First Grade Gone Batty!

An integrative unit of fiction and nonfiction

Overview
Thisunitlessonplaninvitesstudentstodelveintotheuniquenessofbatsascreaturesthrough
involvementwithfictionandnonfictiontext.Thetopicofbats,combinedwiththefallcelebrationtimeof
year,drawsinstudentstoengagewithtextthatisbasedinreality,aswellasstoriesaboutbat
characters.Studentswillmeetbatswithpersonalitythroughstoriessuchas
Stellaluna
and
Nightsong,

whilealsoaddingfactualsupporttotheeverexpandingunderstandingofbatsthroughselected
nonfictionreading.Thisunitintegratesscientificexplorationwithessentialreadingelementsoffirst
grade,particularlyfocusedintheareasofidentifyingandorganizingfacts,sequencingelementsofa
storyanddefiningcharactertraits.Creatingcommongroundamongstudentsbyreadingaboutrealbats
andbatcharactersestablishesastartingpointformeaningfullearning.Notonlywillstudentstakeaway
fromthisunitgreaterunderstandingofbats,butwillbecomebetterreadersanddeeperthinkersinthe
process.

TableofContents

1. Standards
2. Goals
3. Objectives
4. Integration
5. ThinkingLevels
6. Preassessment
7. AnticipatorySet:Pre/Postassessment
8. IntroductionActivityBatProject
9. Lesson#1ZipandZoomthroughNonfiction
10. Lesson#2BatsCan,Have,AreNonfiction
11. Lesson#3Stellaluna
12. Lesson#4Nightsong
13. Lesson#5
13.UnitReflections
14.Bibliography

Standards

CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.1.2
Writeinformative/explanatorytextsinwhichtheynameatopic,supplysomefactsaboutthetopic,and
providesomesenseofclosure.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1.5
Explainmajordifferencesbetweenbooksthattellstoriesandbooksthatgiveinformation,drawingona
widereadingofarangeoftexttypes.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1
.9
Compareandcontrasttheadventuresandexperiencesofcharactersinstories.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RI.1.2
Identifythemaintopicandretellkeydetailsofatext.

S.RS.01.11Demonstratescientificconceptsthroughvariousillustrations,performances,models,
exhibits,andactivities.

L.HE.01.11Identifycharacteristics(forexample:bodycoverings,beakshape,numberoflegs,body
parts)thatarepassedonfromparentstoyoung.

Goals

Thelearnerwillengagewithbatsascreaturesandcharactersthroughfictionandnonfictiontext.
Thelearnerwillgainappreciationforreadingthroughexposureandconnectiontomeaningful
characters.
Thelearnerwilldiscoverbatsasanimalsthroughthebuildingofbackgroundknowledgeand
learningoffactsregardingbats.
Thelearnerwillexplorethedifferencesbetweenfictionalbatsandbatsinreallife.

Objectives
Icannamethreefactsaboutbats.
Icanreadinformationaltext.
Icanlabelpartsofabat.
Icanlistdifferenttypesofbats.
Icancomparefictionandnonfictionbooks.
Icandescribecharactersinstories.
Icandescribemaindetailsinstories.

SubjectIntegration
Thescienceofbatsisbeingbroughtintothereadingcurriculumthroughtheuseoffictionand
nonfictiontext.Studentswilldelveintolearningaboutdifferenttypesofbats,batcharacteristicsandthe
uniquenessofbatsasnocturnalanimalsallwhilebuildingreadingandwritingskills.

HighLevelThinking(Blooms)
LearningStyles
Verbally,studentswillengagethroughmanystoriesreadaloudandclassdiscussionsregardingthethemesofthe
booksread.Studentswillbegivenampleopportunityineachoftheunitlessonstoverballyshareideasandreceive
verbalfeedbackfrompeersandinstructors.
Visually,studentswillbeimmersedinbatimagery,bothfictionalandnon.Fromstudentcreatedworkthroughout
theroom,postershanging(bothprofessionalandstudentcreated),fictionandnonfictiontextaswellasvideossprinkled
throughout,studentswhobenefitfromvisuallearningwillengagewiththefullexperienceofseeingbats.Studentswillbe
invitedtocreatevisualorganizersasawholeclassandsmallgroupsthroughtheuseofacan/have/arechartandaVenn
diagram.Studentswillbeinstructedhowtomakebatsindifferentwaysthroughmultipleprojectsintheunitlesson.
Kinesthetically,studentswillbeencouragedtoparticipateinsharedwriting.Physically,studentswillmovethrough
thewholegroupandwritetheirownthinkingonthewholeclasschart.Asanaddedkinestheticconnection,afterwatching
abatvideoorreadingabatbook,studentswillbeinvitedtomovebacktotheirdesksquietlybutpretendingtheyare
flying,withtheirwingsout,likeabat.
Atactileconnection,forlearnerswhobenefitfromfinemotor,sensoryinput,theuseofabatpuppetduringthe
Stellaluna
lessonwillengagelearners.Studentswillhavetheopportunitytomanipulatethepuppetiftheyvolunteerto
sharetheirthinkingwiththewholeclass.Everystudentwillbeinvitedtopet/interactwiththebatpuppetastheyreturnto
workattheirdesks.Afterstudentsfinishtheirwritingwork,theywillcomereadtheirwritingtothepuppet.Anadded
activityforstudentswhobenefitfromtactileengagementisthevotingcharttotallywhetherpeopleinourclassthinkbats
arecoolorcreepy.Studentswillcutoutabatandtapetheirvotetothelargegrouptallychartinordertorepresenttheir
owndata.Thestudentswillsee,hearandfeelinamultitudeofmannerthroughoutengagementwiththebatunit.
Technology
Throughouttheunitlessonplan,studentswillengagewithtechnologythroughtheuseofvideosshowntothe
wholegrouptobuildbackgroundknowledgeandactivateschema.Studentswillalsobenefitfromuseofthedocument
camera,projectorandscreentomakeinstructorexamplesaccessibletoallstudentsintheclassroom.
AffectiveDomain

Withinthisunit,studentswillengagewithmorethanjusttheacademiccontent.Therearesomanywaysinwhich
studentswillmakeaffectivegainsoverthecourseofthisunit.Studentswillbuildcommunitywithoneanotherbylearning
toworkinsmallgroupsettings.Sofarthissemester,studentshavenotyethadtheopportunitytoworkindirectedsmall
groupsettings.Thisunitwillintroducestudentstosmallgroupworkthroughcollaborativeprojectsanddirected
discussion.
Global/MulticulturalIssues
Wewillexplorethedifferenttypesofbatsinallareasoftheworldandthedifferenthabitatsinwhichbatslive
throughouttheunitlessons.Wewillalsodiscussthedifferentopinionsofstudentsaboutbats,whetherbatsarecoolor
creepy,inordertofostertheideathatdifferentpeoplemaythinkandfeelthingsinuniqueways.
HandsonLearning
Studentswillengageinhandsonlearningduringvariousactivitiesthroughouttheunit.Thestudentswillbe
introducedtothebatunitthroughthehandsoncreationofabatproject.Thestudentswillgettoengagewiththebatunit
lessonthroughsharedwriting,completionofavotingchartaswellascreatingabattopresentthestudentscan/have/are
writing.Theuseofabatpuppetwillinvitethestudentswhobenefitfromtactilelearningtoengagewiththelesson.
Accommodations
Eachlessonincludesanextensionactivityorwayinwhichstudentsmaybechallengedaswellasanideafor
accommodatedlearningforstudentswhomaystruggle.UniversalDesignforLearningtechniqueshavebeenincluded
andwillbeappliedthroughouttheunitlessonplan.Studentswillbegivenverbalinstructionswhenengagingwiththebat
unitlessons.Studentswillhearhowtoaccomplishthetasksineachlessonthroughtheteacherverballypresentingthe
expectationsandinstructions.Studentswillalsobeprovidedvisualinstructionsforeveryprojectoractivitywithintheunit
lesson.Onthewhiteboard,eachjobandeachstepofthejobwillbemagneticallypostedsostudentsmayvisually
referenceinstructionsatanypointduringthelearningexperience.ThesevisualinstructionswillbelabeledJob1,Job2,
Job3,etc.toprovidestudentseasyvisualaccesstotheinstructions.Studentswillalsohavetheopportunitytowatchthe
examplesonthedocumentcameraeitherbeforeorduringindependentpractice.Thedocumentcamerawillprojectthe
instructorexampleontotheprojectorscreensostudentscanconnectvisualexamplewithverbalinstructions.The
instructorwillalsouseamicrophonetointeractwithstudentsduringunitlessons,allowingallstudentsequalaccesstothe
verbaldirections,nomatteronespositionintheclassroom.

IntroductionActivity

Objective:Toactivatestudentschemaregardingbatsandtheupcomingunitofbats.Bytheendoftheproject,studentswill
knowthatbatsarethenexttopicofstudyandclassroomexcitementshouldbuildaboutthelearningahead.Thebatswilladdtothe
classroomenvironmentthroughouttheupcomingbatunitlessons.

Read
BigPumpkin
byEricaSilverman
Engagingquestion:Seeifyounoticewhatisdifferentaboutthebatandwhythebatisimportantinthestory.
BatProject
Model
Studentscompleteindependently
Hangbatsinclassroom

Preassessment:

Name:_________________

Date:________

List
3
factsaboutbats:

1.

2.

3.

Name

differenttypesofbats:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Write
1

thingyouwanttolearnaboutbats:

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

AnticipatorySet:Pre/Postassessment

MyOpinion

Statement

TrueFact

Comments

Therearemanydifferent

kindsofbats.

Batseatbugs.

Batsarethesmallest

animalsontheplanet.

Vampirebatsbitepeople.

Allbatsliveincaves.

Student Preassessment%

Postassessment% Comments(frompreassessment)

80

80

Batsuseecholocation.Typeofbat:footbat.Iamabatgenius.

40

40

Iwanttolearnhowhighthebatscanfly/

40

60

Whatdotheydoatnight?Theycanfly!

60

60

Arewegoingtolearniftherearepoisonousbats?

40

40

BatmanIlikehim.Theyeatbugsandliveincaves.Dobatschase
dragonflies?

40

60

Theycomeoutatnight.Theycanseeinthedark.Theycanfly.

60

80

Theyretiny.Theyhavefangsintheirwebs.

40

80

Duringthedaytheyhangupsidedown.Howdotheygettosleep?

40

80

Theyarenocturnal.Theyfly.

10

40

20

Theycanseeinthedark.Theycanflyinthedark.Canbatsremember
wheretheirhomeis?

11

20

60

Doesbatsfly?

12

40

100

Batssleepintheday?Dotheylikedark?

13

60

80

Batscanseeinthedark.Batsearsarepointy.Whatdobatsfeellike?

14

40

15

40

60

Batshangupsidedown.Batsfly.Dobatshavenightvision?

16

40

60

Batshavegreateyesight.Batscanflyeasily.Batscanholdontotrees.

17

40

80

Batshangupsidedown.Batsuseecholocation.Canbatsbedifferent
colors?

18

80

100

Batscanseewhiletheyareflying.Willweseeifabatcanhearreally
well?

19

80

80

Batscarrydiseases.Whatkindofdiseasescanbatscarry?

20

40

40

Batseatbadstuff.Theysleepinadarkcave.Canbatsdrinkwater?

21

60

100

Batscanfly.Batsareblack.Whattypeofbatsarethere?

22

20

60

Abathasbigeyes.Abathaspointyears.Abathaswings.Howdo
batswakeupatnight?

23

60

100

Theyhangupsidedown.Theyliveincaves.Theycomeoutatnight.
Whatdotheyeat?

24

80

100

Theyhangupsidedown.Theyareblind.Theyarereallygoodathearing.
Whatdotheyeat?

25

80

100

Batscanfly.Batscanseeinthedark.Doesithaveamouth?

Lesson#1ZipandZoomThroughNonfiction

Elements of the Lesson

Standard
MDE grade level or CCSS

Evidence that Documents the Elements

CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.1.2
Writeinformative/explanatorytextsinwhichtheynameatopic,supplysome
factsaboutthetopic,andprovidesomesenseofclosure.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1.5
Explainmajordifferencesbetweenbooksthattellstoriesandbooksthatgive
information,drawingonawidereadingofarangeoftexttypes.

S.RS.01.11Demonstratescientificconceptsthroughvariousillustrations,
performances,models,exhibits,andactivities.

Objectives/Targets I can statements

What am I going to teach?
What will the students be able to do at the end of the lesson?
How will the objectives be assessed? How will they use/apply
their new knowledge?
What formative assessments will I use to inform instruction?

Lesson Management: Focus and Organization

What positive strategies, techniques and tools will I use?
What are my ideas for on task, active and focused student
behavior?

Studentswillwritebatfactsusingthebatscan______,batshave_____and
batsare______.
Studentswilllistenandattendtoanonfictiontext.
Studentswillbeabletodescribeelementsofnonfictiontext.

Icanwritefactsaboutbats.
Icanreadnonfictionbooks.

Studentswillbeginthelessongatheredontherug.Studentswillbe
expectedtoshowwholebodylisteningbehaviors:brainthinkingabout
topic,eyesonsubject,earslistening,mouthsclosed,handsandfeetstill.
Studentswillrespondthroughoutthelessonwithactiveparticipation.
Whencalledupon,studentswillprovidearesponse.Verbalaffirmationwill
beemployedthroughoutthelessontosignifycorrectanswers.Forincorrect
answers,questioningstrategieswillbeusedtoleadstudentthinkinginthe

directionoftheanswer,orstudentwillbedirectedto,Askafriendifthey
incorrectlyanswerthequestion.Studentsareexpectedtoraisehandsto
signifyvolunteeringforananswer,unlessindicatedtorespondasagroup
throughphrasessuchas,Everyone,tellme..
Duringindependentpracticetime,whilestudentsareseatedattheir
desks,wholebodylisteningshouldstillbeeffectivewhileinstructionsare
beinggiven.Theclassroomistobequietwhilestudentsareindependently
workingandrespectfulwhilestudentsareworkinginpartnergroupsto
discuss.Wholeclassreminderswillbeissuedifthenoiselevelbecomes
disruptive.
Ifstudentsarenotobservingthebehavioralexpectationsthroughoutthe
lesson,verbalreminderswillbegiven,thenstudentswillbeaskedto,turn
inaheart.Ifmultipleheartsarelost,thestudentwillbeaskedtositattheir
desk(ifseatedontherug).
Introduction: Creating Excitement and Focus
What will I do to capture student interest?
What prior knowledge needs to be accessed?
In what practice/review will students participate?

