Lesson Plans for LEOPARD, RAM, AND JACKAL Level J

Before Reading

Build Background
Involve students in a discussion about folktales, and draw on their experiences with reading similar stories.
Say and ask: This story is called a folktale. A folktale is a story that is told over and over by adults to their children. The children grow up and have their own children, and they tell them the story. The story is told over and over for many years. In many folktales, animals talk and act like people do. What are some folktales you can remember reading?
If students have trouble remembering, prompt them with a familiar tale they will all know. Remind them that many fairy tales are actually folktales.
Ask: Who were the characters in the story? What happened in the story?

Introduce the Book
Show students the cover of the book and read the title with them. Ask them to predict what the book might be about based on the title and illustration. Talk about the characters in the story and what they know about these animals.
Say and ask: This story is about three kinds of animals. One is a leopard, one is a ram, and the other is a jackal. Does anyone know what a jackal is? A jackal is a wild dog that lives in Africa. It's a little bit like a fox or a coyote. A jackal is a predator that eats other animals. What do you think is happening in the cover picture? What do you think might happen in this story? 

Book Walk
Discuss the illustrations in the book with students. Ask them what they think is happening in each illustration. Reinforce the language that students will encounter in the text.
Ask: What do you see on this page? Who can tell me what they think is happening in this picture?
Page 4
Ask: What characters do see on this page? What are they doing?
Pages 9-11
Ask: Do you see any new characters on this page? Who do you think this character might be? 

Reading Strategies
Reinforce that when reading, good readers:

  • Use pictures to help them understand the story
  • Sound out words they do not know
  • Check their predictions about words by looking at the letters in the word
  • Reread sentences they do not understand 

Go to During Reading