Lesson Plans for CHANGES level J

Text Type:
Fact / Recount

Reading Level:
J

Word Count:
398

Pages:
16

Text Summary
Changes is a story about some events that occur in a young girl's life. She tells about difficult feelings related to losing her cat, having a friend move away, starting a new school year, and more. Each of these difficult situations eventually provides a new opportunity for her, and she discovers that change is just part of life.

Reader Supports
  • Simple story structure
  • Repetitive pattern
  • Familiar topic
  • Text/picture correspondence

Reader Challenges
  • Compound words
  • Contractions
  • Capitalization of names and holidays

Lesson Objectives
Reading Strategies
As children work to understand the text, you will use a number of reading strategies. The targeted reading strategy in Changes is: look inside out for word parts that help establish meaning. The comprehension strategy is: Making connections between what they are reading and what they already know.

Word and Print Skills
Phonological Awareness
syllables

Phonics
Blends – such as: changes, anywhere, play, class, milk, friends, straight, crawly

Word Work
High utility words
have, has, here

Capitalization
Show children page 5 and ask them why they think that Taffy has a capital letter when it appears in the middle of the sentence. Remind them that names are always capitalized. Show them the name Robin on page 7.

Comprehension
You will likely address a number of comprehension skills, as children work to understand the text. The targeted comprehension strategy in Changes is: Author’s point of view.
Ask: Who is telling this story? How do you know who is talking?
Explain that stories can be written in many ways. They can be told from the main character’s point of view or from the point of view of someone looking in on the events.

Visual Learning
Using the pictures provides children the opportunity to relate to the child in the story. Each picture shows whether she is happy about an event or sad. Children can understand her feelings by her expressions.

Targeted Vocabulary Words
High Utility Words
have, has, here

Content Words
Sometimes, cannot, anywhere, everything, airplane, downtown, butterflies, grownup
These content words are compound words. Children can break these words into the two root words to help them decipher the text.

Before Reading

Introducing the Book
Direct children’s attention to the cover of the book. (Do not pass out the books until you have discussed the cover and title pages.) Point to the title of the book and say the name, Changes.. Tell them that the name of the book is always on the cover. Ask the children to look at the picture on the cover and tell what they think the story is about. Have the students look at the back of the book. Ask: How do you think the girl in this story feels in the picture on the cover of the book and in the picture on the back of the book? Ask: What are changes? What changes have you had in your life?
Point to the name of the author and the name of the illustrator. Tell children why they are important to the story.

Turn to the title page. Explain to children that the title of the book and the author and illustrator names are always on this page. Ask children to look at the pictures on the title page. Ask: Are they different? How? What do you think the title page tells you about the story? Point out to children that the girl is happy in one picture and sad in the other picture.

Building Background
Ask: What kinds of changes have you had in your life? Were the events that changed your life happy or sad? Did you have something happen that you thought was sad and then it turned out to be happy later? Encourage the children to talk freely about their experiences. Discuss events that might be happy or sad, such as losing a pet, moving to a new city, or going to visit a friend.

Book Walk
As you show each page of the book, have children talk about whether they have had an experience similar to the girl in the story’s experience. On page 5, the author talks about losing her cat. Discuss with the children how that would make someone feel. On page 6, the author’s Dad says that she can have another kitty. Discuss with the children how that would feel. On page 9 the author is afraid when she starts a new school year. Ask: Did you ever feel scared to meet new people. Were you afraid that they wouldn’t like you? Have the children turn to the last page in the book. Ask: Do you think about what you might be when you grow up?

Reading Strategies
Strategies for Solving Difficult Words
Ask students what they do when they come to a difficult word. Ask: Do the pictures help you to read the words? How do you figure out the meaning of a difficult word? Ask the children to share what strategies they use and record them on chart paper or the chalkboard. Discuss and check for understanding.

During Reading

Model Reading
Model reading to the children by first reading the story as they follow along. Point to each word as you read. Point out the compound words, have the children cover each part of the words to see the two parts of each compound. Check for understanding. Pause on words that they may be able to guess based on picture clues, and allow them to supply the word. Tell them that paying attention to the details in the pictures will help them read the book and understand better.

Student Reading
At the conclusion of the Model Reading, give each student a book. Tell them to read aloud, beginning with the book cover. Allow them to read at their own pace, pointing to each word as they read. If they pause on a word, tell them to sound out the first letter and subsequent letters and look for clues in the pictures. Tell them to remember to ask themselves, "Does the word makes sense?" Monitor their reading and provide prompts as needed.

After Reading

Comprehending the Text
Ask children questions that will cause them to reflect on the story and give meaning to what they have read. Ask:
  • What was the story about? Summarize the story (record answers on chart paper).
  • Why do you think the author named this book Changes?
  • What were each of the changes in the author’s life (make 2 columns on chart paper) Have children tell the sad event and what happens to make the author happy again. Write each event on the left side of the chart and what happened next on the right side of the chart
  • What did the author learn about growing?

Visual Learning
Ask:
  • Page 4: Why are there 2 pictures of the author?
  • Does the author look happy on page 7?
  • How do you know what the author is thinking on page 16??

Building Skills

Phonological Awareness
syllable
Have children look for words in the story with more than one syllable. Make a chart with 4 columns. Have children look for words that have 1, 2, 3, and 4 syllables in them and put them on the chart in the appropriate columns. Have children clap as they say each word on the chart so they can hear the beats in the words.

Phonics
Blends – such as: play, class, milk, friends, straight, crawly
Write 3 blends on a chart paper. Have children think of words that start with those 3 blends. Ch, pl, and str could be a start. Write all the words they can think of. Have children think of another blend and write the words that start with that blend.

Word Work
High Utility Words
  • Add the targeted words have, has and here to the classroom Word Wall. Say each word aloud and ask children to repeat them.
  • Have children make a picture card for the words. On each card, tell them to write a sentence using the words. To distinguish have, has and here from the rest of their sentence, instruct them to write them in a different color. After they have written their sentences, they can make illustrations.
  • If they do not already have one, have children create their own Words journal that they can keep at their desks and refer to when reading or writing. A words journal can be any notebook in which children write new vocabulary.

Expand the Reading

Writing Connection
Have children divide their paper in half. On one side of their paper, have them write about something that happened in their life that made them feel sad. On the other side of the paper, have them write about something that made them feel happy. If there is time, have children illustrate these stories.

Science Connection
Biology
Have children plant a seed in a clear cup. As they watch the seed change and grow have children make a diagram of the growth. Their illustrations and writing should describe the root starting, the leaf shoot coming up, and the plant breaking the ground.

Reading Independently
Tell children to read the book independently or with a partner. Encourage them to talk with a friend about how it feels to make new friends. How it feels in the beginning when you meet someone, and how it feels different after you have known someone for a long time.

Home Connection
Have children take Changes home to read it with a family member. Encourage them to talk with their family about the sad events in their lives and what happened after to make them feel better. Have children talk with their parents about what were sad events in their lives when they were children and if something happened after to change their feelings? Have children ask their parents what they thought they wanted to be when they were 8 and discuss how that is the same and different from what they thought when they were young.

Assessment
  • Monitor children’s responses in the Comprehending the Text section to assess how well they understood the story.
  • Monitor reading to see if children are using effective reading strategies.
  • Assess childrens’ ability to decode compound words.
  • Asses children’s ability to identify syllables in words.


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