Observation 3: Read-Aloud of I Wanna New Room

Name: Sarah Thomas

Date and time of the lesson: May 12, 2016
School: P.S. 130
Grade: 1st
Cooperating teacher: Tracy Chiang
Room number: 313
Content area: ELA
Central Focus/Essential Question
This read-aloud of I Wanna New Room by Karen Kaufman Orloff is meant to introduce students to
the concept of persuasion and provide a mentor text to help prepare students to eventually write
their own persuasive letters. Constructing an argument and supporting it with evidence is a critical
skill that children will use throughout their school career and into their lives as adults both
professionally and personally. I chose to teach this skill using the genre of personal letters because
I think it is accessible and fun for first graders.
Goal of Lesson
By the end of this lesson, students will understand the meaning of persuasion and the components
that are needed to construct a persuasive piece of writing:
State your opinion
Provide at least two pieces of evidence
Write a conclusion
Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6: Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate
understanding of their central message or lesson
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse
partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read
aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1.B: Build on others' talk in conversations by responding to
the comments of others through multiple exchanges.
Prior Knowledge/ Key Misconceptions
Students have already been exposed to the concept of persuasion and have read several persuasive
texts together as a class and engaged in discussions about it. That being said, this is still a difficult
concept. I think the most challenging part for students is understanding how to use evidence to
support their claims and determining when reading or listening to a text, what part of the text is
evidence. This challenge is addressed in this lesson through the use of close reading of short texts
to show students what constitutes evidence and how it is used.
Materials & Resources (Standard 3.1)
Copy of the book I Wanna New Room by Karen Orloff Kaufman
Document camera and smartboard
Chart paper and markers

Lesson Development
1. Before Reading: To introduce the lesson, I will share a personal story about persuasion: My
parents taught me about recycling when I was very young and I always thought it was really
important. Then when I was in fourth grade, I went to a new school that didnt recycle. I was very
upset about this and decided that I needed to PERSUADE the principal at my new school to create
a recycling program. So I came up with a bunch of reasons why the school should recycle that I
thought would convince the principal. I told her that recycling reduces waste, preserves natural
resources and is good for the environment. For example, if you recycle paper, then no new trees
need to be cut down to make new paper. I also told her that when materials are thrown out instead
of recycled, they just get buried in landfills, and that land could be made into parks for people to
enjoy, or houses could be built on it. After the story, I will ask the class who thinks the principal
started a recycling program at school? Who thinks she didnt? Why? I will then turn the classs
focus back to the word persuade and ask if anyone knows what it means. Depending on what the
students say, I may need to explicitly tell them that persuade means to convince someone to do or
believe something by using evidence.
I will then instruct the students to turn and talk to classmate about a time that they tried to
persuade someone or someone tried to persuade them. A few students will then share their
responses with the whole class. I will then tell them that we are going to read a book called I
Wanna New Room that is a collection of letters written between a little boy and his father. I will
say that there are many ways we can persuade people and a letter is one of them. Ill tell them that
we are reading this book because it is going to help them do their own persuasive writing.
2. During Reading: The book begins with a letter from Alex: Dear Mom, I know you think I
should share a room with Ethan now that we have Baby Annie, but heres why I shouldnt. When
Ethan sleeps, he sounds like the cat coughing up fur balls. Why cant you move Annie in with you
and give me my room back? Signed, Your very tired son, Alex. After reading this, I will stop and
ask the students: Who wrote this letter? And who did he write it to? What is the topic? This is a
variation on the RAFT (Role, Audience, Form, Topic) literacy strategy.
I will tell them that just like when they read the fairytales from different characters perspectives,
it is important with persuasive writing to know whose point of view the writing is from and who
the audience is. I will then ask, What if Alex wrote this letter to his teacher? Do you think it
might be different? Why?
I will then introduce the Persuasion Map graphic organizer (see figure 1) and explain that there are
several components that make up a good persuasive argument: First, state your opinion, then
provide reasons that support your opinion, last provide a conclusion. I will then put up the first
letter (see above) on the document camera so we can analyze it. I will ask:
What is Alexs opinion (answer: he should not have to share a room with Ethan)?

What are Alexs reasons that support his opinion (answer: when Ethan sleeps, he
sounds like the cat coughing up fur balls.)?
How does Alex conclude his letter (answer: he provides an alternative solution,
which is that baby Annie can sleep with his parents)?

As we answer the questions above, I will record the answers on the Persuasion Map graphic
organizer. I will then continue and read the rest of the book.
3. After Reading: after completing the book, I will go back to do a close reading of another letter

so that we can finish filling out the graphic organizer:

Dear Dad, Annie is a BABY! She doesnt have any hair. And if she wore makeup, she
would drool on it! By the way, did I mention Ethan broke my skateboard and lost my brand
new Captain Creepy action figure? The kid is out of control, Dad. Love, Your seriously
upset child, Alex. In this letter, Alex provides another reason why he should have his own
room. I will ask the students what that reason is so we can add it to the graphic organizer
(answer: Ethan broke Alexs skateboard and lost his toy.)
We will then look at how the two letters ended (1. Why cant you move Annie in with you
and give me my room back? 2. The kid is out of control) and talk about how one ending
provides a solution to the problem while the other restates the reason why Alex needs a
new room. We will talk about how there is more than one way to conclude a piece of
persuasive writing.
Culmination: After filling out the graphic organizer together, I will tell the class that in a future
lesson they will work independently on their own graphic organizer using topics that they come up
with themselves.
Differentiated Instruction
This lesson is differentiated in several ways. First, I have incorporated several turn and talks, and
also built in opportunities for the students to participate in whole group discussion so that they are
learning through several different modalities. I am also utilizing the document camera for close
reading so that students can see the text in addition to hearing me read it aloud.
Assessment
Because there is no independent work done in this lesson, the students responses to my questions
and the turn and talks will serve as my assessment.

Figure 1

Persuasion Map
Name:
Topic:
Opinion

Reason

Reason

Conclusion