Jennifer Curtis

Literacy Through Lit – Wikispace

May 2012 Book Discussion

Lesson Plan – “Turtle in Paradise” by Jennifer Holm

May 20, 2012

Turtle in Paradise – Lesson Plan

Objectives:

·  Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material.

·  State and develop a clear main idea for writing using organizational strategies.

·  Apply tools to judge the quality of writing

·  Write informational reports that include facts and examples and present important details in a logical order.

·  Locate important details about a topic using different sources of information including, books, magazines, newspapers, and online resources.

·  Make meaning through asking and responding to a variety of questions related to a text.

·  Deliver formal and informal descriptive presentations recalling an event or personal experience that convey relevant information and descriptive details.

Materials:

·  Scavenger Hunt / Treasure Hunt Map

·  “Treasure” – Simple like index card or gold coin cut out of construction paper

·  Topics to research about Key West, Orphan Annie, Shirley Temple, Labor Day Hurricane, Sponging, etc.

·  Various text (books, magazine, etc.) to help student complete research

·  *Computer(s) with internet access

·  Research report questions to answer and checklist

·  Research report rubric

·  Copy(ies) of “Turtle in Paradise” by Jennifer Holm

Plan:

·  Read “Turtle in Paradise” by Jennifer Holm, as a class, small group, or individual. Throughout the story have mini lessons and activities to allow students to better understand the text, the characters, etc.

·  After, reading “Turtle in Paradise” read “Author’s Note section together and lead a class discussion on the aspects from this fictional story that were created based on nonfictional events.

·  Create a Treasure Hunt for students. This could be done by having clue cards with story comprehension questions. These would then lead students to the “treasure”. The ‘treasure’ will be a topic written on a gold coin. (Can also extend and include literature that you’ve preselected and have that with the gold coin or have another clue that would led the student to the resources).

·  Practice research skills and have each individual, pair, or group of students, spend time gathering facts about their topic.

·  Then students would have time to put their facts into a report and should include all aspects from checklist and ensure that they have check their writing by using the rubric.

·  Upon completion of writing the report students will have time to present their topic to the class.

Assessment:

·  Research report – graded based on provided rubric

·  Oral Presentation – grade based on provided rubric

Topic Ideas:

·  Little Orphan Annie

·  Shirley Temple

·  Labor Day Hurricane

·  Black Caesar (pirate)

·  Sponging industry

·  Rheumatic fever

·  Great Depression

·  Life in Key West

·  Key West’s environment/ plant life/ animal life

Sample Check List:

Ć  What is your topic?

Ć  How is it connected/ portrayed in “Turtle in Paradise”?

Ć  Find 4-6 facts about your topic

Ć  Find 2-4 pictures about your topic

Ć  Think about, develop and write 1-2 opinions on your topic.

Sample Rubric:

Include Topic/ Subject Name / 1 point
Include a Title / 1 point
Make connection to “Turtle in Paradise” / 5 points
Include 4-6 facts / 12 points
Write 1-2 opinions / 4 points
Included 2-4 pictures / 4 points
Write in complete sentences. / 2 points
Use correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling / 4 points
Clear and organized report / 2 points
Total Possible / 35 points