“Owl Moon” This group’s presentation was very clear and concise. They went over their lesson objectives and connections they would make throughout their lesson. The first part of the lesson described senses and how we use them. They mentioned the use of sensory words as helping students make pictures in their minds, which incorporates imagination. Young students, especially grade twos are very in tune with their senses and I think this was a very good strategy to prepare students for older grades. The story “Owl Moon” was read with expression. It is important to use appropriate expressions when reading children’s books so that students are actively engaged. The senses chart kept the student’s ideas organized and could also be used for subsequent lessons. The group incorporated multi-level intelligences in their lesson. If students are struggling with writing, they are given the option to draw pictures. They also made sure they classroom environment was inclusive – using strategies including Think-Pair-Share. Overall, I think the group did a good job.
Rachel wrote: For this presentation, I was quite amazed about how well this group came up with their class activity which connected and elaborated well from the book they chose for their lesson. As this groups’ lesson was aimed towards primary level, they used senses as the main facilitator for the whole lesson so that students can without difficulty use an appropriate language to express each of the senses they are introduced in class. This book, I thought, was particularly well-chosen for their activity because each page of the book had a lot of words that described features they could hear, see, and touch. Also, what came to me the most appealing was the idea that it is important for the teacher to read aloud the story rather than letting the students read because at this age they usually tend to focus on ‘reading’ the book and not much on ‘understanding’ and ‘imagining’ the whole picture the story creates. As this lesson encourages students to imagine their own creative images while listening to the story, I believe it is definitely important for the teacher to allow a certain amount of freedom to explore the new world through literacy instead of focusing primarily on the language skills they are to develop to successfully meet the PLOs.
I loved the idea of the lesson and the way it was done! The book is a great book for eliciting senses! I liked how the lesson separated different kinds of senses for different lessons so as not to overwhelm the students. I also liked the idea of having a graphic organizer for students to organize and keep track of the senses they are reminded of when reading. The only suggestion I would make about the graphic organizer is rather than having the students write while listening and making connections which may be a little too much happening all at once and may result in students not listening while they are writing is providing the students with breaks in the story at appropriate times to give them time to write and collect their thoughts. I also really liked how the lesson first modeled the thinking processes involved before asking the students to do it themselves! As an extension it may be worthwhile at this point in the lesson to put away the book and have a mini lesson to explicitly breakdown what the teacher was doing in her head to make those connections like going over clue words that made her think of the connections she made (like words that usually are associated with particular senses) and adding those to a senses word wall of something that students can refer back to when listening. All in all I thought it was a very worthwhile activity that was done very well!
Group five presented an engaging lesson that explores connecting visual imagery to text. Based on Jane Yolen’s award winning story, Owl Moon, the lesson facilitates an exploration of senses by having students concentrate on “experiencing” the ambiance in the scenes of this narrative. Students are encouraged to discover what they hear and touch as they put themselves into the story. By focusing on experiencing a story, I found this lesson to be a powerful opportunity for students to discover the ability of words to evoke intense meaning. Furthermore, it introduces children to the value of descriptive writing and builds their understanding on the use of descriptors in literature. The opportunities that this lesson provides are very valuable and help to grow the students’ experience of reading and writing. One idea for expanding this lesson is to have students move outside the classroom to explore their senses outdoors. Having students focus on their experience of hearing the wind move through the trees or the feeling of crisp air on their cheeks will help to strengthen their experience of the descriptions in the story and connect their understanding to life outside of the classroom.
I feel that at times it is difficult to find a good book with descriptive words throughout; however, this group did a great job at finding a book that was perfect for their lesson. They did a good job informing the students about the purpose of the reading instruction, which was to think about their senses to help them visualize and connect to what was occurring in the story. I thought that reading this book aloud was great as it allowed students to have a greater focus on the words being read so that it did not distract them from imagining their senses. One thing to keep in mind is if students are asked to fill out a sheet while the teacher is reading then the teacher should stop at certain points during the reading to allow students time to write down their thoughts. If a teacher does not allow time, young students can become frustrated as they are writing and listening at the same time.
