Before Reading

Lesson Plans for IRMA'S SANDWICH SHOP level O

Before Reading

Introducing the Book
Introduce the book by showing the front and back cover and the title page. Ask: What do you see on the covers? What does this tell you about the book’s contents? What do you think the book will be about?

Building Background
If possible, bring in a picture of a sandwich or a real sandwich. Put the sandwich or picture in a brown paper bag. Write the contents of your sandwich on strips of paper or cardstock. (If you can, use some of the vocabulary words from the book to introduce those words. There are more common words than those listed in the content list, such as mustard, ham, peanut butter, cheese, etc.) Start by saying, "I think I’ll build my lunch today. Let’s see what I’ve got." Have children pull out the cards and read them. As they read them, speak out loud, discussing your sandwich. "Here’s some ______, maybe I’ll skip the ______. Oh, here’s some ______." When you have all the cards out of the bag, choose the ones that will make your sandwich. Put those cards back in the bag and give the bag a little shake. Pull out your sandwich picture or your real sandwich and pantomime eating it.

Afterwards, say, "Yum, just like Irma would make. Let’s look at a story about an expert sandwich maker."

Book Walk
Show children the book and point out again, the title, author, illustrator, and pictures. Tell children that the pictures may help them understand the text on each page if they are confused. On page 3, point out the bold title, "Irma opens a shop." Ask them what kind of shop they think Irma will open. Tell them to watch for the bold titles in the book that indicate a good spot to go back and reread if they’ve forgotten what the chapter was about. You can also point out that some of the pictures may have text in them, which gives more clues about the story.

Reading Strategies
Discuss reading strategies children can use to help them read. Focus on comprehension strategies rather than on word meaning strategies. You might ask questions such as:

How will the pictures help you understand the text?
How does what you read connect to what you already know?
What can you do when you come to a word you do not understand?
What can you do if you don’t understand a part you have just read?

You may also model what they would think about as they read. As you page through the book, say tips out loud such as:

"I see on this page that Irma is making a big sandwich. It will probably have lots of ingredients." (Picture reference and connection)
"I remember this word in the teacher’s bag. It was ________." (Previous knowledge)
"The title says ________. I bet this chapter will be about _____________."(Inference)
"What did it say on the previous page? I’ll check. Oh, I see why she’s doing that." (Rereading)

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