Harcourt, Inc.Storytown–2009Grade 1

Theme 1 and 2 /Lesson 1

Title: “Jamaica Tag-Along”

Suggested Time: 2-3 days (30minutes per day)

Common Core ELA Standards

RL.1.1, RL.1.2, RL.1.3, RL.1.4, RL.1.9, SL.1.1, SL.1.2, SL.1.4, SL.1.6, RF.1.1, L.1.1, L.1.2, L.1.4, W.1.1

Teacher Instructions

Refer to the Introduction forfurther details.

Before Teaching

  1. Read the Big Ideas and Key Understandings and theSynopsis. Please do not read this to the students. This is a description for teachers, about the big ideas and key understanding that students should take away after completing this task.

Big Ideas and Key Understandings

The Golden Rule-We should treat others the way we would like to be treated.

Synopsis

The story we are going to read is realistic fiction. The story is about a girl named Jamaica who wants to play with her older brother. He thinks she is a tag-along and does not want to be bothered with her. She went off to play by herself, but decided to let a younger child play with her.

  1. Read entire main selection of the text, keeping in mind the Big Ideas and Key Understandings.

During Teaching

  1. Teacher reads the main selection text aloud with students following along on Smartboard. (Teacher points to the words as she reads.)
  2. Introduce and talk about story elements such as characters and setting. Help students understand the essential message (Big Idea) of the story.

3. Teacher will re-read parts of the text while stopping to respond to and discussthequestions and returning to the text by highlighting text that supports answers and looking at the pictures.

Text Dependent Questions

Text Dependent Questions / Answers
Characters are people and animals in the story .
Who are the main characters in this story?Describe them. / Jamaica and Ossie are the main characters. Jamaica is Ossie’s little sister who is at home with nothing to do. Ossie is Jamaica’s older brother who doesn’t want to be bothered with his little sister.
The setting of a story is when and where a story takes place. Where does this story begin? How do you know? / The story begins at Jamaica and Ossie’s house. I know because Jamaica and Ossie ran to the kitchen to answer the phone at the beginning of the story.
Using the text and illustrations describe the other areas of the school yard. / Beside the basketball court there are swings and a sand lot.
Listen as I read. P. 5, “Jamaica dribbled…along.” According to the words in the story, how does Ossie feel about Jamaica getting in the game? How do you know? What does he tell her?
Who is talking? How do you know? / He says, “No. N-O, Jamaica. I told you not to tag along…stay out of the way?”
I know Ossie is talking, because I see “”. These words tell when a character is talking.
Jamaica thinks or says “It’s not fair” three times in the story. What does she mean by that?
Page 6 : Listen while I read. “She started to swing…Jamaica thought.”
How does Jamaica feel about Berto at this point in the story?
What are some of the things that Jamaica says to Berto? / Just because she is little doesn’t mean that she shouldn’t be able to play with the others.
Jamaica thinks Berto’s mom should keep him out of the way.
“You’ll just mess it up.”, “Stay away from my castle.”
In the story, find the words that give you a hint of how Jamaica felt when Ossie wanted her to go away. (Teacher will highlight text on Smartboard and read it aloud.) P.5, 4th ¶ “No. N-O, Jamaica…play”
Page 6-7 Listen as I read, “Berto, the woman…my feelings.”
When we compare two things, we tell
how those things are alike. Compare the way Jamaica is treating Berto to the way Ossie is treating Jamaica. What did you notice in the story about the way they treated each other?
Page 7 What lesson has Jamaica learned and how can you tell? / She said, “It’s not fair.”
(Have volunteer point to the words on Smartboard) This must have made her feel very sad and lonely.
Jamaica is treating Berto the same way that Ossie is treating her.
She has learned the Golden Rule. She should treat others the way she wants to be treated.
Distance means far away. Listen to this sentence: “Jamaica follows at a distance on her bike.” Why did Jamaica follow Ossie at a distance? / She stayed far behind him so he wouldn’t see her. She knew he would be mad if she followed him.
To form something means to make or shape something. Explain how Jamaica formed the wall with the sand. Use some of our new words. See note to teacher. / (Teacher is looking for use of voc. Words: pile, scooped, mound, underneath.) Students should try to explain in complete sentences.
If someone is bothering you, they are making you angry or causing you trouble. Sometimes you might tell that person to leave you alone.
Listen to this part of the story. P. 4 “Can I come, too?” … serious ball.” Jamaica’s brother Ossie didn’t want Jamaica tagging along because it was bothering him. Find the words Ossie uses to tell Jamaica that he didn’t want her tagging along or bothering him. / In the story Ossie says, “Ah, Jamaica, call up your own friends.”; “I don’t want you tagging along.” ; “You’re not old enough.”
NOTE : Teacher highlights and talks about “” marks and tells students that quotation marks hold the words we say, so we know exactly what someone is saying in a story. (In order for children to be ready for grade-level text I found it helpful to begin “noticing” these in grade 1. It is found in 3rd grade standards.)

