DLTA with Pre-Kindergarten
Shannon, D. (1999). David Goes to School. New York, NY: The Blue Sky Press. Grade: Pre-K
Goals:
Students will make predictions and adjust their predictions while listening to a text being read.
Students will use this strategy in the future for good reading habits.
Objectives:
Students will be able to make predictions based on illustrations and words from a text.
Students will be able to ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of the text.
Students will be able to express their thoughts through writing (most likely drawing for this age).
Standards:
5. Early Learning Expectation: Reasoning-Problem Solving-Reflection. Demonstrate a growing capacity to make meaning, using one’s habits of mind to find a solution or figure something out.
*5.3 Show an increasing ability to predict outcomes by checking out and evaluating their predictions.
2. Early Learning Expectation: Writing Skills. Children begin to develop writing skills to communicate and express themselves effectively for a variety of purposes
*2.2 Use a variety of forms of early writing (e.g., scribbling, drawing, use of letter strings, copied environmental print) and move toward the beginning of phonetic and/or conventional spelling.
Teaching/Learning Process
A. Introduction/Motivation
Step 1: How will you access their prior knowledge and build background knowledge?
I will ask the students if anyone thinks about what will happen throughout the day. I will give time for them to respond, and then explain to the students that this process is called predicting. Prediction is when you think about what might happen before it actually happens. There might be clues that help us make predictions. For example, if it is raining outside we can predict that we will play in the gym instead of outside. We will be reading a book and making predictions based on the book.
Step 2: Describe how you will ask students to make predictions from title clues and picture clues.
I will show the students the front cover and ask them what they see. If they need assistance I will ask them where they think the boy is standing, and what is he doing? Then, I will tell them the title of the book and have them make predictions based on the title and the picture on the cover.
Step 3: Reading the material—Ask students to read the story introduction (pg.____) to check their predictions.
I will read the introduction that is on the jacket flap of the book to the students to check their initial predictions based on the title and cover of the book. Then, I will ask the students to determine if their predictions were correct. I will give them time to adjust their predictions if they would like to. I will ask them: “Is your prediction the same as when we started? What do you predict will happen next?”
Step 4: How will you ask students to check the accuracy and to make adjustments to their predictions?
The students will check the accuracy and adjust their predictions throughout the story. I will continuously ask the students what is going on in the pictures and read the text to them. As we discuss what is going on, the students will be able to see if their predictions were correct. Then I will ask the students what new predictions they have. After the story, I will ask the students if their predictions were correct and what parts in the story led them to changing their predictions.
B. Teaching Learning/Activities—These activities must develop learning objectives. NOTE—Divide text into at least 4 sections. Include 4 questions per section, and label each question using Bloom’s Taxonomy. Be sure to vary question types to cover all levels.
Step-4 Continues until the text is read.
Students will read pp. 2-8
Can someone describe to me what is going on so far in this book? (Remembering)
Can someone explain to me what David is doing? (Understanding)
What should David have done in the pages that we looked at? (Applying)
What do you think David will do next? (Creating)
Students will read pp. 9-14
Has anyone ever seen anything like this happen in our classroom? (Remembering)
Did David do what you predicted he would? (Understanding)
Is David doing the right things? (Evaluating)
What do you think David’s teacher is going to do? (Creating)
Students will read pp. 15-18
Do you need to change your predictions? (Evaluating)
Compare how David is behaving to how you behave in the classroom. (Analyzing)
How do David’s classmates feel about his behavior? (Evaluating)
What do you think will happen next? (Creating)
Students will read pp. 19-26.
How does David’s teacher feel about his behavior? (Evaluating)
Were your predictions correct so far? (Evaluating)
Do you need to change your predictions? (Evaluating)
What do you think David will have to do after school? (Creating)
Students will read pp. 27-31
Were your predictions correct? (Evaluating)
Did you change any of your predictions throughout the story? (Remembering)
Compare our classroom rules with the rules of the classroom David is in? (Analyzing)
What do you think David will do the next day at school? (Creating)
Vocabulary Activity:
There are a few words in this book that students can learn about. Children probably have an idea about the meanings of these words, but this activity will give them the opportunity to learn exactly what the words mean. I would make a word wall that includes: don’t, yelling, running, pushing, tardy, attention, wait, and turn. The first day, we will read the words on our word wall. Each day we will talk specifically about two or three words and learn the definitions of the words. We will look at the words as they are used in the book; we can look at the pictures to help determine what the words mean. The activity that we will do for each word will be the same. After learning about what the words mean, students will draw a picture of the word. The students will tell me what the picture is using the vocab word. We will do this every day until the students have drawn pictures for every word.
Writing Component:
Since these children are too young to really be able to write very well, I will have the students draw pictures instead. We will talk about how David was making wrong choices throughout the story and why they were wrong. Next, the students and I will look at one of the pictures, and talk about what David should have been doing. Then, we will draw a picture of what he should have been doing. After modeling this, the students will have the opportunity to pick a picture from the book and draw what David should have been doing.
C. Closure
The students will reflect on the predictions they made while reading the book, and they will discuss with the group whether their predictions came true or what was different about their prediction and what actually happened in the book. I would probably ask the students to predict what will happen the next David goes to school. Will he follow the rules better? We will talk about why it is important to have rules at school and what kind of rules we have in our classroom. This would probably be a good book to use towards the beginning of the year. Part of the end of the lesson could be to have the students come up with rules for the class.
D. Accommodations
For students who need extra help, I can make a few predictions to give them examples before they start making predictions about the book. Also, if students cannot learn three vocab words in one day, they can learn one or two words a day depending on their abilities.
I could read the book with individual students a couple times if they need more help.
Students who are ahead in the class could practice writing the vocab words as part of the writing component. They could also give me sentences that use the vocab words.
Media/Materials/Equipment
If we act the story out, I could bring in some props for the students to use. This would help the students who need to be more active. We could do readers’ theatre using an app on iPads. This app is called Puppet Pals. If students would be more engaged using technology rather than acting it out themselves this would be a great tool. Also, we could use Doodle Buddy (an app) so that students could draw their pictures demonstrating the vocab words.
Supplemental Activities
I think the students could act this story out. We would need someone to play the parts of David, the teacher, and a few students. We could also make our own list of class rules based off of the things David should not have done. I would also talk to the students about how Shannon used the illustrations of David from pictures he drew as a young child. Then, I would have the students draw their own pictures of David or themselves. These activities might encourage the students to read more books about David.
Assignments
The main focus of this lesson was on predicting what happens in a story. The best way for them to practice this would be read another book to the students and have them make predictions about what would happen. Additional assignments could include reading other books about students either misbehaving or behaving at school, and then we could have discussions about the similarities and differences of the characters in these books. I could draw a Venn Diagram for everyone to see, and the students could give me the information to put in the diagram.
Assessment/Evaluation
Formal
I will grade the work they did with the vocabulary words. I will be looking to see if the students understand the words based on the pictures they drew.
Informal
I will do formative assessments on a regular basis to determine if the students are understanding what a prediction is and how to make one. I will determine this by doing thumbs up or thumbs down throughout the lesson. I will also be listening to what the students predict throughout the story, so that I can determine if they understand.
Professional Reflection
I think this lesson went very well. At first, the students were a little hesitant about reading a book because it was their play time; however, as soon as I showed them the cover of the book, they wanted to participate. The students were much more interested in reading the book and looking at the pictures than talking about what was going on and what they thought would happen. I think this lesson would be better either with older students or by asking fewer questions to keep students from becoming restless.