Pre-reading Strategies for Things Fall Apart
Summary of Curricular Context: (consider including what prior knowledge students might need for this lesson)
This lesson is designed for grade 9 English students. The students have an English proficiency level adequate for reading this text, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. They are familiar with the typical fictional story format and have read full-length texts in English before. They are computer literate, knowing how to navigate their way in Windows OS, Internet browsers, and implementing standard word processing skills. They have used this “jig-saw” format before where groups become responsible for presenting a particular body of knowledge to their fellow classmates and vice versa.
Standard / Objectives for Unit or Lesson: (Illinois and, or ISTE NETS)
State Goal 1: Read with understanding and fluency.
1.B.4a: Preview reading materials, clarify meaning, analyze overall themes and coherence, and relate reading with information from other sources.
Lesson Goal:
Effectively implement pre-reading strategies (previewing, finding background information, predicting) for better understanding of Things Fall Apart.
Stage 1
Enduring Understandings - What are the overarching enduring understandings for the unit/lesson? (big ideas that transcend the unit)
1. Why do we read?
2. How do we understand what we read?
Essential Questions - What are the essential questions you can ask to guide inquiry?
1. How could this information be relevant to the story?
2. How does this information influence your prediction of what is to come?
Knowledge & Skills
Knowledge:
- An author’s personal history and experiences may or may not be incorporated into his/her writing.
- Know what a prediction is
- Know how to use web-based search engines
- Know that reading is a process
- Know that there are various strategies to aid in one’s reading process
Skills:
- Able to scan text for general understanding
- Able to make predictions based from a body of information
- Able to decide which information is pertinent to help in understanding of a story
- Able to listen for information from classmates and record that information
- Able to apply reading strategies at the appropriate time in the reading process
Kelli,
ReplyDeleteI think your enduring understandings are a great way to get students thinking about pre-reading strategies. Thinking about why we read and, more importantly, how we understand that material will absolutely be helpful your students in the future.
I am somewhat confused by your essential questions. I believe you're relating them to the enduring understandings, but I'm not entirely sure. Some revision in that area might help other educators implement this lesson in their own classrooms.
You might want to consider the appropriateness level of Things Fall Apart to a class of 9th graders. I read the novel in my 12th grade I.B. english class and the book has stuck with me ever since. I just wonder if freshman in high school will be able to fully comprehend the emotion of the narrative.
Kelli,
ReplyDeleteI really like this lesson because it focuses it's attention on pre-reading and how important it is to prepare students to understand what they will be reading.
I am a little confused by your enduring understanding of "why do we read?" It seems that that would be a broad, enduring understanding of a year long Language Arts class rather than one book unit. I think if you made you enduring understandings and essential questions a little more specific to this particular unit it would be much more clear.