A Morning in Fall – story and writing activity
Grades: 1 & 2
Proficiency Levels: 2 & 3
Objective: SW read story A Morning in Fall
SW discuss life and animals on a farm, sounds heard on a farm, etc.
WIDA: 2
NJCCCS: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4
Resource: book: Make A Wish by Silver, Burdett & Ginn ISBN: 0-663-52032-0
Procedure:
To activate students’ prior knowledge, the teacher will ask the students to picture in their minds what the season of Fall looks like to them. They will then discuss their images. If not mentioned, the teacher will mention that the weather starts to get colder, and the leaves on the trees start to turn yellow, red, and orange (eventually falling off). Then, the teacher will ask the students to think about animals on a farm in the morning. Which ones to they think are awake early, and which ones still might sleep in the morning? Why do they think that?
The teacher will then introduce the story A Morning in Fall (in SBG Make a Wish). The students will be directed to do a picture walk through the story first. They will look at the pictures and discuss what they see in the pictures. Then, the students will start reading the story. The students can take turns reading, and the lower proficiency student can follow along. Since there is a lot of repetition in the story with the words and use of high frequency words, the lower proficiency level student should be able to start recognizing words within the story. After the story is finished, the students will be asked comprehension questions regarding the story (some from the book at the end of the story).
Writing Activity:
The students will be asked to make a book about Fall. It does not necessarily have to follow the story, but if they do want to use it as a model with talking about what animals are awake in the mornings in fall, they will be allowed to do so. With the teacher’s help, they will first generate a list of words that are specific to fall. They will be written on the board for the students. Then, they will be asked to talk about different things that they like about fall. They will write one or two sentences about each thing (maybe picking 5 or 6 different things to write about for their book). When their draft sentences are finished in their notebooks, the teacher will review them for spelling and grammar mistakes. When that is completed, the students will be given a small booklet with construction paper and story writing paper in which they can write their sentences and draw pictures to go with their sentences.
Assessment:
Assessment is on-going and informal. The teacher will see if the students are comprehending by the questions and discussion about the story. The teacher will also see that the students are on topic when choosing things to write about for their booklet. Successful completion of the book will tell the teacher that the students understood the assignment.