Lesson Plans

Taken From Google Images

DRTA Lesson

For

Frog and Toad Together: The Garden

Written by Arnold Lobel

HaperCollins Publishers, 1971

Summary:

The Garden is a little chapter that has been taken out of Frog and Toad Together.  In this chapter Toad wanted to have a garden like Frog had.  So Frog gave him a few seeds to plant but also told him that it would be hard work.  Toad planted all of the seeds and waited and waited for the seeds to sprout.  Frog had to keep telling Toad to wait but Frog was worried and did many things he thought would help his seeds begin to grow.  Once Toads seeds finally sprout out of the ground he is very excited but then tells Frog how it was hard work to grow a garden.

Focus:

The focus of the discussion is going to be on predictions of the story and to see if students are following the story.  This will help students build an awareness of story/plot development.  A great moral for this story to tie into classroom would be to not let your students give up even if something is hard work.  A lot of times students will be frustrated or feel like something is too hard, but just let this book teach your students about how to have patience and to work hard.

Before Reading:

Before your students read the story have them read the title and look at the first picture.  Get your student to make a first prediction as to what they believe is happening in the beginning.  The guide your students through a picture walk where they will look at each picture and make a prediction as to what they believe is happening in the story.

Reading:

Have your student begin reading the story The Garden in Frog and Toad Together.  Have each student in your group read a section of the story.  In the beginning have a student read the first two pages (pages 18-19).

First Stop:

The first stop for this story is on page 19 after the quote “Quite Soon’, said Frog”.  Here you will ask three questions:

1. Who are the two characters in this story?
2. What does Frog give to Toad?
3. What do you think will happen now in the story?

Continue Reading:

Have another student read the next two pages and then have a different student read two more pages after the first student.  This section has a total of four pages read.  These two students will read between pages 20-23.

Second Stop:

The second stop for this story is on page 23.  The quote that will be read before the stop is “Soon your seeds will start to grow.”  At this stop you will again ask three more questions:

1. What did Toad do?
2. Have his seeds grown yet?
3. What will happen next in the story?

Continue Reading:

Have another student read two more pages and then another student read two more pages.  This section is again four pages long and these two students will read pages 24-27.  At the end of this section five students should have had the opportunity to read two pages each.

Third Stop:

The third stop is on page 27 and is after the quote “Then Toad felt very tired and he fell asleep.”  At this stop you will again ask three questions:

1. What did Toad do at night?
2. What did Toad do all day?
3. What will happen while Toad is asleep?

Continue Reading:

Have the sixth student read the last two pages of the story.  This student will read pages 28-29.

End of the Book:

The last stop is once the last line of the book has been read.  “but you were right, Frog.  It was very hard work.”  At the end of this story you will ask two main questions.  If any other questions arise that is fine but two main questions need to be covered.

1. What happened to Toad and to his seeds?
2. Were any of your predictions correct?

Taken From Google Images

Text Talk Lesson

For

Just Plain Fancy

Written and Illustrated by Patricia Pollacco

A Bantam Little Rooster Book, 1990

Summary:

Just Plain Fancy is a book about two sisters, Naomi and Ruth that live in an Amish community.  Naomi is the oldest and Ruth is the youngest.  Naomi was a little unhappy because she thought that everything that was in the Amish community was plain and she wanted something Fancy.  Naomi takes care of the chickens and after she told Ruth that she wanted something fancy she found a fancy egg outside the henhouse.  So she decided to watch that egg until it hatched.

When it finally hatched it was fancy.  The egg was not a chicken egg, but it was a peacock egg.  Around the time that they truly saw how fancy the bird was Naomi got scared because she overheard other women talking about how Amish people are not allowed to have anything fancy.  So Naomi tries to hide the bird.

One day their Amish community and the neighboring community join together to build a stable on the barn.  That was called a frolic.  During the frolic the peacock breaks lose and everyone sees the fancy bird.  Naomi is terrified that she and the bird will be shunned from the community, but that is exactly the opposite of what happened.  Everyone that the bird was fancy and beautiful, but the oldest women in the community said that it was God’s beauty and they can do nothing about it.  Naomi ended up receiving a white cap that day and no one was shunned from the community.

Focus:

This is a great book for understanding story development.  There are many parts to this book and it gives great opportunities for children to guess and examine what is going on during the book.  If they can follow the plot and estimate what will happen while including the previous parts to the book, then it will be a great example of showing students story development.

