Lesson Plan
Connections to Literacy
Guide:
Grade 3: Library : Name: How To Use An Almanac
Lesson 1:
Prerequisite Skills and Knowledge
•
What a Table of Contents is and how to use it
•
What an Index is and how to use it.
•
Strategies such as skimming and scanning to support comprehension
•
•
District Library Standards
•
Standard 1: Uses Information
Responsibly
•
Standard 2: Researches and
Evaluates Information
Strategies to infer unfamiliar words from context
•
Asks questions about their topic
A lesson on using keywords would be helpful
•
Locates information relevant to
their question using print and
non-print sources
•
Evaluates information for
relevance to their question
•
Uses information to answer
research questions
•
Shares conclusions with others
Time Required
•
15 minutes for the mini lesson, another 15 or 30 minutes needed for practice
•
A set of Almanacs for each student or one Almanac for each two students –
The World Almanac For Kids is written specifically for kids and is a good one
to use.
•
Paper and pencil
•
Overhead projector
•
Transparencies you have prepared from the Almanac. One from the Table of
Contents and one from the Index that has the word, “president” on it.
Select a topic such as, “Who was the 35th president of the United States?”
Make a transparency from the page in the Almanac that contains this
information.
Materials
District Technology Standards
Big Ideas
•
Use classroom rituals and
routines to work independently
and with others
•
Uses a variety of strategies to
comprehend texts
•
Use knowledge of text features
to support comprehension and
locate information
•
Use strategies such as skimming
and scanning to support
comprehension and locate
information
Intended Learning
•
Students will be able to use the Almanac so they find information quickly
including specific dates, facts times, and amounts.
Reading Workshop
Lesson 1: Developing a Consistent Lesson Plan for Reading Workshop
Lesson Plan
Connections to Literacy
Guide:
Grade 3: Library : Name: How To Use An Almanac
Mini-Lesson
Connection – preparing students’ thinking
Remind students they already know how to use the Table of Contents and an Index
that will be very helpful in today’s lesson. You will use your skimming and scanning
skills to support your comprehension and in making sense of what you are reading.
Today you will be learning how to use the Almanac. The Almanac is a reference book
that is used in doing research. It is not arranged in alphabetical order. It is used to
answer questions about specific dates, facts, times, and amounts and is the best
source to find information quickly. You can find the name of who won the best Oscar
Award in 1982, the salary of the president of the United States, or who was Miss
America in 1990. Almanacs are published yearly so if you want the most current
information, make sure you are looking in the most recent edition.
Teaching – Mini Lesson
•
Use strategies to infer unfamiliar
words from context
•
Gather information from
electronic and print sources to
gather information
•
Read information for specific
purpose
Notes
This lesson can be divided into two
lessons if there are not at least 30 to 45
minutes of time for the lesson. Another
lesson can be for the independent
practice time. Collaboration should occur
between the classroom teacher and the
teacher librarian to determine the time
this lesson should be taught and the
content. Ideally the content taught
should be in alignment with the
curriculum taught in the classroom.
Timing of the Almanac lesson should be
when research is being taught in the
classroom.
*Have the students gathered in a meeting space and you hold up a copy of the
Almanac.
*Tell students the Almanac has a Table of Contents in the front of the book that is a
general overview of the topics covered in the book and an Index in the back of the
book that is more specific. The Index is in alphabetical order and tells you what
page(s) in the book you will find the specific topic you are looking for.
*Turn on the Overhead Projector and put the transparency you have prepared on the
Table of Contents. Go over some of the topics contained on this page. Notice these
are not in alphabetically order.
*Put on the transparency for Index. Go over some of the topics contained on your
page and talk about how much more specific they are than the Table of Contents.
(Compare the Table of Contents with the Index here.) Also notice the Index is in
alphabetical order and after the topic is the page(s) that you will find the
information.
*Say, “If you wanted to know, “Who was the 35th President of the United States”,
think how would you find this in the Almanac? What keywords would most likely give
you the answer to this question?”
*Say, “President would be the word to use to give you the answer. You might look in
the Table of Contents but the best place would be in the Index using the letter “P”
and finding “president”.”
*Put on the transparency from the Index containing the word “president” and discuss
the page.
*Put on the transparency from the Almanac that contains the information about the
35th president who was John F. Kennedy.
*Read about President Kennedy to the class or call on students to read it. Together
Reading Workshop
Lesson 1: Developing a Consistent Lesson Plan for Reading Workshop
Lesson Plan
Connections to Literacy
Guide:
Grade 3: Library : Name: How To Use An Almanac
come up with three interesting facts that the students did not already know.
*Have students move to tables and pass out Almanac books. Pass out paper and
pencils. Continue with the independent practice.
Active Engagement – Guided Practice
Students observe and listen during the mini lesson. They will participate when
questions are asked.
Link
Now students will use what they have learned about using the Almanac. They should
work independently if there are enough Almanacs for each student to have one. If
there are not enough, students could work in pairs. Students will use the Almanac to
find three interesting facts about the rain forest (or use a topic of your choice).
Independent Practice
Teacher
•
Circulate around the room, monitoring the students’ work, checking for
understanding of how to use the Almanac.
•
Take anecdotal notes or mark on a class list the proficiency of the students at
finding the information in the Almanac.
Students
•
Students will turn and talk to a student sitting beside them how to find
information in the Almanac.
•
Students will stay on task and will work either independently or with a
partner to find three interest facts about the rain forest (or a topic of your
choice).
•
Students will write on paper the three facts they found.
Sharing/Closure
•
Students will share with a partner the three interesting facts they found.
•
Students will share with a partner the one fact they found to be the most
interesting.
Assessment
•
This lesson can be used for the Body of Evidence of Standard 1 “Uses
Information Responsibly” and Standard 2 “Researches and Evaluates
Information.” Record a “3” if the student stays on task and is able to find
and share three interesting facts about the rain forest.
Reading Workshop
Lesson 1: Developing a Consistent Lesson Plan for Reading Workshop