AFFECTIVE READ ALOUD LESSON PLAN FOR 2ND GRADERS
SHOSHANA SCHWARTZ
Background Information
Book title: The Giving Tree
Author: Shel Silverstein
Summary: “The Giving Tree” is about a tree and a boy who form a lifelong friendship, however, as the boy grows older the friendship becomes unbalanced, as he takes more and more of what the tree has to offer until the tree is reduced to a stump. Further, the boy disregards what the tree asks for and what she needs in order to be happy. Even as a stump tree continues to find a way to support his friend, who is now an old man.
Part A: Context of Instruction
A 1. Content area taught: English Language Arts, interpretative reading with interactive discussion of a read-aloud book.
A 2. Grade level(s) of students: 2nd grade
A 3. Number of students: There are 22 students in the class. There are 10 boys and 12 girls. 15students have IEPs. 5 students are English Language Learners, 5 students meet with a reading specialist for tier 3 intervention, 3 students have a learning disability, and 2 students have anxiety.
A 4. Describe your students’ prior instruction and background knowledge and how those factors influenced your planning and/or instruction for the submitted lesson.
Prior instruction:
Based on the New York Curriculum Map, students focused on identifying specific words that express feelings and senses (1R4) last year. This year, through read-a louds, we are working towards students being able to explain how words and phrases in a text suggest feelings and appeal to the senses (2R4). During the school year, we have been adding several new feeling words every week to the students vocabulary, and have them demonstrate understanding of these words by sharing anecdotes from their prior experiences or examples from independent reading books.
Background knowledge:
According to the New York Curriculum Map, at this point in the year, second graders have learned to acknowledge differences in point of views of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud, and use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. Now, at the launch of this read-aloud, students will use these skills to help understand the moral of the story and the feelings of the characters.
A 5. Describe and explain characteristics of your students that affected your lesson planning and how those characteristics (e.g., diverse learning needs; economic, social, cultural, linguistic, family, and community factors; student developmental levels and interests) influenced your planning and/or instruction for the submitted lesson.
Characteristics:
Diverse Learning Needs: There are 12 students above grade level, 5 on grade level, and five below grade level. 5 students receive reading specialist tier 3 RTI intervention support. There are 5 English Language Learners, who are regularly pulled out of the homeroom classroom for support. There are 2 students who meet with a school counselor several times a week for emotional support because of anxiety and stress.
Economic: The majority of the students are from wealthy families and are considered upper/middle-class families. There are five students who come from families that are considered middle/lower class.
Social: The class can be characterized as thoughtful, understanding, loving, and delicate. Overall, a strong sense of a classroom community has been developed, and students demonstrate respect for one another as well as to adults. Evidence in some social anxiety is present during free time such as lunch as recess, as there are friend groups that have developed with a minority of students who prefer to sit and interact with fewer students in small groups.
Cultural: There is lots of cultural diversity present in our classroom. Most students identify as either Christian or Jewish. Further, in the past few years, we have had several students immigrate to the U.S. from China, Japan, and Mexico and receive English language support.
Linguistic: There are five students who receive English Language Learning support.
Family: Most students come from families who are financially and emotionally supportive. The majority of the students’ families are involved and regularly sign up to come in and read to the students or chaperone field trips. However, some of the lower class students’ families have lower participation rates as they are typically unable to take off from work to come into school.
Community Factors: The school is located in a wealthy area of downstate New York. The community defines themselves as culturally diverse with most families identified as upper or middle class families. The community is involved in the school and district, and the school supports working families by providing before and after school programs.
Interests: Based on the students individual reading profiles on Epic, the majority of the students are interested in fictional chapter books. Many of the popular series that students have been reading are the Dogman series, the Judy Blume series, and the Amelia Bedelia series. Aside from reading interests, the students love to share stories about their pets at home and have a love for animals. Most of the class is infatuated with electronics and streaming services such as Netflix or Disney Plus. Many students have their own iPads.
A 6. Describe other relevant factors that affected your lesson planning (e.g., student groupings, district mandates, required instructional materials or methods) and how those factors influenced your planning and/or instruction for the submitted lesson.
Student Groupings:
I provided several different instructional strategies to target all students’ learning needs. Such as guided instruction, whole-group instruction, one on one instruction. In terms of grouping, the students are assigned and will work in table groups based on mixed ability grouping. The groups I created for students are based on their personalities as well as their individual learning levels. There are 3 groups with 4 students and 2 groups with 5 students. A teacher will be floating between tables to provide guidance, check-in with each group for understanding, and to address any questions students may have. If off-task behavior occurs, the teacher will redirect the students and utilize positive reinforcement, such as, “you are off to a great start, lets keep this energy and keep making good choices about our schoolwork!”
