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Visualizing Like No Otter

Reading to Learn

By: Alexandria Miller

 

Rationale:

We all start school learning to read, but as we get older, we read to learn. As we read, it is vital that we are comprehending the material we are reading. Once we master comprehension, we can begin to understand the message of a text. When we can visualize the text, we can comprehend the text better. This task is one that involves creating an image or a picture of the text. With picture books, students are given the pictures which does not allow the student to create and image he/she can understand better. This lesson will help students begin to visualize through modeling and practice as we focus on natural disasters, such as storms.

 

Materials:

  1. Colored pencils

  2. Plain paper

  3. Lined paper

  4. Rubric

  5. Expository text about Otters: http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/science/Working-with-Endangered-Species/southern-sea-otters.html (enough for every student)

  6. List of vocabulary words: Endangered Species, Pelts, Malnourishment

  7. Practice paragraphs:

There are many different types of otters in the world. To be exact, otters come in 13 different shapes and sizes. The South American giant otter can reach up to a length of 1.7m and the Asian small-clawed otter can weight up to 45kg.

 

Sea otters live in the cold coastal waters of the Pacific; therefore, they must have the thickest fur coat in the world. They have no blubber on their bodies. The fur coat has around 150,000 hairs per square centimeter!

 

Procedures:

  1. “Today, we are going to be talking about a strategy to help us comprehend what we read in a text. Who can tall me what it means to comprehend something? [wait for a reply] That’s correct! When we are done reading something, we want to make sure we understand everything we just read. My hopes are that by the end of this lesson, you will all be able to visualize the text for your own good. When we can visualize what we read, we use our imaginations to create a mental picture of what we are reading. You can each make your own mental movie so that you can easily remember what you read and can think about it later.”

  2. “The article we are going to read today focuses on a certain animal. Does anyone want to take a guess of what this animal is? [Let the students take a guess] We are going to read an article about Sea Otters! Sea Otters are cute, little animals that live in the water and keep track of each other by using the buddy system. Before we read the article, let’s take a look at some vocabulary words.”

  3. “Who can tell me what an endangered species is? [Allow students to think and answer the question] An endangered species is a family of animals that is in severe risk of being gone for good. Help me finish this sentence. In order for animals to not be on the endangered species list we should……”

  4. “What is a pelt? A pelt is the term we use when talking about the fur of the otter. Their fur is very thick and is used to make certain clothing to keep people warm.”

  5. “Our last vocabulary word is malnourishment. Have any of you every heard this word before? Maybe you heard your doctor say it or even a parent. When someone or something is malnourished, they are suffering nutrition, so they are not getting everything they need to live. Let’s finish this sentence. When we are malnourished we tend to…..be hungry, be skinny, be aggravated?”

  6. [Pass out two pieces of copy paper to each student and a piece of lined paper] [each table should have colors of some kind]

  7. “Now that you all have learned some vocabulary, let’s try some example passages. The first one we will do together. As I read, I want you all to close your eyes and create a picture of what I am reading.” [Read the passage] “There are many different types of otters in the world. To be exact, otters come in 13 different shapes and sizes. The South American giant otter can reach up to a length of 1.7m and the Asian small-clawed otter can weight up to 45kg. Were you able to create a picture in your head?” [Call on a few students to explain what they pictured] “Let me show you what I saw as I read the paragraph.” [Show students your image]

  8. “Now, this next short paragraph, we will do the same thing, except you will draw you picture on a sheet of white paper.” [Read the paragraph] “Sea otters live in the cold coastal waters of the Pacific; therefore, they must have the thickest fur coat in the world. They have no blubber on their bodies. The fur coat has around 150,000 hairs per square centimeter!” [Allow time for the students to create and draw their picture]  

  9. “Now, it is time to read a full article about Sea Otters and create your own images to help you comprehend what you are reading!” [Pass out the article for each student to read]

  10. “I want you all to take your time to read this article. When you come to the end of a paragraph, I want you to draw your mental image on the white sheet of paper. When you are done, you should have nine images. Next to each image, you should write a description of why you believe this image will help you remember the passage.”

  11. “When you are completely done with your images, I would like you to answer a few questions regarding our story! You should have learned a lot of new information, so the questions should not be too difficult!” [When the students are done, allow them to share their pictures with the class. Then take up the pictures and answers. You will assess the pictures to see if they are understanding the concept of visualization]

 

Assessment:

The teacher will refer to the students’ drawings. The following rubric will be used to grade the work of each student for a total of 10 points.

 

Did the student draw pictures? (2)

Do the pictures relate to the passage? (2)

Do the pictures accurately depict what the passage was about? (2)

Did the student include descriptions? (2)

Do the descriptions and illustrations show comprehension of the article? (2)

 

The teacher will also asses the students’ understanding based on the answers of the following comprehension questions.

 

  1. Sea Otters are usually found where?

  2. Why are sea otters on the endangered species list?

  3. What are the researchers’ main goal each year?

  4. What are the reasons otters get rescued?

  5. Why are otters called keystone species?

 

Resources

Kelsey Williams, Losing our “Mayan”-ds (minds) About Reading. https://krw00218.wixsite.com/krwlessondesigns/reading-to-learn.

 

Marine Mammal Center, Southern Sea Otters. http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/science/Working-with-Endangered-Species/southern-sea-otters.html.

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