Educ 312-Author Study

Table of Contents
I.
II.
Biography
Bibliography (Graphic Organizer)

III.
IV.
Introductory Activity Plan

Arts Integrated Activity Plans
V.
VI.
STEAM Activity Plan
Culminating Activity Plan
VII.
Additional Resources
VIII.
Works Citied
Mo Willems

Mo is from New Orleans and grew up drawing
and telling stories. One of the things that Mo
loved most was reading Peanuts comics. He
would sketch out the characters himself and
said that one day he wanted to take, Charles
Shultz, the authors job. Mo acted in plays and
started doing stand up comedy when he was in
high school.

Mo loved doing stand up comedy and took that
talent to London, England! After he traveled, he moved to New York and went to school to
study film and animation. Many people think that he started out writing books, but he
actually began his career writing and animating for Sesame Street. He also did shows for
Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Throughout his animating career he won 6 Emmy
awards.

During the time he was writing shows for Cartoon Network he decided to start writing and
drawing his own stories. It took up to five years for an editor to notice his doodles of
pigeons and stories. Once his first book, Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, was published,
it kick started his career of being an animated childrens author. Mo gets a lot of his
inspiration from his audience. He says, "Always think about your audience, never think for
your audience."

Someone asked him where he got his ideas and Mo replied Belize. That way they are
belizable. Actually ideas are not gotten, they are grown. His sense of humor along with his
creativity and originality make him an incredible writer and illustrator. In his career this
far, Mo Willems has won 3 Caldecott Honors, 2 Geisel Medals, 6 Emmy Awards, 5 Geisel
Honors, a Helen Hayes nomination, and multiple bubble gum cards.

City Dog,
Country Frog
Don't Let the
Pigeon Stay Up
Late!

Bibliography
Don't Let the

Pigeon Drive the
Bus!
Edwina, the
DinosaurKnuf[le
Bunny: A
Cautionart Tale
My Friend is Sad
Cat the Cat, Who

is That?
Mo Willems
That is Not a
Good Idea!
Waiting Is Not
Easy!
The Pigeon
Needs a Bath!
Today I will Fly!
My Friend Is So
Fun!
There Is a Bird
On Your Head
Waiting Is Not
Easy
Design for Learning

Activity Plan
Integrated Arts Lesson
Instructor(s):Lynn Putnam, Abby Prutzman, Katie Toler, Lindsey Harding

st
Grade Level: 1 grade
Lesson Title: Fossil Fun

Estimated Time: 1-2 days
Curriculum Area & book connection: Edwina, The Arts Area: Visual Art, 3D
Dinosaur Who Didnt Know She Was Extinct (Science)

Standards Connection:

Content Area: Recognize evidence of animals that no longer exist. [1.6]
Arts Area: (Art) Create works of art using a variety of techniques.
Producing three-dimensional works of art
Examples: found-object sculptures, clay sculptures such as pinch pots

Learning Objective(s):

Content area: When given a graphic organizer, students will use an iPad to research
extinct animals and provide four accurate facts that they learned from their
research.
Arts Area: When given play dough, students will create a 3D model of a dinosaur
fossil that meets the rubric provided.

Engagement:

The teacher will start the lesson by asking the students if they remember the author
we have been learning about. She will read the book Edwina The Dinosaur Who
Didnt Know She Was Extinct. She will ask them questions regarding the reading,
dinosaurs, and begin to touch on what extinction is. Boys and girls when I call your
table will you please come and sit on the carpet? Table 1234 Okay class, do you
remember what author we are learning about? Student A, will you share with the class
what your favorite book is that we have read so far? Teacher waits for student
response. Thank you for sharing. Student B, will you share with the class your favorite
thing we have read so far? What did you like about the story? Teacher waits for
student response. Thank you for sharing. Today we are going to read a new book. It is
called Edwina The Dinosaur Who Didnt Know She Was Extinct. This book introduces
us to a new character in Mos books. Do you all want to meet her? We are going to
read it and find out! First I want you all to look at the title. Do you all see this last word
in the title? It says extinct can you all say that with me? Does anyone know what that
means? As we read I want you all to see if you can figure out the meaning throughout
the story and the main character. What do you all think this book is going to be about?
Teacher calls on a few students and listens to their responses. Lets read it and find
out! Teacher reads aloud the book to the students. What a fun story, boys and girls.

What did you all think? Give me silent thumbs if you enjoyed the story. Who was the
main character of this story? Teacher waits for student response. Edwina, good job.
What kind of animal was she? She was a dinosaur, good job. Do you all see many
dinosaurs roaming around here? Teacher listens to student responses. No? Why not?
Teacher listens to student responses. Do you all remember the word in the title that
we looked at earlier, extinct? That word has to do with why we dinosaurs do not exist
today. Have you all ever heard of another type of animal that you to live and now there
are no more of them? Teacher listens to student responses. We are going to learn
today about ways that we can tell if an animal is extinct, meaning that it no longer
exists, from what we read. What does extinct mean, boys and girls? Students repeat
that they no longer exist.

Learning Design: (Activity)
Activity Explanation:
This activity will include a graphic organizer to cause students to ask questions
about characteristics about extinct animals to deepen their level of understanding
on the topic. She will use the book, the pictures that she shows, and the fossils to
prompt the students interest and questions. She will then explain to them what it
means when an animals is extinct. As an introductory activity, the teacher will show
a few pictures of fossils, specifically dinosaur fossils. She will also pass around a real
dinosaur fossil for the students to touch. (The students are grouped at their tables).
The teacher will ask the students to share what they notice about the fossils and
how it compares to animals that they see today. Now that the students understand
what the word extinct means, she will ask the students why Reginald didnt like
Edwina. The teacher will expound on that and ask students how that changes their
view of the story now that they know what extinct means. The teacher will ask
students what they already know about extinct animals. She will then elaborate on
that. The teacher will use an anchor chart and have the students write down their
questions about extinct animals. They will spend time doing that, and then students
will be given the opportunity to use an iPad to find more research on extinct
animals. They will be given their own graphic organizer to fill out and they will
share a piece of information that they found with the class. Vocabulary: extinct,
fossil
Build Knowledge
Boys and girls, we just read a story about Edwina a dinosaur that was extinct. Does
anyone know what that means? Teacher waits for student response. It means that the
animal no longer exists. Does that make sense why Reginald was so upset that
everyone thought that Edwina was real? Right, because we dont usually see dinosaurs
hanging out with us on the playground. We dont even see them in the woods, right?
They dont exist anymore. Class, I am going to show you some fossils of a dinosaur. Can
anyone tell me what a fossil is? Have you all heard of that word before? Teacher
writes the word on the board. It is the bones of an animal that no longer exists.
Teacher passes around a dinosaur fossil and shows a few pictures on the Smart
Board. I want us to look at these pictures and the fossils that are in front of you. What

do you notice about these fossils? Think to yourself, do not blurt out please. Teacher
lets students think for a minute. What is one thing that you noticed, Student A? That is
a great observation. What about you, Student B? Good job. That is very interesting.
Does anyone have a me too for that one? Alright, I am going to pass out some sticky
notes. I want you to write down a question that you have about extinct dinosaurs OR
about fossils. I will give you two minutes to think of the question. When you have your
question please place it on the anchor chart right here. Teacher draws attention to
the chart. She gives students time to formulate some questions. Okay now we are
going to read the questions that you all came up with. Teacher reads the questions
and sorts the ones that are similar into a group. What I am going to do next is split
you all into groups of 3. I am going to assign you a question. I am going to give you an
iPad and you are going to research about the question that I gave you. I am going to
give you a graphic organizer to fill out. Teacher shows the student the graphic
organizer over the Elmo. It has four blanks, so I want you to find four different facts
about the question that you are looking up. See this space right here? You are going to
write your topic or what you are researching on right there. Does everyone
understand? You are working in groups, so I am expecting everyone to give their full
effort. I am going to be walking around making sure that you all are logged in
correctly to the iPad and researching what your question is. After you are done
researching, you are going to share with the class what you found out about your
question. Be prepared to answer and ask some questions to your peers. Now I am going
to break you off into your groups. (Premade). Teacher splits students up and passes
out iPads and the graphic organizer. After the students finish they will share with
the class what they learned. The students will have opportunities to ask and answer
questions about the information that they found.
Model:
Now boys and girls we are going to make our own dinosaur fossils using play dough!
We just observed from the pictures and from the fossils that I passed around what they
look like. You can use the play dough on your table that I pass out to you. Only open it
when I tell you to. The teacher will pass out to each student a pack of play dough. You
will be working with your tables for this activity. I am going to show you how I did
mine. The teacher will present her model to the class. Artists can use all sorts of
materials to create models. They sculpt their objects and can use them in many
different ways. You are going to make your own model of a fossil that looks similar to
mine following the directions that I give you.
Create:
Now boys and girls its time to create. I am going to pass out directions for this project.
I already passed out to you the materials that you need. All you will need is the play
dough. You will work with your table group to complete this project, but you will all
turn in your own individual pieces. I am going to put the pictures that we looked at
earlier on the screen so that you can use those as a model. I am going to pass out the
rubric that will be used to grade this. Lets read it together. Does everyone understand
what they will be doing today? When everyone is finished, they will have the chance to
showcase their fossil to the class.

