Prior to lesson: Read one of the Second Grade Classics- Nate the Great stories. In these great second grade books Nate a young detective solves mysteries.
Prior to the lesson use the attached, "Eye Spy" activities to look for clues.
Activate Prior Knowledge
Hook or lesson opener- Talk to students about detectives and what a detective does.
Student Engagement- Have your students to turn to their partner and tell them what a detective does. Have them start with the sentence starter: “A detective uses clues to…”
Walk around and listen to answers. Possible answers are: solves mysteries, solves crimes, and finds things…
Clear up any misunderstanding and then tell them as readers, they are all detectives. That inside each page of text, the author leaves clues that are intended for the reader to find. Tell your students that these clues help them solve the mystery, the author’s purpose, the information hidden in text. Tell your students that the more clues you find, the more understanding and meaning is gained.
During lesson
Second Grade Science or Social Studies Text
Chunk text into small reasonable chunks. Set a purpose for each chunk to gather text evidence to answer a question about the topic. Be specific for this lesson.
Have your students read along with you. If you made detective eyes (popsicle sticks with plastic eyes) or spy glasses (pipe cleaners shaped like magnifying glass), make sure you have your students use these to point or circle the text evidence as you go.
Model Close reading:
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Point out the captions to photos. Have students make connections between captions as the title of the photos.
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Point out pictures: Have students record in graphic organizer the pictures and relation to topic.
Ask your students if there are other photos or pictures the author could have used.
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Point out headings: Have your students record headings as details in graphic organizer.
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Point out specific vocabulary. Model using surrounding text to make meaning of vocabulary.
Anchor your learning using a class size details graphic organizer or chart paper. Refer to chart often so that the class can understand how idea or topic is being built and understanding is strengthened.
****It is extremely important to take time to reread when meaning breaks down or students fail to make connections between detail and topic. Tell your students that rereading is a strategy that all good readers use to make meaning of text.
Guided Practice- Have your students find other photos and captions in text. Guide them to work with a partner to read and write what they learned from photo and caption. Allow groups to share in class.
Formative Assessment/ Wrap Up
Choose a topic with a chunk of text in science or social studies book. Group students as partners and have them create a foldable booklet by putting several sheets of paper together. Title first sheet as topic, heading, or a specific question. Have students find details in chunk of text that supports or strengthens topic. On last page have students ask a question they still have abut topic. Walk around and facilitate learning groups.