Input: Setting up the Lesson

Task analysis:
What information does the learner need? If needed how will it be
provided?
How is the lesson scaffolded? [stepbystep)

WatchPBSLearningMediavideoaboutbats.
Talkaboutwhatevidenceindicateswhetherananimalisrealoracharacter.
Whatdowecallthistypeofbook?
Whatcanwelearnfromnonfictionbooks?
Whatisthedifferencebetweenfactsandopinions?
ReadZipping,Zapping,ZoomingBatsbyAnnEarle.
WatchPBSLearningMedia
Reviewfactandnonfiction
Read
Zipping,Zapping,ZoomingBats
byAnnEarle
Introducebatchart
Modelanexamplefactforeachofthechartsections.

Thinking levels: questions to engage students thinking

Studentsuseslatestoaddbatfactsfromthebookandaddtocollaborative
chart.
Remembering Students must remember and have context about bats as animals.
Understanding Students will understand the characteristics of a nonfiction
book.
Applying Students will have to apply understanding of a fact.
Analyzing Students must analyze the validity of facts in the book as well as
whether a fact goes in the can, have, or are category.
Evaluating
Creating

Accommodations: implementing differentiation principles

Remediation/Intervention
Extension/Enrichment
Learning styles
Methods, Materials and Integrated Technology
Instructional methods
Engagement strategies
Materials needed and prepared
Integrated technology list

Forstudentsstrugglingwiththislesson,addaThinkPairSharestrategyin
thebeginningoftheindependentpracticetime,transitioningfromguided
practicetoindependentpractice.Hearingtheideassurroundingastudent,
aswellasaddingextrathinktime,willprovidesupporttostudentsstruggling
withthelesson.Anotherideafordifferentiationinsupportofstudents
experiencingastruggleistofocusupononecolumnatatime,ratherthan
allthreeatonce.Beginbybrainstormingonlythingsthatbatscan,then
movetobatshaveandfinishwithbatsare,thuseliminatingtheextrastepof
categorizingsentences.

Foranaddedchallenge,implementtheSharethePenstrategywhere
studentscometothefrontoftheclassanddemonstratetheirideasthrough
writing.Ratherthancallingoutanideaandtheteacherrecords,students
practicewritingthoughtstosharewiththewholeclass.

TechnologyPBSLearningMediabatvideo,documentcamera,projector
andscreen


Materials
Zipping,Zapping,ZoomingBats
byAnnEarle,slateboardper
student,dryerasemarkerperstudentanddryerasers,batscan/have/are
posterboardchartwithheadings
Modeling: I DO
Show/Tell: visual/verbal input (i.e. demonstrate/tell)
How/What: questioning and redirecting techniques

Ineachofthethreecolumns,modelonefactualexamplefromthebookread
together.Highlighttostudentsthateachideaonthechartcancompletethe
sentencetobecomeafactaboutbats.Studentswillworktogetherasa
collaborativegrouptoaddfactstothesharedclassroomchart.Afterafew
samples,studentsmaytaketurnssharingthepentoaddfactstothechart.
Bats
can

have

are

Checking for Understanding

T
each some stop and check resume teaching

Whileseatedontherug,studentsusingslatestopresentbatfactsfromthebook
willevidenceindividualunderstandingofthecomprehensionofnonfictiontextas
wellasfactsdrawnfromthebook.

Guided Practice: WE DO

Studentswilluseslatestobrainstormideastoaddbatfactstothecollaborative
chart.Tobegin,studentswillfirsttellanelbowpartnerwhatfactthestudentcan
rememberfromthechartbeforewritingontheslate.Asanswersaresharedand
additionstothechartcollected,therewillbediscussionaboutcorrectnessand
categorizationofanswers.

Ways in which students will respond and be engaged

Formative assessment strategies to be implemented

What do the teacher and student do together?

Modeling first then with a gradual release of responsibility

Independent Practice (YOU DO)

hat practice(s) will be demonstrated/modeled?
W

Studentswillanswerindividuallyonslatesandfactswillbeaddedtothechart
eitherbyteacherorbystudents.Oneofourclassroomgoalsistopracticethe
sharethepenstrategywherestudentstaketurnsaddingideastothechartas
thewholeclassobserves.Baseduponstudentunderstandingbythispointinthe

lesson,hopefullythemajorityoftheideasaddedtothechartwillbewrittenby
students.Assesspartwaythroughthelessonwhetherstudentswouldbenefit
fromsharingthepenandpracticingsharedwritingwithclassmates.

How will connections be made?

How will students demonstrate target?

Closure
How will I review the I can statements?
How will connections be made to future learning?

Assessment
What evidence supports that the objective(s) were met?
What do my students know, understand and are able to do?
What formative assessments informed your instruction?

Reflection

Pointandreadtoreviewideasaddedtothechartandreadtheideasas
sentences.
Ex:Batshavewings.Batsarenocturnal.Batscanfly.
Thankstudentsforattentionandideasthroughoutthelesson.
Tomorrowwewilllearnmorefactsaboutbatsandseewhatotherideaswe
mightaddtoourchart.Thenextjobfortodayistohighlightourshortepoems.
WhenIcallyourtablegroup,pleasereturntoyourdeskandbeginyourworkin
pencil.Dontforgettoputyournameanddateonthepaper!
Theslateswillbeverytellingofthestudentsknowledgeofnonfictiontextand
facts.Payingattentiontostudentresponses,identifyingtheareasofstruggleand
personswhomayneedmorespecificinstructionwillbekeyfortomorrowslesson
andthemoretangibleassessmenttofollow.
Howdidstudentsrespondtothenonfictiontext?Itseemsasthoughthestudents
reallyengagewithnonfictiontext,buttheattentionspanisshortenedfor
nonfictionbooks.
Whointhegroupseemedeagertoanswerquestions?Anyoneoutofthe
ordinary?Mainlytheboyshavebeenapttoanswerquestionsthroughoutthe
lesson.Itseemslikeaninterestingtopicfortheboyswhoareraisinghands.
Oneboy,whoannouncedonhispreassessmenthewasabatgenius,is
typicallythefirsttovolunteerinformation.

