Ms. Hicks' Lesson Plan

Kindergarten English Language Arts Lesson Plan
An Alternate Ending  for “The Shy Little Crab”
Submitted by: Alana Hicks

Introduction: 
          When developing a lesson plan, it is essential to meet the needs of every individual child in the class. Every child in the class is unique which is why teachers must be flexible in the way they teach a lesson, demonstrate activities and assess the students. It is also necessary for a teacher to have exceptional organizational and classroom management skills in order to provide the best learning environment for students. In order for a lesson plan to be successful, all students must be able to participate; therefore, the teacher must provide choice for the children whenever possible and make accommodations for students with exceptionalities.

The following lesson plan, “Alternate Endings for The Shy Little Crab”, is suitable and achievable for every student in the class. However, minor accommodations have been included in the lesson plan description to meet the needs of a child diagnosed with dyslexia. This student experiences difficulty processing certain symbols, difficulty determining the meaning (idea content) of a simple sentence, and difficulty learning to recognize written words as well as rhyming. In order for this student to receive full benefit of the lesson, it is necessary to incorporate picture guides as well as choice into the required activity so that the child can demonstrate what he/she has learned through other ways of representing other than reading and writing. Although these accommodations are minor, they are very important to a child diagnosed with dyslexia.

Title:  Alternate Endings for “The Shy Little Crab”
 

Subject Area: English Language Arts 

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Lesson Duration: 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes

Special Needs: This lesson has been designed to meet the needs of all students in the class.

For one student in particular, diagnosed with dyslexia, minor accommodations have been incorporated in the following lesson plan. However, the lesson focus is suitable and achievable for this child.

Specific Curriculum Outcomes: 

Language Arts

SCO: Begin to express ideas, feelings and opinions respectfully.

SCO: Express opinions and make personal connections to a variety of text forms.

SCO: Begin to question and with support, respond critically to a variety of text forms.

SCO: With support, begin to demonstrate forms of writing and representing to convey meaning.

Lesson Focus: After listening to the teacher read the story of The Shy Little Crab (Appendix) students will express ideas for an alternate ending through dramatic performance, writing, or a drawing activity. 

      



    

      
    

      

     Materials and Resources:

     Kindergarten English Language Arts Curriculum Guide 

     The Shy Little Crab storybook written and illustrated by the teacher (Appendix)          

     Art materials (pencils, erasers, paper, coloring pens, markers, crayons)  

     Writing/drawing worksheet (Appendix) 

     Computer with recording program/microphone 

     Props (treasure chest, fake food, and other props that can be found within the classroom)

**The child with dyslexia would have the option of producing a voice recording on the computer for the alternate ending rather than writing an alternate ending.

Procedure

Motivation/Anticipatory Set:  I would begin the lesson by welcoming the students to come join me in a semi circle on the reading mat. Next, I would introduce the children to The Shy Little Crab which was written and illustrated by me. I’d get the students interested by telling them that the story takes place under the sea – a place that we had already discussed last class. I would ask them questions such as “What kind of book do you think this is?” and “Does it look like it was brought from a bookstore?” and “Where do you think it came from?” Next, explain to the children that the book was hand-made by the teacher especially for the class. “Can anyone tell me what kinds of animals you might find living under the sea?” and “By looking at the cover of this storybook, what kinds of things do you think you will find under this sea?” By asking simple questions that require the students to give their opinions and contribute to the discussion, they would be more likely to become engaged in the lesson.

**Although it is very important to focus on all of the students, pay particular attention to the student with dyslexia and be sure to speak loud and clear to ensure that this student is engaged and understands the title of the storybook.

