Access and comprehend grade-level literature (Inclusive Big Idea #10)

What are students learning?

Reading Literature

Grade 7: English Language Arts

Inclusive Big Idea #10: Access and comprehend grade-level literature

Standard: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. RL.7.10

How could I teach this?

Think about how instructional strategies and activities can give students multiple ways to engage with learning. One way won’t work for all, so how can you remove and reduce barriers for all students?

  • Story Coding: Provide the students with a copy of the text for the students to mark. Students should use a coding system to help them mark and understand the text. They can add codes by using post-it notes, highlighting, drag and drop, or using physical objects as each code. The coding system might look something like this:
    • (-(: I have a connection
    • ???: This part does not make sense
    • !!!: Wow! This was interesting
    • \#\#\#: This is an important part
  • Reflective Monitoring: As students read a text, they can record thoughts/ questions/ wonderings about the text in a reflective journal or audio or video file. After each day of reading or listening to the text, they should spend the last 5 minutes doing a quick reflection about what they just read. This is a way for them to keep track of their thinking as they continue to read.
  • Book Clubs: Provide adapted texts for your students so they can participate in shared reading experiences. Gather students in a small group to have a conversation about a common text. The group should determine what chapters will be read and when. Then, they gather periodically to share their thoughts about the book.
  • Incorporating Technology: Use the Google Chrome add on “Read and Write” to have students practice their fluency while reading their poetry or story to the class. Use the Internet to find and enlarge images to help make character, setting, and concept connections.
  • Small Group Discussion: Students can participate in a teacher-led discussion about the story, more closely examining the themes presented in the story. Students could discuss how the characters feel about specific situations, citing examples from the text to support their thoughts. Ask higher level questions (whys and hows) to facilitate discussion. Students can ask each other questions about the story. Make sure the student has the appropriate vocabulary on their AAC.
  • Model to Understand: Model using “key words” in a text to locate the information in the text. Example: Given “Where did the boy go after school?”, highlight that it’s a “where” question, meaning students should look for a location in the text. Reference the text and look for the part that talks about where the boy goes. Highlight key information in text and write the answer. Students can practice with you, and then complete on their own.

Don’t stop here! Remember to reduce barriers for all students.

Make reducing barriers a process - take a few minutes to think about your process! Is there a barrier related to:

  • interest or engagement? Think about how to incorporate student’s lived experiences, culture, and interests… 
  • background knowledge? Think about how to highlight key ideas and define key vocabulary… 
  • showing what they know? Think about having options for how they use learning tools and technology to communicate…

For example, one possible barrier is if the design of the lesson does not support students to understand the key background information.

Ideas to reduce this barrier could include:

  • bridge concepts with relevant analogies and metaphors
  • use an experience book or student journal to bridge concepts
  • include opportunities throughout the lesson for students to refer to text, video, or objects that are similar to the information being studied

Use these Inclusive Strategies to help reduce barriers.

Tell me more about this Inclusive Big Idea (I need a refresher)

Brush up on the content of this Inclusive Big Idea. It will help you and your colleagues to understand and teach this content better.

  • What are the types of narrative structures?
    • Prose:
      • chapters- a section of a book usually containing a main event or idea for the story
    • Poetry:
      • verse- a line of writing where words are arranged in a rhythmic pattern
      • rhythm- a flow of rising and falling sounds in language that is produced in verse by a regular repeating of stressed and unstressed syllables
      • meter- a systematic rhythm in poetry that is usually repeated
      • stanza- a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines arranged together in usually repeating patterns
    • Drama:
      • scene- where the action is occurring
      • cast of characters- people in the play
      • setting- place where the story happens
      • dialogue- conversation between two or more people
      • stage directions- provide actors with information about where to stand, how to move, or how to react

Pro-Tips 

Looking for more suggestions?  Target student common misconceptions, build on interdisciplinary links, and implement strategies and supports across multiple lessons or units.

Go beyond the specific standard! These examples can spark ideas to generalize related skills from the content to real-world experiences for all students.

  • Dramatic Arts: Have the students put on a play, a storytelling day for younger students, or a poetry recital. Ask students to share their favorite books, plays or poetry. 

Explore other Inclusive Big Ideas to think about the content you are teaching. How can you connect what you are teaching now to what has been taught before or what will be taught in the future?

Other TIES resources:

Inclusive Big Ideas: Standards-based resources for inclusive classrooms | TIES Center

The Inclusive Big Ideas were adapted from resources created by the NCSC Project , a federal grant from the US Department of Education (PR/Award #: H373X100002), However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education and no assumption of endorsement by the Federal government should be made.

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