Comprehension

RL.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
SL.1.1
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse
partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and
adults in small and larger groups

Theoretical Framework
The goal of reading is to understand the written word. Comprehension depends on three
processes: word-level skills, background knowledge, and comprehension strategies (Pressley,
2000). Research shows the effectiveness of summarizing text as it is read, asking oneself
questions about text an answering those questions, recognizing and using narrative and
informational text structures to help make sense of and to remember text information,
visualizing, comprehension monitoring, and other active ways of thinking about the ideas in the
text. (Johns & Lenski, 2014 p. 380; International Reading Association, p.2) Reading is an
active process, with background knowledge, word-levels skills and comprehension strategies
applied simultaneously, both consciously and unconsciously (Pressley, 2000).
Teaching comprehension strategies separately from content has not been shown to be effective
for many students. McKeown, Beck, and Blake (2009, p. 245), found that getting students to
actively build meaning while reading does not necessitate knowledge of and focus on specific
strategies, but rather it may require attention to text content in ways that promote attending to
important ideas and establishing connections between them.
The lessons that follow are designed to help address RL 1.1: Ask and answer questions about
key details in a text and SL 1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (CCSS, 2010).
In order to help students achieve this standard, the methodology will adhere to the Gradual
Release of Responsibility model (Vygotsky, 1978). The teacher will demonstrate for the students,
and then allow the students to demonstrate their understanding through scaffolded release.
Additional opportunities for practice will be given to students who appear to need additional
support (including ELLs) based on informal, formative assessment.

Lesson #1

Creating the Anchor Chart

Group Size: Whole-group seated at the rug
Purpose: To introduce the concept of questioning for comprehension, and to coconstruct an anchor chart for students to reference during future lessons.
Materials: anchor chart made in previous lesson, poster-sized Time for Kids, Spiders!(2002)
magazine, student copies of Time for Kids, Spiders!(2002), chart paper, markers, pencils
Implementation:

Remind the class that recently, we have been working on noticing and thinking about new
learning, such as What I think I know and What I learned.
Point out the previously constructed anchor chart titled What We Think We Know/What
We Learned.
Sometimes when we learn new information, we wonder about it. Begin to create anchor
chart- sized I Learned/ I Wonder thinksheet.
As we read, we will write down the new things we have learned and what we are
wondering about on these Post-its. Then, we will add them to the appropriate side of our
thinksheets.
Teacher models her own thinking/wondering and puts a couple examples on the anchor
chart.
Pass out clipboards with I Learned/ I Wonder thinksheets, magazines, pencils, and six
Post-its to each student.
Say, OK, lets try this together. Begin reading the magazine, while discussing the
headings, facts, photos, and captions. Tell students to write down the first two things they
learned.
Model two student-generated examples of new learning, write on Post-its, and add to
the I Learned side of the thinksheet
Ask: Does anyone wonder anything about this section? Wait for student input regarding
vocabulary or facts of new learning. If none, model your own questioning and add to the
anchor chart.
Next, as teacher continues reading, have students write more of their new learning and I
wonder statements on the Post-its by themselves. They should then put these on their
thinksheets in the appropriate section.

As a formative assessment to evaluate the students level of understanding for this lesson,
collect the completed thinksheets. Look at sheets to determine which students may
require additional scaffolding/ re-teaching of the concepts.

Possible Modifications Needed

Students who struggle to write should be allowed to draw pictures and/or single words
and phrases in lieu of complete sentences.
ELL and students with special needs can be partnered with peers to further scaffold their
learning process.
The teacher can add additional visual or drawings to the anchor chart as well.

I Learned

I Wonder

Sample of possible Anchor Chart modeled in lesson.

Lesson #2
Re-Teach Using the Anchor Chart
with Read-Aloud
Group Size: Small group, with students seated at a kidney table with the teacher
Purpose: To give the students who struggled with the I learned and I wonder anchor chart an
opportunity to practice the questioning strategy for an informational text.
Materials: chart paper, markers, standard paper-sized anchor chart for individual student use,
Post-its, pencils, and read-aloud text: TIME for Kids, Spiders! (2002).
Implementation:

Students for the small group will be selected based off of the results of the completed
graphic organizer from the previous large group lesson.
Tell the students that they are going to be using the anchor chart created the day before: I
Learn and I Wonder with the first two I learn statements and the first I wonder statement
already filled in. This will be used in order to identify what theyve learned and what they
still wonder about as you read aloud. They will be seated in a small group so they can
openly discuss their thinking.
Review that they will be writing about things they learned that they did not know prior to
reading this text. Also, talk about how they will be thinking of questions they still have
while reading the text. Discuss how sometimes their questions can be answered while
they are reading the text.
Pass out the individual student copies of the TIME for Kids, Spiders! magazine so that
they can follow along while you read aloud.
Start out by looking only at the cover of the magazine. Discuss some facts that the
students did not know about spiders just from looking at the image. Discuss some
questions the students may have or wonder about after looking at this image.
Begin reading the book aloud. Stop frequently and discuss whether certain facts are
things that the students already knew prior to reading the text and if any of the facts or
pictures spark any questions. Record these on the chart as students share their thinking.

After we have completed the text, review everything you discussed. Have the students go
back to their seats with their independent books and their own individual anchor charts.
Ask them to record facts that they learned and questions they have while they are reading.
The graphic organizers the students fill out individually can serve as an informal
formative assessment in order to determine which students may need more practice in
utilizing the questioning strategy through the I learned and I wonder anchor chart.

