Literacy Lesson: Hanukkah in Alaska
Literacy Lesson: Hanukkah in Alaska
Grade Level: 2nd Grade, Struggling 3rd Grade
Subject: English/Reading
Duration: Listening - 7 minutes, Assessment - 5-7 minutes, Writing Activity - 20/25 minutes
DOK Level: 2/3
SAMR Level: Augmentation
Indiana Standard:
2.RL.1 Read and comprehend a variety of literature within a range of complexity appropriate for grades 2-3. By the end of grade 2, students interact with texts proficiently and independently at the low end of the range and with scaffolding as needed at the high end.
2.RL.2.1 Ask and answer questions (e.g., who was the story about; why did an event happen; where did the story happen) to demonstrate understanding of main idea and key details in a text.
3.RV.3.1 Determine how the author uses words and phrases to provide meaning to works of literature, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language, including figurative language (e.g., similes).
Objective: Students will be able to listen to a story being read aloud, accurately answer comprehension and literary elements questions about the story, and create a slides presentation about Alaska or Hanukkah traditions.
Procedure: The student will access this link to view and listen to the story “Hanukkah in Alaska” by Barbara Brown: Read Aloud Story. It would be helpful for the student to have his/her own copy of the book to track the words and follow along with the story. They can access this video from any device that has an internet connection. They can use the pause or rewind button to review any part of the story. Once they have completed the listening exercise, they should access the assessment (in the Assessment section) to demonstrate comprehension. In addition to the assessment, they should complete the writing exercise.
Student directions for follow up activity: Option 1 - “Hanukkah is similar to a Christmas celebration. The narrator mentions dreidels and latkes. One illustration shows the family lighting a candle in the Menorah. These items are all a part of Hanukkah traditions. Research Hanukkah and find some of the parts of the holiday. Create a Google slides presentation with at least three slides. The first slide should introduce the part of Hanukkah that you found interesting. The second slide should describe how people use it to celebrate the holiday. The last slide should compare this part of Hanukkah with one aspect of your winter celebration. Do you celebrate Christmas? Compare the item from Hanukkah with a similar item from Christmas. Use pictures in each of the slides.” Option 2 - “The story takes place in Alaska. There are some aspects of Alaska that are much different than living on the mainland, like we do. For example, the narrator says it stays dark for most of the day. Dad says that the northern lights are especially visible in Alaska. Do some research on Alaska. Create a Google Slides presentation about Alaska and a few of the things that make it a very unique state in our country. The first slide should introduce the state and have a picture. The second slide should give one interesting fact about the state and a picture to represent that fact. The third slide should list an interesting fact about the weather in Alaska and display a picture.”
Resources: Personal Learning Device (iPad/Chromebook/Laptop) or other device to view video, GoFormative Account (It’s free!) or Scholastic Reading Counts or Accelerated Reader (for use with assessments), Paper and colored pencils to design Digital program for written response, Optional: a physical copy of the picture book. Headphones, if necessary. Access to Google Slides or Powerpoint and/or Google Docs to complete the research activity.
Product or Assessment: If your school provides the assessment systems Scholastic Reading Counts or Accelerated Reader, this book has a comprehension quiz in both systems. The Accelerated Reader quiz number is: 79195. The book level is 3.5. Scholastic Reading Counts also offers a quiz for this book, but you must subscribe to the service to retrieve the quiz number.If your school does not maintain one of those systems, you can use this link to access the assessment created in the GoFormative site over the literary elements: Story Elements Quiz Hanukkah in Alaska. GoFormative is a free assessment tool and anyone can register! The teacher could certainly use the AR/SRC quiz along with the Go Formative, as they cover different aspects of literacy, not just comprehension.
Enrichment: Storyline Online is available 24 hours a day for children, parents, caregivers and educators worldwide.Each book includes supplemental curriculum developed by a credentialed elementary educator, aiming to strengthen comprehension and verbal and written skills for English-language learners. Click here for Storyline's additional activities and resources for this story.This link includes cross curricular projects.
Additional Note: Ten Reasons to Read Aloud to Children: 1. To provide enjoyment. 2. To model expressive reading. 3. To show the connections between speech and print. 4. To help children develop stronger vocabularies and more sophisticated language structures. 5. To introduce different genres and writing styles. 6. To increase attention Span. 7. To strengthen cognitive ability. 8. To enhance the affective domain. 9. To help second language learners to become familiar with the sounds and shapes of English. 10. To meet national literacy standards (Polette, 2014). Article retrieved from this Read Aloud Resource .