District Mandates:
The lesson is guided by the district’s curriculum map.
Required Instructional Materials:
▪ Student leader of the week (based on classroom jobs)
▪ Desk Arrangements in group formations of 4 or 5 per table
▪ Anchor Chart with Essential Vocabulary (feeling words)
▪ Smartboard
▪ Picture Book, The giving tree
▪ Google Slides presentation
▪ Rug area ▪ Construction paper, colored pencils, crayons, scissors to make “giving trees”
▪ Students’ classroom notebooks
Part B: Your Lesson Plan
B 1. Identify intended student learning outcomes as a result of the lesson (goals and objectives).
Goal(s):
Students will gain an understanding of what contributes to a good and balanced friendship based on their new feeling words
Objective(s):
Students will be able to identify related feeling words to the book.
Students will be able to define the word, friendship
Students will explain the moral of the book and what makes a good friendship.
Students will create unique “giving trees” collaboratively as a table group
Students will share and explain their unique “giving trees” to the class
B 2. Identify the New York State Learning Standard(s) and/or Common Core Standards addressed in this lesson plan. http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/pk2elastandardsglance.pdf
Key ideas and details 2R4: Explain how words and phrases in a text suggest feelings and appeal to the senses.
B 3. Describe the major steps and procedures (e.g., teacher actions, student actions, grouping procedures, monitoring procedures) you will follow during the entire lesson. Include introduction, active engagement, and closure; provide a time frame for each section.
Procedures:
Introduction: 25 min
The teacher will invite students to the meeting rug for a read aloud. Then, the teacher will ask the student to turn and talk with their rug neighbor to discuss what makes a good friend. Then, the teacher will ask for 3 students to raise their hand and volunteer to share the answer they came up with. Then, the teacher will announce that she picked out a special read-aloud today, a book that is a classic that she was read when she was in elementary school! The teacher will tell the students to pay close attention to the story and illustrations as she reads as once they finish the book the class will talk about how we feel, we are going to listen to how others feel about the story, and share our ideas with one another.
Teacher will ask students…
Before the story: Let's read the title, The Giving Tree
What do you think the story will be about based on the title and cover illustration? Turn and talk
Have you ever been given a special gift from a friend? How did it make you feel? Turn and talk
Have you ever given a gift to someone special to you?
How did you feel when you gave your gift? Turn and talk
During the story:
“and everyday the boy…” Why do you think the boy comes to visit the tree everyday? Turn and talk
“when he was tired…” Do the boy and tree seem like friends to you? What makes you think so? Turn and talk
Do you have a best friend that you share and play with like the boy and tree? Turn and talk
“but time went by…” What’s happening to the little boy in the story? Who is visiting the tree now, the same person or someone new? Turn and Talk
“and the tree was often alone…” How does this make the tree feel? Turn and talk
“large amount of text…” Do trees have money? (no) The tree gives the boy what he does have.
“apples…” Why do you think the tree was happy? Turn and talk
“house…” The tree still loves the boy but he doesn’t have a house to give but he gives him what he does have. How does this make the tree and boy feel? Turn and talk
“boat…” Just like the apples=money, branch=house, trunk=boat. What is the connecting pattern of what the tree is doing? (connecting pattern: give him what he does have). Turn and talk
“not really…” Why do you think the tree wasn’t REALLY happy this time? Turn and talk
“nothing left…” What do you notice about the boy and tree now comparing to the beginning of the story? Turn and talk
After the story:
What did you think of this story? Turn and talk
How did you know the tree and boy were friends? Turn and talk
What was the most important thing to the tree? (making the boy happy) Turn and talk
What was the most important thing to the boy? (getting what he wanted) Turn and talk
Was the boy happy after getting the gifts? Turn and talk
How did the tree feel after giving all of these gifts? Turn and talk
How did this story make you feel? Turn and talk
What is the moral of the story? Turn and talk
What does the book teach us about how to be a good friend? Turn and talk
Stories make you feel different feelings (did you know stories and reading can do that?) Turn and talk
Instructional Input (New Information): (10 minutes).
Google slides click here:
The teacher will interact with students throughout the presentation, and make sure students are listening and actively engaging with their table group.