Assessment
Boys and girls, I will be looking at your fossil models and assess them with a rubric. You will
be graded on the following; following directions, used descriptions from our graphic
organizers, creativity, and completion. (Rubric attached)

Closure
Thank you boys and girls for being so obedient today. You did a great job and your artwork
was beautiful. Lets review what we have learned starting back from the beginning. Thinking
back to the book Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didnt Know She Was Extinct, can anyone tell me
what the word extinct means? What did we learn about extinct animals today? What are
fossils? Can we find them even today? Great job boys and girls. Before we leave I want you to
close your eyes. I want you to picture yourself outside digging in the sand and all of a sudden
you find something! It looks like a fossil! I want you to write a sentence about what kind of
animal fossil you found. If the animal came to school, would you believe that it was real?

Materials and Resources:
Graphic Organizer (attached)
Rubric (attached)
Play dough for each student
Fossils to pass around
Picture of Dinosaur fossils
Edwina, The Dinosaur
iPads
Anchor Chart
Paper for the closure
Projector
Computer
SmartBoard
Elmo

Rubric

Needs
Fair Good Excellent!
Improvement
Shows
creativity
Followed
directions
Used
descriptions
from
pictures and
graphic
organizer
Project
completion
Design for Learning

Activity Plan
Instructor(s):Lynn Putnam, Abby Prutzman, Katie Toler, Lindsey Harding

Grade Level: 1st

Lesson Title: Tick Tock

Curriculum Area & book connection: Dont Let the Arts Area: Music
Pigeon Stay Up Late! (Math)


Content Area: Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital
clocks. [1-MD3] [1.17]
Arts Area: 1.) Demonstrate movement in various tempos, rhythms, and meters.
PE Standard: 5.) Apply rhythmic movement to games, activities, and dances.
Example: combining traveling patterns in time to music


Content area: When given a time of day on an analog clock, students will correctly
match it to the hour.
Arts area: (Music) When given a song, students will clap with the correct rhythm.
PE area: When given a song, students will apply the rhythmic movement by lunging,
jumping, or skipping on the correct rhythm pattern.

Engagement:

The teacher will start the lesson by asking the students what author they are going
through. She will ask them to tell her something they have learned from reading his
books so far. The teacher will read the book Dont Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! She will
ask them questions about what time they go to bed and what time they do things
throughout the day using a chart. This will lead into the activity about telling time on an
analog clock. Boys and girls, when I call your table, please come to the carpet. Table
1234 Okay class, what author have we been learning about? Student A, will you
share with the class what one thing is that you have learned from what we have read so
far? Teacher waits for student response. Thank you for sharing. Student B, will you share
with the class your favorite thing we have read so far? What did you like about the story?
Teacher waits for student response. Thank you for sharing. Today we are going to read a
new book. It is called Dont Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! What character do you
recognize from the some of the other books we have been reading? The Pigeon! Do you
all like the Pigeon? I do too. Looking at the title, what do you think this story is going to
be about? Teacher listens to a few student responses. Okay boys and girls, lets read and
find out! Teacher reads the book to the students. What did you all think? Give me silent
thumbs if you liked that one? What time do you all usually go to bed? Teacher listens to

student responses. One at a time, please. Have any of you ever tried to stay up all night?
Teacher draws attention to the chart with each hour of the day on it displayed on the
SmartBoard. (attached) Boys and girls, will you look at this chart with me? It has listed
each time of the day. We are going to fill this out together as a class with different things
that you do at these times of the day. Lets think about what time we sleep first! Most of
you said that you go to sleep around 8 or 9. Lets write sleep in those blanks. Teacher
writes sleep in those blanks. How long do you all sleep? Do you sleep until 3 in the
morning? No! On a school day you usually wake up around what time? Students respond
and teacher writes their response on the board. We are going to keep filling this out
together and I am going to call on some of you to come up and write what your friends
are saying in the blank if you are behaving. Teacher and students continue to fill out the
chart when it is full. Great work class! Do you all remember about telling time? We are
going to look more into that and play some fun games.

This activity will include a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrxZWNu72WI)
and a matching activity (attached) that will increase the students understanding of
telling time by the hour on an analog clock. The teacher will use the book, the video,
to prompt the students interest and questions. She will explain to them what an
analog clock is and the purpose of the big hand and short hand. As an introductory
activity, the teacher will show the video and ask the students to share about their
favorite time of the day and why. She will ask them why it is important that we
know how to tell time. She will write these responses on a sticky note poster. Now
that the students understand the purpose of telling time, the teacher will connect it
back to the book and ask them why it might be important for the pigeon to know
what time it is. The teacher will ask students what they already know about how to
tell time on an analog clock. She will then elaborate on that and fill in any important
information that they missed. They will spend time doing that, and then students
will be given the opportunity to work on a matching activity. They will be given their
own sheet where they will cut out the clock pieces and glue them to the time that it
is matched with. They will work at their own tables individually. After the matching
activity the teacher will begin to explain the rhythm of the clock that it makes when
it ticks. This will lead into the arts discipline of music. Vocabulary: Analog, rhythm
Build Knowledge
Boys and girls, we just read about the pigeon that wanted to stay up late. Do you think
that telling time is important? Maybe to let us know when it is time to go to bed, to
wake up, or to eat? Do you all think that the pigeon had a very good sense of what time
it was? Thats up for you all to decide! Today we are going to learn more about telling
time because we know that it is important to know! You all have already learned a
little bit about this, but we are going to expand on it more. We are about to watch a
short video. I am going to need your full attention with your hands and feet to yourself
before we start this video. Good job. Please pay close attention to this video because it
is going to help us with our activity. Teacher plays the video. Alright boys and girls,

