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Lesson
5-1
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Lesson: Readers have schema
==> Have the kids look around the room. Ask them what they think I love (they will say frogs because my room is decorated
with frogs)
==> Tell the children that I love frogs. I've read a lot of books about frogs. I have a lot of SCHEMA about frogs.
==> Give the definition of schema: all the things I know and have experienced make up my schema.
==> Ask a child what they know a lot about. Tell them "wow, you must have a lot of schema about _____" Repeat
this process with several children.
==> Have the children turn to their talking partners and share something they have a lot of schema about.
==> Make a list of things that people in our class know a lot about.
==> Teach the schema song
==> Create a class chart that tells what schema is.
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Lesson
5-2
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Lesson: We all have different schema
==> Bring out an old dirty hiking book and a beautiful clean high heel shoe.
==> What is the difference between these two shoes? (dirty/clean, boy/girl shoe, brown/white, etc.)
==> These two things are both shoes, but they are both very different. They have had different experiences in life.
Do you think this high heel has ever been hiking? Or has this dirty old work boot ever been to a wedding? They have probably
lead very different lives. However, they might have some common experiences. Maybe this nice fancy shoe has been to the
mall and maybe this work boot has too.
==> I brought these shoes to show you because I want you to understand that we all have different schema. We have
experienced different things in life. I've been to the rainforest's of Ecuador. Not too many people in Wisconsin have been
there though. I had a very big family, but I know people who didn't have any brothers or sisters. The things that we have
experienced build our schema. The things that we experience are the things that make us who we are.
==> Allow kids to talk about some of their unique experiences.
==> You see, we all have different schemas. But one thing remains constant. We all have schemas.
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Clean High Heal and Dirty work boot
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Lesson
5-3
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Lesson: Readers activate their schema
==> Review yesterday's poster about schema
==> Sing schema song
==> Ask, why do you think schema is important to readers- tell your talking partner.
==> Make a list of things that children say concerning why schema is so important.
==> Readers activate (turn on) their schema to help them better understand the story.
==> Read a book to the children. Before reading have the children activate their schema.
==> Now that we have our brains ready we are ready to read. It's kind of like exercising; before we exercise we warm
up our bodies to get them ready for reading.
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Lesson
5-4
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Lesson: Readers grow their schema
==> Show the kids an empty file cabinet drawer
==> A file cabinet is used to file important papers.
==> Our brains are like a filing cabinet. They are full of all the important things we know and have experienced-
all our memories.
==> Every single day our schema grows. It grows because we experience new things, we learn new things, and we read
new things.
==> When we read a book we take the new information and we file it into our brains.
==> Read a book to the children.
==> Before reading ask them what they know. Make a chart.
==> After reading, have them tell you new things they learned from the book. Add it to a chart.
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Lesson
5-5
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Lesson: Our schema changes
==> Review the lesson on how our schema grows.
==> Create a chart of all the things that the children know about why leaves change colors. Write down all answers
and do not comment on them.
==> Read the book Why do leaves change colors?
==> Review the things on the list. Were there any things on the list that were misconceptions? Cross those things
out.
==> Were there things that you learned that you didn't know? Add those to the filing cabinet.
==> Readers can change their schema. As we learn new things and make new discoveries we may find that some of our
previous schema was not correct. We can take those misconceptions out just like I can take papers out of my file cabinet.
And then I can add my new knowledge to my schema file.
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Why Do Leaves Change Colors
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Lesson
5-6
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Lesson: Who's schema is better?
==> Review what schema is. Ask the kids who has the best schema.
==> Bring out a bag of m&m's. Ask a child to stick in their hand and pull out a small handful of m&m's. Next
stick your own hand in and bring out a small handful.
==> Let's compare m&m's. Does George have the same m&m's that I do? OH my he has 5 greens and I only have
1. Does that mean that his m&m's are better than mine? If each of us stuck our hand in the bag and pulled out 10 m&m's
we would all have different combinations of colors, but we would all have m&m's.
==> Schema is much the same. We all experience different things. That doesn't make my schema better than anyone else's.
It just makes it different. You might know a lot about a subject and I might not know anything about it. Last year I had
a student who knew all about the Titanic. He knew tons more than I did about that subject. He had a lot of schema about
it. Did that mean that I should feel bad for myself? NO, schema is personal and individual. I can learn from you and you
can learn from me. We can all learn from each other because we all have different schema. We should celebrate other's schema
and never tear it down.
==> Give each child a fun size bag of m&m's. Before they eat them have them compare what they got in their bag
to what others around them got and talk about how everyone's schema is unique to them and something to be treasured.
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m&m's
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Lesson
5-7
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Lesson: Schema makes all the difference
==> Have you wondered how schema can help us as readers?
==> I want to try a little activity with you that I think might help you understand why our schema is so important.
==> Make a T chart on chart paper. On one side list the name of a place your students are passionate about (chuckecheese,
local amusement park, etc.)
Tell the children that when you say go, they will have 60 seconds to shout out all their thoughts. Write as many down
as possible.
==> Next write the name of a place that the children are not familiar with on the other side of the T chart. Once
again give them 60 seconds to shout out their thoughts.
==> I noticed that with the first place you were excited and full of energy as you shouted out your responses. On
the second half it was really different. Let's talk about that. Why do you think you were so quiet on the second half?
==> Now watch this- Write the word SCHEMA across the first half of the chart. Your schema made all the difference.
It's your thoughts and your feelings, your experiences, and opinions. Everything you know and have seen, tasted, felt makes
you who you are.
You didn't have any schema for the second place. Oh, but I do. It's the town where I grew up. I can still smell the
mango tree that grew in my yard and feel the squish of the tar under my feet on the road. I still remember the heaviness
of the air as it clung to my skin.
==> Your schema helps you feel and understand when you read. It holds the words from the pages and brings them to
life inside your head.
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Lesson
5-8
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Lesson: Schema- building on a solid foundation
Read a book about building a house.
Discuss with the children the importance of having a foundation to build the house on. Without a foundation the house
will fall apart.
Reading is very similar. When we read our schema is the foundation that we build our reading on. If we don't have any
schema our reading (understanding) falls apart.
A good reader takes time to think about their schema, to activate their schema and to build their background knowledge.
This helps them to be strong readers who understand what they are reading.
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Lesson
5-9
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Lesson: Schema- the bridge to understanding
Read a book about a bridge (The little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge)
A bridge connects things. It connects two pieces of land so that people can get back and forth.
Schema is like a bridge. It bridges the text and our thinking together. It helps us make connections from our lives
to the things we read about so that we can better understand what we read.
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Back to Reader's workshop mini lessons- click here
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