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1
The Not-So-Significant Slumps & Stupendous Successes of Second
Grade!
2
Table of Contents
Heading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
School Description & Population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Story Summaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Bibliographical Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-11
Concept Webs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-16
Refined Map I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Refined Map II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Refined Map III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Refined Map IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Refined Map V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Activity 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17-18
Activity 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18-19
Lesson Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-39
Lesson Plan I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-25
Lesson Plan II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-32
Lesson Plan III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33-39
Final Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Culminating Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40-41
Favorite Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41-42
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
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NAME: Ronilyn Aquino
TITLE: The Not-So-Significant Slumps & Stupendous Successes of Second Grade
GRADE LEVEL: Second Grade
READING LEVEL: 3.9 – 4.8
TIME SPAN: 4 Weeks
DISCIPLINE:
Language Arts - Reading, Writing, Listening, and Discussion
Social Studies – Community, Family, and Culture
OBJECTIVES:
- Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the culture of our
local community as well as the culture of their family and the school.
- Students will be able to use phonics, grammar and meaning to read unknown
words.
- Students will be able to use higher-level strategies: Predicting, Identifying
Main Idea, Making Inferences, and Drawing Conclusions.
- Students will be able to use steps of the writing process: Prewriting, Drafting,
Revising, Editing, and Sharing.
- Students will be able to use the traits of writing: Ideas, Organization and
Conventions – Spelling, Capitalization and Punctuation.
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SCHOOL DESCRIPTION & POPULATION:
This unit is designed for second grade students at a public elementary school. The school
is located in an urban area with diverse students ranging in aptitude, language,
background, economic standing and religious beliefs. Although there is a wide range of
differences between students within one classroom community the majority of students
are from middle to low middle socioeconomic standing, English speaking predominantly
Hispanic and European immigrant families. The school has a moderate-low population of
both IEP and ELL students. In this particular classroom setting, a good portion of
students struggle with writing and communicating their thoughts accurately as well as the
overall student engagement in this area. There are a handful of students in this class that
are ESL or have recently just tested out of the program, and a single student that has a
paraprofessional. This is taken into consideration and the unit is designed to incorporate
simple books to assist in strengthening reading, writing, and comprehension skills of the
students. The school has an abundance number of new resources however the teachers
and administration are still getting used to the new literacy and mathematics programs
and are folding them into the curriculum gradually as they get a better understanding.
Parent participation is active largely within the PTA (Parent Teacher Association).
OVERVIEW:
This unit is being taught in order for students to acquire an understanding of a
selected author’s work and craft. Through this understanding students reading,
writing, and comprehension skills will be reinforced. Aside from the language arts
content area, students will gain knowledge and understanding in the content area of
social studies. The lesson plans within this unit are designed to incorporate reading,
5
writing, comprehension, discussion, imagination, and creativity. The selected
readings as well as the activities that have been included in the author study feature
a wide variety of learning styles, which addresses both multiple intelligences and
assists IEP as well as ELL students. This unit will teach students not only about
reading and comprehension skills, but will also teach them about the construct of
different communities such as the classroom as well as families and different types
of valuable relationships that they will come into contact during the course of their
lives. This unit will touch upon other topics that are necessary to address in the
beginning of the year such as bullying and diverse family constructs and most of all
acceptance.
STORY SUMMARIES:
1. Thank You, Mr. Falker: Thank you, Mr. Falker is Patricia’s autobiography. This
is a story of a young girl by the name of ‘Trisha’ who struggles in the areas of
both reading and mathematics. During the course of the book Trisha feels as
though she is “drowning” and overwhelmed by the material being taught and
looks for absolutely anyone to help her swim. Through her years in school, Tricia
has always struggled and not one person took the time to recognize the hardships
she was facing. Then at fourteen years old, her teacher Mr. Falker discovered
Trisha’s learning disability, which is classified as dyslexia. This book is written in
honor of this special teacher who took time to understand the struggles of the
young girl and aid her in every way possible until together they could figure out a
learning strategy and system of methods that worked specifically for her.
6
2. My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother: My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother is
the story of the relationship between Patricia or “Trisha” and her older brother
Richard throughout the course of their childhood. The relationship entails the two
siblings constantly trying to out do one another, in absolutely everything.
According to Patricia Richard always seems to get the dirtiest, climb higher than
she, and more. Upon the recognition of all of these different activities that Patricia
perceives Richard can do better than she, “Trisha” makes a wish on a falling star.
“Trisha’s” wish was to do absolutely anything; just one thing better than her
brother was able to do. The next day Patricia does just this when a traveling
carnival comes into town, and she can finally claim revenge over her older
brother. With this being said, the next thing Patricia can recall is lying in bed as
her brother tells her how although she did finally outdo him, she ended up falling
from the merry-go-round and getting hurt. The lesson to be learned here is
although healthy competition is good, it should never get in the way of kinship or
any relationship for that matter.
