Read Aloud Lesson Plan
Before Reading - Teacher – Today we’re going to read one of my favorite books. I loved this book when I was your age, and I still do. My mommy read it to me when I was little, and now I’m so excited that I get to share it with all of you. It’s called The Snowy Day. Has anyone here played outside on a snowy day? Was it fun? What kind of things did you do? Well, this book is all about a little boy named Peter and what he does on a snowy day.
Title Page - Ezra Jack Keats is the author and illustrator of this book. Who can tell me what an author is? Right, and who can tell me what an illustrator is? Right – and Ezra Jack Keats did both – he wrote the words and made the pictures for this book. We’re seeing some pictures of Peter already having some of his adventures here.
Dedication Page – Ezra Jack Keats is dedicating this book to these three people. That means that these people are very special to him, and he wants them to know that by putting their names in his book. Who do you think Tick, John, and Rosalie are?
The Story –
What sound does “snow” start with? Right, and in this word, “snow”, the /s/ has another consonant sound following it. What is that sound? Right, /n/and they go together to make “snow”.
Why do you think Ezra Jack Keats wrote “slowly” like that?
I’d like you to turn and talk with a partner to see if you can guess what Peter found sticking out of the snow. (Ask students to share predictions, comment on predictions after next page.)
There goes Peter – do you remember the sound his feet made in the snow?
How does something feel when it’s firm?
I’d like you to turn and talk with a partner to share what you think will happen to the snowball. (Ask students to share predictions, comment on predictions when we get to the page.)
I love this page – it always makes me think of how nice it feels to get into a hot bath after being outside in the cold.
After Reading – Does anyone think they know what kind of a place Peter lives in? How do we know he lives in a city? Are there clues in the book? Where?
Extension Activities
Activity #1 – Write a dedication page to someone important in your life, and why you are dedicating your work to them.
In The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats dedicates the book to Tick, John, and Rosalie. During the read aloud, the students will be asked who they think these three people are, and why Ezra Jack Keats dedicated the book to them. The word “dedication” will be defined and discussed, and added to the word wall to enhance the students’ vocabulary (Morrow, p.204). The teacher led, whole group discussion will continue to allow a few students to share who some important people in their lives are. Allowing the students to speak about such personal topics will allow them to engage in this group reading activity with purpose and understanding (common core standards). Because this activity is focused not on the story part of the book, it gives the students an opportunity to see print used for a purpose other than telling a story (Neuman, et. al, p.6)
The students will then turn and talk with a partner about who they would like to dedicate a piece of work to (a specific writing, art, or performance piece the student either has done or will do for this activity) and why. This will allow the students to use the word “dedication” or “dedicate” in complete sentences, increasing their speaking vocabularies (Morrow, p. 111). This, along with the whole group discussion, gives the students opportunities to speak about the topic in different settings, an important strategy for language development (Morrow, p. 111).
The students will then break into small groups of three or four and write out their dedication page independently, along with their reasons for dedicating their work to this person or persons. The students will be encouraged to express themselves through their writing, without emphasizing spelling or handwriting, helping them to understand that writing has real purpose Neuman et. al, p.8). The dedication pages will be added to the students’ works, and students who would like to create a new piece will be given extra time throughout the day to do so. The teacher may assess the students’ understanding of the dedication concept using this authentic classroom task by reviewing this work, and by speaking with students in this small group setting (Morrow, p. 43). This activity will have explicit instruction from the teacher, independent writing, and discussions about the writing in social settings, all of which contribute to acquiring early writing skills (Morrow, p. 237)
A note will be sent home with the students letting the parents know what we are doing in the classroom, and asking the parents to find or borrow a book with a dedication page that they can share with their child, allowing the student to see that dedication pages are not only in children’s books. According to Morrow, teachers need to involve family members in activities at home and to inform family members about what is happening at school. For homework, the students will make up a story about that author and the people the author dedicated the book to, explaining why the author dedicated their book to them. Creating their own stories may nurture interest and appreciation for reading and writing (Neuman et. al, p. 12). All of these activities will help the students clarify the concept of the word, and make it meaningful to them (Neuman, et. al, p. 9).
