Grades K-2: The Wind by James Reeves
Rating: 
http://achievethecore.org/page/18/the-wind-by-james-reeves-detail-pg
Common Core Standards
Kindergarten
Reading Literature
RLK.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RLK.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
RLK.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Speaking and Listening
SLK.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
Grade 1
Reading Literature
RL1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RL1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
RL1.10 With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.
Speaking and Listening
SL1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
SL1.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Grade 2
Reading Literature
RL2.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
RL2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Speaking and Listening
SL2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
SL2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Description of Lesson
This Grade K-2 lesson plan titled “The Wind by James Reeves” from achievethecore.org has an estimated ELA/Literacy instructional time of three 30-minute sessions. The emphasis is to teach young students to read closely and critically in order to comprehend complex literary text. In this lesson sequence, the teacher uses a variety of strategies to actively engage students in searching for meaning in the figurative language and rich vocabulary of a poem. Students learn to test inferences against specific details of the text, to take three dimensional “notes” and to use those notes to more deeply understand the meaning of the poem. Discussion and a short writing exercise help students to synthesize what they have learned.
Cautions
Connecticut teachers should be cautioned that the lesson does not include aligned rubrics or assessment guidelines that provide sufficient guidance for interpreting student performance.
Rationale for Selection
The lesson plan is a good example of a lesson that cultivates student interest and engagement in reading, writing, and speaking about challenging texts. It addresses instructional expectations and is easy to understand and use as it engages students in a productive struggle through the process of asking questions, making inferences and using other supports that build toward independence. Developmentally appropriate teaching strategies such as reading the text aloud, framing the reading task as a riddle, and using simple objects to take three-dimensional “notes” make this type of close reading and analysis accessible to young children.