block 3: realistic fiction - midland independent school … · 2014-10-28 · block 3: realistic...
TRANSCRIPT
Block 3: Realistic Fiction
11/3-11/25
3 Weeks (17 days)
TEKS Fig 19A,B,C,D,E
Book collection texts needed (Cscope):
Vera’s First Day of School
The Name Jar
Ira Sleeps Over
Jessica
Block 3: Realistic Fiction
Lesson TEKS & Objective/Product Procedure
1
TEKS: K.4A, K.8A,B, Fig 19D,F
Obj: We will predict what might happen
next using the cover, illustrations and story.
Product: I will discuss what might happen
next in the story.
Focus: Making Predictions/Understanding
Characters
Text: Vera’s First Day of School
Grade level book collections (Cscope)
Approach: Interactive Read-Aloud
Resources/Materials:
2
TEKS: K.4B, K.8B, Fig 19D,F
Obj: We will predict what the character
might do next.
Product: I will discuss what might happen
next in the story.
Focus: Understanding Characters
Text: The Name Jar
Grade level book collections (Cscope)
Approach: Interactive Read-Aloud
Resources/Materials:
3
TEKS: K.4B, K.8B, Fig 19D,F
Obj: We will discuss characters’ feelings.
Focus: Understanding Characters
Text: Ira Sleeps Over
Week Time Frame Lessons Focus
1 11/3-11/7 1-5 Genre Immersion
2 11/10-11/14 6-10 Identifying elements of a Story
3 11/17-11/21 11-15 Describing Characters
4 11/24-11/25 16-17 Describing Characters/Inferring
Product: I will discuss characters’ feelings.
Grade level book collections (Cscope)
Approach: Interactive Read-Aloud
Resources/Materials:
4 TEKS: K.4B, K.8B, Fig 19D,F
Obj: We will discuss the reasons for
characters’ actions.
Product: I will discuss the reasons for
characters’ actions
Focus: Understanding Characters
Text: Jessica
Grade level book collections (Cscope)
Approach: Interactive Read-Aloud
Resources/Materials:
5 TEKS: K.4B,C K.6A, , Fig 19A,B
Obj: We will identify elements of Realistic
Fiction
Product: I will identify elements of Realistic
Fiction.
Focus: Characteristics of Realistic Fiction
Text: Vera’s First Day of School, The Name Jar,
Ira Sleeps Over, Jessica
Approach: Minilesson
Resources/Materials:
Realistic Fiction Anchor Chart
6 TEKS: K.4B,C K.6A, , Fig 19A,B
Obj: We will identify elements of Realistic
Fiction
Product: I will identify elements of Realistic
Fiction.
Focus: Characteristics of Realistic Fiction
Text: Vera’s First Day of School, The Name Jar,
Ira Sleeps Over, Jessica
Approach: Minilesson
Resources/Materials:
Realistic Fiction Anchor Chart
7 TEKS: K.6A, Fig 19D
Obj: We will identify elements of a story
Product: I will identify elements of a story
Focus: Elements of a Story
Text: Vera’s First Day of School
Approach: Minilesson
Resources/Materials:
Parts of a Story Anchor Chart
8 TEKS: K.6A, Fig 19D
Obj: We will identify elements of a story
Product: I will identify elements of a story
Focus: Elements of a Story
Text: Vera’s First Day of School
Approach: Minilesson
Resources/Materials:
Parts of a Story Anchor Chart
9 TEKS: K.6A, Fig 19D
Obj: We will identify elements of a story
Product: I will identify elements of a story
Focus: Elements of a Story
Text: The Name Jar
Approach: Minilesson
Resources/Materials:
Parts of a Story Anchor Chart
10 TEKS: K.6A, Fig 19D
Obj: We will identify elements of a story
Focus: Elements of a Story
Text: The Name Jar
Approach: Minilesson
Product: I will identify elements of a story
Resources/Materials:
Parts of a Story Anchor Chart
11 TEKS: K.6A, Fig 19D
Obj: We will identify elements of a story
Product: I will identify elements of a story
Focus: Elements of a Story
Text: Ira Sleeps Over
Approach: Minilesson
Resources/Materials:
Parts of a Story Anchor Chart
12 TEKS: K.6A, Fig 19D
Obj: We will identify elements of a story
Product: I will identify elements of a story
Focus: Elements of a Story
Text: Ira Sleeps Over
Approach: Minilesson
Resources/Materials:
Parts of a Story Anchor Chart
13 TEKS: K.8B, Fig 19D
Obj: We will describe characters
Product: I will describe characters
Focus: Describe Characters
Text: Ira Sleeps Over
Approach: Minilesson
Resources/Materials:
Describing Characters Anchor Chart
14 TEKS: K.8B, Fig 19D
Obj: We will describe characters
Product: I will describe characters
Focus: Describe Characters
Text: The Name Jar
Approach: Minilesson
Resources/Materials:
Describing Characters Anchor Chart
15 TEKS: K.8B, Fig 19D
Obj: We will infer about characters and the
reasons for their actions
Product: I will infer about characters and the
reasons for their actions.
Focus: Inferring about Characters
Text: Ira Sleeps Over, The Name Jar, Jessica,
Vera’s First Day of School
Approach: Minilesson
Resources/Materials:
Inferences Anchor Chart
4
Lesson 1
Lesson Overview: K.4A, K.8A, K.8B, Fig 19 D,F
Text: Vera’s First Day of School (grade level book collection-Cscope)
Approach: Interactive Read-Aloud
Focus: Understanding Characters/Making Predictions
Create (BEFORE THE LESSON):
Stopping Points – Record the following on sticky notes and place on the correct pages in
the text. This book does not have page numbers, the pages are identified by the first line of
text.
o Cover- Sometimes we can tell something about the story by looking at the picture on
the cover and reading the title. What can you tell about this story by looking at the
cover picture and reading the title “Vera’s First Day of School”?
o Vera stood under the buckeye tree-How is Vera Feeling? She has a problem
doesn’t she? Everyone else seems to have a friend, someone to talk to or play with.
But Vera doesn’t have a friend, so she just stands by the tree alone. She stood there so
long that she is late for school. What do you think Vera is going to do? Turn and talk
to your partner about what you think Vera might do next.
o Vera painted a picture of the pretty flowers on Mrs. Kline’s desk-How is Vera
feeling now? How does the author let us know that?
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Sit next to partner (self-selected or
assigned). Display Big Book on easel or white board tray.
.
2. Introduce the focus:
Today I am going to read you a story called Vera’s First Day of School. Good readers think
about the characters as they read. It helps us understand the story better when we think about
how characters feel and why they do certain things. It also helps us understand the story when
we make connections between the story and our own lives. As I read, we are going to stop and
think about the characters and why they act like they do. Read the story aloud to students.
3. Reading the text:
o Cover- Sometimes we can tell something about the story by looking at the picture on
the cover and reading the title. Look at the picture on the cover. The title of this story
is Vera’s First Day of School. What can you tell about this story by thinking about the
cover picture and the title “Vera’s First Day of School”? Ask students to share their
thinking- it looks like the kids like school; it looks like they are playing a game; it’s
going to be about what happens on the first day of school etc…
We call this predicting, when we use the cover and title to help us think about what the
book will be about. Now let’s read Vera’s First Day of School. As you read the book,
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notice when predictions are confirmed or disconfirmed (We said it looked like the kids
like school, do you see something here that helps us know we were right? This tells us
about what Vera does on her first day of school, we predicted that we would read
about that.)
o Vera stood under the buckeye tree-How is Vera feeling now? She has a problem
doesn’t she? Everyone else seems to have a friend, someone to talk to or play with.