3. Bully: Bully is but another book by Patricia Polacco. The story opens as Lyla’s
first day of school. As the story unfolds, Lyla makes the cheerleading squad and
finds herself befriending a clique of popular girls who invite Lyla to join in on
their exclusive group of friends. Jamie has unfortunately been left out. Lyla is
smart enough to recognize bullying when she sees it, and when she realizes that
these girls are teasing other classmates on Facebook she is witty enough to get out
of the group. Although Lyla has recognized this wrong behavior, no one ever
“dumps” the group of girls and thus they are out to seek revenge. This book
7
carefully addresses the subject of bullying. Bullying is a topic that is very
prevalent within and outside of the classroom and through cyber space. Bully
offers a very relatable situation for the reader. The book demonstrates how to
recognize bullying as well as what to do in the events that bullying is taking place.
This book also yields a nice segway into a discussion with the class of how
important it is to accept and respect one another.
4. For the Love of Autumn: For the Love of Autumn is about a young woman
names Miss Parks. Miss Parks adores her new teaching job as well as her brand
new home. Although she has much love for her new job and her new home, the
thing that she loves most of all is her kitten named Autumn, who she feels is
absolutely perfect in every way. One night there is a horrible storm and the
perfect, little kitten Autumn, runs away. Miss Park’s students in her class decide
that they are all going to join together in the effort to locate the little kitten.
Despite their efforts, the students have no luck, and Autumn cannot be located.
Just as all hope has run out, Autumn turns up one day on Miss Parks’ front door
of her house. Miss Parks notices that little Autumn has a bandage on her tail and a
brand new collar around her neck. Although Miss Parks and her students had been
very worried about Autumn, luckily enough, someone has been taking care of her
and returned her to her rightful owner.
5. In Our Mothers’ House: In Our Mothers’ House is a story of a family with two
parents and three children, very similar to most other families. Marmee, Meema
and the children live all together in a handsome household, in which the cook,
dance, and share many laughs together. With this being said, some of the other
8
families within their community do not accept them. It is often brought into
question how a family can have two mothers and not one father? Despite the
make-up of the family, the house and family members within it are filled with
love for one another. Marmee and Meema teach the children that simply because
something or someone is different, does not mean that it is incorrect, wrong, or
not good.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:
I. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I lived the first five years of my life on a farm in Union City, Michigan, with my
mom and grandparents. It was the most magical time of my life. This was the place where
I heard such wonderful stories told and where a real meteor fell into our front yard! My
babushka (my grandmother) and other grandparents were some of the most inspirational
people in my life. When my babushka died, we moved away.
I then lived most of my life in Oakland, California. What I loved the most about
Oakland was that all of my neighbors came in as many colors, ideas, and religions as
there are people on the planet. How lucky I was to know so many people that were so
different and yet so much alike! To this day I am still in touch with people I grew up with
in California — my best friend from my old neighborhood is still my best friend today!
I wasn't a very good student in elementary school, and had a hard time with
reading and writing. I didn't learn to read until I was almost 14 years old. Reading out
loud for me was a nightmare because I would mispronounce words or reconstruct things
that weren't even there. That's when one of my teachers discovered I had a learning
9
disability called dyslexia. Once I got help, I read very well!
I came from a family of incredible storytellers, but I didn't start writing children's
books until I was 41 years old. Drawing, painting, and sculpture have always been a part
of my life, though. My family always encouraged my drawing ability. Kids in school who
teased me about my reading would get out of their seats and stand behind my desk as I
worked and go, “Wow, you can really draw.” Later, I earned a degree in Fine Art, and got
a Ph.D. in Art History.
I have enjoyed a wonderful career of writing books for children. I get my ideas
from the same place that you do. . . .MY IMAGINATION. All of us have a “voice”
inside where all inspired thoughts come from. When I talk to children and aspiring
writers, I always ask them to turn off the TV and listen to that voice inside them. I have
many voices inside me. From my Russian background my stories are kind of ethnic,
primitive, Eastern European — that's one type of voice I write in. Another is my mid-
western American farm voice. I also write in a Jewish voice — my family was part
Jewish and part Christian, which is an amazing thing.
I have two children, and have since moved back to that magical farm in Union
City, where I plan to host various events that celebrate children's literature. You are all
welcome to come. (3)
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II. ADDITIONAL TITLES BY THE AUTHOR:
Just in Time, Abraham Lincoln
Bun Bun Button
The Junk Yard Wonders
January’s Sparrow
Someone for Mr. Sussman
The Lemonade Club
Ginger and Petunia
Something About Hensley’s
Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare
Emma Kate
The Graves Family Goes Camping
Mommies Say Shhh!
An Orange for Frankie
John Philip Duck
Oh Look!
