Instructional / Interactive Read-Aloud Lesson Design

Teacher Candidate Name: Gladys Wu

Date of Read-Aloud: November 18th, 2014
Grade Level of Audience: 3rd Grade Resource Room
Elementary School: Robbinsville Sharon School
Complete Citation of Book:
Bang, Molly, and Penny Chisholm. Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life.
New York: Blue Sky, 2009. Print.
Genre: Hybrid Nonfiction Text/ Narrative Nonfiction
Standard(s):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to
the text as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing
literal from nonliteral language.
Science 5.3.2.B.1
Describe the requirements for the care of plants and animals related to meeting their
energy needs.
Science 5.3.6.B.1
Describe the sources of the reactants of photosynthesis and trace the pathway to the
products.
Lesson Objective(s): Students will be able to understand the importance of plants and
the sun in producing energy for life on earth. Students will also be familiar with the
vocabulary words Photosynthesis, Chlorophyll, and Oxygen.
Part I Background:
Brief Summary of Book:
Living Sunlight is written in the perspective of the sun and explains the process of
photosynthesis. It begins by asking the audience to feel his/her heart to acknowledge that
he/she is living. The story then explains the importance of the sun in the growth of plants.
Without plants, there would be no life because humans and animals consume plants for
energy. Therefore, the sun is the main source of energy for all living things on earth.
Living Sunlight describes how life is a cycle through photosynthesis and through us. We
share life with everything that is alive.

Rationale for Selection of the Book:

The students in Mr. DiMatteos class are beginning to learn science through
literacy. This popular story, written by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm, gently
introduces complex concepts in an easy to understand way. The authors succeeded in
creating a good blend of an interesting story as well as important factual information.
Illustrations are also captivating and engaging. Students will learn how to develop an
important literacy skill of interpreting visual representations of complex concepts. For
example, students are introduced to the cycle of life and photosynthesis through each
illustration in the book. The way the story is written also helps the students feel engaged.
The authors wrote many questions in the story that make the students develop higher
critical thinking. This book also incorporates various strategies, such as mentioning
parents, friends, and teachers to help the students understand and connect with the
difficult concepts. As a result, this book seems to be very appropriate for this specific
class of six students who struggle with reading, writing, and critical thinking.
Materials Needed:
Behavior Management Board
Stickers
Assessment Worksheet
Photosynthesis Board
Vocabulary Signs (3 for each student)
Definition Board
Management Decision Making:
All students will remain at their seat during the lesson. This is due to being able to
keep the vocabulary signs on the table, as well as being able to work on the assessment
worksheet in the end. This group can be easily distracted, so minimizing transitions will
help them keep their focus. Also, the space created by each desk prevents students from
touching each other or bothering each other. Some students sometimes like touching
other items around the room, so sitting at their own desk will prevent them from doing so.
Part II Lesson Delivery:
Before Reading Questions/Statements/ Activities: (15 minutes)
When all students are sitting on the ground, the teacher will go over the rules
before beginning to read. All rules will be written out on the Behavior Board and
be placed in the front of the class.
o No calling out. Students will raise their hand if they have something to
say.
o No touching or distracting each other.
o Speak one at a time.
o Only provide input if it is relevant!
o Place the definition sign on the table. Only lift it up when appropriate.
o Listen and pay attention so that you can answer questions.

Ms. S will keep track of who answers questions and behaves well. If you
participate and show good behavior, we will let you know by putting a
sticker on your desk with a paper ribbon specifying your good behavior.
Fun Beginning Activity:
o Ask all the students to stand up next to their desk and jump up and down
as quickly as possible for five seconds. Announce that after five seconds,
all students should be sitting back down at their seats. Count to five out
loud as they jump.
Which of you feel tired?
In order for you to have been able to jump, you needed energy.
Where do you think you got your energy from today? Why are
some people more tired than others?
Activating Prior Knowledge:
o There are many things around us that require some sort of energy. For
example, what do cars need in order to be able to move?
Scaffold the students to say Gasoline. Good! Gasoline gives
energy to a car so that it can move.
o Can anyone think of any other examples?
What makes a light bulb glow? Scaffold students to say
electricity.
o Energy is required for all movement of objects.
o Plants need energy too. While I read this book, try to keep in mind what
gives plants energy and why that is so important to us.
Directions for read aloud:
o Each one of you will be given three signs with words on it. One sign says
photosynthesis, another says chlorophyll, and the last one says
oxygen. We will discuss the definitions of the words near the end of the
lesson. However, every time you hear the word during the read aloud, I
want you to raise the sign with the correct word on it. PLEASE DO NOT
raise the sign unless you hear the word! That is why it is important that
you pay close attention while I read.
o The title of this book is, Living Sunlight. At the bottom, it says How
plants bring the Earth to life? This subtitle gives us a clue what the book
is about.
o What do you see on the front cover? What are the yellow dots? Are there
really yellow dots on the Earth? No the illustrator just wants us to get
an idea that sunlight is shown on the Earth.
Management:
The students should be facing the teacher at all times and paying attention.
Students will be prompted to raise their hand and interact throughout the lesson. Extra
teachers will be monitoring behavior throughout the lesson by walking around and
keeping close proximity with the students. The teacher will be sitting at the front facing
the students while reading. If a student is misbehaving, the teacher will give the student a
stare or call out his/her name. For students who are behaving well, the other teachers will
place a sticker on his/her desk. The teachers will also write the specific positive behavior
on a paper ribbon for the student. This will promote positive behavior and remind them
o

