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Schema Gr 1-2

Schema: Grades 1-2

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2

Schema – Grades 1-2

Prior Knowledge What prior knowledge about reading strategies do students need to have before entering this unit of study?

Monitoring for meaning Retelling

Define the Strategy What is schema and how do readers use it?

SCHEMA: Schema is a reader’s background knowledge that is used to understand the text. Readers use their background knowledge of topic, genre, author and their own personal experiences to understand the characters, plot and main ideas in the text. MAKING CONNECTIONS: Readers use their schema to connect their background knowledge with the information in the text. When a reader does this it is often referred to as making a connection or using schema.

Concepts to Teach What are the important concepts that you will teach within this unit of study?

1. What is schema? (opening lesson) 2. How do readers use their schema to help them understand the

text? 3. What is a connection? 4. How do readers make connections? 5. How does making connections help you understand the characters?

Part 1 6. How does making connections help you make/revise predictions?

Part II 7. Text to self connections 8. Text to text connections 9. Text to World 10. Authentic versus Tangential connections 11. Using your knowledge of a genre to help you comprehend the text. 12. Schema changes as we read 13. Building schema for authors 14. Using your schema for an author to help you understand the text. 15. Text to Text – Understanding the author 16. Building Schema for an author – Culminating Activity.



Focus Lesson Text Concept 1. What is schema?

Writing and Drawing The Pain and the Great One

Schema is more than thinking about what the story reminds me of. Readers can build schema so that they know more about a particular topic, author and genre. The more we know the better we understand.

2. How do readers use their schema to help them understand the text?

The Relatives Came, Cynthia Rylant Readers activate their schema before reading by thinking about the content of the text.

3. What is a connection? Classroom Discussion 4. How do readers make connections?

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

One way readers talk about their connections is, “This reminds me of…”

5. How does making connections help you to understand the characters?-Part I

Koala Lou Readers make connections to help them understand the characters and the plot.

6. How does making connections help you to make predictions – Part II

Julius, Baby of the World Readers make connections to help them make predictions

7. Text to Self Connections Fireflies Readers connect what has happened in their own lives with what the characters and plot in the story.

8. Text to Text Connections The Pain and the Great One My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother

Readers connect ideas from one book to another.

9. Text to World Connections Someday a Tree Readers use their knowledge of what is happening in the world to understand the big ideas in the text.

10. Authentic versus Tangential Connections

A Chair for my Mother Readers make connections that help them understand the character, plot and theme in the text. Authentic connections help readers understand the text.

11. Using your knowledge of a genre to help you comprehend the text.

Diary of a Wombat Readers activate their schema before reading by thinking about the genre of the text.

12. Schema changes as we read 13. Building schema for authors

Swimmy Fish is Fish

Readers see similarities between an author’s books and this helps them to build their schema for that author



14. Using your schema for an author to help you understand the text

Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse Readers activate their schema before reading by thinking about what they know about the author.

15. Text to Text Connections – understanding the author

Some Birthday My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother

Readers use text to text connections to understand the author’s style or theme of the story.

16. Building Schema for an author – Culminating Activity.

Baskets of books by four different authors. Should include a range of authors

Students can learn to build their schema for an author through reading and thinking about the texts.



Anchor Charts What is schema?

Different ways readers make connections to texts How does using our schema help us as readers? Our Schema for Leo Lionni (Author Study) Our Schema for reading nonfiction (Genre) Our Schema for bats (Topic)

Ways to Record our Thinking Graphic Organizers Post-its Journals

Post-its (recording connections) Two-column charts (see attached) Reading Response Journals

Independent Reading/Conference Points

Have you made any connections to this text? How did your connection help you to understand and enjoy the

story more? Let’s read together and stop and share our connections. What that an authentic or tangential connection? How do you

know? How has your schema for this topic changed? What was your schema for this book before you began? How has

your schema changed? Tell me about your connections. Show me the place the text where What is your schema for this book? Tell me what you know about the author, genre and topic

Evidence of Understanding and Independence (oral and written)

Journal responses tracking Two column charts Turn and Talk Discussions Independent reading conference discussions.



