Elizabeth Moeller
ECI 545: Theory and Research in Literacy
“There are a number of fantastic texts
that are worth the work required to
understand them. It’s just that
teachers should know why these texts
are complex, if they are appropriate for
students in the classroom, and how they
might best be taught.”
Fisher, Frey, and Lapp, 2012, p.50
 Location
 Coopers Elementary School
 Nash County Public Schools
 Home of the Bulldogs!
 Grade Level
 Second
 Student Group
 Mixed Ability
 Why?
 I wanted to expose each
student, regardless of
ability, to the complex texts
and the rigorous text
dependent questions.
 Two – Tiered Lesson
 RI.2.4: Determine the meaning of
words and phrases in a text
relevant to a grade 2 topic or
subject area.
 RI.2.5: Know and use various text
features to locate key facts or
information in a text efficiently.
 Main Objective
 RI.2.6: Identify the main purpose
of a text, including what the
author wants to answer, explain,
or describe.
 Culminating Activity
 SL.2.2: Recount or describe key
ideas or details from a text read
aloud or information presented
orally or through other media.
 Social
Constructivism
 Scaffolding
Social
Constructivism
 Schema Theory
 Tuning
 Reader Response
Theory
Literacy
Theories
 Efferent
Responses
Schema
Theory
Reader
Response
Theory
First Text
Giant Pandas by Kira Freed
Lexile Level: 601 - 650
Developmental Reading
Assessment Level: 28
Note: Perfect Fit!
Qualitative Reflection
 Considerate Text
 Coherent Text
 Appropriate for Audience
Second Text
Giant Pandas by Gail Gibbons
Lexile Level: 860
Developmental Reading
Assessment Level: 38
Note: Stretch Band
Qualitative Reflection
 Increase in Complexity
 Sentence Structure
 Considerate Text
 Admit Slip
 What do you know about
giant pandas?
 Anticipation Guide
 True or False?
 KWL Plus




What I Know
What I Want to Learn
What I Learned
What I Thought I Knew
{Misconceptions}
 Before Reading
 Making Predictions
 Introduce Vocabulary
Terms
 Content Specific
 During Reading
 Show Me the
Evidence!
 Importance of
Rereading and
Reflecting on Thinking
Giant Pandas, by Kira Freed
Describe what makes a
panda “easily
recognizable” in the wild.
2. What is the author’s
purpose for writing the
section titled “Food and
Feeding?”
3. Describe the signs that
giant pandas use to mark
their territory.
1.
Giant Pandas, by Gail Gibbons
What is the author’s
purpose for using a map?
What do the colors show?
2. Why did the author use
the word “poor” to
describe the giant pandas
eyesight?
3. Compare and contrast a
bark and a squeal. When
might a panda bark?
1.
 Lesson One
 3, 2, 1
 Lesson Two
 Tree Map: Can, Have, Are
 Culminating Activity
 VoiceThread
 Each student had the
opportunity to demonstrate
their understanding of the
Author’s Purpose by
reflecting on a section of
text.
 “I know that the author
wanted to explain _____
because _____.”
1.
Building knowledge through content – rich nonfiction.

2.
Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from
text, both literary and informational.

3.
Students were able to actively construct knowledge while reading
the text and refine, or tune, their schema.
Students were able to answer text dependent questions with
specific evidence from the text.
Regular practice with complex text and its academic
language.



The two texts that I selected for the lesson increased in
complexity.
The first text was easier for my students to interact with and
understand, due to the author’s use of text features.
The second text was much more difficult for my students because
the author did not use text features, and the sentence structure
was much more complex.
 Close Reading
 In the future, I would not read the entire text with the
students, but a small section of text.
 This would allow for a close reading of the text, which would
increase the students ability to answer text dependent
questions.
 Text
 Because I used a trade book for the second read aloud, each
student did not have a copy.
 In the future, I will make a copy of a portion of the text for
each student. This way, each student can annotate the text to
help them better understand the meaning.
 Author’s Purpose
 Instead of waiting until the culminating activity for my students
to demonstrate their understanding of the Author’s Purpose, I
will assess the objective throughout.
 Graphic Organizer
 Post – It’s