Literacy Lesson Plan

Julia Miller, 1st grade, Planned for 11/16

What: This is a lesson on fluency. Students will be able to read at their level (G) with
fluency, purpose, and understanding (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.4.A). They will
identify two new vocabulary words (merriment/plump). They will work cooperatively to
read a poem with while identifying phrases that suggest feeling
(CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4). They will identify who is telling the story at various
points in a text (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6). They will also improve their tracking
ability, self-correct and reread as necessary. They will read grade-level text orally with
accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.4.B) all the
while beginning to understand the events in the story that cause the characters to act or
speak a certain way.

How: I will facilitate the fluency activity through framing it as a fun, engaging acting
exercise. I will take the students through specific reading instructions and procedures,
understanding the text, punctuation, vocabulary and meaning in a specific, step-by-step
process. I will use repetition, collaboration and gradual release to help me help them.

Why: I chose this topic because I noticed that my class is full of expressive children who
enjoy acting out vocabulary, but havent yet engaged with literacy as it relates to
drama. Most of my students are strong readers. They are just now working on writing
with appropriate punctuation and reading with attention to common punctuation such
as commas, exclamation points, and question marks. I wanted to give them an
opportunity to bring their learning to life while working together and utilizing the
American holiday, Thanksgiving. I believe even early literacy should be artistic, emotive
and situate students to think deeply and ask questions about the text, all why promoting
friendship.

Goals / Objectives: Students will be able to read at their level fluently with expression,
purpose and understanding. They will work collaboratively and read without
memorizing. Along the way, they will identify two new vocabulary words and think
about why characters act or feel a certain way.

Standards and Assessment Anchors:

Did students read fluently? Did they track properly? Did they attend to punctuation?
Did they understand the story? Did they understand the meaning of their line?

Fluency:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.4

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.4.A
Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.4.B
Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on
successive readings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.4.C
Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as
necessary.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the
senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.10
With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade
1.

Materials and preparation:

7 copies of the poem Five Plump Turkeys in a clear font.

7 highlighters or yellow markers

Chart paper for Three Little Pigs Example

Two cards that say Merriment and Plump

a hat and 6 character role strips

A table

A space to sit in a circle

Classroom arrangement and management issues:

Six students will sit at a table or on the floor close to each other, facing my chart paper
and me. Halfway through my lesson, we will switch to a circle, this represents a change
in activity. I will pass out markers and papers. Only students who behave well will be a
loud to participate in my activities. They will be told this in advance. I will stop for
students who speak out of turn and ask them how they are respecting themselves and
their classmates.

The Lesson Plan - From Readers Theater Level G

1) The Hook (10 minutes) Has anyone ever been to a play? In theater, the actors
have to memorize their lines. But before they do, they practice reading their lines
together like they are having a conversation. Thats what were going to do: Read
with Fluency.

I will then read The Three Little Pigs play/story dramatically, in two different voices -
as an example of a play story they know that can be read fluently with attention to
expression and character.
I will ask students about what I read and what they noticed about how I read. What does
reading with fluency mean in this context? I can use this to create a checklist for
assessment purposes (written or other).
Then I will have all students read it in partners. Next, two students, for instance, Gigi
and Alexander (strong readers) will read it out loud. I will have it pre-written on chart
paper and highlight the roles in two different colors. I will tell them that the highlighting
helps us keep track of our roles. I will tell them not to change their voices as they read
because their voices are already different. It is a fun warm-up for Readers Theater

2) The Body of the Lesson Now were going to read a new story with the same
attention to character roles, expression and fluency. I will read Five Plump Turkeys
and they will echo me. I will ask them, does anyone know the word Merriment?
Where have you heard the word Merry before? What does plump mean? What can
be plump?

Five Plump Turkeys

Narrator 1: Five plump turkeys, full of merriment and fun,

sat together on a branch in the sun

Turkey 1: The first one said, Its that time of year!

Turkey 2: The second one said, A pilgrim is coming near!

Turkey 3: The third one said, Oh, it cant be so!

Turkey 4: The fourth one said, I think its time to go!

Turkey 5: The fifth one said, Come quick and follow me! We will run and hide behind
this old oak tree.

Narrator 2: Away ran the turkeys as fast as they could go. Where are they hiding?
The pilgrim doesnt know.

Next, we will pick roles out of a hat, one student: one role
Then, each student will highlight her/his own role.
Each will practice their own role: individually reading aloud quietly

I will go around listening and ask: How would your character say your line?
What is the feeling and purpose behind the words? How would it sound when they are
thinking ___________.

Then I will put them in a circle, this is called a Circle Reading, or Table reading. This is
what real actors do as they prepare for a play, I will say.

Lets practice reading together in our parts! (first run through)

If someone messes up, we have to go back to the beginning. I will emphasize that that is
okay and mistakes are part of practicing. You have to follow along so you know what is
happening and when your turn is.

Now read it like you mean it, lights, camera action!

3) Closure

Higher Order Thinking Question: Why are the turkeys hiding?

Discuss: Why we celebrate Thanksgiving and how turkeys and pilgrims became symbols
of the holiday.
Was this fun for you?
How does it feel to read fluently?

Assessment of the goals/objectives listed above:

I will take note/observe how student reading matches the grammar and the feeling of
the text. Through observation I will know if they grasp the meaning/ purpose of the
story and if they learned the new vocabulary words. If they can read at G fluently, they
may be able to try the next reading level. In our reflection on the reading, I will learn
how well they comprehended the story and were able to think critically about the
characters feelings and actions.

Anticipating students responses and your possible responses

a) Management issues: I will tell them that one of the reasons they were chosen for the
group is because they have been well-behaved and if they show me otherwise I will
choose another actor. Also, How are you respecting each other?

b) Response to content of the lesson: Its possible that they wont understand why the
turkeys are hiding, I will ask leading questions, like Why would you hide Its also
possible that this will all be easy, in that case, extra emphasis will be added to
developing character. If anyone doesnt celebrate Thanksgiving, we can talk about that,
too.

Accommodations

a) Accommodations for students who may find the material too challenging: I will help
them when we go around practicing, and I will pair them with a strong partner and have
them partner read.

b) Accommodations for students who may need greater challenge and/or finish early:
They will work to develop the character, adding a secret name, character traits. They
can experiment with different ways of reading.