can someone tell me one thing that you heard in this video that reminded you of what
we have already learned? Good job. Way to remember! Can someone tell me something
that you learned that you didnt know before watching this video? Thank you for
sharing. Now can someone share with the class one thing that this video didnt talk
about but that you remember is important about telling time? Great thinking class!
When we learned about telling time we looked at telling time on digital clocks. There
was another type of clock that we looked at. Can anyone remember what we call that
type of clock? Analog clock! Great job. Can everyone say that with me? Good. What
does an analog clock look like? Students point to the one on the wall. Yes, you are
right! What does the long hand tell us boys and girls? Good it tells us the hour. What
about the short hand? Thats right. We are going to need to remember that as we play
this matching activity that I am about to pass out to you all. Teacher passes out
activity. (attached) You all are going to match the time written to its analog clock. I
am going to pass out a supply box to each table. You are going to be working by
yourself on this. Each of you will need a pair of scissors and a glue stick. You will use
the scissors to cut out the clocks at the bottom of the page. Can everyone point to the
part that you are going to cut out? Good. Once you cut out the clocks, you are going to
match it up top by gluing it to the correct time. Boys and girls I am expecting you to
take care of my supplies. There is to be no goofing off in this activity. Please keep your
supplies, your papers, and your hands to yourself. Teacher passes around the
toolboxes with the scissors and glue sticks in them. When you are finished please
come hand your sheets to me and find a spot on the floor to read. Teacher walks
around helping students who struggle with cutting and gluing. When they everyone
is finished she draws their attention back in. Boys and girls, you all did such a great
job matching your times. Can I have everyone be really really quiet? Teacher says this
in a whisper voice. I want you to pay close attention. I want you all to see if you can
hear the ticking of the clock. When everyone is quiet is when you can hear it. Students
listen and the teacher transitions into the modeling and creating music section.
Model:
Boys and girls, do you hear the sound that the clock is making? Tick tock, tick tock.
Watch my hands. Teacher taps her legs lightly each tick of the clock. She does this for a
few seconds. Will you all do this with me? Students model the teacher. Teacher is still
speaking very quietly. Class this is call rhythm. It is the steady beat. Did you all know
that there is rhythm in music too? Give me silent thumbs if you have heard of this before.
We are going to do some rhythm activities today. I am going sing Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star. I am going to put the rhythm on my body. After I sing it once I want you to copy me.
Teacher sings and pats the rhythm on her head. The students follow her instructions.
Good job. Do you all notice how it is a steady beat? Teacher transitions into creating.
Create:
Class, we are going to watch another video and you all are going to listen for the rhythm.
I am going to see if you all can find the rhythm as we listen to this song. We will listen to
the first round of the verse and then you all will get up out of your seats and follow the
directions that I am about to give you. You can put the rhythm on your body in many
ways. You can do it by tapping, clapping, or even moving around. We are going to move

around for this song but in order to do this I expect you all to behave. The song will play
on the video and after the first round you all are going to get up and find the rhythm by
lunging, jumping, or skipping. There are a lot of us, so we are going to do this in groups.
If your birthday is between January and April you are going to be our lungers. Can
Student A show me what a lunge looks like? Good job. If your birthday is between MayAugust you are going to jump. Can Student B show me what a jump looks like? Thank
you. If your birthday is between September and December you are going to skip. Can
Student C show me what a skip looks like? Thank you. Do you all understand what I
mean when I say that you will do your activity to the rhythm of the music? I will
demonstrate the first round. Teacher pulls up the video with the song on it
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGgsklW-mtg). She will guide them on the first
part and then will monitor the students for the rounds that they participate in. After the
video is over they will review rhythm and how we can find rhythm in many different
ways.

Assessment
Boys and girls, you are going to use the scissors and glue that I am passing out to cut out the
clocks and match them to the correct time. I am looking for neatness, following directions,
and if you are matching it correctly.

Closure
Boys and girls you did such a great job listening today. I am very proud of you. Can anyone
share with me one thing that you learned today from reading this book or from the activities
we did? Thank you for sharing. Telling time is so important for many reasons! I hope that we
remember that and keep learning to be better time-tellers. Before you all leave today I am
going to pass out an exit slip. The pigeon that we read about really wanted to stay up late.
You all will have a few minutes to tell me on your exit slip what you would do all night if you
could stay up all night? Do you think you would be able to stay awake? I am going to have this
question pulled up on the screen. Please answer it and hand it to me when you are done.

Dont Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
Telling Time Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrxZWNu72WI)
Hickory Dickory (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGgsklW-mtg)
Matching game worksheet (attached)
Time of day worksheet (attached)
SmartBoard
Computer
Scissors
Glue
Exit slip
Post it sticky note board
Design for Learning

Activity Plan

Instructor(s): Lynn Putnam, Abby Prutzman, Katie Toler, Lindsey Harding
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Lesson Title: We Are In A Book

Estimated Time: 2 hours
Curriculum Area & book connection: Language Arts Arts Area: visual arts and theater


Content Area: Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text. [RL.1.6]
Arts Area: (Theater) Retell the sequence of events in a story or theatrical
performance.
Arts Area: (Visual Arts) Create works of art using a variety of techniques.
Physical Education: Demonstrate jumping and landing skills by using one- and two-
foot takeoff methods, balancing at varying levels on multiple body parts, and
forming bridges using different body parts.


Content area: Students will identify who is telling the story by performing a readers
theater from the Elephant and Piggie book series.
Arts Area: Students will perform a readers theater with puppet made during the
activity.

Engagement:

Teacher will call students to the carpet to read We Are In a Book. Before reading the
story, the teacher will guide students in a discussion about the characters in the
book with the help of visual aids on the board. After discussing the teacher will give
directions to the student. Okay class I want you to quietly push in your chairs and
come find your spot on the carpet. Teacher will wait for all students to come to the
carpet. Can anyone tell me what author we have been studying? Yes! We have been
reading books written by the author Mo Willems. Yesterday we read a book about
Elephant and Piggie! Can someone tell me anything we know about these characters?
Good, job yall those are all things that we know about Elephant and Piggie. This is
Piggie. Using PowerPoint teacher will show a picture of Piggie projected on the
board. And this is Elephant! Teacher will show put a picture of the Elephant. We
know that elephant and Piggie are talking when we see speech bubble in the book.
Speech bubbles will appear next to Elephant and Piggie. Today we are going to read
a book called We Are In A Book! While Im reading I want you to pay close attention to
who is speaking in the book. Teacher will read We Are In A Book, occasionally
stopping to ask who said what part within the text. (Examples of questions are:
What did Piggie just say? Lets all read that line together! Oh my goodness, what

word would you make the reader say?... etc.) Oh my goodness, tricky Elephant and
Piggie! Maybe we can read the book again later like they asked us to! But for now I
want you to quietly stand up and walk back to you table. (Transition to Activity)


Teacher will have students return to their desks. At their desks students will have a
paper plate, black construction paper, markers, tape and Popsicle sticks. The paper
plates will have pre cut holes for eyes. This will be done by the teacher, prior to the
lesson. For this activity student swill create visual are by making puppets. Students
will use the paper plates to make faces for the different characters of the book. Each
student will be with a partner. So, each partner group will need one set of puppets.
Meaning that each student will only make one puppet. After students draw on the
plates they will add eyes, nose and mouth with the construction paper and tape.
Finally, student will tape the popsicle stick to the paper plate so that they can use it
as a puppet. After creating the puppets students will receive a readers theater script
from the teacher. The students will be instructed to find a place around the room to
perform their readers theater together. They will not be performing for an
audience. This is a small group activity. Students will be asked to perform with their
partner in an expressive manner. Prior to the activity the teacher will have shown a
video of a two adults doing the readers theater activity for this book.

Build Knowledge:
Kiddos, we just read a book called We Are In A Book! Who was in the book? Teacher
will wait for student response. Yes! Those were the characters that were in this book
written and illustrated by Mo Willems. In this book how can we tell which character is
speaking? Hmmmm thats a tricky question! In this book we know what character is
speaking based on the word bubbles that come from each character. This book makes
it easier to understand who is saying what during each part of the story. In other books
that do not have stories there are a few ways we can figure out who is speaking.
Sometimes, the reader can look at the pictures and identify what is going on in the
picture. Other times, the readers can determine who is speaking by the text that is in
the book. There are many ways to tell which character is speaking in the book. Why do
you think it is so important to know what character is speaking? Teacher will call on
multiple students to hear their idea. Yes those are all great reasons why it is
important for the teacher to know who is speaking in the book. It could get very
confusing if the reader could not determine what character was speaking!

Model:
All right boys and girls, there are two big parts to this activity we are about to do! Let
me explain the activity before you begin to touch the supplies. I should not see anyone
with supplies in their hands. First, we are going to create puppets of Elephant and
Piggie. After we create the puppets you are going to do perform a readers theater
activity with your partner. Because there are only going to be two of you in each group

we are not going to present them to the class! But, I still want you to do your best
work! This will be good practice for the school program coming up next week! Before
we begin I want to show you a couple of things. We are going to use the supplies at
your table to make puppets! These are the puppets that I made. See there is one for
Piggie and one for Elephant. There are not very many limits to how you complete the
puppets. However, please make sure that they look like the characters in the book! You
ill be with a partner. Each person will make ONE puppet. SO, you will either make a
Piggie puppet or an Elephant puppet. You will only make one puppet. Once we make a
puppet what do we do with them? Yes! We perform plays with them! I am going to
show you an example of a play with this book! In this video, the actors are dressed up
like Elephant and Piggie. You will not be dressed up, but you will need to use a lot of
expression! Teacher will play the video.
Create:
Ok class, now its your turn! Use the supplies at your desk to create your ONE
puppet. When you and your partner are both done come to my table and I will give
you a script! You and your partner can then go find a comfortable spot around the
room to perform you readers theater activity. I am going to put a picture of
Elephant and Piggie on the board so if you get stuck look there for help! Ill be
walking around and helping as you all are working so very hard!