The Graves Family
“G” is for Goat
Christmas Tapestry
When Lightning Comes in a Jar
Mr. Lincoln’s Way
Betty Doll
The Butterfly
Luba and the Wren
Welcome Comfort
Mrs. Mack
In Enzo’s Splendid Gardens
The Trees of the Dancing Goats
I Can Hear the Sun: A Modern Myth
Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair
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Babushka’s Mother Goose
Babushka’s Doll
My Ol’ Man
Pink and Say
Tikvah Means Hope
Babushka Baba Yaga
The Bee Tree
Pisnic at Mudsock Meadow
Mrs. Katz and Tush
Chicken Sunday
Some Birthday!
Appelemando’s Dreams
Uncle Vova’s Tree
Just Plain Fancy
Boat Ride With Lillian Two Blossom
Thunder Cake
The Keeping Quilt
Casey at the Bat
Rechenka’s Eggs
Meteor
12
CONCEPT WEBS:
Refined Cognitive Map I: Thank You, Mr. Falker
Refined Cognitive Map II: My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother
Refined Cognitive Map III: Bully
Refined Cognitive Map IV: For the Love of Autumn
Refined Cognitive Map V: In Our Mothers’ House
ACTIVITIES:
1. Walk the Walk & Talk the Talk – Book Walk & Report:
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Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to have the students become aware of the
different parts of a book and to differentiate between different types of books and
the purpose they serve. This activity also serves to have students become aware
with a book of their choice, choosing “just the right book”, getting the “gist” of the
book, and to discuss and analyze it in depth. The book that they choose can be one of
the books above, however it must be in-line with the themes in the unit – family,
relationships, community, overcoming bullying, diversity, and acceptance.
Materials:
Book of their choice (approved by teacher)
Journal (to record information as book is read)
Computer
Procedure: Students will first select a book of their choice and have it approved by
the teacher to ensure that the book is in the students reading level and that it is an
appropriate topic. Then the students will identify what type of book it is, being
biography, autobiography, fiction, fairy tale, etc. The next step is for the students to
identify the different parts of the book, title, author, possibly illustrator, cover, back,
top, bottom, copyright, publishing house, and any other part of the book that they
find interesting or unusual and they will record all of their observations in their
journal. Now the students will begin to read the book making sure to take notes
after every few pages. After completing the book students will look over their notes
and complete a book report complete with illustrations, about the author, summary
of the book, and their thoughts on their reading. This should be prepared to be
shared with the class on the assigned presentation day.
14
Assessment: Students’ comprehension of book knowledge and awareness as well as
their knowledge of their books and their presentations will be assessed based on
accuracy of book identification information, or being able to locate and explain the
different parts of the book. They will also be assessed based on their understanding
of their book as presented to the class in their book report and discussion of the
book including specific details, accurate illustrations, accurate author information,
and overall presentation to the class.
2. Not-so-Secret Messenger
Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to have students reflect on the teacher to
student relationship. The student will identify what they need from the teacher in
their initial letter, as well as some accomplishments they would like to make by the
end of the school year. The teacher will then respond to the letters from the
students by explaining how he/she will meet their needs, as well as what she needs
from the students. Through this lesson students will also recognize and construct a
plan to set goals and work on skills throughout the school year.
Materials:
- For the Love of Autumn by Patricia Polacco
- Writing Notebooks
- Pencils (approximately 20)
- White board and two different color Expo markers
Procedure: Students will first be called to the meeting area. Once teacher and
students are in the meeting area, the teacher will present the book For the Love of
15
Autumn by Patricia Polacco to the students. The students will review the book from
the read-aloud lesson that has been conducted the day before. After teacher and
students have reviewed the book, the teacher will review the key parts of a letter
briefly. The teacher and the students will now construct a web of some of the needs
that a teacher needs from his/her students in order for learning to happen – Ex.
Listening, concentration, interests, etc. The teacher will now tell the students that
when they return to their seats they will make their own webs. The central bubble
will contain “student needs” some examples of this would understand, respect, and
organization. After the teacher has come around and informally assessed his/her
student’s work, the students will now begin to complete their drafts of letters to the
teacher. This activity would be completed over the course of two or three periods in
order to master all content and skills required in a sufficient manner.
Assessment: For this particular assessment students will be assessed in a few
different ways. Students understanding of the content and “gist” of the book will be
informally assessed by questioning from the teacher. The student understanding of
parts of a letter and the construction of a letter will be assessed informally at the
beginning of the lesson by questioning and formally at the end of the lesson when
the letter has been completed. A rubric will be used to assess students webs of their
“student needs” as well as to assess their letter to the teacher. Rubric, web, draft,
and final copy of their letter will then be placed in their portfolio for the unit.
LESSON PLANS:
Lesson Plan I – Family History, Culture, & Customs
16
2rd Grade
Urban School District
1. Purpose: To learn more about ourselves by discovering where we came
from. We will discover our families’ histories, our cultures, and different
customs, as well as our own traits and characteristics in order to share our
story with the class.
2. Objectives:
Students will be able to determine which characteristics belong to
different groups of individuals.
Students will be able to differentiate characteristics that they do and do
not share with others in their classroom community personally and
culturally.
