Unit: Lesson #:
Acquisition Lesson Plan Concept: Central idea/theme/summary Informational Text
Grade 3
Essential Question:How can I use important details to determine the main idea of an informational text?
Assessment Prompts:
AP #1 topic: Distinguish between the important and unimportant details
AP #2 topic: Identify the important details.
AP #3 topic: Using important details to determine the Main Idea
Activating Strategies:
Main Idea Envelope. Teacher has sets of envelopes each with 1 topic, 2 details, and a main idea on index card strips inside the envelope. The teacher has answer keys to distribute after partners arrange their card strips.
Directions: With your Collaborative Partner, take an envelope and sort the card strips into topic, details, and main idea. (Teacher distributes answer keys to partner groups. Teacher points out that the topic is usually a word or two but the main idea [what the details are mostly about] is a sentence. Teacher explains to students that often the topic can be found in the title of a passage.)
Example:
Topic: Trees
Detail: paper comes from trees
Detail: pencils come from trees
Main Idea: Trees supply us with many resources. / Key Vocabulary to preview:
· Topic
· Main idea
· Important Details
· Unimportant Details
· Signal words for Main Idea and Details (mostly about)
Teaching Strategies:
Collaborative Pairs, Distributive Guided Practice
Graphic Organizer Used:
Main Idea Topic Tower
Materials Needed:
· Main Idea Envelope materials: cards with topics, 2 details and 1 main idea for each topic; answer keys
· Topic Tower graphic organizer
· Student copies of “When It’s Cold Outside”
· “The Frog” cut-up sentence strips for collaborative pair
· Answer key for “The Frog” cut-up activity
· Paragraph of “The Frog” for students to write topic and main idea
Instructional Plan: (Students work in collaborative pairs.)
Instruction AP#1: Teacher directs students to cut apart the sentences in “The Frog.” Student partners arrange the sentences in important and unimportant details. Teacher and students discuss what makes a detail important. Students share their findings and check their work with the answer key.
Assessment Prompt #1: 1s tell the 2s: What is the topic of the paragraph? 2s tell the 1s: What is the difference between an important and unimportant detail?
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Instruction AP#2: Teacher passes out copies of “When It’s Cold Outside” and copies of the Topic Tower. Teacher asks students to read the title of the passage and determine the topic from the title. Students write the topic on their Topic Towers. Teacher asks student to number the paragraphs in the passage while teacher models. (Teacher has a copy of the passage projected on the Smart Board, screen, or white board.) Teacher and students [We do!] read paragraph 1and 2 together and discuss what each paragraph is mostly about.
Assessment Prompt #2: 1s tell the 2s what details in the first paragraph are important. 2s write the important details on the topic tower. 2s tell the 1s what details in the second paragraph are important. 1s write the important details on the topic tower.
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Instruction AP#3: Students partner read paragraphs 3, 4, 5, and 6 [You do!] and discuss what each paragraph is mostly about. Student partners take turns adding the important details to their Topic Tower. Students share what they added. Teacher and students choral read the last paragraph [We do!] Teacher directs students to review their Topic Towers and determine the main idea of the passage.
Assessment Prompt #3: Students write their main idea in the space provided on the Topic Tower. Student partners share with other partner groups and the whole class.
Summarizing Strategy:
Word Splash: Teacher gives students the words topic, main idea, important details and students write a few meaningful sentences (summarizing the learning) using these words.
Assignment(s): (What assignment(s) will students do to prepare for, reinforce and/or extend their understanding?)
Independently, students reread “The Frog” and write the topic and the main idea on the lines provided.
Model adapted from Learning-Focused Strategies. Thompson, M., Thompson, J. (2008)