Detailed Lesson Preparation Guide

Elementary Education

Name: Kelsey Badgett

Title: Is Being Different Important?

Grade: 1st

Concept/Topic: Community Building/ Main Idea-Key Details-Lesson of the Story

Time Needed: 45 minutes

Identify Desired Results/Learning Outcome/Essential Question:

Students will explain how we are all different and being different is okay.
Students will identify main idea and key details in a story.
Students will state the lesson that they learned from the story.
NCSCOS Standards:
1.C.1 Understand the diversity of people in the local community.
1.C.1.2 Use literature to help people understand diverse cultures.
RL1.2 Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central
message or lesson.
RL1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Assessment Plan:
Students will, at the end of the reading and discussion, complete the sentence starter The main idea
of this story is _______. One key detail in the story is _________. The lesson I learned from this
story is ________. Students will also include a drawing of an elephant/animal that looks unique.

Prior Knowledge/Connections:
Students have learned and talked about main idea and key details in ELA. Students have also used
sentence starters in their work and know how to complete them. One thing that this class does at the
beginning of the year is discuss community building and appreciating who you are, so they will be
able to connect this lesson to what they have learned about being individual and true to yourself.

Lesson Introduction/Hook:
This lesson will start with the reading of the book Elmer by David Mckee and turn and talks with
people sitting around them. Students will be asked to talk about what it means to be different, how
we are different, and why that is important. The book that engages students while also teaching a
lesson and while get students excited to talk about it.
Differentiation/Same-ation:
As the lesson is progressing, there will be several opportunities for discussion and student discourse.
Class discussion will make sure that all students are being exposed to the same information. Turning
and talking with a partner will ensure that every student is participating in discussion, and the ideas
and concepts are reaching each student. The sentence starter will ensure that most to all students
will be able to write and complete the sentence, even if they are not on that writing level yet. The
sentence starter gives students that are struggling with writing a reference point when they get to a
difficult place. I will also ask certain students to include more than one key detail if they can in their
sentence to make sure they do not feel bored and they challenge themselves.

Lesson Development:
1) Play read aloud of book Elmer on YouTube.
All were different, but all were happy what do you think this means? Turn and
talk; what does different mean?
It was Elmer that kept all the other elephants happy but he was different? Does
being different mean that people do not like you?
But Elmer himself wasnt happy. No wonder they laugh at me Does being
different than everyone else make you happy or sad? Why? Turn and talk
None of the other elephants noticed him - Was this good?
Too bad Elmer isnt here to share the fun Was he there? How do we know?
What would we do without you What does special mean? Was Elmer special or
important to the other elephants?
2) Ask the questions Based off of this book, is being different a good or bad thing? Turn and
talk. What happened when Elmer was like all the other elephants? What the world still full
of fun and laughter or was it sad and quiet? Emphasize that the elephants were sad and quiet
without Elmer.
3) Ask class what they believe the main idea of the story to be. Require three students to give a
key detail from the text supporting this main idea.
4) Ask class what they believe the lesson of the story was? What was the story trying to teach
us? Turn and talk.
5) Return to seats and hand out writing paper. Give students the sentence starter and tell them
that they are going to complete it. Go over the sentence starter and read aloud or have a
student read it aloud.
6) Tell students to include their own drawing of a picture of an elephant or animal of their
choice and make it as unique as possible.
7) Have students tell a partner something they like about each other.
8) Go over as a class some examples of the lesson taught and make sure it connects to to being
different and how being different is not bad, it in fact makes the world a better place.

Specific Questioning:
Does being different mean that people do not like you?
Does being different than everyone else make you happy or sad? Why?
What it good that Elmer was not noticed by the other elephants?
Was Elmer special or important to the other elephants?
Based off of this book, is being different a good or bad thing?
What happened when Elmer was like all the other elephants?
Was the world still the same, fun and full of laughter, or was it changed, sad and quiet, when
the other elephants thought Elmer was gone?
 What is the main idea of the story?
What are some key details in this story?
What do you believe the lesson of this story to be or what is it trying to teach us?
Does this mean that everybody, though we are all different, is important and special to this
world?

New Vocabulary:
Special: Different from what is usual
Important: Mean something to somebody; needed
Different: Unlike others
Lesson of the story: what the story was trying to teach us or get us to learn
Happy: feeling or showing pleasure; smiling, laughing, having fun

Concluding the Lesson/Closure/Debriefing:

As a class, we will discuss the main ideas and lessons taught in this book. We will talk about being
different and how the world needs people who are different to make it a better place. Students will
finish the lesson by completing the sentence starter provided for them. They will also be required to
draw a picture of an elephant in their own way and make it unique.

Materials/Resources:
The book Elmer or read aloud online
Crayons
Pencils
Paper with room to write and draw

Teaching Behavior Focus:

Attend to Equity: One major thing in the classroom that I am placed in and will implement in
my classroom is making sure the lesson is equal to all and considers all students academic
needs. Students should be able to take the lesson to the level that they are able to and not
become frustrated or bored. Also, I want the lesson to be relevant in each students lives and
each student be able to make connections to the content in some way.
Promote Collaboration: Students will work together as a class to figure out the lesson of the
story and the main idea from the story. Also, students will have to think about how they are
different and consider everyone in their class when doing so.
Orchestrate Discussion: There will be many instances for turn and talk during the reading to
make sure the students are making connections between what we are reading and the lessons
we are learning.

Follow-Up Activities/Parent Involvement

Give students the assignment to go home and become the teacher and teach the people in their lives
about what being different means and how the world is special because everyone is different. Discuss
with the people in their lives about being different, being special, and being important.