Title: Say Something: Reading and Discussing the work of an American Inventor
When children are reading with a buddy, they can use the say something strategy to stop and talk about their reading. By sharing responses, they will improve their comprehension (Harste, Woodward, & Burke, 1984). This lesson helps the teacher demonstrate the say something strategy so that the students will be prepared to use it independently. In this lesson, the students discuss the text The Real McCoy: The Life of an African-American Inventor by Wendy Towle.
Compendium Link: Page 365
Chapter Link: Page 214
IRA/NCTE Standards:
Standard 3: Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
Standard 9: Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
Grade Level: 4
Objective: The students will respond to a text by using the say something strategy.
Materials Needed:
Towle, W. (1995). The real McCoy: The life of an African-American inventor. New York: Scholastic.
Procedure:
1. Ask the students if they know the meaning of the expression “The Real McCoy.” Discuss the meaning of this expression with the class. Tell the students that you will read aloud the text The Real McCoy: The Life of an African-American Inventor to help them learn the meaning of the expression as well as facts about an American inventor.
2. Read the first page to the students. Make a comment about the page you read. For example, you might say, “It must have been difficult for Elijah and his family to manage a large farm.” Ask the students to express their thoughts about the page you read.
3. Continue reading. After you read each page, tell the students to turn to a partner and “say something” about that page.
4. You have modeled the use of the say something strategy with whole-class instruction. Working in pairs, the students should now use the say something strategy to read another text with a partner.
Assessment: Observe the students as they read an additional text with a partner. Note whether the students are able to use the say something strategy independently.