Comprehension Instructional Sequence Module Overview
Science – Grade 8, Physical Science
“Planning Governs Instruction”
PURPOSE:
This professional development provides:
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A sequence of instruction that supports deeper engagement with text. Opportunities to use the
Comprehension Instructional Sequence as a reader.
A debriefing session for analyzing the Comprehension Instructional Sequence as a teacher
Practice in planning for the use of this instructional sequence.
A model of how to differentiate instruction planned from a teacher’s edition.
OBJECTIVES:
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Professional Development Objectives:
o To demonstrate a dynamic instructional process for deeper text comprehension: Model an example lesson
for teachers/participants to learn how to use the four-step comprehension instructional process described
in the flowchart , Teaching Reading Comprehension Through Instructional Sequence
o Provide practice opportunities for teachers/participants to use the comprehension instructional process
Example Lesson Objectives:
o Students will process deeply and comprehend the information in their textbook through reading and
rereading, generating questions and answers based on the text, and participating in extended text
discussion.
o Students will explain how the scientific method and forensic science are related.
PREPARATION:
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Write all pre-determined questions to guide critical thinking on charts or boards prior to the lesson in order to
maintain focus and pace of discussions.
MATERIALS:
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Handouts
o Flowchart: Comprehension Instructional Sequence
o Example Lessons:
 Model Lesson handouts:
 Expository text: SCIENCE, FORENSIC SCIENCE, AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
adapted from an article by Turvey
 Directed Note-taking Handout Step 2
 Essential Question Writing Handout
Display Materials:
o Words for Vocabulary Word Wall:
 Words introduced: forensic community (par 1); confirmation (par 8); falsification (par 8);
principle (par 3) or scientific principle (par 9)
 Words introduced previously: scientific method (par.1); bias (par 1); science (par 3);
hypothesis (par 5); experimentation (par 7).
o Question Generation Poster
Supplies:
o Sticky notes
o Chart Paper
o Markers
INTRODUCTION:
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Purpose
Provide an overview of the Comprehension Instructional Sequence to enable participants to see the big picture for
the entire day.
1. Comprehension Instructional Sequence flowchart
2. Participants read the Comprehension Instructional Sequence Example Lesson
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS:
Purpose: To teach and guide students/ participants to think more deeply as they read text by using a four-step
process.
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Step 1/Day 1: Modeling Reading to Build Comprehension:
Purpose: To bring world relevance to text reading, establish a purpose for reading, model fluent reading,
provide opportunities for students to become interactive with the text, and think critically about
information in the text.
Tasks: Teacher instructs from an essential question(s), reads aloud to students while students code text,
students read the text and participate in directed note-taking.
A. (Activating Strategy) Set the purpose for reading: Teach from an essential question to bring world relevance
to text reading:
 Topic Hook/Question (Before reading): After viewing a video clip students will discuss with their
partner the following question, “Is the person represented in the video clip a real scientist?”
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Text-focused Lesson Essential Question: As we read this section of text, think about this question:
What is the relationship between forensic science and the scientific method?
This aligns with the following standards:
L6-8RST1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
L6-8RST2: Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of
the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
L6-8RST10: By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades
6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
B. WRITING IN RESPONSE TO READING #1 - PREDICTIVE RESPONSE
Ask participants to write their first response to the Essential Question.
C. (Vocabulary) Teacher provides vocabulary instruction: Context clues, background knowledge, word parts.
D. (Teaching Strategies) Teacher reads the text aloud to the students for 5 minutes. Read the first paragraph
of the text, SCIENCE, FORENSIC SCIENCE, AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD.
 Teacher explicitly models how to mark text through these first two segments. As students listen and
follow along in their text, they may ask questions as the teacher thinks aloud through the process and
marks the text.
 Teacher then continues to read aloud the rest of the article and requires students to mark/code their text as
follows:
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M = Scientific Method
F = Forensics
K = Scientific Knowledge
Note: For students who need additional support, it may be necessary to explicitly demonstrate how to mark
the text.
E. Discuss coding with partners and share questions they had while listening.
F. In small groups, have students compare and discuss differences in their text coding. When needed, provide
instruction in vocabulary used in the text. Instruct students to support suggested answers from the text;
students should not guess. As they work in small groups, strategically pair students who cannot read the text
efficiently.
G. If the selected text permits, assign each table a picture or chart from the text and ask them to discuss its
meaning and significance. Instruct students to support suggested answers from the text; students should not
guess.
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Step 2/Day 2: Rereading and Directed Note-taking
Students read the same text, SCIENCE, FORENSIC SCIENCE, AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD , and engage in directed
note-taking:
A. Before reading, present a guiding question to direct students’ thinking while they read and take
notes. Notes are intended to assist students in answering the LEQ.
Guiding Question: How do the practices of forensics compare and contrast to that of traditional
science?
B. Using the Directed Note-Taking Handout, have students read independently, in pairs, or in small
groups. Throughout this time, the teacher can scaffold a small group of students who cannot read
the text efficiently to support their text reading and note-taking.
C. After students finish their note-taking:
 Students compare notes with classmates (in pairs or in small groups)
 Student partners or student groups place a star next to the most significant note in each
category, Forensics, Scientific Method and Scientific Knowledge.
D. WRITING IN RESPONSE TO READING #2 Ask participants to write their second response to the Essential Question (bottom area of
handout) based upon what they just read and text coded.
Step 3/Day 3: Rereading and Question Generation to Deepen Comprehension:
Purpose: To provide students with a demonstration of question generation and the opportunity for them to
interact with the text by generating questions to further deepen their comprehension.