Assessment
Can someone tell me what the last thing Elephant and Piggie ask us do is? Yes! They ask us to
read the book again! We are going to read the book and this time we are going to play a game
with it! Now, in this game you have to be honest, okay? I want you all to push in your chairs
and stand up. I am going to play a video of someone else reading the book. When Elephant is
speaking I want you all to stand on your left leg and with Piggie is speaking I want you to
stand on your right leg! But the trick is, if you mess up, you have to sit back down! The goal is
to stay standing the entire time. Okay, are you ready? Here we go! Teacher will play video
and observe as students play the game. This will serve as a formative assessment for both
the language arts standard and the PE standard. The readers theater will be assessed
formatively as the teacher watches.

Closure
Wow! Yall have done such a good job today! I want you all to turn to the person sitting next
to you and tell them your favorite part of todays author study time! Yes, I loved hearing all of
those fun things we got to do today. Thinking back to what we learned today, in the book, how
could you tell who was speaking? Yes boys and girls that is correct! In some books you can tell
who is speaking based on the speech bubbles in the text. Everyone did so great today, give
your buddy a high five! Tomorrow we are going to get to read another great book by Mo
Willems!

Power point (attached)
We Are In A Book! By Mo Willems
Paper plate

Black construction paper
Markers/ crayons grey, pink and black
Tape
Popsicle sticks
Readers theater video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0BHPmmn8ik)
Projector
Design for Learning

Activity Plan
Lesson Title: Today I Will Fly

Curriculum Area & book connection: STEAM Arts Area: Visual Arts


Content Area: Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units by
laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand
that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units
that span it with no gaps or overlaps. Limit to contexts where the object being
measured is spanned by a whole number of length units with no gaps or overlaps.
[1-MD2]
Arts Area: Create works of art using a variety of techniques.


Content area: Students will measure the flight distance of their paper airplane by
using an object of their choosing from a prescribed list.
Arts Area: Students will create and decorate paper airplane.

Engagement:

Teacher will instruct students to make their way to the floor for reading time.
Teacher will facilitate conversation about thins that fly. After, teacher will read the
book Today I Will Fly! After reading the book, students will be dismissed back to
their desks for further instruction on the activity.Okay class I want you to quietly
push in your chairs and come find your spot on the carpet. Teacher will wait for all
students to come to the carpet. Recently we have been reading books written by the
author Mo Willems. What books have we already read that Mo Willems wrote? Yes!
Those were all great books. Today we are going to read a book called Today I Will fly!
Lets make some predictions. What do you think is going to happen in this book?
Teacher will call on three students to get their predictions for the book. She will
write answers on the board to be revisited later. Yes, those are all great predictions!
Lets read the book and find out if we are right. Teacher will read Today I will Fly.
After reading the book the class will revisit the predictions that they made. Wow,
some of the predictions were exactly right. In the book, Piggie really wanted to fly, but
she couldnt do it all by herself, because pigs cant fly! What are some thins that can
fly? Teacher will call on multiple students to share things that fly. Yes! Those are all

great things that fly. Today we are going to focus on one flying thing in particular; we
are going to talk about planes! Today we are going to create and decorate our own
paper airplanes and then measure how far they will travel! Now, I want you all to
quietly stand up and walk back to your seat so that we can begin! (Transition to
activity)


Teacher will have students return to their desks. At their desks students will have al
of the materials that they will need to create a paper airplane. The students will be
able to either create an airplane based off of the template provided or they can
create their own time of paper airplane. The teacher will encourage students to use
their imagination with making a paper airplane. After the teacher has modeled the
activity for the students, the students will create their paper airplanes. Once
students have finished the art and engineering portion of the activity by creating
and decorating their paper airplane they will be instructed to ask the teacher for
help with the next step. In groups of 3-4 students the teacher will aid students in
flying their airplanes. Once they have flown their airplane the teacher will use a
piece of string to measure the flight distance of the airplane. The students will then
find a place on the floor and tape the string to the ground. Once they have taped
down the sting they will use an object of their choosing to measure the string.
Students will be given a worksheet to record the distance that their plane flew, the
object the used to measure the flight and also a spot to trace the object. This will be
important to the teacher so that she can see if the students correctly measured the
flight distance of their airplanes.

Build Knowledge:
Class, Today we read a book called Today I Can Fly! But, Piggie couldnt really fly we
know that there are lots of things hat can fly! Like airplanes! How long do you think
airplanes fly, how big of a distance? Teacher will call on students to guess. Those were
all good guess! Today we are going to create our own paper airplanes and measure
how far that they can fly. What are some tools that we can use to measure? Today you
are going to be able to pick your own tools to measure the flight distance of your
plane. I want all eyes looking at the board. I am going to show you an example of how
we will measure the airplane flight. First you will take your string and tape it to the
floor, I am going to tape it on the board so that everyone can see. Then you are going
to pick your object and measure how many times it can go across the string. The
teacher will demonstrate measuring the string for the students by holding an item
up against the string and making marks for the number of times it will fit. Class, why
do you think it is important to be able to measure distances? Yes there are a lot of
reasons why this is a very important math skill to have! While you are working on your
paper airplane I want you to make a prediction of how long you think the flight
distance of your paper airplane will be!

Model:

with supplies in their hands. First, we are going to create our own paper airplanes.
After we create the paper airplanes we are going to fly them and the measure their
flight distance. At your table there is white pieces of paper, scissors, crayons and tape!
You can use these supplies to make whatever kind of airplane you want. This is the
airplane that I made. Also on your desk are instructions to make this model if you want
to! When we are done you fly your airplane in the hallway. I m going to demonstrate
how we are going t fly the airplane. Teacher will fly her airplane for the students and
the show them how they will measure their flight distance. Once you have completed
all of these steps I have a worksheet for you to fill out about your airplane, the distance
that it flew and how you measured the distance. Are there any questions you have
about what we will be doing during this activity? Teacher will answer any student
questions and then release students to begin creating their paper airplanes. This
activity will effectively help them to think like engineers and build the best
airplane model they can think of. Teacher will discuss engineering with students
indirectly as they work.

Create:
Ok class, now its your turn! Use the supplies at your desk to create your own paper
airplane. When you are done with your airplane let me know and we will go out in the
hallway in groups to fly our plane! Once you fly your plane I will give you piece of
string to cut to be the length that your plane flew and then you will come back inside
the classroom to measure the string with the object or tool you want to use!

Assessment
After cutting a string the length of the flight distance, students will measure the string with
the object of their choosing. Students will be assessed on the accuracy of their measuring
skills. Teacher will formatively assess the arts standard by looking at the quality of the
plane as well as the effectiveness or distance flown. Boys and girls I will be checking your
measurements to see if you have correctly measured the length that your plane flew.

Closure
Boys and girls I am so proud of all of your work today! We did so much. You built planes, flew
planes, measured how far your planes flew! You guys are rock stars. Can someone tell me
what you used to measure the distance of your plane? Yes. There are many things we can use
to measure. We can use rulers and measuring tapes. But we can also use other objects like
pencils and blocks. I am so proud of all the great work yall did today. Tomorrow we are going
to read another Mo Willems books and try some other fun activities!