But Vera doesn’t have a friend, so she just stands by the tree alone. She stood there so
long that she is late for school. What do you think Vera is going to do? Think about
what you think Vera might do next. When we make predictions we have to make sure
that it would make sense in the story. Take a minute to think about what you think
Vera is going to do. Give students a few moments to think. Turn and talk to your
partner about what you think Vera might do next. Give students a few minutes to Turn
and Talk. Invite 2-3 pairs to share their thinking. * This is an introduction to making a
prediction. There is little in the text to guide students to making an informed
prediction besides their own background knowledge. When students are sharing
predictions you may need to emphasize the need for the prediction to make sense. For
example: Students may predict that Vera will go inside the school and look for her
classroom; stay outside on the playground until someone finds her; go home… These
would make sense in the story. If, for example, the student predicts that Vera went to a
nearby store or something equally unrelated to the story, you might need to redirect
their thinking by saying something like, “Vera is like you. Since she is scared she will
probably try to go somewhere she feels safe or talk to someone who can help her.”
o Thinking about how the character feels helps us understand the story better. Thinking
about a time in our own life when we felt like the character helps us feel like the
character is feeling, that’s called making connections. Refer to the Making
Connections Anchor Chart. Have you ever had a time when you didn’t know what to
do? My connection is that one time when I was on vacation, I got lost. It was late at
night so there was no one that I could stop and ask. I was pretty scared because I
didn’t know where I was and I didn’t want to keep going since I wasn’t sure if I was
going the right way. Think of a time when you didn’t know what to do. Give students
a few minutes to think. Turn and talk to your partner about your connection. Say,
“My connection is….” Give students a few minutes to share. Invite 2-3 pairs to share
their connections.
o Vera painted a picture of the pretty flowers on Mrs. Kline’s desk-How is Vera
feeling now? Happy, like she is where she is supposed to be. Vera doesn’t have a
problem anymore. Let’s think about how Vera’s problem was solved. When she was
late for school, she went home. Then her mom took her to school and helped her find
her classroom. Now she’s happy to be at school.
4. Closing: Today we talked about the character in the Vera’s First Day of School. We
made predictions about what Vera would do next and we made connections to our
own lives so that we could understand how Vera was feeling.
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Lesson 2 Lesson Overview: K.4B, K.8B, Fig 19D,F
Text: The Name Jar (grade level book collection, CSCOPE)
Approach: Interactive Read-Aloud
Focus: Understanding Characters
Create: (BEFORE THE LESSON)
Stopping Points – Record the following on sticky notes and place on the correct pages in
the text. This book does not have page numbers, the pages are identified by the first line of
text.
o Cover- Remember that looking at the picture on the cover and reading the title can help
us know what the story will be about. Look at the picture on the front of this book. The
title of this book is The Name Jar. I wonder what might happen in this story. Turn and
talk to your partner about what you think might happen in this story. Say, “I predict…”
o “Ooh-ney?” the girl asked scrunching up her face-The other kids are making fun of
Unhei’s name. Does that remind you of another book we have read? Turn and talk to
your partner about another book that this reminds you of.
o Unhei nodded and unfolded another piece-The kids are trying to help Unhei choose
an American name. What do you think Unhei will choose for her name?
o “Yoon-hye,” Joey said slowly and this time perfectly- The author said that it made
Unhei smile when Joey said her name the right way. I wonder what she is thinking now.
What do you think Unhei is going to do about her name? Turn and Talk to your partner
about what you think will happen.
o Unhei wrote her name in both English and Korean…-Confirm/disconfirm
predictions. Why do you think Unhei chose to keep her Korean name?
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Have students sit by partners (self-
selected or assigned). Have the Ways We Connect to Text anchor chart on the board
or an easel next to you.
2. Introduce the focus:
Yesterday we read Vera’s First Day of School and we talked about the main character. We
thought about the pictures and the story and predicted what Vera might do next and we made
connections to how Vera was feeling. Today we are going to read another book and we’re
going to think about the character again. We will make predictions about what the character
might do next and we are going to make connections to another book.
Reading the text:
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o Cover- Remember that looking at the picture on the cover and reading the title can help
us know what the story will be about. Look at the picture on the front of this book. The
title of this book is The Name Jar. I wonder what might happen in this story. Take a
minute to think. Give students a few moments to think. Turn and talk to your partner
about what you think might happen in this story. Say, “I predict…”
If students struggle with this during Turn and talk and are making wild predictions you
may need to think aloud and model this process further. Ex: The story is called The
Name Jar and the picture shows a jar with a little girl putting a paper in the jar, I think
that is the name jar. I predict that she may be trying to come up with a name for a pet or
a doll. Read the text aloud.
o “Ooh-ney?” the girl asked scrunching up her face-The other kids are making fun of
Unhei’s name. That reminds me of another book we have read? Display
Chrysanthemum. In Chrysanthemum the kids made fun of her name. They said it was
really long and scarcely fit on her nametag, they said she was named for a flower. That
made Chrysanthemum so sad that she didn’t want to go to school. In both books the
main character didn’t want to go to school because the kids made fun of their names.
This is a kind of connection-we are connection one book to another book- we call this
kind of connection text-to-text.
Note: Remember that connections are supposed to deepen our comprehension of text.
This is the first Text-to-Text connection that we have made so you are thinking aloud to
model your thinking for students. In a later lesson students will make Text-to-text
connections and we will add this to our anchor chart.
o Yoon-hye,” Joey said slowly and this time perfectly- The author said that it made
Unhei smile when Joey said her name the right way. I wonder what she is thinking now.
What do you think Unhei is going to do about her name? Take a minute to think about
that. Give students a few moments to think. Turn and Talk to your partner about what
you think will happen. Listen carefully to students’ responses. This will give you some
insight into whether or not students are actually predicting based on text evidence or are
still simply guessing. Invite 2-3 pairs to share. If students predict that Unhei will change
her name to an English name: The author often gives us clues about what might happen.
Let’s look at the clues the author gave us. One of the students from Unhei’s class knows
her real name now, he learned to pronounce it correctly and Unhei smiled when he said
her name. Hmmm, I wonder if Unhei is beginning to think her Korean name is OK.
Let’s keep reading and see what happens.
If students predict that Unhei will keep her Korean name: The author often gives us
clues about what might happen. Let’s look at the clues the author gave us. What did
you notice that makes you think that Unhei might keep her Korean name? One of the
students from Unhei’s class knows her real name now, he learned to pronounce it
correctly and Unhei smiled when he said her name. It sounds like Unhei is starting to
think her Korean name is OK and she might want to keep it. Let’s keep reading and see
what happens.
o Unhei wrote her name in both English and Korean…-Confirm/disconfirm
predictions. Why do you think Unhei chose to keep her Korean name? Invite students to
share what they noticed in the text. You will most likely need to model and think aloud
about the text evidence that confirms or disconfirms the prediction. Students are likely
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to say that Unhei kept her Korean name because “she liked it” but not be able to identify
any text evidence to support that. You’re right, I think Unhei decided she liked her
name, but let’s see how the author let us know that. Here are some things that the
author said that helped me predict that Unhei might keep her Korean name:
Unhei’s mom told her it was a beautiful name, they went to a name master for it, Mr.
Kim said it meant grace and that she was a graceful girl, Joey said her name stamp was
beautiful, her grandma wrote her a letter and said, “You’ll always be my Unhei.”
She began to realize that her name was special and that her mother and grandma had
chosen it especially for her.
3. Closing:
Making connections to the character and thinking about how the character feels helps us think
about the story and predict what might happen next. We understand the story better when we
think about how what might happen next.
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Lesson 3
Lesson Overview: K.4B, K.8B, Fig 19D, F
Text: Ira Sleeps Over (grade level book collection, CSCOPE)
Approach: Interactive Read-Aloud
Focus: Understanding Characters
Create: (BEFORE THE LESSON)
Stopping Points – Record the following on sticky notes and place on the correct pages in
the text:
o Cover– Remember that looking at the picture on the cover and reading the title of a
book can help us know something about the book. Look at the picture on the cover and
think about what you see. This story is called Ira Sleeps Over. Turn and tell your
partner what you think this story might be about.
o Pg. 5 – Why did Ira tell his sister that he wasn’t going to take his teddy bear to Reggie’s
house?
o Pg. 17 – Why did Ira ask Reggie, “By the way, what do you think of teddy bears?
o Pg. 25- Ira decided not to take his teddy bear. What do you think will happen when he
goes to Reggie’s without his bear? Turn and talk to your partner about what you think
might happen. Say, “I predict that…”
o Pg. 39-Why did Ira decide to go home and get his teddy bear?
