Grade+3+Collaboration

// We will use this space to keep track of our work together during team collaborations. Members are free to include comments, insights, add content, etc. Click edit to add content. //

__**September 20, 2012**__
Present: Monica, Leanne, Scott, Joan, Susan

Purpose of our Collaborative Meeting Together
The 4 P's of Collaboration We want our collaborative time and conversation to encompass the following P’s:
 * __Purpose__ – a focus in student learning that is results -oriented and data driven
 * __Practice__ - discussing and sharing instructional best practices
 * __Participation__ - each member of the team engaged in accountable talk, sharing ideas, present and prepared for meetings
 * __Product__ - making student work the focus of our collaborative efforts

APPR- Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s)
Everyone has set up their eDoctrinia account SLO for both ELA and math. Class list have been establish with student given a score (2-4) to rate their progress toward the learning objective. We will look at the rational, learning standards, baseline, etc a future meeting to make sure SLO is complete and ready for approval.
 * //Note: We will be using the Words Their Way- Spelling inventory as the assessment to measure student growth in ELA. Classroom will give the eVisions Math pre- test for math//

Assessment
Note: Work to complete assessment and submit information to Sheryl by October 3rd.
 * Complete September Baseline writing prompt- evaluate using this CCSS rubric for narrative-[[file:2011 CC WRITING RUBRIC 3rd Gr. Narrative.pdf]]
 * CCSS expects narrative writing, augument /opinion/persuasive writing and information writing- we look at implication for third grade writer's workshop at future meetings

**CAS/ Intervention- Grade Level Meetings**
As we transiton to our District-wide Comprehensive Assessment System (CAS) the importance of managing our interventions for students not at grade level expectations will take on even greater importance. To help build the capacity in teachers to conduct and manage these interventions, Margaret Connolly will be meeting with grade level teams and the interventionist working with that grade level to introduce and explain the component of a comprehensive intervention model and the process of developing focused plans. For 3rd grade, this meeting will take place this Tuesday, September 25th from 11:10-12:00 pm in the conference room. Teachers will have a substitute covering your classes at that time.


 * PIP**- We will not be schedule PIP this year in grade 3. We will see if similar health and wellness lesson can be taught by Sal

**2012 ELA Assessment Results- Reflection**
Only 38% of students met the NYS on the ELA. High 2- 653-661 (9 students) Possible factors influencing results: Test organization- multiple choice, stamina, writing, text readability

__**Factor/practices to consider for this year related to CCSS-**__

__CCSS 10- Read and comprehend both literary and information text independently and proficiently- stamina__
 * build/maintain quality classroom library with a range and variety of text-ensure students find material of interest
 * make sure students are reading for extended period of time daily (across content areas- genre)
 * make sure students access text they can read with success- “just right books”
 * get to know students as readers- pinpoint strengths and instructional needs (CAS/ Intervention process)
 * provide students with many opportunities to talk about their reading and thinking during the day- who’s doing all the talking? Are student extending their thinking beyond themselves and participating in discourse (more effective interactive read aloud)

__Teach and reinforce comprehension strategies through shared reading, conferring and small group instruction.__ Focus on making meaning and understanding-
 * activating prior knowledge
 * making connections
 * questioning
 * determining importance
 * envisioning
 * inferring
 * synthesizing

__Focus on Executive Functions__ (organization and memory issues)
 * Organizing, prioritizing and activating for tasks
 * Focusing, sustaining and shifting attention to task
 * Regulating alertness, sustaining effort and processing speed
 * Managing frustration and modulating emotions
 * Utilizing working memory and accessing recall
 * Monitoring and self-regulating action

__**October 12, 2012**__
Present: Monica, Kerri, Scott, Susan


 * Review Upcoming Calender**- Look at schedule for professional development, collaborative meetings, etc. Set agenda for 10/22 Small Team Mtg


