Emperor Penguins Reflection

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1st 30 minute lesson
I would start the first half of the lesson by describing how to identify the main idea and supporting details of an expository text by demonstrating a short five minute video. The video will demonstrate pictures of emperor penguins and their environment. I would ask my students to raise a quiet hand if they know any facts about penguins. As students are sharing their facts with me, I would write them on the document camera. After getting approximately fifteen facts, I will inform my students that those facts are all great details of penguins. I would also explain to my students that we are gathering facts about penguins because penguins will be our main topic. When the class is done completing the opening activity, I will begin reading the short story, “The Emperor Penguin Up Close” by Carmen Bredeson. As I am reading students’ are to follow along. After reading the short story I will explain the following:
 I will inform my students that we will be working with graphic organizers. I will teach students that a graphic organizer is used to organize one’s thoughts.
 I will then use the graphic organizer called the web diagram. I will state the question, “What is the main idea in this short story?” I will take opinions of approximately six students if needed. I will then proceed to complete the middle of the web diagram by writing the main idea of the short story. The main idea of the short story is “Emperor Penguins.”
 I would then choose students to re-read a paragraph each; this time I will put a star next to an interesting fact that was found by the reader, so that it is easily distinguished.
 I will then re-write the facts in short phrases on my web diagram.
 Next, after writing the facts on the web...

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... to complete sentences for each supporting details, the students will also create one sentence for each of the three supporting details of their article in their writing journal.
 Once I have modeled making a closing sentence, students will also write their own closing sentence in their writing journal.
 Once students are assured they have five separate sentences, they will be instructed to combine their five sentences together and fill them in with ‘fill in’ words so that the sentences flow with one another. When they add fill in words and re-read their work, they will also noticed that they have just written a summary paragraph about their article that contains a main topic and three supporting details. All this would be completed in their writing journals.
 Students will finally share their final product a loud, a complete paragraph, to their classmates.

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