Students will be assessed during the discussion, in their independent writing, and on their homework to determine if the student understands the meaning of “dedication” in terms of literacy and books, and how they are able, through speaking and writing, to share their thoughts on the word. Accurate assessment of student’s knowledge and skills in reading and writing will help the teacher better match instruction with how and what students are learning (Neuman et. al, p.12).
Activity #2 – Identifying the “sn” sound and differentiating it from other “s” blends.
Children need to become aware of how the sounds in words work in order to read; they will have an easier time learning to read and spell if they do (Ambruster et.al, p. 1).
During the read aloud, the word “snow” will be broken down, with an emphasis on the “sn” sound. The students will be asked if they remember any other words from the book that start with “snow” (snowsuit, snowman, snowing, snowball). Focusing on phoneme isolation of this blend is part of effective phonemic awareness instruction (Ambruster et al, p. 4). According to research, children need to focus on the sounds that make up words in order to strengthen reading achievement (Morrow, p. 27), so these words will be repeated a few times, along with a definition of how it relates to snow (e.g. snowsuit – a suit for snow). Knowing that words are made up of parts can help children begin to build their own words (Morrow, p. 125). They will be encouraged to make up their own “snow” words and define them.
Students will be asked for the letter that goes along with the /s/ sound. The letters SN will be written on the smartboard with the teacher writing the words snow, snowsuit, snowman, snowing, and snowball underneath it. Teaching phonemic awareness in this way will help the children learn how to hear the sounds in the words, and relate the sounds to letters as they spell words (Ambruster et. al, p. 5). Research suggests knowledge and understanding of sound-symbol relationship is necessary in learning to read and write (Morrow, p. 27). Since phonemic awareness instruction is most effective when it focuses on only a couple of phonemes rather than several (Ambruster et. al, p. 6), the lesson will be focused on only “s” blend words.
The book will be then read again, this time the students being asked to jump up when they hear the /s/ sound with another consonant. According to Gardner, we need to remember that not all children learn the same way. When teaching children to read, children need different learning experiences (Morrow, p. 84), so this part of the activity addresses kinesthetic learners. Since phonemic awareness instruction is more effective when children are taught to use letters as they hear sounds (Ambruster et. al, p.5), as “s” blends words are identified, students will be asked to come up to first write the “s” with the letter after it, then will take turns placing each word in the correct column. As the words are placed in each column, students will segment the words as they stretch their hands apart and then say the word with a clap. Blending and segmenting phonemes into words is likely to produce greater benefits to students’ reading (Ambruster et. al, p.7). Building words and sorting words into different patterns help children learn letter-sound relationships and how to decode unknown words (Morrow, 168). Students will be encouraged to assist the student writing by repeating the sounds in the words and the word itself. Teachers should provide several experiences with letter-sound combinations so that the children have an opportunity to practice (Morrow, p. 166).
The students will then break into small groups and will have a choice of either working together on a large chart or writing a song. This part of the activity addresses interpersonal, linguistic, spatial, and musical intelligences. As teachers, we should think about the different intelligences and provide different experiences (Morrow, p. 84). The chart will have “SN”, “ST”, “SL”, and “SM” (more may be added) written on the top, and lines running down dividing each. The students will either write or draw items beginning with these letters in the appropriate space or will cut pictures out of magazines and glue them in the appropriate spaces. The groups writing songs will come up with a song with as many “s” blend words as possible. When the charts and songs are complete, each group will have a chance to come to the front of the room to share. When children know they will be sharing their work, they will have a greater purpose for writing (Morrow, p. 263).
A worksheet will be sent home with the students having the students practice identifying and differentiating words that start with an “s” and different consonants. Knowing the relationships between letters and sounds will help children recognize familiar words and decode new words (Ambruster et. al, p. 11). The bottom of the work sheet will be a space where the students can draw a picture or write about something in their house that starts with “s” and a consonant. These worksheets will be shared the next day, with more words being added to the word wall to enhance the children’s vocabulary (Morrow, 123).
