My Literature Focus Unit

Amy Stucker
Dr. Berridge
EDUC 378
6 May 2014

Annotated Bibliography:
McPherson, Stephanie Sammartino. Rooftop Astronomer: A Story about Maria Mitchell.
Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1990. Print.
Genre: Biography
This story depicts the life of Maria Mitchell, concentrating on her life as a woman astronomer in
the early 1800s. In her time, it was unlikely for a woman to receive much schooling, much less
become a skilled astronomer who discovers a comet. With the help and support of her father,
Maria becomes a leader for many girls in education and astronomy.
Ferris, Jeri. What Are You Figuring Now?: A Story about Benjamin Banneker. Minneapolis:
Carolrhoda, 1988. Print.
Genre: Biography
Benjamin Banneker was born in 1731 to free black parents, which was very beneficial to his
scientific discoveries. He was a smart young man, who valued exploring at all costs, which
explains his successes as an astronomer, surveyor, and mathematician. This story journeys
through Bannekers life as a constant seeker of knowledge in a student-friendly biography.
Berger, Melvin, and Gilda Berger. Where Are the Stars during the Day?: A Book about Stars.
Nashville, TN: Ideals Children's Book, 1993. Print.
Genre: Informational

While it might be difficult to explain the scientific terms of stars to young students, this book
takes these difficult concepts and break them down into simple and easy-to-understand
explanations for students. With vivid pictures and facts that students can connect to prior
knowledge of their own star observations, this book is terrific for exploring stars in the
elementary classroom.
Vogt, Gregory L. Stars. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications, 2010. Print.
Genre: Informational
This informational text walks through all the basics of stars, from the Sun to nebulas, including
detailed pictures and photographs from various sources. As students learn about stars and
space in this book, they can also learn at least 15 new vocabulary words that are introduced at
the beginning of the text and placed throughout the rest of the book.
Waxman, Laura H. The Solar System. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications, 2010. Print.
Genre: Informational
This book starts with a description of the Earth and then explores the rest of the solar system
around us. It makes clear that the Sun is the center of our universe and divides and describes
the rocky and gaseous planets that orbit this fiery star. It ends with the history of solar system
exploration and the technology that will help us further discover.

Ss, Peter. Starry Messenger: A Book Depicting the Life of a Famous Scientist, Mathematician,
Astronomer, Philosopher, Physicist, Galileo Galilei. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux,
1996. Print.
Genre: Historical Fiction
In this picture book, which follows the format one might accredit to a fairy tale, the reader
follows the life of Galileo Galilei in a very brief account. The artwork is incredible, depicting
astronomical drawings, maps, and story-like characters. Galileo grows from questioning to
proving, but this book describes that his ideas were not accepted until long after his death.
Common Core Standards:
Foundational Skills:
3.RF.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
c. Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
Informational Text:
3.RI.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring
explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Language:
3.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.

a. Capitalize appropriate words in titles.

Speaking and Listening:
3.SL.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate
facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
Writing:
3.W.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital
sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.

Websites:
Teacher:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnRiGfVvqqQ

This is a Bill Nye the Science Guy video about comets and meteors.

I will cue the video to 1:23 and stop at 2:35 to spark students interest.

This video gives a glimpse of what comets are and what they look like.

http://www.nndb.com/people/676/000165181/

This website has quick facts about Maria Mitchell, which will be good for sharing about
her background with the class.

An interesting fact to point out might be that Maria Mitchell went to Hanover University.

Student:
http://timelines.zanspace.com/womenastronomers/

This website is an interactive timeline of important women in astronomy and their

contributions. It includes pictures and a short description of each woman.

Students can explore different women astronomers by scrolling through dates and
pictures.

https://www.mariamitchell.org/research-and-collections/maria-mitchell/for-students

This website is easy to use and student friendly. It divides information into small
sections with many different pictures.

It allows students to explore many stages of Maria Mitchells life, from early childhood
to retirement, and it also includes suggestions for further reading and research.

Students will use this website for their research for the timeline activity.