3. Standards:
- 2.RL.2. Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse
cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
- 2.RL.3. Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and
challenges.
- 2.RL.7. Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print
or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or
plot.
- 2.RL.11. Make connections between self, text, and the world around them
(text, media, social interaction).
17
- 2.SL.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger
groups
o a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions
o b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments
to the remarks of others.
o c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the
topics and texts under discussion.
4. Pre-Assessment: Students have already been exposed to Patricia Polacco’s
work including Thank You, Mr. Falker and My Rotten Redheaded Older
Brother. Students will be reminded that during the course of the stories we
see that family plays a big role in the lives of these characters as does their
culture. Students are also reminded that they all are individuals and each of
them are unique with different characteristics, different strengths and
different weaknesses, and this is what makes us who we are. With this
knowledge students will now take a deeper look as to why they are who they
are based on where they have come from culturally and genetically.
5. Lesson Presentation:
A. Set Induction: In order to activate prior knowledge, begin with a discussion.
“Previously we have read Thank You, Mr. Falker and My Rotten Redheaded
Older Brother. “Can anyone think of a theme that both of these books had in
common?” At this time students offer possible answer. Some of these
possible answers include: Family, Culture, Struggles, Discouragement, etc.
18
“Those answers are all correct and all very good responses, now we will
begin to think about some of these themes in terms of our very own, brand
new classroom community at the beginning of this school year. The main
character in Thank You, Mr. Falker and My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother
feels discouraged and upset with herself when she saw others completing
tasks and succeeding at things that she was not able too. At some point or
another we all feel this way, but then we must realize all the things we are
good at and what makes us unique. Our own traits make us unique and
different, our different cultures make us unique and different, with all this
diversity we can learn even more!”
B. Procedure: Students will now begin to answer questions to demonstrate
their knowledge as to what makes individuals different in different aspects of
that individual. “What are some things that make us different physically?”
Possible answers include: skin color, eye color, hair color, height, weight, etc.
“These are all very good answers! Now, what makes us different personally?”
Possible answers include: Different intelligences, strengths and weaknesses,
different cultures, different types of families, etc. “Once again these are all
very good answers, you are all getting the right idea! Now in order to
understand different characteristics of different individuals we are going to
make Venn Diagrams. I am going to compare myself to the main character in
both of these books. Who is the main character in this book?” The students all
together will say: Patricia or Tricia. At this time the teacher will draw two big
circles on the bored connecting in the middle, creating a Venn Diagram. The
19
students now will be called upon to provide the teacher with different and
similar characteristics between the teacher and the main character in these
two books. After completing this the students will now complete this same
activity that was demonstrated on the boar with a partner and then they will
be asked to share their findings with the class.
C. Closure: “So I think that everyone did a wonderful job creating these Venn
Diagrams, and each one is very unique just like each one of you. We will hang
them up all around the room to be reminded of how we are all different but
we are all very similar and one classroom community. Now who can tell me
some of the reasons why we are different?” A wide variety of students will
respond to demonstrate their knowledge. “Tonight for homework I would
like you to go home and make another Venn Diagram with someone in your
family and then we will come back tomorrow and share them with the class.”
6. Materials and Resources Needed:
Books: Thank You, Mr. Falker and My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by
Patricia Polacco, chart paper, markers, and tape.
7. Follow-up Activity: After sharing their Venn Diagram’s completed at home
with a family member, they will be interviewing that family member about
their family and personal history, culture, and customs. After the information
has been gathered, as a class we will construct more Venn Diagrams to
compare different cultures.
8. Evaluation: The teacher will asses the students’ ability to identify the
varying characteristics and traits between themselves and their classmates
20
as well as the different cultures the class is comprised of during the set
induction phase. Students at this time will reassess the common features of
Patricia Polacco’s books. Students will also be able to demonstrate the ability
to identify varying characteristics among themselves and other students, and
other cultures during the procedure phase. At the stage in the lesson
students will be using a Venn diagram to make comparisons between
themselves and another student in the class. The teacher will further assess
the student’s ability to identify varying characteristics between themselves
and their classmates and different cultures when completing their homework
assignment and then sharing it with the class upon their return to school.
9. Accommodations: The multiple intelligences the teacher will include in this
lesson are visual, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and linguistic. The visual
aspect in this lesson is the Venn Diagrams that we have constructed, one on
the board, and the ones the students construct at their seats. The
interpersonal aspect is when students are asked to work with partners to ask
each other questions about their varying characteristics. The intrapersonal
aspect of this lesson is after the student s are asking each other of the
different characteristics, the reflection that must now occur of ones own self
is this intrapersonal aspect. The linguistic aspect of this lesson is the actual
characteristics that are recorded in both Venn Diagrams as well as the
discussion held by students and teacher. For ESL students and students with
learning disabilities accommodations will be made to have these students
work in a single group with the teacher. The teacher will guide the students
21
and work with them to arrive at varying characteristics between two elected
individuals and represented in the Venn diagram. The teacher will go into
less detail of characteristics, and possibly act out the characteristics or
supply pictures in order to aid in the students learning.