Recommended Model Text for Making Connections

Title Author Notes Fireflies Julie Brinkloe Picture Book

Ira Sleeps Over Bernard Waber Picture Book Koala Lou Mem Fox Picture Book

The Relatives Came Cynthia Rylant Picture Book The Snowy Day Ezra Jack Keats Picture Book

A Chair for My Mother Vera B. Williams Picture Book Some Birthday Patricia Polacco Picture Book

Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Judith Viorst Picture Book

The Lotus Seed Sherry Garland Picture Book Chrysanthemum Kevin Henkes Picture Book

Slower than the Rest from Every Living Thing

Cynthia Rylant Short Stories

My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother

Patricia Polacco Picture Book

Stellaluna Janell Cannon Picture Book If I Were in Charge of the World

– Poems Judith Viorst Poetry

Noisy Nora Rosemary Wells Picture Book Spaghetti, from Every Living Thing Cynthia Rylant Short Stories

Hey World Here I Am Jean Little Short Stories Childtimes Eloise Greenfield Short Stories

Woman Hollering Creek Sandra Cisneros Short Stories- Upper elementary Amazing Grace Mary Hoffman Picture Book

The Pain and the Great One Judy Blume Short Text Snippets Charlotte Zolotow Picture Book

Julius, Baby of the World Kevin Henkes Picture Book Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs Tomie de Paola Picture Book

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney

Judith Viorst Picture Book

The Wall Eve Bunting Picture Book

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 1: What is schema?


Title of Text: Lesson Plan: Notes to Build Next Lesson Select the materials. Choose a text that supports the strategy.

Drawing/Discussion The Pain and the Great One, Judy Blume

Name the strategy. Explain. “I have noticed that…” “A strategy good readers use is…”

Today we are going to learn about Schema. Schema is all that you know about a topic or an idea. Each day we learn more and more and we continue to build our schema. Let me show you what I mean. Let’s pretend that our class is going to go on a field trip to my house. Has anyone in this class ever been to my house? (no) I am going to prove to you that even though you have not been to my house your schema will help you to have a lot of ideas of what you might see. I want each of you to write a very quick list of all of the things that you might see in my house. I am going to give you 2 minutes to work. Let’s do it with a different topic. Let’s pretend that we are going to go visit the Lilja Elementary School in Natick. Raise your hand if you have ever been there. Even if you haven’t been to that school, I bet you can make a quick list of lots of items that you might see. Please make a list for 2 minutes. These lists that you wrote show some your schema for houses and for schools. Schema is all that you know about a topic or an idea. We have been using our schema to make connections, but now I want to show you how to use your schema before reading

Demonstrate the strategy. Say: Think aloud. Show: Model.

Watch how I use my schema before I read a book. This book is about have a brother or a sister I know a lot about have a brother. Share your ideas:

Sometimes brothers and sisters fight

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 1: What is schema?


Explain: How this will help them as a reader.

Sometimes brothers and sisters play together

Sometimes brothers and sisters get jealous of each other.

Now when I read this book, I am going to use my schema to understand the story and I am going to learn new ideas too. Read the story and point out a few places where your schema helped you to understand the story.

Provide guided practice. Invite the students to practice the strategy with teacher guidance.

Here are a few books. Show books about a few topics and create a list of topics. e.g. snowy day, fire station, bats, dinosaurs, horses, painting, playing dodge ball. I would like you and your “turn and talk” partner to choose one book that you have not read but think you know about the topic and write down your schema for the book

Provide independent practice. Remind students before they go off to read. “When you go to I.R. try…”

Once you have finished writing your schema, please read the book with your partner.

Conference Points

• What was your schema for this book? • Now that you have read your book is there

anything you might add to this list? •

Share/ Reinforce

Which partnership would like to share their list of schema today?

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 2: How do readers use their schema to help them understand the text?



Text: The Relatives Came, Cynthia Rylant

Name the strategy. Explain. “I have noticed that…” “A strategy good readers use is…” Introduce the Text.