Comments and Questions:

Cover: Show the class the cover of the book and read the title.  Ask if anyone has read the story before.  Also ask if anyone can guess what will happen in the book based off of the title and the chickens with the egg.  Get the students to emphasize the egg that is on the ground and how it does not seem to be just a plain chicken egg.

Page 3:  Ask the class what Naomi has to do to help out on the farm? What is her chore? Also ask the class if they think Naomi will ever have anything that is fancy?  (Naomi takes care of the chickens.  She washes them and feeds them. Yes, she will have something that is fancy.)

Show the pictures of the first four pages.

Page 6: Ask the class if they think it is a plain chicken egg or a different type of egg?  If different they say different then ask what type of egg they think it might be? (It is a different type of egg and it is specifically a peacock egg but they do not know that yet.)

Show the pictures of these two pages.

Page 8: Peered is a vocabulary word.  Tell the definition and give another example.

Page 9: Ask what they named the fancy bird and make a statement about the colors of fancy compared to the colors of the other chickens.  (They named the bird fancy.)

Show the pictures of the four pages.

Page 11: Shunned is a vocabulary word.  Tell the definition and give another example.

Page 15: Ask the class what is happening tomorrow in their community and why do they have to hide fancy? (The frolic is happening tomorrow and they have to hide fancy because they do not want their bird or themselves to be shunned from the community.)

Page 21: Ask the class how they think Naomi feels and why is everyone so speechless?  (She felt really bad because she thought she was going to get fancy in trouble.)  Ruffled is a vocabulary word. Tell the definition and give another example.

Show pictures of the past couple of pages.

Page 23: Ask if anyone has a guess as to what type of bird fancy is? Show the picture of fancy and then ask if anyone knows what type of bird he is?

Page 28: Make a statement of how she still received her white cap.  Ask the class what they think that white cap means?  (She is responsible and now going through a new phase where is she recognized no longer as a child.)

Show pictures of the past couple of pages.

Page 29:  Ask the class how they think that Naomi feels now that she has something that is fancy? (Happy especially since she is allowed to keep the bird.)

Show the picture.

Wrap-Up:

Ask the class how they liked the story.  Have the students reflect on how Fancy made Naomi felt.  Relate this story to your students by having them think about a time when they felt special because of something fancy that they may have had.

Vocabulary:

Peered

Shunned

Ruffled

Peered: “Every day they peered over the edge of the crib, watching for signs of cracks in the shells.”  This word is used when Naomi and Ruth are watching to see when fancy will hatch out of his egg.

• Peered means to peep out or appear slightly, or to come into view.  Tell the students the definition and say the word.
• Give an example to the class and ask if the example is right or wrong.
• Examples:

o      James peered over the counter to find the cookie jar. (Right)

o      Caitlin peered the side of a cookie jar. (Wrong)

• What’s our word? Peered

Shunned: “She had to be shunned!” This was when Naomi and Ruth overheard their Aunt and cousin talking about how someone had to be shunned because they dressed to fancy.

• Shunned means to avoid or ignore, or to be kept away from a place, person, or object.  Tell the definition and say the word.
• Give examples and ask the class if the example is right or wrong.
• Examples:

o      Joyce was shunned from the store because she stole some candy. (Right)

o      Rebecca was shunned from my neighborhood for being too crazy. (Right)

• What’s our word? Shunned

Ruffled: “Fancy ruffled his feathers and did for the guests what he had done for the girls in the henhouse the day before.”  This was when Fancy broke free from the barn when everyone was in his or her community for the frolic.

• Ruffled means to erect in display or anger, or to destroy the smoothness or evenness.  Tell the definition and say the word.
• Give examples and ask the class if they are right or wrong.

o      Sam ruffled her sheets after she cleaned them, which made her mother very angry, (right)

o      David became ruffled when he raised his arm in class. (Wrong)

• What’s our word? Ruffled

We talked about three words: Peered, Shunned, and Ruffled.  Let’s think about them some more.  Ask the students to fill in the blank with the best answer:

• I peered over the ___________: floor or table
• Jane was shunned by _____________: her friends or the wind
• The __________ ruffled himself to be more beautiful. : peacock or giraffe

