Jill Norton

EDP 621A

4-21-04

Cooperative Lesson

· Appropriate Grade Level-Third grade

· Goal-The students will demonstrate active reading, listening, and speaking by comparing story characters by assessing feelings, actions, traits , and motives.

· Time- 1 day (1 class session)

· Group Size- 1 class (approximately 25 students)

· Instructional Objective-Students will participate in an informal presentation and discussion of a character.

· Lesson Objective-After reading a Beverly Cleary selection, each student will identify and explain how a character’s actions and traits are similar to those of someone they know.

· Background- Students will have read at least on of the Beverly Cleary selections from the anthology.

· Materials-One small piece of paper per student (think pad), One pencil, Beverly Cleary selection or book,

· Set Up- Pairs

Students are at their own spot with their own paper and pencil to begin this activity. The pairing will form naturally as the procedure begins.

· Procedures-

1) After reading, teacher asks students to think about which character is most like someone they know.

2) Student writes the name of one character on his/her “think pad”

3) Student circulates looking for others who have the same answer. Those students cluster. Student could show answer to cluster silently or student could be allowed to talk. This is teacher’s choice.

4) Have a safe place called “other” (for students who have written a character name other than everyone else’s.

5) Once all students are in clusters, do quiet signal and ask them to pair and discuss within their cluster. They should discuss who they know that is like the character they wrote down and give reasons for their choice.

6) Teacher should remind students to thank their pair before they go to another student in their cluster.

7) Teacher does quiet signal to stop discussion and give direction to go back to seats for closure or assessment option below.

· Management Tips

1) If students have not done “corners,” simplify things by naming four of Beverly Cleary’s characters and assigning a corner for each of those four.

2) Ask students to write one of those on their paper and go to the corner they have chosen.

3) Discussion in corners is as above. This is narrowing to four choices rather than having students think of their own.

· Assessment Options

1) After this activity, teacher could have students return to their seat and write a paragraph telling how one of the characters is like someone they know. This would provide for an evaluation of their ability to produce a paragraph with supporting details and to show their understanding of a character.

· Intelligences: Verbal/Linguistic, Bodily/Kinesthetic,

Logical/Mathematical, and Interpersonal

· Domains: Communication Skills, Classbuilding