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html - .U2bJr_3Zdg0

This is an interactive website deigned by NASA for kids to explore the solar system and
space.

There are various activities for students to explore space concepts that range in ability
and knowledge level.

Student Learning Experience:

Pre-reading
Ask: What does astronomy mean? Are there any parts of this word that we already know that
might help us in identifying its meaning? (3.RF.3.c Know and apply grade-level phonics and
word analysis skills in decoding words: Decode words with common Latin suffixes.)
Guide students to think about the suffix and/or use prior knowledge to discover the meaning of
the word. After some discussion, look up the definition on the Promethean board.
(Explicit Explanation): Break the word apart for students to see astro- -nomy. As we would
have previously learned, -nomy means a system of rules, laws, or knowledge about a particular
field of study. If students have not already decided that astro- means star from prior
knowledge, then explain this to them. Therefore, if we put these two definitions together, then
we know that astronomy means the study of stars and their laws.
Ask: What do you know about astronomy? Additionally, what have you heard about comets?
Have students watch the Bill Nye video about comets in order to grab their attention
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnRiGfVvqqQ).
Ask: What did you learn about comets?
Allow children to discuss in their groups. (Group Work) Encourage students to share what they
learned from the video, especially those who have did not previously share. (3.SL.4 Report on a

topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant,
descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace)
Show students the cover of Rooftop Astronomer.
Ask: By the title and the picture on the front, what do you think this book will be about? Who do
you think this story will be about?
Allow students to share their predictions.
Share with students my connection to gazing at stars from a rooftop by sharing about my
stargazing experience when I slept on top of the Alpine Tower at Camp Carson. (Teacher Model)
Ask: Have you ever looked at the stars at night?
Encourage students to share with partners (Partner Work) and then with the class about their
stargazing experiences.
(Explicit Explanation): This book is about Maria Mitchell, who was a woman astronomer in the
1800s. Because of the time that she grew up in, it was very special for her to have the
opportunity to study astronomy like she did. She had a very supportive father, who valued her
education as much as he would any other boys education. Since women in her time did not
receive much formal education, she helped pioneer women discoveries in astronomy. As I am
reading the introduction, I want you to think of a time when you were like Maria, when you did
something good that others didnt necessarily expect out of you. Connect to how she might
have felt.

Read introduction aloud. (Teacher Model).

(Teacher Model): Talk about my connections to the story with my experiences as the only girl
on the drum line in marching band.
Ask: What connection did you make?
Have students explore http://timelines.zanspace.com/womenastronomers/ in order to learn
about many different women astronomers. Allow individuals to share facts they found
interesting.
Go to http://www.nndb.com/people/676/000165181/. Share some facts about Maria Mitchell,
including the fact the she attended Hanover University, which is very close.
During Reading:
Read Chapter 1 aloud as students follow along (Teacher Model). Pause periodically to ask
questions that I may have about the text or Maria Mitchell. Write down these questions. Some
questions should be asked and answered in order to feel comfortable with my own
understanding of the material. Other questions may just be topics that spark my curiosity.
Additionally, pause when I come to a harder word, and discuss how I might deduce the
meaning of that word. For example, I read the word suspended in the sentence A glass ball
suspended from the ceiling (McPherson 12), I will use the context around the word to decide
that the glass ball must be hanging from the ceiling.
Instruct students to read Chapter 2 in the same manner. (Independent Practice)

While reading, write down the questions that come to mind. At least 2 questions should be a
question/answer format that check for understanding during reading. 2 other questions dont
have to be answered by the text, but they should show that students are reading beyond the
text. Therefore, students should write down 4 questions and 2 answers total. (3.RI.1 Ask and
answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the
basis for the answers)
Additionally, if students come across any words they do not know and cannot figure out,
encourage them to write the words down so that we can discuss them.
Responding:
Ask: What were some of the questions that you asked yourself to better understand this chapter?
Have students share with their groups the questions they thought about and answered. (Group
Work) Then, have individual students come to the Promethean board and write down their
questions. Before students explain their answers, ask them guided questions about how they
found their answers, what pages they found their answers on, and how this helped them better
understand what they were reading. (Whole Class Guided Practice)
Ask: What new words did you discover as you read?
Write down the words and the page number of where each word was found in the chapter.
Pick one word, and model how you would find the meaning. (Teacher Model)

