Running head: COMPREHENDING THE CONTENT

Janet Castro

Comprehending the Content: Directed Reading Thinking - Activity (DR-TA)

TED 634: Content Area Literacy

Professor Smith

June 25, 2017

Comprehending The Content: Directed Reading – Thinking Activity (DR-TA) 1

Lesson Planning Format

The “Lunch at the Mall (What are my Options?)” activity form the Eat Fit nutrition

workbook is a great activity because it is a very realistic activity that students can apply to their

lives. The purpose of the activity is to have students create a healthy lunch from the mall’s food

court. They have 4 restaurant menus to choose from: American, Mexican, Asian, and Italian

food. They must order a healthy tasty lunch that includes food and drink choices that must meet

two requirements: cost must be under $7 and contains no more than 700 total calories (they are

allowed to pick items from more than one restaurant menu) from the 5 food groups (dairy, meats,

fruits, vegetables, and grains).

The lesson format that would work best with this activity is the Directed Reading –

Thinking Activity (DR-TA). According to McKenna and Robinson (2014), “the DR–TA is

designed to help readers determine their own purposes for reading a selection and then to decide

on the most appropriate strategies for achieving these purposes” (p.150). Students have the

freedom in this activity to figure out their own strategies in accomplishing the two goals. First,

they must be able to read through 4 different menu list options, as well as, calculate calories.

Then decide what items (based on preference) meet the goals of under 700 calories and cost

under $7 a meal. It is a reasonable budget to work off of. There are many possible choice

combinations. Each students’ response to how they will accomplish the end goals will be unique

to the individual.

Strategies for Differentiated Instruction

The strategies I would apply for this activity are derived from the specially designed

academic instruction in English (S.D.A.I.E) strategies. According to the SDAIE and Related

Strategies powerpoint, “ALL students benefit from SDAIE and related strategies, but they are
Comprehending The Content: Directed Reading – Thinking Activity (DR-TA) 2

particularly effective for English Learners” (slide 5). The strategies I would utilize are activating

prior knowledge (reviewing what they already have learned), bridging (connecting previous

learned information with new information), contextualization (use graphic organizer and

visuals), and schema building -“shows the relationships between old and new learning and how

they are connected” (SDAIE and Related Strategies, n.d, slide 16).

The activity can be done individually, in pairs, or in groups. To be able to benefit all

students, I think it would be best if they worked with a partner (pair share strategy). I can pair up

students based on their ability. This would be effective for the 1/3 model. I can pair up students

that are in the top 1/3 with students that are in the middle 1/3 and bottom 1/3. This would benefit

all students because the students in the top 1/3 could take on a leadership position in which they

could help their peers and lead by example. The students in the middle 1/3 could benefit by

working with a peer that they could also teach (bottom 1/3) or learn from (top 1/3). The students

in the bottom 1/3 could benefit because they would have the opportunity to work with another

partner from either top or bottom 1/3. This would help them tremendously because their peers

can guide them and could help clarify questions that they may have. Overall, this method (pair-

share) is a win-win for all, including myself because I will have the opportunity to play the role

of a facilitator. The students with special needs would also be able to benefit from these

strategies and pair-share method because of the guidance and peer support that is provided for

them. Modifications I would make for the special needs students is allowing them to have more

time to turn in the assignment. I could let them take it home if they do not finish it in class for

classwork and give them an additional day or two to turn in.

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References

Horowitz, M., Sangwan, B., Shilts, M.C., and Townsend, M. (2010). Eat fit. Richmond, CA:

University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

McKenna, M. & Robinson, R. (2014). Teaching Through Text. Pearson. Upper Saddle River, NJ.

SDAIE and Related Strategies. [Powerpoint slides]. (n.d). Retrieved from https://nu.blackboard.

com/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?

course_id=_55870_1&content_id=_4031921_1&mode=reset.