Reading Portfolio
Biography Book Tasting-Classroom Lesson
Introduction
In all of our 4th grade classrooms, we complete a fun and interactive biography unit with our students. For my small reading groups, I wanted to students to also read a biography book during that time.
I co taught some of the reading block with Mrs. Colrud (special education teacher) and instead of grouping our students by reading level, we wanted students to choose the person they were most interested in learning more about. To do this, I created a book tasting lesson for all my students to participate in so they could choose the book they were most excited to read.
To add an extra element of fun, at each book station, I set aside two minutes for my students to ad a snack item to ta bag, so that at the end of the lesson, they had a snack to eat while filling out their "receipt".
Standards
Wisconsin Teaching Standards:
Standard 3: Learning Environments
Standard 7: Planning for Instruction
IRA Standards:
Standard 5: Learners and the Literacy Environment
Link to Standards Page for Additional Information and Descriptions About these Standards
Reflection
To complete this activity with my students took quite a bit of planning and organization because otherwise it could have become out of control and not a meaningful reading activity. Completing this lesson with my students showed me how much students are motivated by having their choice of book to read even in their small reading groups. After completing this activity and each day during our biography unit, students asked me everyday when they were going to meet in their small biography reading group, even though we did our reading groups each day, it was the part of the day my students looked forward to. Finally, I liked how this lesson allowed my students to move around the room and gave them the opportunity to read with some of their classmate they might not always have had the chance to read with. This is an activity that I would like to do with my current students during our biography unit this year!
Click on the images below to see them in a larger scale and to read a more in depth description of the images.
Introduction for Lesson and Directions for Students
I used slides to guide my students through the lesson, so that the reading and activity was meaningful without the lesson being chaotic.
I introduced the lesson by welcoming students to Ms. Wysocki's and Mrs. Colrud's Biography Cafe.
I showed students what books were on the "menu" for the day. These were the books that students would be previewing and tasting, so they could ultimately decide which book they were most interested in reading.
Students were placed in groups with the people they would work with for this activity.
Lesson Logistics
Every student received a menu to fill out as they moved through each book station which had students reflect on how interested they were in reading that biography book to learn more about that person.
I used the presentation slides to inform students of where they were going next and I had timers on the slides so students were aware of how long they had left to complete their task. At each station, there was a direction sheet for what students needed to complete in their eight minute time frame. After the eight minutes, students had two minutes to add the snack item to their bag as a part of the mix they were making.
Students would then move to the next "course" (different book) of their meal.
Final Part of Book Tasting Activity
Students ate their snack mix, while they completed their "receipt" which was them ranking in order, the books they most wanted to read and explaining why they were most interested in reading those books and why they weren't interested in reading the book they marked as their last choice.
After this lesson, I grouped students based on the biography books they were most interested in reading. After our daily reading minilessons, students would work in their reading groups to read and discuss their books. Mrs. Colrud (special education teacher) and I would meet with the different groups during this time, as well!
This slide was used to introduce the activity to students.
These are the five biography books, students would preview in the activity.
These were the directions given to starts for what their job was at each station/book.
Students filled out these menus as they moved through each station.
This slide informed students of what station they start at.
This slide informed students where they should move for their second station/book.
This slide informed students where they should move for their second station/book.
This slide informed students where they should move for their fourth station/book.
This slide informed students where they should move for their last station/book.
This is an example of the direction sheets that were left for students at each station.
Every time students moved to a new station, they had eight minutes to complete their reading work and menus. I had a visual timer on the board for students.
At each station, after students completed their reading work. They had two minutes to add the snack for that station to their bag. After this, they moved to their next station/book.
This was the last step of the activity. Students filled out their "receipt" while enjoying their snack.
This was the recepit that students filled out. They ranked the books in order of which ones they were most interested in reading and explained why they wanted to read those books or why they weren't interested in a particular book.
Click on the buttons below to access all presentation slides, materials, and sheets that were used with students during this activity!
Pictures of Students Participating in Biography Book Tasting Activity
