Format

Objectives
Clearly state what children
will do and how they will
do it

Activities
Students will be able to describe characters and their motivations in the
story by using the information given in the text.
Students will do so by:
- Making predictions about characters actions and discussing the
outcomes of events with these characters.
- Responding to questions in order to describe the characters and why
they are acting a certain way.

Formative & Summative

Assessment
Explain how teacher will
determine whether
objectives are met
What evidence will you have
that the objectives were met?
What, specifically, are you
looking for?
Materials/Standards
State the materials to be
used in the lesson
Include PA Common Core
Standards

Formative:
Teacher will observe/assess students in a small group setting by:
- Asking questions to students and listening to responses.
- Having a group discussion after students finish reading the book and
listening to the student responses based on the provided questions (see
attached questions).

Introduction CONNECT
Gain childrens attention
Name the skill and tell
students when they would
use the skill
Relate to prior knowledge
Explain why the skill is
useful/important to know

CC.1.3.2.G Use information from illustrations and words, in print or

digital text, to demonstrate understanding of characters, setting, or plot.
Book: Mr. Putter & Tabby Take the Train by Cynthia Rylant:
Howard, A., & Rylant, C. (1998). Mr. Putter & Tabby Take The Train.
Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Ask students How can you tell what a character is like? What are some
things characters do to show their feelings? (They act a certain way/ do
certain things)
Where can readers find the information within a text to help them
determine the character feelings and traits? (Words spoken by a
character, Dialogue tags, the actions of a character, How a character
interacts with another character, in the words an author in a series repeats
about a character)
The author creates both characters and their traits and motivations and
uses both of these things to influence what happens in the story. We have
already read a few stories about Mr. Putter & Tabby, but today we are
going to read a story where Mr. Putter does not act like his typical self.
I want you to think about a time you have done something that you do not
typically do, in order to get something or do something? Provide time to
share.
While you read, I want you to pay close attention to all the things the
characters are doing. I also want you to think about why the characters
are doing certain things.
By the end of todays lesson, I want you to be able to identify how the
characters in the story influenced events and motivations that caused
the characters to do what they did.

Teacher Modeling TEACH

Explicitly show children
how to use the strategy/skill
Include all think alouds
Write out what you will
say!

To be able to identify what motivates characters to act a certain way, you

must start from understanding that authors invent characters and give
them certain motivations, so that as you read along through the story,
you see and understand why the characters take certain actions. Let me
show you how I do it. Lets start reading.
T reads chapter 1.
After page 4 say Im going to stop and think for a second. I wonder if
Mrs. Teaberry and Mr. Putter come up with a lot of ideas together?
Hmm lets continue reading
After page 6 ask What does the description of Mrs. Teaberrys ideas tell
you about her? and Why dont you think Mr. Putter likes them?

Guided Practice ENGAGE

Provide an opportunity for
students try the strategy
with teacher and/or peer
guidance and support

Have students each take a turns reading a page in the story starting at
page 7.
After page 14 Who thinks pets are actually allowed on the train? What
makes you think this way from the text?
After page 21What does all of this tell you about Mrs. Teaberry? Do
you think she is an organized person or really unorganized and messy?
Share evidence from the story
After page 24Based on what we know about Mr. Putter & Mrs.
Teaberry, can any of you make a prediction about what they are going to
do?
Have students read Chapter 3 silently at their seats. Give them the
questions for after reading. Tell them to complete the questions once they
are finished reading. We will discuss the questions next time we meet.
Remind students to continue thinking about the characters as they are
reading the last chapter and to think about why they are doing everything
in the chapter.

Independent Practice &

Application ENGAGE
Children try the strategy on
their own or in a new
situation

Closure LINK
Provide closure through
reflection, extension, and/or
summarization
Tell students how they
should use the strategy skill

Differentiation (content,
process, product)
Tell how your methods
support the childrens
reading development needs

Ask each student Why is it important to understand characters and their

motivations while reading stories? Make sure each student shares a
thought about this question in order to take away the main idea of the
lesson. (It is important for readers to understand the characters and why
they are behaving in certain types of ways in order to understand the
authors message of the story.) After each student has answered, iterate
the main idea of the lesson: We must pay close attention to all the things
the characters are doing in order to understand the authors message.
Today, forever and always, when you read you will use the information
you find in the text to help you better understand the characters in the
story.
Below level:
- Use a book/play with more obvious character feelings and traits for
students who are struggling with the concept. This allows students to
more easily identify the characters and traits within a story.
- I would also have these students read the book/play once or twice

(below level, above, ELL)

Reflection on Planning
(BEFORE)
State your rationale for the
lesson content and design.
Connect with information
learned in this course and
others.
How did you select your
teaching activities and
materials? How did you
consider students
assessment needs when
planning your lesson? Why
did you make the choices
you did in your planning?
How did your cooperating
teacher/other professionals
help you in your planning?
What concerns do you have
about the lesson?

