Read-Aloud Activity A. TITLE/TYPE OF LESSON I am reading the book, Duck, Duck, Goose by Tad Hills to preschoolers.

This is a readaloud, followed by an activity that both relate to the theme of the week, Spring. In addition, I was asked by the cooperating teacher to work on an activity with them following the book that would relate to the weeks theme. I thought that coloring a paper kite and taping words that related to Spring to the kites string would help them relate my book and certain words to Spring. For example, when they finish coloring their portion of the kite, they will be asked by a teacher in the class, What word do you think of when you hear the word Spring? Their word will be taped to the kites string; whenever they view the kite in the classroom, they can relate their word and other words they see to Spring.

B. CONTEXT OF LESSON The practicum teacher took care of knowing the students readiness, interests, and learning preferences since I read a book that related to their theme for the week. She and I both thought that it would be most beneficial for me to read a book based on the weeks theme, rather than read a book that does not relate to what they have been learning all week. This lesson fits in with the curriculum sequence since it relates to the topic, Spring, that the students have been learning about all week. Why is this an appropriate activity for these students at this time? How does this lesson fit with what you know about child development?

C. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Understand Listening to an adult model fluent reading increases students' own fluency and comprehension skills (Trelease, 2001), as well as expanding their vocabulary, background knowledge, sense of story, awareness of genre and text structure, and comprehension of the texts read (Allington & Gabriel, 2014). Another skill that the students should begin to develop is an understanding of one-to-one correspondence. Recognizing that when an individual says one word, it equals one word in print as well is imperative for early readers to grasp. Know

A rule that the students will gain through this activity is how to work cooperatively with their peers. During the activity that I plan on working on with them after reading the book, I will only set out one pack of chalk at once (1 of each color). I will tell them prior to coloring that if they want another color, they will need to ask a friend at their table if they can borrow that color. This interaction with their peers will build patience and help others know what another individual desires, rather than each student being given the same color choices. They will also know, hopefully, after this lesson how nature and animals change depending on the season. For instance, during Winter, trees are typically without leaves and animals gain fur to keep them warm while during Spring, flowers are blooming and the animals lose some of their fur since the weather is getting warmer. Do One thinking behavior that the students will be able to do throughout this lesson is to predict what occurs next in the story. The reader can ask the students what they think will happen next in the story and the students will be able to think beyond simply what is currently happening in the book. Another thinking behavior that the students will be able to do through this lesson is the idea of sequencing. If they are able to piece together the steps in playing Duck, Duck, Goose, I will know that they are able to think about and arrange the phases required to play the game.

D. ASSESSING LEARNING One of my objectives is sequencing and I will be assessing it by asking students how to play Duck, Duck, Goose. If they are able to name some of the games steps in order then I will know that they are able to connect and verbalize various steps. Also, I am asking the children to predict what occurs next in the story. In order to predict, one must utilize the information that they have already been given to make assumptions regarding the future. As long as their predictions make sense within the context of what has already happened, I will know that they can consider events that have not happened yet but may occur in the future. I am also assessing the students comprehension of Spring. On one page of my book, I will ask them what they see in the pictures that remind them of Spring. Being able to connect flowers and leaves to Springtime will give me an indication that they understand how things change between Winter and Spring. In addition, while I am reading Duck, Duck, Goose, I plan to ask the children on one page why the goose is sad. If they are able to explain that he did not like the game that was played by the two ducks or that he did not consider the game fair, I will know that they can

understand another individuals emotions based on previous knowledge. Lastly, I plan to ask the students two questions for the closure: What was your favorite part about the story? and Who can tell me what friends we read about in this story today? These inquiries are subjective since there is no right answer, so as long as their responses are related to the book, I will know that they understand my question.

E. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (and NATIONAL STANDARDS if required) A foundation block that my lesson will cover is Block 1: Oral Expression in which the child will develop listening and speaking skills by communicating experiences and ideas through oral expression (Virginia Department of Education, 2007). They will develop hearing and speaking skills by hearing about the story and then verbalizing their thoughts and ideas regarding what they heard. Block 2: Vocabulary is another foundation block that will be involved in the book and activity that I am working on with the students. The child will develop an understanding of words and word meanings through the use of appropriate vocabulary (Virginia Department of Education, 2007). Duck, Duck, Goose is targeted for ages three through seven. Since the students are four and five year-olds, the book will include vocabulary that is above their level, which will provide them with an introduction to their meanings.

F. MATERIALS NEEDED 1) Book Activity: 2) Paper cut into the shape of a kite 3) String 4) Paper Bows 5) Chalk 6) Markers 7) Tape 8) Glue

All materials will be my responsibility to obtain.

G. PROCEDURE

rning environment (if required)To prepare, I bought the book and each supply needed for the activity. I was also responsible for preparing the kites for the activity prior to practicum. I will direct the students attention to the book by asking them questions, such as Can any of you show me where the title of the book is? When one of them volunteers and comes up, I will ask him/her to point to the title and attempt to read it. Since they are preschoolers, it may be difficult for them to read the title, so I would then ask them to point to each word in title as I read them. This request would help me to view where they are in their understanding of one-to-one correspondence. Then, since my book is titled Duck, Duck, Goose, I am going to ask the children if they have ever played Duck, Duck, Goose. If any students nod their head or raise their hand, I will ask a few of them how they played the game.

tions for teacher and students)As I read the book, I will ask the students to predict what happens next. It is important that they reflect on and speculate about events that have not occurred yet. This helps them think outside of the here and now. Also, I will ask the students on a couple pages: Do any of you see anything on this page that reminds you of Spring? There is one page, in particular, that contains flowers, leaves, and white clouds with blue sky which guides them in their understanding of what changes from one season to the next. Then, on a few pages in the book, the author depicts emotion on the animals faces so I plan to ask the students questions such as, Goose does not look very happy here does he? Why do you think he is sad?

For the closure, I plan on summing up the book by asking them, What was your favorite part about the story? Then, I will request for volunteers to explain who the characters are in the book by asking, Who can tell me what friends we read about in this story today? As mentioned earlier, I was asked by the cooperating teacher to work on an activity with them following the book that would relate to the weeks theme. Following the story, I plan on asking the students to work on an activity with me where they draw pictures on kites about

Spring using chalk. Once they finish drawing, I will ask each student how they would describe Spring in one word and whichever one they choose, I will write it on the bows. The bows will later be taped to the string that is attached to the kite. When they view these kites in the room, I am hoping they will begin to connect words and pictures that relate to Spring. In addition, after I read the book to the whole class, I plan to meet with two students and ask them questions about what we read. One question I plan on asking them is, Can you tell me what happened in the book that I just read to you? This is a sequencing activity; if they are able to verbalize certain events that occurred in the book, then they are able to work through sequencing activities.

-up (if required)N/A

H. DIFFERENTIATION I attempted to assist all levels of preschool readers through my selection of the book. Duck, Duck, Goose mentions that the age range is three to seven. I chose this book because I wanted to increase the chances of all levels comprehending the text. I work in a classroom with four and five-year-olds and this text would allow those who have a difficult time with reading to think about the message while challenging those who typically understand the books presented to them. In addition, I planned an activity that would allow those students who are less verbal to express themselves through pictures. They were asked to draw what came to mind when hearing about the season, Spring. Furthermore, during the activity, I specifically placed one chalk of each color at the table. Throughout my time at practicum this semester, I have noticed that the students do not typically interact during activities. I wanted for them to become comfortable enough with their peers at the table to ask if they desired another. I realized, during this activity, that this was a foreign concept for them. It appears that they are used to simply asking the teacher if they want another color and it is given to them. They continually asked me throughout my lesson, Ms. Emily, I want the color, [pink, blue, green]. I replied, That color is here. Why dont you ask one of your friends if you could use that color when they are done. This activity did not last long enough for them to ask their peers multiple times for a different color; however, if I would work on more activities with them, it would be interesting for me to see whether they eventually would begin to ask their friends before asking me for another color.

I. WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?

A realistic concern is that they will not answer the questions that I ask them following the book for various reasons. They may not understand the book, the question that is asked, or may be too shy to answer questions, given that I am not their primary teacher. For example, when asked to explain how he/she played Duck, Duck, Goose, it could be difficult for the student to remember all of the games steps. If this occurs, I plan on breaking it down and stating, Thats okay. Do you remember what you do first for Duck, Duck, Goose? Another concern of mine is that the students will ask me a question regarding the book or Spring in general that I do not know the answer to. From my time at practicum, I have noticed that the students are curious and interested in books, especially, and it would be uncomfortable for me to be asked a question that I cannot give them an answer to. If this happens, I will probably tell the student that I will look up an answer to his/her question after the lesson. I cannot stop the lesson to research the answer but I can provide them a response following the activity.

Reflection While I was reading Duck, Duck, Goose by Tad Hills, I took notes on their responses to my questions regarding the book. Some were more enthusiastic to respond than others. For example, when asked, How do you play Duck, Duck, Goose? Lenas hand shot up and exclaimed, The goose chooses another goose. When the goose is picked, she stands up and chases the other goose around. In order to clarify for the other students, I then asked, She stands up and chases the other goose around what? and she replied, Oh, um, around the other people. She has to make it around without getting caught. Lena was able to verbalize a games multiple steps in order. Through this lesson, I also learned that a teacher should not assume that the students will necessarily understand certain vocabulary words just by repeating them. For instance, one of my questions included, Can one of you come up and point to the title of the book? Two students raised their hands; I called on one and she pointed to the picture on the cover. I explained, That is the picture. Where is the title? and she simply starred at me. So, I said, Thats ok. Can anyone else come up and find the title? The next child, Hunter, pointed to one of the animals on the front cover. The cooperating teacher was observing and stated, Hunter, the title. Where are the words on the cover? He then corrected himself and slid his fingers over to point at the title. The one aspect of my lesson that went differently than expected was that one table during the kite activity simply looked blankly at me when I instructed them to draw what they thought of during the Spring season. I was attempting to explain the task in different ways but I was not explaining anything that was working. I eventually asked the students direct questions such as, Do you think flowers blooming mean that it is Springtime? Most of them nodded their head so I stated, Great! Lets draw flowers or leaves on trees. The primary strength of this lesson is it appeared that most students enjoyed and understood the book, Duck, Duck, Goose. I listened to many students responses to my questions regarding the book and most of them were accurate. In addition, my attempt to promote peer interaction by only having one of each color chalk at the table during the kite activity took them out of their comfort zone; however, after multiple times of working on that, they could probably begin to be comfortable around all of their peers, rather than a select few. The main weakness of the lesson was that the students did not appear to understand what the title of the book was. Sometimes it is easy to assume that the children understand the vocabulary one is using but the teacher should be careful to explain each difficult terminology

utilized throughout the day in order to enhance ones students vocabulary. Another weakness for this activity was that when I asked two students what I read about a few minutes prior, the student, David, who is beginning to emerge as a reader did not answer my questions. He sat and listened to the other boy that I asked the questions to talk. There could be a variety of reasons for this; David is a quiet person so he may not have been comfortable talking in front of the other boy, he may not have understood my questions, or maybe he was too distracted by the other noise around the room. One aspect of my lesson that I would change for the future is to ask for answers from many students. While reading this book, I noticed that, for the most part, I received answers and comments from the same people. I did not want to put children on the spot and demand an answer from them, so this past time, I took responses from any student willing to answer. In the future, I will ask students who have not offered ideas or comments to do so because if you do not hear from them throughout the story, how can you know that they are processing the information and learning from it?

Bibliography Allington, R., & Gabriel, R. (2014). Every child, every day. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar12/vol69/num06/EveryChild,-Every-Day.aspx Virginia Department of Education. (2007). Virginias foundation blocks for early learning: Comprehensive standards for four-year-olds. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhood.virginia.gov/documents/foundationblocks.pdf