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Non-Fiction Animal Picture Books
How did you modify this unit for use in your own classroom?: Present an All-About WebQuest to students in the classroom. Navigate through the steps of the WebQuest at home with parents. In the computer lab, have students complete the 6 steps of the WebQuest.
List your primary instructional objectives for your students.
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-Choose an animal/ topic students have prior knowledge of and interest in |
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-Read and research from nonfiction texts at all reading levels |
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-Research by asking questions and answering them |
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-Organize research from a minimum of 4 chapters
-Research through an All-About Web Quest
Develop students' drafts through 5 revision strategies; caption with illustration, illustration with labels, one JAZZY chapter title, a page of Fun, Fast, Facts, and a table of contents
-Create a rubric based on their revisions, grade themselves, and reflect on what went well
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What role did technology play in this curriculum unit?: I developed and demonstrated an All-About WebQuest in the classroom. During the demonstartion I had students guide me through the quest. That night students went home with the WebQuest and tried the six steps with a parent. The following day we went to the computer lab and all the students researched through the WebQuest.
How did you assess and evaluate student performance?: Students' work was assessed using the checklist and rubric below.
Please tell us briefly about your background & teaching experience: This is Ms. Wood's fourth year teaching at P.S. 124 and her first year teaching 2nd grade.
What are your recommendations for other teachers interested in adapting this unit?: Plan a 2-3 week reading workshop within nonfiction reading through strategies utilizing read-aloud, guided reading, shared reading, reading workshop with partnerships.
Mini lessons:
How a great reader chooses just right nonfiction books
Identifying various features and how to read them / how they help
Bolded words and a glossary
Synthesizing the features
Taking notes in the margin of the table of contents (what do you notice, what do you think and why, and how to skip to the chapter you need)
How to read photos and illustrations when your nonfiction book is tough
A K, W, L chart questioning and answering
Venn diagram
Through these mini lessons the students are building knowledge about various topics/ animals that truly interest them. This was the time I let them know that we were getting ready to choose a topic to research. It also gave me the time to gather books for the kids. Once the unit is launched, leave time for students to explore, but at the same time limit your revisions. Clearly state, from the start, the features that all will be expected to include. In the future, throughout the unit, I would emphasize how revision is rethinking your writing and a great writer always rethinks to improve his/her writing (so the reader will enjoy it). Most importantly, plan for extra time.
Samples of Student Projects
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