Ms.

Lam
First Grade
Spotswood Elementary
Sierra Brown
Final Lesson Plan Outline on:
Across the Stream written by Mirra Ginsburg and illustrated by Nancy Tafuri
Context Of Lesson:
Read Aloud's are an important instructional strategy for teachers to incorporate in the curriculum
and schedule almost every day because it is a great tool for children learning to read and developing
language. Read Alouds are the best opportunity for vocabulary and comprehension instruction because
the variety of words used and the diagrams and pictures students can look at and evaluate, supporting
their comprehension of the story. This is a big book, which is an oversized book with enlarged text that
children have an easier time tracking the print and reading along. Choosing a book that will hold the
students interest is also a key piece in Read Alouds as well, if students are interested in the book, they
will become more excited and eager to learn how to read themselves. Students can also learn a lot of
content from Read Alouds, when students are able to comprehend the story, whether it is nonfiction or
fiction, they are understanding and learning the information provided by the book. Since I wanted the first
graders to work on their fluency and on the comprehension of the story, I chose a big book that we could
all read together because the words were big and simple enough to understand. At the end of the book
the students would show if they knew what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story to
show their comprehension of the book. The book was a simple story to read and so remembering what
happened and reading the entire book was my main focus of the story. I wanted the students to be
successful in both these domains, which was easy for me to assess through the writing portion,
discussion, and watching them read the book with me.
Learning Objectives:
Understand:
o The student will understand that comprehension of the story requires they understand the
different parts
Know
o Students will compare and contrast the different parts of the story
o Students will know what a prediction is and will be able to make one before reading the
story

Ms. Lam
First Grade
Spotswood Elementary
o Students will know the differences between who, what, when, where, why and how
questions
Do
o Students will retell the story using beginning, middle, and end
o Students will identify the topic or main idea, and make predictions about the content
Collection of Assessment Data:
Children will discuss the question: What happened in the beginning of the story? What happened
in the middle of the story? What happened at the end of the story?
Then they will write and illustrate a response to those questions:
I will include pictures of completed responses as examples from students of different reading
levels. I will discuss these examples in my reflection.

RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS

1.9 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fiction and nonfiction.
a) Preview the selection.
b) Set a purpose for reading.
c) Relate previous experiences to what is read.
d) Make predictions about content.
e) Ask and answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about what is read.
f) Identify characters, setting, and important events.
g) Retell stories and events, using beginning, middle, and end.
h) Identify the topic or main idea.
MATERIALS NEEDED

The big book Across the Stream by Mirra Ginsburg

Worksheet with the three questions that the student can write about the different parts of the story
showing their comprehension of the lesson

PROCEDURE
Preparation of the learning environment

Ms. Lam
First Grade
Spotswood Elementary
o I will have the worksheets on the group table so that when the read aloud on the carpet is
finished, we can quickly move to the tables and get started on the worksheet
o The worksheets will all be created before class and plenty of copies will be available so that
every child has one
Plan for taking turns during the activity
o Before starting the book, I will say to them we are going to practice reading the book all
together and ask them to read in their quiet voices so we dont get too loud
o I will ask the discussion questions to the entire group but call on different students to
answer each time
o After the reading and discussion are over, each child will have the opportunity to work on
the comprehension worksheet. During this time I will walk around the classroom asking
children questions about what they remembered happening in the story and what they are
writing and drawing, giving them a chance to explain their work to me directly
Introduction of the activity to the children
o Start off by showing the cover of the book and reading the title, asking the students what
they think a stream is?
o Then ask the students to make a prediction about what is going to happen in the story
o Then ask everyone to help me read the story because its a big book out loud all together in
our quiet voices as I point along to each word
o Then tell the students to try and remember what happens in the beginning, middle, and the
end of the story so we can talk about it after
Implementation of the activity
o After page with the hen and three chicks: Do you think these animals are related? How?
o After page with the hen and chicks having a bad dream: What do you think their bad dream
was about?
o After page where they are running away from the barn: What are they running from? Why
are they running from the fox?
o After page where they get to the stream: Do you think they are safe now? Why or why not?

Ms. Lam
First Grade
Spotswood Elementary
o After the luck page: Why do you think the hens are in luck? What do you think is going to
happen? (Tell your partner your prediction)
o After the duck says get on my back page: Why do you think she told them to get on her
back?
o After the chicks get on the duck page: Why are the chicks on the ducks back? Where do
you think they are going?
o After what became of the bad dream page: Do you all have any predictions?
o After the chicks and ducks get away: How do you think they feel now? How do you think
the fox feels now?
Closure and cleanup
o At the end of the book:
o What happened in the beginning of the story?
o What happened in the middle of the story?
o What happened at the end of the story?
o Then ask the students to move to the table and hand out the worksheets for them to complete
o Hand out the worksheet and have them answer each question without using the book to look back
at
PLANS FOR DIFFERENTIATION
For differentiation, before reading the story I will begin by going over some vocabulary words,
such as the word stream, that are featured in the story some of the students may not know. Going over
these at the beginning will help the needs of English Language Learners, and other students who may
not know these words, fully comprehend the meaning of the book. Throughout the book I will ask the
students what different words mean such as duckling to make sure every student is understanding the
story. At the end of the book I will ask the students if their were any pages they were confused about and
did not know what it meant, or did not know a word in the story they wanted to go over. I would also ask
about the vocabulary I had introduced at the beginning of the book and what they now thought it meant
or how it was used in the story. Going over these unfamiliar words allows for every student to understand
the entire book no matter if they can read it themselves or not. I will make sure during the Read Aloud
that every student is involved in discussion and engaged, so that every child comprehends what is being
read and is involved and learning from the story. Also since all the students are reading the story
together, it doesnt put any student on the spot incase they cant read a word. I picked a book that is on
grade level so that most all the students are able to read it and if not they can still follow along.

Ms. Lam
First Grade
Spotswood Elementary
WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT
My cooperating teacher restricts me on the amount of time I will have to complete this lesson. It is
important that I do not take too much time doing the read aloud and discussing the book, because if so I
will run out of time for the students to complete the worksheet which will show me their comprehension of
the lesson. Knowing that I do have a time limit, I also dont want to rush through the story so that the
students dont have time to comprehend the meaning, and miss out on the new vocabulary and working
on their literacy development.
Also my students are a very energetic bunch so I need to make sure that students are raising their
hands to answer, and everyone is given a chance to participate. I will do this by calling on someone new
to share each time and also give the students time to discuss with a partner instead of me, so that
multiple students can share their ideas at once.
At the end of the lesson I need to keep every student focused on the task of completing their
responses and creating an illustration to go with it. My supervisor is also coming in to watch me do the
lesson, so while there is added pressure on me, I know the students may try and show off during it. I will
try my best to keep each student focused on the activity and discipline students if need be. If a student is
having trouble with writing, they may feel unmotivated to complete their response and quit, messing
around or distracting other students instead. To make sure this does not happen I will be walking around
the tables, stopping at different students desks to ask how they are doing and if they have any questions
about what the sheet says or how to spell a word. Having help if they need it will make them feel more
like they can complete the project, and will be more motivated to complete the lesson!