Tennessee Common Core Reading Unit for Grades K-1: Life Cycles

Tennessee Common Core Reading Unit for Grades K-1: Life Cycles. The goal of this unit is to teach kindergarten and first grade students to read closely and critically in order to comprehend complex informational text. In this unit, the teacher uses a variety of strategies, including a multi‐sensory approach, to actively engage students in analyzing vocabulary, answering text‐dependent questions and creating diagrams. Students learn to take collaborative notes using a graphic organizer and to use those notes to develop a deeper understanding of the text through the creation of a class book. Discussion and writing exercises help students to construct meaning of the text in a way that “sticks.”

PDF icon Tennessee Common Core Reading Unit for Grades K-1: Life Cycles

Unit Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Understanding
Extension suggestions: 

Extension Idea: Teachers may choose to create a list on chart paper of the types of insects named in the texts. This list can serve as a reference for students when writing. Advanced students could write the list themselves. A sample chart is provided below.

Extension Ideas: Several extension activities can be done to help students better understand this text or to challenge students.

  • Teachers may want to make a list (T‐chart) of the living and non‐living things mentioned in this text. First grade students may be able to write their own lists. A sample T‐chart is included below.
  • Teachers can choose one of the examples in the text to create a flow map. For example, they could begin with honeybees landing on flower, gathering pollen, going to another flower and resulting in pollination. A sample flow map is included below. For first grade or advanced students, they could create the flow map on their own.
  • Students can act out or pantomime one of the processes described in the text. For example, they could act out being the honeybee and going from flower to flower during the pollination process.

Extension Ideas: Several extension activities can be done to help students better understand this text or to challenge students.

  • Teachers can choose one of the examples in the text to create a diagram. For example, students could make a diagram of a hive and label the parts and various types of bees inside.
  • Students can act out or pantomime one of the colonies described in the text. For example, several students could act out the ant nest by pantomiming the different actions/roles of the ants.

Additional extension Ideas: The class book can be written, typed or duplicated by the teacher. Students can add illustrations to each page. In first grade, teachers may decide to have each student write an individual book. If students write an individual book, students will be able to choose his/her own opinion statement. Students can also be encouraged to type their writing on a computer.

References

Citations: 

Sources:

Originator: 
Tennessee Department of Education