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Standards Correlations
R.1, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, W.1, SL.1, L.4, L.5, L.6
Learning Objective
Students will read about an inspiring teen and identify cause-and-effect relationships in the story.
Key Skills
cause and effect, text features, vocabulary, sequencing, figurative language, compare and contrast, key details, critical thinking, making connections, persuasive writing
Complexity Factors
Purpose: The article gives information about social anxiety and describes what it’s like to be in a circus troupe.
Structure: The story is chronological and is told in the first-person voice.
Language: The language is conversational.
Knowledge Demands: Familiarity with circuses is helpful but not essential.
Levels
Lexile Level: 600L-700L
Guided Reading Level: S
DRA Level: 40
Lesson Plan: The Circus Changed My Life
Essential Questions
Literature Connection
1. Preparing to Read
Preview Text Features (10 minutes)
Guide students to locate the story. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:
Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)
Make a Plan for Reading
Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:
2. Reading and Unpacking the Text
- Have students read the story independently. - As a class, discuss any notes that students made about the text. - Next, discuss the close-reading and critical-thinking questions.
Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)
Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)
3. Skill Building and Writing
Learn Anywhere Activity
An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom
The Power of Practice
Jacob says that meeting new people and staying in their homes was hard for him at first, but it got easier over time. Think of a skill that was hard for you at first but got easier with experience. Then write a paragraph that answers the questions that follow.
ELL Springboard
Discuss the sounds of ou while previewing vocabulary.
Before reading the article, go over the words in the vocabulary box. Point out that three of the words in the box have the vowel combination ou. The vowel combination is pronounced differently in each of these words.
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