Today I Will Fly By: Mo Willems
http://www.foldnfly.com/#/1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-2
Paper plane instructions
White Paper
Projector

Scissors
Crayons
Rulers
Chalk
Erasers
Blocks
Pencils
Name:_______________________________
What did you measure your flight distance with?
Trace it (on the back of the paper if you have to):
How far did your plane fly?
Design for Learning

Activity Plan

Grade Level: 1st

Estimated Time: 60 minutes
Lesson Title: Knuffle Bunny Pt. 3

Arts Area: Visual Arts
Curriculum Area & book connection: (Culminating Activity) Knuffle Bunny Free


Content Area: 37.) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar
and usage when writing or speaking. [L.1.1]
Arts Area: 1.) Create works of art using a variety of techniques.


Content area: When given a journal topic, students will reflect on it with a one-page
entry using proper grammar (80% accuracy)
Arts Area: When given a blank sheet of paper, students will design a front cover for
their next Knuffle Bunny book.

Engagement:

The teacher will start the lesson by getting the attention of the students. If you can
hear me, touch your head. If you can hear me, touch your nose. If you can hear me,
touch your chin. Alright, boys & girls, today we are going to continue on with our
author series. Can someone raise their hand & tell me whom it is we have been
studying. The teacher will call on one student. Yes! We have been studying Mo
Willems! Today, we are going to read another story. I know you remember reading
Knuffle Bunny, correct? Teacher waits for students acknowledgement. Well today we
are going to read Knuffle Bunny Free! It continues on with Trixie & Knuffle Bunny! The
teacher will show the students the cover of the book. Does anyone have a guess as to
what this book will be about? The teacher will call on 3-4 students. I love the
thinking! I guess we will just have to read to find out what happens to knuffle bunny
this time. Give me a thumbs up if you are ready to begin. Teacher will gage the
audience & begin the story when every student is ready.


After the book, the teacher will explain that the students will be writing the next
knuffle bunny book. The students will be sitting at their table, where 4 students are
seated at each one. The journal topic will ask students to brainstorm an idea for the

next book. The students will be asked to write 7-8 sentences. The teacher will use
Knuffle Bunny Free to show students what is important in good writing. She will
point out good grammar, sentences, & punctuation. The teacher will then review the
basic grammar rules that they have been covering in class. Can someone remind me
when you use a period? An exclamation mark? A question mark? When do you use a
capital letter? When else? When do you use lower case letters? Is it important to spell
words correctly? If you dont know how to spell a word, what should you do? How do
we practice using good grammar? The teacher will listen to the students responses
& see where the conversation takes them. At the end, the teacher will hand out ipads
& ask the students to use all of their grammar knowledge to write the best knuffle
bunny story they can. Vocabulary: punctuation, grammar, & capitalization.

Build Knowledge
Friends, we just read another wonderful story about Trixie & knuffle bunny. This was
the second book our friend Mo Willems wrote in this series. I now want you guys to
write the next one! Give me a thumbs up if that sounds like fun to you? The teacher
will gage students reaction. You guys are going to be great. I know you are all
brilliant writers. We have been studying Mo for quite some time now so I know you can
do this. We have been talking about writing for the past few weeks. Can someone
remind me what it means to practice good grammar? The teacher will wait for
student response. Yes! There are three important parts to grammar: punctuation,
capitalization, & spelling. Turn & talk with your groups about what punctuation
means. The teacher will walk around the room & let the students talk. Can someone
raise their hand & share with me what your group talked about? Teacher will wait for
student response. Good thinking! Punctuation is what we use to mark the ends of our
sentences. What are the different types? Teacher waits for student response. Yes,
excellent! We have periods, exclamation marks, & question marks. Can someone raise
their hand & tell me when we use capital letters? Teacher waits for student response.
Good! We use capital letters when we begin sentences or when we are talking about
something important such as a name or place. Turn & talk with your table about
different examples of capital letters. The teacher will walk around the room &
facilitate the conversation. I loved the way you guys are thinking. All of these are
important to be good at writing. Mo Willems sure had to learn how to do all of these
things in order to write his books. The teacher will hand out a rubric for each student.
This is how I will be grading your books. Pay attention to what I will be looking at:
grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, & your great ideas! The teacher will
then hand out the students ipads. To get in the right mindset, we are going to use our
ipads! I want everyone to start thinking of some ideas for the next adventures of Trixie
& knuffle bunny. I will put 10 minutes on the clock & you can use your ipad to write
down some ideas. The teacher will start the clock. After the 10 minutes, the teacher
will have the students begin writing.

Model:
Boys & girls! Thank you for working so hard. I am so proud of how well you used your
brains to write a new book! We are now going to design a book cover for the writing
you just did. The teacher will hold up the copy of Knuffle Bunny Free. Mo Willems does

a great job of designing pictures for his books. He has a unique style of photographs &
drawings. You, however, can just draw a picture. The teacher will then hold up a copy
of her drawing. This is my book cover! I wrote a story about Trixie & knuffle bunny
going to Paris, so my picture is of the Eiffel Tower. The teacher will make sure the
students all have a turn to see the example. Give me a thumbs up if you are ready to
begin. Teacher will wait for student response.

Create:
Boys & girls, you are going to begin to design your own book cover. You have practiced
good writing styles & now you are going to be creative in making an art piece to go
with it. There will be paper & markers on your table. You can be as creative as you
want! I want to see your best effort. Use your ideas in your writing time to design a
picture. I am so excited to see what you guys make.

Assessment
Friends, I will be grading your journal entries with the rubric I handed out at the beginning of
class. I will be assessing you on your punctuation, capitalization, grammar, content/ideas, &
spelling. (See attached rubric) I want to see your best work on these!

Closure
Friends, thank you so much for your hard work today! You guys were little Mo Willems today.
You were creative writers & beautiful artists. When you put in the hard work, a really
awesome thing happens. Today you worked hard & you created (hopefully) the next book in
the knuffle bunny series. Can somebody raise their hand & remind the class what book we
read today? The teacher will wait for student response. Yes! What was your favorite about
the book? What was your favorite part of the activity & art activity? The teacher will let 4-5
students reflect. Excellent! I cannot wait to hang up your art & email your journal entries to
your parents. Good work today, class!

Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems
Ipads
Paper
Markers

Punctuation
Student uses
accurate
punctuation.
Capitalization
Student uses
capital letters
to begin
sentences &
for names.
Grammar
Student uses
subject/verb
agreement &
writes
complete
sentences
that make
sense.
Content/Ideas
Student
writes on
topic & adds
details.
Spelling
Student
writes most
sight words
correctly &
applies
spelling rules.
Needs
Fair
Improvement
1
2
Good
Excellent
Design for Learning

Activity Plan

Grade Level: 1st
Lesson Title: The Dinosaur Who Didnt Know She Was A Puppet
Curriculum Area & book connection: (Science)
Edwina The Dinosaur Who Didnt Know She Was Extinct Arts Area: Visual Arts


Content Area: 6) Recognize evidence of animals that no longer exist [1.6]
Arts Area: 4) Depict simple stories and situations through the use of puppetry.


Content area: When given a writing frame, students will fill it out with what they
have learned about extinction with 100% completion & accuracy.
Arts Area: When given puppets, the students will act out the book, Edwina The
Dinosaur Who Didnt Know She Was Extinct, & will meet the rubric provided.

Engagement:

The teacher will start the lesson by getting the attention of the students. Boys & girls,
I need all eyes on me. Put your best listening ears on. Today, we are going to continue
reading in our Mo Willems series. Can somebody raise their hand & tell me what book
we read yesterday? Teacher waits for student response. Yes, very good! We are going
to read Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didnt Know She was Extinct today. The teacher
will show the class the cover of the book. Raise your hand & tell me what is one thing
you notice about the cover? What do you see? What do you predict the story will be
about? The teacher will wait & give the students some time to get their answers
ready. She will call on 3-4 students. Excellent! Thank you for sharing! This book is
about a dinosaur named Edwina. We are going to read & find out what it means to be
extinct. Does anybody know that that word means? Extinct? The teacher will wait for
student response. Great thinking, friends! If an animal is extinct that means their
species no longer exists. A dinosaur is just one example of an animal that is extinct. The
teacher will then bring out the puppets she created for the story. I have some friends
here to help tell the story! Arent they fun? The teacher will let each student look at
the puppets before she begins. Give me a thumbs up if you are ready to begin the
story. Teacher gages the audience & begins to read the story when all students are
ready.


