Close Reading with Icons of Depth and Complexity: Level 2

One of my most popular posts has been in regards to how I use the Icons of Depth and Complexity within a frame in conjunction with Close Reading.  Since that post, I have used the same strategy with several passages of fiction and non fiction literature with my 5th and 6th graders, but have amped it up a bit with some additional strategies using the icons and incorporating VAPA standards into the lesson. So these are the new and improved directions using the Gettysburg Address as an sample lesson. If you are interested in the simplified version, go here to my original post.

1. To begin with I introduced the Gettysburg Address by analyzing 2 different pictures relating to the actual event and students recorded these ideas on the Photo Analysis Worksheet provided by the National Archives. I also did this when analyzing the poem "The Road not Taken," by Robert Frost. I just found a picture of forest with a forked path. It was fantastic.


2. After analyzing the photos, we then listened to and read along with the Gettysburg Address, for the pure pleasure of listening.

3. Then using the frame, students listened to the Gettysburg address again, and highlighted terms that were either unknown, unfamiliar, or a student was unsure of a term's meaning in context. Students then selected 3 terms and recorded them in the Language of the Discipline section of the frame. This is where differentiation comes into play, student self selected terminology is specific to each student's needs.
         From there, we recorded the terms as a whole group and decided on the Part of Speech of each terms based on its suffix or prefix pattern or it's placement within the context of the sentence. Here is a free frame at my TPT store.

Students then used their resources to define the meaning of the words and recorded the meanings next to the terms in the frame.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

4. We then choral read the passage again and students then recorded any unanswered questions students had regarding the passage's meaning or the actual event. Here again, students self selected their questions, further differentiating for student's individualized needs. We then spent a few days learning about the Gettysburg Address using several resources, to include some Primary Sources such as this picture taken the day of the event and a newspaper article written about Abraham Lincoln giving his speech in 1863 found at the Library of Congress website. Because students had selected their own unanswered questions, they were motivated to search for answers with the resources I provided and through their own selected resources. 

                                     

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.1

5. We then created Tableaus in groups, with each group focusing on one section of the speech to further enhance comprehension of the passage. Students were very engaged. If you are not familiar with Tableaus, it is not essential to the Close Reading, but it certainly helps students take abstract concepts and make them meaningful.

We also used Ozobots to incorporate coding into the lesson, but again, not an essential component of the Close Reading, but it helped students discuss language meaning and how to represent it with concrete representations.

                                       

6. As students found the answers to their unanswered questions, they recorded the answers in their frames. I also had them record details they found meaningful aside from their original unanswered questions. This provided differentiation as students who found the topic fascinating, included more details in the frame.
7. Then students highlight repeated words in the passage. They found that the words "nation" "honor" and "men" were repeated. From those repeated words, they attempted to come up with the Big Idea of the passage using the repeated words in their sentence (repeated terms highlighted in purple).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

8. Finally, I provided the students with this graphic organizer focusing on the "purpose" of the Gettysburg Address. The question I wanted students to answer was "What was Abraham's Lincoln purpose for writing the Gettysburg Address?" Students wrote the Big Idea in the triangle pediment of the the organizer, then were asked to support their reasons with evidence from the sources we researched using Evidence Based Terms. We then used RACER strategy to answer the actual questions (this was the first time we used the strategy, so the paragraphs were a little rough). 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

This whole process was completed over a period of a couple weeks. Afterwards, we analyzed the, "I have a Dream" speech by Dr. King (not public domain) using the same strategies, but the question the students addressed was, "What are the parallels between these two influential speeches?"

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.9
Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

Within this one extended activity, I almost hit every single Common Core Reading Literature in both 5th and 6th grade. I call that success! And most importantly through the repeated practice using the frame and Icons for Close Reading, students began to develop and master skills necessary to independently analyze passages and for their meaning and purpose.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.10

Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Word Work with the Icons of Depth and Complexity

Preface:

Becoming comfortable with the Icons of Depth and Complexity has taken time. Yet, every year, I always find a way to incorporate the icons into something new and find that using the icons helps me to develop lessons and activities that are meaningful and effective. So if you are still struggling, stick with it, because it will "click." Using the icons with inductive reasoning to introduce new families of Greek and Latin Roots vocabulary was definitely an "Aha" moment in my teaching career (see a sample lesson here on my blog). My students love being introduced to new words using this strategy.