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Have students sit by a partner (self-
selected or assigned).
2. Introducing the focus:
We have been thinking about the characters and what they do in the story. When we make
connections to characters and think about how they are feeling it helps us know what they might
do next and that helps us understand the story.
3. Reading the Text:
o Cover– Remember that looking at the picture on the cover and reading the title of a
book can help us know something about the book. Look at the picture on the cover and
think about what you see. Give students a few moments to think. This story is called Ira
Sleeps Over. Turn and tell your partner what you think this story might be about.
Invite 2-3 pairs to share. I see a boy with a teddy bear. I think his name is Ira and I
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predict that he is going to sleep over at someone’s house because the title is Ira Sleeps
Over. Read the text aloud.
o Pg. 5 – Why did Ira tell his sister that he wasn’t going to take his teddy bear to Reggie’s
house? Invite students to share their thinking. He didn’t want to take his bear because
he was afraid that Reggie would laugh at him; he didn’t want Reggie to think he was a
baby; he was afraid that Reggie would make fun of him.
o Pg. 17 – Why did Ira ask Reggie, “By the way, what do you think of teddy bears?”
Invite students to share their thinking. He was trying to find out whether Reggie
thought teddy bears were for babies; he was trying to find out if Reggie would laugh at
him.
o Pg. 25- Ira decided not to take his teddy bear. What do you think will happen when he
goes to Reggie’s without his bear? Think about that for a minute. Give students a few
moments to think. Turn and talk to your partner about what you think might happen.
Say, “I predict that…” Invite 2-3 pairs to share their thinking. He might be scared, sad,
nervous without his bear; he might cry when it’s time to go to bed; he might want to go
home.
o Pg. 39-Why did Ira decide to go home and get his teddy bear? Take a minute to think.
Give students a few moments to think. Turn and Talk to your partner about why Ira
decided to get his bear. Invite 2-3 pairs to share. Ira knew that Reggie wouldn’t laugh
at him for having a teddy bear since he had one too; Reggie was scared without his bear
too; Reggie’s bear had a name like Ira’s bear.
4. Closing:
Understanding how characters feel helps us understand why they do the things that they do.
When we think about how the character is feeling, it helps us know what might happen next in
the story.
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Lesson 4
Lesson Overview: K.4B, K.8B, Fig 19D, F
Text: Jessica (grade level book collection, CSCOPE)
Approach: Interactive Read-Aloud
Focus: Understanding Characters
Create: (BEFORE THE LESSON)
Stopping Points – Record the following on sticky notes and place on the correct pages in
the text:
This book does not have page numbers. Stopping points will reference the first line of text on
the page.
o To the moon, to the playground…– Based on the pictures, what can you tell about
Jessica? Turn and talk to your partner about what you know about Jessica based on the
pictures.
o “There is no Jessica,” said Ruthie’s parents. – Why do you think Ruthie pretends to
have a friend named Jessica?
o A girl came up to Ruthie and stood by her side. Based on what Ruthie has done in
the story, what do you think will happen?
Lesson:
1. Bring your students to your whole group reading area. Have students sit by a partner (self-
selected or assigned).
2. Introduction:
We have talked about how important it is for good readers to think about the characters in the
stories they read. When we think about how the character acts and why he acts that way it helps
us understand the story better. Thinking about what has already happened in the story and
looking at the pictures helps us better understand the character.
3. Reading the Text:
Read the text aloud.
o To the moon, to the playground…– Based on the pictures, what can you tell about
Jessica? Think for a minute about Jessica. Give students a few moments to think.
Turn and talk to your partner about what you know about Jessica based on the pictures.
Jessica is not real; Jessica is Ruthie’s imaginary friend. Ask 2-3 pairs to share their
thinking. Who would like to share something that their partner said?
o “There is no Jessica,” said Ruthie’s parents. – Why do you think Ruthie pretends to
have a friend named Jessica? Take a few minutes to think about that. Give students a
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few moments to think. Turn and Talk to your partner about why you think Ruthie
pretends to have a friend named Jessica. Ruthie doesn’t have a brother or sister so she
wants someone to play with; When something bad happens Ruthie can blame Jessica;
Ruthie always had someone who felt the same way she did; When Ruthie didn’t want to
do something, she could say that Jessica didn’t want to do it. Ask 2-3 pairs to share
their thinking.
o One night before the first day of kindergarten… Based on what we know about
Ruthie from the story and the pictures, what do you think will happen? Think about
what Ruthie has done so far. Give students a few moments to think. Turn and talk to
your partner about what you think Ruthie will do next. Say “I predict…” Ask 2-3 pairs
to share their thinking. When students share encourage them to use the stem “I
predict…” or “We predict…” or “My partner predicted…” Ruthie will take Jessica to
school anyway. Read the next page: But Jessica went anyway.” Were we right? Yes,
we predicted that Jessica would go to school with Ruthie even though Ruthie’s parents
said they thought she should stay home and that is exactly what happened. We were
able to make a good prediction because of things that we read in the story and saw in
the pictures. Let’s look back at the things that help us predict that Jessica would still go
to school with Ruthie. It says right her “Jessica went wherever Ruthie went.” On this
page it says, “She ate with Ruthie, looked at books with Ruthie, and took turns stacking
blocks with Ruthie, building towers.” On the next page we see in the picture that Ruthie
is mad and the text says that, “If Ruthie was mad, so was Jessica.” On the next page we
see that Ruthie and Jessica always felt the same way. Turn to the page where Ruthie
goes to bed. Let’s look at the pictures. Whatever Ruthie does, Jessica does too; they go
to bed together, get up together and play together. All those things helped me think that
Ruthie would never want to go to school without Jessica no matter what her mom and
dad said.
4. Closing:
When we look at the pictures and think about what has already happened in the story, we can
predict what the character might do next. Thinking about the characters in a story and thinking
about what might happen next helps us better understand the story.
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Lesson 5
Lesson Overview: K.4B,C, K.6A, Fig 19 A,B
Text: Vera’s First Day of School, The Name Jar, Ira Sleeps Over, Jessica
Approach: Minilesson
Focus: Genre Characteristics
Create: (BEFORE THE LESSON)
Realistic Fiction Anchor Chart
Title the anchor and create
the chart (as seen on right).
The information in the
columns will be filled in with
your students.
An example of the finished
product is included after the
lesson.
We will create the anchor
with pictures and a
minimum of text so that
students will truly be able to
use it. There are pictures
following the example chart
for your use. You may feel
free to select others if you
desire.
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Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area.
2. Introduction:
When we talked about Fantasy and Traditional Tales we talked about all of the characteristics
of those kinds of books and we created charts that had all of the things we noticed about those
genres or kinds of books.
Today we are going to talk about the books that we have been reading this week. Display
Vera’s First Day of School, The Name Jar, Ira Sleeps Over, and Jessica. These books are called
Realistic Fiction. Realistic Fiction stories are made up stories that could really happen. The
characters are like real people, the settings are like real places and the things that happen
could really happen. Let’s think about these books and see what things we can notice about
Realistic Fiction.
3. Noticings & Book Examples: * This concept is likely to still require significant
modeling and guidance. Students will be somewhat familiar with the process from
their work with fantasy texts and traditional tales. However, you may still need to do
significant thinking aloud and restating of ideas.
Author’s Purpose: We’ve talked before about the reasons why we read different
kinds of books. Why do we read books like these? Are we reading to learn something
new or to enjoy a story? (to enjoy) That’s right! When we watch a movie or read a
book just for fun and enjoyment, we call that being entertained. Authors write
realistic fiction to entertain us. (Record and/or place the icon in the “Noticings”
column on anchor chart). Often realistic fiction reminds us of things that have
happened in our own lives.