 * Other Topics**
 * __Can the Science test be read?__ We are measuring science content/skill not reading. The 3rd grade pre-test had lots of unknown vocabulary making it difficult for students to navigate. Scott response- Students should not have the assessment read to them unless they are entitled to test accomodations. I believe we ultimately put students at a disadvantage if we read these test to them (i.e. the NYS Grade 4 Science test cannot be read aloud). That being said it is essential that teachers have access to the end of unit assessments before they start teaching the unit. If there is any language or vocabulary in the unit that is challenging this can then be taught to students. Keep in mind while unit test are summative in nature these assessment can also shape future instruction. If students are having difficulty navigating a test of this nature we can design learning experiences for them during the units to address their needs.
 * __Standards and Assessment Parent Meeting- October 25th__- We will plan on meeting with parent to provide an overview of the common core standards, share examples of the rigor of the revised assessments in ELA and Math and discuss the state assessment process. The main focus of the conversation will be on practical things we can do to help students find success on these assessment. We will try to keep this meeting to 60 minutes. Scott will send flyer home on Monday. Sue is not available but Monica is. Kerri is welcome to assist. Scott will check with Joan as to her availability.


 * Team Inquiry**- How we can more effectively use the Interactive Read Aloud to increase accountable talk and our student's ability to think more critically about text? How can we use the interactive read aloud to increase student ability to write about reading?
 * Click to view a lesson planning template. There are two styles to choose from- [[file:Interactive Read Aloud Critical Lense Template.doc]] [[file:Interactive Read Aloud Thinking & Planning Guide.pdf]]
 * Team shared interactive reading aloud lesson plan and discussed student reaction to the experience. Susan share the text- __Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie__, Monica and Kerri discuss the book- __Encounter__. Critical lenses were identified for each book shared.
 * Team would like to begin to experiment with writing about reading on Day 5 of the interactive read aloud cycle. This was shared by Ginny Lockwood at a session at the Summer Institute that both Susan and Monica attended. The focus is to get students to transfer the quality thinking of the read aloud to the independent book. Students seem to be comprehending text on a very superficial level. They need to dig deeper first through talk then in their writing about the text. Monica referred to the 4- T's.


 * APPR- Review Observation Process-** Team members are asked to review the slide below. They will be explained in more detail on October 22

Agenda- Monday, October 22, 2012
 * Writing About Reading- Morgan will be asked to join the conversation
 * SLO's
 * Unit of Study- November
 * APPR- Overview the observation process

__Monday, October 22, 2012__
Present: Morgan, Monica, Susan, Jackie, Kerri, Joan

Focus: > **Step 3:** Continue work with talk and job, with a focus on talking off of the jots. **Step 4:** Move from jotting to writing short about an idea.
 * __Writing About Reading__**
 * Conversations- Everyone talks
 * Take the next two weeks to teach students about everyone having a role in a conversation
 * Four basic talk behaviors to support-initiates, responds, clarifies, and expands (may want to create a chart to highlight roles and the important role of listening)
 * Goal: Get the conversation going and keep it going about things that matter
 * Continuum of talk skills- say nothing, say anything, say something that relates, say something, and say something that adds
 * Must teach students to restate partners statement- So what you're saying is..... Yes, she is.... I agree because....
 * Talk expands meaning- without talk, we can't write
 * Chapter 9 pg. 116 in __Conferring with Readers.__ The chapter is titled Improving Student Conversation
 * After talk, and jotting- teacher models how to jot- naturally just jot and don't say anything to kids
 * **Step 1**: 2 to 3 weeks of just talk. **Step 2**: the next 2 to 3 weeks of jotting. When has a kid has something to say or is ready to burst, have them jot.
 * Model how to start a conversation off of their sticky. Use your sticky notes to model.
 * In another 3 weeks, move from jot to writing. This will happen on Day 5. Be careful of modeling the writing. Model your writing what you would say based on your post it. Then have the students go back and try it.
 * Students shouldn't be doing post-its until middle to end of October. Before they write on a post-it, have them flag pages with small stick notes. The goal is to have them flag the text and talk about it. Must model how to flag a text.
 * Discussed times when to stop and flag: new character, end of page, when something important happens to the character
 * When to stop, when to talk: When to stop, when to talk. Spend 2 days on how to have a conversation
 * Question: Are assessments at the beginning of the year interfering with teaching?

