Comprehension Activity

Grade Level and Content Area: English Language Arts (ELA), 9th grade

Standards/Learning Objectives: How can you analyze and verify information online to
promote a culture of ethics on the Internet?

 9.8 The student will find, evaluate, and select credible resources to create a research
product.
o a) Verify the validity and accuracy of all information.
o b) Analyze information gathered from diverse sources by identifying
misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, point of
view, or bias.
o f) Demonstrate ethical use of the Internet.

Text: Students will read a section titled “Importance of the Initiative” from the first executive
order issued by Governor Youngkin of Virginia in 2022. Although the text may be more
appropriately used in history and civics classrooms, the overwhelming presence of biased
language in the text would greatly aid my students in analyzing and verifying sources as outlined
in the Standards of Learning (SOL) for 9th grade English.

Description and Rationale: The category that will be applied in my comprehension activity is
question answering. The strategy of questioning the author (QtA) applies question answering by
inviting students to inquire on the author’s credibility and influence before, during, and after
reading. QtA is especially appropriate in the English discipline as students are encouraged to
look for instances of author bias to better understand the content of the text. The Governor’s
executive order is an appropriate means of applying this strategy because it contains inherently
biased language and is written by a public figure that students can research with ease.

Materials: Students will need a functioning device (i.e., phone, tablet, computer) with Internet
access. They will need a PDF reader app or a web browser with built-in access to PDFs.
Alternatively, physical copies of the text and assignment may be provided; students will need a
pen or pencil for this circumstance. A digital copy of the assignment may be accessed here.

Instructional Steps and Differentiation:

I do

1) I will begin by providing brief background on the text. This will be accompanied by
visual aid such as a text document, images, or presentation.
a. Context: When was it written? What was happening around that time?
b. Author: Who is he? What is his position in relation to the text?
c. Terminology: What is Critical Race Theory?
d. Structure: What is an executive order?
 2) I will invite students to open the assignment and reading on their digital devices, or pass
out physical copies to students who need it. On the projector/smartboard, I will display
both so students can verify that they have accessed the appropriate materials.
3) I will explain how the text (reading) is divided into sections and clarify which section we
will be focusing on today.
4) I will explain the assignment in detail and what students are expected to accomplish.
a. Explain assignment purpose, goals, and relation to our current unit on research
b. Display sections that students will be responsible for
c. Present students with learning goal as prescribed within the SOL standards for the
unit
5) I will open the floor to questions or concerns before proceeding to the next step.

We do

1) I will read or invite a student to read the first paragraph of the section. Then, I will ask a
student to summarize the section and identify its purpose.
a. Summary example: Education plays a vital role in the shaping of our future, and
students must actively engage in their education by taking risks and vocalizing
their thoughts and opinions.
b. Purpose example: This section introduces the content that is to proceed by
establishing the precedent that education, and how we instruct students, is
important.
2) I will invite students to read the next paragraph on their own. When the students are
finished, they should signal to me by slightly shifting their device (i.e., closing laptop
slightly, placing phone face down, putting device in lap).
3) After students have read the second paragraph, I will direct them to the first section of the
comprehension assignment. We will complete this section together.
a. I will invite students to provide their own responses to the class as we
collaboratively complete the section. Students will also be instructed to follow
along on their devices by inputting their own (or the class’) responses.
4) I will open the floor to questions or concerns.
5) I will instruct students to complete the second and third sections on their own and to read
the appropriate paragraphs.

You do

1) The students will complete the second and third sections of the assignment and read the
accompanying text.
a. Students are invited to work alone or with small groups.
b. All students will be invited to complete the optional section (section 4) once
they’ve completed their assignment. This is appropriate for gifted and talented
students as the fourth section is more challenging and requires the student to think
critically about the text.
c. All students will be invited to listen to music, walk around, use anxiety-relieving
fidgets, etc. as they complete their assignment. This will be especially helpful for
neurodivergent students.
 d. English learners may pair with their language exchange partner or a fluent
English-speaking student to complete the assignment. They are welcome to
translate the text to their native language as well.
2) After all students have completed the assignment, they will spend a few minutes sharing
their responses with others.
3) Once students have had time to share their responses, they will be invited to share with
the class as a whole.
a. I will comment on students’ responses as they share and use this opportunity to
promote learning among my students.
4) At the end of discussion, I will open the floor to questions and concerns. Students may
answer these questions and concerns for their peers.

Impact on Instructional Decisions: The comprehension activity invites students into the
interactive phase of the learning cycle by guiding them towards their understanding of the text
and the analysis of bias, misconceptions, point of view, etc. In the interactive phase, students are
guided in processing new and unfamiliar information. Using QtA with students in a cooperative
setting allows them to tackle important and challenging material without the anxiety of doing it
alone. Simultaneously, the comprehension activity leaves space for some autonomy as students
answer questions using their own opinions and viewpoints. In my instruction, I can use
comprehension activities to explain larger, more challenging concepts to my students; when
students are actively engaged in their learning through cooperative guidance, they can grasp
information more easily.