Close Reading Unit

Presenters Dawn baber Melanie Kennedy 6th-grade Language Arts Fluvanna Middle School Palmyra, Virginia

Dawn Baber BS Elementary Education N-4, 4-8 reading endorsement Longwood college 1991 Ms reading specialist K-12 Longwood College 1996 28 years in education Grades Taught k,2,3,4,6 &7 dbaber@apps.fluco.org

Melanie Kennedy BS elementary education nk-6 east Carolina university, 1994 MS elementary education nk-6 old dominion university, 1998 23 years in education Grades taught: pre-k, k, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 mkennedy@apps.fluco.org

Story Walk Look at the images posted around the room. Write down what you see in each image. Based on these images, what do you think this story is about? Write a prediction at the bottom of the page using all picture clues. What would you name this story? Complete the vocabulary.

1950s Cold War Research Quick research. Watch 1950s Bomb Shelter Video Clip. You may also do a Google learn Search. Link Bomb Shelter Video

KWL Sheet Complete KWL sheet while watching the 1950s bomb shelter video.

Padlet.com Create account, then post. There are security options. Be sure to select the appropriate settings when creating.

Close Reading Have students do a close reading of “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury. Students should highlight important elements in the text.

Poem Read and annotate “There Will Come Soft Rains” poem by Sara Teasdale.

The World Without US Watch the video clip The World Without Us Link to video clip

Journal After viewing The World Without Us video clip, you will write a reaction about nature surviving mankind.

Reflective Writing (1 of 4) “There Will Come Soft Rains” Reaction Close your eyes and relax for one moment. Some questions to guide your thinking:

Reflective Writing (2 of 4) How do you feel about nature? What do you like and dislike about nature? What imagery comes to mind when you read the poem? What do you think about the way the McClellan's interacted with nature? How does nature conquer the last trace of humans in this area?

Reflective Writing (3 of 4) What connections can you make between the poem and the short story? Why was it ironic that the house chose to read this poem at random on August 4, 2026? How much of Ray Bradbury's vision do you think has become reality now? What do you think technology will really be like in the year 2026?

Reflective Writing (4 of 4) Make connections and inferences. Read the right hand side of the story to get some more ideas. Close your eyes again. Begin your brainstorming of thoughts here:

Quizizz.com Create account and play. You may play more than once. Link

Backchannel Chat Go to BackchannelChat.com to set up a free account. To properly monitor your students, it is best to require students to login before posting. add/g/ After /backchannel/to require Google login

Socratic Seminar (1 of 4) Discussion group- In Center with a Discussion leader to keep discussion moving and invite quiet students to join the conversation- May have a “Hotseat”.

Socratic Seminar (2 of 4) Observers- Each student watches one student from the discussion Group and records how many times the student contributes to the discussion, eye contact ect…

Socratic Seminar (3 of 4) Note takers (original) Students take Notes on discussion. (Improved) Students use Padlet to post notes, comments and multimedia.

Socratic Seminar (4 of 4) Hot Seat- (Original way) students took turns joining the discussion group to ask a burning question. (Improved) Students participate in a back channel chat that can be projected on a screen and also on a laptop for the discussion leader to use to guide the discussion. Bonus- Helps prepare students for the main discussion

Socratic Seminar Guidelines (1 of 3) You don’t need to raise your hands to talk. You should focus on the main speaker (eye contact) and wait your turn. Speak up so that all participants can hear you. Don’t speak while others are speaking. Respond to each other, using each other’s names. Use your sentence starters.

Socratic Seminar Guidelines (2 of 3) Express agreement or disagreement in a courteous, thoughtful manner. Speak voluntarily at least three times. Allow others a turn to speak. (Don’t monopolize the conversation.) Make clear, accurate statements. Refer to the text and any other relevant sources. Refer back to the text when needed during the discussion. This is not a test of memory. Test assumptions and explore inferences

Socratic Seminar Guidelines (3 of 3) Acknowledge changes in your perspective. (You should be learning and growing.) Offer a more global (big picture) interpretation of a previous statement. Do not stay confused; ask for clarification of both ideas and definitions. Stick to the point currently under discussion; write down inspirational ideas so you can bring them up at a more appropriate time in the conversation. Listen carefully, especially when you are waiting to speak, as they may be moving on to another point. Remember that this is a conversation between students, not between student and teacher.

Sources Survival Under Atomic Attack 1951 NUCLEAR BOMB SHELTER FILM 29180 HD Youtube Bomb Shelter There Will Come Soft Rains by Sara Teasdale Youtube Come Soft Rains  There will come soft rains (The world without us) Youtube The World without Us

Disclaimer Reference within this presentation to any specific commercial or non-commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Virginia Department of Education.