Unit Plan 1, The Mitten

Stage 1 Desired Results

Goals:
The Maine Learning Results that can be accomplished through this unit plan are
increasing comprehension, vocabulary, interconnected elements, narrative, practical
application, listening, speaking, and analysis of media. The unit incorporates elements
of The Maine Learning Results English Language Arts standard
Understandings:
Students will understand
The main idea of this unit is for students to understand and have good
comprehension of the book that was read out loud to the class while being able to
follow and understand a story line, and later recreate the story.
Specific understandings are recall of the text, learning new animal names and
expanding vocabulary, and understanding picture/text relationships.
Predictable misunderstandings are names of unfamiliar animals in the text and an
inability to recall in the correct order of events.
New vocabulary skills, identifying the main idea of the story, comprehension, and
setting are all skills that students can take from this unit plan.
Essential Questions:
Ask students questions to engage them in the story, examples are as follows:
Why did the ___(any animal) climb into the mitten?
Why did the animals leave the mitten, what happened?
How many animals were in the mitten?
What color was the mitten?
what was your favorite animal that was in the mitten, can you think of any other
animals that were in the mitten?
Who is baba, and why is she called that?
why did the other animals make room for the fox?

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks:
Through what authentic performance tasks will students demonstrate the desired
understandings?
Teacher observation, completion of a worksheet that includes questions and
picture cards, cutting out and making their own mitten with animals to follow along
with while the story is read out loud.

Evaluation Tools & Techniques:

performances of understanding will be judged by teacher observation of
recall in a small group setting.
Students will students demonstrate achievement of the desired results by
completing their pictograph worksheets and use of vocabulary through teacher
observation in naming all animals.
students will reflect upon and self-assess their learning by telling the class
their favorite animal from the story, talking about the story line and sequence in a
small group setting, and by creating their own personal mitten with all of the
animals from the story.

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Learning Activities:
What learning experiences and instruction will enable students to achieve the desired
results? How will the design
W = Help the students know Where the unit is going and What is expected?
Help the teacher know Where the students are coming from (prior knowledge,
interests)?
Every morning at our morning meeting we will discuss the activity involving the mitten for that
day. At morning meeting the story will be read to students so that they can better recall ideas
from the story. Students will have time to discuss the colors of the animals, state their favorite
animal from the story, and state their favorite part of the story.
H = Hook all students and Hold their interest?
To hook all students and hold their interest ask the student questions about every page as you
read them the story. Ask students what time of year it is, and if they play outside with mittens
too. Ask students to engage in the story and read the big sneeze from the bear achoooo
together as a class.
E = Equip students, help them Experience the key ideas and Explore the
issues?
Explain to students that in the story baba is what the boy calls his grandmother, just like they
may call their grandmother something different like nana or gram. Explain to students what
some animals are that may be unfamiliar to them, explain what they do and what type of areas
they live in. Ask students what they liked most about the story and tie it to key points to enhance
understanding. Ask students if they have questions, and give them explanations when they have
a question.
R = Provide opportunities to Rethink and Revise their understandings and
work?

Ask students questions throughout the story so that it gives them an opportunity to rethink and
revise understandings.
E = Allow students to Evaluate their work and its implications?
When students are coloring their animals ask them if the color is the correct color. Ask students
to look at the pictures in the book and see if their colors match, giving them an opportunity to
evaluate their own work.
T=
Be Tailored (personalized) to the different needs, interest, and abilities
of learners?
If a student struggles with a concept or a name of an animal or is having a hard time
remembering the story line ask them to ask a friend for help in following along.
O = Be Organized to maximize initial and sustained engagement as well as
effective learning?
Plan out the activity for the day, and also be ready for the next activity to come.
If a student finishes one of the activities before other students have something for
them to move on to.

Resources:
Identify in list form the resources you used in planning and teaching your unit. Include not only
printed sources, but audio-visual aids or computer software you incorporated, as well as
websites, guest speakers, and individuals you consulted.
Students will be able to
As a result students should know the new animal names to animals that they have just been
introduced to, retell the main ideas of the story, put their cut out animals in their cut out mittens
in the right order, tell the name of the story, the color of the mitten, who knitted the boy his
mitten, participate in creating a classroom mitten, and name the color of the mitten.

Scope and Sequence:

Day/Date
2/2 Monday

2/3
Tuesday

2/4
Wednesday

Topic
Reading of The Mitten, becoming
familiar with the book.

Activities
Reading of the book, check for
understanding while reading, and
introduce new vocabulary.
Reading of the book, cutting out
mittens, asking students to recall
Reading of The Mitten, gaining a
things about the story while cutting
better understanding cutting out their out their mittens and stapling them
own paper mitten.
together.
Listening to the story in the morning,
Reread story, and have students color later in the afternoon have students
animals from the story and then cut
color and cut out animals to place in
them out
their own mitten.

2/5 Thursday

Reread story
2/6
Friday
Reread story
2/9
Monday
2/10
Tuesday

Reread story

Reread story

Have students place animals into

their own mitten during the story.
Have students watch a video clip on
the story in the afternoon on the
creation of the story by the author.
Hold a discussion and sequence
events using picture cards.
Ask students for the main ideas and
to recall vocabulary that they have
learned from the story (new animal
names).

2/11
Wednesday
Reread story
2/12
Thursday

Reread story
2/13
Friday
Reread story

Create a classroom mitten

Have students do a classroom chart
during morning meeting of their
favorite animal in the story. Discuss
why, and if their favorite animal in
the story is one that they knew about
before reading the story.
Have students fill out worksheets
connecting animals to the mitten and
worksheet that asks important
questions about the story.

Assessment
Informal discussion and
observation

Checking for comprehension,

discussing story sequence,
observation.
Recall of sequence of the story
during craft time, asking students
to recall animals color.
Observation, can students
sequence events during the story?
Ask questions, and have a
discussion. Guided practice.
Observe students and hold a class
discussion.
Observation, discussion, and
guided practice.

Observation and informal

discussion.
The classroom mitten is a teacher
made test where each student
needs to contribute evidence of
understanding.

Observation, informal discussion.

Summative assessment, teacher
made test, multiple choice and
matching.

Bibliography
Brett, Jan. Put The Animals in The Mitten. 1996-2011. 25 January 2015
<http://www.janbrett.com/put_the_animals_in_the_mitten.htm>.
. The Mitten: A Ukranian Folktale. New York: Putnam, 1989.
Carroll, Cara. The First Grade Parade. 2014. 26 January 2015
<http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/2011/01/mitten-loads-of-fun.html>.
Finch, Melissa Toth. The Autism Adventures of Room 83. 8 January 2014. 26 January 2015
<http://theadventuresofroom83.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-mitten-by-jan-brettactivities.html>.