Julia Coston

Indiana Wesleyan University

Reading Lesson
1st Grade
UNIT BIG IDEA
What We Value Most!

LESSON RATIONALE
This lesson is important and beneficial because it helps the students learn what it means to make
personal connections to books and how much it helps them understand the reading better,
whether it is fiction of nonfiction. They will see that memorizing is not the only way to
remember what happens in a story but being able to connect to something else helps a lot too.
For the r-controlled vowels aspect, it is important that the students get practice with
differentiating those because they are used all the time in the English language and when
speaking it is hard to know which one is used for what words. Practicing them helps solidify that.

READINESS
I.Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal:
a. For the students to be able to reflect on themselves, what they value, and their
lives while reading the books with me.
b. For the students to practice the r-controlled words for later use.
B. Objective:
a. In reading and analyzing the book the students read with me in small groups, the
students should be able to reflect on themselves and the connections they can
make from the book.
b. In going to the stations and practicing the r-controlled vowels, the students should
be able to demonstrate that they are starting to learn the differences between them.
C. Standard(s):
1.W.6.2c Spelling – • Spelling unknown words phonetically, drawing on phonemic
awareness and spelling conventions. • Correctly spelling words with common spelling
patterns. • Correctly spelling common irregularly-spelled, grade-appropriate high-
frequency words.
1.RL.1 – With support read and comprehend literature that is grade level appropriate.
II. Management Plan:
 Time – 1 hour total for the lesson. 45 minutes for guided reading, 5 for anticipatory
set, 3 for whole class instruction, 7 minutes for closure.
 Space – The whole classroom will be used. The students will be at their desks, the
stations around the room, and the kidney table with me.
 List of materials – Pocket charts, pieces for the word sorts, pieces for the board game
and race to the top, the poem and its pieces, their iPads, the letter from Wing, the
pieces from my favorite holiday, and the half sheets of paper.
 Expectations and procedures – The students do not have to be quiet because I want
them to be talking with each other, but they have to keep their inside voices on. While
I am with a group no one is allowed to come up and ask me questions. I will make

1
 sure the directions for each station are clear before they start. The do stations through
times power point slides, so I will be using those and updating them, so they fit my
lesson. Each station is fifteen minutes and then they get 1 minute to clean up and
move to the next station. This will happen three times. Each student will always be
with a partner to help hold each other accountable to be doing what they are supposed
to be doing.
III. Anticipatory Set:
 The last time I taught we talked about place value, and the ones place and tens place.
We talked about how important those are to know when we are using numbers and
trying to figure out what they mean. So, if that is so important and cared about so
much in math. What else should we care a lot about? I care about you guys and
making sure you are engaged and enjoying what you are learning. Do any of you
have any ideas about what else we should care about? What do you guys care about?
Raise your hand if you want to answer. I will allow some students to answer my
question. Some of the things that were said, I think I care about too. You guys talked
about things that got me thinking about myself! How crazy is that!
Purpose: Today in reading we will be focusing on making connections and how making
connections can help us show what we care about or VALUE in our own lives. Why does this
matter? Because connections can help us understand what we read better as well as help us
understand each other better and that is always important.

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

IV. Adaptation to Individual Differences and Diverse Learners: Reading each book as a group
will help my struggling readers in each group not feel as if they were put on the spot. I will
go at a controlled pace as to make sure to not overwhelm anyone and would focus heavily on
going over what was just read to make sure everybody knows what is going on. I have a
student who does take ADHD medicine. This student also has a speech impediment. Having
them read with the group would make him feel more comfortable and hopefully encourage
him to talk. Also, my stations are very interactive, and I hope they keep his attention enough
for him to benefit from that learning. None of my students are sitting in one place for more
than fifteen minutes, so that should help with tiredness and lack of focus.

V.Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

 Whole Group: I will not be teaching anything during whole group, just explaining the
stations and what it means to value something. In a minute I will walk through each
station and tell you what you are supposed to be doing, but first let’s talk about what it
means to value something. Value is talking about importance. If you value something you
are saying that something or someone is important to you. So, when we did place value,
we were talking about how important a numbers placement is and what it means. So,
when I ask you what you do value, I’m really asking you, what do you care about or what
is important to you.
 Stations: The stations are ones that Miss Lloyd uses already during her literacy block, I
just adapted them to fit with the lesson I am teaching, and they specifically focus on
words with R-controlled vowels.
o Word Sorts – There is a station with three different pockets for word sorts each
pocket will focus on a different R-controlled vowel. I will be focusing on the “ar”