Whatareaswereofgreateststrugglethroughoutthelesson?
Categorizingideasintothecan/have/areframeworkwithoutchangingthe
authenticityofthestudentsidea.Evenwhentheideawasrewordedtofitthe
framework,Iwoulddoublechecktomakesurethestudentwasokaywiththe
wording.
Werestudentsreadytosharethepenthroughoutthelesson?
Nottoday,buttomorrowwewillsharethepensostudentscanwritetheirown
ideas.
Didstudentsshowevidenceofgoodfactcategorizationamongthecan/have/are
statements?
Mostofthelessonwasmodeling,buttowardtheendstudentsbegantocorrectly
categorize.Studentswerecorrectingthecategorizationofpeerideas.
(2014/2015)

Lesson#2BatsCan,Have,AreNonfiction

Elements of the Lesson

Evidence that Documents the Elements

Standard

CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.1.2
Writeinformative/explanatorytextsinwhichtheynameatopic,supply
somefactsaboutthetopic,andprovidesomesenseofclosure.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1.5
Explainmajordifferencesbetweenbooksthattellstoriesandbooksthat
giveinformation,drawingonawidereadingofarangeoftexttypes.

Objectives/Targets I can statements

Studentswillwritebatfactsusingthebatscan______,batshave_____
andbatsare______.
Studentswilllistenandattendtoanonfictiontext.

Studentswillbeabletodescribeelementsofnonfictiontext.

Icanwritefactsaboutbats.
Icanreadnonfictionbooks.
Lesson Management: Focus and Organization

Studentswillbeginthelessongatheredontherug.Studentswillbe
expectedtoshowwholebodylisteningbehaviors:brainthinkingabout
topic,eyesonsubject,earslistening,mouthsclosed,handsandfeet
still.
Studentswillrespondthroughoutthelessonwithactiveparticipation.
Whencalledupon,studentswillprovidearesponse.Verbalaffirmation
willbeemployedthroughoutthelessontosignifycorrectanswers.For
incorrectanswers,questioningstrategieswillbeusedtoleadstudent
thinkinginthedirectionoftheanswer,orstudentwillbedirectedto,
Askafriendiftheyincorrectlyanswerthequestion.Studentsare
expectedtoraisehandstosignifyvolunteeringforananswer,unless
indicatedtorespondasagroupthroughphrasessuchas,Everyone,
tellme..
Duringindependentpracticetime,whilestudentsareseatedattheir
desks,wholebodylisteningshouldstillbeeffectivewhileinstructions
arebeinggiven.Theclassroomistobequietwhilestudentsare
independentlyworkingandrespectfulwhilestudentsareworkingin
partnergroupstodiscuss.Wholeclassreminderswillbeissuedifthe
noiselevelbecomesdisruptive.
Ifstudentsarenotobservingthebehavioralexpectationsthroughout
thelesson,verbalreminderswillbegiven,thenstudentswillbeasked

to,turninaheart.Ifmultipleheartsarelost,thestudentwillbeasked
tositattheirdesk(ifseatedontherug).
Studentswillpracticewritingsentencesindependentlyattheir
desks.Whenfinished,studentswillbringtheirsentencestoateacher
tobecheckedforunderstanding.Wheninstructed,studentswillget
materialsoffthefronttableneededtotraceandcutabat,uponwhich
thesentenceswillbeglued.Whenfinished,studentswillturnintheir
worktobehungonthebulletinboardandchooseabookfromthebat
displaytoreadindependently.
Introduction: Creating Excitement and Focus

BrainPopbatvideo
https://www.brainpop.com/science/diversityoflife/bats/preview.weml
Reviewfactandnonfiction.
Read
Bats
byGailGibbons.Askforanyfactstobeaddedtothechart.

Input: Setting up the Lesson

TaskAnalysis:
Showbatvideo
Reviewfactandnonfiction
Read
Bats
byGailGibbons
Askstudentsforanymorefactstoaddtocollaborativechart
Asawholegroup,writetheexamplesentences
Batscan______.
Batshave_____.
Batsare_______.
Together,verballyfilltheblanks,callingonstudentstohelpcreate
sentences.

Task analysis:
Thinking levels: questions to engage students thinking
Accommodations: implementing differentiation principles
Methods, Materials and Integrated Technology

Studentscreatethreesentencesfollowingcan,have,areformatand
attachtoapaperbat.
ThinkingLevels:
Remembering Students will recall the meaning of fact and features of
nonfiction text.
Understanding Students will understand that facts are true information
about a subject.
Applying Students will be able to state a fact from bat book and create
three factual sentences using true bat information.
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating

Accommodations:
Studentswhomayfindthislessontoosimplisticwillhavetheoption
tostringthreesentencestogetherwithtransitionwordsandin
combinationwithanintroductoryandconcludingsentencetowritea
paragraph.Thewritingwillthenbegluedtothebatcutout.
Studentsstrugglingwiththelessonwillbeprovidedwithsentence
starters.Ratherthanwritingoutthefullsentence,studentswillfillina
wordineachappropriatesentence:Batscan______.Batshave____.
Batsare____.Thesentenceswillthenbegluedtothebatcutout.
Highlightwritingisalsoanaccommodationsuitableforthisproject.
Studentscandictatethesentencestheywanttowriteasteacherwrites
thewordsinhighlighter.Studentswillthentracethehighlighted
sentenceswiththeirpencil.
Materials:
batchartfrompreviouslesson

Bats
byGailGibbons

worksheetcontainingthreeboxes(oneforeachsentence)
blackconstructionpaper(perstudent)
battracer(twopertablegroup)

Technology:
PBSLearningMediabatvideo
projectorandscreen
documentcamera
Modeling: I DO

Nowwearegoingtoturnthefactswevecollectedintosentences.To

startagoodsentence,Ineedtouseanuppercaseletter.Thesubject
ofoursentencewillbebats,Bats.WatchasIwritethefirstwordin
mysentence.Thenextwordinthesentencewillcomerightfromthe
chart.Therearethreecolumnsonthechartandthreesentencesthat
wewillwrite,onesentenceforeachcolumn.SothenextwordIwilluse
iscan.Iknowthatbylookingatthechart.Now,letmelookatthe
wordslistedunderneaththewordareonthechart.Ilikethewordfly.I
amgoingtowritethesentence,Batscanfly.Attheendofeverygood
sentencecomespunctuation.ForeverysentencethatIwillwrite,Iam
goingtouseaperiod.Factsprovideinformationandcanendbestwith
aperiod.
Checking for Understanding

Pleaseremindme,whatisafact?
Whatisafeatureofnonfictionbooks?
Formynextsentence,Iwillstartagainwiththewordbats,uppercase
B.WhereshouldIlooktofindmynextword?HowdoIdecidewhat

wordshouldgolastinmysentence?Whatkindofpunctuationshould
comeattheendofthissentence?

Guided Practice: WE DO

Whenstudentsreturntotheirseats,ask,Whatwordneedstobe
writtenfirst?Shouldthefirstletterbeupperorlowercase?Wheredo
youlooktofindthenextwordinthesentence?Chooseonewordfrom
thecolumnandwriteitasthelastwordinyoursentence.Whatkindof
punctuationshouldfinishyoursentence?Youmaycompletethenext
twosentencesonyourown.

