Similarities and differences was the focus of a literacy lesson for third-grade students attending summer school at Arrowpoint Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District.
Standing at the Promethean board, an interactive white board and computer system, teacher Kyle Embick began the morning lesson with an engaging, fun activity. Behind him was an image of two competing gaming systems – a PlayStation 2 and an Xbox 360 – along with a list of features for the devices.
“The goal of the lesson was to have students compare and contrast two things that they had a significant amount of background about,” said Embick.
Before jumping to the gaming systems, Embick worked with the students in a brainstorming session to consider the similarities and differences between a basketball and a football.
“A basketball is round like a head and a football is like two triangles put together,” a boy explained.
“That’s a good use of description,” Embick said.
“You can run with a football, but with a basketball, you have to bounce it or get called for a travel,” another boy replied.
“Good job. That’s a good way to explain how they’re used,” Embick said.
“A basketball bounces up and down. You have to throw a football,” a girl explained, shyly.
“That’s right,” Embick said.
The students then worked in groups to discuss the gaming systems. As they worked, Embick called students to the whiteboard to test their knowledge. For every correct answer, the class snapped their fingers in encouragement.
The lesson included a writing activity, a Venn diagram of interlocking circles. Working in pairs or individually, the comparisons and contrasts continued, giving students a chance to write about other things they know about gaming systems.
“Similarities and differences is a depth-of-knowledge skill,” Embick said.
“The students use strategic thinking skills when they are comparing and contrasting. They also use different methods of communication to explain their thinking, such as class discussion, group share and independent application through writing.”
Although he is a second-year teacher, Embick believes that students who attend summer school “benefit tremendously from the extra instruction. It gives the students an additional month to practice and review the essential skills necessary to succeed at the next grade level.”
When asked what advice he would give to parents to enhance their child’s literacy when school isn’t in session, Embick said that parent involvement has “a huge impact on the academic success” of a child.
“I think it’s important for parents to spend time reading to their children and asking questions about the story to develop listening comprehension skills. I also encourage parents to have children write every day. Writing is such an important skill that students will use beyond their academic career.
“There are many ways to promote writing during the summer. Children can write freely, make predictions and write about a story, write a letter to a friend, describe something outdoors or make a grocery list,” Embick said.