Before Reading

Lesson Plans for STRANGE PLANTS level K

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: Strange Plants.
Ask: What can you tell about the book by the cover? Show the picture on the back cover, and ask: What do you think this is a picture of? If the title of the book is Strange Plants, do you think this is a plant book?

Direct children to the index in the back of the book. Ask: What would you use this page for?

Building Background
Ask: Did you know that a cactus is considered a strange plant? Its leaves are very different from the leaves that grow on more common plants. Have you ever heard of a Venus’ flytrap? What makes it a strange plant? Have you ever seen plants or trees growing in rocks? Most plants have green leaves, and roots that grow in the ground. This book talks about some plants that don’t have green leaves or normal roots.

Book Walk
Walk children through the book. As you point out the pictures, ask children to tell you what they see. For example, on page 7, what does the word critter mean? Call attention to how the pictures connect to the words on the page. Discuss how the pictures help to visually enhance the descriptions of the plants. Ask: Why are quotation marks used on pages 11 and 12?

Reading Strategies
Discuss any reading strategies children can use to help them read.

How will the pictures help you read the words?
What can you do when you come to a word you cannot read? (segment and sound out)
What can you do if you don’t understand a part you have just read? Suggest a think-aloud strategy to model how you would deal with an unfamiliar word. How about looking it up in the dictionary to check the pronunciation?

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