Inquiry Questions during Google Slides
Teacher will ask…
Slide 3. Share when the tree felt loving in “The Giving Tree”? Turn and Talk
Slide 4. Share when the tree felt uneasy in “The Giving Tree”? Turn and Talk
Slide 5. Share when the boy was selfish in “The Giving Tree”? Turn and Talk
Slide 6. Share when the boy felt greedy in “The Giving Tree”? Turn and Talk Introduction: Teacher will announce: Today we are going to learn more feeling words!
Introduction: Teacher will announce: Today we are going to learn more feeling words!
STATE TODAY’S GOAL:
Teacher will say: The purpose of today’s lesson is to get acquainted with our new feeling words and what we learned about friendship from “The Giving Tree”. Now, we are going to create our own “giving trees” ! We will use our goals, vocabulary, and discussions to help us. I will first show you how I made my giving tree, and then it is your turn!
Teacher Modeling:
Teacher will say…
Today we will learn a new amazing, awesome word... friendship. A friend is a person that someone likes or knows. People who are friends talk to each other and spend time together. They also help each other when they are in trouble or are hurt. Friends are people that can be looked up to and trusted. Friends do things for their friends out of love and kindness. Do you guys think you can make a “giving tree” to show what a good friend gives their friends ? I will show you the giving tree I made
Teacher Model: The teacher will show students a “giving tree” she pre-assembled and will decorate into a “giving tree.” The teacher will demonstrate decorating with markers and colored pencils. Then, the teacher will take the “giving tree” (as seen below) and use a pencil to fill in the tree by writing things that she can give her friends. The teacher may make a few spelling "mistakes" and show how she has to sound out words while writing them. She will reiterate that when using pencil, we can always erase and correct our spelling, that mistakes are okay. The students are welcome to pass around the “giving tree” to see what it looks like up close. The teacher will then ask the students what are things that they can give their friends? The students will think, pair, share with a partner then discuss as a whole group.
Then, the teacher says it is THEIR turn, it is time to go back and sit at their table groups. The teacher will announce steps in order to successfully make a “giving tree”. (These will be written on the White Board so students can refer to them while they are working )
1.Group Leaders will get supplies for the table. One pair of scissors, green and brown, a black marker, construction paper, and coloring materials
2. Students will plan what words they are going to add onto their tables “giving tree”. Each student will choose one word to write and add onto the tree.
3. Students will then plan on how they are going to decorate their tree (ex. Add flowers, add apples, etc.)
4. Students will then work collaboratively to fill out their “giving tree” as a group.
5. When the “giving tree” is completed, the students will informally write about what friendship means to them.
Group Practice: (15-20 Minutes)
Group Leaders will get supplies for the table. One pair of scissors, green and brown, a black marker, construction paper, and coloring materials. The group leader will delegate who is planning, coloring/decorating, cutting, and presenting. The students are reminded that every student’s job is to discuss and collaborate to create the “giving tree”, and that each student is contributing and writing one word on the tree. The teacher will circle around the room to make sure students are on task and collaborating effectively. The teacher will remind students that they are welcome to correct their spelling or ask a friend for help if they think they did not write a word correctly, as the classroom is a great place to make mistakes and grow.
Closure (5-10 minutes) Two students from each table group will present their tables “giving tree”. The students will share which words they chose for their tree and why. The students will share if they enjoyed making this project and reading “The Giving Tree”. Each group will receive a round of applause, and positive affirmations at the end of each presentation. At a later time, the teacher will hang each “giving tree” on a clothesline in the room for a Gallery Walk. Students will walk and view all the “giving trees” up close at the end of the day.
Exit Ticket: Students will create a journal entry in the reading section of their class notebooks. Students will write about what friendship means to them. On the next page, students will write the definitions or possible synonyms of our new feeling words: loving, uneasy, selfish, and eager. The students are reminded that journals are collected and used as a casual line of communication between the teacher and student. (These are not graded!)
B 4. Identify the instructional resources, materials, and/or technologies that will be used during the lesson, and explain how they are culturally, age, and linguistically appropriate.
Materials:
▪ Student Leader of the week (based on classroom jobs)
▪ Desk Arrangements in group formations of 4 or 5 per table
▪ Anchor Chart with Essential Vocabulary (feeling words)
▪ Smartboard ▪ Picture Book, The Giving Tree
▪ Google Slides attached here:
▪ Rug area
▪ Construction paper, colored pencils, crayons, black markers to make “giving trees”
▪ Students’ classroom notebooks
B 5. Describe how the lesson uses a range of instructional strategies to promote higher-order thinking, student collaboration, and/or interdisciplinary connections.
