Narrow Reading: Photosynthesis

Drucker (2003) is the author of the article, What Reading Teachers Should Know About ESL Learners. In her article, Drucker describes a variety of instructional strategies effective for ESL students. One such strategy is narrow reading. In narrow reading, “learners read authentic writing about the same topic in a number of different texts. By doing this, students are exposed to a common body of vocabulary,” (pg. 27).

My first attempt at narrow reading incorporated a lesson on plant structures and functions, which is what we were studying at the time in Science. Through our Science lessons, we learned about photosynthesis and how plants make their own food. To build on this lesson in small group, we read a passage called, “A Tree is Like a Hungry Kid.” With this passage, we reviewed the “ingredients” for photosynthesis and further described the process of photosynthesis. Students were very eager to share their knowledge about plants and photosynthesis. Participation was high and students were able to make great text-to-text connections.

We worked with this passage for a week, and during this time we focused on vocabulary, comprehension, and sequencing. Vocabulary and comprehension were the focus for the first two days. On the third day, students sequenced the steps of photosynthesis using the passage. Together, we completed a graphic organizer, identifying the first, second, third, fourth, and final steps of photosynthesis. After completing the organizer, I incorporated a mini writing lesson into the activity. We discussed the importance of topic and concluding sentences and created an example of each as a whole group. I instructed students to use their organizers to create a cohesive paragraph describing the steps of photosynthesis.

While students were working on their paragraphs, I made my observations. Four students (Jessica, Karen, Brian and Anthony) went right to work and did not have any difficulty with this assignment. These students pay great attention during instruction and are usually on task and participating. Kevin and Michelle struggled a bit more with this assignment, leaving out key details in their writing. However, both were quick to ask for help and clarification. After walking them through the assignment again, they had a better understanding, and were able to make necessary changes to their work.

Our final day working with photosynthesis provided the opportunity for a more hands-on, creative activity. I gave each student a template of a leaf that they were to cut out and color. We split the leaf in half and labeled “In” on one half and “Out” on the other. Each student received five arrows and were instructed to label the arrows with the three components of photosynthesis and the two products of photosynthesis and glue to the correct half of the leaf. I gave them twenty minutes to complete this activity and allowed them to work with a partner. All six of the students were able to complete this activity to one hundred percent accuracy. While working, I observed some students saying to each other, “This is fun!” and “I like this!”

When reflecting on this week’s activity, five of the six students had high participation and engagement. They were making frequent connections to our Science lessons and other books about photosynthesis. Kevin was often off task during instruction and required frequent redirecting. Although he was able to make text-to-text connections, following directions and meeting work requirements was a challenge for him. Although it may seem a bit tedious to spend a week on photosynthesis in small group, none of the students complained or voiced their boredom with this topic. In fact, the opposite was observed.