Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss

Time Required: 30 Minutes

Common Core ELA Reading Standards Addressed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.1-With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.- Identify the main topic and the focus of the specific paragraphs in the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.4- Determine the meaning of works ad phrases in a text releveant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.6- Identify the main purposeof the text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

Common Core vocabulary words are in all caps

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
Instructional Steps Pre Reading: / Script and Detailed Directions
Hold up the book to the class and ask these questions before beginning to read… /
  • What does the BACK COVER tell us about this book?
Sometimes a summary of the story, how much the book costs
  • What does the FRONT COVER tell us about the book?
Pictures. Is has a title, person who wrote the book, person who drew
Pictures
  • Why is a man’s name on the FRONT COVER of the book?
He wrote the book
  • What do you call the person who wrote the book?
The AUTHOR
  • What do you call the person who drew the pictures?
The ILLUSTRATOR
  • Now look at the Yertle the Turtle cover…one name on the cover so what does that mean?
The AUTHOR and ILLUSTRATOR for this book are the same.
  • What other information can we get from the cover before opening the book?
CHARACTERS in book. SETTING.
  • Is this a true or make believe story?
Make believe
Carrot Soup
Instructional Steps: / Script and Detailed Directions
Begin Reading
Point out the cover page

Stop after page 1 and 2 and ask the following:

Stop on page 3
Ask these questions…
Stop on page 6 of text
Ask this question…

At the end of story, ask this question



/
  • What do you think this story is about?
  • What isYertle doing?
Sitting up high on a rock
  • What are the other turtles doing?
Swimming in the pond
What RHYMING words did you hear?
  • What did Yertle have the other turtles do?
He stacks them up and sits on top of them!
What RHYMING words did you hear?
Why does the author have the word Silence in bigger letters and all capitals?
To show great EXPRESSION
What is the MAIN IDEA of the story?
That Yertle the Turtle was not any grander than them…the plainest turtle made Yertletoppled in the Mud and all the turtles were free.
Carrot Soup
Instructional Steps Post Reading: / Script and Detailed Directions
After reading the book, ask these questions to the class… /
  • What INFORMATION did we learn from this book?
  • What was the SETTING for this story?
A pond
  • Who was the MAIN CHARACTER in this story?
Yertle the Turtle
What was Yertle like?
Bossy, mean, a bully
How did the other turtles feel when they were under Yertle?
Sad, discouraged, hungry, angry