Chatting About Nonfiction

1. Students will begin the lesson on the carpet. The teacher will tell students that they will be discussing more nonfiction books. One way to learn more from a nonfiction book is to stop and chat about a page, or the book that you are reading and not just fly through and read the words quickly.
2. The teacher should choose some type of nonfiction mentor text to use for this lesson. The teacher should model how to do this. Flip to a page in the mentor text and read it with students. After reading the page, tell students that we need to chat about what is on the page. Thinking about what has already happened in the story, and what might happen next. Make sure to express students that it is important to use our own words when doing this, and not to just read the same words on the page.
3. After modeling this for students, review how you first read the page, then thought about what already happened in the story, and what might happen next. Thinking not only about the words but the pictures as well.
4. Turn the next page in the mentor text and do the same thing, only this time, have students read the page on their own, think to themselves, and then share out their ideas/thoughts about the page with a partner on the carpet. Give students about 5-7 minutes to do this.
5. Once the time is up, have students share out some of the things they chatted about with their partners.
6. Students should be sent to a designated reading spot to read books on their levels for at least 20 minutes. Before sending them off to read independently, the teacher should remind students that when they are done reading a page, to stop and chat about it to themselves. Thinking about what has already happened, and what might happen next. Looking at not only the words but the pictures too.
7. Once students have read for at least 20 minutes independently, students should get with a partner to read. They should practice doing the same thing when reading together. The teacher should go around during this time, listening to each partnership and make note of who is able to do this and who can not. Students should be given about 10 minutes to work with their partners.
8. After reading time, students should return back to the carpet as a whole and the teacher will share all the great things noticed while they were reading. Students should be given the opportunity to share a page they chatted about with their partner.
    

Pull students to work in small group with teacher if they need more support.

Challenge students who have mastered the concept by allowing them to work alone, complete the assignment electronically, or assist a classmate.

The students will be assessed through the questioning done during the lesson. They will also be assessed during their independent, and partner reading time.