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Your group showed how we can use this book in a lesson in order to get the children thinking and writing using words that ignite the senses. This book is full of great describing words and gives the reader a clear idea of what it would be like for the characters. I think it’s important to get the children using strong adjectives in their creative writing for them to develop as writers and readers. It’s an excellent idea to activate their prior knowledge by activating their senses using manipulatives and other materials. I enjoyed the read aloud, you used a lot of tone in your voice which really enhanced the story. Overall, you guys did an awesome job!
Your emphasis on the senses was an effective (and often ignored) focus for your lesson. The teacher reading the book and then stopping to talk about what sense she/he can connect to the book worked well. One idea for building prior knowledge might be to bring in different items (or recordings in the case of hearing) for the students to describe in prior lessons (this might also work as a follow up activity.) I believe your graphic organizer would really help the students be able to focus on multiple senses. For example, a visual learner might tend to stick to visual sensory clues, but by having hearing and touch also mentioned on your graphic organizer, it encourages the students to step out of their comfort zone. Your choice to let the students record in the graphic organizer with pictures or writing was a nice adaptation for all learners. “Owl Moon” was a beautiful book with tremendous pictures and rich language. It was, however, quite a long book, especially for grade two. I wasn’t sure whether or not you were planning to read the whole book to the students and then do this activity, or read a shorter excerpt? Thanks for all your hard work. I really enjoyed watching (and learning from) your lesson.
Courtney, Jasmine, Sam and Megan: Very good! I love when an activity can incorporate the senses- I feel like it shows students that there is more to a text than simply the 'facts' of what happens. The book you guys chose couldn't have been more perfect. The graphic organiser would be a great way for students to sort through their thoughts. Moreover, it could signal to them if they are missing a particular sense (maybe they have forgotten to listen for 'smell', for instance). I was wondering if you would do anything else in terms of output. I can see this being a great lead-in to a creative/sensory writing assignment. Marvelous!
The book choice for this lesson was exceptional! I enjoyed the passages you read and think that the senses you chose were perfect. I like that the lesson incorporated the senses and think that having students slow down and really explore their senses is so important. In a world where there is so much sensory overload with technology, this lesson is great to have students reconnect with their senses. I like that you checked for understanding and think this is such an important part of teaching. I also liked that you set up the next lesson and discussed that the other senses would be explored. Having concrete objects for students to explore would be a good hook for the lesson. Great job!
Hello Ladies, I really enjoyed your lesson. I always like to see lessons for the primary grades as that is not my specialty, but who knows where we can end up! I really like some of the decisions made in this lesson. I like that you had the teacher read aloud so that the students did not feel pressure in front of their peers. I also liked your choice of story, as it is very rich with imagery that is a great jumping off point for building adjective heavy word walls. I also liked the connections that you prepared for in this lesson. You spoke about a couple of ways to do this in the class discussion (ie: connecting to what the students know and feel by providing them with experiential opportunities like feeling snow), in order to help students with their comprehension of the words. I think any opportunity we can take to make the abstract concrete and begin to build students’ concepts of the abstract is worth taking.
The only thing I was curious about was the note-taking portion wherein the students take notes as the teacher reads. Again, I am not a primary expert, but I am wondering if this is too much pressure for this age group? Would it maybe be more conducive to their learning to have them listen for a class generated list of key words, (as a way to really focus their listening and even provide a little extra guidance for struggling students), and then take notes as a class at the end or throughout the story and have the teacher act as a scribe? Just a thought!
In presentations and in many of the others, people incorporated popular books into their lessons and created comprehension, or other activities, around those books. Either Owl Moon is less known and popular, or I just was unfamiliar with it, but I glad that you chose a book that was new to me because I am always on the lookout for great pieces of literature for children. I think it was great that you guys selected a book about the sense because that topic can often be taught as simply a science topic that includes teaching about the sense and doing activities that involve them, but I have not yet seen a lesson taught about the five senses that incorporates literature. Because primary students respond to strong towards stories, I think that this was a great choice for you guys. You also all seem very well prepared and you had a great presentation.
I enjoyed the presentation - teaching students to make connections when listening to a story using their senses. This is a good strategy that can engage the differentiated learners in the classroom. Teaching students the skill to visualize mentally (make mental pictures) when listening to a story can increase students’ listening comprehension. Also, it can help develop their creativity whilst reading making the reading experience a personal one. I think that this is a good and useful strategy as students are made aware of the use of descriptive words to tell a story, they are able to learn new words (vocabulary) and identify and use language that appeals to the senses and feelings as well as an extension, learn to summarize a story. I thought that the group’s decision on having students focus on 2 to three senses was a good introduction to the strategy to phase in, learning this skill. I feel that much thought have gone into the presentation to incorporate struggling writers or ELL learners in the class room as well (draw/illustrate). Also, I think that the lesson was well presented and I can see the many benefits of using this strategy as well. Thanks for sharing your great ideas in the presentation!