Because assessments should be observations of children engaged in authentic classroom reading and writing tasks (Morrow, p. 43), students will be assessed during the discussion, the second read aloud, coming up to write words in their correct place on the chart, their group project, and their homework to determine if they can hear and understand the different sounds of “sn”, “st”, “sl”, and “sm”, (maybe others) and match them to their corresponding letters. The assessments will be a combination of student work and teacher checklists. To meet the needs of the different populations in our school, assessment measures need to be diverse because different children perform better in different situations (Morrow, p. 43). The assessment will also be used throughout the activity to help determine the student’s preferred ways of learning.
Activity #3 – Writing about an experience that happened in a different season than the season we are in now, using descriptive words.
Children’s literature is as natural a medium for encouraging writing as it is for encouraging oral language and reading (Morrow, p. 262). The Snowy Day will be read when there is snow on the ground, and again in the spring, when there is not. Repeated readings appear to further reinforce the language of the text as well as to familiarize children with the way different genres are structured (Neuman, et. al, p. 9). During the spring read aloud, the students will be questioned about the differences between the season we are in now, and the season being written about. There will also be an emphasis on the descriptive words Ezra Jack Keats used in his writing, such as “snow-covered”, “heaping”, and “firm”, and which of the senses they are describing (e.g. “firm” is describing how something feels). When we help children to describe, we should ask them to use their five senses; this will help with descriptive writing (Morrow, p. 258). Descriptive words that the students generate about two different seasons will be written by either the teacher or the students on the smartboard.
The teacher will lead a discussion about whether or not an author is able to write about a season that is different than the one happening right now. Students will be asked to support their arguments with reasons and to follow the rules of a whole class discussion (e.g. listening, taking turns). Children need constant opportunities to use language in social situations with adults and other children (Morrow, p. 116). The opportunity to use language is one of the key elements in language development (Morrow, p. 118).
After the discussion, students will break into small groups, with each group having two dice. On one die will be seasons, on the other, one of the five senses. Each group will role to see which season and sense will be explored. They may draw, write, or dictate descriptive words about these (e.g. words describing how spring smells). Increasing the volume of children’s playful, stimulating experiences with reading and writing is associated with accelerated growth in these areas (Neuman et. al, p. 9).
After the group work, the students will meet up again on the large rug to share some of the words they generated. The students or teacher will write these words on the smartboard, noting the similarities or differences between these words.
The students will then be asked to return to their seats and gather writing utensils and paper to write either about an event that happened to them in a different season than the one we are in now, or a poem describing how winter looks, or how summer sounds. They may roll the dice again if they wish. During independent writing, children should be able to choose between different options, and poetry is another form of writing enjoyed by young children (Morrow, p. 264). Since writing time is consuming (Morrow, p. 265), the teacher will allow extra time or time in a quieter area of the room for students to think and remember. Having a purpose for writing activity is helpful when selecting a topic (Morrow, p. 255). A picture may be drawn to enhance or possibly replace the writing, and invented spelling will be accepted. Teachers should foster acceptance of unconventional writing so that the students will attempt writing (Morrow, p. 251). A few students will be asked to share their work. Children need to share their writing with an audience; they will have a greater purpose for writing (Morrow, p. 263).
A note will be sent home with the students informing the parents of the work being done in the classroom, and asking the parents to tell their child a story about something that happened to them in a different season than the one we are in now. This assignment is designed to promote positive and supportive attitudes about literacy in the home (Morrow, p. 383). As partners in their child’s literacy development, parents and teachers need to work together (Morrow, p. 391). The note will also inform them that these stories may be shared in class the next day. As a few students share the stories they heard, words from the story may be added to the words already generated the day before. Some of these words will be placed on the word wall. Word walls help with writing since children can copy words they don’t know how to spell from the Wall (Morrow, p. 259).
Students will be assessed during the discussions, small group work, and individual writing, on demonstrating they are able to draw on past experiences when writing and in using descriptive words. They will be assessed on whether or not they know what a descriptive word is and that it is different from a noun or verb. Their individual work will be added to their portfolio in order to be compared to samples taken from the rest of the year (Morrow, p. 273). The students will be assessed to see if they were able to draw on a past experience, after conversations with the student about their work if clarification is needed. The assessments will be a combination of student work, teacher checklists, video and audio recording, and standardized assessments. Sound assessments should be anchored in real-life writing tasks and continuously chronicle a wide range of activities (Neuman, et. al, p. 13). Fine motor skills will also be assessed during drawing, writing, and dice rolling.