The activity will be centered around students filling out a word frame that the
teacher has created. The students will be seated at their tables, where 4 students are
seated at each one. The word frame will help summarize what the students learn
about extinction & the specific examples they talk about. The teacher will use the
book to introduce the first example of an extinct animal: dinosaurs. From there, she
will educate students on what the word extinction means & how they can apply it to
their understanding of animals. She will show the students various pictures of other
animals that are extinct. The teacher will ask questions to keep students engaged.
Have you ever seen this animal before? Do you know this animal is called? Can
someone describe this animal for me? What do you see in this picture? Does this
animal remind you of an animal that you see today? The teacher will listen to
students response & see where the conversation leads. She will make sure to cover
the definition of extinction, give many examples, & explain the importance of
knowing this word & the effects it has on their environment. She will also make sure
to reference Edwina & Reginald. She will explain why Reginald had such a hard time
believing Edwina. At the end, the teacher will hand each student a word frame. The
students will fill it in with the information that was covered in class. Vocabulary:
extinct, extinction.

Build Knowledge
Friends, we just read a story about Edwina the dinosaur. Edwina is extinct. At your
table, talk about what you think that word means. The teacher will walk around to
each table & monitor the conversation. She will then call on one student to explain
what their table thought the word means. Good thinking! If an animal is extinct, that
means they no longer exist. They used to live on the earth, but they all died out & we no
longer see them. A dinosaur, like Edwina, is a perfect example of an extinct animal. At
your table, talk about why you think Reginald was so mad about Edwina. Do you agree
or disagree with him? The teacher will give students enough time to talk & will walk
around the tables to facilitate conversation. Someone raise their hand & explain your
thinking. Do we understand why Reginald was upset? The teacher waits for student
response. Excellent! We now know that one example of an extinct animal is a
dinosaur. Can anybody think of another example? The teacher will wait for student
response. Good thinking! There are many other examples. I have pictures to show you
some extinct animals. The teacher will hold up large poster sized pictures of extinct
animals. Does anybody recognize this animal? What is it called? What do you notice
about this picture? Does it remind you of another animal? Turn & talk with your
group. The teacher will give adequate time for students to talk & then bring their
attention back to the front of the room. Boys & girls, eyes on me. Will someone raise
their hand & tell me what your group discussed. The teacher will hear from two
different tables. Great work! I love your thinking. The teacher will write the word
extinct on the board. Class, when I call on your table I need you to list an extinct
animal that we just talked about & I will write it on the board. The teacher will make
sure to call on each table & write their response on the board. The teacher will then

hand each student a word frame skeleton. She will project her copy over the
projector for reference. We are going to fill out a word frame with all the new
knowledge we just covered today. Just like Reginald, we now know that it means for an
animal to be extinct. No talking for the next 5-10 minutes. I need you to fill out your
word frame on your own. When you are finished, you will walk it over to me. You may
begin!

Model:
Friends! Thank you for working so hard. I am proud of how well you used your brains
to learn that new vocabulary word! We are now going to practice using the puppets
Ms. Katie has to tell the story, Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didnt Know She Was Extinct.
The teacher will show the students the puppets again. She will then hand each group
a set of their own puppets. You are going to work with your table to act out the story
while I read it aloud. Each table will have their own turn. I will assign the characters to
you. Watch me as I demonstrate how this will work. The teacher will model how it
looks to show proper expression, enthusiasm, & cooperation. Did you see how I
moved the mouth along with the words? Did you notice how I acted sad when a
character was sad or how I acted happy when a character was happy? I modeled the
right expression! When it is your turn to go, I want you to have fun with this! Be
excited. Get into character & really listen to the words I read. I am also looking to
make sure you are working as a group. Everyone must participate. The teacher will
project the rubric on the overhead & review the requirements with the class. I am so
excited to see you guys perform!

Create:
Now boys & girls, you are going to perform with your very own extinct puppets! You
now know that Edwina is an extinct animal & you understand why Reginald was upset.
I want to see your best puppet skills to portray that! Have fun, be excited, & work
together! The teacher will call tables up one by one. Table 1, come to the front.
Friends, while another group is going I need everyone to be on their best behavior.
Eyes up front & listening ears on. Show them proper respect. She will let them have
the stage & she will read the story out loud as the students perform.

Assessment
Friends, I will be looking at your performance with your puppets. I will be assessing you with
the rubric we looked at in class. I need to see proper enthusiasm, I need you to work together
& make every member of the group is working, & I need to see proper expression. (See
attached rubric)

Closure
Friends, thank you so much for all your hard work today. Your puppets & acting was so great!
Lets review what we talked about today. Can somebody raise their hand & tell me what book
we read today? Teacher waits for student response. Very good! Who were the main
characters? What were they like? Who was your favorite? The teacher will let 2-3 students
answer. Good sharing! Now, can somebody tell me who wrote this wonderful book we just
read? The teacher will wait for student response. Yes! Mo Willems! We have been studying

him all week. He writes many different books. Today, we talked about a new word. Give me a
thumbs up if you remember what we learned from Edwina today. The teacher will wait for
everyone to answer with their signal. She will then call on a student to share with the class
what they learned. Excellent! We talked about extinction today. We now know that being
extinct means your species no longer exists, just like Edwina the dinosaur. Before we leave, I
need everyone to stand up & give me your best dinosaur impression. I want to hear you roar!

Word frame (attached)
Rubric (attached)
Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didnt Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems
Puppets (Edwina, the teacher, Reginald, & two classmates)
Poster sized pictures of extinct animals
Computer
Overhead Projector
White board
Markers

Can Do
Better
Collaboration All group
All group
Some group
members
members
members
shared the
shared the
shared the
work equally work equally, work & the
& worked
but had
others did
well
minor
not.
together.
problems
within the
group.
Expression Showed a lot Showed some Showed very
of expression expression & little
& emotion.
emotion.
expression &
emotion.
Enthusiasm Students
Students
Students had
were excited were
good
& put in the
engaged &
attitudes but
effort &
showed
were not as
enthusiasm
enjoyment.
engaged with
to make it
the story.
the most fun
it could be.
Category
Excellent
Great
Beginning
Only one
group
member
worked & the
rest of the
members
didnt work
together.
Voices were
monotone &
not
expressive.
Students
showed no
enjoyment or
enthusiasm
& had
negative
attitudes.
Word Frame for Science Lesson

Today, we learned about_________. _________has very interesting
characteristics. It can be described as _______________________. Some
examples of it are_____________. Another thing I learned
about__________ is_______________________________________.
Design for Learning

Activity Plan
Grade Level: 1st
Lesson Title: Embracing Differences

Curriculum Area & book connection: (Social Studies) Arts Area: Visual Arts
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed


Content Area: 12.) Compare common and unique characteristics in societal groups,
including age, religious beliefs, ethnicity, persons with disabilities, and equality
between genders.
Arts Area: 1.) Create works of art using a variety of techniques.


Content area: When given a graphic organizer, students will compare & contrast two
different people groups & list their similarities & differences with 80% accuracy.
Arts Area: When given magazines, students will cut out clips of clothing articles to
dress up their naked mole rat & meet the needs of the rubric provided.

Engagement:

The teacher will start the lesson by getting the attention of the students. Boys & girls,
I need your attention up here. Keep your eyes on me & your mouths closed. Can
somebody raise their hand & tell me what author we have been studying this week?
Teacher wait for student response. Yes! We have been learning about Mo Willems. He
has written so many wonderful books. Who can tell me what book we read yesterday?
Teacher waits for student response. Excellent. Today, we are going to look at a book
that Mo Willems wrote titled Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed. The teacher will show
the class the cover of the book. Can somebody come point to the naked mole rat on
the cover? The teacher will call on the student that is sitting the quietest. Good job!
Does anybody know anything about the naked mole rat? What does he look like? What
does he remind you of? What color is he? Do you like him? Do you dislike him? The
teacher will call on about 3-4 students. Very good! Thank you for sharing. This book is
about a naked mole rat & how he is different from the other mole rats for the way he
acts. Give me a me too if you have ever felt different from everyone else around you?
Maybe you acted a different way, ate different foods, dressed a different way, or looked
a different way. The teacher lets students respond to this. If not you, then maybe you
have seen other people that are different from you. The naked mole rat in the book
deals with this same issue of feeling different from everyone else. I think we need to

read & find out more! Give me a thumbs up if you are ready to begin. The teacher will
read the story.


