Reading for Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Spring, 2011

For my Read Write Think lesson plan, I am thinking of finding a book with rhymes that are very easy for students to remember and focusing my lesson on rhyming words. For example, a book like "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?" by Eric Carle may be something similar to what I need to use. I haven't found the right book to use yet (any suggestions would be appreciated)!
I would like to spend a day practicing the story and discussing the rhyming words. I would like to discuss what rhyming words are and how you know they rhyme. I would like to spend a lesson coming up with different rhyming words to change the story slightly. For example, saying Black cat, black cat, what should you do? I see a brown dog chasing after you. I'm really not sure this is the best story to fit in my lesson. Example rhymes for this activity may be do-you, run-fun, hop-stop.
After spending a lesson coming up with substitute rhyming words for the story, I would like to spend a day in the computer lab practicing rhyming words on the Construct-a-Word rhyming tool found on the RWT website. This tool helps students create different lists of rhyming words. In another session I would like to write verses from our made up rhymes to write our own pages for a book (similar to which book I choose to use). The students will be assigned a verse to write matching the lay out of the book. After the students write their verse, I will help edit them. In another session, students will type their verses and illustrate them. I will assemble the pages into a book. On the final day, I will read their book, and we will discuss the rhyming words. A final assessment could be to see if students can construct a list of rhyming words from the Construct-a-Word interactive tool.

For my lesson plan, I am planning on using the names of my children in my classroom to start developing language arts skills through the use of acrostic poetry. Since children are most familiar with the letters in their names, I feel as if they can be taught basic language arts skills using their names.
I want my lesson for RWT to be a lesson that can be developed for the grades K-2. Starting in kindergarten the students can use their names to begin developing letter sounds by matching letter sounds in their names with animals, such as TOM (Turtle Octopus Monkey). Then move on to other categories such as foods, games, friends, etc. With more work and development, students can begin to describe themselves with adjectives, verbs and nouns. Tackling their names is a good way to be comfortable with their work.
I am not real sure how all this is going to work yet, but I have an idea in my head, but having an extension section for different academic levels. It’s just a work in progress, but I think when I get things ironed out, I’ll have a little better grasp on what I’m trying to do!

Jamie...I also find that doing rhyming words with felt boards is a great way to teach this concept! With Brown Bear, Brown Bear, I have the characters the students can use to read the story. Then they have to go back do a felt word sort with familiar words that rhyme with the animal or the color name. This may help your tactile learners!

Meredith,

I think it would be good to start the poems with their names. You may need to do a few at first to get students used to the concept of the poems. Maybe an extension could be to make a book with all of their acrostic name poems in it, and let them illustrate it. That's just a suggestion. It sounds like you've got a good start on your RWT lesson.

Meredith,
I really like the ideas of the poems! I have always struggled with writing poems and really understanding them, but I know that was due to the lack of exposure and someone really helping me grasp the entire concept. Kids need to learn how to deal with poems young to help them out later in high school. Also, I really like how with K you are connecting their names to other words. But I agree with Jamie about modeling several for them!

Jamie,
Yours sounds really good too! What I like most about your lesson so far is having them take a book and change the words which then creates a completely new story. Students will have a lot of fun with this. In assessing, you could probably have them sequence a book that you have read many times.

I am kind of struggling in coming up with my RWT lesson. I have been thinking about it since the night it was assigned; along with jotting down notes. I am a middle school EC teacher (extend 2). The main focus in my classroom is reading and life long skills. Our big thing is preparing them for what comes after school in the job world because the reality is they may never go to college.
Some life skills would include being able to fill out a job application and read it, read a menu, read road signs, etc. In my room we have what we call the Pase lab where they can go and practice skills such as wrapping hamburgers and silverware, and fill salt and pepper shakers.
Since this lesson has to be literature based I thought I could pick another content area such as science. In science they are issued books that they cannot even comprehend yet alone recognize the words. So as part of my lesson I would read the selection to them more than once, focusing on areas they cannot understand, then have them retell it to me in their own words. Then I would type that up, teach them to read what they have written, and then have them teach what they have said to everyone in the class.

I'm really having a hard time on what to do so if you have any other ideas please tell me!!!! Sorry it's so long!