(Teaching Strategy) Tasks: Teacher models the generation of a complex question based on a section of text,
relating to a broad perspective or issue. Students record the questions, and then students re-read the text to
generate their own questions. (Use Question Generation Poster/Handout)
A. Model re-reading a portion of the text (paragraph 5) and generate a higher-order thinking question
that relates to more complex ideas in the text.
 I wonder if there are any problems that scientists solve without using the scientific method.
Display the question. Table discussion and share out.
B. Students review/scan the same text, SCIENCE, FORENSIC SCIENCE, AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD, and
use their recorded notes to generate “I wonder” questions yet unanswered from their first text
reading. (Optional: Students record their questions on their Student Question Generation paper as
they work in pairs or small groups. Students who have difficulty reading the text efficiently may need
partner support within a small group in order to generate questions.)
 Meanwhile, the teacher roams the room, listening to the quality of student thinking as a
means of formative assessment. Students focus just on question generation and will have
subsequent opportunities to generate their answers.
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C. Display the questions on the Question Generation Poster.
(Categories: Forensic science, Pseudo-science, Other science fields)
Note: For students who need additional support, it may be necessary to explicitly
demonstrate question generation individually or in small groups.
D. Using the questions, the students review/scan the same text (pages) and use their recorded notes to
generate their own answers. Students record their questions on chart paper or sticky notes as they
work in pairs, triads or small groups.
To conclude question generation, the teacher:
 has students share their questions with the whole class to identify which questions they have
in common, and which questions are most relevant or significant to their learning
 records/posts common and relevant/significant questions on the Question Generation Poster
for future use in:
 extended text discussion
 seeking answers in text-reading throughout the remainder of the chapter/unit
 focusing on unanswered questions in collaborative inquiry.
The teacher can post student questions and classify them by categories established during the
discussion to reinforce the Social Studies skills of sourcing and corroboration as students search,
locate, and validate answers to some of the questions throughout the remainder of the unit.
Step 4/Day 4: Using Text-Based Essential Questions to Facilitate Student
Thinking While Reading.
Purpose: To provide opportunities for students to interact with the text and with their peers to facilitate
complex thinking and deep comprehension of text.
(Teaching Strategy) Task: Teacher reviews the text-based essential question.
A. Questions from the textbook may be adapted to align with the Georgia Performance Standards specifications.
Post the essential question in the classroom: What is the relationship between forensic science and
the scientific method? Use information from text to justify your answer.
B. Students complete a graphic organizer developed for the lesson to help them answer the Lesson Essential
Question (LEQ).
 Students discuss answers, review/revise answers to essential question based on discussion.
C. Demonstrate how the LEQ might look in a multiple choice format. Direct students to use information from
their completed notes to help them answer the essential question. Direct students to their Directed NoteTaking Handout and graphic organizer as tools for responding to the essential question.
D. Students share their answers with a partner or in small groups.
SAMPLE RESPONSES
Read this excerpt from the passage.
“Many, perhaps even most, forensic scientists are not just inattentive to the scientific method, but
ignorant … I don’t believe that forensic scientists lack the wit to be able to defend their use of the scientific
method, but rather that the necessity to do so has not generally been thrust upon them.”
In the excerpt, the author is discussing
A. Forensic scientists are not as smart as other scientists.
B. Forensic scientists have not had sufficient science coursework.
C. Forensic scientists possess the content knowledge of science, but not the importance of its
methodological practice.
4 over falsification.
D. Forensic scientists favor conformational practices
E. As part of whole class discussion, record student responses to the essential question in multiple choice format.
(See Sample Responses in box below) Teachers record responses below the essential question, using:
 The most relevant word, phrase, or sentence for the correct answer
 A variety of plausible words, phrases, or sentences as distracters
CLOSURE:
Have students draft a written summary explanation of:
o their original answer to the essential question
o their revised response after the class discussion
OR
EXTENDED WRITING:
Task: Teacher posts text-based prompts and students draft written responses.
Purpose: To provide opportunities for students to write as a means of learning in order to expand, refine, and
deepen their understanding of content area information and concepts.
Writing Prompts:
What one word would you use to summarize the impact of the scientific method on the field
of forensic science? Justify your reasoning using information from the text.
RAFT – Role – You are a forensic scientist, your audience is a court room jury, the format
is a speech, the topic is the scientific reliability of the field of forensic science.
RAFT (option 2) – You are a fortune teller, your audience is a group of college professors –
in the field of science, the format is a persuasive letter, the topic is to encourage them to
offer a course on fortune telling through their science department.
Georgia Performance Standards:
S8CS8. Students will be familiar with the characteristics of scientific knowledge and how it is achieved.
a. When similar investigations give different results, the scientific challenge is to judge whether the differences
are trivial or significant, which often requires further study. Even with similar results, scientists may wait
until an investigation has been repeated many times before accepting the results as meaningful.
S8CS9. Students will understand the features of the process of scientific inquiry.
a. Investigations are conducted for different reasons, which include exploring new phenomena, confirming
previous results, testing how well a theory predicts, and comparing different theories. Scientific
investigations usually involve collecting evidence, reasoning, devising hypotheses, and formulating
explanations to make sense of collected evidence.
b. Scientific investigations usually involve collecting evidence, reasoning, devising hypotheses, and
formulating explanations to make sense of collected evidence.
f. Scientists use technology and mathematics to enhance the process of scientific inquiry.
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