Text Type: Fiction/Realistic
Page Count: 12
Word Count: 180

Book Summary
Denise is bored. It is winter vacation, and she is out of things to do. While she is waiting for it to snow, she does puzzles and reads books. How will Denise stay busy while waiting for the snow? Winter Vacation provides the opportunity to introduce problem and solution to early readers. Illustrations support the text.

About the Lesson

Targeted Reading Strategy

• Retell

Objectives

• Use the reading strategy of retelling to understand and remember story events
• Identify problem and solution
• Discriminate variant vowel /oo/
• Identify variant vowel oo
• Identify and use quotation marks
• Understand and use high-frequency words she and her

Materials

• Book -- Winter Vacation (copy for each student)
• Chalkboard or dry erase board
• Problem and solution, variant vowel oo, quotation marks, game cards worksheets
• Discussion cards

     Indicates an opportunity for students to mark in the book. (All activities may be completed with paper and pencil if books are reused.)

Vocabulary

• High-frequency words: does, gets, her, play, says, she
• Content words: arrive, bored, direction, ideas, microphone, neighborhood, squeals, vacation

Build Background

• Ask students whether they have ever been bored during a school vacation. Discuss examples of things they do to keep from being bored.

Book Walk

Introduce the Book

• Show students the front and back covers of the book and read the title with them. Ask what they think they might read about in a book called Winter Vacation. (Accept any answers that students can justify.)
• Show students the title page. Discuss the information on the page (title of book, author's name, illustrator's name).

Introduce the Reading Strategy: Retell

• Explain that good readers stop now and then during their reading to retell in their mind the events in a story. Stopping to retell the events of the story helps readers remember and understand what they are reading.
• Explain that when people retell a story or event, they explain the events in the order in which things happened. Point out that people retell stories as part of their daily lives, such as sharing what happened at school or in a television show.
• Model retelling a familiar story in detail, such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
  Think-aloud: When I retell Goldilocks and the Three Bears it goes like this: Goldilocks comes to a house in the forest that belongs to three bears: a mama bear, a papa bear, and a baby bear. The bears leave the house for a walk in the forest while their porridge is cooling. Goldilocks goes inside the house, even though no one is home. First, Goldilocks sees three bowls of porridge on the table. She tries each one. The first bowl is too hot, the second bowl is too cold, and the third bowl is just right, so she eats it all up. Next, she sees three chairs and sits in each one. The first chair is too hard, the second chair is too soft, and the third chair is just right. However, the chair breaks and Goldilocks falls to the ground.
• Invite students to suggest information for the retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and continue retelling the story.
• Have students place sticky notes on pages 5, 9, and 12. Explain that as they read, they should stop on these pages to think about what has happened so far in the story. Encourage students to retell in their mind what happens in the story as they read.
• As students read, encourage them to use other reading strategies in addition to the targeted strategy presented in this section. For tips on additional reading strategies, click here.

Introduce the Comprehension Skill: Problem and solution

• Explain to students that certain elements are included in a fictional story. Write the words problem and solution on the board. Explain that in most stories, the character is faced with a problem that needs to be solved, and the solution is how the problem is fixed.
• Model identifying problem and solution in a familiar story.
  Think-aloud: In the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The bears come home to find their porridge eaten and a chair broken. They wonder who did the damage. The problem is solved when they find and then scare Goldilocks away.
• Have students think of other familiar stories to share. Discuss the problems and solutions in these stories.

Introduce the Vocabulary

• While previewing the book, reinforce the vocabulary words students will encounter in the story. For example, while looking at the picture on page 3, you might say: It looks as though Denise is bored. It is winter vacation and she is out of ideas of things to do.
• Remind students to look at the pictures and the letters with which a word begins or ends to figure out a difficult word. For example, point to the word huge on page 5 and say: I am going to check the picture and think about what would make sense to figure out this word. The picture shows Denise with her mouth open and a smile on her face. It looks as though she has had a great idea. When I look at the first part of the word, it starts like /h/. However, the word great starts with the /g/ sound, so this can't be the word. I know that when someone has a great idea, it can also be called a huge idea. The word huge starts with the /h/ sound. The sentence makes sense with this word. The word must be huge.
• For additional tips on teaching high-frequency words and word-attack strategies, click here.

Set the Purpose

• Have students read to find out what happens to Denise while she waits for it to snow. Remind them to stop reading at the end of each page with a sticky note to quickly retell in their mind story events up to that point.

Student Reading

• Guide the reading: Give students their copy of the book. Have them read to the end of page 5 and then stop to think about what has happened so far in the story. Encourage students who finish before others to reread the text.
• Model retelling and identifying problem and solution.
  Think-aloud: I stopped after a few pages to retell in my mind what I had read so far. Denise was bored and out of ideas for things to do during winter vacation. She wished it would snow. While she waited for it to snow, Denise did puzzles, read books, and played games. She was tired of doing all these things, which was her problem. Then one of the books she read gave her a huge idea. I don't know what the solution is yet. I will keep reading to find out what Denise does to keep from being bored.
• Introduce the problem and solution worksheet. Have students write information they know about the problem on their worksheet.
• Check for understanding: Have students read to the end of page 9. Have them retell the details about the events after Denise gets her idea. Allow students to use the pictures as a guide. Listen to their retellings for correct order, details, and description of the problem and solution.
• Have students read the remainder of the book. Remind them to retell what they have read so far and think about the solution to Denise's problem to help them understand information as they read.

