Integrating Main Idea and Key Details Instructional Strategies in Kindergarten

1. 2014-15SLO PDU By: Suzette Montera-Smith Lincoln Elementary Kindergarten

2. During the course of this PDU, what three instructional strategies did I implement? What strategy worked best? Why? I implemented read alouds of informational text and modeling with a “think alouds” of what is the main idea and key details of the text. Each time we did a read aloud we defined Academic Language of “Main Idea and Key Details” with an anchor chart. I implemented cooperative learning of a “think, pair, share,” of the main ideas and details of a text. I used modeling of writing the main ideas and details through shared writing and independent practice. For spaces in writing I worked on teaching the students Concepts about Print to teach about spaces in words and did lessons finding spaces in words in books and then writing sentences using spaces in words. I taught through small group instruction of how to write words with spaces by writing about reading. Using their finger to make a “finger space.”

3. How did I apply the PDU strategies in my classroom/practice? (examples) Who did I collaborate with during the PDU? Discuss the ways you collaborated while implementing the PDU strategies. I applied the PDU strategies in my classroom practice by implementing the strategies in whole group and small group setting as well as independent practice. I modeled the strategies to be used such as main idea/key details, drawing, writing, dictation, and oral retell. I collaborated with the Primary Montessori team on a weekly basis during data teams and PD time. I collaborated by presenting a PD to my team on phonics and phonemic awareness, teaching HFW, and word work strategies. I toured the Montessori classroom and took photographs and made several materials for my literacy workstations.

4. What did I learn to do differently as a result of the PDU and strategy implementation in my classroom or in my practice? • I learned the importance of rubrics and writing rubrics as a form of assessment. Also, I learned the importance of analyzing data to move students individually and meet individual student’s needs.

5. Why is this PDU action research process important to my students learning and to my growth as a professional? • This process allowed me to look at several points of data to assess my students and to and guide my instruction. I learned to look at both formative and summative assessment. I worked with and implemented the CCSS into my daily instruction. • The students are learning the academic language they will need to prepare them for future grades (main idea, details, summarize, retell).

6. PDU Data AnalysisReflecting on the data you have collected, how did this experience impact instruction, progress monitoring, student performance, and your own practice? • I found the data collection process to have strong impact on student performance, my instruction and my teaching practice. For example, I implemented a backwards design lesson plan for the Super Senses Integrated Science/Literacy Unit, where the students were asked to identify and write about the main idea of the informational text and key details to support. The students used the kindergarten writing rubric to self-assess their writing pieces. The students then presented their writing to parents in a Super Senses Open House in which they presented main ideas and details about animals and their super senses. • I used the Kindergarten Independent Writing Rubric to assess the writing and I used the Super Senses Self-Assessment for students to evaluate their own retells at the open house.

7. How will I apply my new learning in the future to further my practice? What are my next steps? • My next steps are to identify the data points and bodies of evidence early at the beginning of the year and continue to collect the data on my students to have a more prolific BOE to work with. • I will have set dates with my team as to when we will collect and score the data for our BOEs.

