Lesson Plans for THE UP DOWN BOY Level N

Text Type:
Fiction/Narrative

Reading Level:
N

Word Count:
706

Pages:
22

Text Summary
The Updown Boy is the story of a boy who is sad because the people around him are sad. He wants to make everyone happy but can't figure out how. Eventually, he solves the problem by changing his view of the world. By walking on his hands, frowns become smiles. To his surprise, the updown boy helps to make the unhappy people around him happy once again. Whimsical illustrations support the text.

Lesson Objectives
Reading Strategies
Children should use a variety of strategies to decode words and bring meaning to print. The targeted strategy for this lesson is: Prediction
Children are likely to use various strategies to help them decode words in this book. Encourage them to look for words within words, to go back and reread to make sure the sentence makes sense, or to use the pictures in the book to help them with the more difficult words.

Once children are able to see the idea of the story they may be able to predict and/or visualize the outcome of some of the situations the updown boy finds himself in throughout the story.

Word and Print Skills
Phonics
S plural vs. 's
Have children look for words that end in s. This is a good story to discuss the difference between plural and apostrophe s used as a possessive.
Examples of these are ways, frowns, smiles, hands, legs, arms, and things.
The only example of the apostrophe s is used with the word boy's.

Word Work
Exclamation Marks
Synonyms

Comprehension
You will likely address a number of comprehension skills as children work to understand the text. The targeted comprehension strategy for this lesson is: Problem/solution and cause/effect.
  • Using the beginning and ending of the story to show what the problem was and how the boy solved it through his experiences is a good way to show that sometimes things work out by themselves. Although the boy really tried to help everyone else to feel happy, it was during the time that he was exploring his new world and not trying to help anyone but himself that the people around him became happy again. Lesson: It is good to work hard to make things happen, but it is also good to let things work themselves out sometimes.

Visual Learning
Children will notice details in the illustrations to reinforce vocabulary and help them understand the text.

Targeted Vocabulary Words
Content words
These content words fall into the category of the senses and feelings.
Smile, frown, laugh, gooey, squiggly, tickly, rubbing, slickest, yuck, sad, happy, confusing, silly, excited, kick, bump, and slurped. After the story, you may want to brainstorm other words the author could have used to describe what the boy may have experienced and connect this back to the concept of synonyms

Before Reading

Introducing the Book
Introduce the book by showing children the front and back cover, and the title page.
Ask: What do you notice on the covers of this book? What predictions do you have regarding what this book may be about?

Building Background
Throughout this story, the author discusses issues involving three of our five senses: sight, touch, and hearing. You can review the senses with children and ask them for examples of words we might use to describe things we see, touch, and hear and let them know that they will be seeing some of these types of words in the story. If children are reluctant, ask them to close their eyes and help them focus on these senses by asking them to describe things they see, touch, and hear. Ask: What would a squished banana feel like between your fingers? What is something that could happen to you that would cause you physical pain? (getting bumped or kicked while playing on the playground, etc.)

The story also uses descriptive words for emotions. Discuss with children how they can describe their feelings, and the feelings of others. Ask: What are some describing words about how you feel when other people are upset? This might help them get into the characters’ feelings as well.

Book Walk
Throughout this story, the author discusses issues involving three of our five senses: sight, touch, and hearing. You can review the senses with children and ask them for examples of words we might use to describe things we see, touch, and hear and let them know that they will be seeing some of these types of words in the story. If children are reluctant, ask them to close their eyes and help them focus on these senses by asking them to describe things they see, touch, and hear. Ask: What would a squished banana feel like between your fingers? What is something that could happen to you that would cause you physical pain? (getting bumped or kicked while playing on the playground, etc.)

The story also uses descriptive words for emotions. Discuss with children how they can describe their feelings, and the feelings of others. Ask: What are some describing words about how you feel when other people are upset? This might help them get into the characters’ feelings as well.

Reading Strategies

As children are reading the story, remind them to:
  • Look at the pictures to help them read the words.
  • Ask themselves what strategy will work best on the word or sentence they are having problems with.
  • Always remember to go back and reread to make sure what they have just read makes sense.

During Reading

Student Reading
Hand out the books to children to read quietly or aloud at their own pace. Children should point to each word as they read. Remind children to break the words down, sound them out, and look at the pictures to help them.

Think Aloud
After reading certain pages, you may want to ask children what they think it would be like to walk on their hands. Ask: Would it be easy or difficult? What are things going to look, feel, and sound like?

Using the Worksheet
After everyone has had a chance to read the story, children should write what they think it would be like if they spent a whole day, from the time they woke up in the morning until they went to bed that night, walking on their hands. Ask: What would be fun about it and what would not be fun? If they have time, they can draw a picture to go with what they have written.

After Reading

Comprehending the Text
Use the following questions to check children’s understanding of the story:
  • How did the updown boy end up upside down?
  • What did the boy like about being upside down?
  • What did the boy dislike about being upside down?
  • Why was it good to walk on his hands through puddles

Visual Learning
Have children look at the pictures and see if they can tell what is happening without the words. Have them go through the book, retelling the story only using the pictures. Ask children to look at the illustrations on page 3 and page 22. Ask: Are the characters the same in both pictures? How are the pictures different? Why did the characters change their expressions?

Building Skills

Phonological Awareness
To reinforce listening for the long e sound, have children put a thumb up every time they hear a long e in the story. You can also have them circle the words in the book that they think make long e sounds.
(Note, there are six words in this story— ceiling, being, cleaned, cheeks, street, and eat— that have a long e sound in them. Use these words to compare the long e sound within a word rather than when the y is at the end of the word.)

Phonics
Have children brainstorm words that begin and end with the letter y. For example; you, yuck(y), yummy, yes, yellow, etc. Once you have a list, have children tell you the difference in the sound of the y at the beginning and at the end of the words. This should help them to hear and understand the different sounds y can have in words.

Word Work
Exclamation Marks
Have children look through the story for exclamation marks. Ask for volunteers to read those sentences to you, reflecting the exclamation mark in their intonation. Have each child give you an example of a sentence in which an exclamation mark might be used.

Synonyms
Choose any of the describing words or adjectives from the High Utility Words section above and ask children to help you come up with other words that the author could have used to describe what the updown boy may have seen, felt, or heard. Point out that the words they come up with are called synonyms.

Expand on the Reading

Writing Connection
After everyone has had a chance to read the story, children should write what they think it would be like if they spent a whole day, from the time they woke up in the morning until they went to bed that night, walking on their hands. Ask: What would be fun about it and what would not be fun? If they have time, they might want to draw a picture to go with what they have written.

Art Connection
Have children draw a picture of what they think the world would look like to them if they were walking around on their hands. Suggest that they use places that are familiar to them, such as their bedrooms, classrooms, front yards, etc.

Reading Independently
Have children read the book independently or with a partner. You can also encourage them to read other books of their choice at the appropriate level.

Home Connection
Over the course of the days following the reading, ask children to think about how things would be if they were in an updown world. Each day they should write down at least two things that they did that day: one that would be easy or fun if living in an updown world and one that would be hard. Brainstorm some ideas with the class to get some ideas going. Ask: If any of you are in a sport, would you still be able to play if you were suddenly doing everything on your hands?

Have children keep a list of all the words they encounter over the course of the following week that end in y and/or are plural.

You may also want to send the book home, for children to read to or with parents and siblings.

Assessment

  • Monitor children’s responses in the Comprehending Text section to assess how well they understand the story.
  • Monitor reading to see if children are using the effective reading strategies.
  • Assess children’s knowledge of plural words by giving five examples.


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