Let’s pick one of our books to use as an example of author’s purpose for Realistic
Fiction on our chart. How about Jessica? Do Ruthie and her parents and friends
seem like they could be real people? Yes, they act like real people act…Yes, you’re
right, the characters in this story act like real people. Ruthie and her friends do many
of the same things that we do at home and school. Does this seem like a story that
could really happen? Do you think that there are some children that pretend to have
an imaginary friend? When I was little, sometimes I would pretend that my stuffed
animals were real people. Do you agree that this is realistic fiction, that this seems
like a story that could really happen?
Did parts of the story make you laugh? Ruthie blamed Jessica when she spilled
something; Ruthie said Jessica had a stomach ache when her parents tried to leave her
with a babysitter; When her new friend’s name was Jessica just like her imaginary
friend. So, do you think that the author wrote this story to entertain us? (Record in the
“Book Examples” column on anchor chart)
Characters:–Now we’re going to think about the characters in this story. Let’s think
about the main character, Ruthie. Display the cover or a picture that shows the
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characters. The characters in this story seem like real people, they do things that real
people do such as; going to school, having birthday parties and playing outside. In
Realistic Fiction the characters seem like real people and do things that real people
do. When we read Realistic Fiction, it’s important to think about the characters and
make connections to things that have happened in our own lives. Let’s put a picture
to remind us about the characters in a story to help us remember that the characters in
realistic fiction are like real people. (Record in the “Noticings” column on anchor
chart).
Let’s think about the characters in Jessica. Who are the characters in this story?
(Ruthie, her parents, the other kids at school and her new friend Jessica (not her
imaginary friend Jessica)). Yes, those are all characters in the story. Who is the main
character in the story? Ruthie All of the people we mentioned are characters, but
Ruthie is the main character because the story is all about her. Let’s use Ruthie as
our example for characters on our anchor chart. (Record in the “Book Examples”
column on anchor chart)
Setting: - The setting is when and where the story takes place. In Realistic Fiction the
setting is a like a real place. (Record in the “Noticings” column on anchor chart)
Most Realistic Fiction books have more than one setting. We want to think about the
one setting where the most important parts of the story take place. In Jessica, the
story starts out at home, then Ruthie goes to school. Even though there are two
different settings in the book, the most important part of the story (when Ruthie finds a
friend) happens at school. School is the main setting. Let’s use Jessica as our book
example. (Record in the “Book Examples” column on anchor chart)
4. Closing: Realistic Fiction is a genre, or type of book. We will be reading many
Realistic Fiction books this year. It’s fun for us to read Realistic Fiction because it
was written to entertain us and the stories often remind us of things that happen in our
own lives so we can make connections.
16
Realistic Fiction: A made up story that could really happen
Noticings
Author’s Purpose: to entertain
Characters: people that are like real people
Setting: Could be a real place
Plot: Problem Events Ending (Solution)
Dialogue: Words characters say
Book Examples
Author’s Purpose: An entertaining story about a girl and her imaginary friend.
Characters:
Setting:
Plot: Problem: Important Events: (Ruthie doesn’t have (Ruthie did everything a brother or sister) with Jessica; she took her to school)
Ending: (Ruthie met a new friend named Jessica)
Dialogue: “There is no Jessica,” said Ruthie’s parents. “I think Jessica should stay home tomorrow,” Ruthie’s father said.
Event
19
Lesson 6
Lesson Overview: K.4B,C, K.6A, Fig 19 A,B
Text: Vera’s First Day of School, The Name Jar, Ira Sleeps Over, Jessica
Approach: Minilesson
Focus: Genre Characteristics
Materials: Realistic Fiction Anchor Chart
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area.
2. Introduction:
Review the definition of Realistic Fiction with your students (Realistic Fiction is a made up
story that could actually happen. The Characters and setting seem like real people and places.)
Explain that all Realistic Fiction stories have certain characteristics.
Yesterday we started creating an anchor chart about Realistic Fiction; we are using the four
This chart was partially
completed in Lesson 5:
Author’s purpose,
Characters, setting. We will
complete the chart by
noticing characteristics of
Plot and Dialogue in Realistic
Fiction.
20
books we have read together to think about what we notice: The Name Jar, Vera’s First Day of
School, Ira Sleeps Over, and Jessica (display the four texts). Let’s think about some more things
these four stories have in common…
3. Noticings & Book Examples: * Remember that students will likely require a lot of
modeling and guidance. The teacher may need to do quite a lot of thinking aloud.
Plot: The plot is what happens in the story. It includes the problem the character or
characters have, the important events that happen as characters try to solve the
problem, and an ending. In all of the stories we read, our main characters faced a
problem. (Place picture/record the problem in the “Noticings” column on anchor
chart).
Let’s use Jessica as our book example. What was Ruthie’s problem? (She didn’t have a
brother or sister or cat or dog to play with). In Realistic Fiction the problem is
something that could really happen. Can you imagine that a boy or girl might be
lonely because they didn’t have a brother or sister to play with and invent an
imaginary friend?
The picture on this page (display page 1) shows Ruthie playing with her imaginary
friend Jessica. Let’s add the problem to our anchor chart. (Record under “Problem”
in the “book examples” column of the anchor chart.)
The important events are what happens in the story as the character tries to solve a
problem. In the end, the character usually solves his or her problem. Let’s add the
important events to our anchor chart. The character does some things to try to solve
the problem. (Place picture/record the important events in the “Noticings” column on
anchor chart).
Let’s think about Jessica. We have said that Ruthie’s problem was that she didn’t
have anyone to play with. She didn’t have a brother or sister or a pet. What did
Ruthie do to try to solve her problem? She created an imaginary friend named Jessica.
Yes, she created an imaginary friend to play with. Let’s add that as an important
event on our chart. (Place picture in the 2nd
box following the problem, under
“Important Events” in the “book examples” column of the anchor chart.) Let’s think
about something else Ruthie did to try to solve her problem. When it was time to go to
school, Ruthie’s parents said that she would make new friends at school, but Ruthie
was scared so Jessica went to school with her. She wanted to make sure that she had
someone to play with. Let’s add that important event to our chart. (Place the picture
in the last box under “Important events” on the book examples column of the anchor
chart.)
The ending is where the character solves the problem. What happened to solve
Ruthie’s problem? She made a new friend at school; a little girl wanted to be her
friend. Let’s add that to our anchor chart. (Add picture under “Ending” in the “book
examples” column of the anchor chart.)
Dialogue: Dialogue is the words that characters say to each other. It shows us what
21
characters are like and how they feel about each other. (record in the “Noticings”
column on anchor chart)
Let’s think about Ruthie’s mom and dad. Every time Ruthie said something about her
imaginary friend Jessica, or blamed her for doing something, her parents would say,
“There is no Jessica!” On the night before school started they also told Ruthie, “I
think Jessica should stay home tomorrow.” (Record in the “book examples” column
of the anchor chart)
4. Closing: Realistic Fiction is one genre, or type of book. They are entertaining to read
because they are stories that couldn’t really happen and sometimes they remind us of
things that have happened in our own lives.
22
Lessons 7-12
Rationale: The following group of lessons will focus on plot in Realistic Fiction. Kindergarten
students are required to identify important events in a story. It is essential that students learn to
distinguish which events are important to the plot of the story because these are the most
foundational standards for understanding the structure of fiction and later summarizing. We are
identifying the important events as: the event that identifies the problem, the main event that
leads the character toward a solution (turning point of the story) and the event that identifies the
solution. The problem is usually identified in the beginning of the story, the turning point in the
middle and the solution in the end.
TEKS:
K.6-Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different
cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support
their understanding. Students are expected to:
(A)-identify elements of a story including setting, character and key events
K.8-Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and
elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are
expected to:
(A)-retell a main event from a story read aloud
Fig 19- Students use a flexible range of metacognitive reading skills to understand an author’s
message. The student is expected to:
(D)-make inferences based on the cover, title, illustrations, and plot
23
Lesson 7
Lesson Overview: K.6A, Fig19D
Text: Vera’s First Day of School
Approach: Minilesson
Focus: Identifying elements of a story (Characters, setting, plot (important events))
Materials: Parts of a Story Anchor Chart
Create (BEFORE THE LESSON):
Parts of a Story Anchor Chart
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Display Vera’s First Day of School
on an easel or the white board tray next to you.
