Text type: Fiction / Serial
Word Count: 454
Page Count: 12

Text Summary
Even though it rains and rains, the Hoppers set out on a fishing and camping trip with Grandpa Grizzly. The Hoppers begin to cough and sneeze, but before they head back into the tent, Snubby Nose takes a spill into the river! Grandpa Grizzly dives into the water and retrieves Snubby Nose, his fishing pole, and a special surprise.

About the Lesson 

Objectives

• Identify and retell main events
• Read double consonants
• Identify contractions 

Vocabulary

• marshmallows, comfortable, cast, wriggling, reeled 

Materials

• Book - Fishing in the Rain (copy for each student)
• Chalkboard or chart paper
• Worksheets 1 and 2

Before Reading 

Building Background

• If students have read other Hoppers books, ask them what they remember about the characters. What other adventures have the Hoppers had?
• Ask students if they have ever been camping. What was it like? Where did they sleep? What did they eat? What did they do? What was the weather like? How did the weather affect their trip? 

Preview the Book

• Show students the front and back covers of the book and have students read the title.
• Have students make predictions about what will happen in the book based on the illustrations. 

Introducing the Vocabulary

• Have students turn to page 4 and look for the word "marshmallows." Allow students to use word-attack strategies to make guesses at the word. What treat might get soggy on a wet camping trip? What long food word begins with m? What sound chunks do they see in the word?
• Go over any other vocabulary words you feel may present problems, including comfortable (p. 6), cast (p.8), wriggling, and reel (both p. 11). 

Introducing the Comprehension    Skill: Identify and retell main events

• Introduce the idea of a plot. Tell students that the plot is the events that happen in the story; it usually doesn't include what the characters feel or say, but only what they actually do. A plot requires movement or action. Tell students that after they read, they will retell the main plot points of the story. They will also fill out a worksheet and list the main events. 

Set the Purpose
Have students read in order to find all of the main events in the story. Remind them to look for movement or action. 

Word-Attack Strategies
Remind students to use any or all of the following strategies when they come to unfamiliar words.

• Use picture clues. Students can look at the pictures on the page. They can ask themselves if the pictures give any clues that help them figure out the word.
• Reread the sentence. They can read the sentence more than once and think about what word might make sense in the sentence.
• Sound out the word. They can use what they know about sound/symbol relationships to blend the sounds in the word together. They should think about whether the word makes sense in the sentence.
• Look for chunks in the word. They can look for parts of words they know within larger words.
• Keep reading. They can read past the word they don’t know and think about what words might make sense. They should then go back and read the sentence to check for sense.

During Reading  

Student Reading
Give each student a book and have students whisper-read at their own paces. Monitor student reading and provide prompts if it appears that a student is having difficulty. For example, if a student seems stuck on a word, suggest he or she try to sound out the word and then use the picture clues and the context to check whether the word makes sense. Have the student reread the sentence with the new word. 

After Reading 

Reflect on Reading Strategies

• Discuss how it helped students to have read other books about the Hoppers.
• Have students share any other strategies they used while reading. For example, ask students to show you a word in the book that they sounded out. Or, ask them to look at a particular word in the story, and ask them how they could figure it out if they didn’t know it. 

Applying the Comprehension    Skill: Identify and retell main events

• Guided Practice: Hand out worksheet 1. Have students return to the book and read through page 5. Ask students to name the first event that happens. Remind them that things the characters think or say are not events. The first event, as the worksheet demonstrates, is that Grandpa Grizzly gives the Hoppers fishing poles.
• Have them read page 6. Have students identify the events that take place on this page. Record the three events on the board (Hoppers carry poles into the woods; Grandpa Grizzly sets up tent; the Hoppers sit by the river and fish).
• Guide students to understand that not every event is important to the plot. Ask students to think about the rest of the story. With regard to what happens later, how can they single out one event or combine some of the listed event into one main plot point? Students can write some version of Hoppers go into the woods and start fishing in the second box.
• Independent Practice: If you feel students are able, have them complete the rest of the worksheet independently by writing (or illustrating) the main events of the story. If you feel students need more support, continue guiding them as they find major story events and list them on the worksheet.
• After they have finished, have them share their worksheets and discuss what happened in the story. What happened to Speedy Legs? What happened to Snubby Nose? Who saved him? What happened next? 

Building Skills 

Phonics: Double consonants

+    Have students read pages 3 and 4 and underline all the double consonants.

• Review double consonants. Explain that double consonants are pronounced the same way as single consonants.
• Review the idea that many two-syllable words will be divided between the two double consonants. Write the word supposed on the board and draw a line between the p. Have students read the two syllables independently.

+    Have students read through the rest of the book, underlining the remaining double consonants.

Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage: Contractions

• Write the word isn't on the board. Have students identify what kind of word it is (contraction).
• Have students turn to partners and define contractions. Ask the partners to raise their hands if they agree with the definition. Spot-check definitions.
• Ask students what two words make up isn't (is, not).
• Ask students what the apostrophe is for (replaces the o in not)
• Write the word won't on the board. Ask students what words make up the contraction. Explain that sometimes, the words also change spelling when they become contractions. Won't is made up of will and not.
• Hand out worksheet 2. Explain that on the top half of the worksheet, they will combine two words to form contractions. On the bottom half of the worksheet, they will separate the contractions into two words.

+    Have students circle all the contractions in the book.

Building Fluency  

Reading Independently

• Allow students to read their books independently or with a partner. Partners can take turns reading in the book. 

Home Connection

• Have students take their books home. They can read it to parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends. 

Expanding the Reading 

Writing

• Have students write a story about an adventure they have while going camping. To help them get started, have them brainstorm a list of things that could happen while they were camping. Then have them organize those ideas into main events of their camping trip story. 

Assessment 

• Monitor student responses during the discussion to note whether they can identify the main events in the story.
• Monitor student understanding of double consonants and their pronunciation.
• Assess students' ability to recognize contractions, separate them into their component words, and combine component words to form contractions. Ensure that students use the apostrophe correctly.