__**Talk & Writing About Reading PowerPoints:**__

__**Follow-Up:**__ At the collaboration meeting, on November 22, please bring 1 read aloud text, its lesson plan and the stickies created as a result of thinking. Stickies can either be teacher or student generated. Be prepared to discuss how the first three weeks went and whether or not you're seeing students' comfort level and abilities with post-its increasing.

__Tuesday, November 13, 2012__
Present: Monica, Susan, Kerri, Frank, and Scott

All the 3rd graders were given this problem to solve independently- //"Carolina kayaked down the Hudson River for 4 days. She paddled 6 miles each morning and 9 miles each afternoon. How many total miles did Carolina paddle on her kayak trip?//
 * Math Problem Solving**

Looking at the CCSS- What math did students need to use to solve the problem? What skill did they need control over? Reviewed CCSS mathematical practices related to the problem 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4. Model with mathematics. 5. Use appropriate tools strategically. 6. Attend to precision. 7. Look for and make use of structure. 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

**Reviewed student work**- Students that got the problem correct, those that almost got it right, those that needed more assistance __Observations__-
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">13/60 got the problem correct
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">It was evident there was some understanding of what the question was asking
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Used different methods to solve problem (i.e. tallys, open number lines, diagrams, pictures)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Many translated the words into math
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Most understood it was a two-step problem
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Some students boxed critical information in the problem before solving
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Unit were often labelled
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Many were able to complete the first step of the problem
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Students that answered incorrectly need to stop and think is the answer reasonable (i.e. some confusion with mile and days)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">During the process students were busy and tried to find the answer

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next Step- Where to go from here.. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students must be able to:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> read independently and navigate the language of the problem (flexible use of the language to identify the operations, etc.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">know what they are looking for.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">talk about how they understand what the problem is asking them to do.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Solve multi-step problem with and without distracting information.

Provide daily practice in problem solving during regular exposure to the unit content. Web resource for lesson example- [|learnzillion] Math message to talk about math, how numbers work, and how problem can be solved Utilize the communal problem solving method shared at the Superintendent's Conference Day
 * Teachers should pick another common problem to solve within the next month and have students work in small groups to show how they answered the problem. Compare strategies, post chart outside the classroom

__Wednesday, November 21, 2012__
Present: Monica, Susan, Kerri, Morgan, and Scott

__**Launching the Shared Reading Coaching Cycle**__ __Schedule__- Reviewed the coaching schedule (pre-brief and coaching in the schedule). Nikki will cover classroom for pre-brief. Teachers report to Morgan's room for the pre-brief.
 * Week 1- Morgan teaches and shares the planning process over a 3 day period (teachers will have time to debrief during this first 3-day cycle)
 * Coaching process reviewed- teachers will continue to teach shared reading with selected piece for the week when not being coached throughout the cycle.
 * Morgan will take notes during lesson and leave them with teachers after the lesson when possible.
 * Week 2 and 3- We plan and you teach
 * Week 4- You plan and you teach

__Shared Reading- Big 5__ __Note__: All teaching points informed by data Use the Shared Reading Template A (see the literacy tab in the wiki)
 * 1) Accurate, efficient repeated fluent reading of a variety of text/genre
 * 2) Sharing the work both reading and meaning making
 * 3) Gradual release
 * 4) High levels of participation
 * 5) Explicit teaching point and implicit teaching point

Next Meeting: Monday, November 26, 2012 AGENDA __**Writing about Reading Follow-up**__ __**Present: Monica, Morgan,Kerri,Jackie M., Joan,Susan**__