The activity will be used to help students realize that people that come from
different cultures or have had a different upbringing will have characteristics that
are different from them, but also have similarities. The lesson will focus on different
religions, specifically Hispanic & Muslim people. The teacher will access the
students on their accuracy & completion of a graphic organizer. The students will be
seated at their tables, where 4 students are seated at each table. The graphic
organizer will help the students summarize what they learn about different cultures.
The teacher will use the book to show students what it is like to know someone who
is different from you. She will pick out examples in the story where the other naked
mole rats make fun of the naked mole rat that wears the clothes. From there, she
will educate the students that sometimes we encounter people that are different
from us, whether that is in dress, appearance, attitude, mannerism, etc. She will
announce that the class will be studying Hispanic & Muslim people. She will ask the
students probing questions to access their prior knowledge. What makes you who
you are? What types of clothes do you wear? Do you celebrate special traditions with
your family? Do you sometimes do things that your neighbor or friend doesnt do? The
teacher will then transition into more specific questions about the content. Do you
know anyone from a Hispanic background? Do you know anyone from an Islamic
background? Do you know what it means to be Hispanic? Do you know what it means
to be Muslim? What do you know about them? Do they dress differently? Do they do
different things with their family or at church? The teacher will listen to students
responses & see where the conversation leads. She will then bring out a Muslim veil
& a Spanish Quinceanera dress. She will let the students look at them & touch them.
She will explain what each one is & what culture you would find them in. She will
introduce the vocabulary words: Hispanic & Muslim. She will write them on the
white board. She will show the class pictures of each culture & their different
traditions. As she talks about these different people groups, she will make sure to
reference back to Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed. She will make sure to talk about how
even though someone is different from you, that is not an excuse to be rude to them.
At the end of the lesson, the teacher will hand out the graphic organizer for the
students to complete individually. Vocabulary: Muslim, Hispanic, culture, veil,
Quinceanera.

Build Knowledge
Boys & girls, we are now going to move into our lesson for the day. Just like the other
naked mole rats thought the naked mole rat that dresses himself was weird for being
different, we sometimes encounter people that are different from us. Have you ever felt
different from someone? Or have you ever seen someone who seems different from you?
Turn & talk in your group. The teacher will walk around to facilitate the
conversation. Will someone raise their hand & share what you talked about in your

group. The teacher will call on one student. Very good! Thanks for sharing! How do
you think the naked mole rat felt when all the other students made fun of him for
wearing clothes? Teacher will wait for student response. Youre right, the naked mole
rat did not feel very good because he couldnt help the way he was. We are all different
from each other, especially if we are from a different culture or country. Today, we are
going to learn about two different people groups: Hispanic culture & Muslim culture.
The teacher will write the word culture on the board. We have been talking about the
world culture for a while now in class. Will someone raise their hand & tell me what it
means. The teacher will call on one student. Very good! Culture is learned behavior
that includes customs, beliefs, rules, life ways, language, food, and clothing. The
teacher will then write the word Hispanic & Muslim on the board. We are going to
start by listing unique characteristics about each of these cultures on the board. The
teacher will call on students to brainstorm characteristics. After the class has
exhausted all ideas, the teacher will show them pictures of people from these
cultures. Do you see how they dress a certain way that may be different from how you
dress? The teacher will then bring out a Muslim veil for the students to look at. This
is a veil that the Muslims wear. It is a part of their religion. It is unique to their culture.
The teacher will pass it around for the students to examine & touch. The teacher will
then bring out a Spanish Quinceanera dress. This is a dress Hispanic girls wear to
their fifteenth birthday. What do you usually wear for you birthday parties? The
teacher will let the students come up to the front of the room to touch it & examine
it more closely. The teacher will then go back to the list the class had made about the
differences in cultures. She will go back & explain in more detail about the
characteristics. I am so proud of the way you guys have been listening & working
today. We have talked about two different cultures: Hispanic & Muslim. Everyone in
this room comes from a different home & may be very different from the person to your
right. That is a beautiful thing! Just like the Hispanics & Muslims, you all have unique
things about yourself. That is something to celebrate. The teacher will then hand out a
graphic organizer. She will project one on the overhead projector for reference as
well. Boys & girls, I have just handed you a graphic organizer. I need you to fill out
three characteristics for each people group we have discussed. Just like the naked mole
rat, we know what it means to look differently from someone else & how awesome that
is. I need no talking for the next 10-15 minutes. Do your best work & come turn your
graphic organizer into me when you are done. You may begin!

Model
Thank you guys for working so hard! We learned so much about different cultures &
people groups. I loved the way you worked so quietly & used your brains to learn
something new. We are now going to do an art activity in honor of our new friend, the
naked mole rat. The teacher will hold up the example art activity. We are going to use
magazines to pick out a new outfit for the naked mole rat! How exciting is that? You
will use your scissors to cut out some clothes for your friend. You can use any form of
clothing. Be creative! The teacher will flip through a magazine & give the students
some ideas & examples of how to chose an outfit. Give me a thumbs up if you are
ready to begin. The teacher will then hand each table a stack of magazines & a paper
with the naked mole rat already on it. The teacher will then hand out a rubric to
each student. I have just handed you a rubric for what I expect of you. Make sure you
are being creative, using your scissors & glue the right way, your table is neat, & you
are participating. Give me a thumbs up if you understand what I am asking you to do.
The teacher will gage the students response. In the book, the naked mole rat wore so
many different kinds of outfits. Some were crazy, some were normal. It is up to you to
decide what you want your mole rat to look like. When you pick out an outfit, cut it
out, glue it on your paper, & then write your name on the back.

Create:
Now, friends, you are ready to make your own naked mole rat with his own unique
outfit. I bet all of our naked mole rats are going to be so different. Be creative & have
fun. You may now begin! The teacher will walk around & monitor the progress.

Assessment
I will now be looking at your performance with your art project. I will be grading you with the
rubric I handed you in class. I am looking for creativity, how well you participated, how clean
your station is, & that you used the art supplies in the right way. (See attached rubric)

Closure
Thank you so much for all your hard work today! Did you have fun? Did you learn something
new? Can somebody raise their hand & tell me what you learned? The teacher will call on 3-4
students to answer. Very good! Thank you for sharing. Now, can somebody raise their hand &
tell me what book we read? Teacher waits for student response. Yes! We read The Naked
Mole Rat Gets Dressed. What happened in the book? Teacher waits for student response. You
are right. He was different from all the other naked mole rats, but we know now that that is
something to cherish. Our differences are what make us special! Can somebody raise their
hand & remind the class what two different cultures we learned about today. The teacher
calls on one student. Excellent! Give me a thumbs up if you had fun today! You guys did an
excellent job & I loved your naked mole rats! We will have to hang those up outside.

Rubric (attached)
Graphic Organizer (attached)
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
Magazines
Scissors
Paper with naked mole rat templates on them
Glue
Overhead projector
Computer
White board
Markers
Muslim veil
Spanish Quinceanera dress
Pictures of Spanish & Muslim customs & traditions
Graphic Organizer
Hispanic
Muslim

Design for Learning
Activity Plan


Grade Level: 1st grade

Lesson Title: Elephant and Piggie

Arts Area: Acting
Curriculum Area & book connection: Language Arts, I Broke My Trunk By Mo Willems


Content Area: Language Arts, 15) Distinguish between information provided by
pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.
[RI.1.6]
Arts Area: 5) Portray individual characters from an oral reading in literature.


Content area: When given a prediction vs. reality graphic organizer, students will
compare what they thought would happen in the story to what actually happened.
Arts Area: When given a picture from the picture book, students will predict what
happens before and after the picture and act it out for the class.