I use the word lists and assessments from the book below, primarily because it saves me the hassle to organize the basic essentials to carry out a unit. While these books (she has a few) are organized and provide a few good resources per word list/root family, any teacher would need to supplement this book with practice activities. Therefore I created some graphic organizers, available at my TPT store here, to help students practice using the words and build an understanding of the root word meaning.

Learning Works Greek and Latin Roots - Grade Level 4 to 8 Paperback – April, 2004 by Trisha Callella

My Graphic Organizers on TPT

How I use the 

Icons of Depth and Complexity 

within our Daily 5 Routine

As part of our Daily 5 Word Work, students have choices to study and practice their words using the Icons of Depth and Complexity. Our typical word list consists of about 10 words each, with a review of 2 sets of words each cycle. Therefore some weeks there are 20 words, with 10 being review.

During Word Work, students need to choose words from our word list(s) to study and practice using an assortment of activities, some using the Icons of Depth and Complexity.  They understand that their goal is to perform proficient on the vocabulary assessment, therefore they need to select words for each activity with which they need practice. As part of Daily 5's philosophy, students work independently toward personalized goals, and self selecting words from a specified list, helps them to build intrinsic motivation.

#1 Student Sample: Comic Strip Language of the Discipline

After completing the initial Inductive Reasoning Vocab Lesson, I usually have students select 2 - 4 words to incorporate into a comic strip.

For this list, our Greek/Latin Root was "spec." 

This student selected respect, inspect and spectacles from the word list. This activity solely focuses on the Language of the Discipline Icon, a great place to start within the hierarchy of icons.

Later on in the week, if a student chose to complete another comic strip during Daily 5, I would require that student to use other words besides the 3 selected here. 

#2 Student Sample: Big Idea Word Sort

Another activity I use is the Big Idea Word Sort.  Students look for patterns with the list words and sort the words based on the patterns. A word may be used more than once if it follows the rule or pattern the student selected.

#3 Student Sample: Word Detective Unanswered Questions

This is a spin off of "I have/Who has," which is already provided in the book I use for my actual word lists (see above). Here the students select a word from the word list and write a series of clues for other students to use as a study resource.  After students create their clues, these can be compiled as another Word Work activity.

#4 Teacher Sample: Details Study

In this activity, students select one word and identify several components within the detail petals. Here is a sample I generated.

#5 Teacher Sample: Patterns with Prefixes and Suffixes

With this organizer, students start with a word on the word list. Then they find words that relate to that word, changing the prefix or suffix, but keeping within the original meaning of the word. Students can generate these words by adding the suffix or prefix and then checking a resource to make sure the word they created is an actual word. Here I have a sample I generated.

#6 Student Sample: Multiple Perspectives Conversations

With this activity, students select one vocabulary word. Then, they create two sentences using the word from the perspective of 2 characters, disciplinarians or people.  Here my student chose the word "abduct."  

While I find it convenient to use the printed organizer I created (here), all of these can be generated by a student themselves!

Results:

Each time I test students using the summative assessment provided in the book, as a whole, the majority of my students score with 80%-100% accuracy, with a few students scoring within the 60%-70% accuracy. More authentically, throughout the year, students are able to identify meanings of words based on their acquired knowledge of learned Greek and Latin Roots.  

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

Memorizing the Gettysburg Address

Again, my students have inspired me. 
My heart swells. 
My 6th grade students memorized the Gettysburg Address, 

and so did I.

Well, I did, but I messed up on about 8 words (out of 271). Also, I needed a kick start at two points during my recitation, which my students carefully recorded when I allowed them to assess my recitation. 