Yesterday we learned about schema. Today I want to show you how good readers activate their schema for a book before they read. They use their schema to think about the topic of the book, to help them to make predictions and to understand the characters and the plot.

Demonstrate the strategy. Say: Think aloud. Show: Model. Explain: How this will help them as a reader.

Before we read this book, I am going to think about what I already know about the topic of this story. This will help me to make predictions and to understand the story. Let me show you how I think about the topic before I read. Show the front cover of the text. The title is, The Relatives Came. From the title I know that this book is going to be about family coming to visit. When I have family visit, we eat a lot of food, spend time talking and our house is crowded. Now I will use my schema to help me make some predictions or ask questions. I wonder what the relatives will do when they come to this house? I think the relatives will sleep over and it will be crowded.


Please turn to your partner and tell them your schema for family or friends visiting. What do you know about having relatives stay at your house or about visiting other peoples’ houses? Once students have shared their schema. Read the text aloud. Model as you are reading, how your schema is

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 2: How do readers use their schema to help them understand the text?


helping you to understand the story. Provide independent practice. Remind students before they go off to read. “When you go to I.R. try…”

Before you begin reading today, take a few minutes to write down your schema for the topic of your book. Then read the book. As you are reading think about how your schema is helping you to make predictions and ask questions.

Conference Points

• What was your schema for this book? • Now that you have read your book is there

anything you might add to this list? • Tell me what you think will happen next?

How is your schema helping you make that prediction?

• What are you wondering? • How is your schema helping understand

the story?

Share/ Reinforce

Which partnership would like to share their list of schema today?

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 3: What is a connection?


Strategy Lesson Plan Title of Text: Lesson Plan: Notes to Build Next Lesson Select the materials. Choose a text that supports the strategy.

Text: Classroom Discussion Level: Elementary


Yesterday we learned what schema is and how readers use it. Today we are going to learn how readers use their schema to make connections. We make a connection when we hear or read about something and think to myself: I already know something about that This reminds me of.. A connection can be something we have in common with another person. Which children in this class were in Mrs. ______ for Kindergarten? - These children have a connection that the rest of us don’t have because they had a common experience together. Which children have an older brother or sister? These children have a connection because they

know what it is like to have an older sibling. -

__________ (student name) and I have a connection because we both _____________.


Let me show you how I can use my schema to make connections to have a conversation with Mia (child in the class). I want to get to know Mia, so I am going to ask her questions to learn more about her. What do you like to do? (Mia answers playing the piano) I play the piano too. This is a connection. Now I can ask Mia what songs she is learning to play. After she answers, she will ask me questions about playing the piano. We have a connection about playing the piano.

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 3: What is a connection?



Turn to your partner and figure out what you have in common. Do you both play soccer? Do you love to draw? Do you take the same kinds of lesson? Once you have found what you have in common begin having a conversation about the topic.

Share/ Reinforce

How did your connection help you when you were speaking to each other? How would the conversation have been different if you didn’t have something in common? Create an Anchor Chart: Ways Connections Help Us.

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 4: How do readers make connections?



Text: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Day. Level: Elementary


Yesterday we discussed how we make connections in our lives all of the time. Making connections is when you think I already know something about that…. That reminds me of…. Readers make these same types of connections with books. Readers connect to the characters and the ideas in a text. Making connections helps a reader become involved in the story just like when people make connections and they become involved in a conversation. Makingconnections is like ”talking back to your book.”

Today we are going to learn more about how to make connections when we are reading. Introduce the Text.


Read aloud and model some of your own connections as you read. Create Anchor Chart: Ways to Talk about Connections:

This part reminds me of … I remember when…. I have a connection with this part of

the text. Readers talk about their connections when they say, This reminds me of… I am going to read the text aloud and I will stop reading to share some of my connections with you.


Read the next few pages aloud. Turn to your neighbor and share any connections that you might have. Remember that one way readers talk about their

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 4: How do readers make connections?


connections is to say or think, “That reminds me of..”


As you are reading during independent reading, think about what the story reminds you of. During our group share today, I will ask a few of you to share your connections.

