Read Aloud Lesson Plan

Name: Jana Hadley

Grade: Fourth Grade

Date: February 11, 2009

Book Information:

Title: A Sweet Smell of Roses

Author: Angela Johnson

Illustrator: Eric Velasquez

Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Copyright Date: 2005

Number of Pages: 32

Standards:

ALCOS Social Studies 4.14 - Describe the social, political, and economic impact of the modern Civil Rights Movement on Alabama.

ALCOS Language Arts 4. 17 - Compare and contrast story elements and the experiences and feelings of literary characters to students' lives.

ALCOS Language Arts 4. 21 - Use the writing process with assistance when composing different forms of written expression.

Purpose of the Read Aloud:

A Sweet Smell of Roses will be read to the students to motivate them to think about Black History month and to relate the concept of symbolism, which they are studying in the form of hieroglyphics in reading, to literature.

Preparing to Read:

  • Does anyone know what month February is? It is Black History Month.
  • We are going to read a story that relates to Black History.
  • The Author, Angela Johnson, has written 40 books and most of them relate to African Americans, their families or their relationships. Here are a few of her other books.
  • The teacher will show the students When I Am Old with You, One of Three, and Lily Brown's Paintings. The teacher will explain that they were illustrated by different artists so they look different but they were written by the same author.
  • Angela Johnson was born in Tuskegee Alabama and grew up in Ohio. She started writing in her diary when she was a little girl and then wrote “Punk Poetry” when she was older. She isn’t a punk anymore but she still writes.
  • What have you been studying about Black History month? Have you talked about the role Alabama played in the civil rights movement?
  • The teacher will hold up the book again and will ask the students how they think this book relates to the civil rights movement?
  • The teacher will show the students other books that are at the front of the room which are by different authors but are related in theme to this story. The teacher will encourage the students to look at all of the books after the lesson is completed.
  • The teacher will tell the students that there is another reason this book was chosen. The teacher will explain what the word symbolism means.

Symbolism - the artistic method of revealing ideas or truths through the use of symbols.

The teacher will explain that in literature an author will sometimes repeat, usually an object, over and over again in the story to represent an idea.

  • The teacher will ask the students to remember their reading story and to think about how they have been studying about hieroglyphics and how symbols relate to the word symbolism.

While Reading:

  • The teacher will open the book to the front title page and will ask the students to pay attention to the illustrations and remember to look for symbolism in the story.
  • The teacher will begin reading the story. On the first page, after the text, the teacher will ask the students if the girls in the story snuck out of the house or left with permission.
  • The teacher will ask the students, on page 5, what type of March the author is talking about in the story.
  • On Page 11 the Teacher will ask the students how they think the girls must have felt. The teacher will walk around the room showing the illustrations to each student. The teacher will ask the students to notice the people’s facial expressions in the picture.
  • The teacher will ask the students if they have noticed how color is being used in the illustrations of the story, on page 22.
  • The teacher will ask the students why they think the mother in the story is worried, on page 26.
  • On the last page the teacher will ask the students what they think the roses in the story represent. Why do the roses smell sweet? The roses represent freedom.

After Reading:

  • The teacher will ask the students what they thought about the story. How did it make them feel?
  • The teacher will ask the students what special qualities they felt the main characters in the story possessed.
  • The teacher will ask the students how the characters emotions change as the story progresses.
  • The teacher will ask the students to explain how the color red was used in the story.
  • The teacher will repeat the definition of symbolism and will ask a the students to explain in their own words the symbolism in this story.

Extension Activity:

  • The Teacher will ask the students to get out paper and pencils and will pass out colored pencils.
  • The teacher will give different examples of how symbolism could be used in a story. The teacher will explain that in order for the symbolism to be effective it has to be an element that is repeated.
  • The teacher will explain to the students, they are going to write their own story and they should include one symbol in their story. The symbol can represent anything they want but usually symbolism deals with the concept of a big idea such as love, freedom, happiness, or sadness.
  • The teacher will explain that the students can then draw pictures to illustrate their story and that the pictures should reflect the symbolism in the story.
  • As the students begin to think of ideas and write their story, the teacher will walk around and ask the students what symbol they are going to use and what their story is going to be about to assess their understanding of the assignment.
  • As the students begin to finish the assignment the teacher will begin to walk around and help the students proofread their work. The teacher will instruct the students to begin proof reading their stories themselves by rereading and looking for errors until they can be helped.
  • After the majority of the students have completed their stories they can come to the front of the room, individually, and read their stories to the class. The teacher will remind the students to be respectful to their author peers while they are reading.
  • The teacher will encourage the students to identify the symbol in their classmates’ stories and what it represents.
  • The finished stories may be displayed on the wall in the hallway.

Materials:

  • Paper
  • Pencils
  • Colored Pencils

Books Needed:

  • A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson
  • When I Am Old with You by Angela Johnson
  • Lily Brown’s Paintings by Angela Johnson
  • Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
  • When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan
  • Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine