ronilynaquino.weebly.comronilynaquino.weebly.com/.../9049421/author_study_-_patricia_polac… · Web viewThe class along with the teacher’s guidance will eventually come up with

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

3

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.

4

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)

10

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

11

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:

13

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


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.


challenges.



plot.



- 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.



groups






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.


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

25

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

26

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.

28

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


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:


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.



plot.



- 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.



groups






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.


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.

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

http://www.patriciapolacco.com/

http://www.scholastic.com/browse/book

http://www.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3506

http://www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/elastandards/elamap.html

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.

41

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.

Documents

ronilynaquino.weebly.comronilynaquino.weebly.com/.../9049421/author_study_-_patricia_polac… · Web viewThe class along with the teacher’s guidance will eventually come up with