Vocabulary

KEY WORDS ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTANDING
Words addressed with a question or task / WORDS WORTH KNOWING
General teaching suggestions are provided in the Introduction
TEACHER PROVIDES DEFINITION
not enough contextual clues provided in the text / Page 4- Distance, crept
Page 5- sneaked
Page 6-Form, bothered
Page 7-repair, hurts (my feelings) / Page 6- pile, scooped, mound, underneath
STUDENTS FIGURE OUT THE MEANING
sufficient context clues are provided in the text / Page 5-whirled, tossed, dribbled / Page 4- tagged, parked
Page 6- sandlot, stroller
“turned her back”

Culminating Task

•Think, Discuss, Write (Use think, pair-share to discuss main characters and their feelings toward each other. Discuss how to answer in a complete sentence.)

•Use a sheet of construction paper for each student. Make a word bank of feeling words on the board. (Ex. Upset, mad, angry, sad, hurt, happy, surprised)

Prompt: Choose a character. (Jamaica, Ossie, Berto). Draw a picture of the character on your construction paper.

•Use this sentence frame: (Character’s name) feels (feeling word). Sentence strips work well for this.

•Write one word from the word bank that describes your character’s feelings.

•Have students use their pointing finger under each word as they share.

•Share your sentence with your face partner.

Additional Activities

Ask Students: How did Jamaica feel when Ozzie didn’t want her? (NOTE: Only take an answer from two volunteers-Keep it short) Possible answers: It feels sad, lonely. You might feel angry or hurt.

On the Smartboard give the students this scenario: What would you do If you and some friends are on the playground jumping rope and a student from another class, who you don’t know, asks to jump rope with you? (Get a few volunteers to act out this scene.)

Teacher will take cues from what the students actually do in this situation to discuss the Golden Rule. We should treat others the way we would like to treated.

Teacher will lead the students into doing the right thing, allowing the student to join in.

(Teacher will have a partially complete sentence frame for the students to fill in.)

Prompt: If someone asks to play with me I would say _____. Students will illustrate the sentence.

Higher level students:

Prompt: If someone asks to play with me I would ______.

Students will illustrate the sentence.

Ask: How is this similar to what happened in “Jamaica Tag-Along”?

Note to Teacher

  • Teacher may need to check for understanding of the words pile, scooped, mound and underneathduring the second read of the story.
  • Although this lesson is written for students to follow along on the smartboard, this is up to teacher discretion. It is very important that students listen to stories read aloud and the use of the smartboard or over head is a suggestion.
  • Engagement strategies, such as partner talk, choral responses, and signaled responses will help keep students on task and improve time efficiency. For example, the teacher may direct students to identify a partner and then direct students to find and whisper the answer to a partner before eliciting a choral response from the whole group. Teachers could direct students to point to an answer on the smartboard, thumbs up for yes and thumbs down for no, etc.