For kindergarten through 2nd grade, I’ll repeat one of my favorite read alouds, “Julius, the Baby of the World.”  You can find the lesson plan here.

For 3rd grade, we’ll move on from atlases to almanacs:

Grade/Class/Subject:

3rd Grade, Mrs. Harrison/Library Media Skills

Unit/Theme:

Reference Materials/Almanacs

Common Core State Standards (3^rd Grade):

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Language Objectives:

Students will become comfortable using common reference terms.

Key Vocabulary:

Almanac(s)

Supplementary Materials:

• Class set of the almanacs, World Almanac for Kids 2013.
• Sticky notes or blank bookmarks
• Kitchen timer
• Pencils

Preparation:

• Adaptation of content
• Links to background
• Links to past learning
• Strategies incorporated

Scaffolding:

• Modeling
• Guided practice
• Independent practice
• Comprehensible input

Group Options:

• Whole class
• Small groups
• Partners
• Independent

Integration of Processes:

• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking
• Listening

Application:

• Hands-on
• Meaningful
• Linked to objectives
• Promotes engagement

Assessment:

• Individual
• Group
• Written
• Oral

Transition:

Review what students learned about atlases, the kinds of information they found and when they thought an atlas would be a good choice for a research project.

Anticipatory Set:

Review the procedures for the 5 Minute Research Report, first introduced when they started looking at atlases.  Show students a copy of the almanacs and point out some of the differences (i.e., photos of people, fewer maps, etc.).  Have students predict the information they will find in an almanac.

Instruction:

1.      Pass out almanacs and several bookmarks/sticky notes to each person.

2.      Tell students they are to skim through the atmanacs and use a bookmark to note interesting pages.  They have 2 minutes to do this.

3.      After students have marked the pages, they are to go back and read them.  After reading through the pages, they are to pick one page that they find the most interesting.  They have five minutes.

4.      After the five minutes are up, students will note facts in writing on their bookmark(s).  They have five minutes to do this.

5.      After step 4, students will present their research to their tablemates.  They have five minutes to do this.

6.      Students will choose one person from each table to present their research to the class.

Check For Understanding:

The teacher will observe students as they make decisions throughout the above process.

Students will demonstrate their understanding of research by the facts they choose to note.

Closure:

Tell students we will continue working on almanacs next week.

Grade/Class/Subject:

• GRADES K-2/Harrison/Media Skills

Unit/Theme:

• April is Poetry Month
• For more poetry ideas, try Shel Silverstein’s website and click on the link to the Poetry Workshop Kit.

Standards

American Association of School Librarians, Standards for the 21st Century Learner:

• 4.1.1, Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth.

Common Core Standard(s)

• CC.2.R.L.10 Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including prose and poetry, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Key Vocabulary:

• Poetry
• Poem

Supplementary Materials:

• CD Player if you’re more comfortable having someone else sing than singing yourself (Note: the books by Natalie Merchant and Carly Simon come with musical CDs which have poems set to music.  If you have a copy of Shel Silverstein’s audio cassette of “A Light in the Attic,” hold on to it!  It’s out of print and really pricey!)
• Merchant, Natalie, and Barbara McClintock. Leave Your Sleep. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2012.
• Norworth, Jack, Carly Simon, and Amiko Hirao. Take me out to the ball game. Watertown, MA: Imagine, 2011.
• Silverstein, Shel. A light in the attic. New York, N.Y.: Harper & Row, 1981

Preparation:

• Adaptation of content
• Links to background
• Links to past learning
• Strategies incorporated

Scaffolding:

• Modeling
• Guided practice
• Comprehensible input

Group Options:

• Whole class

Integration of Processes:

• Reading
• Speaking
• Listening

Application:

• Meaningful
• Linked to objectives
• Promotes engagement

Assessment:

• Group
• Oral
• Lesson Sequence

Transition:

• Tell students that April is Poetry Month. Ask students if their classroom teacher has talked about this.

Anticipatory Set:

• Show students the white board with the vocabulary words. How are poetry and poem similar? What do the words mean? Can they use them is a sentence?

Instruction/Check for Understanding:

• Show students the cover of “Leave Your Sleep,” and read one of the poems (i.e., Bleezer’s Ice-Cream) or play the CD with Natalie Merchant’s version. After reading the poem ask students if they heard rhyming words and the rhythm.
• Show students the cover of “A Light in the Attic,” which may be familiar to some or all of the class.  Read “Play Ball” on page 131 of the first edition.  (Note: Silverstein was quoted as saying he would rather have been a good baseball player than a poet.)
• Show students the cover of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and tell them that April is also the month that baseball season begins. Ask students what they know about the Detroit Tigers and baseball in general.  Read the book and either sing the lyrics or play the CD that comes with the book. Does the book sound like a poem? What makes the text a poem?
• Children often want to have me repeat books with songs lyrics as the text so they can sing along with me.  This is a good way for students who are having trouble with the concepts of rhyme and rhyming to begin to understand them.