Conference Points

Show me where you made a connection. How did your connection help you to

understand the story?

Share/Reinforce Who would like to share a connection they made when reading their book today?

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 5: How does making connections help you understand the characters? – Part I



Text: Koala Lou, Mem Fox Level: Elementary


Yesterday, we talked about how readers use their schema to make connections. We learned that readers sometimes say, This reminds me of… when they want to share one of their connections. Point to Anchor Chart, Ways Readers Make Connections. Good readers not only make these connections but as they make them they think about how the connection helps them to understand the story and remember it longer. Today I want to teach how making connections can help you understand the characters in the story. Introduce the text.


As I read, I will think about how the connections I am making are helping me to understand the characters in the story. When I make a connection, I am going to say, “This reminds me of… I will think about how this connection helps me understand the story Let me show you how. Text Says: “Koala Lou, I love you. This reminds me of when my mom tells me she loves me. When my



mom says she loves me I feel so warm inside. That connection helps me to know how Koala Lou feels. I bet Koala Lou feels warm inside too. When I can feel what Koala Lou feeling, I understand the story better because I understand the character. Continue to model several more examples.


Read a few pages aloud. Ask students to turn and talk with a partner about their connections. Ask students to explain how the connection helps them to understand the text.


Today at independent reading, I want you to think about the connections you are making and how they are helping you to understand the text.



Conference Points

Have you made any connections today?

Show me where you made a connection in this story? What is your connection?

How did that connection help you to understand the text?

Share/Reinforce Please turn to your “turn and talk” partner to share any connections that you made during independent reading. I will come around and listen to your conversations. Listen in and have one or two students with strong connections share. Add 1 or 2 ideas to the anchor chart: Ways Connections Help Us (Add - As Readers)

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 6: How does making connections help you make/revise predictions? - Part II


Title of Text: Lesson Plan: Title of Text: Select the materials. Choose a text that supports the strategy.

Text: Julius, Baby of the World Level: Elementary

Select the materials. Choose a text that supports the strategy.


Yesterday, we talked about how making connections helps us understand the characters. Today I want to show you how using your schema not only helps us understand the characters but it also helps us make predictions throughout the story. Point to Anchor Chart, Ways Connections Help Us Introduce the text.



Before I read, I will think about what I know about topic, what does this remind me of… Once I have a few ideas in my head, I will use that information to make a few predictions. Let me show you how. The cover of the book says, Julius, Baby of the World and the illustration shows the little girl trying to scare her brother. I am going to think about what I know about this topic. This book is probably about a family who has a new baby and I know a lot about new babies. I know that:

Babies cry a lot and they take a lot of their parent’s time and energy.

Babies are very cute and loveable Sometimes other brothers and sisters

get jealous of all of the attention the baby is getting.

This book is definitely going to remind me of my family because when my kids were born my big girl had a hard time getting used to her baby brother. Now that I have ”activated” all of my schema, I am going to predict that this little girl is going to be jealous of her brother.

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 6: How does making connections help you make/revise predictions? - Part II


Introduce the text. As you are reading, continue to predict and change your predictions as you read. Talk about how your schema is helping you to make predictions.


Read a few pages aloud. Ask students to turn and talk with a partner about their connections and predictions Ask students to explain how their schema helped them to make their prediction.


Today at independent reading, I want you to think about the connections you are making and how they are helping you to understand the text. Please remember to think about what you know about the topic before you begin and then use your schema to make your predictions.

Conference Points

Have you made any connections today? Show me where you made a connection in

this story? What is your connection? How did that connection help you to

understand the text? What were some of your predictions?

What connections helped you to make those predictions?

Share/Reinforce Please turn to your “turn and talk” partner to share any connections that you made during independent reading. I will come around and listen to your conversations. Listen in and have one or two students with strong connections share. Add 1 or 2 ideas to the anchor chart: Ways Connections Help Us (Add - As Readers)

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 7: Text to self connections



Text: Fireflies, Julie Brinkloe Level: Elementary


We have been talking about making connections as we read. Today I want to show you one type of connection that readers make when they are reading a book. Good readers compare their own life with the ideas in the text.. When readers do this it is called, “Making a Tex - o-Self” connection. Making text-to-self connections helps a reader understand and enjoy the text.