This lesson foregrounded the importance of helping students engage with text using their senses. Being more sensorily immersed in a story, as the group members demonstrated, will significantly broaden the reader’s experience of the story and be especially valuable for imparting a sense of pleasure in reading. The instructional strategies proposed for this lesson will also promote a sense of metacognitive awareness. Specifically, by assisting the students to see how their own senses are linked to the story and ultimately how their own perceptions construct meaning from the text. To this end, the group uses scaffolding effectively in the form of: teacher modeling to demonstrate the visualizing skill during a read aloud session, a think pair share component to help students articulate their sensory experiences, and a graphic organizer/worksheet to assist the students in sorting what they hear -from the read aloud- into sensory categories. This group also factored in the need to accommodate students of all abilities. For example, students of all skill levels are able to engage with the story on a sensory basis and those with limited language can demonstrate their learning with drawings on the worksheet. If I were using this lesson plan I would want to slow right down or even pause the read aloud when the students are recording their ‘sensations’ to ensure that students have the chance to express the depth of their engagement. Good job!
I thought this lesson plan is very useful for fostering greater sensory development within younger students, which I believe to be a vital need for children as they are growing into their bodies. By more thoroughly understanding their senses, students also begin to develop better ways to articulate what they are feeling, smelling, tasting, hearing. By having these opportunities to study and articulate what they are “feeling,” students may proceed to develop better communication skills, which we have discussed as a class, is crucial to helping children thrive in the language arts.
The Owl Moon story itself was simply a great way of activating the student’s awareness of their senses. However, Lin brought up an excellent point in class, recognizing that not all students may be aware of what snow feels like, or even what owls are depending upon where they are in the world. However, it is more than likely that there are many other books that appeal to the five senses to rectify this problem, but I feel like posing the question of whether it matters or not if students have experienced such a climate or animal before? After all, would it not be valuable to not only have children flex their imaginative muscles, but also articulate what they are imagining in terms of their senses? Regardless, I think this is a great activity.
Visualization strategy is an important strategy to teach because it is one of the “metacognitive strategies” that good readers use to enhance their comprehension of text. I found that the modelling “think aloud” helped me understand the strategy better and made me more aware of what was happening in the story, so I’m sure it will similarly improve students’ comprehension of the story and knowledge of the strategy and how to use it. In fact, this strategy will probably need to be modelled several times before students take it on as their own.
I can’t imagine reading a novel and not having a vivid mental image of the story, the setting, etc.. As a child, when I couldn’t get a clear picture from the words, I did not get into the novel and put it down. So this strategy is very important for children to develop in order for them to be independent “engaged readers” in the intermediate and high school years.
I found it interesting that you included and described other senses in the “visualizing” process. I realized I haven’t used them as much to understand my reading, unless the story gave strong sensory descriptions. This shows that rich descriptive language has value in writing. Deconstructing the author’s word choices from “good writing” is one way to learn how to be a good writer, so this type of lesson could build into a writing activity.
In terms of the presentation itself, I liked the conciseness of your lesson, its obvious usefulness and the fact that you were confident in what you were presenting.
I had never heard of the book Owl Moon before this presentation. I am so glad that your group chose to share it with us. I loved your "senses" activity. What a creative way to get students in tune with themselves and their imagination. Linking the vivid descriptions in the book to real life and experiences that the students have had is a fantastic way to teach/learn. Finding the right book that pertains to students surroundings is key (as you pointed out) to the learning. It is hard to visualize snow if you have had no physical connection to it. You can tell someone that it is wet, cold, soft...but if a child has never experienced it personally then it is very difficult to visualize and then categorize the senses. I liked your worksheet that reall simplified and organized the information so that it is easier for the students to complete and for the teacher to assess. Great job!
