Rationale Goals Standards Objectives Materials It is important that students learn not only how to comprehend what they read, but also be able to analyze it. Students should be given frequent opportunities to close read texts in order to become skilled in identifying how the parts of a work make up the whole. To introduce the concept of close reading To provide practice with close reading Close Reading Demonstration Lesson Grades K-2 Teacher Handout CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.1: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.2: With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.3: With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.4: Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.4: Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.2: Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.3: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.4: Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song. Students will use close reading skills to identify the morals of texts. Students will use evidence to support their identifications of the morals of the texts. Teacher s version of Androcles Student s version of Androcles (one per student) Aesop s Fables story cards and moral cards (one set per three to four students) Highlighters (one per student) Demonstration Lesson: Close Reading, Grades K-2 Page 1
Preparation Make copies of the story cards and moral cards, enough for groups of three to four to each have one set. Procedures Explain to students that today they are going to practice close reading to figure out the morals of several stories from Aesop s Fables. Distribute the student copy of Androcles and read the whole story aloud. Slowly read the passage again. Stop periodically to underline passages that seem significant. Using the annotations provided in the teacher s version, model how a reader can close read to determine the moral of a fable. After covering the annotations, think aloud about the possible moral to the story. Fable explanation: Both Androcles and the Lion help each other in times of need. Androcles risks being eaten by the Lion, but bravely pulls the thorn out of the Lion s paw. The Lion repays this kindness by giving Androcles shelter and food. When the two are captured, the Lion remembers his friend s good deed and spares his life. Because of their kind acts, the Emperor rewards Androcles and the Lion by setting them free. Next, break students into groups of three to four to prepare them to do their own close readings. Group Activity: Students will work in groups of three to four to read a selection of Aesop s Fables and then match the moral to each story. For Kindergarten, the teacher may lead the whole class in this exercise. Students should work together to read the passage, re-read the passage, and annotate the text similarly to how you modeled it for them. They can also use note paper to write down their ideas about what the texts mean. Closing Bring the class back together. One by one, ask a speaker for each group to identify the moral to one story and explain how they got their answer. Prompt them to use specific details from the text if they are not doing so. Assessment Successful students will correctly match the fable to the moral and be able to explain how they figured out their answers using textual evidence. Demonstration Lesson: Close Reading, Grades K-2 Page 2
Teacher s Demo Androcles By Aesop A slave named Androcles once escaped from his master and fled to the forest. As he was wandering about there he came upon a Lion lying down moaning and groaning. At first he turned to flee, but finding that the Lion did not pursue him, he turned back and went up to him. As he came near, the Lion put out his paw, which was all swollen and bleeding, and Androcles found that a huge thorn had got into it, and was causing all the pain. He pulled out the thorn and bound up the paw of the Lion, who was soon able to rise and lick the hand of Androcles like a dog. Then the Lion took Androcles to his cave, and every day brought him meat so that he wouldn t starve. But shortly afterwards both Androcles and the Lion were captured, and the slave was sentenced to be thrown to the Lion, after the Lion had been kept without food for several days. The Emperor and all his Court came to watch the event, and Androcles was led out into the middle of the arena. Soon the Lion was let loose from his den, and rushed bounding and roaring towards his victim. But as soon as he came near to Androcles he recognized his friend and licked his hands like a friendly dog. The Emperor, surprised at this, summoned Androcles to him, who told him the whole story. Whereupon the slave was freed, and the Lion let loose to his native forest. Androcles act of kindness The Lion s act of kindness The Lion shows he is grateful to Androcles by sparing his life. Both are rewarded for being kind. Moral: Kindness will be rewarded. Demonstration Lesson: Close Reading, Grades K-2 Page 3
