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Response Unit: Responding to a Storybook How Full Is Your Bucket?

By: Sarah Battista (260481098)

McGill University Faculty of Education Fall 2013

LESSON PLAN

DATE: November 5th , and 6th 2013 TIME: 2 Class Periods DURATION: 140 minutes CLASS (Grade or Cycle): Cycle 2 Grade 4 SCHOOL: Honor-Mercier School

OBJECTIVES

To have students write a response by responding to a storybook. To have students write about and explain the different structures and features of the text that lend to the meaning/main ideas of communication forms by having students look at the books different structures and features, by having students discuss them, and by having them write about them in their responses. To have students think of the main ideas/theme(s) of what they are subject to by having students discuss the storybook and by having students write a response including the storys main ideas and theme. To have students make connections to the book by having students include textto-self, text-to-text, and/or text-to-world connections in their responses.

To have students offer their opinion regarding the book and/or its theme(s) by having students respond to the book and include their opinions/thoughts.
COMPETENCIES

English Language Arts: Competency 1: To read and listen to literary, popular, and information-based texts. Competency 2: To write self-expressive, narrative, and information-based texts. Competency 4: To use language to communicate and learn.

Cross-Curricular Competencies: To use information To exercise critical judgment To adopt effective work methods To construct his/her identity To cooperate with others To communicate appropriately

Professional Competencies: To communicate clearly in the language of instruction, both orally and in writing, using correct grammar, in various contexts related to teaching To pilot teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to the students concerned and to the subject content with a view to developing the competencies targeted in the programs of study To plan, organize and supervise a class in such a way as to promote students' learning and social development To integrate information and communications technologies (ict) in the preparation and delivery of teaching/learning activities and for instructional management and professional development purposes To engage in professional development individually and with others

Materials: Reading Response Copybooks Zoomer Response How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids Book (At least two copies) Pencil Eraser

Smart Board Post-Its Bucket Checklists (adapted checklists as well) Bucket Checklist Poster Computer Classroom Bucket Bucket Filler Stencils: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/73605775130262435/ How to Fill a Bucket Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FAo_mMbGyU Canadians: A Happy Bunch Article (to make connections)

Classroom Management Strategies: Turning off the lights Counting down Point system Positive Reinforcement

Prior knowledge: Students have written their first response to an article a few weeks ago by making connections, writing a summary and giving their opinion. A week after this response, students wrote another response to a public service announcement called House Hippo. Students had to write about the public service announcements main ideas, its message, and about its structures and features. In order to prepare students for their ELA exam at the end of the year, my cooperating teacher and I are having students write a series of responses. Students have also learnt about paragraphs a few weeks ago, which will help them to write their responses in an organized manner.

TIME

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5 min. Discussion: Explain to students that today they will be writing another response which will be taken in and graded as was told to them at the beginning of the unit. Ask students to tell you what is important to think about when responding to a text? Ask them to think about what was focused on for the previous responses. Have students mention the importance of looking at structures and features, at making connections, and the importance of providing the main ideas and message of something. Including ones opinion is also yet another way to respond to a text. 15 min. Share: Share a sample response on the Smart Board to the story Zoomer which was read to students a few weeks ago during library. Read the response to students, and ask students for comments. Ask them to tell you what you included in the response. Tell students that this response was written as a model to show students what you are looking for in their responses. To help students analyze the response, show them the created response checklist poster (students will each after receive their own copy in print). Go through the created response checklist together. Tell students that they will be writing the same type of response, but to another story, How to Fill a Bucket? Ask students what they think the story will be about. 5 min. Post it Activity: To have students start thinking about making connections and about the theme/main idea of the story, have them each take out a post-it and write down one thing that makes them happy and one thing that makes them unhappy. Have volunteers share their answers aloud.

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5 min. Checklist: Now, hand each student a copy of the response checklist, and explain how, just like with their paragraph writing assignment, they will have to check off every box to assure that that they have included all that is necessary in their responses. Read over the checklist and tell students that they must hand them in with their responses and assure that each box is checked off. This shows students exactly what you are looking for and what you will be grading. Ask if there are any questions. 2 min. Explain: Tell students that before you read the story, you want to re-explain what must be included in their responses. Explain how they will be writing in paragraph form about the main ideas/message in one paragraph. In essence, students are to include the message of the story as one of the main ideas. The next paragraph will be their connections to the text. The third will be about the structures and features of the text with explanations, and the final paragraph will be their opinion. In total, they will have four paragraphs. 30 min. Read-Aloud: Get all of the students to quietly come up to the front, and read How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids to them. While reading, stop at different pages and ask students to think about the activity they completed earlier. Tell students to think of a time when they felt happy; this is when their buckets were full. Ask how the children in the story are filling other peoples buckets, and ask students if the children being kind have full or empty buckets. At the end of the read-aloud, have students return to their desks and share some comments. Write students comments on the Smart Board and keep them up while students are responding. Ask them what they think some of the main ideas were (everyone has an invisible bucket,