This was a great lesson for getting students to not only pay attention to senses other than sight, but to become really cognizant of how effective vocabulary can stimulate senses through reading. While this lesson was for grades 2 and 3, all the way through middle and high school we are still trying to get students to use sensuous and dramatic words. This lesson is an excellent one to implement beyond grades 2 and 3.
Your book was clearly a perfect choice for sense-heavy writing. If i did this lesson I would be sure to include a portion after the read-aloud and filling-in of the sense boxes, asking my students to explain why they sensed what they did. In this discussion you could highlight how certain types of words illicit certain senses and thus have an explicit mini-lesson on effective word choice.
Group 5: One thing that I thought was very effective in your lesson was the use of the graphic organizer for the purpose of organizing information from the text in relation to each of the targeted senses. Having students write what they imagine seeing, hearing, and touching while the teacher reads a story actively engages and involves the students in the process of visualizing text as it is being read. This skill is important for reading in later grades because it is a skill of placing yourself within the text and of experiencing it rather than being a passive onlooker of information and/or events. When students can feel as if they are inside a story or a culture they are reading about as described in an informational text (for example); I think that they will be able to remember the contents of that text more easily. Experiences create memories and making text memorable is important so that students can use information or ideas learned for new purposes.
Owl Moon – I really liked how this group broke down the various senses into different lessons. I feel that is such an important step because it allows the students the required time to explore the sense they should be focusing on for that day or lesson. I liked the graphic organizer portion of the lesson because I feel it is a great tool and activity that the students could really benefit from. Having used graphic organizers in my practicum I know how valuable they can be for student learning. Having said that, being as this was a primary age group listening, writing, thinking about what sense they are using may be a lot of multi tasking. I think it might be a bit better if they did it after the fact and could focus on the story the entire time would allow for more engagement with the senses. Having said all this, still a great idea and would work in suggested form as well. I thought the book was a good choice as it used a lot of description to help the students visualize and engage their senses. I thought this lesson was very well done and I particularly liked visualizing during the story as well so I can only imagine how much students would enjoy it.
Courtney, Megan, Jasmine and Sarah, I definitely love any lesson that can bring real focus to the senses and allows students to explore them in order to better make sense of their surroundings. This lesson, for instance, was an excellent example of how to develop children’s visual literacy skills by encouraging them to explore their imagination and make use of all their senses, as it can ultimately help them visualize and construct meaning. As I flipped through the beautifully illustrated book, “Owl Moon”, I quickly noticed its usage of very powerful vocabulary and language, which is simply perfect for reinforcing and igniting children’s imagination and sense awareness. I liked that you have decided to read aloud to the students in a very expressive manner so that they get the chance to simply listen to the words, connect to them and make meaning without having to worry about reading the book themselves and making mistakes along the way. This lesson will most definitely cater to all kinds of learners as it incorporates listening, writing, and drawing opportunities. You girls did an amazing job at creating a very suitable and imaginative lesson for your students. I loved your overall theme!
Group 5: Courtney, Megan, Jasmine, Sarah I think that your group chose a beautifully illustrated book for a primary lesson on the senses. Owl Moon has spectacular pictures that would be engaging for the students, and would be good for activating their sensory thinking. I liked that you provided us with a sample of the visual chart that you would provide the students with. The chart seems very clear, and I like that you have a picture with the questions in each column. I appreciated that you explained your rationale for choosing to only focus on three of the senses rather than five. You have taken the students’ learning needs into account, by determining that five senses may be too overwhelming to focus on in only one lesson. Although this lesson was designed for a primary class, it could also be adapted for an intermediate class. Activating sensory thinking, can help students to visualize the setting of a story that they are reading, which they should be able to describe. As an extension, the students could use their descriptions of the setting to create a visual representation of it. Thanks for the great lesson idea, Great job!
Sonja wrote: Group five- “Owl Moon”-This group used a very touching book that would surely provoke the emotions of anyone reading it. I loved how their lesson presentation focused on encouraging the children to be aware of their senses and how they can use their senses while reading and listening. The beautifully rich vocabulary of this story helps to facilitate the forming of word pictures in the mind of the reader. This presentation made me reflect on how I want to teach the various parts of ELA and I know that I will use this story while teaching about visualization. Wonderfully done!!
