When children have finished making their list, ask: Why do you think it is important to make a list? What would happen if we forgot to write down important details? Stress the importance of planning ahead and keeping important information in a notebook or on a list.

Introducing the Book
Direct the attention of children to the cover. Ask: Who do you think is on the cover of the book? Does the picture help you to guess what the story is going to be about? Point to the title of the book and ask children if they can help with the reading. As you read, encourage them to pronounce the words. Ask: Does the title of the book help you to know more about what is going to happen? Point out the names of the author and illustrator. Turn to the title page. Ask children to read the title of the book. Ask: What is different on this page from the cover? What is the dog doing? Does this picture give more information about the story? What do you think it is telling you? What is the illustration behind the dog? Point out that the illustrations (behind Darby) stand for notes and music. Ask: What song do you think is going to be sung? Take a few moments to sing the "Happy Birthday" song to help children make a correlation between what they see and the words and tune they sing. Point out the author and illustrator names. Have children turn to the back cover. Explain that the back cover is the end of the book.

Book Walk
As you walk through the book, direct attention to the changing text—the increase and decrease in the number of sentences, depending on what is said on each page. Point out the punctuation on the pages—quotations, commas, question marks, etc. Explain to children that as they read, the pictures will provide some clues but not as many as in other books they have read. On page 5, ask: What are the balloons for on the page? Do you think she is thinking aloud? On page 7, ask: What is the boy doing? What is he making in the thought balloon? Why does he have a pencil? As you read pages 10–12, ask children to comment on where they think the boy, the girl, and Darby are: "Do you think they are trying to find a special place for the birthday party? Where are they?" On page 13, point to the word MALL in the picture. Ask children if they know what that word means. If some children do not understand, explain that the word means a large shopping center where people go to buy things. Give an example of a mall near your town or city. On page14, point out the days and ask: Can you see a calendar? What makes you think it is a calendar? What is the calendar missing (the numbers on the days of the month)? Continue to the end of the book.

During Reading

Model Reading
Have children follow along as you read, beginning with the cover and the title page. Point to each word as you read and call attention to the punctuation marks on many of the book’s pages. On page 5, pause and model a Think-Aloud strategy: "I’m not sure where they will have Darby’s birthday. It’s a special birthday, so wherever they go, I think it should be a place Darby really likes. I want to find out."

On page 6, ask children to Pause-Think-Retell events. Ask: Why is Darby’s birthday going to be so special? Where are Mia and Mike thinking of taking Darby for his birthday? On page 7, call attention to the bubble with the pencil. Ask: What is in the bubble? On page 11, ask: Why do you think the party at the beach would not be special? Where do you think they will look next? On page 16, ask: What day is Darby’s birthday? Are they singing to Darby? How do you know? Continue to the end of the book and before reading the last two sentences ask: Where did Darby have his party? Help children to read the word zoo.

Student Reading
Give each child a book. Have children read aloud, beginning with the cover and title page. As they read, have them point to each word, just as you did during the Model Reading. Monitor their reading and provide prompts when necessary. When children come to a challenging word, pages where sentences increase, or where there are difficult parts, remind them to:

Once the list is generated, say each word aloud, and have children write the words in two lists. Then post a large Vowel Sounds List poster on a bulletin board or wall for children to see and review. After each word, write a sentence that demonstrates how the word is used in context.

Word Work
High Utility Words
Explain that the words, two, would, what, shall, went, where, because, know, and years are seen many times in books they will read. The words must be memorized because they cannot be sounded out. Write each word on the chalkboard or chart paper. Point to each word, say the word, and ask children to repeat the word. Give children nine index cards. Have them copy the words on the cards. Point to the first word you have written, read it, and then have children find the card that matches the word. Repeat with the other eight cards. Now ask children to make up sentences with the words. As they dictate, you write. Have them read the sentences back to you. Have volunteers come to the chalkboard and circle the high utility words in each sentence with a different colored chalk or marker. Have children add the words to their Word Journals. Record the words on the class High Utility Words List. Post the list on the bulletin board or wall for reference.

Punctuation
Commas
Write the words, Symbol, Name, and When Used under the heading Punctuation Rules on large poster board. Explain to children that there are many types of punctuation marks. Today you are going to learn when to use a comma, a kind of punctuation mark that is used in the book Darby’s Birthday Party. Explain that a symbol for a comma is a ,. Point out that a comma is used to separate items in a series like one, two, three; to separate things in a list like bread, milk, cheese; to separate parts of a date like December 25, 2001; to separate what a person said or to separate a direct quote from the rest of the sentence—for example, on page 7, "Let’s make a list," said Mike. Write the sentence on the chalkboard and ask children to look for the comma. Ask a volunteer to come to the chalkboard and circle the comma. Explain that the comma is used to separate Mike’s direct quote from the rest of the sentence. Give children other examples of when to use a comma:
Jill said, "Go to the store and buy bread, grapes, and jelly."
Tomorrow is Monday, December 10, 2002.
When you have finished writing examples, have children come to the chalkboard and circle the comma in each sentence. Then have them write a sentence of their own, using the examples as a model.

Expand on the Reading

Writing Connection
Have children think of a birthday party or other event that was very special to them. To help them organize their thoughts, they can write the name of the event in a circle on a piece of paper. From the circle, have them draw four or five lines. At the end of each line, have them draw a circle. In each of these circles, have children write what they did, where they were, what they ate, etc., on that special day. When they have finished writing, ask them to illustrate what they have written. When they have finished mapping their event, tell them to use their list to guide their writing. Provide an example of the map on the chalkboard or overhead.

Social Studies Connection
Have children look on page 13. Ask: What does the sign with a mark through the dog mean? Explain that this sign means no dogs allowed. Whenever they see a sign with a slash through it, it means no. For people who cannot read English, this kind of wordless image is important. It is an international sign or symbol for no. Ask children if they can think of other signs that have a slash through them. Have children go to the library and research common international signs they see in stores and on streets—for example, no smoking, no trespassing, no walking, etc. Invite a community member such as a policeman to come into the class to discuss why these signs are important.

Reading Independently
Have children read the book independently or with a partner. You can also encourage them to read other books of their choice at the appropriate level. As they read, monitor their use of reading strategies.

Home Connection
Have each child take a book home to read with a family member. Have him/her ask family members to write down information about his/her birthday (for example, what time he/she was born, where and on what day). Have children share their information with the class the next day.

Assessment

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