Independent Practice (YOU DO)

Studentswillfinishthenexttwosentencesindependently.Sentences
shouldallbeginwiththewordbat,startingwithanuppercaseB.The
secondwordineachsentenceshouldfollowthecan,have,areformat.
Thelastwordineachsentenceshouldalignwiththecan,have,are
format.Allsentencesshouldendwithaperiod.Studentswillhave
theirsentencescheckedbyateacher.Whensentencesreceiveastar,
studentsmaythenuseabattraceronablackpieceofconstruction
paper,withwhitecrayon,totraceandcutoutapaperbat.Thethree
sentenceboxeswillbecutapartandgluedinorderonthebatcutout.

Closure

Batcutoutswillbehungonthebulletinboardafterstudentsturninthe
work.Studentswhofinishearlymayreadanyoftheselectionofbat
booksfromthebatbookdisplay.
Thankyousomuchforworkinghardtowritebatfactsentences.After
readingthebatbooksandcollectingfactsaboutbats,weallknowso
muchmoreaboutbats!

Assessment

Allsentencesshouldbeginwiththewordbatandstartwithan
uppercaseB.Thesecondwordofeachsentenceshouldfollowthe
can,have,areformatandthethirdwordinthesentenceshouldmake
sensewiththesentence.Allsentencesshouldendwithaperiod.
Studentunderstandingofafactwillbeevidencedbythecorrectnessof
sentenceswritten.

Reflection

Werethestudentsreadyforsharedwriting?Yes!Wejumpedrightinto
sharingthependuringthebrainstormingparttoday.Itwaseyeopeningto
seethephoneticspellingandhearkidsacceptoneanothersinventive
spelling.
Howdidstudentsmanageputtingtogetherthecan/have/aresentences?
Mostofthestudentsdidreallywellpatterningthesentences.Manyused
ideasfromthechartcreatedtogether,butsomewerecreativeandcameup
withtheirownideasforthesentences.Afewstudentsgotthewordsintheir
sentencesoutoforder,buthadtimetorevisitandcorrect.
Howwasthetimingofthelessonandtheproject?Asalways,thekidscould
haveusedmoretimetofinish.Manyfinishedduringthelessontimeframe
andmostdidaqualityjob.Therearealwayssomeexceptionsthough.A
fewstudentsdidnotusethetracercirclesforthebodiessotheirwords
didntfitwell.Theprojectwasgoodpracticeinproblemsolving!
(2014/2015)

Lesson #3 Stellaluna

Elements of the Lesson

Standard

Evidence that Documents the Elements

S.RS.01.11Demonstratescientificconceptsthroughvariousillustrations,
performances,models,exhibits,andactivities.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1
.9
Compareandcontrasttheadventuresandexperiencesofcharactersinstories.
CCSS.ELALITERACY.RI.1.2
Identifythemaintopicandretellkeydetailsofatext.

Objectives/Targets I can statements

Lesson Management: Focus and Organization

Introduction: Creating Excitement and Focus

Input: Setting up the Lesson

Task analysis:
Thinking levels: questions to engage students thinking
Accommodations: implementing differentiation principles

Thelearnerwillbeabletocompareandcontrastfictionandnonfiction
books.
Thelearnerwillexplorethedifferencesbetweenfictionalbatsandbatsin
reallife.
Icandescribecharactersinstories.
Icandescribethemaindetailsofastory.
Icancomparefictionandnonfictionbooks.
Studentswillgatherontherugtoreadthe
Stellaluna
bookasawhole
group.Studentswillstayseatedontherugforthemodelingandgroup
practice.Thesentencestructurewillbeprojectedontheboardforall
studentstoseeandfollow.Studentswillthenreturntoindividualdesksfor
sentencewritingpracticeandpicturedrawing.

Studentswhomaystrugglewillbegivenagraphicorganizersheetwiththe
sentencewordssomebody,wanted,but,so,thenwrittenonitsothatevery
studentwillbeabletofilloutthesentenceandcompleteapicture.All
studentswillcreateapictureinconnectiontothestory.

Studentswhoneedanextrachallengecanaddmoredetailtothe
descriptionandexpandwritingtomultiplesentences.
IntroduceStellalunatotheclass.Sitthestuffedanimalonthebookshelf
soStellalunacanreadthestorywhilewereadthebooktogether.Lets
seewhathappenstoStellalunainourstory.Readbooktogetherasa
class.
Wholegroupread
Stellaluna
Reviewstoryverbally,identifyingStellalunaasthemaincharacter.
IntroduceSomebodywanted,but,so,thenstructure.
Wholegroupinput
Stellaluna
intothesentenceformula.
Studentswritesentencepatternindividually.
StudentssharewritingwithStellalunacharacter.

Methods, Materials and Integrated Technology

Modeling: I DO

Studentswillrecalleventsfromthestory,includingthemaincharacter.
Studentswillapplytheirknowledgeofthestorywithwritingskilltocreate
sentences.

Studentswhomayneedachallengewillbeencouragedtoaddadjectives
(anothercurrentareaoffocus)tomakethewritingmoreinteresting,as
wellaswritethesentencepatterninlongerformthatonesentence.
Advancedstudentsmightwritemultiplecomplexsentencestofulfillthe
sentencepatternstructure.

Studentswhomayfindthelessontobechallengingwillbeoffereda
sentencepatternformatwiththewordsofthepatternalreadywrittenand
blankstobefilledout,cuttingdownontheamountofwritingrequiredin
theactivity.Forexample,anaccommodatedsentencestructuremight
looklike:________wanted______,but________,so________,then
________.Studentwillbeguidedtofillintheblankspaceswithideasfrom
thestory.

Thematerialsneededinclude:
Stellaluna
Stellalunafingerpuppetcharacter
writingpaper
accommodationsentencestructurepaper

Technologyisutilizedthroughtheprojectionofthesentencestructurefor
viewingofthewholeclassthroughthedocumentcameraontothe
projectorscreen.Thereisalsoareadingofthebookavailableinvideo
formatthroughBookflixifthereisextratimeattheend,studentsneeda
secondlookorifwevealreadyspentmuchattentionthatdaylisteningto
storiesreadaloudbythesameperson.
Afterstudentsanswerquestionsanalyzingthetext,teacherwillverbally
completethesomebody,wanted,but,so,thenstructureindiscussion
followingthereading.

Checking for Understanding

Guided Practice: WE DO

Independent Practice: YOU DO

Closure
Assessment

Reflection

SowhatyouretellingmeStellalunawantedtobeabirdbutshereally
wasabat,soshemadebatfriendsandthenrealizedshewasbetterbeing
herself.
(Respondindividuallyonslatewhiteboards.)
Whoisthemaincharacterofthestory?
Howdidthecharacterfeelatthebeginningofthestory?
Howdidthecharacterfeelinthemiddleofthestory?
Bytheendofthestory,howdidthecharacterfeel?

