Before Reading

Lesson Plans for STORY OF THE SUN Level M

Before Reading

Introducing the Book

Explain that the book is fiction, a made-up story, and explain how it gives the reader information about something that is not real. Explain that the story is what is called a tale – it tells about something in the past.
Direct children’s attention to the cover. Do not pass the books out to children at this time. Ask: What do you see on the cover?
Read the title. What do you think "Story of the Sun" means? Does the title give you a better idea of what the book will be about? Why or why not? What other information can you get from the cover? (author’s and illustrator’s names) Open the book to the title page. What information do you find on the title page? What additional information do you get from the picture? (setting of the story)

Building Background
Talk about other traditional folktales you have read or heard of (Example: How Zebras Got Their Stripes) Ask: What are some common elements of folktales? (Native people questioning scientific phenomena, animals talking, wise people explaining answers by telling a story or helping to solve a problem.)

Ask students if they have heard any stories about the sun. Have them share the stories. Ask them what they know about the sun. Ask: What do you think a story of the sun could be about based on what you know about the sun?

Picture Walk
Invite the students to thumb through the pages of the book. After they have had time to do so, ask them what they think the story will be about. Ask them if there are any words they see that are difficult. Write those words on the board and discuss them before beginning the reading.

Worksheet 1
Discuss the meaning of an inference. (to surmise, draw conclusions, and get ideas about something based on what someone sees, hears, or reads.) Explain that you infer based on information you read or things you observe. For example, when a parent grabs car keys and puts on a jacket, you infer he or she is going somewhere. Tell students as they read the story to think about what they are reading and to write down on the worksheet those sentences that cause them to infer and what it is they infer. For example, when they read the words "long ago" and "curious young boy" on the first page of the story, they might infer that the story is a tale about something handed down and that the story will be about a boy who seeks answers to something he is curious about.

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