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Part 1 - Understanding
Summary
The article, “Comprehension in Disguise, The Role of Knowledge in Children’s
Learning” is about how reading comprehension plays a huge role in the way a child develops
reading and writing skills. Background knowledge plays a key role in the way one comprehends
what they are reading but often is overlooked. One must use the information that they are
reading and make meaning of it. In the example of Melissa at the restaurant, I caught myself
using background knowledge of being in a restaurant before and how it works. I did make the
inference that Melissa was angry and that is why she paid the greeter and not the waitress. This
was a great example of how background knowledge works in reading comprehension.
According to the article, low-income children are at a disadvantage, as their background
knowledge is often limited. When one has some knowledge, it’s easier to develop more
knowledge. Simply put, knowledge is power in cognitive development (Neuman, 2019). Many
researchers and teachers believe that word knowledge is the key to comprehension, but knowing
the meaning of a word is not enough unless it is connected to concepts that make the student
understand the world they live in. By introducing children to nonfiction books and informational
books, we can expand their understanding of the world they live in and that will assist with
comprehension.
The government has made many investments to education, but despite this, there hasn’t
been a major increase in comprehension scores. We cannot solely look to background
knowledge for reading comprehension. We have to find a way for all to be successful in reading.
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Word count: 268
Part 2 - Planning
Grade Level: 1st Grade
VA Standard of Learning (Science or Social Studies)
1.4 The student will investigate and understand that plants have basic life needs and
functional parts that allow them to survive. Key ideas include
a) plants need nutrients, air, water, light, and a place to grow;
b) structures of plants perform specific functions; and
c) plants can be classified based on a variety of characteristics.
VA Standard of Learning (ELA):
1.8 The student will expand vocabulary.
b) Develop vocabulary by listening to and reading a variety of texts.
1.1 The student will continue to demonstrate growth in the use of oral language.
e) Express ideas orally in complete sentences.
1.10 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of nonfiction
texts.
d) Identify text features such as pictures, headings, charts, and captions
Common Core Standard:
CCSS.RI.1.2. Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
CCSS.RI.1.5. 5. Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents,
glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
Topic:
Plants
Part 3 - Instruction
1. Big Ideas
1. Plants need certain things to grow
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2. Plants have structures that are for different functions
3. Plants can be classified by certain characteristics
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2. Takeaways/Objectives
In this topic, children will learn that:
1. Plants are living things
2. Plants need nutrients, air, water, light, and a place to grow
3. Plants have parts that perform different functions
4. Plants have a life cycle
5. How are plants important to the environment
3. Book Choices
Book Title Author Lexile Level Genre Reason(s) for choosing this
text
Curious
George
Grows a
Garden
Erica Zappy
and Sandra
Willard
460L Fiction In this story, George is
trying to plant anything and
everything. He learns that
those things won’t grow, but
a seed will. This teaches
students that certain things
are meant to planted and
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grow.
Plants are
Alive
Molly Aloian 480L Nonfiction This book talks about all the
things plants need to grow.
It also talks about parts of
the plant and the life cycle
of a plant.
Disgusting
Plants
Partick
Perish
540L Nonfiction This book is about real
plants, but ones that don’t
smell good like roses. Kids
like disgusting things, so I
chose this to keep them
interested in the plants
topic.
Plants Can’t
Sit Still
Rebecca E.
Hirsch
AD510L Nonfiction This books talks about the
characteristics of plants.
3. Word Knowledge
*Note: You may delete/add rows and edit the charts based on the number of words in each
category you develop. In total, you must include 12 words.
Category #1: Parts of a Plant
Vocabulary Word Child-Friendly Definition
roots The part of the plant that grows underground
stems The part of the plant that makes it stand tall and holds it up
leaves The part of the plant that is green and flat and takes in sunlight
flowers The part of the plant that is colorful and make seeds
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Category #2: Plant Life Cycle
Vocabulary Word Child-Friendly Definition
Seed Small parts of made by plants from which new plants grow
Sprout A small growth on a plant
Seedling A young plant grown from a seed
plant Living things that grow from soil and turn light from the sun into
food
Category #3: Things plants need to grow
Vocabulary Word Child-Friendly Definition
Sunlight The light from the sun
Water Liquid that comes from the clouds
Air The invisible mixture of odorless and tasteless gases that surrounds
the earth
Soil Dirt from the ground
4. Distributed Review
Which key
takeaway(s) does this
book support?
Ideas for Integrating
the text within the
classroom.
Explain the text-to-
text, text-to-self,
and/or text-to-world
connections that can
be made using this
text.
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Curious
George Grows
a Garden
This book supports the
fact that only seeds
can be planted and
grow.
Students will be given
questions about the main
idea and supporting
details from the text.
Students can connect
text-to-world, with
what can be planted
and not planted
Plants are
Alive
Students will be able
to talk about what
plants need to grow,
the life cycle of plants,
and the parts of plants.
Students will be given a
graphic organizer where
they must list the plant
life cycle in the order
that it occurs.
Students can connect
the things they need to
survive and compare
them to what plants
need to survive.
Disgusting
Plants
Students will know
that not all plants
smell good and look
pretty. Some plants
are disgusting and
stink but have a
purpose.
Students will be given 2
plants to research. One
that is disgusting and a
normal plant. They will
compare and contrast the
plants.
Students can connect
what they know about
plants and compare
that to the story of
disgusting plants.
Plants Can’t
Sit Still
Students will be able
to tell about certain
characteristics of
some plants. Some
plants dance, some
plants climb, ect.
Students will fill in a
graphic organizer about
how plants move.
Students can connect
what they have learned
from this story by
discussing with other
students what they
have noticed about
different plants and
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how they move.
5. Intentional Opportunities for Language Development
Questions
1. What are the stages of a plant’s life cycle?
2. What does a plant need to grow and survive?
3. What are the parts of a plant and what role to they play in the plant’s survival?
4. How are the life cycle of a plant and the life cycle of an animal similar?
5. How are animals and plants similar in the things that they need to survive? How are they
different?
Summary
In my classroom, I will provide many opportunities for students discuss the content of plants.
Plants are such a vital part of our everyday life. I will provide open discussion with questions for
students to answer in our discussion. Since plants are all around us, I will take the students on a
nature walk to observe different plants and talk about their characteristics. I will provide students
with new vocabulary and give them opportunity to build on the words with prior background
knowledge. The students will have the opportunity to plant their own seed and watch it grow,
while completing a daily journal about the differences of the plant from day to day. The students
will even be able to use plants in math. They will have word problems that have different
scenarios using plants. It is important to integrate a topic into all other subjects. This will build
on the students plant knowledge.
Word Count: 154
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References
Aloian, M. (2012). Plants are alive! Crabtree Publishing Company.
Hirsch, R. E. (2022). Plants can’t sit still Hirsch, Rebecca E. Millbrook Press â"¢.
Neuman, S. B. (2019///Fall). Comprehension in Disguise: The Role of Knowledge in Children's
Learning.Perspectives on Language and Literacy,45(4), 12-16.
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-
journals/comprehension-disguise-role-knowledge-childrens/docview/2357405652/se-2
Perish, P. (2015). Disgusting plants. Bellwether Media.
Zappy, Erica, & Sacks, Marcy Goldberg. (2015). Curious george grows a garden. Paw Prints.
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