#4700. Good readers think about the feelings of our characters.

Literature, level: Kindergarten
Posted 04/03/2013 by Lisa (Lisa).
PS 131, Brooklyn
Materials Required: Mentor texts, books that children are familiar with
Activity Time: 10 min lesson, 20 min indepen/partner reading
Concepts Taught: Stop and think about the feelings of characters' in our books.

Connection:

remind students of the bigger meaning for the unit
- tell the story of a child in the class already moving onto the strategy for the day
- think of an example that can be used as a metaphor

Students will be sitting in their rug spots, ready for the mini-lesson. I will introduce the unit and bring up a story of what happened yesterday in Reading Workshop.
"So readers, you have been doing a wonderful job pointing and saying what you see, and reading your Star Books just like storytellers! Yesterday I was reading with Aiden and I noticed something else he was doing. He was reading Where the Wild Things Are and when he came to the part when Max gets angry at his mother. Look at him. . .Do you think that little boy was mad? Maybe, he was mad because he got in trouble!

Teaching Demonstration:

- offer a step by step strategy.
- point out tips to do the strategy.
- voice over the thinking process as you demonstrate
- demonstrate the strategy, not the content of what you are doing.

So as Aiden was reading, he stopped and really thought about the character's feelings in his story.

Here is my Teaching Point (TP):
So today readers, we are going to STOP and THINK about the feelings of the characters in our Star Books! I will repeat this several times and ask the students what we will be doing, as well. I will have the students repeat the strategy several times so that the teaching point gets instilled into their minds, to carry back and use themselves to their independent reading time.

Watch me as I STOP and THINK about the characters' feelings in my book. Let me see. . .(I will demonstrate using a book that the children are familiar with.) I will show the students the book, Will I Have a Friend? I will read the book, skimming the pages, and stopping occasionally when I notice the little boy's feelings. I will model my actual "stopping and thinking" as I read. For example, when the little boy tries to make friends with the other children playing at the table, they shun him. I will really think about what the boy might be feeling by looking at the pictures and thinking about the story. I will ask the students if they noticed as I stop and thought about the little boy's feelings. I will then restate the teaching point again and have the students repeat it. "What do we have to do? STOP and THINK about the characters' feelings!"

Active Engagement:

- try the strategy on a class topic/piece
- students should have the opportunity to practice multiple times during the active involvement

Students can. . .
- turn and talk
- try it in their own books
- try it in a big book

Let's try it in another book! I will first demonstrate a reading that does NOT involve me thinking about his feelings. I will ask Ms. Butin and the class if I did a good job or not, give a thumbs up or down, and see if someone can help correct me. Can we fix it? What do we have to do?

Now the students will try it out themselves using another familiar book that I will show them, The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear.

I will say to the children, "Now it's your turn!" I will flip to a page and try reading it, excluding talking about the character's feelings. I will have the students STOP and THINK about the character's feelings on these pages. Then I will have them turn and talk to their partner about what feelings they think are being exhibited by the characters. Ms. Butin and I will circulate through the students on the rug listening to their conversations and making sure they are on target. Then I will re-direct their attention back to the teachers and have some students share out what feelings they discussed with their partners.

Link:

- offer the teaching as a strategy, not an assignment
- restate the teaching point, putting back into the bigger picture of unit of study
- name the reason why the readers might want to try the strategy. . .

Readers are ready to go back and try the teaching point by themselves! I will say to them, "Ok readers, are you ready to stop and think about the feelings of your characters in your own Star Books?! Remember to use the pictures to help you really think about the story and what those characters might be feeling. And don't forget, you can still read your books like storytellers!"

I will call the students back to their seats for private back-to-back reading, by holding up different colors for their corresponding tables and will circulate the room making sure students are on target and ready to stop and think about their characters' feelings.