Student s Version Androcles By Aesop A slave named Androcles once escaped from his master and fled to the forest. As he was wandering about there he came upon a Lion lying down moaning and groaning. At first he turned to flee, but finding that the Lion did not pursue him, he turned back and went up to him. As he came near, the Lion put out his paw, which was all swollen and bleeding, and Androcles found that a huge thorn had got into it, and was causing all the pain. He pulled out the thorn and bound up the paw of the Lion, who was soon able to rise and lick the hand of Androcles like a dog. Then the Lion took Androcles to his cave, and every day brought him meat so that he wouldn t starve. But shortly afterwards both Androcles and the Lion were captured, and the slave was sentenced to be thrown to the Lion, after the Lion had been kept without food for several days. The Emperor and all his Court came to watch the event, and Androcles was led out into the middle of the arena. Soon the Lion was let loose from his den, and rushed bounding and roaring towards his victim. But as soon as he came near to Androcles he recognized his friend and licked his hands like a friendly dog. The Emperor, surprised at this, summoned Androcles to him, who told him the whole story. Whereupon the slave was freed, and the Lion let loose to his native forest. ### Demonstration Lesson: Close Reading, Grades K-2 Page 4
Moral: Demonstration Lesson: Close Reading, Grades K-2 Page 5
Story Cards w/ answers The Ants and the Grasshopper The Ants were spending a fine winter's day drying grain collected in the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by and begged for a little food. The Ants inquired of him, "Why did you not store up food during the summer?' He replied, "I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing." They then said: "If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance without dinner to bed in the winter." Moral: It is wise to prepare today for the desires of tomorrow. The Donkey in the Lion's Skin A Donkey, having put on the Lion's skin, roamed about in the forest and amused himself by frightening all the foolish animals he met in his wanderings. At last coming upon a Fox, he tried to frighten him also, but the Fox no sooner heard the sound of his voice than he exclaimed, "I might possibly have been frightened myself, if I had not heard your bray." Moral: Clothes may disguise a fool, but his words will give him away. The Bee and Jupiter A Bee, the queen of the hive, went to Mount Olympus to give Jupiter some honey fresh from her combs. Jupiter, delighted with the offering of honey, promised to give whatever she should ask. She therefore said, "Give me, I pray thee, a sting, that if any mortal shall approach to take my honey, I may hurt him." Jupiter was much displeased, for he loved the race of man, but could not refuse the request because of his promise. He answered the Bee: "You shall have your request, but it will be at the peril of your own life. For if you use your sting, it shall remain in the wound you make, and then you will die from the loss of it." Moral: Evil wishes will come back to haunt you. The Bundle of Sticks An old man called his sons around him to give them some advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his eldest son: "Break it." The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the bundle. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the bundle," said the father," and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them: "Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see my meaning," said their father. Moral: Union gives strength. Demonstration Lesson: Close Reading, Grades K-2 Page 6
Story Cards The Ants and the Grasshopper The Ants were spending a fine winter's day drying grain collected in the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by and begged for a little food. The Ants inquired of him, "Why did you not store up food during the summer?' He replied, "I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing." They then said: "If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance without dinner to bed in the winter." The Donkey in the Lion's Skin A Donkey, having put on the Lion's skin, roamed about in the forest and amused himself by frightening all the foolish animals he met in his wanderings. At last coming upon a Fox, he tried to frighten him also, but the Fox no sooner heard the sound of his voice than he exclaimed, "I might possibly have been frightened myself, if I had not heard your bray." The Bee and Jupiter A Bee, the queen of the hive, went to Mount Olympus to give Jupiter some honey fresh from her combs. Jupiter, delighted with the offering of honey, promised to give whatever she should ask. She therefore said, "Give me, I pray thee, a sting, that if any mortal shall approach to take my honey, I may hurt him." Jupiter was much displeased, for he loved the race of man, but could not refuse the request because of his promise. He answered the Bee: "You shall have your request, but it will be at the peril of your own life. For if you use your sting, it shall remain in the wound you make, and then you will die from the loss of it." The Bundle of Sticks An old man called his sons around him to give them some advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his eldest son: "Break it." The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the bundle. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the bundle," said the father," and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them: "Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see my meaning," said their father. Demonstration Lesson: Close Reading, Grades K-2 Page 7
Moral Cards Moral: It is wise to prepare today for the desires of tomorrow. Moral: Clothes may disguise a fool, but his words will give him away. Moral: Evil wishes will come back to haunt you. Moral: Union gives strength. Demonstration Lesson: Close Reading, Grades K-2 Page 8