Before Reading - Teacher – Today we’re going to read one of my favorite books. I loved this book when I was your age, and I still do. My mommy read it to me when I was little, and now I’m so excited that I get to share it with all of you. It’s called The Snowy Day. Has anyone here played outside on a snowy day? Was it fun? What kind of things did you do? Well, this book is all about a little boy named Peter and what he does on a snowy day.
Title Page - Ezra Jack Keats is the author and illustrator of this book. Who can tell me what an author is? Right, and who can tell me what an illustrator is? Right – and Ezra Jack Keats did both – he wrote the words and made the pictures for this book. We’re seeing some pictures of Peter already having some of his adventures here.
Dedication Page – Ezra Jack Keats is dedicating this book to these three people. That means that these people are very special to him, and he wants them to know that by putting their names in his book. Who do you think Tick, John, and Rosalie are?
The Story –
What sound does “snow” start with? Right, and in this word, “snow”, the /s/ has another consonant sound following it. What is that sound? Right, /n/and they go together to make “snow”.
Why do you think Ezra Jack Keats wrote “slowly” like that?
I’d like you to turn and talk with a partner to see if you can guess what Peter found sticking out of the snow. (Ask students to share predictions, comment on predictions after next page.)
There goes Peter – do you remember the sound his feet made in the snow?
How does something feel when it’s firm?
I’d like you to turn and talk with a partner to share what you think will happen to the snowball. (Ask students to share predictions, comment on predictions when we get to the page.)
I love this page – it always makes me think of how nice it feels to get into a hot bath after being outside in the cold.
After Reading – Does anyone think they know what kind of a place Peter lives in? How do we know he lives in a city? Are there clues in the book? Where?
Extension Activities
Activity #1 – Write a dedication page to someone important in your life, and why you are dedicating your work to them.
In The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats dedicates the book to Tick, John, and Rosalie. During the read aloud, the students will be asked who they think these three people are, and why Ezra Jack Keats dedicated the book to them. The word “dedication” will be defined and discussed, and added to the word wall to enhance the students’ vocabulary (Morrow, p.204). The teacher led, whole group discussion will continue to allow a few students to share who some important people in their lives are. Allowing the students to speak about such personal topics will allow them to engage in this group reading activity with purpose and understanding (common core standards). Because this activity is focused not on the story part of the book, it gives the students an opportunity to see print used for a purpose other than telling a story (Neuman, et. al, p.6)
The students will then turn and talk with a partner about who they would like to dedicate a piece of work to (a specific writing, art, or performance piece the student either has done or will do for this activity) and why. This will allow the students to use the word “dedication” or “dedicate” in complete sentences, increasing their speaking vocabularies (Morrow, p. 111). This, along with the whole group discussion, gives the students opportunities to speak about the topic in different settings, an important strategy for language development (Morrow, p. 111).
The students will then break into small groups of three or four and write out their dedication page independently, along with their reasons for dedicating their work to this person or persons. The students will be encouraged to express themselves through their writing, without emphasizing spelling or handwriting, helping them to understand that writing has real purpose Neuman et. al, p.8). The dedication pages will be added to the students’ works, and students who would like to create a new piece will be given extra time throughout the day to do so. The teacher may assess the students’ understanding of the dedication concept using this authentic classroom task by reviewing this work, and by speaking with students in this small group setting (Morrow, p. 43). This activity will have explicit instruction from the teacher, independent writing, and discussions about the writing in social settings, all of which contribute to acquiring early writing skills (Morrow, p. 237)
A note will be sent home with the students letting the parents know what we are doing in the classroom, and asking the parents to find or borrow a book with a dedication page that they can share with their child, allowing the student to see that dedication pages are not only in children’s books. According to Morrow, teachers need to involve family members in activities at home and to inform family members about what is happening at school. For homework, the students will make up a story about that author and the people the author dedicated the book to, explaining why the author dedicated their book to them. Creating their own stories may nurture interest and appreciation for reading and writing (Neuman et. al, p. 12). All of these activities will help the students clarify the concept of the word, and make it meaningful to them (Neuman, et. al, p. 9).