that the teachers are constantly monitoring their behavior. The students will also be more
aware of which behavior is desired. The teachers will also verbally praise the students
throughout the lesson. Students will be reminded of the behavior wall and that they
should not speak out or raise their vocabulary signs at inappropriate times. If they have
any comments about the vocabulary words, I will remind them that we will have
discussions on the words after reading. They will be encouraged to remember their
thoughts and share it with the class later.
During Reading Questions/Statements/Activities: (20 minutes)
Periodically, the teacher will stop reading the book to talk to the students about what
has transpired in the story. When the vocabulary word has been read, the teacher will
pause and wait until all of the students raise the appropriate sign. Once the signs are all
raised, the teacher will reread the line with the word. The teacher will encourage students
to think about the meaning of the words in the context of the story and share it with the
class after reading. They will learn that this process is called using context clues.

Some of these questions may include:

o Page 1: Who do you think is speaking?
Page 5: What else does the sun do?
Page 6: What does it mean, pulse with my light?
Page 7: *Chlorophyll* Think about what that word means.
What is another word for H2O?
When it says, my energy, whose energy is it referring to?
Page 10-11: What are the four things that the sunlight-energy is doing?
Page 12: *Photosynthesis* Think about what this word means.
What have we learned so far about sun and plants?
Page 14: Students will answer the question written in the book How do
you get my energy, do you know
Page 21: Why are plants so important to us?

Management:
After reading, students will be reminded to stay seated and be prompted to answer
reflection questions. Teachers will continue to walk around and place stickers and the
paper ribbon on the students desks. Teachers will be monitoring work and behavior by
using close proximity. Positive behavior will be verbally praised. Students are expected to
participate fully and willingly. If a students answer is irrelevant to the question, I will
remind them to share their response with me at a later time or to look at the behavior
board. One of the rules is to keep the responses relevant.
After Reading Questions/Statements/Activities: (10 minutes)
Once the reading is completed, the students will be asked a series of reflection
questions which will be discussed in a group setting:
o Did you like the book?
o Can anyone explain to me again where our source of energy comes
from?

o Athletes pay very close attention to their diet. They are aware that
what they eat affects their performance.
o Raise your hand if you ever felt more tired when you didnt eat.
Students will learn and review the vocabulary words (photosynthesis,
chlorophyll, and oxygen).
o The teacher will go back to the pages with the words and reread the
lines.
o Using context clues, who can give me a definition of the word
(photosynthesis/chlorophyll/oxygen)?
o The teacher will announce the actual definition of each word and hold
up signs with the definitions. After defining each word, students will
be asked to write the definitions on the back of the vocabulary signs.
The teacher will use the photosynthesis diagram to help the students better
understand and visualize the process. The process of photosynthesis will be
simplified and will reflect what the students have learned from the book.
The teacher will briefly ask about the vocabulary words again, before giving
the assessment.
o What is the word for the definition, when plants take in carbon
dioxide and release oxygen?
o What is the word for the definition, a colorless and odorless gas
that we need to breathe?
o What is the word for the definition, a green pigment in plants that
collects sunlight energy?

Planned Assessment:
Students will be asked keep the vocabulary words on the table and use it to
complete an assessment worksheet based on photosynthesis. Each student will work
independently on the assessment. After they finish their worksheets, I will walk around to
collect it. After I grade each sheet, I will return it to them at a later time.
Management:
The teacher will prompt students to raise their hands and resist the urge to call
out. Students will constantly be reminded of the behavioral management board, which
will be placed in the front of the room. When it is time for the assessment worksheet,
other teachers will help hand out the assessment worksheets after vocabulary discussion.
That way, students will not be concerned about being assessed during the lesson and will
focus more on the learning process. During the assessment, the photosynthesis diagram
will be covered. If a student is truly struggling, I will let him/her look at the diagram. Ms.
S and I will be walking around the classroom to monitor the students during the
assessment and to collect the finished worksheets.
Differentiation:
All definitions will be written down and shown to the class.
The use of a diagram will help students better understand the materials,
especially those who learn better with visuals.

Teachers will walk around to each student to provide additional and

individualized assistance.
If students are struggling with the assessment, they may look at the diagram
for reference.
Group discussion will be prompted so all students can share ideas and
information.
Assessment Worksheet:
Vocabulary Words: