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Books have VIPs Too - Very Important Points, That Is!

published on: 7/1/2009

Contributing Teacher(s): melissa englert,

Subject Area: Communication Arts/Reading/literature,

Grade Range: Lower Elementary (K-3)

Materials Needed:

• Nonfiction big books that you have available in your personal collection - use books that correlate with your grade level expectations in science, social studies, and math GLE-based
• Nonfiction Guided Reading books at your student's instructional reading levels GLE-based
• Nonfiction reading books at student's individual independent reading levels

Objective:

1. At the end of a six week study on determining important ideas, 100% of students will identify the main idea and two supporting details of a nonfiction text with 80% accuracy.

Essential Question:

Instructional Strategy: Summarizing and note-taking

Process Standards: Goal 1.5 comprehend and evaluate written, visual and oral presentations and works

Content Standards: CA3,

G.L.E.:
CA - Re - 3 - C - 01
(Reading, Develop and apply skills and strategies to comprehend, analyse and evaluate nonfiction (such as biographies, newspapers, technical manuals) from a variety of cultures and times, Text elements, Grade 1.)

Time Allowance: 20 Minute Session conducted over a 6 week unity of study

Technological Resources:

1. Smart Board
2. Computer

Extensions:
For students ready for more of a challenge, have them identify three or four details to support the main idea. Attached is a document called Nonfiction Notes. These are teacher and/or student prompts that could be used in whole group instruction, or with partners who are reading nonfiction texts.

Integration:
Use books that correlate with your grade level expectations in science, social studies, and math

Differentiation:
Use books as each child's individual instructional reading level during guided reading instruction and at their independent reading level during individual work to ensure that you are assessing main idea and detail rather than reading ability.

Assessment:

Description: The comprehension strategy Determining Important Ideas should be taught over an average of six weeks. The components in this unit focus on the concept of main idea and details. Instruction should begin with extensive teacher modeling in a whole group setting. As students become more proficient, the concepts should be moved to small group guided reading instruction, and finally to independent work.

Comments:

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Classroom Component:

Please click here for lesson attachments

Please click here for Nonfiction Notes

Determining Important Ideas

This comprehension strategy should begin with extensive teacher modeling. Start with nonfiction big books available to your classroom. Aim for books that correlate with your grade level expectations in science, social studies, and math.

VIP - Very Important Point

Start by making the connection between a Very Important Person and a Very Important Point. It helps the students understand the concept of main idea. Explain how the main idea is what the author considered to be the very important point of the story. When you begin modeling, just find the main idea (very important point). Document observations of student's abilities to identify the main idea as you read a chapter of the book. Introduce attachment MI Details 2, which has the students identify the main idea of the story, and tell how they know it is the main idea. Document these observations as well on the anecdotal form. Model, model, model! When the students are able to verbalize the main idea and details verbally, introduce how to complete the attached forms (main idea and details and main and box details).

As you notice and document student's abilities to identify main ideas and details in a group setting, add the practice to guided reading instruction. Pull nonfiction guided reading books that correlate to grade level expectations to read with your groups. Make sure the books are at the student's instructional reading levels. Have the students practice identifying the main idea and details of these books. After they are able to identify these verbally, have them practice on the attached forms, in the same order as they used them during whole group practice.

When students are able to identify the main idea and details in both whole group and small group settings, introduce them in individual work during Reader's Workshop. Have students use books at their individual independent reading levels. Have them use the attached forms to document the main idea and details.

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Main Idea and Details Rubric available on-line at http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
Your rubric ID # is: 1726411

Use with attached forms Main and BoxDetails
and Main Idea and Details

Main Idea and Details Observation Checklist - attached

Main Idea and Details Observations Chart

Student Name
Identifies the Main Idea
Identifies One Detail
Identifies Two Details

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