Statement of Purpose:  Today I will be reading the storybook which I have made especially for all of you. This story will take place under the sea – a place that you should all be familiar with from last class. You’ll have to listen carefully because after the story is finished, you will have to write a new ending for me. I want you to pay close attention to what I am reading so you will be able to come up with your very own endings to the story. You can show me your new ending to the story by choosing any of these three choices:

      1. You could write a new ending and draw a picture to go along with it.

      2. Using the class computer and microphone, you could use your voice to create an ending to the story.

      3. You could get into groups of four and act out your ending.

       **Student with dyslexia may be most comfortable choosing option  2 or 3.
     
      Teacher Modeling or Demonstration:  After reading the story of The Shy Little Crab, I would show the students the blank page at the end of my storybook. I’d ask them “why do you think this page is blank?” I’d then tell them that the page is blank because they have to come up with a different ending. I could explain this further by using a familiar story such as Goldie Locks and the Three Bears as a sample. I would share with them, my new ending for Goldie Locks and the Three Bears which goes like this:

      

  Instead of Goldie Locks getting caught by the three bears, she runs away before they come home. On her way through the forest she trips over a tree branch. The three bears find her. Next, they bring her back to their house to fix up her cuts and bruises. Finally, they offer her a bowl of porridge and a warm bed to sleep in.With a warm smile on her face, Goldie Locks fell fast asleep.

      The End.

      I would then ask the students “Do you think you could come up with a different ending for The Shy Little Crab?”

Check for Understanding:  It is important to check for student understanding before moving on to another part of the lesson. By providing the students with questions such as “What if I ended the story with Curtis the crab not sharing his food with the rest of the sea animals? Would that be a different ending?” I would check to see if they understand what a different ending is by asking questions and listening for the correct response.

Activity for Guided Practice: With help and guidance from the teacher, we would design a web on the Smart board as a group. (Appendix) The web would contain all of the students’ ideas for alternate endings. To get the students engaged and thinking I would ask questions such as “How would you feel if Curtis refused to share the food with you?” “If you were Curtis would you share the food? Why or why not?” and “Can you tell me about a time in your life when someone said no to you? How did that make you feel?” Asking questions like these will prepare the students for the independent activity because it will get their thoughts flowing and help bring out their creativity. If a child has an idea that they would like to share with the class, they would raise their hand and explain it to the class. It then would be added to the web. Together as a group we would come up with an ending and finally, four volunteers would come up and act out an ending that we’ve all agreed upon. 


Sample web:

 
Independent Practice Activity: Students would choose which way they want to represent their alternate ending. If they choose to write it out, they would be provided with paper, pencils, coloring pens, markers, and crayons. They would write a couple of lines describing their new ending to the story and draw a picture to go along with the writing. For the students who choose to act out the ending, the teacher would divide them into groups of four; assign them roles such as Curtis the crab, Sally the Seahorse, Oliver the octopus, and Fiona the fish. They would be given some props such as a treasure chest and some fake food from the play area to help them with their performance. Finally, the children who choose to record their ending would go to the computer and using the microphone they would record themselves speaking. This option could also be done in groups of four with each child speaking as a specific character from the story.

The teacher would leave the story at the front of the class for children to look at, just in case they need to refer back to it when creating their alternate endings.

Assessment: To assess the students’ understanding of the lesson I would circulate the classroom taking note of any students who display uncertainty of the activity. I would have a checklist on hand to check for key concepts covered in class that should be included in the independent activity such as “demonstrates knowledge of alternate ending.” (Appendix) I would also do some informal assessments such as observing the children when reading the story. I would check to see if children are paying attention by call upon them to answer a question relating to the story. I check to see which students are raising their hands and asking questions relating to the story.

Language Arts Sample Checklist

Student  Name:	Shows understanding of alternate ending	Demonstrates knowledge through writing/drawings/drama/ speaking	Expresses opinions and ideas towards story	Asks questions that are relevant	Notes
Tom	Yes            No	Drawing with limited written words	Yes                            No
Mandy	ü  Yes                                 No	Chose drama but didn’t play her part	Yes                           No

Closure: I would end off my lesson by congratulating the students for coming up with their very own endings to my story and thank them for their participation. Finally, I would finish off the lesson by telling them what I have planned for the next day in hopes to give them something to look forward to.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. (2011). Kindergarten English Language Arts Curriculum Guide. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from Department of Education:             http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/k12/curriculum/guides/english/kindergarten/5_K_ELA_Sect            ion_2_Curriculum_Outcomes.pdf