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Introduce the text: Fireflies


Let me show you how I make text to self connections and how they help me to understand the book. Model text-to-self connections as you read. Complete the two column chart: Page #, Text-to-Self Connection


After you have modeled several text-to-self connections, ask students to share some of the connections they are making.


Today during independent reading, I would like you to think about what the text reminds you of as you are reading (Text to Self Connections). We won’t write these connections down today, but as we begin to get better at this, I will ask you to record your connections.



Conference Points

• What text –to-self connections are you making as you reading?

• How does making text-to-self connections help you to understand the story?

Share/ Reinforce

Who made a text- o-self connection as they were reading today? Explain to us how this connection helped you understand your story.

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7a Page #

Connection: “It reminds me of…” How does your connection help you understand the text?



7b Page # Text to Self Connections



7c Page # Text to Self Connections Does this Connection Help Me Understand the Story Better?

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 8: Text to text connections



Texts: The Pain and the Great One, Judy Blume and My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother, Patricia Polacco Level: Elementary


Yesterday, we learned about text-to-self connections and we discussed how a reader can make better predictions and can understand the characters deeply if he/she thinks about what the story reminds him/her of in her own life. Today I want to teach you about text-to-text connections. Good readers don’t just connect a story to themselves, but they make connections between books. When one book reminds you of another book it is called a text-to-text connection.


Watch me as I read this text. As I am reading, I am going to talk about how this text reminds me of another story we have read. When I make connections between these two books, I am going to have an easier time make predictions and understanding the characters. Read the new text aloud and discuss your text-to-text connections. Record the ideas on the Venn Diagram. Show the students how to use the text-to-text connections to make a prediction. (e.g. In My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother, Patricia finds out how much her brother loves her. I am predicting that in The Pain and the Great One, the brother and sister will figure out how they really do love each other.)


After modeling several pages, ask the students to share their text-to-text connections. Encourage students to explain how their connections help them to make predictions and to understand the characters deeply.

Provide independent practice.

Today at independent reading, I would like you practice making text-to-text connections. AS you are reading, see if your book reminds you of any



Remind students before they go off to read. “When you go to I.R. try…”

other books you have read.

Conference Points

• Tell me about the connections you are making. • Do you have any text-to-text connections? • How does that connection help you to

understand this story? • Does this book remind you of any other books

you have read?

Share/ Reinforce

Let’s share a few of our text-to-text connections. How does making text-to-text connections help you as a reader? Add to anchor chart: Ways Connections Help Us



8a Name______________________________________________ Date ____________________ Title_______________________________________________

Making Text to Text Connections

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 9: Text to world connections



Text: Someday a Tree, Eve Bunting Students need a clipboard with six post-it notes on it. Level: Elementary


Over the past few weeks, we have spent time learning about text-to-self connections and text-to-text connections. Today, I want to introduce you to another type of connection, but today I want to see if you can figure out what it is. I am going to read this story to you and as I am reading I will pause so that you can write down your connections. Remember to write down what this story reminds you of. After we have finished reading, we will sort our connections into three columns (text to self, text to text and other) and then we will figure out what other might be.


Read the story. Pause periodically to let students write their connections. Write your own connections while students are writing. Make sure you record some text-to-world connections on your post-its. Do not show your connections to the students. After students have recorded their connections, ask the students to code their connections as TS-text to self, TT - text to text or O- other. Once students have finished recording, have students place their post-its on the blackboard in the appropriate column. Read aloud the connections in the other column and ask students to discuss what they notice. Show your own connections and introduce text-to-world connections. Explain how text-to-world connections help you to understand a story because you can relate it to what is happening in our world right now. Text –to -world connections also help you to make predictions,

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 9: Text to world connections


understand the characters and become very involved in the story.


