Comprehension Lesson Plan

Comprehension Lesson Plan Grade Level: Kindergarten

Objectives:

Students will be able to identify the characters, setting, and problem of the story Students will be able to retell the story, Owl Babies

Materials: A copy of the story, Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Prior Knowledge:

To be successful with the comprehension strategy of retelling, students must have numerous experiences with stories.

Assessment:

At the end of this unit, each student will have an opportunity to retell the story of Owl Babies. I will use the district Common Assessment to score their ability to retell details from the story.

Lesson Overview: Students will be read the story Owl Babies over a five-day period. After each reading, they will participate in activities that will enhance their ability to retell the story. At the end of the unit, student will individually retell the story using pictures to help them sequence the beginning, middle, and end.

Lessons:

First Reading:

Read the title and the author/illustrator’s name. Ask if the children have ever felt scared or lonely when their mom and/or dad were away. Tell them to turn to a friend and share that experience. After children have had an opportunity to share their experiences, tell them that in the story, Owl Babies, Sarah, Percy, and Bill also feel scared and lonely one night when they notice their mother has flown away.

Tell the students: I know that thinking about the characters, where the story takes place, and what happens to them will help me remember important events from the story. Let’s do that with Owl Babies.

Read the story, Owl Babies. After reading the story, model how you would retell the story include names of characters, the setting, and details from the story.

On-going Practice: Have students color and cut out pictures of 3 baby owls and one adult owl. Glue these owls to Popsicle sticks. Students will use these puppets to react the story of Owl Babies.

Second Reading: Read the title and the author/illustrator’s name. Ask students to turn to a friend and work together to tell what they remember about the characters, setting, and problem. Listen to the different conversations. Try to identify students who are having difficulty remembering the story elements.

Read the story a second time pausing to identify story elements.

Motivational Theories:

I applied the first Instructional Principle for using rewards in classrooms by presenting each child with a certificate noting what they have mastered before coming to school. By recognizing their hard work and achievements, they will be motivated to work harder to master the long-term goal of naming all 26 upper case and lower case letters. All children will be recognized at the 2 week “Checkpoint”; however students who master their goal will receive a certificate of knowledge. Here, I applied the second Instruction Principle by rewarding achievement. By continually checking individual progress and modifying goals, I applied the third Instruction Principle. As student competence increases they will be rewarded with a certificate of knowledge. By allowing the students to monitor their own achievement with completing the Letter Naming Bar Graph, they will be intrinsically motivated to accomplish their goals.

References:

Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D.(2007).Seventh Edition Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.