(Respondverbally.)
WhathappenedthatchangedhowStellalunafelt?
Howdidthestoryresolve?
Together,onthedocumentcamera,fillouttheSomebody,wanted,but,so,
thenchartforStellaluna.Callonstudentsindividuallytofillinideasabout
howtofillintheboxesforresponse.Projectanswersforclasstosee.
StudentsreturntodesksandwriteasentencethatfollowstheSomebody,
wanted,but,so,thenformat.Eachstudentisresponsibleforatleastone
sentence.Studentswillthendrawapicturetosupportthewritten
description.
EachstudentwillreadtoStellaluna(stuffedanimal)thesentencewritten
beforeturninginpaper.
StudentswillbeassessedforusingtheSomebody,wanted,but,so,then
structure,correctandlogicalsequencingbaseduponthestoryreadand
evidenceofconnectionbetweenpictureandsentence.

somebody,wanted,but,so,then(5pts./1pt.per)
followsstorysequence(3pts.)
connectionbetweenwritingandpicture(2pts.)
Howwillstudentsattendtolongerbook?Thestudentsremainedtotally
engrossedinthestoryfromstarttofinish.
Willstudentsconnectwellenoughwiththestorythattheycanrecall
enoughtoputthecharttogether?Theideasofferedandrecordedonthe
chartwerefantastic,evidencedgreatlisteningandfact/sequencingrecall.

Arestudentsreadyforsharedwriting?Thekidsdidafabulousjobfillingin
alltheblanksonthechart.Itwasalmostlikeamadliborpuzzle.Fun1
Howwillthekidsrespondtothepuppet?Engagingordistracting?
Engaging.Everystudentchosetopetandinteractwiththepuppetand
whenitwastimetomoveon,everyonedidsowithfocus.
(2014/2015)

Lesson#4Nightsong

ElementsoftheLesson

Standard

Objectives/Targets I can statements

EvidencethatDocumentstheElements

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1.5
Explainmajordifferencesbetweenbooksthattellstoriesandbooksthat
giveinformation,drawingonawidereadingofarangeoftexttypes.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1
.9
Compareandcontrasttheadventuresandexperiencesofcharactersin
stories

Thelearnerwillinteractwithfictiontextandbeabletoidentify
characteristicsthatclassifystoriesasfiction.
ThelearnerwillcompareandcontrastthemaincharacterinStellalunaand
Nightsong,usingboththecharactersexperiencesandtraits.

Icanidentifyanddescribemaincharacters.
Icancomparenonfictionandfictionbooks.
IcanuseaVenndiagramtocompare.

Lesson Management: Focus and Organization

Studentswillbeginthelessongatheredontherugasthestory
Nightsong
isreadaloud.Engagestudentsbyaskingthefocusquestion
beforereading,Aswereadthisstory,belookingforthewaysthatthe
maincharacterisalikeanddifferentfromthebatinyesterdaysstory,
Stellaluna.Studentswillbeexpectedtoshowwholebodylistening
behaviors:brainthinkingabouttopic,eyesonsubject,earslistening,
mouthsclosed,handsandfeetstill.
Studentswillrespondthroughoutthelessonwithactiveparticipation.
Whencalledupon,studentswillprovidearesponse.Verbalaffirmation
willbeemployedthroughoutthelessontosignifycorrectanswers.For
incorrectanswers,questioningstrategieswillbeusedtoleadstudent
thinkinginthedirectionoftheanswer,orstudentwillbedirectedto,
Askafriendiftheyincorrectlyanswerthequestion.Studentsare
expectedtoraisehandstosignifyvolunteeringforananswer,unless
indicatedtorespondasagroupthroughphrasessuchas,Everyone,
tellme..
Duringcollaborativepracticetime,whilestudentsareseatedattheir
desks,wholebodylisteningshouldstillbeeffectivewhileinstructions
arebeinggiven.Theclassroomistobefairlyquiet,evenwhile
studentsareworkingtogether,inordertoallowstudentssittingtogether
attablegroupstohearoneanother.Wholeclassreminderswillbe
issuedifthenoiselevelbecomesdisruptive.
Ifstudentsarenotobservingthebehavioralexpectationsthroughout
thelesson,verbalreminderswillbegiven,thenstudentswillbeasked
to,turninaheart.Ifmultipleheartsarelost,thestudentwillbeasked
tositattheirdesk(ifseatedontherug).

StudentswillworktogethertocompletetheVenndiagramattheir
tables.Eachstudentshouldparticipatebywritingandvolunteering
ideas.Ishouldbeabletoseedifferenthandwritingonthechartand,ifI
ask,beabletoknowwhichchildcreatedeachidea.Whenfinished,
studentswillturnintheirwork,getsnackfromtheirmailboxandbegin
workingontheshortuhighlight.Anyextratimecanbespentreadinga
bookfromthebatbin,pumpkindisplayorstudentsbookbagtoread
independently.

Introduction: Creating Excitement and Focus

Studentswillbeginthelessonseatedontherug.Wehavebeen
talkingthisweekaboutbats.Yesterdaywereadabookabout.do
yourememberthenameofthemaincharacter?Whatweresomeof
thethingswenoticedaboutStellalunathattoldusthebookwasfiction,
imaginary,andnotanonfiction,truestoryaboutbats?Aswereadthis
book,
Nightsong
,belookingforthemaincharacteranddecideifyou
thinkthisbookisfiction,imaginary,ornonfiction,true.
Together,readthebook
Nightsong
anddiscussthecharacteristicsthat
madeChicaafictionalcharacter.

Input: Setting up the Lesson

Read
Nightsong
Reviewstory(identifymaincharacterandcategorizebookas
nonfiction/fiction)
CreateaVenndiagramasaclassforthecharacteristicsofStellaluna
andthetraitsofChiro
StellalunaandChirocomparisons(studentsworkintablegroupsto
writedescriptivewordsofeachbat,StellalunaandChiro)

Task analysis:
Thinking levels: questions to engage students thinking
Accommodations: implementing differentiation principles
Methods, Materials and Integrated Technology

Remembering Students will recall the previous lesson and book about
Stellaluna.
Understanding Students will understand that fiction books are
imaginary. Students will understand similar/different.
Applying Students will distinguish which character matches which trait
and write a similarity that applies to both bats.

Studentswhomayfindtheactivitydifficultmaywritealimitedamount
ofdescriptivewordsforeachbat,trimmingtheworkloadfromthree
descriptionsperbat,toonlyoneortwo.Studentswillstilllistatleast
onesimilaritybetweenthetwobatcharacters.

Studentsinneedofachallengeduringthisactivitycouldaddmore
comparisonwordstoeachoftheirbatpictures.Challengestudentsto
comeupwithideasthatfitthestorythatmaynothavebeendiscussed
asaclass.Additionally,studentscanaddmultiplesimilaritiesbetween
thebatsbeforeturninginwork.

Materials:
Nightsong
book
Large,prewrittenVenndiagram,labeled
batcharactercomparisonpracticepage(perstudent)
Modeling: I DO

ExplaintheuseofaVennDiagram.ThischartiscalledaVenn
diagram.WeuseVenndiagramstoorganizeinformationandcompare
things.Weread
Stellaluna
yesterdayand
Nightsong
today.Even
thoughtheyweredifferentbooks,therearemanythingsthatmakesthe
bookssimilar.Today,wewilluseaVenndiagramtocomparethe

charactersfromthestory.StellalunawillgoinonecircleandChirowill
gointheother.Theplacewherethetwocirclesmeetwillbethewords
thatdescribebothbats!So,somethingIrememberfromthestoryis
thatStellalunawasattackedbyanowlandChirolikedtosing.
Somethingthathappenedinbothstorieswasthateachbathadto
leavetheirmom.
Checking for Understanding

Ihearyouridea,butwhereshoulditfitonourchart?
Doyourememberinwhichstorythebatcharacterspendtimewith
birds?WhereshouldIwritethatidea?

