Lesson Title: The Effects of Ice Cream Reading/Writing Category:

Intended Grade Level: 3rd Reading Comprehension

PA Core Standards
Standard - CC.1.3.3.B
Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences from text; refer to text to support
responses.
Standard - CC.1.3.3.C
Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Objectives:
Students will be able to identify cause and effect relationships, brainstorm ideas to problem solve, and
work collaboratively to recall the events within a story, on a worksheet with 80% accuracy.

1. Before listening, students will recall previous knowledge of cause and effect, share their
examples with peers.

2. Before listening, students will match cause and effect image cards to show understanding of the
sequence.

3. While listening, students will demonstrate inferencing skills while analyzing the text, with
prompts from the teacher.

After listening to a picture book, students will recall the sequence of events on a work sheet,
demonstrating understanding of cause and effect.
Materials:
Cause-and-Effect Matching Cards
Cause-and-Effect Worksheet
Pencil
Before Reading/Writing (Motivator & Set Purpose)
“We’ve been learning about cause-and-effect relationships, and how events happen. Restate definition:
The cause explains why an event happens, and the effect is what happened.
Turn to a partner and describe something you did this morning, using the words cause and effect.”

“Today we are going to listen to a nonfiction story about two guys named Ben and Jerry who had a
rocky road while building their own ice cream business. We will identify the challenges they faced,
why they occurred and what happened because of them. Before we start reading, we’d like you to work
in groups of 2. Using image cards, show the order of events, match the causes and effects.”

Regroup with the whole class and call on students to share the identified pairs.

Prompt students with questions such as “what happened because it was hot outside?”, seeking the
answer, “the ice cream melted”. Ask students, “How did the plant grow?” seeking, “Because we
watered it”.
During Reading/Writing (Step-by-Step Procedures)

Teacher will begin reading the book aloud, stopping at the following pages:

J. Shettel/Lesson Plan Template

 p.4 : Text: “Ben and Jerry loved all types of food…especially ice cream.”

Teacher: “Knowing their love of ice cream, what do you infer Ben and Jerry will do next? Let’s turn
and talk with a partner about the possibilities.”

p.12: Text: “...but they didn’t have enough money to pay the plumber.”

Teacher: “Ben and Jerry don’t have the money to pay the plumber. What do you think would be fair
payment for the Plumber?”

<prompt> Have the students share their ideas aloud. “Let’s see what Ben and Jerry come up with!”

p.19: Text: “It took forever to get through a twenty-pound box!”

Teacher: “Ben and Jerry are encountering problems when making their ice cream. Because the toffee
was too big, what did Ben and Jerry do to make it smaller?”

p.22 : Text: “The cherry ice cream with fudge flakes quickly became a hit”

Teacher: “Many of these flavor names use words that have alliteration, which is when both words start
with the same letter. My flavor would be Ross-y Road! "Now, take a second now to create your own
flavor name!”

Let’s see what we came up with! Students will share with the class some of their flavor names, while
the teacher writes them on the board.

p. 29: Text: “They also looked for other ways to make ice cream that don’t hurt the planet, like
reducing waste and using solar panels for electricity.”

Teacher: “Because Ben and Jerry used environmentally friendly solutions in their ice cream, what
happened to the environment? Think of some examples.”

Read text to end.

After Reading/Writing (Closure & Wrap-Around to Purpose)

“Through the course of Ben and Jerry’s career, the audience saw the variety of events they
encountered, and what happened after each and every one. Understanding cause-and-effect is
important. Not only does it help us readers see connections between events, but it also lets us work on

J. Shettel/Lesson Plan Template

 critical skills such as inferences and reasoning.”

The teacher will hand out the cause-and-effect worksheet.

“Now that we have read through the story, we’d like you all to fill out a worksheet. These are events
that have happened during the span of Ben and Jerry’s career. We’d like you to identify the cause and
effect that happened throughout the story.”

Teacher hands out worksheets, observing the students and being available to help.
Assessment/Evidence of Student Learning (Set Proficiency Level)
Students will be assessed in various ways:
1. During discussions, teachers will observe students and gauge their participation. All students
should be expected to contribute during discussions.
2. Worksheets will be collected and checked for understanding of cause-and-effect and
comprehension of the story. Excellent=All 5 identified correctly. Good=4 identified correctly.
Satisfactory=3 identified correctly. Needs improvement=2 identified correctly. Beginning=1 or
below identified correctly.
Adaptations for ELLs or Students with Special Extensions for Advanced or Gifted Students:
Needs:

Students with ELL, we would have work sheets An extension for gifted students could involve an
available with the original text, and a translation added worksheet where they would create 3 of
underneath so they would have explore to their their own cause and effect statements.
first language and English.

Students with special needs, depending on the

need, we would have worksheets available with
graphics to show a visual of the cause and effect
for the student to have another way to identify the
sequence of events.
Citations:
Robinson, L., & Innerst, S. (2022). The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Revolution. Abrams
Books for Young Readers.

J. Shettel/Lesson Plan Template