Irma's Sandwich Shop - Lesson Plans

Lesson Plans for IRMA'S SANDWICH SHOP Level O

Text Type:
Fiction/fantasy

Reading Level:
O

Word Count:
910

Pages:
26

Text Summary
Who can resist a customized sandwich? This book takes the reader to Irma's Sandwich Shop, where Irma will make any kind of sandwich that is ordered for anyone-from little boys to vultures. Humorous illustrations support the text.

Lesson Objectives
Reading Strategies
Children should use a variety of strategies to determine word meaning and comprehend text. The targeted strategy for this lesson is:

Using context clues to establish meaning within sentences and paragraphs.
Predicting what will happen next while using prior knowledge and connecting it with what they're reading.

Word and Print Skills
Phonics
ir, er, ur

Word Work
Possessives 's

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:

Predicting outcomes using pictures and prior knowledge.

Visual Learning

Using pictures to aid prediction of outcomes on each pagae.

Targeted Vocabulary Words
Content words
These words are unique food words that the reader will encounter in the book: pumpernickel, rye, ingredients, sauerkraut, horseradish, rancid, opossum, salsa, salami, sausage

These words may be unique to the reader: Reuben, slithered, swamp, tongue, patiently, minced, rammed, squashed, impressive

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)

During Reading

Student Reading
Hand out the books and instruct children to read quietly or silently at their own pace. Because the book may be a bit long for some readers, you may choose to have them read to a certain page. You can also divide the children into four groups based on the chapters. (The third chapter is the longest.) Have each group come up and read aloud with you in the order of the chapters. The "After Reading" questions are organized by chapter. You can choose to use them with each small group or with the entire group as they finish the story.

Think Aloud
Use the questions in the reading strategies with children as they read their stories to each other.

Using the Worksheet
As children complete the story, you may want to suggest they work on the worksheets. This will give you a chance to work with individuals and you can use the worksheets to check understanding of the children’s reading.

After Reading

Comprehending the Text
After children have finished reading a chapter or the entire story, review the book and ask the following questions:

Irma Opens a Shop

What kind of shop does Irma open?
What’s Irma’s sandwich shop called?
Where is Irma’s shop located?
Does Irma like to eat sandwiches? Why does she open a sandwich shop?
Do you think Irma has a good business? Why? Why not?

Irma’s Famous Sandwiches

What customer gets a sandwich named after him?
What was in Joey’s tallest sandwich?
Which sandwich would you rather eat?

All the Animals Want Sandwiches

Does Irma serve only humans? Who else does she serve?
What kind of sandwich did Sammy Snake want?
What did Val want on her sandwich?
Can you think of another sandwich that a snake or vulture might order?

Irma’s Biggest Challenge

Why was Billy’s sandwich a challenge?
Can you think of a more challenging sandwich that Irma might make?
Could this be a true story? Why?

Think Aloud
Offer your own opinions about sandwiches and Irma’s clientele as you ask these questions. You can also personalize by asking things like, "Have you ever been to a sandwich shop? Does Irma remind you of anyone you know? Who and why? Would you like to own a sandwich shop?"

Visual Learning
Point out the pictures in the book that contain text (pp. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 21). Talk about how the text is part of the picture and gives you more information.

As you look at the pictures, point out to children the faces of the customers. Ask: Are the children and animals enjoying the sandwiches? Is Irma enjoying her work? How can you tell?

Building Skills

Phonics
ir, ur, er
Tell children that ir at the beginning of Irma’s name has a special sound that can also be made with a ur and an er. Have them say Irma’s name, strongly enunciating the r sound of Ir – ma. Have them go through the book and underline or highlight all the words they can find that say r with an ir, ur, or an er. As they finish, have each child in turn, write the words on the chalkboard or chart paper. You can also refer to the worksheet.

Word Work
As you point out Irma's name, note for children the 's at the end. Explain the rule of possession indicated by an 's. List each child's name on the board. Ask each child to name something they own. Have them come up and add the 's to their name and assist them with spelling the item they own after each. (If a name comes up that ends in s, explain briefly that the 's would follow the s. For example, Thomas would be changed to Thomas's) Again, have children go through the book and find possessive s and the items that each character owns. Explain that descriptive words can also follow, as in Irma's Tasty. (Irma's shop, Joey's sandwiches, Val's order, etc.) Refer them to the worksheet.

Expand on the Reading

Writing Connection
Using the sandwich descriptions in the book, have children design a menu for Irma’s Sandwich Shop. Explain to them that each sandwich that was described must be in the menu. They can assign prices and pictures if they wish. If possible, show them some sample menus to assist their designs.

Social Studies Connection
Does every country or culture have sandwiches? Sandwiches are more common in some countries than in others.

The history of the sandwich can be attributed to John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich, the British first lord of the Admiralty during the American Revolution (1776–81) and the man for whom the sandwich was named.

If you have access to any books about foods in other cultures or the history of the sandwich, share them with children.

Science Connection
Rancid meat? Discuss why some animals can eat rancid meat, but humans shouldn’t. Although some children may have inadvertently eaten rancid food, talk about why foods go bad and what bacteria does to humans. If possible, invite a nutritionist or food inspector to speak to the group about food that is not fit for human consumption.

Art Connection
Design a class sandwich collage. From old magazines or from colored paper, have children cut and paste sandwiches that they would enjoy. Have children name their sandwiches. Display them on a bulletin board.

Math Connection
Have children count up the number of days in a school year. Pose the question: "If everyone in the class had a sandwich for lunch on every school day, how many sandwiches would we eat?" Encourage children to work together and find out the answer. If possible, weigh a sandwich and find out how much sandwich "weight" the class would eat in a day, a week, a year, 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
Send the book home to read with parents and siblings. Ask children to find out each person’s favorite sandwich in the book. Tell them to find out the real favorite sandwich of each person at home. Have them make the sandwich for someone!

Assessment

Monitor children’s responses in the Comprehending the Text section to assess how well they understand the text or story.
Monitor reading to see if children are using the effective reading strategies.
Assess children’s knowledge of predicting outcomes based on prior knowledge.

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