2
 and “er” as my r-controlled vowels. I have words that first graders know about or
use often. The words have corresponding pictures to go with it, so the student has
to find the picture that matches the word and then put it under the correct r-
controlled vowel. I will have words cut out and laminated such as: flowers, desert,
butterfly, scarf, shark, jar, etc. The students will be working in partners. I am not
changing them from their usual partners just to make sure that they are working
well with someone they are used to and is on their similar level.
o R-controlled Poem – I am using the nursery rhyme “Hickory Dickory Dock”
there are enough r-controlled vowels in the rhyme to get the students saying them,
using them, and reading them. These poems help reinforce rhymes and recall
which is why the students do them. They will be in their partners for this one as
well. The poem will be there for them to look at, but they have to read it and then
put the individual words in order as the poem reads. There will be pictures as well
for words the students might not know or will have trouble reading.
o R-controlled board game – The students, in their partners, will be playing an r-
controlled vowel game. The game uses “ar” and “or” vowels. There will be a
game board, die, and a game piece for each player. The students will role the die
and move up the number they rolled. Each game space has either an “ar” or “or”
word on it. Once the student lands on the space they have to say the word they
landed on. If the word is not said correctly, they have to go back to the space they
were at before. If they do say the word right, they stay on that spot. The players
keep doing this until someone has won and reached the finish line of the game
board. I have boards with harder words if the students find the first board to be
too easy and they wish to challenge themselves more.
o R-controlled Race to the top – The students, again with their partners, will be
playing race to the top. There are two boards that has “or” on one side and “ar” on
the other. The students draw a fluency card and read the sentence. The student
that drew the card has to find the word with the r-controlled vowel and then
identify which type it is. If they are right, they put a block on their board that is
getting them closer to the top. If they don’t, then the block stays off the board.
Both the “or” stack and the “ar” stack have to be filled with the blocks in order for
the student to win or have the most out of the other student.
o iPads – The students work on their review and new literacy concepts on their
iPads and this is always part of the guided reading station rotations. Some
students will be reviewing at their level on their iPads if they are not with me or
not at one of the other stations.
 Guided Reading: My guided reading lessons are focusing heavily on the strategy of
making connections and how the students can make connections with the book characters
or situations in the book. I also am focusing the lessons on my big idea which is “What
we value most”. I want the students to think about what the characters seem to be valuing
most and whether or not that changes. Then reflect on the connection to them and what
they value pertaining to what the book is about.
o Wing’s Visit to Singapore:
 Before: Prereading – Let’s look at the cover of the book. It says, “Wing’s
visit to Singapore”. Do any of you know where Singapore is? It is okay if
you don’t because Wing sent us a letter that might help clarify some

3
 things for us. I will read the letter to the students and while I do that, I will
show the pictures of Singapore that Wing “took” and let them look at a
map that shows where Singapore is. The letter talks about each place
shown and what Wing thought about it. He talks about his uncle in the
letter as well and emphasizes the kid in him that can relate to my students.
What do you think of Singapore? Do you think it could be a cool place?
Does Wing seem like a fun kid to be around? I will pass out the books.
Well let’s read and see what Wing thought of Singapore and being there
when he first took his trip.
 During: Reading – I will have the students read along with me because
that is what they are used to, and it seems to work well. We will chunk the
book, pausing when Wing decides to fish, again when he decided he
doesn’t like fishing, and then finishing off the book. When Wing decides
to fish. Have you ever been scared to try something you’ve never done? I
know I have. It took me a long time to get up the courage to try
gymnastics when I was little. I will let some of the students give examples
as well. When he then decides he doesn’t like fishing. What happens when
you get frustrated with something? What do you do? Let them answer. Do
you think that is a good choice? Well let’s see what Wing decided and
how he approached his frustrations with trying something new. We will
then read the rest of the book to see how it ends.
 After: Responding – What did you think of the book? Have any of you
ever been fishing? Did Wing help you to like Singapore where his uncle
lives? Did you feel like you could understand Wing and connect with how
he was feeling? Why?
 After: Exploring – Wing seemed upset about being in Singapore at first,
didn’t he? He did not enjoy the heat or fishing, but he seemed to care
about it more after what? Do you remember? Let’s look back in the book.
What happened with Wing and his uncle Lee that made him change his
mind? That’s right! A fish ate the worm off of his line! How about Wing’s
attitude while he was in Singapore, did that change? How can you tell?
Does this change happen to you sometimes? Why?
 After: Applying – Wing did not enjoy new things and did not care about
them at first, but he did after he tried them and felt more comfortable. You
guys were able to tell me times where you felt the same way. You made
connections with Wing, that is such a good thing while reading. Next time
you pick up a book, think about what the character is feeling and how you
might connect with that or understand them. It will make reading the book
more fun.
o Bonk, the Healthy Monster:
 Before: Prereading – So the title of this book is “Bonk the Healthy
Monster”. What do you think it means to be healthy? Let the students
answer. Do you think you are healthy, thinking about what you just told
me? Let them answer. Does it look like Bonk is healthy in this picture? Let
them answer. Well let’s see just how healthy Bonk is.