2. Introduction:
We have been reading realistic fiction and we’ve talked about the things that all realistic
fiction books have in common. Refer to the Realistic Fiction anchor chart. We noticed some
things about the book Jessica and today we’re going to look at some of the important parts of
Vera’s First Day of School and see if it has the same important parts. The important things
that happen in the story are called the plot.
3. Revisiting the Text:
When we read fiction, the beginning of the story gives us a lot of information that helps us
understand the story. Today we’re going to start an anchor chart called Parts of a Story and
we’re going to think about the important things that we find in the beginning of the story and
add them to our anchor chart.
This chart will be completed
with the students over the next
two lessons. Have the skeleton
of the chart created in
advance. During this lesson
you will only fill in information
the beginning of the story.
A completed chart is provided
at the end of the lesson.
24
Let’s think about Vera’s First Day of School. Walk back through the story showing students
the pictures and retelling the story together (you may make the decision to re-read the story if
you feel your students need the support).
The beginning of the story usually tells us who the characters are, where the story takes place,
and the problem that the main character is trying to solve. Look at this anchor chart. The first
box on our chart says Characters. Who are the characters in Vera’s First Day of School?
Invite students to identify characters (Vera, her sisters, Vera’s mom). Students may also
identify the other children at school, Mr. Kline (Vera’s teacher) and Mr. and Mrs. Bailey (the
neighbors). Yes, they are all characters in the story. But since we are thinking about the
important parts of the story, we only want to add the main characters to our anchor chart.
The most important characters in the story are Vera, her sisters, and her mom. Let’s add them
to the chart. In the “Characters” box quickly sketch a picture of Vera, her sisters and her
mom. Label the pictures. You will notice on the example anchor chart following this lesson,
there are images inserted. This is for teacher information only. It is important that you draw
pictures rather than using printed pictures as a model for what students will be expected to do
independently in future lessons (this lesson is part of the scaffolding process-as you release
responsibility to students in future lessons, they will have a strong model as they begin to take
on the task themselves). Vera, her sisters and her mom are characters that we learn about in
the beginning of the story. Why do you think it’s important that we find out about them in the
beginning? Turn and talk to your partner about why you think the author tells us about Vera
and her mom and sisters in the beginning of the book. Give students a few moments to talk to
their partners. Listen in on some of the conversations. Ask a few pairs of students to share
their thinking. It is important that we know who the story is going to be about so we can
understand the rest of the story. The author tells us about the characters in the beginning of the
story.
Now, let’s think about where this story takes place. Do you remember what we call that?
Refer to the Realistic Fiction anchor chart. The place where the story takes place is called the
setting. Where is Vera in this story? Turn and talk to you partner for a minute about where this
story takes place. Give students a few moments to talk and listen in on the conversations.
Invite a few pairs to share their thinking (home, school, playground).
In Realistic Fiction there is often more than one setting. The most important setting in a story
is where the most important event took place. During the story, Vera was at home, on the
playground and at school in her classroom. Let’s think about the most important thing that
happened in the story? When Vera’s mom took her to school, Vera found that her teacher was
waiting for her, her name was on a desk and she got to paint. The boy sitting next to her was
friendly. She was where she was supposed to be-a big girl at school. Vera found out that she
liked school and there was nothing to be scared of. So, since this is the most important part of
the story, what do you think the most important setting is? (School) Let’s add the setting to
our anchor chart. Quickly draw a picture in the setting box and label it.
In the beginning of the story we also usually find out the main character has a problem. Vera
is our main character so let’s think about her problem. Turn and talk to your partner about
Vera’s problem. Listen in on some conversations. Invite a few pairs to share their thinking.
Vera stayed on the playground too long and was late to school. The doors were closed and she
didn’t know what to do. Let’s add that to our chart. The problem is one of the important
events that happens in the story so we will put it in this box (point to the 1st important event).
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4. Closing:
In Realistic fiction, the author helps us understand the story by giving us some important
information in the beginning. The author tells us who the characters are, where the story takes
place and the problem the character is trying to solve.
26
Parts of a Story
Character
Vera Vera’s sisters Vera’s mom
Setting
School
Event (Problem)
Vera is late for school.
Event
Vera’s mom took her to school.
Event (Solution)
Vera was happy at school.
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Lesson 8
Lesson Overview: K.6A, Fig19D
Text: Vera’s First Day of School
Approach: Minilesson
Focus: Identifying elements of a story (Characters, setting, plot (important events))
Materials: Parts of a Story Anchor Chart
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Have them sit next to a partner
(assigned or self-selected). Display Parts of a Story Anchor Chart next to you.
2. Introduction:
Yesterday we started talking about the important parts of a story. We said that the author
helps us understand the story by giving us some important information in the beginning. The
author introduces us to the characters, lets us know where the story takes place, and lets us
know the problem the main character is trying to solve. Today we are going to finish our
Parts of Story Anchor Chart and talk about the other important events.
3. Revisiting the text:
Yesterday we talked about the beginning of the story. Let’s look at our anchor chart. We said
that in the beginning part of the story we learned about the characters. Who are the
character’s in this story? Vera, her sisters, and their mom. We also learn about the setting.
Vera is at home, but she is getting ready to go to school and the rest of the story takes place at
school, on the playground and in the classroom. We also find that Vera has a problem, what is
her problem? She is late for school, the doors are closed and she doesn’t know what to do.
In the next part of the story, Vera is going to try to solve her problem. Let’s look back through
the book and see what Vera does. Vera walked home, she hid under the bed to think, when her
You partially completed this
chart in the previous lesson.
Continue by adding the
remaining parts of the story.
29
mom found her she told her what had happened. What do you think was the most important
thing Vera did? What helped her solve the problem of being late for school? Give students a
few moments to think. First Vera went home, was that a good idea? Thumbs up if you think it
was a good idea. When she got home, she hid under the bed, was that a good idea? No, no
one knew she was there, no one could help her. When Vera’s mom found her and Vera told her
what happened, did that help? Take a minute to think about how talking to her mom helped
Vera. Give students a couple of moments to think. Turn and talk to you partner about how
talking to her mom helped Vera solve her problem. Give students a couple of minutes to talk,
listen in on a few conversations, invite a few pairs to share their thinking. When Vera’s mom
found out what had happened, she cleaned Vera up and took her to school. So Vera told her
mom what her problem was and her mom took her to school. Did that help Vera? Going
home and talking to her mom was a very important event in the story wasn’t it. If Vera hadn’t
gone home to talk to her mom, she might have missed the whole day at school. Let’s add that
to our chart. In the middle of the story, Vera went home and told her mom about her problem.
Quickly draw a picture in the middle Important Event box. Let’s write something under the
picture about what happened. Vera’s mom took her to school; Vera told her mom about the
problem.
At the end of a story the character usually solves the problem. Let’s think about what
happened at the end. When Vera got to school her teachers was happy to see her. He had her
desk all ready with her name on it. When Vera sat down the boy in the desk next to her smiled
at her. Why do you think the author told us that the boy smiled in a friendly way? Think about
why that was important? Give students a few moments to think. Turn and talk to your
partner about why the author told us that the boy smiled at her in a friendly way. Give
students a few minutes to talk. Invite a few pairs to share their thinking. The author included
this detail to let the readers know that Vera was going to make friends at school. The story
says, “She was where she was supposed to be—a big girl at school.” Is Vera’s problem
solved? Yes. What did the author tell us to let us know that Vera’s problem is solved? You
may want to re-read the last few pages of the story to clearly model locating text evidence to
support your response. She was where she was supposed to be—a big girl at school; It was
fun; I think I’ll like the second day even better. And she did. Solving the problem is a very
important part of the story. Let’s add that to our chart. The last important event in the story is
the solution to the problem. Quickly draw a picture showing the Vera is happy at school. Let’s
write something to tell about the solution to Vera’s problem. Vera was happy at school; Vera
made a friend at school; Vera likes school.
