Read-Aloud Lesson Plan
Title / THE KEEPING QUILTAuthor / PATRICIA POLACCO
Grade Level / G2 to G5 (G4 and G5 will have different assignments, as noted below.)
Strategy / MAKING CONNECTIONS
Text Summary / QUICK SUMMARY: This is an amazing story of traditions maintained in a Family over time.
This is a beautiful story of a Quilt that has been handed down through generations of this Russian family – and the role the Quilt played over the Generations. It also discusses traditions in this family – and how those traditions have changed over time. The Quilt however is almost the central character – students will determine --in our assessment – how the traditions in their own families compare or contrast to the traditions discussed in this book. G5 Students will compare this book with the author’s book CHICKEN SUNDAY – another book about families and traditions.
Objective: / Students will:
- Develop specific strategies for reading comprehension following a teacher model of thinking aloud and asking questions
- Demonstrate comprehension by discussing their reactions to a story, identifying with characters in a story, and relating events in a story to their own lives
- Learn about character development and themes using charts created by the class
Learn new vocabulary
Materials Needed: / Preparing for the lesson:
The Book
Questions
Post-it Notes
Pencils or Pens
Questions – students Answering Question
Before Reading:
Prepare / This is book that provides us with a story of family traditions.
I want students to think about traditions in their families, especially students in G 4 to 5, before I read the Book, and be able to share those traditions.
Did any of your families make quilts or other heirlooms (explain that word) that were passed on from generation to generation.
This story
I’m going to read a book to you called THE KEEPING QUILT
I want you to listen to the family and their traditions – and how those traditions might be similar to your own. This is called MAKING CONNECTIONS – the themes for this month.
During Reading:
Guide / .Please start making connections:
Think about
Which character in this book is most like you and why?
And also:
What did you learn from this particular family and their traditions?
Why were their traditions so important to them?
After Reading:
Extend / QUESTIONS TO ASK STUDENTS AFTER READING THIS BOOK:
In Patricia Polacco’s THE KEEPING QUILT
This is an amazing story of traditions maintained in a Family over time
What is that tradition?
How did that tradition change?
Why was it important for this family to keep that tradition?
Why did you think that tradition changed?
THINK: (for G4 and G 5: HOW DID THE ROLE OF WOMEN CHANGE IN THIS BOOK? How can you show this?
What are the traditions in your family?
Write down the traditions in your family – the traditions you’d like to keep and those you would not
Who would like to read that out to the class
Make connections between the traditions in the Family the author describes and your own
Is this book autobiographical?
How can you tell?
G 4 to 5 for this book
Differentiated Instruction: G 4 and 5 will answer the tough questions: autobiographical, role of women and will be involved in research below.
Specifically, students will discuss after I read the book:
The class will discuss the new words they learned, such as babushka (Grandmother) and discuss the Russian customs and traditions presented in this book. Next, the class will talk about the significance of the quilt in the story– G 4 and G5 will think about and then discuss how and in what ways the Quilt is almost a central character in this book?
Students in Grades 4 and 5 will also consider the multiple roles that individuals perform in families, workplaces, and communities.
Students might wish to think about how individuals can initiate change in families, neighborhoods, and communities – for example, in THE KEEPING QUILT, the author talks about how one traditional role of women change – what was that change and why did you think it happened?
Students in G 4 or 5 will also do a research and writing project:
After reading the book,The Keeping Quilt, students will (hopefully) become more interested in learning about other countries and cultures. Students will work in pairs to choose a country other than the U.S. to research. This project will be completed over a period of two weeks : one week for researching and one week for writing. The students will use the internet and other reliable resource materials to find out some historical / current information about a particular country, in order to research what life is like for men, women and children who live there, traditions, family life, and other aspects of the country that might interest them. At the end of the second week, each pair will present the country they have researched in a variety of ways, such as: creating and acting in a short skit, creating a poster display information, making a song, poem or even rap.
Students might choose to do a graphic organizer like a Venn diagram to show the likenesses and differences between the U.S. and the country they choose to research
Providing a variety of assessments for students to choose from will facilitate all types of learning styles.
Differentiation: The variety of assessments previously listed can perhaps allow all types of students to excel. For instance, writing and singing songs can help students who possess musical talent.
Designing and acting in a short skit might help those with bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Also, working in pairs helps students improve on their interpersonal abilities, while creating a graphic organizer – like a VENN DIAGRAM-- helps those with spatial intelligence.
Another assignment – especially for the 4th and 5th Graders – could be the following:
Students will begin an in-depth study of author’s craft. Students will be given an introductory interview sheet with questions about Patricia Polacco’s life and work. The interview sheet will include two questions like “Where and when was Patricia Polacco born?” and “Where did Patricia Polacco get the ideas for her books?”
Students were expected to come up with other interview questions and they will work in pairs. Children will visit Patricia Polacco’s website and navigate the site to come up with “interview” questions.
Students will be given specific instructions about how to use the Author’s website. Students will not be allowed to go to any other websites while online. After children have completed their “interview” questions, they will particpate by reading those questions to the rest of the class – and the class will vote on the most revealing interview questions – the ones that would elicit the most “revealing” responses from the author – Patricia Polacco.
The Author’s website is: www.patriciapolacco.com
Interview Worksheet: here is a start, but students in G 4 and 5, working in pairs, will in fact come up with at least 4 other questions, based on this book and Thank you, Mr. Falker (they are free to re-read this book.)
Let’s Interview the Author!
(This assignment for G4 and 5 will solely be based on using --and reading carefully – the Author’s website – students will not be allowed to go to other websites and will so be instructed.)
1. When and where was Patricia Polacco born?
2. Why was living on a farm so important to her growing up?
3. From which people do you think Patricia learned to be respectful?
4. What is the city that Patricia refers to as magical”? (By the way, it is also where the meteor actually fell!)
5. What learning disability did Patricia find out she had when she was fourteen? Did she do better in school after learning about her disability?
6. Where does Patricia get her story ideas from?
7. Is there something you want to know about Patricia Polacco but did not find it on this website?
Vocabulary Lesson / THIS STORY HAS MANY WORDS FROM RUSSIAN: TRY TO GUESS WHAT THEY MEAN BASED ON CONTEXT IN WHCIH THE WORDS ARE PRESENTED:
BABUSHKA
ARTIFICIAL
HANKIE – what does accepting the Hankie mean in the context of this story?
HUPPA
BOUQUET
KULICH
Share: / Today we learned about traditions in a variety of families and the idea is for students to think and share (make connections) about traditions in their families – whether through food, cooking, language, furniture, or heirlooms passed through generations.
Assessment / Think/pair/Share
Thinking about traditions – in a family and how they are passed down from generation to generation.
MAKING CONNECTIONS IS WHAT WE WANT STUDENTS TO LEARN
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: G 4 and G5 will be involved in RESEARCH PROJECTS, as describd above to take into account their great reasoning and research ability.
Post-it
Reflection sheet
Folder Activity