Lesson Plan II – Overall Acceptance & Celebration of the Class
2nd Grade
22
Urban School District
1. Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to better understand the differences
and similarities between the different individuals in our class in terms of
family life, personal strengths and weaknesses, and how we all are a
necessary piece and unique piece of the class.
2. Objectives:
- Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the culture of
our local community as well as the culture of their family and the school.
3. Standards:
- 2.RL.2. Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse
cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
- 2.RL.3. Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and
challenges.
- 2.RL.7. Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print
or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or
plot.
- 2.RL.11. Make connections between self, text, and the world around them
(text, media, social interaction).
- 2. RI. 1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why,
and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
- 2. RI. 6. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author
wants to answer, explain or describe.
23
- 2.W.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from
provided sources to answer a question.
- 2.SL.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger
groups
o a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions
o b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments
to the remarks of others.
o c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the
topics and texts under discussion.
o d. Seek to understand and communicate with individuals from
different cultural backgrounds.
- 2.SL.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or
information presented orally or through other media.
- 2.L.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
o a. Use collective nouns.
o b. Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns.
o d. Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular
verbs.
4. Pre-Assessment: Prior to this lesson student’s have been exposed to three
different Patricia Polacco books entitled: Thank You, Mr. Falker, In Our
24
Mothers’ House, as well as Bully. The teacher will ask the students if the
students can show by the raise of hands if they know what a relationship is,
as he/she writes it on the board. After accepting a few answers the teacher
will explain that a relationship is the way in which someone or something is
connected. The teacher will tell the students to think about this definition.
The teacher and students will come up with different examples and list them
on the board. Example – teacher & student, student & student, parent & child,
parent & parent, etc. The teacher can informally assess students based on
their responses and the lesson can begin.
5. Lesson Presentation:
A. Set Induction: Based on the definition of relationship, the teacher will
then ask what kinds of relationships have we seen in these three books.
Students and teacher will record some of these together on the chart that
has already been made. The chart will contain three different columns,
one with each books title. Underneath each book title the teacher along
with the students will come up with the different relationships in that
particular book. Once the chart has been completed, the teacher will ask
the students what are some of the things that the relationships among the
three books have in common. “Do we see some of the same relationships
in each book?” The teacher will now with the students help circle the
relationships that are the same throughout the books. The teacher will
now ask the students if those relationships that are the same, if they are
identical? The teacher will now explain that all relationships just like
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every individual in the class are unique or different. The teacher will
allow a few moments to look around and recognize how different each of
us is.
B. Procedure: The students will now be instructed to make a circle on the
meeting area, staying seated. The teacher will explain that the circle that
we are sitting in stands for our whole second grade class. The teacher
now will take a ball of yarn and hold onto the end piece, rolling the ball of
yarn to the person sitting across from her. The individual who receives
the ball of yarn now pinch their piece while rolling the ball of yarn to
another person, and so on. As this continues until the last person, the
teacher will explain that we are one class, but in our one class there are
many different individuals with many different characteristics. As the ball
of yarn reaches an individual they will tell us one fact about themselves,
making sure not to repeat what the other students have said. Once the
yarn has been passed to each student in the class the teacher will explain
that in our one class there are a certain number of individuals and
between all of these individuals are different relationships – Student to
student and student to teacher. At this time the teacher will have all the
students look at the web that we have been able to create. Now the
teacher will have approximately five students release the string. The
teacher will now ask the students to explain what happened – Change!
The teacher will explain that without these individuals holding onto the
string it changes or web. The teacher will now explain that if our web
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represents or is a model for our classroom, what happens if five students
were not in our class anymore? Would our class look the same? Would we
have the same relationships? No! The teacher will now explain the
activity. Each student is going to be responsible for a puzzle piece that has
been pre-made and will fit into a certain spot on the puzzle board. The
students are to decorate and color the puzzle piece with words that
describe them as well as symbols. The teacher will show the students the
piece that he/she has created and explain what is on the puzzle piece.
C. Closure: As the students are completing their puzzle piece they will be
instructed to place their puzzle piece on the puzzle board. After the
puzzle board has been completed the teacher will ask the students what
they notice about the puzzle. The teacher will explain that our class is one
big puzzle and within the one puzzle are all the different puzzle pieces,
which represent the different people in the class. The teacher will ask the
students if any of the pieces look exactly the same? Just like the puzzle
pieces, everyone is different. The teacher will ask the students if one piece
was missing what would happen? The teacher will explain to the students
with just one piece missing would create a whole new class, the class
could never be the same or complete if one person or piece were not
present.
6. Materials and Resources Needed: Thank You, Mr. Falker, In Our Mothers’
House, as well as Bully by Patricia Polacco, Whiteboard & Expo markers, pre-
27
made chart with books titles, Crayola markers, ball of yarn, modeled puzzle
piece, puzzle pieces for students, and puzzle board.