Preview for Next Week

• Tell students we will read more poetry next week.

I’ll repeat the lesson plans I’ve done in the past using Tomie dePaola’s books, “Jamie O’Rourke and the big potato” and “Jamie O’Rourke and the pooka.”

Like me, if you’ve ever wondered how Tomie dePaola came to write the books, click on the link to go to the link at Tomie’s blog in which he answers my question. 

Grade/Class/Subject:

3rd Grade, Mrs. Harrison/Library Media Skills

Unit/Theme:

Reference Materials/Atlases

Common Core State Standards (3^rd Grade):

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

Language Objectives:

Students will become comfortable using common reference terms.

Key Vocabulary:

Atlas(es)

Supplementary Materials:

• Class set of the atlases, National geographic kids beginner’s world atlas. Washington, D.C.: National geographic society, 2011.
• Copies of (click on link to download), Using an Atlas worksheet
• Pencils

Preparation:

• Adaptation of content
• Links to background
• Links to past learning
• Strategies incorporated

Scaffolding:

• Modeling
• Guided practice
• Independent practice
• Comprehensible input

Group Options:

• Whole class
• Small groups
• Partners
• Independent

Integration of Processes:

• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking
• Listening

Application:

• Hands-on
• Meaningful
• Linked to objectives
• Promotes engagement

Assessment:

• Individual
• Group
• Written
• Oral

Transition:

Review the vocabulary word, “atlas.”  What do students remember about exploring the atlases and using the “five minute research report” using sticky pads and their atlases?

Anticipatory Set:

Tell the students they are going to continue exploring the atlases for information, but this time they will be looking for the answers to specific questions.

Instruction:

1.      Pass out atlases and a copy of the worksheet to each person.

2.      Tell students the answers to the questions can be found in their atlases.  (Determine whether it will help to read the questions with the whole class before they begin working to answer them.) Point out that many of the questions have “hints.”

3.      After students have worked independently on a few or all of the questions depending on the time available,tell students to pick one person to be the recorder and one person to be the reporter for their table.

4.      Have students discuss their answers with the others at their table and come to an agreement about the best way to answer each question, which the recorder will write down on their worksheet. 

5.     Each reporter will read the agreed upon answer: question of group, are the answers similar? different?

Check For Understanding:

The teacher will observe students as they make decisions throughout the above process and provide feedback when students are offtrack.

Students will demonstrate their understanding of research by the facts they choose to note.

Closure:

Tell students we will continue working on atlases next week.

Grade/Class/Subject:

3rd Grade, Mrs. Harrison/Library Media Skills

Unit/Theme:

Reference Materials/Atlases, Maps and Globes

Common Core State Standards (3rd Grade):

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Language Objectives:

Students will become comfortable using common reference terms.

Key Vocabulary:

• Atlas(es)
• Maps
• Globes

Supplementary Materials:

• DVD: Maps & globes. U.S.A. Schlessinger, 2004.
• Maps and Globes Video Focus Questions (Click on this link to download Word document with questions)
• Pencils

Preparation:

• Adaptation of content

• Links to background

• Links to past learning

• Strategies incorporated

Scaffolding:

• Modeling

• Guided practice

• Independent practice

• Comprehensible input

Group Options:

• Whole class

• Independent

Integration of Processes:

• Reading

• Writing

• Speaking

• Listening

Application:

• Hands-on

• Meaningful

• Linked to objectives

• Promotes engagement

Assessment:

• Individual

• Group

• Written

• Oral

Transition:

Review what students remember about using atlases last week. Go over the Key Vocabulary words.

Anticipatory Set:

Tell students they will watch a video today that might answer some of their questions about information to be found in an atlas.

Instruction:

1. Pass out the focus questions and read them with the students.

2. Tell students they are to write down the answers to the questions as they hear them or see them in the video.

Check For Understanding:

The teacher will observe students as they make decisions throughout the above process. Following the video, students will present their answers to their table mates and come to an agreement about the answers to each question. One student from each table will report out the answers that they have chosen.

Students will demonstrate their understanding of research by the facts they choose to note and their group discussion.

Closure:

Tell students we will continue working on atlases next week.

Grade/Teacher:

• K-2/Harrison’s Media Classes

Unit/Theme:

• How to Make a Book

Common Core State Standards:

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.X.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

AASL Standards:

• Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.

Lesson Objective(s):

• Students will connect the writing process used in their classroom with the writing process used by professional authors and illustrators.

Language Objective(s):

• Students will use the language in the DVD to create a list of Library Words

Key Vocabulary:

• Student generated

Materials:

• Simon’s book. Perf. Levar Burton. Distributed by GPN, 1984. DVD.