Assign one word to each partner or group to research, depending on how many words there
are. (Partner/Group Work). First, look for word parts that you already know. Then, look for
context clues. Then, look up the definition of the word and justify why this definition makes
sense in the context of the sentence.
Exploring:
Examine paragraphs 3 and 4 on page 24. Look for capitalized words and discuss why these
words are capitalized. Present the mini-lesson on capitalization rules. (Whole Class) (3.L.2.a
Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing. a. Capitalize appropriate words in titles).
Pass out cutouts of paragraphs from Chapter 2 with incorrect capitalization to partners. Instruct
partners to fix the errors in capitalization by drawing 3 lines under each letter that needs to be
capitalized. Walk around as pairs work on this activity, answering questions as needed.
Applying:
Have students review https://www.mariamitchell.org/research-and-collections/mariamitchell/for-students. This website will allow them to easily research the life of Maria Mitchell.
Have students separate into groups of 4 and take notes of dates and important events that they
learn about Maria Mitchell from this website. (Group Work) Model how to write these notes
down on notecards, with the topic at the top, the date underneath, and the fact underneath
that. (3.W.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital
sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories)

Each student in the group will be assigned a topic from: Early Childhood, Life in the Mitchell
Home, Student, or Teacher and Librarian (As these are the categories on the website that
correlate to Chapter 1 and 2). Each student should write 4 facts down, meaning that each group
will have a total of 16 cards.
After students are done researching these categories and writing down facts, they will write
their names on their index cards and tape them to the big timeline I will have created on
construction paper at the front of the room. They will organize their facts according to their
dates. As many facts may be the same, they will stack these same facts above and below
index cards that are already in place. This will help students understand the really important
information. (Individual and Group Work)
Manage Record Keeping
Rubric for Index Card Facts:
Criteria
Number of Fact
Cards
Format

Fact Relevance

Participation

10
Students have 4
fact cards
Students follow
instructed
formatting on all
cards
Facts are
relevant and
came from
instructed
website
Students
participated in
creating wholeclass timeline

8
Students have 3
fact cards
Students follow
instructed
formatting on
most cards
Facts are mostly
relevant

6
Students have 2
fact cards
Students follow
instructed
formatting on
some cards
Facts are
somewhat
relevant

4
Students have 01 fact card
Students do not
follow instructed
formatting
Facts do not
pertain to
subject matter

Students did not

participate in
creating wholeclass timeline

Manage Record Keeping:

The above rubric will be used to assess student work on the note cards as a part of the class
timeline. In addition to this assessment, student learning will be monitored throughout the
whole lesson. During pre-reading activities, I will monitor student engagement through
participation in partner, group, and whole-class discussions. If I realize that some students are
not comfortable sharing their connections with the whole class, I will be sure to observe them
in their interactions during partner and group discussions and activities. This will help me
understand where students might need help. During reading, I will be sure to model exactly
how I want students to question as they read. I will walk around the room during independent
reading so that I can see the questions that students are writing down. This will help me guide
them into the kind of questions they should be asking as they are reading. During the
responding part, I will further explore student questions. With guided practice, I will be able to
help students understand the kind of thoughts that lead to comprehension questions. I will ask
questions and challenge students to defend their responses with references from the book.
During the exploration part, I will ask students to volunteer to practice capitalization activities
on my mini-lesson flipchart. I will also walk around the room, guiding students as they have
questions with correcting the capitalization in the paragraphs. Finally, during the applying
phase, I will model how to make note cards from the designated website, and I will work
individually with students who do not understand the concept. If I feel that individual students
need further practice with note-taking, I will set up conferences with them, because I feel that

this is an important skill for further research. Again, the rubric will be the tool I use to assess the
fact cards.