“Owl Moon”
ReplyDeleteThis group’s presentation was very clear and concise. They went over their lesson objectives and connections they would make throughout their lesson. The first part of the lesson described senses and how we use them. They mentioned the use of sensory words as helping students make pictures in their minds, which incorporates imagination. Young students, especially grade twos are very in tune with their senses and I think this was a very good strategy to prepare students for older grades. The story “Owl Moon” was read with expression. It is important to use appropriate expressions when reading children’s books so that students are actively engaged. The senses chart kept the student’s ideas organized and could also be used for subsequent lessons. The group incorporated multi-level intelligences in their lesson. If students are struggling with writing, they are given the option to draw pictures. They also made sure they classroom environment was inclusive – using strategies including Think-Pair-Share. Overall, I think the group did a good job.
Rachel wrote:
ReplyDeleteFor this presentation, I was quite amazed about how well this group came up with their class activity which connected and elaborated well from the book they chose for their lesson. As this groups’ lesson was aimed towards primary level, they used senses as the main facilitator for the whole lesson so that students can without difficulty use an appropriate language to express each of the senses they are introduced in class. This book, I thought, was particularly well-chosen for their activity because each page of the book had a lot of words that described features they could hear, see, and touch. Also, what came to me the most appealing was the idea that it is important for the teacher to read aloud the story rather than letting the students read because at this age they usually tend to focus on ‘reading’ the book and not much on ‘understanding’ and ‘imagining’ the whole picture the story creates. As this lesson encourages students to imagine their own creative images while listening to the story, I believe it is definitely important for the teacher to allow a certain amount of freedom to explore the new world through literacy instead of focusing primarily on the language skills they are to develop to successfully meet the PLOs.
I loved the idea of the lesson and the way it was done! The book is a great book for eliciting senses! I liked how the lesson separated different kinds of senses for different lessons so as not to overwhelm the students. I also liked the idea of having a graphic organizer for students to organize and keep track of the senses they are reminded of when reading. The only suggestion I would make about the graphic organizer is rather than having the students write while listening and making connections which may be a little too much happening all at once and may result in students not listening while they are writing is providing the students with breaks in the story at appropriate times to give them time to write and collect their thoughts. I also really liked how the lesson first modeled the thinking processes involved before asking the students to do it themselves! As an extension it may be worthwhile at this point in the lesson to put away the book and have a mini lesson to explicitly breakdown what the teacher was doing in her head to make those connections like going over clue words that made her think of the connections she made (like words that usually are associated with particular senses) and adding those to a senses word wall of something that students can refer back to when listening. All in all I thought it was a very worthwhile activity that was done very well!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGroup five presented an engaging lesson that explores connecting visual imagery to text. Based on Jane Yolen’s award winning story, Owl Moon, the lesson facilitates an exploration of senses by having students concentrate on “experiencing” the ambiance in the scenes of this narrative. Students are encouraged to discover what they hear and touch as they put themselves into the story. By focusing on experiencing a story, I found this lesson to be a powerful opportunity for students to discover the ability of words to evoke intense meaning. Furthermore, it introduces children to the value of descriptive writing and builds their understanding on the use of descriptors in literature. The opportunities that this lesson provides are very valuable and help to grow the students’ experience of reading and writing. One idea for expanding this lesson is to have students move outside the classroom to explore their senses outdoors. Having students focus on their experience of hearing the wind move through the trees or the feeling of crisp air on their cheeks will help to strengthen their experience of the descriptions in the story and connect their understanding to life outside of the classroom.
ReplyDeleteGreat Lesson!
I feel that at times it is difficult to find a good book with descriptive words throughout; however, this group did a great job at finding a book that was perfect for their lesson. They did a good job informing the students about the purpose of the reading instruction, which was to think about their senses to help them visualize and connect to what was occurring in the story. I thought that reading this book aloud was great as it allowed students to have a greater focus on the words being read so that it did not distract them from imagining their senses. One thing to keep in mind is if students are asked to fill out a sheet while the teacher is reading then the teacher should stop at certain points during the reading to allow students time to write down their thoughts. If a teacher does not allow time, young students can become frustrated as they are writing and listening at the same time.
ReplyDeleteOwl Moon by Jane Yolen. Your group showed how we can use this book in a lesson in order to get the children thinking and writing using words that ignite the senses. This book is full of great describing words and gives the reader a clear idea of what it would be like for the characters. I think it’s important to get the children using strong adjectives in their creative writing for them to develop as writers and readers. It’s an excellent idea to activate their prior knowledge by activating their senses using manipulatives and other materials. I enjoyed the read aloud, you used a lot of tone in your voice which really enhanced the story. Overall, you guys did an awesome job!
