Rivers Lesson
Date:______________________________Teacher:__Kelly Mezic__________
Subject:___English & Science__________Grade:___2____
Standards of Learning:
English 2.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of oral language structure.
English 2.2
The student will continue to expand listening and speaking vocabularies.
 Use words that reflect a growing range of interests and knowledge.
English 2.3
The student will use oral communication skills.
 Share stories or information orally with an audience.
English 2.5
The student will use meaning clues when reading.
 Use pictures and diagrams.
 Use titles and headings.
English 2.8
The student will demonstrate comprehension of fiction and nonfiction
selections.
 Relate previous experiences to the topic.
 Read to confirm predictions.
 Paraphrase information found in nonfiction materials.
 Explain the problem, solution, or central idea.
 Write about what is read.
Science 2.3
The student will investigate and understand basic properties of solids,
liquids, and gases. Key concepts include:
 processes involved in changes in matter from one state to another
(condensation, evaporation, melting, freezing, expanding, and
contracting).
Techniques:
DLTA-Directed Listening Thinking Activity
Possible Sentences
Strategies:
Applying background knowledge
Predicting
Confirming
Making Connections
Gain important facts
Use of picture cues
Think critically
Revising for meaning
Skills:
Note details
Problem/solution
Use of context clues
Use of picture cues
General Objectives:
The student will:
1. develop listening skills.
2. predict what will happen in the text.
3. comprehend nonfiction text.
Specific Objectives:
The student will:
1. follow a story line when presented orally.
2. predict what will happen in the story by writing Possible Sentences.
3. predict what will happen in the story at designated stopping points.
4. write new predictions on the board.
5. participate in a discussion and tell if the predictions were correct or incorrect.
6. write new sentences, using the Possible Sentence vocabulary.
Procedures for Teachers:
The teacher will…
Before reading:
1. Write the following Possible Sentence vocabulary, that comes from the book
Rivers Nature’s Wondrous Waterways by David L Harrison, on the board:
raindrops
ice & snow
trees
creatures
flood
marshy
trash
pollution
clean
water
2. Introduce the book Rivers Nature’s Wondrous Waterways by David L
Harrison by reading the title, the first page and showing the pictures.
3. Bring the children’s attention to the list of words on the board, telling them
that all the words are in the book Rivers Nature’s Wondrous Waterways by
David L Harrison.
4. Verbally discuss what the book may be about by asking the children what they
know about rivers. Define the word marshy and ask the children to provide
examples of marshy places.
5. Conduct the Possible Sentences strategy by having the students create
sentences that could possible appear in the text containing these words.
Having the students write the Possible Sentences on one half of the board.
During Reading:
6. Conduct a DLTA. Read through the first sentence on page 5. Stop and ask
the students if any of the Possible Sentences predict “who or what else needs
rivers?” If they do not think there is a suitable sentence, have them write a
more accurate prediction sentence, using the Possible Sentence vocabulary, on
the other half of the board.
7. Repeat the first step until the story has been read in its entirety, stopping and
asking the following questions:
Page 9, stop after the first 2 sentences
Ask children to respond to
questions of the sentences.
Page 23, stop after the first 2 sentences
Ask: What do you think
happens when a channel
overflows?
Page 26, stop after the first sentence
Ask: How can we cause
rivers harm?
Page 28, stop after the first sentence
Ask: What can we do to
make a river well again?
After Reading:
Respond to the text.
8. Have the students reflect on the Possible Sentences by marking the correct
predictions. Repeat this process for the DLTA predictions.
9. Compare the predictions by discussing why one may or may not be more
accurate. Pointing out that the DLTA predictions occurred after part of the
story was read. Ask the students if they thought they could predict more
during the story than before.
Explore the text.
10. Use the text to point out picture cues by looking for pictures that support the
Possible Sentence word list.
11. Review the story for sentences that are close to the Possible Sentences and
read them aloud.
12. Discuss the Possible Word vocabulary. Explain the stages of water by using
the text to support the following ideas:
Page 9-melting, freezing
Page 11- evaporation (introduce condensation)
Page 16-contraction, expanding (elaborate on channel formation)
Apply the text.
13. Write the stages of water on the board: condensation, evaporation, melting,
freezing, expanding, and contracting. Answer any questions students may
have about the stages.
14. Have the students work in pairs to write sentences that explain the stages of
water, encourage the use of the Possible Sentence vocabulary.
Closing:
The lesson will end when each pair of students presents a sentence or two
orally. The teacher will comment on sentence accuracy.
Evaluation: During the lesson, the teacher will get an idea of prior knowledge based on
the Possible Sentences, keeping this in mind throughout the lesson.
Student comprehension of the text will be assessed based on the DLTA
predictions. The teacher will evaluate the students’ understanding of the
stages of water based on their final sentences.
Materials:
Rivers Nature’s Wondrous Waterways by David L Harrison, writing
board, writing utensils, paper
Extension:
The teacher will refer back to the story Rivers Nature’s Wondrous
Waterways by David L Harrison to activate prior knowledge in future
science lessons. The story has potential to introduce Science SOL’s 2.5,
2.6 & 2.7.