Standards Correlations

 R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, R.9, W.1, SL.1, L.3, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will read and compare two texts about two unconventional middle schools.

Key Skills

compare and contrast, text features, vocabulary, synthesizing, key details, critical thinking, persuasive writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The first text describes a student’s experience at Quest to Learn, where students learn by playing games. The second describes a student’s experience at Zoo School, which offers hands-on experience with animals.

 

Structure: Both texts are written from the first-person point of view.

 

Language: The language is conversational.

 

Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge is required.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: Q 

DRA Level: 40

Lesson Plan: Are These the Coolest Schools in America?

Essential Questions

  • What do you think is the best way to learn: from books, conversations, experiences, or something else?
  • What qualities do you think make a school a “good school”?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer
  • Novel: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the articles in their magazines or at Action Online. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the articles’ titles. How do you think learning in a nontraditional setting, like a zoo, might be different from learning only in a classroom? Answers will vary. Sample answer: Learning at a place like a zoo might be different from learning in a classroom because a zoo has more that you can see and do in person. In a classroom, you might learn by listening to a teacher talk or by reading a book. At a zoo, you can see and touch the animals, which might make learning more fun and help you remember what you learn.
  • Look at the images in the articles. In what ways do Quest to Learn and Zoo School appear different from your school? In what ways do they appear similar? Answers will vary. Sample answer: In the first article, students can be seen playing board games, which may not be a common activity in traditional schools. In the second article, Hannah is shown spending time with an animal that looks like a camel, which is not a typical learning activity. On the other hand, we see students talking at a table in the first article and Hannah holding a notebook in the second, both of which are fairly common at traditional schools.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary boxes.  Read the words (simulation, trade, enclosures, surveyed) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan: 

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the articles give information about two different schools with unique approaches to learning.
  • Tell students that after they read, they’ll compare and contrast information from the two articles to better understand how these schools are different and what makes them special.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Read the articles. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

  • What is the main difference between Quest to Learn and a traditional school? (compare and contrast) Quest to Learn is different from traditional schools in that most learning there is done through games and activities rather than worksheets and textbooks.
  • What is Quest Bowl? How is it related to learning at Quest to Learn? (synthesizing) Quest Bowl is a final exam of sorts where students compete against each other by creating carnival games based on a theme. It is related to learning at Quest to Learn because it requires students to use what they have learned throughout the year to design and build the games.
  • What are lion drills? Why are they important at Zoo School? (key details) Lion drills are practice exercises that teach students what to do if a dangerous animal escapes from its enclosure. They are important at Zoo School because students are not far from the animals and need to know how to stay safe.
  • What are two things that Hannah learned to do on her end-of-the-year camping trip at Zoo School? (key details) On Zoo School’s end-of-the-year camping trip, Hannah learned how to start a fire and how to build a shelter in the woods.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • Compare and contrast the learning experiences described in the Quest to Learn and Zoo School articles. How are they similar? How are they different? (compare and contrast) Both articles describe schools that teach through hands-on learning experiences. However, Quest to Learn uses games and technology to do this, while the Zoo School uses animals and nature.
  • How do you think the learning experiences at Quest to Learn and Zoo School prepare students for the challenges they might face in the future? What skills or knowledge might students gain from these schools that could help them in their future careers or in everyday life? (critical thinking) Sample answer: At Quest to Learn and Zoo School, students learn in different ways than at regular schools. They play games, do projects, and work with others to learn new things. These schools help students practice skills that adults need at work and in everyday life, like problem solving, teamwork, and communication.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs to complete our Compare and Contrast Skill Builder.  (Click here to view all of your skill builders for this article.)
  • Writing Prompt: Think about the learning activities described in the articles: playing games, baking bread, feeding zoo animals, camping, and more. If you could choose one of those activities for your class to do, which would it be? Write a note to your teacher saying which activity you think your class should do and why. To persuade your teacher to consider your idea, include details about why the activity would be enjoyable and how it would help with learning.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Project the task below on your whiteboard or share it with students in your LMS.

Design a School

You just read about two nontraditional schools. Each has a special focus: One is games, and the other is animals and nature. If you could start your own special school, what would be its focus? (Think about the many ways it’s possible to learn math, science, and history—for example, through sports, theater, cooking, or art.) 

  • What will you name your school? (Choose a name that says something about the focus.)
  • What are three activities that your school will offer? (Imagine how students will study subjects like math and writing with your school’s special focus in mind.)
  • What types of students will enjoy learning at your school? (Think about how these students would describe themselves. As athletes? As creative people? As foodies?)

Now make a flyer for your school. Put the school’s name at the top of the page. Below it, write a few phrases or sentences that explain what the school is all about and why students might want to attend. If you can think of images that help show students what they can expect to experience at the school, include those as well. Have fun!

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Discuss homophones to boost comprehension.

In the article “I Went to School at the Zoo,” Hannah describes a shirt that Zoo School students wear. It says, “No lion! I go to school at the zoo!” Ask students, “If you saw only the words no lion on a shirt, what would you think it meant?” They might say that they’d think the phrase meant the wearer disliked lions or that the wearer wasn’t a lion. Ask what they think the phrase on Hannah’s shirt actually means. 

If students don’t guess correctly, explain that the phrase is a pun. Tell students that a pun is a joke in which a word is replaced with another word that looks or sounds the same. In this case, the word lion is replacing the word lyin’, or lying. Essentially, the words on Hannah’s shirt mean “I’m not lying! It’s true! I really do go to school at the zoo.” 

Tell students that homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings or meanings. If students come across a sentence that doesn’t seem to make sense, it might be a pun using a homophone. Discuss the examples below of jokes that use homophones. For each sentence, ask students to try to  identify the word that is replacing its homophone, as well as the word being replaced.

  • Why can’t the bike stand on its own? It’s two tired. (two/too)
  • Why is six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine. (eight/ate)
  • What does a clock do when it’s hungry? It goes back four seconds. (four/for)

Bonus: Ask students what the homophones in the three jokes have in common. (They all have to do with numbers.)

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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Text-to-Speech