graphic organizer about detectives. Students locate and interpret information in illustrations, title, headings, captions, diagrams, charts and graphs.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1. Provide an engaging entry point—a means for provoking interest in both nonfiction and the concept of being a detective. Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Missing Dinosaurs Bones or a similar text is a good bridge between fiction/non-fiction where the strategies of a detective are exposed. Introduce this text during a read aloud period before the start of the Nature Detective unit.
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Idea |
Point out the author and illustrator of each texts shared with students. This will help the transition to giving credit for ideas and images tested later in the unit. |
2. Students share the characteristics of Cam and ask what detectives do to solve mysteries. Show the chart or overhead. Explain good learners are like detectives. They will become detectives, solving mysteries about nature by using the strategies used by detectives. Focus attention on the “finding information” part of the overhead.
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Question for Students |
If you were a detective, how would you find information? (Students formulate their answer in first person using the list from the overhead.) Ex: I would read lots of books. |
3. Students fill in the graphic organizer handout.
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Strategy |
Students copy words directly from the visual you provide to embed the strategies researchers use. |
4. Give a mini-lesson on non-fiction text features. Students should see a chart headed “Reading non-fiction.” Place post-it notes marking where to demonstrate non-fiction features in advance. Introduce non-fiction elements. List on the chart each feature, describing how it helps research.
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Strategy |
Features to be introduced are heading, captions, diagrams and graphs. Reviewed are title, illustrations, charts. |
5. Ask students how strategies used by detectives to find information would help to read this type of text.
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Questions for Students |
If you were a nature detective, what would you expect to learn from this text? What features in the text would help a detective? What information did we learn from this caption? |
6. Have students search non-fiction text for elements presented. Students use post-it-notes to mark where each element is found..
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Idea |
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A quick assessment could be made if students are asked to write the name of the element on the post-it-note as they place it and the teacher does a checklist as they participate. |
7. Have student complete the Monarch Butterfly handout.
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Idea |
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The Monarch Butterfly handout may be read with the students before they are asked to complete it independently. Scoring guide below. |
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The students’ work may be assessed using the following scoring guide. 3 points Circles three features correctly 2 points Circles two features correctly 1 point Circles one feature correctly 0 points Circles no features correctly |
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