Students will be assessed during the discussion, in their independent writing, and on their homework to determine if the student understands the meaning of “dedication” in terms of literacy and books, and how they are able, through speaking and writing, to share their thoughts on the word. Accurate assessment of student’s knowledge and skills in reading and writing will help the teacher better match instruction with how and what students are learning (Neuman et. al, p.12).
Activity #2 – Identifying the “sn” sound and differentiating it from other “s” blends.
Children need to become aware of how the sounds in words work in order to read; they will have an easier time learning to read and spell if they do (Ambruster et.al, p. 1).
During the read aloud, the word “snow” will be broken down, with an emphasis on the “sn” sound. The students will be asked if they remember any other words from the book that start with “snow” (snowsuit, snowman, snowing, snowball). Focusing on phoneme isolation of this blend is part of effective phonemic awareness instruction (Ambruster et al, p. 4). According to research, children need to focus on the sounds that make up words in order to strengthen reading achievement (Morrow, p. 27), so these words will be repeated a few times, along with a definition of how it relates to snow (e.g. snowsuit – a suit for snow). Knowing that words are made up of parts can help children begin to build their own words (Morrow, p. 125). They will be encouraged to make up their own “snow” words and define them.
Students will be asked for the letter that goes along with the /s/ sound. The letters SN will be written on the smartboard with the teacher writing the words snow, snowsuit, snowman, snowing, and snowball underneath it. Teaching phonemic awareness in this way will help the children learn how to hear the sounds in the words, and relate the sounds to letters as they spell words (Ambruster et. al, p. 5). Research suggests knowledge and understanding of sound-symbol relationship is necessary in learning to read and write (Morrow, p. 27). Since phonemic awareness instruction is most effective when it focuses on only a couple of phonemes rather than several (Ambruster et. al, p. 6), the lesson will be focused on only “s” blend words.
The book will be then read again, this time the students being asked to jump up when they hear the /s/ sound with another consonant. According to Gardner, we need to remember that not all children learn the same way. When teaching children to read, children need different learning experiences (Morrow, p. 84), so this part of the activity addresses kinesthetic learners. Since phonemic awareness instruction is more effective when children are taught to use letters as they hear sounds (Ambruster et. al, p.5), as “s” blends words are identified, students will be asked to come up to first write the “s” with the letter after it, then will take turns placing each word in the correct column. As the words are placed in each column, students will segment the words as they stretch their hands apart and then say the word with a clap. Blending and segmenting phonemes into words is likely to produce greater benefits to students’ reading (Ambruster et. al, p.7). Building words and sorting words into different patterns help children learn letter-sound relationships and how to decode unknown words (Morrow, 168). Students will be encouraged to assist the student writing by repeating the sounds in the words and the word itself. Teachers should provide several experiences with letter-sound combinations so that the children have an opportunity to practice (Morrow, p. 166).
The students will then break into small groups and will have a choice of either working together on a large chart or writing a song. This part of the activity addresses interpersonal, linguistic, spatial, and musical intelligences. As teachers, we should think about the different intelligences and provide different experiences (Morrow, p. 84). The chart will have “SN”, “ST”, “SL”, and “SM” (more may be added) written on the top, and lines running down dividing each. The students will either write or draw items beginning with these letters in the appropriate space or will cut pictures out of magazines and glue them in the appropriate spaces. The groups writing songs will come up with a song with as many “s” blend words as possible. When the charts and songs are complete, each group will have a chance to come to the front of the room to share. When children know they will be sharing their work, they will have a greater purpose for writing (Morrow, p. 263).
A worksheet will be sent home with the students having the students practice identifying and differentiating words that start with an “s” and different consonants. Knowing the relationships between letters and sounds will help children recognize familiar words and decode new words (Ambruster et. al, p. 11). The bottom of the work sheet will be a space where the students can draw a picture or write about something in their house that starts with “s” and a consonant. These worksheets will be shared the next day, with more words being added to the word wall to enhance the children’s vocabulary (Morrow, 123).
Because assessments should be observations of children engaged in authentic classroom reading and writing tasks (Morrow, p. 43), students will be assessed during the discussion, the second read aloud, coming up to write words in their correct place on the chart, their group project, and their homework to determine if they can hear and understand the different sounds of “sn”, “st”, “sl”, and “sm”, (maybe others) and match them to their corresponding letters. The assessments will be a combination of student work and teacher checklists. To meet the needs of the different populations in our school, assessment measures need to be diverse because different children perform better in different situations (Morrow, p. 43). The assessment will also be used throughout the activity to help determine the student’s preferred ways of learning.
