LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program

Mattie Thomas
Hugh K. Cassell Elementary
Ms. Hoy - Kindergarten

I. TITLE OF LESSON Read Aloud on Each Kindness written by Jacqueline Woodson

II. CONTEXT OF LESSON
Read-alouds are important because they help children with comprehension, discussion of the
book, aid in predicting what will happen next, learn new vocabulary, helps children to become more
interested in reading, and those participating have more of a chance of being at a higher reading
level. I myself have observed students excitement when it is read aloud time. Within my class in
particular, they have had many children move away or come into the classroom in the middle of the
school year. Therefore, I believe it's very important to emphasize and discuss the importance of
kindness, as you may not get the chance if the student were ever to leave the classroom.
III. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand: The student will understand the importance of kindness.
Know: Students will learn the characteristics of bullying and its effects on others. This story helps
children to understand and take responsibility for their actions. Also, by not having a happy ending,
it highlights that you only have one chance to be nice, that you may not get that second chance to
make things right. Everyone's feelings are important and thus should be respected - this a great story
to showcase the importance of kindness to children.
Do: They will know the characteristics of bullying and how they can best change their attitudes and
relationships with other classmates and enact kindness.
IV. COLLECTION OF ASSESSMENT DATA
Children will answer the question: What is an act of kindness that you have done OUTSIDE of the
classroom?
They will write a response and draw a picture in their daily journal.
I will copy examples from a lower, average, and advanced reader.
I will discuss these examples in my reflection.
V. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (K & 1) OR FOUNDATION
BLOCKS (Preschool)
Civics
K.8

The student will demonstrate that being a good citizen involves

a)
taking turns and sharing;
b)
taking responsibility for certain classroom chores;
c)
taking care of personal belongings and respecting what belongs to others;
d)
following rules and understanding the consequence of breaking rules;
e)
practicing honesty, self-control, and kindness to others;
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f)
g)

participating in decision making in the classroom;

participating successfully in group settings.

Family Life
K.2
The student will experience respect from and for others.
K.3
The student will become aware of the effects of his or her behavior on others and the
effects of others' behavior on himself or herself.
VI. MATERIALS NEEDED
Each Kindness by Jacueline Woodson
Prepared question for the students to reflect on in their journal
White board in which to write tier 2 words found in the story so that the students
may use them in their writing assignment
VII. PROCEDURE
A. PREPARATION OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
I will make sure that each child has their writing journals inside their desks.
B. INTRODUCTION AND ORGANIZATION
Start off by enacting a transition "The Listening Song" and have everyone join me on the carpet.
Begin discussion: Ask: Does anyone know what the word kindness means? What do you believe is
kindness?
Stop at the end of page 4: So this is Maya, how do you think she is feeling right now? Is
there anything from this picture that tells us how she is feeling?
Page 5: Why do you think Chloe is behaving this way? Why do you think she is moving her
belongings further away from Maya and not smiling back at her?
Page 13: Why do you think Chloe said that Maya wasn't her friend? Was it because of what
Maya had that made the other kids not like her?
Page 17: What do you all think of the nickname for Maya? Do you think that's a nice
nickname?
How many of you have an older brother or sister? Do you sometimes wear their old
clothes? Do you think that's okay? Is it okay to borrow and share clothing?
Page 19: What is a ripple? A ripple is like a fold or a little wave in the water. Kind of like the
ocean, it makes ripples and then the waves come and crash on shore.
When we talk about a ripple of kindness, what do you all think, do you believe kindness can
keep spreading and get bigger and bigger? What are some other things that you could do here in the
classroom that might have a ripple effect?
End: What if Chloe were to see Maya again, how do you think she would respond, now
knowing the importance of kindness?

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C. IMPLEMENTATION
We will hold a discussion on bullying and the effects of kindness.
When Maya first came into the classroom, what was the first thing the other students
noticed?
Is that the first thing you notice when meeting someone new?
How else can we describe Maya beyond her appearance? What does the book tell us
about her on the inside?
Why do you think no one else in the class was kind to Maya?
Kindness is like tiny waves each little thing we do goes out, like a ripple into the
world. Chloe was unable to think of even a tiny kindness she had done. What small
act of kindness could Chloe have shown during the story?
How do you think Chloe feels when Maya never comes back to school and has
moved away?
What can we learn from Chloe?
What do you think would happen if Chloe saw Maya again?
After discussion:
I will break the class into small groups of 3-4 and ask students to brainstorm some
ways they can show kindness to others. After a few minutes I will ask the class to
come back to the carpet and ask student that they share some of their ideas.
From which point, I will challenge students to practice these ideas in the next week
and when I return the following week we will discuss their experiences.
D. CLOSURE
Following the discussion, the children will write in their journals, answering the question:
What is an act of kindness that you have done OUTSIDE of the classroom?

They may choose to include a picture if they wish.

E. CLEAN-UP
I will need to make sure that all sentences have been reviewed and journals have been put
away and the class is back to its usual order.
VIII. DIFFERENTIATION
For differentiation, I will be using the tier 2 words, which are words that are not seen
everyday. By going over these words, I am catering to the needs of the slower literacy developing
students.
Before enacting the writing assignment, I will write down some tier 2 words that might
enrich and benefit children in their writing. These words maybe as follows; bullying, kindness,
sharing, or caring, and any other words that I deem fit to the situation. I will point to the word on
the board, state the word, and then ask if the students know and understand it's meaning. If they do
not, I will proceed to give examples of the word in other sentences and provide synonyms that may
help the student make stronger connections.
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IX. WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
Opening of the Lesson:
Some students may not want to sing along or do the hand gestures that accompany the song. I need
to make sure that I clearly explain and before I start, make sure they understand to be active and
participate. Hopefully, at this point, the students will be more alert and ready to learn as they sit
quietly in the carpet. If they are shy to talk, I can ask questions like, Are you happy when someone's
nice to you? Do you think you would be happy if someone was mean to you?
Lesson:
For all of the questions that I ask, I should be prepared to scaffold the discussion if they are having
trouble answering.
Closing of the Lesson:
Students may have trouble staying on task as they are split up into groups, they may choose to
socialize rather than complete the discussion. I will make sure to cycle around to help them with the
activity as needed. I do not see there being any trouble with the journal as they write in them on a
regular basis. However, they might struggle on some of the tier 2 words, in which case I will have
left the written words on the white board at the front of the classroom for students to reference
during their writing.
Behavior:
Throughout the lesson, I need to be aware of behaviors during the lesson. Whether that be quietly
asking the student to listen to the reading, separating two students from each other, or I could say, I
like the way that
is sitting quietly and listening.
X. REFLECTION
In reflecting on the precession of the Read Aloud Lesson Plan, overall it went well. For my own
benefits, I suggest that in the future I practice reading the intended story multiple more times before
presenting to the class. Though I had practiced twice before the lesson, I would have benefited from
more review.

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