 |
Grade: Elementary
Subject: Reading/Writing
|
 |
Danger at the Breaker (4 Day Lesson Plan)INTRODUCTION:
The lesson is part of an integrated unit on coal mining in the United States. The book, Danger at the Breaker, that the students will read explores the life of a young child working in a coal mine located in western Pennsylvania in the 1800s. The students will be able to relate to this piece of historical fiction because it about a child similar to their own age. This lesson will also help the students gain an appreciation and understanding of what life was like for some of their ancestors that may have worked in the coalmines in Pennsylvania. This lesson is a lesson designed to increase student's comprehension skills. This lesson will give the teacher a text selection to use for administering a CBA.
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES:
· After reading Danger at the Breaker, the students will complete a study guide independently. [Individual assessment]
· After a class discussion and group activities, the students will perform a scene assigned by the teacher from Danger at the Breaker in groups of three. The student will be evaluated by a rubric. [Individual assessment]
· After reading Danger at the Breaker, the students will read a passage from the story for their one minute timed oral reading with as few errors as possible. [Individual assessment]
· During class, the students will work cooperatively in groups during the think pair share activity and the acting activity. [Individual assessment, small group assessment]LESSON INITIATION:
The teacher will initiate a K-W-L chart on the chalkboard.
The teacher will ask the students what they "know" about working in a coal mine and she will record the answers on the chart.
The teacher will ask the students what they want to "learn" about working in the coal mine, and she will record these answers on the chart.
INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
MATERIALS:
· Welch, Catherine A. Danger at the Breaker. Carolrhoda Books, Inc.; Minneapolis. 1992.
· Chart paper
· Marker
· A piece of coal
· Chalkboard
· Chalk
· Who? Where? What? How? Chart
· A transparency of the Who? Where? What? How? Chart
· Overhead projector
· ADAPT structured study guide
· Props
· Costumes
· www.teach-nology.com
· Performance Rubric
· Procedures for Administering a CBA
· Individual CBA chartDay 1-Tuesday, December 4
Danger at the BreakerRead Danger at the Breaker
The teacher will introduce the story by passing around a piece of coal. The teacher will ask the students what the object is, and how it could be involved in the story that they are going to read today. The teacher will also ask the students how this object relates to Pennsylvania.
The teacher will ask the leader of each row to come to the bookshelves and get a book for each member of his or her row. The leader will give each member of his or her row a book.
The teacher will ask a student to read the title of the aloud and the author. The teacher will ask the students to look at the front cover of the book, and predict what they think the book may be about.
The teacher will read the story Danger at the Breaker aloud to the class. Each student will have his or her own copy of the book. The teacher will stop at the following pages to ask these questions:
o Page 6 - What do you think the breaker boy is?
o Page 11- How you feel about going to work everyday instead of going to school? Which place would you choose work or school? Why?
o Page 16 - Do you think Patrick is a bully? Why or why not?
o Page 27- Do you think Andrew likes his job? How do you know?
o Page 32- What could have caused the explosion?
o Page 37- How would you feel if your dad was still in the mine?
o Page 40- What does "still as death" mean?
o Page 48- Would you go back to the mine the next day?
Paired ReadingThe teacher will divide the students into pairs. She will ask the pairs to find a quiet place in the room to read. Who ever has a birthday first will be the reader first. The other student will be the listener. Then they will switch roles.
The teacher will ask the students how they can be good listeners. The teacher will ask the students how they can be good readers.
The teacher will remind the students to use there inside voices when they read. When the pair has finished reading the teacher will ask the students to go back to their seats so she knows who is finished reading.
Word Wall
After all of the pairs have finished reading, the teacher will ask the students to go through the story and look for any words that they would like to add to our word wall.
The teacher will write the words that students select on the chalkboard. Possible suggestions are breaker, youngest, crooked, underground, prodding, stumbled, catwalk, screeching, scrambled, collapse, staggering, and clutching.
The teacher will tell the students that will add these words to our coal word wall in language arts class.
Day 2-Thursday, December 6
Danger at the BreakerThink Pair Share
The teacher will present the following question to the class by writing it on the board: If you were Andrew, would you go back to work at the breaker the day after the explosion?
The teacher would ask the students to quietly think about the question and how they would answer it for a few minutes. The teacher will tell the students that they may look back in their book if they need to.
The teacher would then pair up each student with the student sitting to his or her left. The teacher would ask the pairs to talk to each other about how they would answer the question for a few minutes.
The teacher would then have the class gather in the front of the room in a circle in the front of the room. The teacher would ask the students to sit Indian style, and she would ask them to sit next to their partners. The teacher would go around the circle and ask each pair if they would not mind sharing their answer with the rest of the class.
The teacher would ask the class to go back to their seats.
Who? What? Where? How? Chart
The teacher would pass out a Who? What? Where? How? Chart to each student.
The teacher will put a transparency of the Who? What? Where? How? Chart on the overhead projector.
The teacher and the class will complete the Who? What? Where? How? Chart about Danger at the Breaker together as a class.
The teacher will begin with the title and author of the book. The teacher will begin with the "who" section and then proceed to the "where" section then to the "what" section and lastly to the "how" section of the chart.
ADAPT
The teacher will pass out the ADAPT study guide for Danger at the Breaker.
The teacher will read the directions, and the teacher and the students will answer the first question together.
The students will complete the ADAPT worksheet on their own independently.
The teacher will walk around the room and monitor their progress. When the students are finished, the teacher will go over it with the class.
Day 3-Friday, December 7
Danger at the BreakerActing
The teacher will begin the class by asking the students if they have ever done any type of acting before. The teacher will tell the student that is what we are going to be doing today!
The teacher will divide the class into groups of three. The teacher will assign each group one of the following scenes from the book Danger at the Breaker:Pg. 5-8 "The Argument"
Pg. 14-19 " Patrick"
Pg. 20-28 "Brian and Andrew"
Pg. 32-36 "The Explosion"
Pg. 37-47 "A Ray of Hope"The teacher will pass out the Danger at the Breaker Performance Rubric. The rubric will tell students what is expected from them for this performance.
The teacher will discuss the rubric with the class. The teacher will explain to each student how to achieve a four in each of the areas: Body Language, Props and Costumes,
Poise, and Voice.The teacher will be encouraged to practice the entire class period with their group wherever they want in the classroom as long as they are not bothering another group.
The teacher will provide all of the props and costumes that the students will need. The teacher will monitor each group's progress periodically throughout the class period.
CBA
The teacher will tell the students that while they are practicing their skit, the teacher will be calling them individually to the back of the room to the reading table. The teacher will tell the students that she will be administering a one minute timed oral reading with each student on a few selected pages from Danger at the Breaker. (The teacher will follow the procedures for administering a CBA on the attached sheet.)
The students will read pages 6-12 from the story, Danger at the Breaker. The teacher will have number each word from the passage.
The teacher will ask the student that when their name is called that they should go to the filing cabinet near the window and bring their red folder. (The teacher will be calling the students back to the table in alphabetical order.) The teacher will remind the students to bring a pencil because they will be graphing their own progress. The students are familiar with the CBA process because they have done it before.
Danger at the Breaker
Day 4-Monday December 10Lesson Summary
To review the book, Danger at the Breaker, the students will perform their scenes in front of the class with props and costumes.
After the performances are over, the teacher will guide the class in completing the "Learned" portion of the KWL chart that the class created at the beginning of the unit.
New Jobs on Teachers.Net