First Grade Reading Workshop Unit 7: Character Clubs & Reader’s Theatre

Standards for Unit: RF1.3C, RF1.4B, RFI.4C, RL1.2, RL1.6, RL1.9, SL1.1B, SL1.4, L1.1I

Big Idea & Possible Teaching Points / Texts and Resources / Language / Active Engagement
Immersion: Read books & Act out (shared reading “Piggy & Elephant”, “The Recess Queen”, “Mr. Putter & Tabby”, “Harriet You’ll Drive Me Wild”, “No, David”, “Yo! Yes?”, “George & Martha” Star Books – Create Character Club Tubs
Readers read and re-read paying attention to what their characters are thinking and feeling. They use storytelling voices to bring out their character’s thoughts and feelings.
·  Readers use their bodies, voices, and facial expressions to convey the actions and feelings of their characters.
·  Readers step into the shoes of their characters and ask “What is my character thinking and feeling?”
·  Readers become the characters by using their best storytelling voice as they read, thinking how the character is feeling.
·  Readers notice when the character’s feelings might be changing and change the voice in our head to match the character’s feelings.
·  When readers aren’t aware of how their characters are feeling they go back to reread in order to make their voice match their character’s emotions and actions.
·  The secret of reading like an actor is reading the same text multiple times until you can read it very smoothly.
·  Readers use punctuation to guide their voices.
·  Readers notice tag words (yelled, shouted, whispered) in order to guide their voices.
·  Readers read character lines and narrator lines differently. / ·  Create anchor chart “How can we read like movie stars?”
·  Use Goldilocks example.
·  “Harriet You’ll Drive Me Wild”
·  Sticky notes
·  iCarly clip (iCarly table read – iSpace Out –
17secs)
·  The Little Red Hen from the “The Stinky Cheese Man” / ·  Storytelling voices.
·  My character is feeling ______because ______. (Partners re-read parts in their books to show emotion).
·  “again & again, & again” / ·  Miming situations or feelings.
·  “Turn & Act”
·  Put the page on the smartboard (scan or use document camera – copy pages for the students to highlight)
Readers – Like actors and directors – find the important moments in stories and talk and think more deeply about them.
·  Readers read closely and use clues from the text in order to envision what is happening in their story.
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·  Partners work as movie directors and help give advice in order to more deeply convey how their character is feeling.
·  Readers identify an important part in their book and sticky note it to share with their partners. Partners meet and plan how they will read a section of their book and give advice to each other like a movie director. (2 day/2 part mini-lesson)
·  Readers use sticky notes with thoughts and speech bubbles in order to mark how they plan to read a part to their partner. / ·  “Max’s Birthday Present” and Piggy & Elephant “I Love My New Toy”. Students will use partner books.
·  Anchor Chart / ·  In my mind I see… the movie in my mind… because it says…
·  “Cut… I think the character is feeling this, so maybe you could try reading it like this…”
·  Cut! How would you feel? What would you think about…?
Readers Pay attention to predict and understand characters – and we share our discoveries to grow our understandings.
·  Readers notice patterns about their character to predict what will happen next.
·  Readers look for important clues from patterns to find out more about their character.
·  Readers stop after chunks of texts to think about what has happened so far. They also think about their character’s behavior.
·  Readers create theories about their character by looking closely at behavioral patterns. Readers prove their theories by sharing text evidence with their reading partner.
·  Readers read with their eyes wide open. They notice when their character acts “out-of-character.”
·  Readers understand their characters better by making connections to the character. Think of someone in your own life that reminds you of this character.
·  Readers think about how they are like or not like their character. They explain their thinking to their partner. / ·  Across the story.
·  Toad is lazy. Do you know someone who is lazy? How does that person act?
·  Are you more like Frog or Toad? Why? / ·  Use post-it notes to mark patterns.
Use post-it notes to predict what is happening next.
·  My character does_____over and over, so he is a _____ person.
Find things that your character…
Always / Sometimes / Never
Readers read and re-read more challenging books with our books clubs. (Reader’s Theatre?)
·  Readers read with their partners to work through the tricky parts.
·  Readers practice to read their books smoothly.
·  Readers think about their characters and all the work we’ve done.
·  Readers act out their character’s parts in preparation for a celebration.
·  Celebration day!! / Review old charts.
Big Books
Read Alouds
Celebration ideas