4. Closing:
In realistic fiction there are some important events that happen. In the beginning of the story,
we learn that the character has a problem. In the middle of the story the character does
something to try to solve the problem and at the end of the story, the problem is solved. These
events are the important parts of the story.
30
Lesson 9
Lesson Overview: K.6A, Fig19D
Text: The Name Jar (grade level book collection-cscope)
Approach: Minilesson
Focus: Identifying elements of a story (Characters, setting, plot (important events))
Materials: Parts of a Story Anchor Chart, Parts of a Story graphic organizer on poster
board or chart paper (1 per group)
BEFORE THE LESSON:
Divide students into groups of 3-4
**Today students will work in groups to create a chart like the one you created together
yesterday. This is the next step in the scaffolded process that leads toward a Performance
Indicator. You may choose to re-read the story, or you can walk through the pictures and talk
about the story. If you choose the second option, make sure you talk about the each of the parts
that will go on the graphic organizer that students will create in their groups characters, setting,
and important events (problem, turning point that leads to the solution, and solution)). Students
will draw pictures to represent each of the parts on the chart. They can label their pictures if
they are able, but it is not required. As you monitor students’ work, ask them to describe their
drawings to ensure that students understand the concept and that pictures match. This is the last
opportunity to support students before they do this independently and should give you a good
idea of who will be successful and who may need a bit more support.
31
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Have students sit with their small
groups. Display the Parts of a Story Anchor Chart.
2. Introduction:
We have been talking about the important parts of the story and we have created an anchor
chart showing the important parts. Today we are going to do the same thing, but this time you
are going to work with a group of friends. We’re going to use a different story and you will
work together with your groups to create your own chart about the important parts of the story.
3. Revisiting the text:
Remember when we read The Name Jar? Let’s look back at the story and think about what
happened. Reread or discuss the entire text. Return to the following points:
Look at the page where Unhei tells her mother that she wants an American name.
Let’s talk about some important parts of the story so far. Who is our main character?
(Unhei)
Look at the page where Joey learns to say Unhei’s name. Do you think we’ve found
more characters that are important to the story? Turn and talk to you partner about
the other characters that are important to the story. Joey is important, he is Unhei’s
friend and he is the first one to learn to say her name correctly; Mr. Kim is important
because he helps Unhei to see how special her name is, he thinks it’s a beautiful name.
Where is the story taking place? (school; Unhei’s house) Students may also identify
Mr. Kim’s store and the bus as settings. Yes, those are all places in this story. We
need to think about the most important setting. Where do you think the most important
event in the story takes place? Invite a few students to share their thinking. The most
important event in the story is when Unhei decides to keep her Korean name and that
happens at school.
Does Unhei have a problem? (The other kids can’t say her name so she wants to
choose a new American name).
4. Closing:
You are going to start your own Parts of a Story chart. Each group is going to get a Parts of a
Story chart. Find a place on the floor to work. You will talk to each other and decide what to
draw or write in the boxes for the characters, setting and problem. You can look at the chart
we created together to help you remember what goes in each box.
Circulate as students complete their charts, answer questions, help guide conversations.
32
Lesson 10
Lesson Overview: K.6A, Fig19D
Text: The Name Jar (grade level book collection-cscope)
Approach: Minilesson
Focus: Identifying elements of a story (Characters, setting, plot (important events))
Materials: Parts of a Story Anchor Chart, Parts of a Story graphic organizer on poster
board or chart paper (1 per group)
**Students will continue to work in groups to complete the Parts of a Story chart. Students will
draw pictures to represent each of the parts on the chart. They can label their pictures if they
are able, but it is not required. As you monitor students’ work, ask them to describe their
drawings to ensure that students understand the concept and that pictures match. This is the last
opportunity to support students before they do this independently and should give you a good
idea of who will be successful and who may need a bit more support.
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Have students sit with their small
groups. Display the Parts of a Story Anchor Chart.
2. Introduction:
We have been talking about the important parts of the story and yesterday you started working
with a group of friends. Today we’re going to finish working on our chart about the important
parts of the story.
3. Revisiting the text:
We were using The Name Jar to complete our chart. Yesterday we talked about the characters,
setting and the first important event in the story. We said that Unhei’s problem was that the
33
kids couldn’t say her name correctly and she wanted to change her name to an American name.
We are going to talk about the other important events in the story. We’re going to think about
what Unhei did to try to solve her problem and how she finally solved it. Let’s look back at the
book. What did the kids do to try to help Unhei? They created a name jar and all the kids put
American names in the jar so she could find one that she liked.
Show the page where Unhei meet’s Joey at Mr. Kim’s store. I think something
important happened on this page. Joey learned how to say Unhei’s name and Mr. Kim
told him that Unhei means grace. How do you think that made Unhei feel? What do
you think Unhei was thinking after she talked to Mr. Kim and Joey? Turn and talk to
your group about what Unhei was thinking. (Unhei was thinking that maybe her name
was ok after all; maybe the other kids can learn how to say it since Joey did.) Do you
think maybe this was an important event that helped Unhei make a decision about her
name?
Show the page where Unhei wrote her name on the board. Did Unhei find a way to
solve her problem? She decided to keep her Korean name and made new friends at
school. Why did she decide to keep her Korean name? It was special; her mom and
grandma went to a name master; it meant grace; Mr. Kim said that it was beautiful;
Joey learned to say it. I think Joey and Mr. Kim were important to the story because
they helped Unhei solve her problem. Do you think that Unhei’s problem is solved?
Turn and talk to your partner about why you think Unhei’s problem is solved. Give
students a few moments to share, invite a few pairs to share their thinking. All the
students learned how to say her name; as she left all the kids said “Goodbye Unhie,”;
she had made friends.
4. Closing:
You are going to get back together with your group and finish your Parts of a Story chart. .
Find a place on the floor to work. You will talk to each other and decide what to draw or write
in the boxes for the 2nd
important event and the solution to the problem. You can look at the
chart we created together to help you remember what goes in each box.
Circulate as students complete their charts, answer questions, help guide conversations.
34
Lesson 11 Lesson Overview: K.6A, Fig19D
Text: Ira Sleeps Over (grade level book collection-cscope)
Approach: Minilesson- Performance Indicator
Focus: Identifying elements of a story (Characters, setting, plot (important events))
Materials: Parts of a Story Anchor Chart, Parts of a Story graphic organizer (for each
student)
** You may choose to re-read the story, or you can walk through the pictures and talk about the
story. If you choose the second option, make sure you talk about the each of the parts that will
go on the graphic organizer that students will create independently: characters, setting, and
important events (problem, turning point that leads to the solution, and solution)).
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Have them sit next to a partner
(assigned or self-selected). Display the Parts of a Story anchor chart and the book Ira
Sleeps Over.
2. Introduction:
We have been talking about Realistic Fiction and we created this chart (refer to anchor chart)
to help us remember the important parts that help us understand the story. Yesterday you
worked in groups to create a chart together about The Name Jar. Today you are going to do
the same thing, but you’re going to do it all by yourself. Do you remember when we read Ira
Sleeps Over? We are going to use this book to fill in our Parts of a Story chart today.
3. Revisiting the text: The lesson below represents the highest level of support for
students. If you do not feel your students need this level of support, you may reread or
revisit the text by looking at the pictures and not have them turn and talk.
35
Let’s look at the story. Reread or revisit the story by walking through the pictures. Stop at the
following points to have students turn and talk:
Page 21-Take a minute to think about the characters in the story Turn and talk to you
partner about the characters (Ira, his sister, Reggie.) Give students a few minutes to
talk, invite a few pairs to share their thinking.
Page 25- What is Ira’s problem? Turn and talk to your partner about the problem in the
story (Ira’s afraid Reggie will make fun of him if he takes his teddy bear with him.)
