Stand-Up, Sips, Seinfeld: Reading Comprehension Passage (Gr 4, 6, 8, 10) SEL-008

High-Interest SEL Differentiated Reading Comprehension Passage about comedian Jerry Seinfeld (Grades 4, 6, 8, 10)

- Success comes from

• 1. going through a lot of stuff and

• 2. watching, wondering, trying, and tinkering until you reach your goal.

Seinfeld worked hard to perfect his craft. He's now worth over $950 million.

• What can we learn from his comedic process?

• How did he tinker with a new web series format (Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee), until he cracked the code to success?

• His web series was launched at a time when people didn't stream video content. Social Media experts at the time said it wouldn't work.

• During the first ten episodes, even Seinfeld wasn't sure it would work. But, he kept going.

• What can students learn from the creative learning process Seinfeld used to succeed?

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• Watch the PREVIEW VIDEO.

• Look at the PREVIEW PDF.
  (Read the article before you buy! It is a watermarked version of the entire PDF resource.)

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BONUS FREE Critical Thinking Video Lesson: Should ChatGPT be allowed in schools? Or is this cheating?

This article is perfect for exploring the reading comprehension strategy: Repairing Comprehension.

Students need to pay attention to semantic and context clues to understand if we are talking about:

• Seinfeld, the person.

• Seinfeld, the TV show (1989-1998), also available on Netflix

• Seinfeld's web series (Comedian in Cars Getting Coffee), also available on Netflix

• Seinfeld doing stand-up comedy in New York (and not his TV sitcom persona doing stand-up on the TV show.)

See the potential for confusion? Perfect for active reading and repairing comprehension as we get more clues from the text!

What if we learned from real-life informational texts?

What if there's more to Social-Emotional Learning than video scenarios that your students find babyish?

Do your students act out in class because they can't relate to informational texts that were written in the last century?

Differentiated Text (Grades 4, 6, 8, 10, ESL, IEP) with matching paragraphs.

The article details the comedic journey of Jerry Seinfeld, starting with his role in the hit sitcom 'Seinfeld' to his return to stand-up comedy and his innovative web series 'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'.

After 'Seinfeld' concluded at its peak popularity, Jerry Seinfeld went back to his roots in stand-up, emphasizing the importance of writing, timing, and audience reaction in comedy.

He later developed the idea for an unscripted web series featuring casual conversations between comedians, which initially faced rejection from social media giants before finding a home on Crackle in 2012.

Despite initial uncertainty, the series became highly successful, with content edited from hours of casual conversations into engaging 10 to 20-minute episodes, eventually being brought to Netflix.

Throughout his career, Seinfeld demonstrated a constant process of observation, tinkering, and revision, turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.

Life lesson:

The key takeaway from this article is the importance of creative experimentation, persistence, and trust in one's abilities.

Jerry Seinfeld's journey showcases how he constantly honed his craft and wasn't afraid to take risks or push against conventional wisdom, as seen when he transitioned from a highly successful sitcom to the initially uncertain domain of web series.

Despite early skepticism and rejection, he remained committed to his vision, believing in his understanding of comedy and his ability to engage an audience.

Seinfeld's process of meticulous observation, tinkering, and constant revision, even when working with seemingly mundane material, ultimately led to remarkable success.

The article highlights that creativity flourishes with patience, resilience, and a willingness to explore unconventional paths.

SAVE HOURS OF PREP!

QUICK + EASY DIFFERENTIATION for students who are reading ABOVE, AT, or BELOW grade level:

• Non-fiction article is written at four reading levels: approximately Grades 4, 6, 8, and 10.

• This Reading Comprehension Passage has numbered paragraphs.

• Students can easily provide evidence from the text and find information by using the paragraph numbers.

• Students at different reading levels can do the same lesson!

• Use the differentiated reading comprehension passage to accommodate or modify your program for students who are GIFTED, have an IEP, or are English Language Learners (ELL / ESL)

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) that isn't babyish:

• The social-emotional learning lesson focuses on SELF-AWARENESS and SELF MANAGEMENT.

• Have your students ever tried something new, it didn't work, and then gave up?

• Have they ever just played around with something until they figured it out?

• The article focuses on two tinkering ideas: 1) Go through a lot of stuff, and 2) Watch, Wonder, Try, and Tweak.

21st-Century Learning: Lead great classroom conversations about real-world issues!

• Discussion questions follow Bloom's Taxonomy: retell, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create.

• Detailed answer key/discussion guide with sample answers.

• BONUS answer key using the reading strategy REPAIRING COMPREHENSION.

This product includes the following FILE TYPES:

• PDF handouts.

• Google Docs™ / Microsoft Word™ versions to edit.

• Easel by TpT™ digital version for virtual handouts.
  (Learn more about Easel by TpT on their help page.)

WARNING: This product DOES NOT INCLUDE the graphic organizer seen in the bonus answer key.

• If you would like your own copy of that reading strategy graphic organizer, please upgrade to the REPAIRING COMPREHENSION BUNDLE (coming soon).

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If you have any questions, please email Mike@educircles.org or ask in the TpT Question section!