Today at independent reading, I would like you to record your connections on post-its as you are reading. At the end of independent reading, sort your connections into three columns. What do you notice?

Conference Points

• Tell me about the connections you are making between these books

• Which connections help you to understand the text?

Share/ Reinforce

How did your connections help you as a reader today? Add to anchor chart:

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 10: Authentic versus tangential connections



Text: A Chair For My Mother Level: Elementary


We have been talking about different kinds of connections. I have noticed that some of the connections you are making help you understand the story while other connections do not. Good readers focus on connections that help them understand the story. Introduce the Text: A Chair for My Mother Today I am going to read A Chair for My Mother and record our connections on this class chart. After we are done we will look through the chart to see which connections helped us understand the story and which did not. At the end of reader’s workshop, we will figure out some important ideas for making meaningful connections.


Read aloud A Chair for my Mother and model several meaningful connections. For Example: p. 1 – “When I finish, Josephine says, “Good Work, honey,” and pays me. – This reminds me of when I earn money. I feel very proud. I think this girl felt proud when she earned money at the diner. Also make a few tangential connections: For Example: p. 3 – “Whenever she gets a good bargain on tomatoes or bananas…” – This reminds me of when I go to the grocery store and buy bananas. Elicit connections from the students. Once the story is completed, reread the list of connections and choose one to discuss why it is a helpful connection. This connection was helpful because now I understand…

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 10: Authentic versus tangential connections


Choose another connection and explain how it is NOT helpful. This connection doesn’t help me understand the story… It has nothing to do with the story.


Ask students to reread the list with a partner and choose two connections from the class chart:

1. Choose one helpful connection from the chart. Discuss how the connection helps the reader to understand the text.

2. Choose a connection that is not from the chart. Discuss why this connection isn’t helpful.

Ask a few students to share their ideas.


Today at independent reading, I would like you to record your connections on post-its. At the end of independent reading, I will ask you to look closely at your connections and figure out which ones were helpful in understanding the story better and which were not.

Conference Points

• Let’s take a look at the connections you have made. What do you notice?

• Let’s read a bit and tell each other our connections.

• Which of your connections helped you to understand the story?

Share/ Reinforce

Ask: What did you notice about the connections that helped you? What did you notice about your connections that weren’t helpful? Summarize the students’ ideas on the anchor chart:

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 11: Using your knowledge of genre to help you comprehend the text



Text: Diary of a Wombat


We have learned how good readers activate their schema before they read so that they are able to make connections. Good readers think about what they know about a topic before they begin reading. Today I want to teach you about another type of schema that you have and you can use it to help you understand the story better and remember it longer. There are different kinds of “schema” to use. One way to use schema is to think about what we know about the topic, but another way is to think about what you know what they know about the type of book we are going to read. This is called using our schema about genre. Introduce the Text


Let me show you how. As I look at this story and think about the title, my mind is already thinking about what I know this type of book, the genre. My guess is that this book is probably fictional –not true. I know that in fiction books, there are almost always characters, a setting, a problem and a solution. When I read this book, I am going to think about the story elements and they will help me to understand the text. Add these ideas to the Anchor chart: When good readers think about the type of book they are reading, it makes reading easier. The reader is able to make better predictions, understand the characters deeply and remember the text longer.

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 11: Using your knowledge of genre to help you comprehend the text


Read and identify characters, setting, problem and solution. As you find story elements, show kids the words in the text that helped you to find them. REPEAT this lesson with several different books. Gradually release responsibility in several different ways until the children begin to use this skill when reading independently. Once kids have a schema for fiction.


• Read a different book with a small group and have them practice thinking about the story elements as they read.

• Read a book aloud and have students turn and talk throughout the lesson. Ask students to discuss the story elements with their partners.

• Have students read a book with a partner and use post-it notes to record their thinking.


• Have students try to think about the story elements as they are reading a picture book from their independent reading bag.

• Have students record their connections on post-it notes.

• Have students complete a story map • Have students write about how they used

their schema when reading.

Conference Points

• Tell me about the connections you are making as you are reading today.

