Yertle the Turtle Read Aloud Teacher Candidate: Robert Gilchrist School: Ninety Six Primary Date and

Time of Lesson: 3/5/14 Subject/Grade Level: ELA/2nd Grade

Description of Lesson: In this lesson, students will hear a read aloud from Yertle the Turtle written by Dr. Seuss and will learn a new character trait to write and define on the SmartBoard. Lesson Title: Yertle the Turtle Read Aloud Curriculum Standards Addressed: Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. Cross Curricular Connections: This lesson will be integrated with the celebration of Dr. Seusss birthday and all of his classical works in Childrens Literature. This lesson will also be integrated with visual art because students will look at the pictures in the book to gain meaning about the story. Instructional Objective(s) Criteria: When given literary texts, 85% of students will be able to correctly identify character traits that Yertle displays and be able to identify major events that Yertle experienced and how he handled them. Assessment(s) of the Objectives: Before the lesson, I will ask students what are some of the things they have been looking for in other Dr. Seuss books that we could also look for in Yertle the Turtle. During the lesson, I will have students answer critical thinking questions about parts in the book. After the lesson, I will ask students how Yertle and the other characters in the book fit the respect character trait. I will also have students tell me how Yertle responded to major events in the book and if they remember any time when someone was not being respectful to them or someone that they know.

Materials/Resources: Yertle the Turtle SmartBoard (To write the word and definition of Respect)

(Prior Knowledge): Social: Students should be able to sit quietly in their spots on the carpet during the read aloud. They should participate with the Critical Thinking Questions as we read Yertle the Turtle. Cognitive: Students should be able to recall what we have been looking at it in the book to apply to the read aloud (how our character acts to others, what is different about our character from beginning to end, interesting things about our character). Physical: Students should be able to sit on the carpet for at least thirty minutes during the read aloud. Students should raise their hands when they have questions or comments. While doing the critical thinking questions, students should sit facing the speaker, with their legs crossed, and eyes on the speaker. Emotional: Students should be able to receive constructive criticism from the teacher and classmates when answering questions or making statements. Students should also respect other classmates and the teacher. References: Seuss, Dr (1958). Yertle the Turtle. New York, New York: Random House. Procedures: Connection: 1. Probing Question: What do you think of when you hear the word Respect? 2. We have been talking about Dr. Seusss birthday and how we are celebrating it by reading his books and playing games related to his books & stories. Teach: 3. To begin the lesson, I will first introduce the book by asking which students have read or heard of the book. I will then explain that Yertle the Turtle is about a turtle that is king of the pond he inhabits. The story tells about how Yertle was a selfish and unkind king to all the animals that lived in the pond and the land around it. Lets see what happens to Yertle in this story. 4. As I am reading, I will stop at various points during the read aloud and explain vocabulary that students may not understand, such as: pond, throne, stack, and command. 5. On page four of the book, I will talk about the following question: What do you first notice about Yertle?

Active Engagement: 6. I will ask the students a couple of critical questions, such as: a. Why do you think Yertle was so mean to the other turtles in the pond? b. Why did Mack not like being part of Yertles throne? 7. On page ten of the book, I will ask the following question: What do you first think about Mack? 8. I will continue reading until page twenty-one and will ask the following turn and talk question: Why do you think Yertle wants a higher throne? After students have responded, I will continue reading. 9. I will stop on pages twenty-three & twenty-four and ask the following turn and talk question: What do you think will happen? Students will raise their hand and answer, I will ask them why they think that will happen and then I will continue reading. 10. I will continue reading until I get to page twenty-seven. I will then have students turn and talk about the following question: How would you describe Yertle now? Would you say he is respectful? Why? Students will be given thirty seconds each to answer and give me their opinion. 11. Once students have responded, I will ask them What have we learned about Yertle and Mack? What does this story tell you about how to treat others ? Link: 12. I will then say that respect is a strong character trait and we will talk about how Yertle learned about respect during the book. 13. I will then write the word respect on the board and have students sound out the word as they help me spell it. I will also include the definition we discussed as a class. 14. I will then ask the students to talk about if they remember times when someone was not being respectful to them or someone they know. I will be sure to inform them not to say a persons name but keep it anonymous (Ex: My friend or My family member) Accommodations: To accommodate for students that cannot see, I will allow them to move closer so that they can see the pictures. If students do not understand a word, I will describe the word so that they understand what the word means. For students that need help staying focused, I will provide several critical thinking questions and pull sticks so that students are ready to answer questions and give comments about the reading. For the IEP students in the classroom, I will make sure to point out pictures in the word that match the vocabulary in the book.