But enough about me, all 13 of my 6th grade students recited the Gettysburg Address from memory after studying it for 3 weeks, all with 95%-98% accuracy. I have a 5th/6th combination class, my 5th graders memorized the Preamble. In fact our entire 5th grade team of 90 students memorized the Preamble with 99%-100% accuracy (see my blog here about the Preamble).  But even more amazing our 6th grade team of 76 students attempted the feat of memorizing the Gettysburg Address.  Most of them accomplishing the task with only a handful of students who fell short of the goal.

When we first set forth on this task, I felt trepidatious.  I was asking my students to attempt a feat I myself had not attained. Therefore, I made a promise that I would memorize and recite the address as well.

Before starting, in collaborative groups, students completed a self guided close reading using the Icons of Depth and Complexity. Directions on how to complete this lesson is available on my blog, and the templates are available for free at my TPT store: IMS Bove.

FREE!

I gave my students time to work on memorizing their passages during Daily 5 each day and provided self assessment close worksheets for morning work. 
This bundle is available at my TPT store.

Another GREAT resource is the Gettysburg Address available for free download, a song we listened to several times, by the Bonus Point Band. Here is their free audio download of the song. Also here is the free download of their video.

Their Youtube video is available here:

I am so proud of my students, and I am inspired.

IMS Bove

  

Close Reading with Icons of Depth and Complexity: Simplified

(I am updating this strategy with a new post here, but wanted to leave these directions for those of you who are just starting out and want to use this strategy in it's simplest form). Here are the amped up directions for those interested in using this strategy with a little more meat.

Close Reading is all the rage these days. 

It's getting a lot of paparazzi attention in teaching circles.  
Or am I just late to the party?

Anyways, I am currently working on helping my 5th Graders memorize the Preamble (to the United States Constitution) and my 6th graders memorize "The Gettysburg Address."

We started with close reading strategies using a frame organizer incorporating the Icons of Depth and Complexity. If you aren't familiar with the Icons, it isn't necessary to "know" them to use this lesson. 

Download the frames here for Free from my IMS Bove TPT Store. 

Click on the picture below.

                   

1. To begin with, I had previously exposed both speeches to my class by watching informational videos on Brainpop.com and listening to the songs mentioned in my blog on this page.
2. Then I passed out the frame and asked students to highlight any unfamiliar words in the passage.

3. Afterwards, I asked them to record up to 4 of the highlighted words in the Language of the Discipline Section.
4. Then they looked up the meaning of the words. We used iPads, but be careful of the word "propositioned" in the Gettysburg Address.  

5. We then shared out our new vocabulary and discussed words that may have had multiple meanings.

6. Next the students read the passage again, this time recording any Unanswered Questions they may have encountered while reading. 

7. Afterwards, they researched the Details for the answers of least 4 questions.

8. Finally, we read the article again looking for he Big Idea of the passage. After a discussion, students recorded their ideas.

STUDENT SAMPLES

I have to say, I felt like both of these Close Reads were successful in helping the students understand the meaning of the passages, making them more comprehensible for memorization.

IMS Bove

Memorizing the Preamble to the United States Constitution

The Preamble

Maybe I didn't help this student succeed in grammar, but I did give him the opportunity to memorize the Preamble to the United States Constitution!

Back when I taught 3rd grade a few years ago, a teacher teammate suggested that we have our entire 3rd grade class to memorize the Preamble to the United States Constitution.  I thought she was crazy! 

Our entire 3rd grade class did, which at that time was about 65 pupils. 

Later when I moved back to 5th grade, knowing that my 3rd graders had accomplished this feat, I have them memorize the Preamble as well.  
Prior to jumping into the task of memorizing the Preamble with my 5th graders, I had them complete a self guided close reading using the Icons of Depth and Complexity Frame of the Preamble (available for free at my TPT). 

FREE!

Directions on how to implement this lesson are available here on my blog.

Afterwards, what is the best tool for accomplishing this task?  

Listening and singing along to "We the People" from SchoolHouse Rock.

I created some fill in practice sheets and practice cards to help students as well!
My Preamble Bundle can be purchased at my TPT store. Click Below!

IMS Bove