• Tell me about your schema for this story. What do you know about this genre? What do you know about this topic?

• How are you using your schema as you are reading?

Share/ Reinforce

• Have students share how their schema about the topic or the genre helped them to understand the story.

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 12: Schema changes as we read



Text: Stellaluna Level: Elementary


Yesterday we learned how to use our schema about the topic and the genre to help us understand the story better and remember it longer. Today I want to show you how you can actually build your schema as you are reading. The more schema you have as a reader, the easier it is to read. Introduce the text.


Let me show you how I build my schema. As I am reading, I am going to talk about the ways my schema is growing and changing. My schema about bat, the topic is going to change and my schema about fiction, the genre, might grow. Look at the cover. This is about bats. My schema about bats is_______________. This book is fiction. My schema for fiction is_________________________. Record your ideas on a two-column chart: My schema before Reading/My Schema after reading. e.g. page 1. My schema for fruit bats is already changing. I didn’t know that baby bats can clutch their mother when the mom is flying. e.g. My schema helped me on this



page. I know that fiction books have a problem and in this book, Stellaluna’s problem is that she gets lost.


After modeling several times, ask the students to share how their schema is changing. Explain to the students that each person’s schema is different, so our schemas will expand in different ways and at different times.


Today at independent reading, I would like you to think about how your schema is growing as you are reading. Before you begin reading your new books today, please record your schema in the column that says, My Schema Before Reading. Then as you are reading and after you finish, please write down how your schema has changed.

Conference Points

• Tell me about how your schema is changing as you are reading this book.

• Tell me about your schema for this story. What do you know about this genre? What do you know about this topic?

• How are you using your schema as you are reading?

Share/ Reinforce

Please tell us how your schema changed as you were reading today. Please remember to read us the part in the text that made your schema change.



12a My Schema Before I Began Reading My Schema During/After Reading

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 13: Building schema for authors



Swimmy and Fish is Fish, By Leo Lionni Choose an author that is appropriate for your grade level.

Use read aloud time to immerse students in Leo Lionni’s books.


We have been talking about how readers use their schema before they read. Readers use lots of different kinds of schema. They use their schema about the topic of the book, about the genre and even about the author. Today I want to teach you how to build your schema for an author. When we build our schema for an author we read lots and lots of books by that author and then we think about what are the similarities between these books. We already know that when we find similarities in books we are making text to text connections. Introduce the author and the text.


Let me show you how I build my schema for an author. When I want to build my schema I begin to compare the different books the author has written. We have already read Fish is Fish. Now let’s read Swimmy and make text-to-text connections between the two stories. Record ideas on the Venn Diagram. When we have a lot of schema for an author it makes reading so much easier. It helps us to make predictions and to understand the author’s big ideas. It gives our minds (brains) ideas about what to expect the story to be like.


Pause when you get to the page where Swimmy sees a school of little fish that are afraid. Ask the students if they have any new schema about Leo Lionni.

Provide independent Today at independent reading, I would like

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 13: Building schema for authors


practice. Remind students before they go off to read. “When you go to I.R. try…”

you to work with a partner to read a book by Leo Lionni. As you are reading this book record and you discover more about our author Leo Lionni, record your ideas on the Venn Diagram.

Conference Points

• What is your schema for this author? • How does your schema for this author

help you as a reader? • Tell me how you are building schema for

this author. • Take me to a place in the text where you

noticed something similar about the two books.

Share/ Reinforce

Who would like to share what they learned about Leo Lionni? Create an Anchor Chart: Our Schema for Leo Lionni

The characters are animals The stories have a problem. The stories teach the reader a

lesson.

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 14: Using your schema for an author to help you understand the text



Text: Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse, Leo Lionni


Yesterday we learned how to build our schema for an author. When we begin a story we think about what we know about the topic, the genre and what we know about the author, we are using our schema to understand the story deeply. Today we are going to learn how our schema about the topic, genre and author help understand the story.