Kerri- nice conversation, working on bringing items to rug, during read aloud, on-topic, Kerri has filmed her students during conversation working on jotting, creating puzzle pieces to come up with a theory on character Susan- jotting from books that students have read during read aloud Growing opinions, theories then working on supporting from text Monica- very modeled during read aloud, writing together on jotting, using puppets for conversation, going to have 2 days a week for writing about reading during writer's workshop Morgan- shared unit of study - Readers Deepen their Understanding of Text through Conversation and Writing (meant to be on going throughout year) Best place to teach is during Int. Read Aloud and hopefully see the transfer during Reader's Workshop Indicator 1/2 would most likely happen during day 1 and 2 of reading. Indicator 3/4 would be on "Day 5" Work needs to be slow and methodical so that it eventually sticks. Scott- They need to write a lot more quickly. Joan- focus is to teach students that their ideas are important and can be shared through talk,jotting,writing Sift and sort post-its according to which ones Keep you going vs. Keep your thinking growing Purpose of jot is to further talk, and/or writing Read alouds- mostly picture books, focus on books with strong character, next start to read non-fiction as read aloud to get ready for next unit of study
 * be sure we work on talk, then post-it and then write it
 * sort them
 * choose one
 * write about one that is your best

__Wednesday, January 16, 2013__
Present: Monica, Susan, Morgan, and Scott

__Announcements__ January- Evidence of Learning Will do the end of unit task developed with Ginny at the end of the month. Team need to be collecting other evidence for the other indicator to evaluate students. While it is critical to break the indicator down into smaller teaching points, the teaching points listed in the unit could be altered. The focus is the larger indicator or learning goal. The team looked at the second indicator to gain better insight into the scaffolded teaching points.

__Interactive Read Aloud__ Susan and Monica have experienced Morgan modeling text, Kerri is schedule for this week. Close reading is...
 * Paying attention
 * Stopping and talking, finding the theme
 * Hanging on to the literal

Looking at the Components:
 * Complex text... text open for interpretation, "meaty," has more than one theme.
 * Line of Inquiry- Theme leads us to a line of questions which leads us to theme with our students (be limited in the number of themes)
 * Layering the questions- Literal is there to keeps students grounded in the text. Give all students access to the questions or line of inquiry; inferential- give you the interpretation- the deep thinking, "reading between the lines" students must support answers from evidence in the text; unanswerable- brings it to the reader's life and their world- about connections- its bigger than the book.
 * Interaction with Text- Teachers thinking aloud, pause and quiet, turn and talk. An interaction does not need to be a question. Often an interaction leads to a question.
 * Reflection on the conversation/ line of inquiry- wrapping up the story- having the kid get some take away; Day 1- What is the story about to that point? Day 2- The big take away- Remember the theme leads to take away.

Note when planning- Use lenses to analyze the text- Theme/lines of inquiry are meaning maintainers. Don't worry as much about the lense but consider, when you think about a theme you are probably doing it through some type of lense. The lense does not need to be explicitly taught to student. The focus is more the theme. Morgan is available through teacher response time to assist with planning.

__**Monday January 28, 2013**__
Present: Monica, Susan, and Kerri

__Math__
Looking at the Unit 4 math test Homework
 * need to still hit on extended facts (Example 30 +3)
 * need to still show how to compare 6 *1 _ 7* 0
 * need to show how to interpret tables
 * Multiples is like skip counting
 * Hitting on five domains for homework (help prepare for Math test)
 * will use envisions teacher resource masters to get homework
 * will also do morning work to hit on the five domains
 * each of us will make up word problems for homework to help with the multiplication unit

__**ELA**__
Shared Reading
 * Using 4th grade ELA practices
 * using different genres to use for shared reading

Writing
 * Day 1-3 doing persuasive writing (goes along with reading unit)
 * Days 4 and 5 show how to navigate a ELA passage (different genres weekly)
 * Day 4 did boxes and bullets and answered questions
 * Day 5 wrote about what they read about the day before

__**February 7, 2013**__
Present: Monica, Frank, Scott, and Kerri

__Timeline__

We discussed the general timeline between now and the state test with an outline of the unit to come...multiplication part 2, fractions, area, geometry and data. We also previewed some of the new concepts that will appear in these units- finding area of irregular shapes and using various visual fraction models to represent fractions

__Math- Units, Number Talk and Problem Solving__

Observations- Kerri- Friday problem solving noticing student doing better at understanding the problem and explaining the thinking. Monica- 2 step problems becoming easier- Exposing students to various common core domain questions daily. Student are good a sequencing but still challenged by explaining their thinking (the what? and why?). When you change the way the problem look or is phased, student have trouble transferring or generalization. Number Talks- Just beginning understanding and use; is time consuming need to see how to fit it in; how do we make it not so random and more connected to the current unit.

