Using Wordle.net to Teach Children Predicting in Reading

Summary:

In this lesson, children of all year levels can use an image created from Wordle.net to predict what an article/story is about. There is a massive hype over who is correct in this lesson and it caters to your lowest readers and your highest readers. I love this lesson because it helps your low readers to understand all the words in the article first, allowing them to read the text fluently later.

Australian Curriculum Links:

• Year 1 – Read supportive texts using developing phrasing, fluency, contextual, semantic, grammatical andphonic knowledge and emerging text processing strategies, for example prediction, monitoring meaning and rereading (ACELY1659)
• Year 2 – Read less predictable texts with phrasing and fluency by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge using text processing strategies, for example monitoring meaning, predicting, rereading and self-correcting(ACELY1669)
• Year 3 – Read an increasing range of different types of textsby combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge, using text processing strategies, for example monitoring, predicting, confirming, rereading, reading on and self-correcting (ACELY1679)
• Year 4 – Read different types of texts by combining contextual , semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge using text processing strategies for example monitoring meaning, cross checking and reviewing(ACELY1691)
• Year 5 – Navigate and read texts for specific purposes applying appropriate text processing strategies, for example predicting and confirming, monitoring meaning, skimming and scanning (ACELY1702)

Lesson Outline:

Before you do this, choose an appropriate article/story/speech for your children. You can use a picture story book for younger students.

Introduction:

1. Explain what prediction is and how it helps us as readers to understand whatever it is that we are reading.
2. Discuss where and when we would predict in our lives (and in reading) on the board (2 -Heading T Chart would work well).
3. Tell students that today we are going to practise predicting with a tricky and challenging image that will require them to think critically.

Body:

1. Pull up your wordle (you’ll need to create one first by copying text from an article/story into the Java plugin at archived source unavailable) and distribute colour copies to pairs in your class.
2. Set students the challenge that you have copied this text from a newspaper article that you have forgotten the name of and challenge them to solve what the article is about.
3. Explain to the children that in a wordle, the words that appear the largest, occur more often in the text. The example above obviously has the word ‘WASTE’ appear quite often.
4. Discuss the strategies that we could use as readers to try and make meaning from this text (it is a text you know), such as using a dictionary to look up unknown words, finding proper nouns for places and looking them up on a map, etc.
5. Set children to task, getting them to record any information that they find out and their thoughts on what the text is about.

Conclusion

1.  After children have spent a good 20-30 minutes examining the Wordle, wander off to a stack of mixed up papers that you have previously created (have copies of the original article here for the students too) and yell out ‘It’s ok! I’ve found the article!’
2. Naturally students will want to know (confirm or deny) their predictions and will ask if they can read it.
3. Before you allow them, ask for some of their predictions first and record on a large piece of paper (butcher’s paper will work well)
4. Have students read in pairs, small groups or as a whole class.
5. When they have finished ask them to come and place a tick or a cross on some of the predictions that the class made and discuss why these predictions were incorrect/correct.
6. Conclude by pointing out that we can always predict what might happen, but that prediction can always change as we learn more. Good predictions take in a lot of factors and are not just ‘wild’ guesses.

Assessment:

• Use anecdotal notes recording (grid with what strategies you are looking for works well).
• Add initials to children’s predictions on the butcher’s paper to see who has contributed.
• Have children record their reading and create a before and after digital prediction and affirmation.

Resources:

• The above wordle used this article http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/hightech-tactics-fail-to-stop-recycling-racket-20120924-26hll.html