Taken From Google Images

Text Talk Lesson

For

Goldilocks and The Three Bears

Retold and Illustrated by James Marshall

Puffin Books, 1988

Summary:  Goldilocks and The Three Bears is a book about a little girl named Goldilocks.  One day she travels through the woods on her way to buy muffins and she finds an empty house.  This house belongs to the three bears that left the house for a bike ride.  Their porridge was too hot and they wanted to give it time to cool off.  While they were gone Goldilocks came inside and saw the porridge.  She tasted all

the porridge and then she went and sat in all the chairs.  Once she had tried all the chairs she laid in all of the beds and like the porridge and chairs, the little bed was right for her.  While she was in the bed the bears came back home and found her and everything she has done to their house.  Goldilocks jumped out of the bed and ran away before they could catch her.

Focus:  A focus for understanding plotline and story development.  The book is told in different versions this is a great book for students who know the plot and can describe the differences in versions.  If they notice the differences then they will be able to better understand the story and how it affects the development of the story and the plot in general.

Comments and Questions:

Cover: Show cover and read title.  Ask if anyone has read this story.  If not ask for any predictions of what will happen.

Page 1: Ask the class why they think Goldilocks might not be so sweet? (She is sneaky and likes to mess up people’s stuff) Show the picture of Goldilocks.

Page 2 and 3: Ask what they think Goldilocks will do? Will she keep her promise to her mother or break it? (Go through the woods and break the promise) Show the pictures

Page 6: Scalding is a vocabulary word.  Tell the definition (something that is very hot).  Give an example of a hot food or drink.

Page 7: Ask what do you think will happen while they are gone? (Goldilocks is going to go in their house) Show pictures

Page 11: Ask, who did the little bowl of porridge belong to? (Belonged to baby bear) Show pictures

Page 15: Ask why do you think the little chair was just right? (She is the same size as baby bear) Show pictures

Page 19: Ask what has Goldilocks done to the house? (She has messed everything up) Show pictures

Page 20: Scarcely is a vocabulary word.  Tell the definition (almost, not hardly). Give an example of something that is scarcely.

Page 23: Ask how do you think the bears feel when they came home and their house was a mess? (Angry, upset, frustrated) Show pictures

Page 24: Amused is a vocabulary word.  Tell the definition (to find something funny or entertaining).  Give an example of something that you may find funny or entertaining.

Page 27: Ask what do you think will happen to Goldilocks?  (She will get in trouble, or she will escape) Show pictures

Page 30: Ask how do you think Goldilocks felt? (Scared when they found her)  Do you think the bears will ever see Goldilocks again? (Maybe) Show pictures

Wrap-Up: Ask about how they felt about the story.  Have them reflect on the decisions Goldilocks made.  Focus them on how she disobeyed her mother and trashed the bear’s house.  Relate the Goldilocks story to real life and give examples to the students of how they may behave like Goldilocks and ways that they can fix that behavior.

Vocabulary:

Scalding

Amused

Scarcely

Scarcely: “But when they went in for breakfast, they could Scarcely believe their eyes!”  This word is when the bears come back home and see that their breakfast has been eaten.

• Scarcely means “almost not, hardly”, tell them the definition and say the word.
• Ask class to give an example or the teacher gives an example and ask the students if that it is correct or wrong.

o      Example you could give: I could scarcely see the floor because of all the mess in my room. (Correct)

• What’s our word? Scarcely

Amused: “And he was not amused.”  This word is from when Papa Bear figures out that someone has been in his bed.

• Amused means “to find something funny or entertaining”, tell them the definition and say the word.
• Ask class to give an example or the teacher gives an example and asks the students if that example is correct or wrong.

o    Example: I was very amused at the circus. (Correct)

• What’s our word? Amused

Scalding: “This porridge is scalding!”  This is when Papa Bear takes a bite of his porridge and realizes that it is too hot.

• Scalding means “very hot, or burning”, tell them the definition and say the word.
• Ask the class to give an example or the teacher give an example and asks the students if the example is correct or wrong.

o      Example:  My ice cream is scalding. (Wrong)

• What’s our word? Scalding

We talked about three words: Scarcely, amused, and scalding. Let’s think about them some more.  Ask the students to fill in the blank with the best answer:

• I scarcely saw the _____: elephant or snake
• I was amused at the _______: doctors or movies
• The _______ was scalding: swimming pool or hot tub