ReplyDeleteGroup # 3
ReplyDeleteCourtney, Megan, Sarah, Jasmine,
Your emphasis on the senses was an effective (and often ignored) focus for your lesson. The teacher reading the book and then stopping to talk about what sense she/he can connect to the book worked well. One idea for building prior knowledge might be to bring in different items (or recordings in the case of hearing) for the students to describe in prior lessons (this might also work as a follow up activity.) I believe your graphic organizer would really help the students be able to focus on multiple senses. For example, a visual learner might tend to stick to visual sensory clues, but by having hearing and touch also mentioned on your graphic organizer, it encourages the students to step out of their comfort zone. Your choice to let the students record in the graphic organizer with pictures or writing was a nice adaptation for all learners. “Owl Moon” was a beautiful book with tremendous pictures and rich language. It was, however, quite a long book, especially for grade two. I wasn’t sure whether or not you were planning to read the whole book to the students and then do this activity, or read a shorter excerpt? Thanks for all your hard work. I really enjoyed watching (and learning from) your lesson.
Courtney, Jasmine, Sam and Megan: Very good! I love when an activity can incorporate the senses- I feel like it shows students that there is more to a text than simply the 'facts' of what happens. The book you guys chose couldn't have been more perfect. The graphic organiser would be a great way for students to sort through their thoughts. Moreover, it could signal to them if they are missing a particular sense (maybe they have forgotten to listen for 'smell', for instance). I was wondering if you would do anything else in terms of output. I can see this being a great lead-in to a creative/sensory writing assignment. Marvelous!
ReplyDeleteOwl Moon Group:
ReplyDeleteThe book choice for this lesson was exceptional! I enjoyed the passages you read and think that the senses you chose were perfect. I like that the lesson incorporated the senses and think that having students slow down and really explore their senses is so important. In a world where there is so much sensory overload with technology, this lesson is great to have students reconnect with their senses. I like that you checked for understanding and think this is such an important part of teaching. I also liked that you set up the next lesson and discussed that the other senses would be explored. Having concrete objects for students to explore would be a good hook for the lesson. Great job!
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your lesson. I always like to see lessons for the primary grades as that is not my specialty, but who knows where we can end up! I really like some of the decisions made in this lesson. I like that you had the teacher read aloud so that the students did not feel pressure in front of their peers. I also liked your choice of story, as it is very rich with imagery that is a great jumping off point for building adjective heavy word walls. I also liked the connections that you prepared for in this lesson. You spoke about a couple of ways to do this in the class discussion (ie: connecting to what the students know and feel by providing them with experiential opportunities like feeling snow), in order to help students with their comprehension of the words. I think any opportunity we can take to make the abstract concrete and begin to build students’ concepts of the abstract is worth taking.
The only thing I was curious about was the note-taking portion wherein the students take notes as the teacher reads. Again, I am not a primary expert, but I am wondering if this is too much pressure for this age group? Would it maybe be more conducive to their learning to have them listen for a class generated list of key words, (as a way to really focus their listening and even provide a little extra guidance for struggling students), and then take notes as a class at the end or throughout the story and have the teacher act as a scribe? Just a thought!
In presentations and in many of the others, people incorporated popular books into their lessons and created comprehension, or other activities, around those books. Either Owl Moon is less known and popular, or I just was unfamiliar with it, but I glad that you chose a book that was new to me because I am always on the lookout for great pieces of literature for children. I think it was great that you guys selected a book about the sense because that topic can often be taught as simply a science topic that includes teaching about the sense and doing activities that involve them, but I have not yet seen a lesson taught about the five senses that incorporates literature. Because primary students respond to strong towards stories, I think that this was a great choice for you guys. You also all seem very well prepared and you had a great presentation.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the presentation - teaching students to make connections when listening to a story using their senses. This is a good strategy that can engage the differentiated learners in the classroom. Teaching students the skill to visualize mentally (make mental pictures) when listening to a story can increase students’ listening comprehension. Also, it can help develop their creativity whilst reading making the reading experience a personal one. I think that this is a good and useful strategy as students are made aware of the use of descriptive words to tell a story, they are able to learn new words (vocabulary) and identify and use language that appeals to the senses and feelings as well as an extension, learn to summarize a story. I thought that the group’s decision on having students focus on 2 to three senses was a good introduction to the strategy to phase in, learning this skill. I feel that much thought have gone into the presentation to incorporate struggling writers or ELL learners in the class room as well (draw/illustrate). Also, I think that the lesson was well presented and I can see the many benefits of using this strategy as well. Thanks for sharing your great ideas in the presentation!
