Barbara W. Winters
Each lesson must have specific reference to the Connecticut standards and the New Haven frameworks for curriculum. The New Haven Public Schools have adopted set frameworks in each subject for each grade level. Specifically, the section on language arts for grade nine should be reviewed as each lesson plan is made.
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I suggest that the first lesson involve having some students read aloud to find out who might benefit from the services of the reading specialist/teacher and making the appropriate referrals for readers with serious reading problems. The second lesson involves using The Reader As Detective in class as a demonstration of independent use of reading materials. This is a paperback workbook that contains passages from traditional literature. Each passage is interrupted to give the reader a chance to solve the mystery and, then, reading comprehension and vocabulary exercises conclude the lesson. The third lesson is geared toward setting the tone for reading A Little Yellow Dog in class and at home with friends and family and reporting in class in discussion and other ways. As stated earlier, I strongly advocate the use of the Socratic method for this. I have added a written test to this lesson so that students are engaged for a block period of 90 minutes, rather than the normal 45 minutes.