Read Aloud Lesson Plan: Sequencing a Text

Julie Torre
Observation Time: 10/28/15 at 10:45 A.M.
Observation Room: 2-210 at P.S. 20: The Anna Silver School

I.

Central Focus/ Essential Question:

The central focus of this lesson is to sequence a story across
five fingers. Students will use their sequencing words, first, second,
next, then and last to tell the story they are reading. How do we tell
a story using sequencing words so that other people, who may not
have read the book, will understand what happens in the text?

II.

Understandings/ Context:
During this lesson, students will learn how to tell a story in a
concise and comprehensive way so that in the future, they could
read any text and pull out key ideas from it. I will read the book, The
Leaving Morning by Angela Johnson to the whole class and I will
model how to tell the story across my five fingers. I will do this with
the help of the students and I will ask that they use their
sequencing words. While I am reading the book, I will stop at points
and model my own thinking as I go through the text. I will make
note of plot and the feelings characters are having. I will also
explain to the children that not every part of the book (not every
page) contains a key idea or a key part of the story and some parts
can be grouped together. Once I have read through the text and we
have told the story across our five fingers, using our sequencing
words, I will ask that the students go back to their seats and read
through a book in their book baggies (books that are on their
appropriate reading levels). After they have each finished their
books, I will ask them to tell the story across their five fingers. They
will write the key ideas on the template provided (attached). Finally,
I will ask two students to share their stories with the class and
reiterate how we are pulling out five consecutive ideas to correctly
tell the whole story.

III.

Common Core Standards:

RL 2.5 , RL 2.7 , W 2.3 , SL 2.2 , SL 2.4

IV.

Prior Knowledge/ Key Misunderstandings:

The class has already been taught the sequencing words (first,
second, next, then and last), but they have only worked with them
using their own story ideas. In this lesson the students will use their
prior knowledge of the sequencing words and set aside the five plot
points that will allow them to tell their story in a concise way. This
will allow people who have not read the book, to understand the
story anyway.
One misunderstanding, which I slightly touched on, is that the
students may assume that each page of the story holds a specific
key point of the book. I will emphasize to the students that certain
plot points are more necessary to talk about then others. Some plot
points can also be combined. As an example, I will talk about the
difference between a characters thought and the actual act they
are doing. The act is what we are noting. In the book the speaker
thinks about packing that was done prior to him telling this story,
but then he tells us how he is saying good bye to all of his friends,
the grocer, the people in the building and his cousins. Because the
author is doing that as he is telling the story, we should make that
as part of the story with our sequencing words.
V.

Materials:
The Leaving Morning by Angela Johnson
Large Lined Paper
Excel Markers
Sequencing Paper (Attached)

VI.

Lesson Tasks:
I will begin the lesson in a whole group discussion on the rug. The
following is how I envision the lesson:
SO who can tell me how we tell a story across our five fingers? Ill
give you a hint!
Using my first finger I say:
First!..Who can tell me the others?
Here students raise their hands and I call on people to
(hopefully) say second, next, then and last. As they are telling
me the sequencing words, I am writing them in order on the
large lined paper using excel markers.
Great job second graders! We have been practicing using these
words to tell our own stories but today we are going to learn how
authors tell their own stories across THEIR five fingers! I am
going to read this book to you. It is called The Leaving Morning, it
is by Angela Johnson. While Im reading it, I will be asking some

questions and I want you to pay attention to the important parts

of the story.
Before we start I want to ask a couple of things. This story is
about a little boy whos family is moving away from his house
and into a different house. Does anyone have an idea about how
he might be feeling? Try to use the cover art to understand the
characters emotions.
Here, take about 3-4 answers before moving on. Try to convey
that the character might be feeling sad, happy, excited,
nervous
Great! Well now we have made a prediction about how the
character could be feeling, lets now focus on what is going on in
the story. Remember that as I read we should be paying attention
to the plot so that at the end we can tell what happened across
our five fingers!
I will model my thinking while reading the story. Talk about the
characters and what is going on in correspondence with the
pictures to make it obvious when things are important. Make a
note while reading of the five finger sequences. (Oh so first they
were standing at the window waiting and now they are saying
goodbye to people)
At the end of the story: Wow! So much happened in that book!
Who can tell me the first thing they remember happening?
As they go, I help them put the ideas into a concise sentence.
This shows them they dont need every detail, just key parts.
Write each sentence next to their corresponding sequence word.
This models for them what they will be doing on their
worksheets.
Now that we have sequences my story, I want everyone to
sequence a story they want to read! So I am going to ask you to
go back to your desks, quietly read a book from your book
baggie and tell your story across your five fingers. I am going to
hand out papers with the five sequencing words on them and you
will write, just like I did, a sentence next to your words. So can I
ask question? If something happened second would I write it next
to first? What about if I wrote it next to last? No right? I
would only be able to write what happened second after
second. When we are all done I am going to pick two people to

share their story using their five fingers! Remember I have never
read your story so make sure you tell me everything important
that happened!
VII.

Culmination/ Reflection
I will explain through my lesson their task by modeling what they
will be doing on their papers on the large lined paper. They will help
me sequence The Leaving Morning so they will be able to
understand how to tell the stories through drawing and sentences
as they are reading across their five fingers using sequencing
words. As they are filling out their papers, I will walk around and
help them if they need it. I will ask at least two people to share their
stories with the class.

Name: ____________________________________
__________________________

Date:

Title: _________________________________________________________

First __________________________________________
_______________________________________

Second

________________________________________
_______________________________________

Next
__________________________________________

______________ _________________________

Then
__________________________________________
_________________________

Last
__________________________________________
______________
_________________________