Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Picture Books


This lesson uses two picture books; The Two Bullies by Junko Morimoto and A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon.


Eastern Connecticut State University Lesson Plan Format


    Grade Level: 4th        Date of lesson sometime during October

Length of Lesson: 1 hour

Content Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.9 (Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2 (Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.)

Prior Knowledge/Connections: This lesson is to be conducted during Bullying Prevention Month (October), after the students have had discussions regarding bullying and the effects it has on its victims, as well as the bullies themselves. Students will have knowledge of the dictionary definition of bully(ing), as well as their own definitions (personally and decided on as a class).

Student Learning Objective(s): Students will use technology to identify their definition/characteristics of a bully. Students will also use two stories to make connections to their own lives/experiences, in regards to bullying, as well as identify specific feelings associated with bullies/bullying experiences.

Vocabulary: Bully: a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people

Assessment-Essential Key Question: In both stories, the characters embark on a journey. Are they just physical journeys or does it go deeper (to the emotional/internal level)? Use this information to think about your own life. Can you make any connections to any of the characters and to your life experiences? (ex: Were you ever teased for liking something others thought was weird, such as lima beans?) Have you ever changed something about yourself to “fit in?” Was it a good choice?

Materials/Resources: 3 (or more) copies of The Two Bullies (Junko Morimoto) and A Bad Case of Stripes (David Shannon).

Technological resources: Computers with internet connection.

Learning Activities:

            Instructional Strategies: First, have an introductory discussion about bullying in general, asking questions about what they think a bully is and see if they can give examples of bullying. Second, give a brief (1 to 2 sentence) summary of each book (without giving away specific details).
            Grouping Strategies: Begin lesson as a whole group, then have students break into a few small groups (4 to 5 in each group). Students will be grouped with others they will feel comfortable with (I want them comfortable enough to maybe share some personal experiences).

 and engage in a “conversation” with it, where the character acts like a bully. Have a discussion with the students after about what it feels like to be teased by a bully and what might it feel like to be the person doing the bullying. Introduce the two texts that will be read and give brief summaries (1 to 2 sentences) to prep their discussions.

Lesson Procedures:
·         Read one of the picture books aloud to the class, pausing to draw attention to certain parts of the story that will encourage discussion in their groups.
·         Divide the students into small groups and give each group a copy of both books. In their small groups, they will read the other book (the one not read aloud to the class).
·         In their small groups, they will discuss each story and make connections between the two. Prompting questions will be given if needed. (Was there just one bully? Who was being bullied? What could have been done to change the situation?)
·         Students will then be encouraged to think of their own lives and experiences. Using the texts, they should try to make connections to experiences they’ve had. While discussing these in their groups, they will be keeping track of specific descriptive words that are used frequently to describe bullies/bullying situations.
·         Once they’ve finished their discussions, students will work as a group to create a Tagxedo and/or Glogster using the information they’ve collected. For the Tagxedo, they can use any words/phrases that they think describes a bully or a bullying situation. For the Glogster, they can do the same, as well as add pictures and other words that relate to specific personal situations that were shared in the group.

Closure: Students will have the opportunity to share their creations and briefly talk about why they chose specifics for their Tagxedo/Glogster. Any student who would like to share a personal story will have the chance at this time. The lesson will close with a brief discussion about the feelings that are elicited by bullies and the situations associated with them.

Intervention: Students who require accommodations will be given a list of questions (prompting their thinking) if needed. They may also be put in a group with students who will encourage participation.

Enrichment: These students may create a short story/picture book of their own that retells an experience they had that connects to one of the stories read in class. They may create their book by hand or using technology.

References:

*Common Core State Standards Initiative (English Language Arts Standards Grade 4)
               
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/4
*Dicitonary.com
                www.dictionary.com

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