Mobile Learning Lesson Plan
Background:
Content Area: Library Skills
Title: Examining Nonfiction Text Features using iPad Apps
Grade Level: Fourth Grade.
Pre-Planning
Big Idea(s):
Students will be able to:
Content Area: Library Skills
Title: Examining Nonfiction Text Features using iPad Apps
Grade Level: Fourth Grade.
Pre-Planning
Big Idea(s):
- Understanding that text features of nonfiction text are an important part of helping readers determine what is important to the text.
- People read to gain knowledge that helps them understand themselves and their world.
- Critical readers break down parts of texts to understand what an author is saying.
- Reading helps people understand different perspectives.
- The features and structures of text help readers navigate, understand, and apply information.
- How can reading nonfiction help us to explore and understand our world?
- Why do we use various text features and structures in nonfiction?
- How does understanding the author’s purpose help us learn new information?
Students will be able to:
- Apply pre-reading strategies to aid comprehension, access prior knowledge, preview, predict, and set a purpose for reading.
- Locate and interpret key information in illustrations, title, chapter headings, table of contents, charts, diagrams, graphs, glossary, captions, and maps to answer questions.
- Use context clues and glossaries to develop vocabulary.
- Apply their understanding of nonfiction elements to a variety of texts.
- Use details from texts to answer questions, explain main idea and important details, sequence events, identify simple cause and effect, draw conclusions, compare and contrast texts, identify author’s purpose for writing text, make inferences about problems and solutions.
- iPads
- Document camera or Reflector app to project iPad on SmartBoard
- iPad apps: EPIC, Popplet Lite, Skitch, Pages, Dropbox
- ChoiceBoard for Skitch activity
- Rubric for Summative project
- Text features Worksheet to go with Summative Project.
Lesson Opening:
EPIC will be downloaded on the iPads. Epic is an app with an eBook library for kids age 12 and under. They offer unlimited access to over 15,000 high-quality children’s books including a “read-to-me” feature and audio books. Books may also be filtered based on reader age, AR level, or lexile measure. Students will be allowed to explore the app and look through the book collection. Students must narrow down their final choice to two of the nonfiction books in the eLibrary. They should add these two titles to the “My Library” feature on the app and write down the titles in their assignment book. Students will enjoy exploring the wide selection of books and categories that are available. |
Lesson Body:
Explanation: Learning to Read Nonfiction and Its Text Features In this activity, the students will learn the tools of reading nonfiction (the text features). They will use think-aloud strategies to prepare to read a nonfiction selection and learn how to utilize graphic aids included with a text. Students will open one of the books they selected in the Lesson Opening. The teacher will lead the students through a “read about” of the text pointing out the special features such as the title, headings, photos, bold faced words, photos, and diagrams. As you go through each item, have students identify corresponding features in their selection they have chosen in EPIC. Point out the differences between this type of text and the fiction stories the students read. Model think aloud strategies for pre-reading by asking questions and making observations about the text features. Using the app Popplet, have the students create a Pre-reading Organizer to make predictions about the reading. In this organizer, students will list picture clues they noticed, clues from titles and headings, other clues and ideas from bold faced words, headings, photos, and diagrams. Finally, they will make a prediction about the reading. Students should then read or listen to the book paying attention to the text features. |
Skitch
Dropbox
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Check for Understanding: Before jumping into using the next app with digital texts, spend some time introducing the students to the app itself. Go over the annotating tools and allow the students to explore the app. Have the students practice taking photos using the iPad camera and using the tools. Not every tool will work for every assignment.
Give each child the choice board of activities. The students must choose three activities in a row. They will create treasure maps, Skitch selfies, classroom maps, and go on word hunts. The middle square is a must do activity that the students must do last. The students have to take a picture of a nonfiction article and label all of the nonfiction text features. After labeling all the non-fiction text features, the students will use their Skitch labeled texts to respond to comprehension questions. The students should use the text features as evidence in their responses. Students will also need to make a connection between each text feature they labeled and how it helped them understand the text more deeply. Students will need to upload their finished Skitch labeled text to Dropbox.
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Extended Practice
Students will create informative talking nonfiction text features. After reviewing nonfiction text features and completing the activities in Skitch, the students will choose one text feature. The students will use Chatterpix on the iPad to take a picture of their chosen text feature from a nonfiction book, tell its purpose, and give an example. |
Closing:
Students will check out a text from the library about an animal. They will then create their own non-fiction magazine article filled with information about that animal including the text features we have covered. While creating the article, they will need to fill out the text features worksheet listing the text features they used, an example, and how the text feature is helpful for their readers. They will use the App Pages to create this article. |
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