Possible Modifications Needed

Use visuals while reading the text, and also allow students (especially the ELLs) to draw
pictures in their anchor chart for a response.
Allow extra time for ELLs and other students to have an opportunity to share their
thinking.
Provide scaffolded language prompts as needed.
Include drawings on the anchor chart.

Lesson #3
Individual Student Application of
I Learned/I Wonder
Graphic Organizer
Group Size: Whole Group
Purpose: To provide students the opportunity to apply what they have learned about formulating
questions when reading non-fiction, informational texts using the I Learned/I Wonder graphic
organizer. Students will realize that asking questions is one strategy to increase comprehension.
Materials: Chart paper, variety of colored markers, I learned/I wonder graphic organizer, pencil,
and read-aloud book: Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats (Earle, 1995)
Implementation:

Review with students the prior use of the I Learned/I Wonder (IL/IW) graphic organizer.
Review what information belongs on each side of the graphic organizer as students are
directed to look at anchor chart. Encourage students to refer to the chart as needed.
Pass out to each student the IL/IW graphic organizer.
Show the students the cover of the book, Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats.
Ask students to raise hands and share what they already know about bats. This is to
activate background knowledge.
Read Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats aloud to the group, pausing a few times to allow
students to write down or draw their new learning about bats.
Point out the illustrations that accompany the text while reading the book aloud.
When finished reading, allow students time to fill out the I Learned/I Wonder graphic
organizer.
The graphic organizer will serve as a formative assessment to determine which students
need further support in small group instruction.

Possible Modifications Needed

1. Allow these students to draw what they learned or wonder about.
2. Prior vocabulary instruction.
3. Teacher could circulate to these students and evaluate their learning via student verbal
response.

Lesson #4

Self-Questioning During Read-Alouds (Johns & Lenski, 2014)

Group Size: Small-group
Purpose: To give students an opportunity to further explore questioning informational text with
new language and definitions in order to encourage them to develop I wonder questions to
accurately fill out the I learned/I wonder graphic organizer.
Materials: Chart paper, variety of colored markers, read-aloud book: Gray Wolf (Johnson, 2014),
I learned/I wonder graphic organizer, sticky notes, and pencil.
Implementation

Tell students that in class they have been filling out the I learned/I wonder graphic
organizer. Remind them that they made a chart as a class that can be used to help them
when filling out their own I learned/I wonder graphic organizer.
Explain to students that when you read a story to them, the teacher is usually the person
to ask the questions. Remind them that they have been working in class to formulate
purposeful questions, or questions that help them understand what they are reading and
encourage them to want to learn more about the topic they are reading about.
Tell the students that they are expected to ask their own questions about Wolves during
the read aloud, Gray Wolf.
Write the word question on a piece of chart paper that is shaped like a question mark.
Ask students to tell you what a question is. Guide students to understand that a question
is a request for information. Remind them that in English, we begin questions with an
interrogative adverb and end with a question mark (draw the question mark on the chart
paper).
Explain that we can start a question in different ways, but there are special question
words that most of the time are at the beginning of a question that can be used to help us
understand it is a question.

Ask students if they know the special question words? Guide them through developing
the special question words; who, what, when, where, why, and how. As the students
develop each word, write down the words on the chart paper.
With support, have students give two to three examples of complete questions for each
special question word. Write their examples on the chart paper.
If a student(s) makes a statement, use it as a teachable moment to explain the difference
between a question and a statement.
Go back to the I learned/I wonder graphic organizer and remind students that when they
fill out this sheet, they are not only writing down information that is new to them in the
I learned section, but they also get to create questions about what they have read in the
I wonder section.
Tell students that now they can use the new special question words to help them make
their own questions when they fill out the I wonder section of their graphic organizer.
Tell students that they are going to read the informational text, Gray Wolf, together.
Explain that the job of informational text is to give new information that the reader did
not know about the topic, which in this book is wolves. In the I learned section, students
are to write down anything new that they did not know about wolves previously. Let
them know that this book cant provide all the information that is needed to know about
wolves, so thats why there is an I wonder section included in their graphic organizer that
they will complete after reading the book.
Read the book, Gray Wolf, aloud. Model through a think-aloud some new information
that you have learned, along with a question that makes you wonder, without giving away
too much information in order to allow for the students to create their own information
for the graphic organizer. When formulating your question, put emphasis on the special
question word you used by saying that word more firmly or slightly louder.
After reading the text, have students complete the I learned/I wonder graphic organizer
independently.
Explain to the students that they are to use what they wrote in the I learned section to
make their own I Wonder questions using the special question words.
Once all students have completed the I learned/I wonder graphic organizer, have them
share as a group their I wonder questions along with writing them on sticky notes. Have
the students display them on the chart paper.
Review why we ask questions, what the special questions words are, and how to use
the I learned/I wonder graphic organizer correctly.
Let students know that they now have a new chart for questions to look at with their own
examples to remind them to use the special question words when asking questions.
Collect the I learned/I wonder graphic organizer and release students back to their seats.

The I learned/I wonder graphic organizer and observational notes taken during the lesson
will serve as formative assessment to determine whether students are in need of
additional support for the purpose of questioning to gain comprehension.

Possible Modifications Needed

Create deliberate partnerships where ELLs and other students who may need extra help
are working with a capable peer.
Allow extra time for ELLs and other students to have an opportunity to share their
thinking.
Provide scaffolded language prompts as needed.
Include drawings on the anchor chart.
Use simple language, defining terms that may be a challenge.
Have student(s) repeat directions orally to the teacher.
Have a taped version of the book, Gray Wolf, and have student(s) listen to the story again.

References
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