7. Follow-Up Activity: Students on the worksheet that will be provided for
them are required to come up with three other examples, like the puzzle in
this activity, that would not be the same if one piece was missing. The
students will be required to make the connection back to one of the two
activities that we have completed in class. Some examples could be – a dozen
eggs, a pair of shoes, days of the week, etc. The students should be
encouraged to draw a picture to explain their writing.
8. Evaluation: The assessment portion of this activity is ongoing. The teacher
will initially assess students learning and comprehension skills by asking
questions at the very beginning of the lesson through questioning regarding
the books that have previously been covered in prior lessons. This would be
an example of informal assessment, which would also drive the lesson. The
teacher will make additional informal assessments by asking the students to
apply what they know in order to construct the chart of the three books. The
teacher will begin formally assessing the child as the student completes
his/her puzzle piece by both following directions and meeting the criteria
that the teacher has defined. The teacher will gain another formal
assessment opportunity when the student completes the follow-up activity
for the lesson. The teacher will base assessment for this activity off of a
rubric, which will be attached to the students work and placed in their
portfolio.
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9. Accommodations: Within this lesson the teacher has provided ample
opportunities for students of different learning styles, multiple intelligences,
as well as various strengths and weaknesses to portray their learning. The
lesson has been tailored to students that benefit greatly from hands-on
activities, visual, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and linguistic. The
visual and kinesthetic portions of this lesson plan can be enhanced further
for those students who are ELLs or may have and IEP or other learning
needs. Another strategy such as TPR or Total Physical Response, in which
body language and physical actions are used to bolster the understanding of
the language is also another method to further help these students.
Lesson Plan III – Make Friends, Not War
2nd Grade
29
Urban School District
1. Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is for students take the knowledge and
understanding of different individuals and groups of people – families,
classrooms, religions, ethnicities, etc. and apply it to a current event issue.
2. Objectives:
- Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the culture of
our local community as well as the culture of their family and the school.
3. Standards:
- 2.RL.3. Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and
challenges.
- 2.RL.5. Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how
the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
- 2.RL.7. Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print
or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or
plot.
- 2.RL.11. Make connections between self, text, and the world around them
(text, media, social interaction).
- 2. RI. 1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why,
and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
- 2. RI. 6. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author
wants to answer, explain or describe.
- 2.W.3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or
short sequence of events, including details to describe actions, thoughts,
30
and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a
sense of closure.
- 2.W.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from
provided sources to answer a question.
- 2.SL.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger
groups
o a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions
o b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments
to the remarks of others.
o c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the
topics and texts under discussion.
o d. Seek to understand and communicate with individuals from
different cultural backgrounds.
- 2.SL.2. Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or
information presented orally or through other media.
- 2.L.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
o a. Use collective nouns.
o b. Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns.
o d. Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular
verbs.
- asfd
31
4. Pre-Assessment: The teacher will call the students over to the meeting area.
After the students and teacher are settled on the meeting area rug, the
teacher will ask the students what are some of the very important classroom
rules that we came up with as a class on the first few days of school. The
teacher will direct the student’s attention to the rules of the classroom that
have been displayed on the wall. The students will name a few of the rules.
The teacher will explain that the rules are guidelines to help students and
teacher respect one another and learn and grow together. The teacher will
ask the students what a term is for when we are not nice to each other, when
we don’t respect one another, when we may even tease or purposely are
mean to someone? The class along with the teacher’s guidance will
eventually come up with the word “bully” or “bullying”. The teacher will right
this word in the middle of the Whiteboard. Now the lesson is ready to unfold.
5. Lesson Presentation:
A. Set-Induction: The teacher will ask the students to think about the
definition “bully” or “bullying” and to provide him/her with some
examples that are to be written on the board surrounding the central
bubble. After the teacher has collected approximately 10-12 different
examples of what a “bully” is or what “bullying” means the teacher will
ask the students to take a few minutes to think about a time when he or
she was bullied, teased, or treated unfairly. When the students have had a
few moments to collect their thoughts, the students will be told to now
turn and talk to the meeting area partner. The pair is to discuss the
32
incident and how the felt. They need to identify what was the problem,
what was the solution? If there were no solution, what would be a fair
solution? After the students have shared their thoughts with a partner,
about three different pairs of students will be selected to share what they
have talked about. After the students have shared their different
experiences with the teacher, the teacher is now ready to being the
procedure.
B. Procedure: The teacher at this time will introduce the book Bully by
Patricia Polacco. Before beginning to read the teacher will briefly discuss
what cyber-bullying is. The teacher will discuss that cyber-bullying is a
form of bullying that takes place over the Internet, not face-to-face. The
teacher is now ready to begin reading the book. During the course of the
read aloud, the teacher will ask questions to make sure that students are
paying attention and engaged in the lesson. After the book has been
completed the teacher and the students will have a brief discussion,
which will touch upon each of the story elements – main idea, problem,
solution, characters, and events. The teacher at this time will ask
questions regarding character traits. This will help identify who was the
bully and what were the characteristics. This will also help identify whom
the bullying was bullying and that character’s different characteristics.
