ALEX Classroom Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (0) 9 :

9 ) Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. [RL.K.10]

[ELA2015] (0) 10 :

10 ) With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. [RI.K.1]

[ELA2015] (0) 25 :

25 ) Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative or explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. [W.K.2]

[ELA2015] (0) 30 :

30 ) With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. [W.K.8]

[ELA2015] (0) 41 :

41 ) Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts. [L.K.6]

[ELA2015] (2) 18 :

18 ) Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. [RI.2.9]

This lesson describes how to use selected fiction and nonfiction literature and careful questioning techniques to help students identify factual information about animals. Children first identify possible factual information from works of fiction which are read aloud, then they listen to read-alouds of nonfiction texts to identify and confirm factual information. This information is then recorded on charts and graphic organizers. Finally, students use the Internet to gather additional information about the animal and then share their findings with the class. The lesson can be used as presented to find information about ants or can be easily adapted to focus on any animal of interest to students. Resources are included for ants, black bears, fish, frogs and toads, penguins, and polar bears.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (0) 12 :

12 ) With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. [RI.K.3]

[ELA2015] (0) 16 :

16 ) With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts). [RI.K.7]

[ELA2015] (0) 23 :

23 ) Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding. [RF.K.4]

[ELA2015] (0) 30 :

30 ) With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. [W.K.8]

[ELA2015] (0) 35 :

35 ) Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. [SL.K.5]

[ELA2015] (0) 40 :

40 ) With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings. [L.K.5]

a. Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. [L.K.5a]

b. Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms). [L.K.5b]

c. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful). [L.K.5c]

d. Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings. [L.K.5d]

This unit provides three types of reports that can be written and shared by kindergarten students. These reports allow young students to see themselves as writers with important information to share with others. In the first report, students report what they've learned about an apple using all five senses by completing a simple report form. In the second activity, they explore a variety of nonfiction media about animals of their choice. After they write journal pages recording simple information about the animals, completed pages are stapled together, and students create clay representations of their selected animals. In the final report, students use facts they have researched to create and share original riddles about selected animals.