ReplyDeleteThis lesson foregrounded the importance of helping students engage with text using their senses. Being more sensorily immersed in a story, as the group members demonstrated, will significantly broaden the reader’s experience of the story and be especially valuable for imparting a sense of pleasure in reading. The instructional strategies proposed for this lesson will also promote a sense of metacognitive awareness. Specifically, by assisting the students to see how their own senses are linked to the story and ultimately how their own perceptions construct meaning from the text. To this end, the group uses scaffolding effectively in the form of: teacher modeling to demonstrate the visualizing skill during a read aloud session, a think pair share component to help students articulate their sensory experiences, and a graphic organizer/worksheet to assist the students in sorting what they hear -from the read aloud- into sensory categories. This group also factored in the need to accommodate students of all abilities. For example, students of all skill levels are able to engage with the story on a sensory basis and those with limited language can demonstrate their learning with drawings on the worksheet. If I were using this lesson plan I would want to slow right down or even pause the read aloud when the students are recording their ‘sensations’ to ensure that students have the chance to express the depth of their engagement. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI thought this lesson plan is very useful for fostering greater sensory development within younger students, which I believe to be a vital need for children as they are growing into their bodies. By more thoroughly understanding their senses, students also begin to develop better ways to articulate what they are feeling, smelling, tasting, hearing. By having these opportunities to study and articulate what they are “feeling,” students may proceed to develop better communication skills, which we have discussed as a class, is crucial to helping children thrive in the language arts.
ReplyDeleteThe Owl Moon story itself was simply a great way of activating the student’s awareness of their senses. However, Lin brought up an excellent point in class, recognizing that not all students may be aware of what snow feels like, or even what owls are depending upon where they are in the world. However, it is more than likely that there are many other books that appeal to the five senses to rectify this problem, but I feel like posing the question of whether it matters or not if students have experienced such a climate or animal before? After all, would it not be valuable to not only have children flex their imaginative muscles, but also articulate what they are imagining in terms of their senses? Regardless, I think this is a great activity.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVisualization strategy is an important strategy to teach because it is one of the “metacognitive strategies” that good readers use to enhance their comprehension of text. I found that the modelling “think aloud” helped me understand the strategy better and made me more aware of what was happening in the story, so I’m sure it will similarly improve students’ comprehension of the story and knowledge of the strategy and how to use it. In fact, this strategy will probably need to be modelled several times before students take it on as their own.
ReplyDeleteI can’t imagine reading a novel and not having a vivid mental image of the story, the setting, etc.. As a child, when I couldn’t get a clear picture from the words, I did not get into the novel and put it down. So this strategy is very important for children to develop in order for them to be independent “engaged readers” in the intermediate and high school years.
I found it interesting that you included and described other senses in the “visualizing” process. I realized I haven’t used them as much to understand my reading, unless the story gave strong sensory descriptions. This shows that rich descriptive language has value in writing. Deconstructing the author’s word choices from “good writing” is one way to learn how to be a good writer, so this type of lesson could build into a writing activity.
In terms of the presentation itself, I liked the conciseness of your lesson, its obvious usefulness and the fact that you were confident in what you were presenting.
I had never heard of the book Owl Moon before this presentation. I am so glad that your group chose to share it with us. I loved your "senses" activity. What a creative way to get students in tune with themselves and their imagination. Linking the vivid descriptions in the book to real life and experiences that the students have had is a fantastic way to teach/learn. Finding the right book that pertains to students surroundings is key (as you pointed out) to the learning. It is hard to visualize snow if you have had no physical connection to it. You can tell someone that it is wet, cold, soft...but if a child has never experienced it personally then it is very difficult to visualize and then categorize the senses. I liked your worksheet that reall simplified and organized the information so that it is easier for the students to complete and for the teacher to assess. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great lesson for getting students to not only pay attention to senses other than sight, but to become really cognizant of how effective vocabulary can stimulate senses through reading. While this lesson was for grades 2 and 3, all the way through middle and high school we are still trying to get students to use sensuous and dramatic words. This lesson is an excellent one to implement beyond grades 2 and 3.