The character traits of the bully and the person the bully was bullying will
be recorded on the board. The teacher now will share a personal story of
when he/she was bullied or teased and what the outcome was, as well as
33
how it made him/her feel. The teacher will now tell the students that they
will return to their desks and record in their notebooks a time when they
were bullied, teased, or treated unfairly using a concept web, this will
begin the writing process which they will carry out and finish at another
time.
C. Closure: As the students are finishing up drafting their ideas for their
narrative pieces regarding bullying, they will be called back to the
meeting area. The teacher will now inform the students that on chart
paper (already partially pre-prepared), the students with the help of the
teacher are going to construct an Anti-Bullying Agreement. The Ant-
Bullying agreement will list all of the steps the individuals in the class will
take towards decreasing bullying in the classroom and school. Some of
the examples of the Anti-Bullying Agreement statements would be: I will
make sure to treat others the way I would like to be treated, If I see
someone bullying another student I will inform a teacher, I will try to
understand why the bully may be acting the way he/she is, but I will not
accept it. After the students and teacher have completed the Anti-Bullying
Agreement Act, all students and teacher will sign at the bottom and hang
in the classroom. The teacher will at this time ask the students what are
three things that we learned from the lesson on bullying. After the
teacher has collected the three responses the lesson will be complete.
6. Materials & Resources Needed: Bully by Patricia Polacco, whiteboard &
Expo Markers, web Handouts, chart paper, and Crayola markers.
34
7. Follow-Up Activity: The follow-up activity for this assignment will be to
have the students write a letter to the bully that they have written about in
their narrative piece, or a bully in general. Students have already been
exposed to the key points in writing a letter. The letter should be addressed
to “Bully”, we are not to use the persons actual name. In the letter the
student’s needs to discuss the problem and solution or possible solution to
what has happened during the time the bullying occurred. The student is to
inform the bully why it is not okay to bully someone. In order for the student
to complete this assignment, the student is permitted to look back at the
charts that were conducted in class, the Anti-Bullying Agreement Act, their
web, as well as their rough draft of their bullying experience narrative.
8. Evaluation: The student will be evaluated throughout the course of this
lesson in a few different ways. During the course of the first part of the lesson
and during the read-aloud, the student will be informally assessed through
questioning and drawing on prior knowledge. From this the teacher will be
able to assess student’s basic understanding and shape the remainder of the
lesson. The teacher will begin the formal evaluation process as the students
construct their webs and their “bully narratives” when they have gone
through the drafting, peer-review, revising, and publishing process. The
teacher will use a rubric to evaluate the work. The rubric will be attached to
their worked and included in their portfolio.
9. Accommodations: Within this lesson the teacher has provided many
opportunities for students of different learning styles, multiple intelligences,
35
as well as diverse strengths and weaknesses to “show what they know” in
their learning process. The lesson been modified to satisfy the students who
profit very much from hands-on activities, visual, interpersonal,
intrapersonal, and linguistic. The linguistic parts of this lesson plan can be
enhanced further for those students who are ELLs or may have and IEP or
other learning needs. Another strategy such as Total Physical Response, in
which body language and physical actions are used to bolster the
understanding of the language is also another method to further help these
students. Due to the fact that a lot of this lesson is discussion based, when the
teacher has students “turn and talk” with a partner ELLs can work with
another student that better understand the English language and clarify
points that may be unclear.
Final Evaluation: Students will be assessed based on work samples included in
their portfolios. These work samples include all writing pieces such as narratives
and letters. Students will also be assessed on their construction of their graphic
organizers, and all steps in the writing process. The teacher will also take into
36
consideration informal assessments that have been made such as effort and
participation during group, partner, and class discussions. The teacher will finally
evaluate the student on the student’s portfolio as a whole, and overall growth
during the course of the unit.
Culminating Activity: Now that the students have learned differences between
themselves and their peers as well as different cultures it is time to have some fun.
The culminating activity will occur in two separate steps. Students will come up
with a small portfolio set up in a binder that includes different depictions of their
many different relationships in their lives. For example, the first page will represent
their immediate family including their relationship, possibly in the form of a family
tree. The second page may be their extended family. The following page may consist
of the class that they are in along with those relationships between classmates and
with the teacher. Another page may consist of their friends outside of their class or
school, sports teams, and other various extracurricular activities. This first portion
of the culminating activity will represent all the different kinds of relationships they
are involved in. The second portion of the culminating activity will focus on the
relationships in their families. This is the perfect opportunity to set up and around
the world celebration. Students will be encouraged to find out even more
information about their family history by interviewing someone at home. On an
assigned day students will bring in pictures, clothing, music, food, or anything that
they feel represents their culture and has been approved by the teacher. Each
student will be able to set up their history in a different area of the classroom with
their very own station. Students from other classes as well as parents will be invited
37
in to “travel around the world” and experience the different cultures. At the closing
of this experience we will have an “around the world talent show”. Students will
now have the opportunity to reveal a talent that is either personal to the or to
they’re culture.