Preparation:

• Adaptation of content

• Links to background

• Links to past learning

• Strategies incorporated

Scaffolding:

• Modeling

• Guided practice

• Comprehensible input

Group Options:

• Whole class

Integration of Processes:

• Writing

• Speaking

• Listening

Application:

• Meaningful

• Linked to objectives

• Promotes engagement

Assessment:

• Group

• Written

Transition:

• Show students examples of books made in classrooms by students. Note individual details on the different books.

Anticipatory Set:

• Tell students that often questions are asked about how books are made or how books the librarian gets books for the media center.

• Show the video case for the DVD, “Simon’s book,” and the actual book. Tell students the video will help explain how books are made.

• Tell students to remember words they hear in the video that are related to book making and we will generate a list of Library Words after the seeing the video.

Instruction/Check for Understanding:

• Show the DVD

• With the student’s feedback, create a list of words associated with creating a book.

Grade/Class/Subject:

3rd Grade, Mrs. Harrison/Library Media Skills

Unit/Theme:

Reference Materials/Atlases

Common Core State Standards (3^rd Grade):

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Language Objectives:

Students will become comfortable using common reference terms.

Key Vocabulary:

Atlas(es)

Supplementary Materials:

• Class set of the atlases, National geographic kids beginner’s world atlas. Washington, D.C.: National geographic society, 2011.
• Sticky notes or blank bookmarks
• Kitchen timer
• Pencils

Preparation:

• Adaptation of content
• Links to background
• Links to past learning
• Strategies incorporated

Scaffolding:

• Modeling
• Guided practice
• Independent practice
• Comprehensible input

Group Options:

• Whole class
• Small groups
• Partners
• Independent

Integration of Processes:

• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking
• Listening

Application:

• Hands-on
• Meaningful
• Linked to objectives
• Promotes engagement

Assessment:

• Individual
• Group
• Written
• Oral

Transition:

Review the words “fiction” and non-fiction mean.  Ask the class if they remember some of the books they’ve read that are examples of each type.  Focus on reference books.

Anticipatory Set:

Tell the students they are going to do a five minute research report using atlases and bookmarks/sticky notes.

Instruction:

1.      Pass out atlases and several bookmarks/sticky notes to each person.

2.      Tell students they are to skim through the atlases and use a bookmark to note interesting pages.  They have 2 minutes to do this.

3.      After students have marked the pages, they are to go back and read them.  After reading through the pages, they are to pick one page that they find the most interesting.  They have five minutes.

4.      After the five minutes are up, students will note facts in writing on their bookmark(s), such as the name of the country or continent, capital city of a country, neighboring counties, population, etc.  They have five minutes to do this.

5.      After step 4, students will present their research to their tablemates.  They have five minutes to do this.

6.      Students will choose one person from each table to present their research to the class.

Check For Understanding:

The teacher will observe students as they make decisions throughout the above process.

Students will demonstrate their understanding of research by the facts they choose to note.

Closure:

Tell students we will continue working on atlases next week.

Grade 3:

Third Grade classes will play the OPAC Face Off Game (see Week 16 for an explanation of the game and the lesson plan.)  When playing the game during the first and second weeks, I focus questions on determining how many copies of a title the media center owns, how many of these copies are available and finding the call number in the record.  I often find that classes have trouble with call numbers, especially when they’re asked if the number tells them whether the book in fiction or nonfiction.  Because of this, I tend to repeat these questions during the third week.

Grades K-2

For the lower grades, I’ll repeat a lesson plan from 2011 that uses Valentine theme books to teach how authors and illustrators establish a character .  The lesson plan was modeled the posters that can sometimes be found in classrooms that show a variety of facial expressions and asks the viewer to name the emotion.  I think it’s interesting how many children have difficulty naming the emotions they see being expressed by someone else.  This lesson plan also reinforces the predicting skills that the classes learned last week.

3rd Grade:

We’ll play the OPAC Face Off Game one last time.  Yikes, I’m getting tired of it but I think it’s important to review searching skills because students will be coming back from a week’s vacation.

Kindergarten – 2nd Grade:

I’ll repeat a lesson plan that I’ve used for many years, which features Tomie dePaola’s classic book, “Strega Nona.”    I’ll have to practice my Italian accent.  It’s not very good.  I usually have a few books of varying lengths to read in case Strega Nona doesn’t take up the entire class time.  it’s a hard one to predict.  Sometimes the discussion about personal responsibility gets animated; other times, kids respond with a blank, “Uhm hmmm.”

This year, I followed the lesson plan that I’ve used before for the week of Valentine’s Day, when kids are usually sugared up and, in my district, Mid-Winter Break is looming.  You can find the plans here. 

However, this year I showed a different video to all grades.  It’s “Arthur and the Square Dance,” which can be found on the DVD, “Arthur’s Best School Days.”  Two weeks ago, I read “Arthur’s Valentine” to most classes and we talked about predicting the plot of stories. In “Arthur and the Square Dance,” the kids in Arthur’s clique convince Arthur and Francine that each has a crush on the other. After the video, we talked about using behavior to predict what might happen next in a story, but also how behavior can be interpreted in different ways.