4
 During: Reading – Again, the whole group will read along with me as we
read in chunks. We will stop right away, after Bonk goes to the dentist,
then when Bonk asks his friends to help him, and finally read to the end.
Bonk was the candy stores number one customer, but his dentist told him
that candy is not good for him, do you agree with the dentist? Has the
dentist ever told you that candy and chocolate are not good for your
teeth? Well let’s see if this means something to Bonk. Let’s see if he values
what the dentist is saying. We keep reading until we get to the part where
Bonk is so sick and doesn’t know what to do. Bonk kept eating that candy,
didn’t he and he felt sick, didn’t he? Have you ever felt sick from eating
something? Was there anyone there to help you? Bonk’s friends seem to
be here to help him. Do you think he will listen and value what they say?
Well let’s keep reading and see. We will read until the end of the book
now.
 After: Responding – Did you like reading the book and if you did, what
did you like about the book? Did Bonk remind you of yourself or anyone
you know? Why does he remind you of that person? What did Bonk care
about in the beginning of the book versus the end of the book? Did what
he cared about change?
 After: Exploring – Let’s look back at when Bonk’s friends were helping
him. What did they tell Bonk about being healthy and eating candy? Have
your parents or family ever told you something similar? Let’s look at the
pictures starting on page eleven. Look through them until the end. What
do you notice about Bonk’s face? What is changing? That’s right! He
seems to be getting happier! Eating not so great things made him look sad
but eating healthy and being healthy seems to make him happier again.
Does that seem like something that might happen for you?
 After: Applying – We connected with Bonk well. We read his book and
saw parts of ourselves in how he was acting. That’s is called making
connections. We could see how Bonk could be similar to us. Next time you
read a book I want you to think about how a character in the book might
connect to you and be similar to you.
o World Holidays
 Before: Prereading – I will place three objects on the table in front of the
students in this group. I want them to guess what holiday the objects
reflect. The three objects that are in front of you have to do with my
favorite holiday. Can you guess what holiday it is? That’s right! It’s
Christmas because I enjoy the decorations, snow, and being with family.
What holidays are your favorite? I will let a couple of students answer.
Well now we are going to be learning about holidays that happen all over
world and the value they have for others.
 During: Reading – I will read the introduction and then allow the
students to pick three holidays they want to read about by looking at the
table of contents. I will explain what the table of contents means and what
it does. Then we will start reading the holidays that they chose. We will
read together one holiday and then I will stop and ask questions after each

5
 holiday. I will just have the students comment on the holiday we just read
and what they liked about it? Did you enjoy reading about that holiday?
What did you like about it?
 After: Responding – Do any of you know anyone who celebrates any of
these holidays or do you celebrate one of them?
 After: Exploring – While I was reading, I noticed something that seems
to show up in all three holidays we talked about. Do you think you can
find out what I might be talking about? Every holiday is different, but they
all seem to have one thing in common. I will give the students time to look
back at each holiday and read them again to see if they can find what I am
talking about. I don’t want you to say it out loud just yet if you know, give
everyone else a chance to see if they can find it. I will then have them all
say it together if I feel they all show that they found it. That’s right, they
all talk about being together with friends and family. Why do you think
everybody, around the world, all care about being with friends and family
during their holidays? Give them time to answer. Well I think to myself
and my favorite holiday. I know that even if we don’t do anything, I still
love it because I get to be with people who love me and care for me. How
about you guys? Why do you love your favorite holiday? This will be the
ending question because I want every student to answer and think about
what they love and value.
 After: Applying – Well we learned all about holidays around the world
and got to talk about what those holidays have to do with us and what we
care about. We read the book and were able to make connections to
ourselves. Next time you read a book; I want you to do the same thing you
did with me. See if you can connect the story with you and your life.

VI. Check for understanding:

a. The students will be using a timer to rotate and clean up when going through each
station. When I am done with the last reading group, I will have the clean-up timer
go off and then have the students go sit back in their seats. I will then address
them as a whole class. Right now, I am passing out half sheets of paper that I want
you to write on, but not yet, so leave them on the corner of your desks. On these
sheets of paper, I want you to write to me letting me know what you liked about
the book you read with me, what the person or people cared about the most, and
what you care about the most. Now you can pick up you half sheets of paper and
write your answer to me. I will write the question on the board for them to see as
they are writing.
VII. Review learning outcomes / Closure:
a. Once I am done with that, I will have the students focuses their attention bac at
me. Now everybody got to read a book with me in the reading groups, but we did
not all read the same book. We all talked about connections and how being able
to connect the book to ourselves helps us understand what is being read better
and we all got to see how what we love and care about shows through our
connections. What I would like us to do is have one volunteer from each group
stand up at their seat and share their favorite part from the book they read and a

6
 story about them that has to do with their favorite part. I will have a student from
Wing’s Visit to Singapore share, and someone from Bonk, the Healthy Monster
and World Holidays share.

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

 Formative Assessment –
o Everything in this lesson is used as formative assessment. In the guided reading
groups, I will be looking for participation in reading together, answering
questions or posing questions. I hope they also give feedback in what I present,
and I will be looking closely to see that they are applying what did through
guidance.
o The half sheets that are written on are to let me know that each student has
retained information gotten about from the books and that they remember it
because they were able to connect it to themselves.
o The stations are to enhance the learning of r-controlled vowels and if I were to
just focus on those stations, I would go around and check that they have been
using them to the best of their benefit. I would also go over a couple words as a
class and see if they knew the correct grouping to go with it.

REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS

1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
Include additional self-answer questions that specifically address unique lesson content,
methodology, and assessment.
7. Did the students enjoy the books and gain knowledge about how making connections
work?
8. Did the stations benefit the students and keep them engaged for fifteen minutes?