Lesson Plans for A VISIT TO THE ZOO level I

Before Reading

Introducing the Book
Introduce the book by showing children the front and back covers and title page.
Ask: What do you notice on the covers? What do you think the book will be about? What kinds of things do you think you may see as we read this book and look at the pictures?
There should be a lot of predictions going on at this stage. You can also use think-aloud strategies in this section.

Building Background
Talk to children about their experiences at zoos. Ask: How many of you have ever been to a zoo? Why do people go to zoos? What types of things do they have at zoos? Did you ever find or see something at the zoo that surprised you, other than a rare animal? Ask the question to relate back to the school the girls found at the zoo. What are your favorite animals to see when you go to the zoo and why? As children are answering your questions, write down the responses that relate to the book on the board or a piece of paper to refer back to later.

Book Walk
To help children become familiar with the book and its format, go through some of the pages pointing out the features you think may be difficult for them as they are reading. Point to some of the pictures and have children tell you what the animal in the picture is. After they have identified the animal, point to the word to show children what it looks like. This will help them as they do their independent reading. Any other vocabulary children may have difficulty with should be addressed during this section of the lesson. For example, have children turn to page 12 and ask: What is that statue the girl is standing next to? (A fountain.) At this point you can point to the word to show children what the word looks like.


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