Lesson Plans for DARBY'S BIRTHDAY PARTY level J

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:
  • Pause, stop, and sound out the first letter of the word. Then sound out subsequent letters of the word.
  • Look for punctuation marks as they read to help understand the text.
  • Ask, "Does this word make sense when I use it in a sentence?"


Go to After Reading