8. PDU Artifact #1 Understanding by Design Lesson Plan: Super Senses • Brief Summary of Unit: Super Senses is the integrated unit of Science and Literacy which is introduced to the kindergarten students one month after the Science Unit: The 5 Senses. • In Super Senses, students go beyond the basics of the five senses in pursuit of answering essential questions. Using high-quality anchor texts in guided inquiry workshops, students read, write and talk as they make scientific discoveries and deepen their content understanding. Students will learn to develop, discuss, and defend their own opinions. For a culminating project, students will create their own books comparing human senses and animal super senses. Students will write and draw pictures to answer the following prompt, “If you could have any animal’s super sense, what would it be and why. Students will present their knowledge of Super Senses to an audience of parents and school staff members.   • Topic/Subject Areas: Integrated Unit: Literacy/Science • Key Words: Senses, Eyes, See, Ears, Hear, Tongue, Taste, Nose, Smell, Hands, Feel, Investigate, Observe, Evidence, Claim, Scientists • Time Frame: 8 Lessons • Stage 1 – Identify Desired Results • Established Goals: • Common Core State Standards CCSS: Literacy W.K.1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell the readers topics or names of books they are writing about and state opinion or preferences about topics or books. • S.L.K.4. Describe familiar people, places, things and events, and with prompting and support, provide additional details. • CCSS Math: K.MD.B.3 Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category. • Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Science: K.2.1: Demonstrate how organisms can be describe and sorted by their physical characteristics. • What understandings are desired? • Students will understand that: • Senses enhance our human experience and allow us to connect with other people and the world around us. • Because of their senses, animals have different abilities than humans. • Animals have adapted super senses to survive and thrive in their habitats. • Scientists use reading, writing, listening, and speaking to do their work. • What essential questions will be considered? • If you could have any animal’s super sense, what would it be and why? • Acting as a Scientist and using the picture cards provided, how could you classify these animals by their super senses and describe why you sorted the animals the cards way you did. • What do you suppose would happen if you had “super” senses (e.g., owl vision, dogs’ sense of hearing, sharks’ sense of smell)? • Why are senses important for humans and animals both? What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit? • Students will know…Which part of the body corresponds with which of the five senses. • Facts about the animals we studied in the unit and the super senses the animals have why the animals have those super senses. (i.e. Polar bear has super sense of smell to find food in ice/snow). • Students will be able to… Give examples of facts (can be proven) and opinions (beliefs or judgments). Use a combination of speaking, writing, and drawing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell readers what “super” senses they would like to have and why. Compare objects by describing, classifying and sorting their properties. Use informational texts to determine main idea, details and connections. Use accurate science vocabulary to reading or writing tasks. • Stage 2 – Determine acceptable Evidence What evidence will show that students understand? • Performance Tasks* (Summary in GRASPS form): • *Students will classify pictures of animals based on their super senses and explain why they classified cards the way they did. (Observations) • *Students will create an Animals Super Sense Book and apply knowledge they know about animal’s super senses by writing and drawing pictures to explain the purpose of that animals super sense. (A polar bear has super smelling so that it can find food in the ice and snow.) (Artifacts). • *Students answer the prompt, “If you could have any animal’s super sense what would it be and why?” By writing and drawing to explain their opinion of what animal’s super sense they would like and explaining why they want that super sense to defend the facts they know. (Artifacts) • * Students will share their knowledge with an audience. (Conversations)*Complete a Performance Tasks Blueprint for each task (next page) • Other Evidence (quizzes, tests, prompts, observations, dialogues, work samples) • Students will meet individually with teacher to present their materials orally prior to open house and to assess students reading, writing, speaking standards. • Parents will come into the classroom at the end of the unit to our Super Senses Open House. The students will present to their parents their Animals Super Senses Books and the writing prompt. The students will also work with the animal picture cards to demonstrate how they classify animals by their super senses and demonstrate their learning to their parents. The teacher will observe the dialogues, works samples and interactions with their parents to see if the students have a strong understanding animals and their super sense. Assessment will include Kinder Independent Writing Rubric. Student Self-Assessment and Reflection: • Did I present my Animals Super Sense Book to my parent or staff member showing and explaining all the pages in my book? • Did I present my writing prompt to my parent or staff member and explain what animal’s super sense I would want to have and why I would want that super sense? • Did I use the animal picture cards at my table to sort and classify animals by their super senses and could I tell parents or a staff member why I sorted they way I did? • Are the students able to explain and defend their opinions and understandings about animals and their super senses? • Did the students learn about several different animals and the super senses the animals have and why that animal may have that super sense in order to survive in the wild? • What understandings and goals will be assessed through this task? • What criteria are implied in the standards and understandings regardless of the task specifics? • What qualities must student work demonstrate to signify that standards were met? • Literacy W.K.1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell the readers topics or names of books they are writing about and state opinion or preferences about topics or books. S.L.K.4. Describe familiar people, places, things and events, and with prompting and support, provide additional details. • CCSS Math: K.MD.B.3 Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category. • Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Science: K.2.1: Demonstrate how organisms can be describe and sorted by their physical characteristics. Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate understanding? • The presentations the students make to the parents and staff members in which they will read their Animals Super Senses Books in detail and explain their answers to the writing prompt, “If you could have any animal’s super sense what would it be and why?” in detail. • The use of the animal pictures cards to demonstrate how they classify and sort and describe and defend to the audience what they did with the cards. What student products and performances will provide evidence of desired understanding? • Apply knowledge and product by creating The Animals Super Senses Books • Explain and defend the writing prompt finished product • The presentation of work samples to the parents/staff members • The sorting and classification of the animal cards and explaining.Students must read their Animal Super Senses books and writing prompt page to their parents/staff member in a knowledgeable and professional manner. • Students must sort, classify, and defend and explain why they sorted they way they did. • *Teacher observations and field notes • Animal Super Senses books are complete written with facts in sentences and illustrated with pictures to match the sentences they wrote about. • The writing prompt page is complete with an opinion sentence about which super sense they want and a fact sentence defending why they want that super sense. *See independent writing rubric at end of this document • By what criteria will student products and performances be evaluated?

9. PDU Artifact #2 • Example of writing with spaces between words from dictated sentences.

10. PDU Artifact #3 SLO Data Writing

11. Exit Ticket More time to collaborate and observe and organize student data. The importance of assessment and how to collect student dataand keep track of it using Google documents. • More guidance on the SLO Framework, it was extremely confusing to our team. Writing the document itself took away all of my instructional planning for students.