2014-2015 HISD EXEMPLAR UNIT Reading Elective Grade 9 1st Cycle Exemplar Unit User Information Unit 1: Narrative Text In this unit, students will explore narrative texts. During this unit, students will focus on learning and applying the reading process and building metacognitive reading comprehension skills. Students will enhance their abilities to make connections, visualize a text, summarize events and information, and make predictions and inferences. Unit Overview This unit focuses on narrative texts. Students use a range of reading skills in assigned and independent reading to understand an author’s message. They will also explore the essential elements of a narrative text and the inherent plot structure. Exemplar lessons include approximately thirty minutes of systematic, explicit instruction followed by guided and independent practice activities. In order to promote adequate decoding and language comprehension, instruction includes word recognition strategies, systematic word study, and effective comprehension strategies. Exemplar lessons have set aside approximately 15 minutes for independent reading. Texts for independent reading are chosen by the student with guidance from the teacher. Independent reading aims to motivate students, provide necessary practice, promote self-monitoring, and expand word and world knowledge. The teacher and the student set goals for improved reading competency, e.g. use prediction or rereading. The student keeps a reading log or a reading journal. The teacher monitors student’s comprehension through a review of the reading log or journal. Ideas for responses in logs or journals are available at: http://www.fcrr.org/curriculum/PDF/G4-5/45CPartFour.pdf http://www.adlit.org/article/40436/ http://www.adlit.org/pdfs/strategy-library/doubleentryjournal.pdf http://www.readingrockets.org/content/pdfs/I-chart_socstudies.pdf http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/printouts/double-entry-journal-30660.html http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/printouts/reading-record-chart-30220.html The teacher and the student will conference periodically. During the reading conference, the student reports on learning, asks questions, and reports problems; the teacher clarifies student’s understandings and supplies necessary instruction or redirection. When the student completes a text chosen for independent reading, learning is assessed, e.g., student may present an oral or written summary of the content and/or report on problems that were encountered during reading and how they solved the problem. The student may engage in periodic text discussions, e.g., literature circles with classmates. A variety of texts that are at an appropriate level are necessary for student selection. Quantitative and qualitative measures should be taken into consideration. It is recommended that during this unit, text selections are narrative in nature. If this is not feasible due to classroom library, student interest, etc. it is recommend that students continually evaluate, and articulate, the different elements of their chosen text to one of narrative form. © Houston ISD Curriculum 2014 – 2015 Page 1 of 2 2014-2015 HISD EXEMPLAR UNIT Reading Elective Grade 9 1st Cycle List of Exemplar Lessons List of Exemplar Lessons Lesson 1: Introduction to Reading Elective 4, 45-minute Class Period(s) Lesson 2: Greed 4, 45-minute Class Period(s) Lesson 3: Word Study Plot Structure 4, 45-minute Class Period(s) Lesson 4: The Farmer and His Sons Word Study 2, 45-minute Class Period(s) Lesson 5: The Necklace Word Study 5, 45-minute Class Period(s) Lesson 6: The Necklace Word Study Characterization Idioms 5, 45-minute Class Period(s) Lesson 7: Basic Reading Skills Assessment 1, 45-minute Class Period(s) © Houston ISD Curriculum 2014 – 2015 Page 2 of 2