Reflection on Instruction
(AFTER)
Write an analysis about
how your lesson went after
the follow-up conference.
Please include:
What went well?
What evidence do you
have that learning
occurred and objectives
were met?
Was your assessment of
the students adequate
and informative?
Based on your
formative and
summative assessment
(observations, student
work samples, other)
and your post-teaching

independently before coming to the reading group and discussing the

character feelings and traits. Having read through the story prior to
discussing it and learning about character feelings and traits will better
allow the students to understand.
Based off of my time spent with the students in this guided reading
group, I think this is an area where these students are struggling. I think
these students could use some extra time spent on understanding
character feeling studies in order to better gain comprehension of the
authors message. I selected this book based off of the story plot in
relation to the content I was teaching. The students have read 2 books in
this series already so they are familiar with the main characters, which I
thought would help them better understand the skill I am trying to teach.
When planning my lesson, I considered my students assessment needs
by thinking about exactly what I would ask them while they are reading,
and where I would ask those questions. I have learned through my guided
reading process, that asking questions is crucial for the students to
understand what they are reading. I want the students to really understand
how the characters are acting out of the norm in this story, which is
why I am planning on asking certain questions in certain parts of the
story. My cooperating teacher helped me plan this lesson by providing
me with a few options of texts that he thought would be appropriate and
beneficial for this lesson. He also helped guide me in my planning by
reading my lesson beforehand and providing me with any adjustments he
saw necessary. Concerns that I have about my lesson are that the students
will not understand the points I am trying to make about the characters,
without me asking too much of leading questions where I would be
giving the answer away too much. I hope that the students understand the
message from the lesson on their own, but I am concerned they if they do
not, I will have to guide their thinking even more.
Overall, I think my lesson went really well today. I think I did a good job
at really driving the main ideas verbally for the students to understand. I
repeated the main ideas multiple times, because I really wanted them to
take these ideas away. At the end of the lesson, they were each able to
repeat the main ideas back to me, which shows that they are beginning to
grasp the concept. I also think my wait time went well while I asked the
students questions. Overall, the questions I asked were essential for the
students to understand the main ideas about the characters, and I really
wanted them to think about the questions I was asking. I was trying to
ensure that I had enough wait time before asking students to share, and I
believe I did. From our readings, I have learned the importance of the
teacher just being silent while students are thinking and I have really
been trying to practice that with this reading group. Evidence I have that
learning occurred and objectives were met include the fact that the
students were able to make predictions about the characters and their
actions, and were able to later bring those predictions up and discuss
them. I mentioned to the students in the beginning of the lesson that they
can and SHOULD make stops to point out any main details about the
characters when necessary, and the students were able to do so. They
were also able to meet the other objective of responding to my questions

conferences, what
interventions might be
necessary and
appropriate?
What might you change
to improve this lesson?
What does this teaching
experience suggest to
you, your cooperating
teacher, and/or your
university supervisor
about areas where you
might pursue further
professional
development and
growth?
What specific questions
and goals related to
teaching literacy have
emerged from this
teaching experience?
How do you plan to
answer those questions
and meet those goals?
Provide specific details
and incidences to support
your answers and make
reference to class
readings.

when asked about the characters. Based on my formative assessment,

some interventions I might make are having a checklist to monitor that
students are understanding each of the questions I have asked. Something
I would change to improve this lesson is to include those checklists as
part of the plan in order to monitor that the students are responding, and
find ways to include the one student who did not respond as much to the
group. Also, in regards to my language I would try and use more of a
neutral tone when the students are responding instead of saying good
or thats correct. Our textbook discusses this concept of the importance
of the neutral language we use when students are responding. I struggle
with this idea, but hope to become better at it with more practice. This
teaching experience suggests to my cooperating teacher and my
university supervisor about areas where I might pursue further
professional development and growth in making sure that all students are
actually grasping the skill entirely. There was one student who was not
participating as much, while she was definitely engaged and involved in
the reading. I am still unsure if this student is lacking in the area of the
skill, or is just a quiet and timid student. One specific question that has
emerged from this teaching experience is how does a teacher find
efficient ways for students to make sure they are still practicing all of
their reading skills in a reading group, when just focusing on teaching 1
skill. For instance, I was not really concerned with listening to the
students expression or correcting their expression/ fluency while reading
because I was really working on making sure they understood my
questions and responding to them. I plan on answering these questions by
asking my mentor teacher

Questions To Think About After Reading Mr. Putter & Tabby Take The Train
1. Do you think Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry enjoyed their trip?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________
2. What was the problem & how did they solve it?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. What did we learn about Mrs. Teaberrys character?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
4. What did we learn about Mr. Putters character?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________