Texas Native American Research

Effective Note Taking

Texas Native American Research: Effective Note Taking

Grade Level: Fourth

Integrated Subjects: Reading and social studies

Objectives: Tell the students what they are going to learn! (Blooms Taxonomy)

1. Discuss (comprehension) how to retrieve research information appropriately

2. Summarize (comprehension) short paragraphs read aloud in class into a few sentences

3. Construct (application) own meaning from text

4. Demonstrate (application) effective and appropriate ways to write research information without copying.

5. Choose (evaluate) a strategy to help determine the appropriate way write out important information from various texts into your own words.

6. Combine (synthesis) thoughts from texts into new and meaning complete sentences for research.

TEKS met:

(4.8) Reading / variety of texts:

(C): Read for varied purposes such as to be informed, to be entertained, to appreciate the writer’s craft, and to discover models for his / her own writing

(4.10) Reading / comprehension:

(G): Paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, and organize ideas

(4.13) Reading / inquiry/ research:

(C): Use multiple sources, including electronic texts, experts, and print resources to locate information relevant to research questions.

(E): Summarize and organize information from multiple sources by taking notes, outlining ideas, or making charts

(G): Draw conclusions from information gathered from multiple resources

(4.15) Writing / purpose:

(C): Write to inform such as to explain, describe, report, and narrate

(4.16) Writing / penmanship / capitalization / punctuation:

(B): Capitalize and punctuate correctly to clarify and enhance meaning such as capitalizing titles, using possessives, commas in a series, commas in direct address, and sentence punctuation

(4.18) Writing / grammar / usage:

(B): Write in complete sentences, varying the types such as compound and complex to match meanings and purposes.

(4.19) Writing / writing processes:

(C): Revise selected drafts by adding, elaborating, deleting, combining, and rearranging text

(D): Revise drafts for coherence, progression, and logical support for ideas

(4.23) Social studies skills:

(A) Use social studies terminology correctly

(B) Incorporate main and supporting ideas in verbal and written communication

Multiple Intelligences:

- Verbal / Linguistic: The students will write and think of appropriate words to express their understanding of their Texas Native American research tribes. The students will read example paragraphs about Native Americans.

- Interpersonal: The students will sit in their tribe groups to read aloud and work on their research findings

- Intrapersonal: The teacher will meet with each student to edit inappropriate writing.

Materials: example transparences from Texas Indians, note cards, pencils, overhead, and Texas tribe research folders.

Rationale:

The teacher would establish instructional relevance by explaining the seriousness of plagiarism. The students should know that is not acceptable to copy sentences word by word without crediting the source. It is important that we all read from a variety of materials to gain information and write it into your own words.

Focus / Set Introduction: To grab hold of the student’s attention the teacher would have the students all look at the Texas team tribe roles and responsibilities displayed on the chalkboard. Although the students are already familiar with the roles and responsibilities the teacher felt that it was necessary to go over them again. The teacher would then have different tribe teams to read each role and responsibility to the class and discuss who has which role and what is expected of them. Then the teacher would read the Team tribe scoreboard to motivate each team. “Team tribes must remember that I am also looking for appropriate and effective research products from each and every one of you. You’re last and final points awarded for this research project depends on how you translate what you have been reading and researching about for the past two weeks into you own words that make sense to you.”

Lesson Activities:

Guided Practice:

The teacher would give the students a few examples on the overhead before splitting them up in groups to work on revising their research material. The teacher would place a transparency from the book entitled Indians who lived in Texas by Betsy Warren. As a whole class the teacher would read aloud a section from Indians who lived in Texas on the overhead in which they were asked to put their pencils down and just listen. After the first reading the teacher would remove the transparency to ask what the summary was about. The students would then recall important information they remembered from the read aloud. The teacher would then read another section from the book Indians who lived in Texas for the students to hear. At the second reading the teacher would then ask the students to write in complete sentences what they thought were important facts from the summary. The teacher would have the students share their sentences and correct the ones that need it as a whole class so that everyone could help the teacher fix the errors.

Independent Practice: The students are then put into their Texas team tribe groups in which each team will rotate through Ms. Roy (during workstations) to re-read and revise student research written work.

Closure: The end the lesson would have student volunteer to read aloud a few sentences completed from this activity. The teacher would then ask the students, why is it so important to write information you found from another source in your own words? What is so bad with just copying the sentences down word for word? Would you learn anything that way?

Evaluation:

The teacher would evaluate each student during workstation rotation. The teacher will have the opportunity to read each student work and help the students revise their work. Through this time the teacher will be able to see where each child is at in terms of understanding to read and interpret information from a book into your own words.

Modifications and Extensions: The lesson was already planned for modifications. Each lower-level student was ready assigned a level appropriate task within their team tribe groups. The information they have to find is similar but also developmentally appropriate. For instance the lower-level students do not have to find as much information however they are challenged to find as many details to their assignment possible. The lesson also involves some extensions as well. The gifted and talented as well as a few higher-level students where assigned a more challenging role in their Texas team tribe. Their roles required a little more expectations and research. Each low- level as well as high- level students were split up evenly throughout the four Texas team tribes