Problem Solving

Standards for Mathematical Practice (From the NYS CCSS document) The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe varieties of expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students. These practices rest on important “processes and proficiencies” with longstanding importance in mathematics education. The first of these are the NCTM process standards of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, representation, and connections. The second are the strands of mathematical proficiency specified in the National Research Council’s report //Adding It Up//: adaptive reasoning, strategic competence, conceptual understanding (comprehension of mathematical concepts, operations and relations), procedural fluency (skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently and appropriately), and productive disposition (habitual inclination to see mathematics as sensible, useful, and worthwhile, coupled with a belief in diligence and one’s own efficacy).

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4. Model with mathematics. 5. Use appropriate tools strategically. 6. Attend to precision. 7. Look for and make use of structure. 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

__Interactive Read Aloud- Update__

__January Reading Unit of Study__
 * Anchor Charts to Support the Work
 * Evidence of Learning

__**March 6, 2013**__
Present: Monica, Susan, Scott, Julie, and Kerri

__Science- Responding to Results on Science Assessments__ •Attend and focus on critical processes, skills, concepts and understandings •Consider academic rigor within a “thinking” curriculum •Activate and build background knowledge •Address the language and structure of the test and questions •Teach note-making vs. note-taking •Use strategies to encourage flexible thinking, transfer and generalization •Address executive functioning skills see notes-

Purpose of the science notebook- •Generate and record areas of inquiry •Make notes and observations •Reflect on inquires and observations •Communicate understanding of science concepts. •Demonstrate learning non-linguistically (i.e. visuals such as drawings, tables, graphs, charts, or models) •Integrate literacy and mathematics •A place for teacher to provide students with feedback on their learning.

**Monday March 18, 2013**

 * Present: Monica, Susan, Morgan and Kerri**


 * talked about shared reading with the test prep unit
 * 3 day cycle and one 2 day cycle
 * Day 1- preview, read questions, and mark up text
 * Day 2- show how to go back and forth between text and questions
 * Day 3- Evaluate markings, short responses, etc


 * Discussed rubric for the New York State test (short response question)
 * How to get points on a short response (must use evidence and your own thinking to get full credit)
 * Copying the text won't get any credit
 * talked about materials to use for the test prep unit
 * got 4th grade materials to aid this reading unit


 * talked about giving the NYS practice math test
 * printed the common core math test
 * will give some questions for morning work

**Monday March 25, 2013**

 * Present: Monica, Susan, and Kerri**

__Science__
 * Talked about science test on How the Sun and Earth are Connected
 * What can we do to help students do better on test? What kind of review can we do?
 * Will make a review guide to help them. Will review in class and then will send guide home.
 * The review guide will be based on all 15 days of instruction that the students received during the unit
 * Will give test on Thursday March 28, 2013

March 27, 2013
Present- Kerri, Susan, Monica, Morgan and Scott

General feedback around the big areas of literacy-
 * independent reading workshop- mini-lesson, current Unit of Study (evidence of learning),
 * guided reading,
 * shared reading and
 * interactive read aloud.

Team members share one interactive read aloud you used this month Closer look at unit of study

=**April 15, 2013**= Present: Susan, Monica, and Kerri

Report Card Conversation: what we did during quarter 3
 * math- fractions, area models, data unit, and multiplication
 * writing- book reviews and literary responses
 * reading- covered all areas now except forming opinions
 * science- water cycle and Earth's movement

Test conversation
 * mints for the test
 * plenty of pencils sharpened
 * short responses vs. extended responses (students took a lot of time to do short responses and didn't write enough for extended response)
 * taking down posters-writing and reading

April 22, 2013
Joint Meeting with Grade 2 Present: Jackie, Michelle, Jennifer, Monica, Susan, Kerri, Lindsey, Scott