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happiness, filling peoples buckets by being kind and helpful, how being unkind to others doesnt fill their buckets or yours, etc). Tell students to think back to their post-its. The thing that makes them happy would be a bucket filler, and the one thing they wrote that makes them unhappy would be a bucket dipper. What do they think is the message of the story (We fill each others invisible buckets when we show kindness and respect. When we are unkind to those around us, we dip in their bucket as well as our own. When we treat each other well, our happiness increases.)? What are some structures and features (text is sometimes bigger and in bold, there are dialogue boxes such as Annas where she scribbles in red on a drawing of Felix which represents that she does not like her brother right now and the red symbolizing that she is mad, when Felix is speaking in front of his class he is tall, he looks happy and is big on the page, the bucket near the end of the story is drawn big on top of Felixs head as it is full, Wahhh is shaped as if we can see the words coming out of Annas mouth and is in bold to show that she is screaming and crying loudly, Drip gets bigger as the story progresses and as Felix hurts more and more, Drip, Drop are big and stand out on the pages, THWACK is in a pointy, straight lines and edgy dialogue box as opposed to a smooth circular dialogue box, Grandpa! is in bold to show that Anna is screaming, Drop appears often on the end pages because of all the kind things showing us that they are making him feel better, and in the end Felix is holding his sister up high, as high as the tower of blocks, both of them are feeling good.)? What are their opinions or some connections? Have students provide you with the answers and try not to say too much unless you see that students are really off track. Use some pages in the book to help them if they have trouble thinking of things, especially structures and

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features. 5 min. Have Students Listen to the Story Again Re-read the story to students as they are sitting at their desks. Tell students to think about the items on their checklist as you read. By going through the storybook again after students have discussed its different aspects, students can get to really understand the content and hopefully begin getting ideas for their own responses. 5 min. Discussion: Ask students what this storybook makes them think of. Remember our first written response? How are these two related? They both talk about happiness and different things that can make us happy. Encourage students to take out their articles and make text-totext connections. Tell students that there will be at least two copies of the book that students can use while writing their responses. Ask if there are any questions.

2 min.

**As an aside, now is the time to tell students that you will be purchasing a bucket and keeping it in the classroom near the teachers desk throughout the rest of the year. Show the bucket filler stencils and tell students that any time they have free time they may come up, grab a stencil and write a few kind words to a friend or even to the teacher to help fill up their buckets and spread happiness. The teacher may also fill out some of the stencils for students as a way of motivating and encouraging them, or as a way of managing the classroom. The fuller the class bucket gets, the fuller and happier the class community and environment. Encourage students to participate and tell students that every now and then one designated student, or the teacher, will distribute the drops of happiness. Tell students that if they have finished in

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advance, they may read a book from the classroom library or write some kind words to begin filling the class bucket.

60 min.

Responding: Have students begin writing their responses in their reading response copybooks. Tell students that they must write neatly. Write the title of their response on the board (Response to How Full Is Your Bucket?). Remind them that this response is being graded, so tell them to please do their best. Remind them to use their checklists as you will also be picking them up. Tell students that they may also look back to their previous responses and look at the comments I added to help them. Once students have finished writing, encourage them to fill out a bucket filler stencil and/or to read a book from the classroom library or choose from the fun activities bin. While students are writing, circulate the classroom. Video of How Full Is Your Bucket? For those students who are visual, and to integrate

6 min. technology and allow students to engage with the book in a different way, share a video of How Full Is Your Bucket? from You Tube where the story is read to students and where there are added sound effects. Do this once all of the responses have been picked up. Share: If time permits, either before or after responses are graded, have volunteers share their responses. Talk with students about what was done well and/or if anything is missing. Have the responses act as models and to help you emphasize the process of writing responses further.

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Assessment/Evaluation: By reading students responses, the teacher will see if students have properly answered the questions. The responses will be marked according to the rubric used for students ELA end of cycle exams.

*Differentiated Instruction: The teacher will ensure that the text on the Smart Board, poster

and checklist are large enough for a student who has trouble reading normal font size. The teacher will make sure that the important words for the Smart Board checklist are bolded and stand out. The teacher will circulate the room and pay most attention to those students who struggle in ELA and/or who had most trouble writing their previous response (Salvatore, Adriano, Lorenzo, Anthony P., Elena, Siena, Nicola, Sierra, and Luca). In addition, the teacher will allow those students who are coded and who struggle to write less; they will be able to write one less connection. They will not have to provide a text-to-world connection. A separate checklist will be created.

Reference List A Lesson on How To Keep Your Emotional Bucket Full. New Age Teacher. Web. Retrieved from <http://www.newageteacher.com/how-full-is-your-bucket/>.

Bucket Filler Lesson Plan - Kathy Saldivar's Teaching Portfolio. Kathy Saldivar's Teaching Portfolio. Web. Retrieved from <http://kathysaldivar.weebly.com/bucket-filler-lessonplan.html>.

How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids. YouTube. Web. Retrieved from <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5R6-2m_qHk#t=172>.

How Full Is Your Bucket? Pinterest. Web. Retrieved from <http://www.pinterest.com/lharvey3/how-full-is-your-bucket/>.

How Full Is Your Bucket? | TeachKidsArt. TeachKidsArt. Web. Retrieved from <http://www.teachkidsart.net/how-full-is-your-bucket/>.

Quebec Education Program. (2001). Retrieved from http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/DGFJ/dp/programme_de_formation/primaire/educprg2001h. htm.

Rath, Tom, and Mary Reckmeyer. How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2009. Print.

Rubric for Response to Literature. Retrieved from cooperating teacher at Honor-Mercier Elementary School.

The Canadian Reader. (2013). Issue 2. Retrieved from cooperating teacher at Honor-Mercier Elementary School.

Young, Ned. Zoomer. New York: Harper, 2010. Print.

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