Example 1: From the Bottom Up (English)
One way to create an embedded readings is to use two – three target structures at a time:
This works very well when the focus structures string together to create a sweet little beginning, middle and end story…..
wakes up early
she has things to do
wants to get to work on time
Base story:
Georgina wakes up early every day. She wants to get to work on time. She has many things to do. She wants to get to work on time. She has to do one thing, then she has to do another thing, then she has to do another thing. She looks at the clock. Now it is late! She runs out the door because she wants to get to work on time.
Copy and paste…..and add details. I’ll try to do that by repeating each phrase with additional information:
Georgina wakes up early every day. She wakes up earlier than her family. She wants to get to work on time. She wants to get to work on time because the boss gives doughnuts to everyone who gets to work on time. She has many things to do, but she wants to get to work on time and get a cinnamon doughnut. Right after she wakes up early, she has to do one very important thing. She has to feed her pet goat. Then she has to make a huge thermos of coffee. She has to make a huge thermos of coffee because she wakes up very early!! If she makes the coffee first, after she wakes up early, and doesn’t feed her goat, then her goat eats her fuzzy slippers. So, Georgina wakes up early, has to feed the goat and THEN has to make a huge thermos of coffee. Georgina has to do one more thing in the morning. She has to read her horoscope. She looks at the clock. Now it is late! She runs out the door because she wants to get to work on time and get that cinnamon doughnut.
Copy and paste…and now I can add more details to the story. With a real story and real students I can weave in other structures, local information, details that reflect my students’ lives and interests, etc.
I can give put the paragraph in a word document and post it on my web page or in a shared file. The students can go with me to the computer lab. They can each open up the document, add their own ideas and details and save it back to the shared file for me to read. Or…they can access it at home and email me their copy.
Georgina wakes up early every day. She wakes up before she hears her alarm clock. She wakes up earlier than her family. She wakes up earlier than everyone in town.
She wants to get to work on time. She wants to get to work on time because the boss gives doughnuts to everyone who gets to work on time. Everyone!! Wouldn’t you want to get to work on time ? She has many things to do after she wakes up, but she wants to get to work on time. When she gets to work on time she likes to get a cinnamon doughnut. With lots of cinnamon and sugar!!!
Right after Georgina wakes up early, she has to do many things, but the first thing that she has to do is a very important thing. Yes, she really has to do one very important thing. She has to feed her pet goat. Before she can get to work early and get that cinnamon doughnut, she has to feed that goat.
Then she has to make a huge thermos of coffee. She prefers Folger’s coffee with extra caffeine because she wakes up very early. She has to make a HUGE, ENORMOUS thermos of Folger’s extra-caffeinated coffee because she wakes up very early!! Remember, she wakes up earlier than everyone in town!! But……..If she makes the coffee first, after she wakes up early, and doesn’t feed her goat first, then her goat eats her fuzzy slippers.
Georgina loves her fuzzy slippers. They are very warm fuzzy slippers. This is important because Georgina wakes up very early and it is very cold when she wakes up very early and her toes are very cold. So, Georgina wakes up early , puts on her warm fuzzy slippers, has to feed the goat and THEN has to make a huge thermos of Folgers super-caffeinated coffee.
Georgina has to do one more thing in the morning. She has to read her horoscope. She wants to know what type of day she is going to have. She won’t leave for work unless she reads her horoscope. Now, Georgina is very superstitious. She reads her horoscope in the Middletown News, but it isn’t always right. So…she also has to read her horoscope in the New York Times. Then, just to be sure, she reads her horoscope in the L.A. Times. If she is having a bad day (and if her goat eats her slippers) she also has to read her horoscope on the Internet.
This happens every day. After Georgina wakes up early every day, she has feed the goat, she has to make the coffee and she has to read her horoscope several times. Then, and only then, every day she looks at the clock in order to check the time because she wants to get to work early and get a cinnamon doughnut. And every day it is late! Every day she has to run out the door because she wants to get to work on time and get that cinnamon doughnut.
Every day, even though she gets up early, she is late to work…..and her boss eats the cinnamon doughnut. Poor Georgina!!
………………..
If the three structures fit nicely, like these do, to make a short little story in just a few lines….building this way works well. Each story will work differently. I think what is important is to do what you can in the time that you have. These are not stories for publication. This are stories for acquisition. If there is comprehension, connection and repetition….whooo hooo!!!!!! Jackpot!!!
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