Instructional Strategies:
● Academic vocabulary and language
● Cues, questions, activating prior knowledge
● Project based learning
● Read- aloud ● Cooperative learning
● Note booking/journaling
● Strategic grouping
Higher Order Thinking:
The objectives outline higher-order thinking:
o Students will be able to identify related feeling words to the book.
o Students will be able to define the word, friendship
o Students will explain the moral of the book and what makes a good friendship.
o Students will create unique “giving trees” collaboratively as a table group
o Students will share and explain their unique “giving trees” to the class
Student Collaboration:
Students will turn and talk to different students throughout the lesson and discuss the questions in the Google Slides presentation with their table groups. Students will also work in mixed ability table groups to collaboratively create a “giving tree” which they then will present to the rest of the class. The groups that I created for the students are based on their personalities as well as their individual learning levels in their group.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
● Students will listen to a read aloud
● Students will share their ideas
● Students will work collaboratively on their “giving trees”
● Students will demonstrate leadership skills when working on their “giving trees”
● Students will demonstrate art/design skills with their “giving trees”
● Students will work on writing skills when making their “giving trees”
● Students will work on their speaking skills when presenting their “giving trees”
● Students will record what friendship means to them in their class notebooks
● Students will work on their writing skills when recording the definitions or synonyms to their new feeling words
B 6. Describe how the lesson incorporates literacy instruction (reading, writing, listening and/or speaking. Explain how provision is made for effective accommodation of the needs of students with language and communication differences.
Literacy Instruction:
Students will listen to a read- aloud, The Giving Tree at the beginning of the lesson. Before, during, and after the read- aloud, students will work on their reading comprehension skills by answering questions about the book. Students will write and draw their ideas on their “giving trees” promoting writing and thinking skills. Further, students will write and record their ideas on what friendship means to them, promoting their writing and reading skills. Also, students will define or provide synonyms to their new feeling words, promoting vocabulary and thinking skills.
Effective Accommodations and Modifications:
- Accommodations
o Assign a Classroom Buddy to student with learning, language and communication differences and/or to student who may need emotional support
▪ For example, the student who is learning English as a second language has a buddy who speaks both English and Spanish that sits next to him at his table group
● The buddy is responsible for taking legible notes, and writing in print instead of cursive
● The buddy can translate lesson to the English language learner
● The buddy can provide notes to students who may be absent from lessons because of English language sessions
▪ In this class, the two student who struggles with emotional support each selected one buddy at the beginning of the year to sit at their table group
● The buddy provides support and takes notes if the students are absent from class because of emotional need or sessions with the school counselor
o Preferential seating to meet needs of students with learning, language, and communication differences. Also, to meet the needs of students who may need emotional support.
▪ Seat next to learning buddy
▪ Seat close to teacher
▪ The students who are English Language Learners sit closer to the teacher during read- alouds so they can see the illustrations of the book better.
o Extended Time
▪ Gives students time to process communication
▪ Students are given ample time to finish lesson
▪ Alternative plan is provided to teacher, so the lesson can be extended if needed
o Repeat instructions/directions
o Have student repeat instructions/directions
o Teach important words in the classroom to help English language learner
▪ Explicitly teach words, “teacher, book, homework, etc.” to EL students
o Incorporate Background Knowledge
▪ Explicitly start a lesson with, “Yesterday we learned ____, so TODAY we will learn____”
▪ Build on prior knowledge of student
- Modifications
o For English Language Learners, they are allowed to write bullet points in their notebooks as opposed to essay paragraphs.
B 7. Describe how you will differentiate instruction to address the strength(s) and/or need(s) of one or more individuals or groups of students in your class.
Differentiated Instruction:
● Collaborative Learning
o Flexible Grouping can be used
▪ This could include but not limited to collaborative table work, “ turn and talk, find a shoulder buddy, “pick someone who you haven’t spoken to in a while”
▪ Membership of groups can change as needed
o This provides students who would not usually speak up in a whole group setting to talk to a smaller group
▪ However, students with anxiety do not have to be the presenter to the whole class to share the groups final product “giving tree”
o Teacher would float around the room and chat with each collaborative group
● Flexible Seating or Spot in Classroom during Lesson
o Groups may find their “own private island / space” in the classroom that works best for them.
o Students may use cushions, yoga balls, couch area, or rug to best accommodate their learning
● Ongoing formative assessment
o The “giving trees”
o Answers to questions about the book
o Classroom notebook writing responses on what friendship means to them in their class notebooks and the definitions or synonyms to their new feeling words
B 8. Identify evidence you will use to assess student attainment of the intended student learning outcomes.
