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Welcome Junior Great Books in the Literacy

Classroom

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Essential Questions

• How can the use of Junior Great Books help students strengthen reading comprehension and critical thinking skills?

• How can Junior Great Books be integrated into literacy instruction?

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Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

•Distinguish among factual, interpretive, and evaluative questions.•Integrate components of Junior Great Books into literacy instruction.•Facilitate Shared Inquiry discussions.•Articulate expectations for Junior Great Books implementation in MCPS.

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AGENDA

Welcome/OverviewJGB Overview Questioning

Model Lesson SequenceDebriefing

Practicing the ModelEvaluation and Next Steps

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Expectations

• Honor time limits.

• Participate fully.

• Ask for what you need.

• Limit sidebar conversations.

• Consider the possibilities.

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Ideas

Questions

Suggestio

ns

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What in the World?

• Do you know about JGB?

• Do you want to know about JGB?

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Basic Components of Junior Great Books

Method •Shared Inquiry•Interpretive reading and discussion•Questions of genuine doubt•Textual support for interpretations•Focus on reading comprehension and critical thinking

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Basic Components of Junior Great Books

Materials• Student Anthology of short texts • Ambiguity allows for multiple interpretations• Selections support extended discussion• Teacher Guide with interpretive activities• K Series – Sailing Ship and Dragon• Grade 1 – Sun and Pegasus• Grade 2 – Semester One and Semester Two• Locate your school’s JGB materials

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Think / Pair /Share

What kinds of questions and responses are

typically generated during classroom literature

discussions?

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JGB QUESTIONS

Factual – Factual questions have one right answer that can be

supported by the text.

Factual questions are posed by students after the first reading of a JGB

selection.

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JGB QUESTIONS

Interpretive – questions have more than one right answer that can be supported by the text.

Interpretive questions are used throughout the JGB sequence of instruction.

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JGB QUESTIONS

Evaluative – questions have more than one right answer that can be

supported by our own values, knowledge, or experiences of life.

Evaluative questions are used before and after the Shared Inquiry

discussion.

Distinguishing Question Types

• Check your understanding of – FACTUAL– INTERPRETIVE– EVALUATIVE QUESTIONS

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Why do we use Interpretive Questions

inShared Inquiry discussions?

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INTRODUCTION• “Lion At School”

• A little girl named Betty Small meets a lion while walking to school one day

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INTRODUCTION• Before Reading Strategy

• Connect to story, genre, background knowledge

• Introduce important vocabulary

• How would you introduce this story?

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FIRST READING

• Read aloud

• Appropriate expression

• Levels the playing field for students

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SHARING QUESTIONS and INITIAL REACTIONS

• Clear up misunderstandings

• Get help with vocabulary

• Set the selection more firmly in mind

• Pose interpretive or evaluative questions

• Starting point for interpretive thinking

Interpreting Through Art

• You will draw a picture of the lion when he is at school with the little girl.

• Sometimes the lion is fierce, and sometimes the lion is friendly.

• Your illustration may show him behaving either way.

• Be prepared to share your drawings and explanation.

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Balanced Literacy Connection:Quick Write

How might these components of JGB

fit into the structure of my literacy block?•Story Introduction

•First Reading•Sharing Questions and Reactions

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SECOND READINGWITH GUIDED QUESTIONS

• Texts are complex.

• We want students to be very familiar with events and ideas in the story.

• Margin questions (G.B.”s questions) focus on specific details in the text.

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Art Activity

Make a lion mask

using a paper plate.

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Dramatization•Have students wear lion masks•Read passage aloud•Help students review the context•Reread the passage line by line, asking questions to guide discussion•Encourage students to ask and answer questions•Have students repeat the lion’s lines and act out growling, showing teeth, and roaring.

Art ActivityBack on the Playground

Draw a picture of the little girl at the very end of the story when she is back on the

playground.

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Vocabulary Instruction

• Before Reading you may want to briefly share meanings of words you deem essential to introduce before the read aloud.

• During Reading you may want to share glossed words / meanings in the margins of your teacher manual.

• After Reading you will use Sharing Questions and additional word work to develop vocabulary.

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Balanced Literacy Connection

Small Group Discussion:

How might use of the Second Reading with Guided Questions, Close Reading and

Word Work fit into our literacy block?

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SHARING QUESTIONS DISCUSSION

Write questions on the board.

Have students support their answers with evidence from the text.

Use follow-up questions.

Ask students if they agree or disagree.

If students are unable to support evidence, read a passage aloud that may contain evidence for their opinions.

Ask students how the passage supports their answers.

After students have heard an answer that satisfies them, move on to the next question.

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DEBRIEF of SHARING QUESTIONS DISCUSSION

• Teacher’s Role

• Students’ Roles

• Art Activity

• Follow-Up Writing

• Suggested Extensions

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PRACTICING THE MODEL “The King of the Frogs” from Grade 1 Sun Series

• Table groups count off #1-#5.• All participants silently read the story and notes

for the session (#1-#5) you will lead.• Practice the model by leading / participating in

the story sequence for “The King of the Frogs”.

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Lesson Sequence for a JGB K-1 Read Aloud Selection

• Pre reading (establish environment for inquiry) build anticipation, readiness• First and second readings read, clarify vocabulary and questions• Vocabulary, art, drama activities examine excerpts from text, draw inferences• Post, read and review my questions reread interactively, prompt reasoning• Follow Up Writing

MCPS Expectations 2009-2010

• Kindergarten revised curriculum includes suggestions for JGB lessons each quarter.

• Students in grades 1-5 have access to at least 2 JGB stories and discussions each quarter.

• Review JGB alignment chart for grade level story suggestions.

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Pulling It All Together

Next Steps http://www.greatbooks.org/tutorial/index.html

Evaluation