Guided Practice: WE DO

Thinkbacktoeachbook.Seewhatideaswecanaddtoourchart.
Thinkofwordstodescribethemaincharactersofeachbookandthings
thathappenedtoeachbat.Wewilldecideasaclasswhichcirclethe
ideabestfits.
ContinueaddingideastoVenndiagramasstudentsbrainstorm.

Independent Practice (YOU DO)

Studentswillcollaborativelywritethreedescriptionsforeachbat,using
thebrainstormedwholegrouplistasaresource,onthebat
comparisonspracticepage.Writeonesimilarityaboutthebatsinthe
sharedspaceontheVenndiagram.Eachtablegroupwillwork
togethertosharesideasandtaketurnswriting.Everypersoninthe
groupmustparticipateandvolunteeranidea.Ishouldbeabletocome
aroundandaskwhocreatedeachthoughtsouknoweverypersonat
yourtableisworkingtogether.

Closure

Readaloudthesimilaritiesanddifferencesyouwrotewiththepeopleat
yourtablebeforeturninginworktothefinishedworkfolder.Makeany
changesneededtoensurethisisyourbestfirstgradeworkThankyou
forthinkingaboutthemaincharactersineachstory.Nowweknowso
manywaysthebatswerealikeanddifferent!Whenyourwholetable
grouphasfinishedtheVenndiagram,thereareatleastthreeideasin
eachcircleandonesimilarity,youmayturninyourworktothefinished
workfolder,getyoursnackfromyourmailboxandbeginworkingon
yourshortuhighlight.

Assessment

Studentunderstandingwillbeevidencedbycompletionofthebat
comparisonpracticepage.Studentswillcorrectlysorttheideasto
determinewhichbatisdescribedbythewordaswellaslistingon
similarityaboutthetwobats.

Reflection

Willstudentsrememberthetwostoriesenoughtokeepseparateand
drawcomparisons?Thestudentsdidawonderfuljobseparatingthe
twomaincharactersandrememberingtheminutedetailsthat
differentiatedthestories.
HowwillstudentsworkwithVenndiagram?Theyreallyunderstoodthe
purposeandfunctionofthediagram.Studentsdidwellwholegroup
andattablegroupsrecallingcharacteristicsandrecordinginthecorrect
areas.
Whoinsmallgroupswillriseasleaders?Manyofthestrong
personalitiestookoverattables.Norealsurprises.Evenstudents
veryvocalinwholegroupdiscussionhungbackintablegroups.

Howwillstudentsnavigatesmallgroupworkattables?Theyneededa
minilessonaboutworkingingroups.Ialsocouldhavegiventhemeach
jobsandmodeledhealthygroupdiscussioninordertobetterteach
smallgroupexpectations.
(2014/2015)

Lesson#5BaseballBats

ElementsoftheLesson
Standard

EvidencethatDocumentstheElements
CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1.5
Explainmajordifferencesbetweenbooksthattellstoriesandbooksthat
giveinformation,drawingonawidereadingofarangeoftexttypes.

Objectives/Targets I can statements

Studentwillbeabletorecallandcategorizeinformationthatisfictionand
nonfiction,usingtradetextandnonfictionbooksaboutbats.

Icantellthedifferencebetweenfictionandnonfiction.

Lesson Management: Focus and Organization

Studentswillbeginthelessongatheredontherugasthestory
Batsat
theBallgame
isreadaloud.Studentswillbeexpectedtoshow
wholebodylisteningbehaviors:brainthinkingabouttopic,eyeson
subject,earslistening,mouthsclosed,handsandfeetstill.
Studentswillrespondthroughoutthelessonwithactiveparticipation.
Whencalledupon,studentswillprovidearesponse.Verbalaffirmation
willbeemployedthroughoutthelessontosignifycorrectanswers.For
incorrectanswers,questioningstrategieswillbeusedtoleadstudent

thinkinginthedirectionoftheanswer,orstudentwillbedirectedto,
Askafriendiftheyincorrectlyanswerthequestion.Studentsare
expectedtoraisehandstosignifyvolunteeringforananswer,unless
indicatedtorespondasagroupthroughphrasessuchas,Everyone,
tellme..
Wholebodylisteningshouldbeevidentthroughoutthelesson.
StudentswilllistenwiththeirwholebodywhiletheTchartispresented
andmodeled.Whileideasarebeinggeneratedandaddedtothechart,
studentswillbeexpectedtorespectfullylistentothespeaker.Each
studentisresponsibleforcontributingoneideaindependently.
Ifstudentsarenotobservingthebehavioralexpectationsthroughout
thelesson,verbalreminderswillbegiven,thenstudentswillbeasked
to,turninaheart.Ifmultipleheartsarelost,thestudentwillbeasked
tositattheirdesk(ifseatedontherug).
Introduction: Creating Excitement and Focus

Input: Setting up the Lesson

Task analysis:
Thinking levels: questions to engage students thinking
Accommodations: implementing differentiation principles

Whoinourclassroomlovesbaseball?Raiseyourhandifyoulove
baseball.Whoplaysbaseball?WholikestheCardinals?Wholikesthe
Cubs?WholikestheTigers?WholikestheBats?Oh,youvenever
heardofthebats?Well.todaywearegoingtoreadabookabouta
batbaseballteam.
Readasaclass,
BatsattheBallgame
Taskanalysis:
Read
BatsattheBallgame
Reviewstory
CreateTchartwithcharacteristicsofrealbatsandcharacteristicsof
fictionalbatsfromthestory

Methods, Materials and Integrated Technology

Thinkinglevels:
RememberingStudentsmustrecallthecharacteristicsofbatsfrom
boththestoryreadaswellaspreviousdiscussionsofrealbats
UnderstandingStudentswillunderstandthemeaningoffictionand
nonfiction.Studentswillknowthereisadifferencebetweenbatsin
theworldandbatsinstories.
ApplyingStudentswillapplytheirknowledgeofbatsbydrawing
comparisonsamongtheknownfacts.

Modeling

IntroduceTchart.TellstudentsthatatthetopofaTchartwehaveto
uselabelstoseparatetheideas.Onesidewewillcallnonfictionbats
andtheotherwecallfictionbats.WhenIthinkaboutthebookwejust
read,Icancomeupwithsomeideasthatmightrelatetofictionbats.
WhenIcomparethefactsthatIknowaboutbatsintheworldtothe
ideasIreadinthebook,therearedifferences.Iwanttoseparatethe
ideasaboutbatsthatarerealandbatsthatareinstorieswhenImake
mychart.Addthreeideas,switchingbetweenfictionandnonfiction.