      Have students make a small question mark in their book beside any word they do not understand or cannot pronounce. These can be addressed in the discussion that follows.

• Ask students what words, if any, they marked in their book. Use this opportunity to model how they can read these words using decoding strategies and context clues.

Reflect on the Reading Strategy

• Retell in detail the events of the story after Denise's friends arrive.
  Think-aloud: Denise and her friends play Talent Show all afternoon. They dance, sing, tell stories, and draw pictures. They have a wonderful time laughing and cheering for one another. Finally, they look outside and discover it is snowing. Then they run outside and play in the snow.
• Have students retell the story from the beginning to a partner. Listen for whether they include the following: correct events in detail, events in order, main characters, problem, and solution.

Reflect on the Comprehension Skill

• Discussion: Discuss with students the problem and solution of the story.
• Independent practice: Have students complete the problem and solution worksheet. If time allows, discuss their answers.
• Enduring understanding: In the story, Denise has a problem. She is bored and can't think of anything to do. She reads a book and suddenly has the great idea to call her friends and have a talent show. She solves her problem by reading and then thinking of something new to do. Now that you know this information, why is it important to keep trying to think of new things to do when you are bored?

Phonological Awareness: Discriminate variant vowel /oo/

• Say the word book aloud to students, emphasizing the /oo/ sound. Have students say the word aloud and then say the /oo/ sound.
• Read page 5 aloud to students. Have them raise their hand when they hear a word that contains the /oo/ sound.
• Check for understanding: Say the following words one at a time and have students give the thumbs-up signal if the word contains the /oo/ sound: cook, look, markers, pad, neighborhood.

Phonics: Variant vowel oo

• Write the word book on the board and say it aloud with students.
• Have students say the /oo/ sound aloud. Then run your finger under the letters in the word as students say the whole word aloud. Ask students to identify which letters represent the /oo/ sound in the word book.
• Circle the oo letter combination. Explain to students that the letter o doubled represents the /oo/ sound in the middle of the word book.
• Have students practice writing the oo letter combination on a separate piece of paper as they say the sound the letters represent together.
• Check for understanding: Write the following words that contain the /oo/ sound on the board, leaving out the oo letter combination: good, shook, took. Say each word, one at a time, and have volunteers come to the board and add the letter combination in each word. Have students read the words aloud.
• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the variant vowel oo worksheet. If time allows, discuss their answers.

Grammar and Mechanics: Quotation marks

• Have students turn to page 4. Read the first sentence aloud to students. Ask them who said those words (Denise).
• Point out the quotation marks in the first sentence. Explain that these marks show the words someone said. They are called quotation marks. Have students read the words in quotation marks.
• Point to the word says after the quotation marks. Explain that this word introduces the speaker.
• Point out that the last sentence on page 4 does not contain quotation marks. Explain that Denise did not say these words.

      Check for understanding: Have students look through the story with a partner. Have them locate and circle all the quotation marks. Have them write the name of the speaker next to each sentence that contains quotation marks.

• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the quotation marks worksheet. If time allows, discuss their answers.

Word Work: High-frequency words she and her

• Tell students they are going to learn two words that they will see often in books they read. Write the words she and her on the board and read the words aloud. Have students read the words with you.
• Write the following sentences on the board: Denise plays games. She also reads books. Read the sentences together with students. Point to the word she. Ask students to tell what the word means. Explain that the word she refers to Denise. Have students use the word she in oral sentences.
• Have students turn to page 8. Read the last sentence together. Point to the word her. Ask students to tell what the word means. Explain that the word her shows that something belongs to the girl in the story. Ask students to tell what belongs to the Denise in the sentence (CD player). Have students use the word her in oral sentences.
• Check for understanding: Have students discuss with a partner the meaning of each word. Then have them use each word in an oral sentence.

Independent Reading

• Allow students to read their book independently. Additionally, partners can take turns reading parts of the book to each other.

Home Connection

• Give students their book to take home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends. Have students retell the story to someone at home. Remind them to include the problem and solution in the retelling.

Realistic Fiction Writing Connection
Have students draw a picture of something they like to do during winter vacation. Have them write sentences to tell about their picture.

Visit Writing A–Z for a lesson and leveled materials on writing realistic fiction.

Science Connection
Discuss the types of weather. Discuss the conditions required for snow. Discuss cause/effect relationships between temperature and snow and its three states of matter.

Social Studies Connection
Using the game cards, students can play the Talent Show game that was presented in the book. Encourage students to make up their own cards to add to the game. Discuss how your talents can lead you to a career.

Skill Review
Discussion cards covering comprehension skills and strategies not explicitly taught with the book are provided as an extension activity. The following is a list of some ways these cards can be used with students:

• Use as discussion starters for literature circles.
• Have students choose one or more cards and write a response, either as an essay or a journal entry.
• Distribute before reading the book and have students use one of the questions as a purpose for reading.
• Cut apart and use the cards as game cards with a board game.
• Conduct a class discussion as a review before the book quiz.