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Written by: Sherry Philippus,
Lesson title: Research Riddle Wheel
Time: 45 min. / Days: 2 		Content Area: Language Arts
Grade: First
TEKS

Language Arts
  • 1.10(A) read fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including classic and contemporary works, for pleasure and/or information (1);
  • 1.12(B) establish purposes for reading and listening such as to be informed, to follow directions, and to be entertained (K-3);
  • 1.15(B) use pictures, print, and people to gather information and answer questions (K-1);
  • 1.15(E) recognize and use parts of a book to locate information, including table of contents, chapter titles, guide words, and indices (1-3);
  • 1.21(B) compose complete sentences in written texts and use the appropriate end punctuation (1-2).
  • 1.23(A) record or dictate questions for investigating (K-1);
  • 1.23(B) record or dictate his/her own knowledge of a topic in various ways such as by drawing pictures, making lists, and showing connections among ideas (K-3).
Marzano Strategies
  • Summarizing and Note Taking
  • Questions, Cues and Organizers
 BigSix Elements
  • Task Definition
  • Information Seeking Strategies
  • Location and Access
  • Use of Information
  • Synthesis
  • Evaluation
Materials:
Sample Research Riddle Wheel prepared in advance
Large laminated poster of "My Data Chart" --OR-- draw My Data Chart on white board for demonstration purposes
A Research Packet for each student, including "My Data Chart" and the templates for the Riddle Wheel (3 pages total)
Each student will need a pencil, scissors, crayons/markers, glue stick, and a paper fastener to assemble a Riddle Wheel.

Resources:
Book: What Am I? by Moira Butterfield
Book: whatever book you use to create your sample Research Riddle Wheel
Large selection of 1st & 2nd grade level library books on different animals, at least one per student and more if possible to allow freedom of choice

Procedure:
1. Read the "What Am I?" book to the class. When I did this, I covered the picture on the front cover and did not show the pictures because I wanted them to listen to the facts, not use prior visual knowledge.
2. Talk with students about how the book gives clues about what the animal is. Then point out that the author, Moira Butterfield, was not born knowing these facts about this animal. To write her book, she had to use a process called "RESEARCH" to learn more about the animal. Define research as "when we study a certain subject very deeply in order to discover new facts and information we didn't know before."

3. Tell students that they will be doing some research to learn new facts about an animal of their choice. They will not write a book, though; they will choose 3 of their facts and use them to create a Riddle Wheel. Show the sample Riddle Wheel. Read each of the three questions from the wheel and see if anyone can guess the animal. My sample Wheel was about a killer whale.
4. Explain that students will take a library book about an animal they choose from the back table. Their first step will be to read the book. As they read, they will write down some of the important new facts that they learn on something called a Data Chart. Compare this to digging for buried treasure. Point out that it would be wrong to copy everything the author of the book wrote onto the Riddle Wheel. Instead we use a Data Chart to write important WORDS and PHRASES.

5. Demonstrate the note-taking process for the children using the marker board or poster of the Data Chart. I showed the Killer Whale book I used to make my sample wheel. The students saw how I had not copied down entire sentences on my chart.

6. When students have finished the book, they should have many Treasure words on their Data Chart. They should choose three of their best, most interesting facts and write them into good complete sentences at the bottom of the page. These are the sentences that will go on to the Riddle Wheel. Also, explain that because all this information did not come from their own heads, students must write where it DID come from. Show them the rectangle on the template that says "My Information Source" and help them write their book title and author there.

7. Finally, students can cut and assemble the Riddle Wheel according to the instructions on the template page. Glue the "My Information Source" to the back of the wheel and have students write their names on the back as well. Allow time for students to share their wheels by quizzing others!
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