Pag 30-Let’s think about the setting of the story (Ira’s house and Reggie’s house).
Remember when there are more than one setting, we have to think about where the most
important event takes place. Turn and talk to your partner about the most important
setting in the story (The most important event is when Ira decides that he will go get his
teddy bear so Reggie’s house is the most important setting.)
Closing:
Pass out the Parts of a Story graphic organizer. You are going to take you chart to your seat.
You can look at our anchor chart to help you remember what goes in each box. Think about
Ira Sleeps Over and draw a picture to show the characters, the setting and the important event
that shows Ira’s problem. three important events (problem, something important that happens
to help Ira solve his problem, and the solution.
36
Lesson 12
Lesson Overview: K.6A, Fig19D
Text: Ira Sleeps Over (grade level book collection-cscope)
Approach: Minilesson- Performance Indicator
Focus: Identifying elements of a story (Characters, setting, plot (important events))
Materials: Parts of a Story Anchor Chart, Parts of a Story graphic organizer (for each
student)
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Have them sit next to a partner
(assigned or self-selected). Display the Parts of a Story anchor chart and the book Ira
Sleeps Over.
2. Introduction:
Yesterday you started working on a chart about Ira Sleeps Over. Yesterday you put characters,
setting and problem on your chart. Today you are going to finish your Parts of a Story chart
by adding the important events that helped Ira solve his problem.
3. Revisiting the text: The lesson below represents the highest level of support for
students. If you do not feel your students need this level of support, you may reread or
revisit the text by looking at the pictures and not have them turn and talk.
37
Let’s look back at the book and talk about the middle and end of the story.
Page 36-37- An important event happened here. This is one of the most important
events in the story. Turn and talk to your partner about what happened and why it was
important (Reggie was scared by the ghost story and got his teddy bear out to sleep
with, that made Ira realize that Reggie would not laugh about his teddy bear.)
Page 45-It looks like Ira may have solved his problem. Turn and talk to your partner
about how Ira solved his problem. (Ira went home and got his teddy bear.)
Closing:
Pass out the Parts of a Story graphic organizer. You are going to take you chart to your seat.
You can look at our anchor chart to help you remember what goes in each box. Think about
Ira Sleeps Over and draw a picture to show the 2nd
important event that helps Ira decide what
to do and how he finally solved his problem.
When scoring the PI:
Students are not required to write. If students do not write, students must tell about their
pictures and it is helpful to write their responses on the back or on sticky notes. This is your
opportunity to assess whether the pictures match the expected content.
If students write, do not count off for spelling or incomplete sentences. The content is the
important part of the PI, students are required to identify and retell which can be oral.
38
Lessons 13-15
Rationale: The following group of lessons will focus on describing characters and inferring
about the reasons for their actions. Students will be able to infer the reasons for characters’
actions based on Background Knowledge and evidence from the text.
TEKS:
K.8-Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and
elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are
expected to:
(B)-describe characters in a story and the reasons for their actions
Fig 19- Students use a flexible range of metacognitive reading skills to understand an author’s
message. The student is expected to:
(D)-make inferences based on the cover, title, illustrations, and plot
39
Create the chart prior to the
lesson. Information in chart
will be filled in with your
students.
Lesson 13
Lesson Overview: K.8B, Fig 19D
Text: Ira Sleeps Over (grade level book collection, cscope)
Approach: Minilesson
Focus: Describing Characters
Material: Describing Characters Anchor Chart
CREATE (Before the Lesson):
Describing Characters Anchor chart
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Have them sit next to a partner
(assigned or self-selected).
2. Introduction:
We have been reading Realistic Fiction books and we know that the characters in realistic
fiction are like real people. They say and do things like real people we know. We can think
about what the characters are like and that will help us understand why the do the things they
do. Today we are going to create a chart about describing characters.
3. Revisiting the Text:
If I want to tell someone about one of my friends, I describe my friend to them. I might say
that my friend is funny, or nice or good at something. That helps the person I’m talking to
understand what my friend is like. When we read, the author describes the character to us so
that we can understand what he or she is like. Let’s think about Ira in Ira Sleeps Over. We are
going to create a chart that helps describe Ira. Let’s write Ira’s name right here in box in the
middle (write Ira on the line in the center box.)
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Let’s look back at the book.
Pg. 3 –Can we tell something about Ira? When I look at the picture I can see that
Ira is smiling and his hands are in the air. The author tells us that Ira “was invited
to sleep at Reggie’s house.” Looking at the pictures and the words that the author
writes helps me know something about Ira. The words and the picture help me
know that Ira is excited about sleeping at Reggie’s. Let’s look at our Describing
Characters anchor chart. In the first box it says “Ira was ________.” After
looking at the picture and reading what the author wrote, we decided that Ira was
excited. I’m going to write excited on the line in the first box. Fill in the blank in
the first box. Now I’m going to add a picture to help us remember the part of the
book that helped us decide that Ira was excited.
Pg. 10-15– (Reread pages 10-15) Ira is thinking about what it will be like sleeping
without his bear for the first time. He thinks Reggie will laugh at him. Look at Ira
in this picture (show picture on page 15). Think about what we know about Ira
based on what we read and the picture. Give students a few moments to think.
Turn and talk to your partner about what we can tell about Ira based on the picture
and what we read. Give students a few minutes to talk. Invite a few pairs to share
their thinking. Students may respond that Ira is sad. When we think about
something that might happen, we say that we are worried. Based on the picture
and what we read, can we tell that Ira is worried about sleeping without his bear?
Let’s add that to our chart. Fill in the blank in the second box with “worried”.
Let’s add the picture to this box to help us remember the part of the book that
helped us know that Ira is worried.
Pg. 34-35– (Reread page 34-35) Reggie is telling a ghost story. Ghost stories are
scary. Look at the picture. Think for a moment about what we know about Ira
based on the picture and what we just read. Give students a few moments to think.
Turn and talk to your partner about what we can tell about Ira based on the picture
and what we just read. Give students a few minutes to talk. Invite a few pairs to
share their thinking. Ira is scared. Reggie is telling a ghost story and Ira doesn’t
have his teddy bear to make him feel better. Let’s add that to our chart. Fill in the
blank in the third box with “scared”. Now let’s add the picture to help us remember
the part of the book that helped us know that Ira was scared.
Pg. 48- (Reread page 48) Ira has gone home and gotten his bear. Now he’s going to
sleep. Look at Ira. What can we tell about Ira from the picture and what we read?
Take a moment to think about it. Turn and talk to your partner about what we can
tell about Ira. Give students a few minutes to talk. Invite a few pairs to share their
thinking. Ira is happy; he has his bear so now he can sleep. Let’s add it to our
chart. . Fill in the blank in the last box with “happy”. Now let’s add the picture to
help us remember the part of the book that helped us know that Ira was happy.
4. Closing:
Good readers think about the characters in the story and what they are like. Knowing what
the character is like will help us understand why they do the things they do.
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Describing Characters
Ira was excited.
Ira was worried.
Ira was scared.
Ira was happy.
Ira
(Character name)
43
Create the chart prior to the
lesson. Information in chart
will be filled in with your
students.
Lesson 14
Lesson Overview: K.8B, Fig 19D
Text: The Name Jar (grade level book collection, cscope)
Approach: Minilesson
Focus: Describing Characters
Material: Describing Characters Anchor Chart
CREATE (Before the Lesson):
.
Lesson:
1. Bring students to your whole group reading area. Have them sit next to a partner
(assigned or self-selected).
2. Introduction:
We have been reading Realistic Fiction books and we know that the characters in realistic
fiction are like real people. They say and do things like real people we know. Yesterday we
made a chart describing Ira. Today we are going to think about Unhei in The Name Jar and
create a chart describing her.
44
3. Revisiting the Text:
Let’s look back at the book.
1st page – (Read the 1
st page) let’s see what we can tell about Unhei on the first
page of the story. When I look at the picture I can see that Unhei has a little smile
on her face and she is looking out the window of the bus. The author tells us that
Unhei was nervous and excited. Looking at the pictures and the words that the
author writes helps me know something about Unhei. The words and the picture
help me know that Unhei is excited and nervous about going to her new school.