Checking for Understanding

Is
BatsattheBallgame
afictionornonfictionbook?Howdoyou
know?Asweaddideas,howcanwecheckourworktomakesurewe
aresortingtheideasbetweenfictionandnonfictioncorrectly?So,ifI
wantedtoaddtheideathatbatswearclothes,inwhichareaofour
TchartwouldIwrite?

Guided Practice

WhataresomeotherideasImightaddtotheTchart?Thinkofthingswe
havelearnedsofaraboutrealbatsandtheideaswefoundinthebookwe

justreadtoday.Callonstudentstopresentideas,discussingcorrectand
incorrectsortingsothatallideaswrittenareinthecorrectcolumn.
Independent Practice

Studentswilldivideintotablegroupsandreceiveamarkerthatmatchesthe
coloroftheirtable.Everytablegroupisresponsibleforaddingoneideato
theTchart.Discussthepossibleideasthatcouldbeaddedandthe
thoughtsofeachgroupmember.Whenyouagree,asagroup,ononeidea
toadd,arepresentativefromyourgroupmaycomewritetheideaonthe
Tchart.Wewillbeabletokeeptrackofalltheideasbeingaddedifthe
writingisorganizedbytablecolor.

Closure

Dividebackoutintoawholegroupsetting.ReviewtheTchartcreated,
frommodeledexamples,studentgeneratedideastothestudentwritten
ideas.Havestudentsfromeachgroupexplaintheirthinkingsurroundingthe
newideasadded.Hangposterinclassroomfortherestoftheweek.

Assessment

Theparticipationofthetablegroupwillbeevidentbythecolorofthemarker
usedontheTchart.Eachstudentsindividualparticipationand
understandingwillbeinformallyassessedthroughoutthewholeandsmall
groupinstruction.

Reflection

MyoriginalideawasforstudentstoeachaddanideatotheTchart,butthat
changeduponrealizationthatthechartwastoosmallandtherequired
writingskillleveltoohighforthatideatowork.Iamsogratefultohave
changedtheideaandorganizedthestudentsbytabletodiscuss.
Howwerediscussionsinthesmallgroupsimilarordifferentfromthe
previousgroupdiscussionsinLesson3?Studentsstillwerehesitantabout
thesmallgroupformat,butrecalledthepreviousworkingtogether
minilesson.Studentswerebetterabouttalkingfirstandtakingturnsboth
sharingandlistening.

UnitReflection

Overthecourseofthisunitlesson,studentsengagedinthepresentedtopics.Eachofthe
twentyfivefirstgradestudentsconnectedandrespondedtoatleastoneoftheactivitiespresentedinthe
lesson.Thisbeingmyfirsttimeteachingfirstgrade,Ioftenhavetorelyontheexperienceofmy
cooperatingteachertocreateaholisticpictureoftheclass,baseduponnormsforfirstgrade.Theclass
scoresverylowacademically,soitwasimportantwithinthecontextofthislessonthatstudentswere
engagedwiththeactivitiesand,becausetheunitwaspresentedsoearlyintheyear,promotedpositivity
andfeelingsofsuccesswithinstudentstowardschool.Thegoalsofengagementandenjoyabilitywere
met,asobservedthroughoutthelessonplanimplementations.Studentswereexcitedandresponded
withgreatenthusiasm.Whenpresentingnewbooks,studentswereparticularlyengaged.Anewbook
wasincludedwitheverylessonplan.
OnechangeIwouldliketomake,goingbacktolookoverthecontentsofthelesson,isthe
anticipationguidedata.Thestudentslearningwasnotwellrepresentedbytheselectedmethodofdata
collection.Mydesireistochangetheanticipationguidetoreflectonlyagreeordisagree,thusremoving
theunsureoption.Bydeletingtheflatfaceandonlygivingstudentsthechoicebetweenfrownorsmile,
thelearningandgrowthmadeoverthecourseoftheunitlessonwouldbebetterreflected.Becauseof
themoderatechoicegivenontheanticipationguide,datawasskewed.Iranintothechoicewhetherthe
unsureoptioncountedfororagainstthestudentsoverallscore.Iendedupthrowingoutanyunsure
marksandreflectingtheremovalofthequestioninthedivideddatascore.Forexample,if,outoffive

questions,thestudentmarkedoneunsureanswer,thescorecalculationwasoutof4possible,rather
than5possible.Thiscausedmanystudenttoscoremuchhigherontheanticipationguideatthe
beginningandlessgrowthshownattheend.Becauseofthisscoringmodification,someofthedata
reportsstudentprogressdeclining,butwithinthecontextoftheclassroom,thesamestudentsprogress
wasquiteobservable.Theexclusionoftheunsureoptionontheanticipationguidewillcorrectthis
inconsistencyandreflectaccuratedatafortheimplementationofthisunitlessoninthefuture.
Theuseofchildrensliteratureasconnectiontolessonsofallcontentareasissupportedbythe
contentsofthisunit.Childrenengagethroughtextandfindfamiliaritywithcharacters.Byusing
childrensliteratureasaspringboardfortherestofalesson,anaturalcommonalityiscreatedamongthe
membersoftheclassroom.Studentsusethiscommongroundtofirstrelatetooneanother,thenshare
inthelearningexperiencetocome.Bygroundingunitlessonsinchildrensliterature,teachershelp
promotedevelopmentofschemaforyoungstudents.Accessingacademicinformationbecomesmore
enjoyableandmemorablewhenpresentedthroughthelensofabook.SomethingIreallyfounduseful
inthisunit,uponreflection,wastheinclusionofachildrenstextwitheachlesson.Students
rememberedthebooksreadandtheassociatedconcepts.

Bibliography
Someprojectideasfrom:
http://aspoonfuloflearning.blogspot.com/2013/10/batsbatsbatspart1freebies.html
Books:
Appelt,Kathi,andMelissaSweet.
BatJamboree
.NewYork:Scholastic,1997.Print.

Berk,Ari,andLorenLong.
Nightsong
.NewYork:Simon&SchusterforYoungReaders,2012.Print.
Cannon,Janell.
Stellaluna
.SanDiego:HarcourtBraceJovanovich,1993.Print.

Earle,Ann,andHenryCole.
Zipping,Zapping,ZoomingBats
.NewYork:HarperCollins,1995.Print.
Gibbons,Gail.
Bats
.NewYork:HolidayHouse,1999.Print.

Lies,Brian.
BatsattheBallgame
.Boston:HoughtonMifflinforChildren,2010.Print.

MacDonald,MargaretRead,andEugeniaNobati.
Bat'sBigGame
.MortonGrove,Ill.:AlbertWhitman,2008.Print.
Markle,Sandra.
OutsideandinsideBats
.NewYork,N.Y.:AtheneumforYoungReaders,1997.Print.

Silverman,Erica,andS.D.Schindler.
BigPumpkin
.NewYork:Macmillan,1992.Print.

Videos:
"Bats|D4K."
PBSLearningMedia
.Web.30Nov.2015.
"BrainPOPBatsMovie."
Bats
.Web.30Nov.2015.