1.

) Title: Starfish read aloud 1st grade

2.) Essential Question: What makes something living?
3.) Standards:
1-LS1-1: Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how
animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow and meet their needs
1-LS1-2: Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and
offspring that help offspring survive
1-LS1-3: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young animals
are like, but not exactly like, their parents
4.) Learning Objective:
A: Observe that students understand what makes something living vs. non-living based
on their structure and function
B:
Learning Objective
Observe that students understand what makes
something living vs. non-living based on their
structure and function

Assessment
Have students identify prior knowledge before
the lesson about living things and what they
have learned after reading the book. By the end
of the book students should be able identify sea
star as being a living creature and justify why
they are.

5.) Materials: Starfish book by Edith Thacher Hurd, white board, dry erase markers, paper sea
star cutouts, crayons
6.) Pre-lesson: Ask students what they know about living things. Are we living things? What
makes something living vs. non-living? Next, ask students what they know about sea stars. Pass
around a sea star that is in the class room so students can see and feel a sea star.
7.) Lesson Beginning: I will ask the class if they can make any connections to sea stars and ask
if anyone has ever seen a sea star. I will ask the student if they think sea stars are living or nonliving beings and why they think their answer is correct.
8.) Instructional Plan:

-Call students by their tables to the rug. Introduce the book. Read the title, the name of
the author, and the name of the illustrator. Ask the students what the author does and what the
illustrator does
- Read the book Starfish
-Stop on page 5. Has anyone ever seen a sea star before?
-Stop on page 10. What do you notice about the sea stars?
-Stop on page 12. Does this sea star look the same as the ones weve seen?
-Stop on page 20. What kind of colors are the sea stars?
-Stop on page 30. Who is going to look for a sea star next time theyre near the
sea?
-Ask the students how they liked the book. Identify their favorite parts
-Ask students what they learned about sea stars from the book. Write their responses on
the board
-Once again ask students if they think sea stars are living things and have them back up
their response once again
- Introduce what the next activity is. To manage the class, send students back in groups to
their tables. Give students a paper cutout sea star on their way back to their table
-Have students copy one of the sentences on the board from what they learned about sea
stars from reading the book onto their sea star.
-If there is enough time left, allow students to color/decorate their sea star
Differentiation: I will write students responses about what they learned about sea stars on
the board so students can see the spelling of the words. I wouldnt want students to get
discouraged from writing something because they couldnt spell a word. I will make it
mandatory for students to write at least one thing they learn, but if they wish to write more they
may write as much as theyd like to.
Questions: Ask students what they know about living things. Can you give an example?
How do you know something is living vs. non-living? What is something you learned about sea
stars? Are sea stars living or non-living? How do you know?
Classroom Management: I will organize the students on the rug. They have their theatre
seats. I will send the students to their seats when it is time and they are sitting quietly.

Transitions: I will introduce the activity after discussing the book that was just read. I will
send the students back to their seats when I hand them a cut out sea star.
9.) Closure: As an exit ticket I will have the students go back to their seats and take a paper
sea star cutout. Using the information we wrote on the board about what we learned about sea
stars, students are to write one sentence on their sea star. Once they write their sentence they can
color in and decorate their sea star. Finally, have students glue their sea star into their science
notebook.