Interactive Read Aloud Plan
Title: Clifford The Firehouse Dog
Author: Norman Bridwell
CONNECTING ACTIVITY (Question, conversation, brainstorming, quick write):Close your eyes and think about time you went to visit a new place and wanted to try something new. Maybe you went to a new playground and wanted try a very tall slide. Maybe you went to a new restaurant and tried a new kind of food.
BRIDGING CONVERSATION:
Thinking about a time when you went somewhere new and tried something new will help you better understand how the characters in this story felt when he went to a new place to visit his brother and tried a new job.
GENRE SET-UP:
Fiction - This story is a piece of fiction. When we read fiction books, or stories that are not true, we want to be on the lookout for the characters in the story, where the story takes place-the setting and all the different things or events that happen in the story.
STRATEGY FOCUS:
Visualize - As good readers, we visualize when we read. Sometimes we must stop and make a picture in your head, like a movie in your mind, so that you can comprehend what the author is saying. Authors will use their words to help us make this picture
VOCABULARY SET-UP:
Siren – A siren is an alarm that makes a loud noise and tells people near by that there is an emergency.
Unreel – Unreel means to unwind something. Like you might unreel the yarn.
Fire Hydrant – A Fire Hydrant is a firefighter's emergency water connection in a street. They are usually near a sidewalk and are red or yellow.
ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TITLE AND COVER ILLUSTRATIONS:
I know that a good reader reads the title and then looks at the picture and ask a a question. The Title of this story is Clifford the Firehouse Dog. When I look at the picture I wonder why Clifford has a hammer in his hand?
Opportunities to Model Strategies / Purpose
After “He rolled.”
Oh here is good time to visualize. I am going to close my eyes and think about how big Clifford is. Boy oh boy is he tall. He is as big as the buildings. He is stopping, now he is dropping, oh my did you feel that shake when he dropped and now he is rolling yikes get out of the way. / Visualization
After “Just then we heard a siren.”
Oh there is that word siren. I know that means an alarm that makes a loud noise and tells us something near by is having an emergency. I think that there must be a fire. What do you think? / Vocabulary
After “Clifford to the rescue!”
Oh another good time to visualize. Let’s close our eyes and think about what it must have looked like to see Clifford rescuing the people.
Now turn to your partner and share what you saw in your mind. / Visualization
Next page After “ The heavy hose was hard to unreel”
Thier is that word unreel. We know that means to unwind. When I look at the picture it looks like Clifford is pulling on the hose. He must be unreeling it. / Vocabulary
Next page after “But then he saw that the fire hydrant was stuck shut.”
Oh that word fire hydrant is one of our new words. I know that it is something a firemen use to get emergency water from that is connected to the street. When I look at the picture I see Clifford helping to open something. I think that must be a fire hydrant. / Vocabulary
After “When the fire was out.”
Oh another good time to visualize. Close your eyes and think about how Clifford help the firemen during this part of the story.
Now turn and share your mind movie with your friend. / Visualization
Fire Hydrant
Unreel
Siren