Assessments:
Informal notes will be taken by the teacher throughout the lesson based on student engagement, and during student group work on creating their “giving tree”. The teacher will collect student notebooks to use as a line of positive communication between teacher and student, again this is used as informal assessment. The teacher will observe student entries about what friendship means to them and the definitions or synonyms to their new feeling words
Part C. Reflection
After reading over my lesson, I feel that my students will be engaged with each other, motivated to participate and share their thoughts in the activities, and encouraged to think critically. This lesson was based on the grade level standards for English Language Arts. The content created was to help promote higher thinking, and was targeted at the students’ level of learning. Lastly, the lesson was scaffolded for students so that they could get a better understanding of the content and strategy being taught. I provided several different instructional strategies to target all students’ learning needs. Such as guided instruction, whole-group instruction, and one-on-one instruction.
This lesson plan is a great representation of the kind of hands-on and inquiry-based learning that takes place in my classroom. For a lot of students, The Giving Tree can be a difficult read-aloud as it has lots of themes and messages within the book. This lesson was designed with lots of flexible learning, ample time to explore and learn, and hands-on manipulatives that students can engage with in order to have a foundational understanding of the affective themes of feeling words and friendship. I utilized the strategy of Backwards Design for this lesson, which is lesson planning with the assessment or goal in mind.
I decided to incorporate the creative arts and crafts project to enhance student engagement and interest in coming up with what good friends give to their friends after reading the Giving Tree to introduce the topic of friendship and feelings. Also, all academic language throughout the lesson will be accompanied by visuals and pictures to help with decoding for ELL students.
With regards to assessment in this lesson, I conducted formative assessments during the lesson based on the responses and participation I got from students when I asked comprehension and critical thinking questions during the read-aloud. Further, students will have informal writing opportunities throughout the unit, in their classroom notebooks, which include their responses on what friendship means to them in their class notebooks and the definitions or synonyms to their new feeling words. Students will understand that journal entries are an informal line of communication between teacher and student. Further, more formative assessments took place when I visited the different table groups to see how well students were able to work collaboratively with their peers.
Conversation is facilitated through collaborative work throughout the unit. During this lesson, students are invited to turn and talk, think, share, and discuss inquiry-based questions throughout the unit. Not to mention, students even participated in project-based learning while they worked on creating “giving trees” as a table group.
With regards to some thinking strategies for children, I knew I had to build off of background knowledge and use lots of real-life examples in all the lessons. That is why I had students think of their own friendships and experiences to answer questions based off of “The Giving Tree. I also utilized discussion- based learning, students discussed the read aloud, project-based pizza project, and concepts during the lesson. Not to mention, I utilized informal writing. I provided anchor charts for the feeling words we have learned this year and Google Slides presentations to assist with academic vocabulary. I made all of these instructional materials with ELL students in mind, with plenty of visual and accessible text. I will also repeat instruction and use the same language between lessons to assist students understanding and provide opportunities for students to ask questions. I reiterated that it is okay to make mistakes, such as spelling ones, as the classroom is a place to grow and learn.
Shoshana Schwartz '21
My name is Shoshana Schwartz, and I live in Ardsley, New York. I am currently a junior in the Castle Scholars Honors Program at Manhattanville College. I am completing a double major in Political Science and History. Further, I am enrolled in Manhattanville's School of Education Dual Degree Honors Program. Therefore, I will be receiving my master's degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education after one year of graduate school. Upon finishing my master's degree, I aspire to be an elementary school teacher in a local public school district in Westchester County, New York. Since High School, I have held various roles where I have worked closely with children, from being an ice skating instructor, babysitter, camp counselor, and tutor. Through these positions, I have come to realize how rewarding it is to be a part of a child's life and help them develop and learn. As an elementary school teacher, I hope to create a welcoming and nurturing classroom community to inspire and support my students along their academic and social-emotional developmental journey. Further, I look forward to building a positive relationship with every one of my students. Attending Manhattanville College has been an enriching experience as it has provided me with a well-rounded liberal arts education. I have been exposed to many different academic areas of study, which has furthered my intellectual curiosity and helped me to develop new passions such as environmental science and art history. The college's small class sizes has allowed me to build strong relationships with my professors, as I have been fortunate to take multiple courses with many of them; this has been a great advantage to my education. One such professor is Professor Reily, as I had the pleasure of taking a class with her in the Fall of 2020. The lesson plan that I am presenting was done for her Curriculum, Management, and Assessment course through the graduate school of education.