ReplyDeleteYour book was clearly a perfect choice for sense-heavy writing. If i did this lesson I would be sure to include a portion after the read-aloud and filling-in of the sense boxes, asking my students to explain why they sensed what they did. In this discussion you could highlight how certain types of words illicit certain senses and thus have an explicit mini-lesson on effective word choice.
Group 5:
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I thought was very effective in your lesson was the use of the graphic organizer for the purpose of organizing information from the text in relation to each of the targeted senses. Having students write what they imagine seeing, hearing, and touching while the teacher reads a story actively engages and involves the students in the process of visualizing text as it is being read. This skill is important for reading in later grades because it is a skill of placing yourself within the text and of experiencing it rather than being a passive onlooker of information and/or events. When students can feel as if they are inside a story or a culture they are reading about as described in an informational text (for example); I think that they will be able to remember the contents of that text more easily. Experiences create memories and making text memorable is important so that students can use information or ideas learned for new purposes.
Owl Moon – I really liked how this group broke down the various senses into different lessons. I feel that is such an important step because it allows the students the required time to explore the sense they should be focusing on for that day or lesson. I liked the graphic organizer portion of the lesson because I feel it is a great tool and activity that the students could really benefit from. Having used graphic organizers in my practicum I know how valuable they can be for student learning. Having said that, being as this was a primary age group listening, writing, thinking about what sense they are using may be a lot of multi tasking. I think it might be a bit better if they did it after the fact and could focus on the story the entire time would allow for more engagement with the senses. Having said all this, still a great idea and would work in suggested form as well. I thought the book was a good choice as it used a lot of description to help the students visualize and engage their senses. I thought this lesson was very well done and I particularly liked visualizing during the story as well so I can only imagine how much students would enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteCourtney, Megan, Jasmine and Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI definitely love any lesson that can bring real focus to the senses and allows students to explore them in order to better make sense of their surroundings. This lesson, for instance, was an excellent example of how to develop children’s visual literacy skills by encouraging them to explore their imagination and make use of all their senses, as it can ultimately help them visualize and construct meaning. As I flipped through the beautifully illustrated book, “Owl Moon”, I quickly noticed its usage of very powerful vocabulary and language, which is simply perfect for reinforcing and igniting children’s imagination and sense awareness. I liked that you have decided to read aloud to the students in a very expressive manner so that they get the chance to simply listen to the words, connect to them and make meaning without having to worry about reading the book themselves and making mistakes along the way. This lesson will most definitely cater to all kinds of learners as it incorporates listening, writing, and drawing opportunities. You girls did an amazing job at creating a very suitable and imaginative lesson for your students. I loved your overall theme!
Group 5: Courtney, Megan, Jasmine, Sarah
ReplyDeleteI think that your group chose a beautifully illustrated book for a primary lesson on the senses. Owl Moon has spectacular pictures that would be engaging for the students, and would be good for activating their sensory thinking. I liked that you provided us with a sample of the visual chart that you would provide the students with. The chart seems very clear, and I like that you have a picture with the questions in each column. I appreciated that you explained your rationale for choosing to only focus on three of the senses rather than five. You have taken the students’ learning needs into account, by determining that five senses may be too overwhelming to focus on in only one lesson. Although this lesson was designed for a primary class, it could also be adapted for an intermediate class. Activating sensory thinking, can help students to visualize the setting of a story that they are reading, which they should be able to describe. As an extension, the students could use their descriptions of the setting to create a visual representation of it.
Thanks for the great lesson idea,
Great job!
Sonja wrote:
ReplyDeleteGroup five-
“Owl Moon”-This group used a very touching book that would surely provoke the emotions of anyone reading it. I loved how their lesson presentation focused on encouraging the children to be aware of their senses and how they can use their senses while reading and listening. The beautifully rich vocabulary of this story helps to facilitate the forming of word pictures in the mind of the reader. This presentation made me reflect on how I want to teach the various parts of ELA and I know that I will use this story while teaching about visualization. Wonderfully done!!