Activity #3 – Writing about an experience that happened in a different season than the season we are in now, using descriptive words.
Children’s literature is as natural a medium for encouraging writing as it is for encouraging oral language and reading (Morrow, p. 262). The Snowy Day will be read when there is snow on the ground, and again in the spring, when there is not. Repeated readings appear to further reinforce the language of the text as well as to familiarize children with the way different genres are structured (Neuman, et. al, p. 9). During the spring read aloud, the students will be questioned about the differences between the season we are in now, and the season being written about. There will also be an emphasis on the descriptive words Ezra Jack Keats used in his writing, such as “snow-covered”, “heaping”, and “firm”, and which of the senses they are describing (e.g. “firm” is describing how something feels). When we help children to describe, we should ask them to use their five senses; this will help with descriptive writing (Morrow, p. 258). Descriptive words that the students generate about two different seasons will be written by either the teacher or the students on the smartboard.
The teacher will lead a discussion about whether or not an author is able to write about a season that is different than the one happening right now. Students will be asked to support their arguments with reasons and to follow the rules of a whole class discussion (e.g. listening, taking turns). Children need constant opportunities to use language in social situations with adults and other children (Morrow, p. 116). The opportunity to use language is one of the key elements in language development (Morrow, p. 118).
After the discussion, students will break into small groups, with each group having two dice. On one die will be seasons, on the other, one of the five senses. Each group will role to see which season and sense will be explored. They may draw, write, or dictate descriptive words about these (e.g. words describing how spring smells). Increasing the volume of children’s playful, stimulating experiences with reading and writing is associated with accelerated growth in these areas (Neuman et. al, p. 9).
After the group work, the students will meet up again on the large rug to share some of the words they generated. The students or teacher will write these words on the smartboard, noting the similarities or differences between these words.
The students will then be asked to return to their seats and gather writing utensils and paper to write either about an event that happened to them in a different season than the one we are in now, or a poem describing how winter looks, or how summer sounds. They may roll the dice again if they wish. During independent writing, children should be able to choose between different options, and poetry is another form of writing enjoyed by young children (Morrow, p. 264). Since writing time is consuming (Morrow, p. 265), the teacher will allow extra time or time in a quieter area of the room for students to think and remember. Having a purpose for writing activity is helpful when selecting a topic (Morrow, p. 255). A picture may be drawn to enhance or possibly replace the writing, and invented spelling will be accepted. Teachers should foster acceptance of unconventional writing so that the students will attempt writing (Morrow, p. 251). A few students will be asked to share their work. Children need to share their writing with an audience; they will have a greater purpose for writing (Morrow, p. 263).
A note will be sent home with the students informing the parents of the work being done in the classroom, and asking the parents to tell their child a story about something that happened to them in a different season than the one we are in now. This assignment is designed to promote positive and supportive attitudes about literacy in the home (Morrow, p. 383). As partners in their child’s literacy development, parents and teachers need to work together (Morrow, p. 391). The note will also inform them that these stories may be shared in class the next day. As a few students share the stories they heard, words from the story may be added to the words already generated the day before. Some of these words will be placed on the word wall. Word walls help with writing since children can copy words they don’t know how to spell from the Wall (Morrow, p. 259).
Students will be assessed during the discussions, small group work, and individual writing, on demonstrating they are able to draw on past experiences when writing and in using descriptive words. They will be assessed on whether or not they know what a descriptive word is and that it is different from a noun or verb. Their individual work will be added to their portfolio in order to be compared to samples taken from the rest of the year (Morrow, p. 273). The students will be assessed to see if they were able to draw on a past experience, after conversations with the student about their work if clarification is needed. The assessments will be a combination of student work, teacher checklists, video and audio recording, and standardized assessments. Sound assessments should be anchored in real-life writing tasks and continuously chronicle a wide range of activities (Neuman, et. al, p. 13). Fine motor skills will also be assessed during drawing, writing, and dice rolling.