Instructional Lesson Plan

English Language Arts

Grade: 2 / Unit Title: Communities
Lesson Overview
This is the first of a two-day lesson focusing on the book The Great Fuzz Frenzy. This lesson will provide an opportunity to listen to and engage in a close reading of the text. Students will respond to text dependent questions and participate in a cooperative discussion about the story. Students will engage in a collaborative writing activity.
Teacher Planning and Preparation
The model lessons in this unit feature best practices to address Common Core State Standards. The lesson plans were designed for heterogeneous classes. When teachers implement these plans, they should consider the skills and special needs of their students and make adjustments accordingly.
Apply appropriate elements of UDL:
·  Options for Perception: 1.1 Customize the display of information, 1.2 Provide alternatives for auditory information
1.3 Provide alternatives for visual information
·  Options for Expression: 5.1 Allow choices of media for communication, 5.2 Provide appropriate tools for composition and problem solving, 5.3 Provide ways to scaffold practice and performance
·  Options for Comprehension: 3.1 Provide or activate background knowledge , 3.2 Highlight critical features, big ideas, and relationships , 3.3 Guide information processing, 3.4 Support memory and transfer
·  Options for Sustaining Effort: 8.3 Foster collaboration and communication
The following websites provide alternate strategies and information for differentiation of lesson.
English Language Learners
http://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/
Gifted Children
National Association for Gifted Children
http://www.nagc.org/
Special Education and 504 LD Online
http://www.ldonline.org/educators
http://marylandlearninglinks.org
**Prepare for small group/guided reading by selecting appropriate leveled text and making connections to “Communities” and other topics related to this theme.
Focus Question
Are there animal communities?
Unit Standards Applicable to This Lesson
RL.2.1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
RL.2.3. Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
RL.2.7. Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
SL.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
W.2.3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
Student Outcomes
·  Students will actively engage in a read aloud of the book.
·  Students will discuss the story by responding to text dependent questions.
·  Students will share examples of community life from the story.
·  Students will collaboratively create an alternative ending the story.
Text and Resources:
The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
Lexile: 420L
Summary: Deep, deep down in their underground town, the prairie dogs live in harmony--until a mysterious, fluorescent, very fuzzy thing (otherwise known as a tennis ball) rolls down their hole. When the prairie dogs discover that they can pluck and pull the fuzz into fabulous fashions, their fear quickly turns to curiosity, then delight, then pure greed. The frenzy that erupts threatens to tear apart the prairie-dog town forever. But when mean ol' Big Bark is kidnapped after taking all the fuzz for himself, the prairie dogs come to the rescue and remember the true meaning of community. (Amazon)
Alternate text: This link provides access to a reader’s theatre script http://www.susanstevenscrummel.com/teachertipsfuzz.htm which can be used in small group instruction.
Document Camera
Story Map organizer
Video Clip: Animal Planet. http://animal.discovery.com/videos/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-sounding-the-alarm.html
Venn Diagram
Pre-Assessment
Show the video clip of a prairie dog from Animal Planet. http://animal.discovery.com/videos/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-sounding-the-alarm.html. Have students Think-Pair-Share how prairie dogs work together to protect their community.
Lesson Procedure
Have students engage in an interactive read aloud of the “The Great Fuzz Frenzy”. (Use the document camera during read aloud). Demonstrate how to read closely by modeling how to monitor for understanding by rereading, questioning the author, and focusing on particular parts of the story. Following reading, use any or all of these text dependent questions to engage students in a collaborative discussion about the book.
·  How does Little Pip demonstrate his bravery in the story?
·  Why were the prairie dogs excited about the “fuzzy”?
·  How did the author use illustrations to engage the reader in the events of the story?
·  What can we infer about the characters Big Bark and Little Pip? Explain how you know.
Routine Writing: At the conclusion of the story, Violet the dog returns to the prairie dog burrow with another tennis ball. Have students work collaboratively with a partner to create a new story about the prairie dog community. Provide students orange yarn (for fuzz) to use in their illustrations.
Lesson Closure
Participate in a “weave a web of understanding” activity (Linda Hoyt). Have students sit in a circle and pass a ball of yarn back and forth to each other (creating a web). Each time a student receives the ball of yarn, he/she shares one example of how the prairie dogs demonstrated living in a community.

ELA.6/26/2012 1