Since Unhei has her hands on the window and is looking out, I think she is very
excited. Let’s look at our Describing Characters anchor chart. In the first box it
says “Unhei was ________.” After looking at the picture and reading what the
author wrote, I think Unhei was excited. I am going to invite a friend to come help
me write the word excited in the first box. Select a student to come share the pen to
write. Say the word excited, very slowly stretching it out. Invite students to stretch
the word with you. Ask the student who is helping, “What sounds do you hear at
the beginning of excited?” Say the word together again and emphasize the
beginning sound.
If the student responds that they hear the /e/ sound, ask. “What letter makes
that sound?” Have the student write the letter e in the blank.
If the student responds that they hear the /x/ sound, say, “Yes, there is an x,
but there is something before that.” You write the e in the blank and have the
student writ the x.
Stretch the word out again and ask the student what else they hear in the word
excited. Accept any sound that is in the word. If the child says s, then tell them
that they do hear that /s/ sound, but in this word it is a c. Students are likely to
only hear consonant sounds and may only hear x, t. Have the student write the
letter for any sounds that they can hear and you fill in all the rest yourself. After
each sound, ask, “Do you hear anything else?” If they do not hear any other
sounds, finish the word yourself.
Now I’m going to add a picture to help us remember the part of the book that
helped us decide that Ira was excited.
The page where students are trying to pronounce Unhei’s name– (Reread page)
The other kids can’t pronounce Unhei’s name and they are teasing her. The author
says that “Unhei felt herself blush.” Do you know what it means to blush?
Blushing is when your face turns red. Look at Unhei in this picture (show picture).
Think about what we know about Unhei based on what we read and the picture.
Give students a few moments to think. Turn and talk to your partner about what we
can tell about Unhei based on the picture and what we read, why did Unhei blush.
Give students a few minutes to talk. Invite a few pairs to share their thinking.
Students may respond that Unhei is sad. When someone teases us and we blush,
that usually means we are embarrassed. Based on the picture and what we read,
can we tell that Unhei is embarrassed about her name? Let’s add that to our chart.
Follow the same Interactive Writing procedure as above; select another student to
help write “embarrassed” in the blank. Let’s add the picture to this box to help us
remember the part of the book that helped us know that Unhei is embarrassed.
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Page where Unhei writes her name on the board– (Reread page) Unhei has
decided to keep her Korean name. She is writing it on the board for everyone else
to see. Look at the picture. Think for a moment about what we know about Unhei
based on the picture and what we just read. Give students a few moments to think.
Turn and talk to your partner about what we can tell about Unhei based on the
picture and what we just read. Give students a few minutes to talk. Invite a few
pairs to share their thinking. Unhei is proud. She has decided that her name is
special and she is proud of it. Let’s add that to our chart. Follow the Interactive
Writing procedure to fill in the blank with the word “proud.” Now let’s add the
picture to help us remember the part of the book that helped us know that Unhei
was proud.
Page where Joey and Unhei are talking about nicknames- (Reread page) Joey
gave Unhei all the names from the jar as a souvenir. Look at Unhei, what can we
tell about Unhei from the picture and what we read? Take a moment to think about
it. Turn and talk to your partner about what we can tell about Unhei. Give students
a few minutes to talk. Invite a few pairs to share their thinking. Unhei is happy, she
has a new friend. Let’s add it to our chart. Follow the Interactive Writing
procedure. Invite another student to help write the word “happy” in the blank in the
final box. Now let’s add the picture to help us remember the part of the book that
helped us know that Unhei was happy.
4. Closing: Authors tell us information to describe the characters. Good readers think about the
characters in the story and what they are like. Knowing what the character is like will help us
understand why they do the things they do.
46
Describing Characters
Unhei was excited.
Unhei was embarrassed.
Unhei was proud.
Unhei was happy.
Unhei
(Character name)
48
Create the chart prior to the
lesson. Information in chart
will be filled in with your
students.
Lesson 15
Lesson Overview: K.8B, Fig 19D
Text: Ira Sleeps Over, The Name Jar, Vera’s First Day of School, Jessica
Approach: Minilesson
Focus: Inferring the reasons for character’s actions
CREATE (Before the lesson):
Inference Anchor Chart
1. Lesson:
Bring students to your whole group reading area. Have them sit next to a partner
(assigned or self-selected).
2. Introduction:
Today we are going to talk about making inferences. An inference is when we think about
something in the book and what we already know to figure out something. Today we are going
to make inferences about the characters in the realistic fiction books we have read.
3. Revisiting the Text:
When detectives find clues, they call that evidence. When we think about things in the book,
like the words or pictures, we call that evidence.
Let’s start with The Name Jar. Turn to the page where Unhei stands outside the
classroom door. Look at the picture on this page. Unhei doesn’t look very happy does
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she? The author said, “She stood in the doorway of her new, noisy classroom.” The
words and the pictures are evidence; they are clues about how Unhei is feeling. Notice
that I have already put a picture on our chart. This picture is our evidence.
When we think about things that we already know, we call that Background knowledge or
Schema. When I have to go someplace where I’ve never been before, I’m nervous
because I’m not sure what to expect. It’s hard to go to new places. Let’s add our schema
to the chart. Write a brief sentence in the Schema column of the chart.
Can we make an inference about why Unhei is standing in the doorway and not going
inside? I infer that Unhei isn’t going in because she is nervous. Do you agree?
(Discuss) Let’s write our inference on the chart.
Ira Sleeps Over pg 19-(Reread pg 19) let’s think about the evidence, Ira asked Reggie
some questions about his house. Then he asked, “By the way, what do you think about
teddy bears?” Point out the picture in the evidence column on the chart.
My schema or background knowledge is that we like to be like our friends. We don’t
want to feel different. Let’s add this to our chart. Add background knowledge.
Why do you think Ira asked Reggie what he thought about teddy bears? Let’s make an
inference about why Ira asked Reggie. Take a minute to think. Turn and talk to your
partner and make an inference about why Ira asked Reggie that question. Give students
a few moments to talk. Invite a few pairs to share. Ira asked Reggie about teddy bears
because he wants to take his teddy bear with him to Reggie’s house. Let’s add our
inference to our chart.
Jessica-pg. 1-(Reread pg. 1) The book says, “Ruthie Simms didn’t have a dog. She
didn’t have a cat, or a brother, or a sister.” That’s the evidence from the book. Point out
the picture in the evidence column of the chart. Do you have some background
knowledge or schema about what it’s like when you don’t have anyone to play with?
Discuss When you don’t have anyone to play with you feel lonely. Let’s add that to our
chart. Add to the schema column. Now let’s make an inference about Ruthie. Turn and
talk to your partner and make an inference about Ruthie. Give students a few minutes to
talk. Invite a few pairs to share. Ruthie is lonely, that’s why she made up Jessica. Add
inference to chart.
Page where Vera stands by the Buckeye tree- (Reread page)-What’s our evidence
about Vera? She stood by the Buckeye tree and didn’t play. Do you have some
background knowledge for what it feels like when everyone’s playing and you don’t
know anyone? Think for a few minutes. Discuss It’s hard to play when you don’t know
anyone. Let’s make an inference about Vera. Vera doesn’t know anyone and she stands
all by herself. What can we infer? Vera doesn’t have a friend; She is nervous/sad. Add
inference to chart.
4. Closing:
Good readers make inferences when they read. An inference is something that the author
doesn’t say. We make inferences when we think about evidence from the book and think about
what we already know.
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Inference
Text Evidence
+
Background
Knowledge/Schema = Inference
+
It’s hard to go
new places =
Unhei was nervous
+
We like to be like
our friends =
Ira wants to take
his teddy bear
+
It’s lonely with no
one to play with =
Ruthie is lonely
+
It’s hard to play
when you don’t
know anyone =
Vera didn’t have a
friend
Text Background Knowledge/Schema Inference