Before I begin reading Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse I am going to think about my schema for the topic, the genre and for the author. I know that Leo Lionni often writes about animals, so I predict that the main characters are going to be animals. I am thinking he is going to teach us a lesson like in Fish is Fish and Swimmy. Continue reading and modeling how your schema is helping you to understand the story by helping us by make predictions and ask questions.


Read a few pages and stop and ask students to make some predictions about what will happen next. Ask students to explain how they used their schema to help them make a prediction or ask a question.

Provide independent practice. Please read a new Leo Lionni book

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 14: Using your schema for an author to help you understand the text


Remind students before they go off to read. “When you go to I.R. try…”

with a partner. As you are reading, stop and think about the predictions you are making. Write 2 or 3 predictions or questions on the chart and then write how your schema helped you to make these predictions/questions

Conference Points

Tell me about your predictions

Why did you make that prediction?

How did your schema help you to make that prediction?

What were you wondering while reading?

How did your schema help you read this book?

Share/ Reinforce

Who would like to share some of the predictions that were made and how their schema about the author helped them to make these predictions?

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 15: Text to text connections – understanding the author



Text: Some Birthday – My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother, Patricia Polacco Books for Partnerships: Preselected by the teacher. Level: Elementary


Yesterday, we talked about text-to-text connections and we focused on how we can make connections between the characters in different stories. Today I want to show you how we can make text-to-text connections about the theme in a piece of text or even the writing style of an author. Text-to-text connections can really help us to understand an author’s message (theme) in text. Introduce the new text. (One piece of text should have been read during a previous lesson.)


Watch me as I read this text. Since both of these stories were written by Patricia Polacco, I am going to make text-to-text connections that help me understand the themes of her books and learn a little bit more about her as an author. Read text aloud and share your connections between the two books. Remember to focus on the themes. As I read, Some Birthday, I think I have a text-to-text connection with My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother. In My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother, Patricia and Richie are always competing and it seems like Richie doesn’t really like his sister. But at the end, we realize that Richie loves his sister and he shows that by taking care of her when she falls. I wonder if the theme in Some Birthday is similar. I think Patricia Polacco is trying to tell us that people have different ways of showing love. I wonder if one of themes in Patricia Polacco’s books is that family members show their love in the little things they do, not in just what they give us.

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 15: Text to text connections – understanding the author



Ask students to share their text-to-text connections as you are reading. Encourage students to talk about the themes in the books Ask students to partner read two books by the same author and to record their text to text connections on the Venn Diagram.


Today at independent reading, I would like you to compare two books and make your own text to text connections

Conference Points

• Tell me about the connections you are making between these books

• How does that connection help you to understand the characters, plot and themes in these stories.

Share/ Reinforce

Let’s share a few of our text-to-text connections. How does making text-to-text connections help you as a reader? Add to anchor chart: Ways to Make Connections

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 16: Building schema for an author – culminating activity


Title of Text: Lesson Plan: Notes to Build Next Lesson

Select the materials. Choose a text that supports the strategy.

Baskets of books by 4 different authors. Should include a range of authors

Complete this lesson once children have finished a class author study.


We have worked hard as a class to build our schema about Leo Lionni and we have figured out a lot about how he writes his books. Good readers build their schema each time they read. Sometimes they read books on the same topic, and the same genre to build schema and sometimes they read books by the same author so that they can learn more about the way that author writes.


Let me show you how I build my schema. If I wanted to build my schema for Tomie dePaola’s books, I would begin by reading two of his books and thinking about what is the same about these books. (text-to-text connections) Model how you read both books and then add ideas to the Venn diagram.

Make sure to tell the students that the middle of the Venn Diagram will show their schema for the author.


Today I want you to work with a small group of students to build your schema about another author. Good readers often read several books by one author. As they do this the reading becomes easier because they have so much schema for that author.

Unit of Study – Schema Grades 1-2 Anchor Lesson 16: Building schema for an author – culminating activity


Conference Points

What have you learned about your author?

What text-to-text connections are you making?

Show me where you made that connection.

Tell me about your author.

Share/ Reinforce

Please share two different ideas you learned about your author today. Please make sure you tell us the author’s name and the books you read.

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