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Name: Cassidy Roth

Grade: Kindergarten
Lesson: Multi-Cultural Awareness/ Social Issue Read-Aloud
Students: Small Group 6 Students
Dates: October 13th 16th
Time: 2:45pm 3:15pm - 30 Minutes
Selection:
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
a. I chose this book because I wanted to bring about the idea of differences
among one another through a social issue text. This text was developmentally
appropriate for kindergarten because the theme surrounding the text is
friendship and not explicitly about segregation.
b. I will teach the children about making predictions about what is happening or
what is going to happen in a text by looking at illustrations. I chose this
strategy because I noticed that some of the students in my classroom struggle
to connect illustrations to words in a text. I feel that by teaching them to look
at illustrations to figure out what is going on or what might happen next, that
they will be better readers.
Introduction:
Discuss that readers make predictions based off of illustrations, Today, were
going to talk about making predictions. Readers make predictions about what they
think is happening or going to happen in a book based off of illustrations. I want
you to think about this as we read through this book!
o This introduction is important to the lesson because according to
Comprehension chapter one, In classrooms which children are
encouraged to discuss what and how they read, teachers create a strong
foundation for supporting listening and reading comprehension (p.1).
Introduce Title What do you think this book is going to be about? What do you
notice on the cover?
Text Interactions:
Read book Pause two to three times throughout text to model thinking about
predictions
o I notice the girl in this photo is in a raincoat, dancing in a puddle. Maybe
it is raining outside!
o The girl is running her hand up and down the fence and smiling. Maybe
she will climb over or sit on the fence with her friend, Annie!
Discussion Questions:
After read-aloud ask students prompting discussion questions;
o What did you think about this book?

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o Did you make any predictions that happened or didnt happen? What were
they?
o How did the illustrations help you when we were reading?
The purpose of these questions are to guide the students to analyze and reflect on
how they used / could use this strategy during this particular read-aloud as well as
during their own independent reading.
Conclusion:
Boys and girls, you can use this strategy when you are reading at home or during
read-to-self time. Next time you are reading, take a look at the pictures and
illustrations in your book and think of what they are telling you about the story
and make prediction
Social Studies Extension *Not necessary to grade*:
What did you notice about the characters? Were they different? How?
Prompt children to discuss what makes them different from others in our
classroom hair, eyes, families, language, hobbies, etc.
o What makes us different from each other? (Model thinking: I have short
hair!)
o Are we all the same? Is that okay? Do we treat each other the same, even
if we are different?
o I want you to close your eyes and think about what makes you different
from your friends. Think about it and when you think you thought of a
difference that you like, touch your nose and keep your eyes closed.
o Open your eyes Did we all think of something?
o Turn and talk with a friend and share what you like that makes you
different. What do you like about your friend that makes them different?
Bring students to table to create an illustration of their difference on a pre-made
handout: I am Different
o Have students draw first, then write a complete sentence describing their
difference illustrated using at least one of our sight words
These will be displayed!
Once students have completed their illustration they will describe it to a friend or
myself, hand it in, and proceed to quiet reading time until small groups are
completed at 3:15pm
Reflection:
Did the children enjoy the book?
o The children were all engaged throughout the entire text. The text
provoked them to question things. The illustrations provided the children
with fluid imagery to focus on and interpret throughout the text. Overall,
the children seemed to enjoy the book. I could tell this because many of

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the children were eager for me to read the next page and wanted me to
reread the book!
What worked? How do you know?
o The way I modeled my thinking throughout the text worked well because
it provided the children with a glimpse of how to actually put the strategy
form words into action. I paused in other parts of the text (not planned for)
and asked the children how particular illustrations told us what was
happening or how they could predict what was next. The children
responded and put the strategy into action themselves. For instance, I
paused at the point where the two girls sat sat by side on the fence. The
children made remarks such as, They are friends now because the fence is
not between them, and I wonder if their mommas will get mad, cause
they werent allowed on it. Also, the introduction of the text proved to
help children begin to think about the content prior to the read-aloud.
According to Comprehension chapter one, Thinking about and discussing
content before reading make it easier for children to understand text and
easier for them to learn new concepts (p.4). This introduction is an
essential asset to this lesson because it sets the foundation for students
prior to reading.
What would you like to be able to do next?
o Next, I would have the students take time for independent reading to
practice this strategy when it is still fresh in their minds. Then, the
following few days I would like to revisit this strategy and build upon it
through the introduction of another strategy that involves using
illustrations to figure out unknown words.
How was the level of conversation?
o The conversation that occurred during the lesson was revolved around the
reading strategy and the discussion questions helped to prompt this
conversation. The pauses to model and encourage student thinking proved
to be valuable to the discussion after the read aloud. The children
discussed small pieces of imagery within the text that informed their
predictions such as when the girls mother was staring at them when they
were on the fence. They thought that the girl would get in trouble, but
instead the mother was happy that she had a new friend. The multiple
perspectives and ideas brought to the conversation created a deeper level
of communication. According to Comprehension chapter one, we must
remember readers are human. They have moods, self-perceptions,
attitudes, and interests that influence how they approach each reading
event (p. 8). This citation illustrates the different ideas and thoughts

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that students bring to a reading event and these perspectives added to the
depth of this conversation.
What might you do differently?
o If I were to do this lesson differently, I would ask more higher-order
thinking questions to promote students critical thinking skills during our
discussion time.
What have you learned?
o I have learned that setting the purpose for a lesson provides students a
clear understanding of what is expected and why the lesson is being
conducted. It is better to be clear rather than hope your students achieve
learning a strategy without even mentioning it explicitly.