Guided Reading Lesson Plan: The Everglades

Date:

Group:

Text: The Everglades

Level: 20/28

Iowa Core/High Priority Milestones and Learning Targets

Iowa Core Standards:

RF.1.4 Reading with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension

a. Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding
b. Read grade level text with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression
c. Use content to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary

RI.1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key idea

High Priority Milestones:

HPM Connect prior knowledge to information in the text (NA)

● Use prior knowledge of a topic to clarify understanding

HPM Monitor comprehension while reading

● Reread when the text does not make sense

Learning Targets (Performance Skills):

● Read with fluency, accuracy, and comprehension
● Use prior knowledge about the topic before and during reading
● Use illustrations and key details to describe key ideas
● Monitor comprehension and reread when the text does not make sense.

I Can Learning Targets:

● I can say the word slowly like when I write it. (Phonics)
● I can ask if my reading makes sense, sounds right, and looks right. (Monitor reading and
comprehension).
● I can read more words together. (Fluency)
● I can identify the main topic and key details of a text.
 Before Reading

Before distributing the text, display one text with the title facing the students. I have a book we are going to read
and it’s called The Everglades.)

Read the title. Respond to the cover illustration. The Everglades. What do you see on the cover?What do you
think might be in the Everglades?

Relate the topic to the reader: The Everglades is a National Park in Florida. Have you ever been to the
Everglades? Do you like animals, like alligators? Play the youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=BDHWpkcpvPo.

Summary statement: In this book we are going to read about The Everglades and some of the plants and
animals that live there. What plants do you think might live there?

Picture walk/preview: Before we start reading we are going to take a picture walk together to learn more about
the text. Distribute the text to the students. Open your book to the title page (teacher reads): The title says, The
Everglades. The story is by Susan Lennox.

Predict: Before we read the whole text we are going to make a prediction or a smart guess about what we think
we will learn in this story. I am going to make a prediction about what I think will happen next in the story. We
can say: “I think that . . . because . . .” to help us. I think that we will learn about the alligator in the
Everglades because it showed an alligator on the front of the book. Now it’s our turn to make a prediction
together. Remember, we can say: “We think that . . . because . . .”. Possible prediction: “We think that we will
learn about some of the plants in the Everglades because it has plants on the cover.”

Let’s turn to page . . .

Pp. 1-2: What is the focus question? What are some of the words that we need to know?

Pp. 3-4: What do you see on page 3? What do you think the Table of Contents might tell us? What page should I
go to in order to find information about how they protect the National Park?

What do you think the bolded words at the top of the page might mean? What is the title of this section?

What is in the picture? What animals are those? Why do you think those animals may be in the picture?

What letter do you expect to see at the beginning of the word Everglades? Find the word Everglades and point to
it so I can see that you found it.

What letter do you expect to see at the beginning of the word park? Find the word park and point to it so I can
see that you found it.

Pp. 5-6: Where does it look like the Everglades may be located? How did you figure out where the everglades
are located? What is a map?

What do the words subtropical and ecosystem mean? If you don’t know, where could you look? What is a
glossary for? Where is the glossary?

Subtropical is an area that borders the tropics. An ecosystem is a community of living things together with their
habitat.
Why do you think there is a box on page 6?

Pp. 7-8: What do you see growing on the sides of the river? Looking at the photo on page 8, what animal do you
think uses the sawgrass?

Pp. 9-: What are some of the different ecosystems in the Everglades? What do you think is meant by hardwood
hammocks?

Stop at p. 9

Repeat unusual language (embedded in the picture walk above): p. 4 “gumbo-limbo”, ” stinkpot” p. 5 its
waters connect different ecosystems; p. 5 Alligators that live in the marshes use sawgrass to build their homes: p.
9 “hardwood hammocks” Note: Bold words, quotation marks, exclamation point (meaning of text features and
punctuation)

Locate key vocabulary (embedded in the picture walk above): national park (p. 4), swamps (p. 5), subtropical
(p.5), ecosystems (p.5), cypress (p. 6), sawgrass (p.8) (record the words)

Set the purpose (based on preview and predictions): You are going to read to find out where the Everglades
are and some plants and animals that live there..

State the strategy focus: Before you start reading we need to think: What do you do when you come to a tricky
word? It has to make sense and look right. You can say the word slowly just like when you write it. I am going to
pretend that roots is a tricky word for me. Watch and listen to what I do: I will look at the word and say it slowly
like when I write it: r-oo-t-s → roots.

During Reading

Fountas and Pinnell Prompts:

Teach: You can say it slowly like when you write it. Prompt: Say it slowly like when you write it. Look through
the whole word. Reinforce: You said it slowly like when you wrote it. (12)

Teach: That didn’t make sense (sound or look right). You need to stop when it doesn’t make sense (sound or
look right). Prompt: Why did you stop? What did you notice? What is wrong? Were you right? What could you
check? Reinforce: You found out what was wrong all by yourself. You found the tricky part all by yourself. (13)

Teach: I am going to read this faster. Prompt: Listen to me read fast. Can you read it like that? Reinforce: You
read it faster that time. You read more words together. (17)

Second reading (reread until others are finished)

After Reading

Respond to text: What did you think about . . .[The Everglades . . . the plants and animals . . . the National
Park] (record response to text). Do you remember where the Everglades were located (setting)? What did you
think when they had to protect the park (events)?
Check predictions: We made a prediction about what we would learn in the story. Were we right? Were we
close? Let’s find that in the book.

Return to text/review reading strategies used: One praise and one teaching point. (record strategies noticed)

Assessment

Text reading: Running records; observation and anecdotal notes; evidence of strategy use (word solving,
monitoring, fluency)