Writing a cooperative paragraph
Albuquerque teacher Ali Nava walks her students through a cooperative paragraph summarizing the beginning, middle, and end of Burro's Tortillas and uses the exercise as an opportunity to practice their writing skills.
Writing a cooperative paragraph
In this classroom clip, Albuquerque teacher Ali Nava leads her students through a written summary of the story by writing a cooperative paragraph.
Standards
Reading Standards for Literature (K-5)
- Ask and answer such questions about key details of a text. (RL 1.1)
- Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson. (RL 1.2)
- Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. (RL 1.3)
- Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, settings or events. (RL 1.7)
- Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details of a text. (RL 2.1)
- Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. (RL 2.2)
- Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. (RL 2.3)
- Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. (RL 2.7)
Speaking and Listening Standards (K-5)
- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (SL 1.1)
- Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. (SL 1.2)
- Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. (SL 1.4)
- Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. (SL 1.5)
- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts. (SL 2.1)
- Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. (SL 2.2)
- Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. (SL 2.4)
- Add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. (SL 2.5)
Language Standards (K-5)
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (L 1.2)
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (L 2.2)
Writing Standards (K-5)
- Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. (W 1.3)
- Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events. (W 2.3)
Discussion Questions
- What differences do you see in the standards from one grade to the next?
- How would you modify this Grade 1 lesson if you wanted to use it with Grade 2 students?
Lesson Summary
Ali Nava is an elementary teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico and a member of the first-grade cadre in our Common Core in Albuquerque project.
In this video, Ali walks her students through a cooperative paragraph summarizing Burro's Tortillas, a southwestern adaptation of the classic folk tale "The Little Red Hen." She also uses the exercise as an opportunity to review standard conventions of English such as spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
Things to watch for:
- Clearly stated lesson objectives
- Explicit attention focused on the beginning, middle, and end of the story
- The use of small group work to foster interaction and oral language development
- The use of flash cards, songs, and a word wall to scaffold student learning
- The use of written "mistakes" to prompt student correction of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization
- Opportunities to explain the rules and tools being used in the activity
- Review of specific details such as character, plot, and dialogue from the story
More Watch & Learn video with Ali Nava
Alignment to Common Core Standards
Reading Standards for Literature (K-5)
- Ask and answer such questions about key details of a text. (RL 1.1)
- Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson. (RL 1.2)
- Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. (RL 1.3)
- Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, settings or events. (RL 1.7)
- Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details of a text. (RL 2.1)
- Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. (RL 2.2)
- Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. (RL 2.3)
- Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. (RL 2.7)
Speaking and Listening Standards (K-5)
- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (SL 1.1)
- Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. (SL 1.2)
- Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. (SL 1.4)
- Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. (SL 1.5)
- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts. (SL 2.1)
- Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. (SL 2.2)
- Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. (SL 2.4)
- Add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. (SL 2.5)
Language Standards (K-5)
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (L 1.2)
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (L 2.2)
Writing Standards (K-5)
- Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. (W 1.3)
- Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events. (W 2.3)
Discussion Questions
- What differences do you see in the standards from one grade to the next?
- How would you modify this Grade 1 lesson if you wanted to use it with Grade 2 students?
Lesson Plan/Materials
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