FAVORITE LINES:
1. "Sometimes (wishes) come true differently than you think they will." – My Rotten
Redheaded Older Brother
- This line in the books represents a very important theme that the students should
be able to recognize by the end of the book. This lie depicts the theme that people
should be “careful what they wish for” and “the grass is not always greener on the
other side”.
2. “Honey is sweet, "and so is knowledge, but knowledge is like the bee that made
that sweet honey, you have to chase it through the pages of a book." – Thank You,
Mr. Falker
- This particular line that is selected from this book is extremely powerful. This line
comes from the very beginning of the book, before the reader is aware of the
problem that the main character faces. This line ties the main character and the
support from her family to her schoolwork and the relationship she builds with her
teacher and for her schoolwork. Just like the determined honeybee, the main
character overcomes the problem, finds a solution, and achieved great things.
3. “When I made my way down the hall on my first day of school, everyone was
rushing by me, talking and laughing. They all knew each other. I felt so alone.” –
Bully
38
- I chose this line from the book because it gave a lot of good description of the
environment. The author does a great job here painting the picture of the student’s
surroundings and their feelings. I also picked this line form the book because many
students will be able to relate to the same feelings that the character is experiencing
at this time.
RESOURCES:
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco
Bully by Patricia Polacco
For the Love of Autumn by Patricia Polacco
39
In Our Mothers’ House by Patricia Polacco
Reading Journals / Writing Journals
Whiteboard / chart paper
Crayola Markers / Expo Markers
Handouts
Tape
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/elastandards/elamap.html
http://www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3506
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/book
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/
Rubric for Writing a Letter
CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Sentences & Paragraphs Sentences and paragraphs are complete, well-constructed and of varied structure.
All sentences are complete and well-constructed (no fragments, no run-ons). Paragraphing is generally done well.
Most sentences are complete and well-constructed. Paragraphing needs some work.
Many sentence fragments or run-on sentences OR paragraphing needs lots of work.
Grammar & spelling (conventions)
Writer makes no errors in grammar or spelling.
Writer makes 1-2 errors in grammar and/or spelling.
Writer makes 3-4 errors in grammar and/or spelling
Writer makes more than 4 errors in grammar and/or spelling.
40
Ideas Ideas were expressed in a clear and organized fashion. It was easy to figure out what the letter was about.
Ideas were expressed in a pretty clear manner, but the organization could have been better.
Ideas were somewhat organized, but were not very clear. It took more than one reading to figure out what the letter was about.
The letter seemed to be a collection of unrelated sentences. It was very difficult to figure out what the letter was about.
Capitalization and Punctuation
Writer makes no errors in capitalization and punctuation.
Writer makes 1-2 errors in capitalization and punctuation.
Writer makes 3-4 errors in capitalization and punctuation.
Writer makes more than 4 errors in capitalization and punctuation.
Neatness Letter is typed, clean, not wrinkled, and is easy to read with no distracting error corrections. It was done with pride.
Letter is neatly hand-written, clean, not wrinkled, and is easy to read with no distracting error corrections. It was done with care.
Letter is typed and is crumpled or slightly stained. It may have 1-2 distracting error corrections. It was done with some care.
Letter is typed and looks like it had been shoved in a pocket or locker. It may have several distracting error corrections. It looks like it was done in a hurry or stored improperly.
Rubric for Narrative & Story Pieces
CATEGORY 4 3 2 1Title Title is creative, sparks
interest and is related to the story and topic.
Title is related to the story and topic.
Title is present, but does not appear to be related to the story and topic.
No title.
Introduction First paragraph has a \"grabber\" or catchy beginning.
First paragraph has a weak \"grabber\".
A catchy beginning was attempted but was confusing rather
No attempt was made to catch the reader\'s attention in the first paragraph.
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than catchy.
Focus on Assigned Topic
The entire story is related to the assigned topic and allows the reader to understand much more about the topic.
Most of the story is related to the assigned topic. The story wanders off at one point, but the reader can still learn something about the topic.
Some of the story is related to the assigned topic, but a reader does not learn much about the topic.
No attempt has been made to relate the story to the assigned topic.
Organization The story is very well organized. One idea or scene follows another in a logical sequence with clear transitions.
The story is pretty well organized. One idea or scene may seem out of place. Clear transitions are used.
The story is a little hard to follow. The transitions are sometimes not clear.
Ideas and scenes seem to be randomly arranged.
Problem/Conflict It is very easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face and why it is a problem.
It is fairly easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face and why it is a problem.
It is fairly easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face but it is not clear why it is a problem.
It is not clear what problem the main characters face.