__Reviewed benchmark assessments__
 * Students that are at the April standard will not need to be updated at this time but should be done before the end of the year.
 * All assessments need to be completed and put into NorthStar by June 14th. If you want the office to record data, submit this data by June 10th.
 * Spelling inventories should be completed on all students the week of June 3rd. Grade 2 teachers should give them to Amanda Johnson to score. 2nd grade teachers can administer but not score the inventory because it is part of their SLO. 3rd grade teachers can adminster and score in the inventory. The SRI will be given to students at the end of May. Teachers should make arrangements with Julie in the library.
 * Discussed the text level goals for end of year. See CAS for details as well as attached documents
 * Comprehensive Reading- [[file:Comprehensive Reading Scores Guide- Revised 2013.pdf]]
 * F&P Instructional Reading Levels- [[file:F&PInstructionalLevelExpectationsForReading.pdf]]

What might cause the changes we see in a student’s reading data over 10-week period between grade levels? •Possible lack of reliability in the administration and scoring the assessments. •Summer regression (10 weeks w/o instruction and limited or no independent reading at home) •Students not secure in the reading behaviors at a given level (fragile) in June. Not really independent at a given level.

__How to best define if a student reading at an independent level.__ Answer these questions:
 * 1) Have they read broadly across that level?
 * 2) Can can they read fiction and non-fiction as well with accuracy, fluency, and strong comprehension?
 * 3) Is their writing coming along (matched or close to their reading level)?

__Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment__ Grade 2- Stop assessment if student can read instructionally at Level 0

Grade 3- Stop assessment if student can read instructionally at Level R

Closer look at the F&P
 * Observe a student being assessed
 * Examine their oral reading of text (running record)
 * Decide on a fluency score
 * Decide how we would score their comprehension conversation. Analyze the conversation.
 * Discuss any considerations for testing and scoring (scoring key, key understanding, prompts, etc. )
 * Examine and score their writing about reading

May 16, 2013
Present: Monica, Susan, Kerri, Morgan, Scott

__Coaching Cycle- Mini-Lesson__ Active engagement conversation:
 * Teachers like seeing varied active engagement methods, particularly methods other than employ
 * Morgan has been using analyze and employ together to get students to deconstruct the learning goal
 * Here are a few other ideas:
 * Provide 2 books- students select which text the author was more clear in supporting the teaching point- then T&T to explain why
 * Provide another book & give students the theme - ask students to select 3 times when the author really supported the theme... T&T to explain why
 * Provide 2 lines of post-its (3-4 post-its in each line)- select which is the stronger line of thinking- T&T to explain why

__Looking at the current reading unit of study__ What task can we have students do to show evidence of learning of the final indicator?
 * Task: Choose one book you read this month, explain the author's central message from the book, then explain how this message will change the way you think or act. (create organizer for students)

Reviewed the differences between theme and author's central message- how do we best illustrate this with kids ( i.e. Wizard of Oz example)

Anchor charting- different types of charts. Lot of good suggestions. Good resource- __Smarter Charts__ Charts should be used flexibly over the course of the unit by the reader. Where does the chart or taught skill fit in to where I am as a reader (charts are resources. Remember the mini-lesson TP or work may not be the work the readers is using that day. It would depend on where they are in their reading. Students need to be using all the TP learned cummulatively not just the TP taught that day. The learning is continuous.

__Next Unit of Study- Research in the Content Area__ Immersion- Begin May 24th Possible topic based on resources- rainforest, African animals, butterflies, plants Use shared reading to expose students to article found on the Internet Key- Students need to learn to ask questions, research, ask question, research, (cycle of inquiry). Re- search implies to look in multiple places to find the answers). Student will be experience the inquiry process. Look at broad topics- students then develop individual questions. Students could research on a topic with partners.

Modeling research during the unit- Monica shared example- big topic- mammals-- look more into monkey's and gorrillas- ask questions, explore/research. Use the topic book/books for the interactive read aloud (start reading these books now). Maybe find an article on monkey's or gorillas for shared reading.

Parts of the unit-
 * 1) Asking question
 * 2) Finding information (search for answers)
 * 3) New Understanding