Engagement:

The teacher will call the students from their desks to the reading corner based on
their table groups. Okay boys and girls, who can remind me of the author we have
been focusing on in class? Thats right, Mo Willems! She will bring everyones
attention to the Mo Willems author corner. Can someone remind me of a Mo Willems
book we have already read? Yes, we have read, Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Now, give me a thumbs up if you can remember a fun fact about our friend Mo. Very
good, he wanted to be a writer because he loved reading the Peanuts cartoons as a
child. Raise your hand if you have read a Peanuts cartoon or seen a Peanuts movie.
I think the illustrations in Mo Willems books are very similar to those of the Peanuts,
do you agree? Teacher will display on the Elmo Peanuts cartoon characters next to
Mo Willems characters. What do you all notice about these characters? Yes, they are
very simply drawn. Did you know that, that is one of Mo Willems goals when he
creates new characters? He wants the characters to be so simple, that any child can
draw them! Do any of you think you could draw Elephant or Piggie? What about the
Pigeon? I am so glad that we are talking about Mo Willems illustrations, because that
is going to be our focus today as we read another of his books. Teacher pulls out the
book for the day. Today we will be reading I Broke My Trunk by Mo Willems. Today,
we will be switching things up a bit. We are going to do our activity before we read the
book because we are going to be making predictions through illustrations. Transition
into activity


For this activity, we are going to use our acting skills! I am going to split you all into
pairs. I will then give each pair a picture from I Broke My Trunk. After taking time to
study this picture, you and your partner are going to make at least two predictions of
what happened before and what may happen next in the story. Teacher reviews new
vocabulary word prediction. Prediction is a new vocabulary word for you all. Does
anyone think they know what it means? Teacher calls on a couple students with
hands raised. Very good! When someone makes a guess about what will happen in a
story before reading it, they are making a prediction. Do you all think Mo Willems
drawings give us clues about what will happen in a story? Teacher shows cover of
book to the class. Lets practice making a prediction as a class. By just looking at the
cover of the book, what do you think is going to happen in the story? Why do you think
that? Great predictions! Teacher continues with explanation. So once you and your
partner have made your predictions based on your picture, you will act out what you
think happened just before and will happen right after the picture. Teacher passes out
predictions chart. As you make your predictions, please put them in this chart. You will
be filling in the other half later in the lesson. We will then take turns to act out our
short scenes for the class. Each group must explain the predictions they made as well.
Who is excited to get started? But first, we must review the importance of illustrations
in books and the information they can give us as readers. Illustrations are very
important in books. They give us visuals that the words in a story cant always provide.
Also, as we are going to do in our activity, we will use the pictures to make predictions
about the story. Raise your hand if you remember the picture walk we did last week
with another of Mo Willems books? Very good! Can someone please tell me what that
picture walk did for you? Thats great; it helped you to get an understanding of the
story before we read it! Can someone tell me why that is important? Yes, it helps with
your understanding, or comprehension, of the story. Cold calls on student. Did that
picture walk help you understand the story better as we were reading it? Im glad it
did! What if Mo Willems stories didnt have any pictures. What would you think about
that? Okay, so you think the books wouldnt be as interesting, or fun to read? I agree
with you. Calls on another student with hand raised. Thats a great point! If there are
words you dont understand or something you find confusing, then the pictures help
you to figure out what is happening. Teacher connects this to the arts activity they
will be doing. The acting activity we will be doing will give you the same kind of
information a picture walk does, but instead of the whole class making predictions
together, we will only make predictions for our picture, then share what we think with
the class. When we perform for the class, we will discuss our predictions. Then, when I
read the story, we will take note of how our predictions came true or how the story
was different than what we thought!

Model:
Teacher models activity for the students. Okay boys and girls, to make these
directions more clear, I am going to model for you all what you will be doing! Teacher

projects a picture on the board from another Elephant and Piggie book. This is a
picture from a different Elephant and Piggie book than we will be reading today; it is
from I Am Invited to a Party. Teacher walks through the process with the students.
Okay, so by looking at this picture, I would predict that something might have gone
wrong. I believe this because of the panicked face Elephant is making. My prediction
for the story would be that it was a surprise party, but someone forgot to send out the
invitations. Do you all agree that, that would make someone look upset like that?
Before my partner and I would make up the scene, we need to make at least one more
prediction. Raise your hand if you think you have another prediction. Well done, I think
its a great prediction to think that Piggie is going to come to the rescue and fix the
problem Elephant is facing. Next, with my partner I would act out this illustration and
the predictions we made by making up our own words to go along with the picture.
Now it is your turn!

Create:
Teacher breaks class into pairs that were predetermined and gives each of them a
laminated illustration from the book. Okay boys and girls, so now that you have your
partner and your illustration, it is time to find your own portion of the room to start
making your predictions! Students break apart and begin to make predictions and
write their short scripts. Teacher gives about 15 minutes for students to do this.
Okay boys and girls, can I get all eyes on me? It is now time to perform our scenes for
the class and describe the predictions we have made. When it is your turn, I would like
you to first state the predictions you have made, then act out your scene. You may also
hold the script you wrote to make it easier! Teacher calls on groups based on when
their picture comes in the story. Students perform as teacher makes comments on
the rubric. Once all groups have gone, the teacher reviews the predictions the class
has made. Keeps these predictions in mind as we read the story!
Build Knowledge
Okay boys and girls, now it is time to read I Broke My Trunk and to see how our
predictions line up with the actual story! As I read, please fill out the realities side of
your predictions chart. Teacher reads book and asks questions about predictions the
class made on each page. She specifically calls on the pair of students who made
predictions and acted out each page she reads. She asks questions like: How did this
line up with the predictions you made? Do you see why your prediction was wrong?
Right? What do you notice about the picture now that we have read the words on the
page? Does this now change what you believe will happen at the end of the story?
Through these questions students will gather information about the plot line of the
story and how pictures and text both provide information and support each other.
Once the story ends she asks the class questions about the plot line and how it was
different and similar to their predictions. Who can tell me how the story ended? How
did Elephant break his trunk? How did this line up with what we predicted? How do
illustrations help to tell a story? How would the story be different without the pictures?
In what ways does it enhance the story?

Assessment
Boys and girls, I will be assessing you on this activity with a rubric (attached) when you
perform for the class. I will be looking for at least two predictions with explanations as to why
you believe that will happen in the story, as well as participation from each person. Teacher
calls up groups to perform for the class and fill out rubric as she is watching their
performances. She asks for explanations from students behind their thinking.

Closure
Great job making predictions today, boys and girls! Teacher asks questions to close activity
like: Why are illustrations important to stories? Can anyone remind me what a prediction is?
Raise your hand if you can tell me a prediction you made that came true! A prediction that
didnt come true? Do you believe Mo Willems does a good job supporting his stories with his
illustrations? How did acting out the scenes and making predictions help you when listening
to the story? Wonderful job! Give yourselves a pat on the back!

I Broke My Trunk by Mo Willems
Laminated copies of the pictures from the book (1 picture per pair of students)
Picture for modeling
Activity rubric
Elmo
Predictions vs. Realities chart
Mos drawings vs. Peanuts cartoons

Picture to be projected on board during the modeling portion of the lesson
Gave no
predictions
Gave one
prediction
Gave two
predictions
Explanations
Gave no
explanations
Gave a couple
explanations that
were not well
developed
Gave thorough
explanations that
were backed up by
the illustrations
Participation
Presentation was
dominated by one
person, or no effort
was put into it
Participation from
the majority of the
group
Everyone in the
group participated
Predictions
Mo Willems
Peanuts
Name _______________________________
Directions: Please list at least two predictions you have in the chart
for the story based on your illustration. Then, fill in the realities side
as you listen to the story.

Predictions
Realities

Design for Learning
Activity Plan

Instructor(s): Lynn Putman, Abby Prutzman, Katie Toler, Lindsey Harding


Estimated Time: 45 min
Lesson Title: Telling time with the Pigeon
Arts Area: Music
Curriculum Area & book connection: (Math) Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus


Content Area: Math, 17) Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog
and digital clocks. [1-MD3]
Arts Area: 3.) Demonstrate rhythm patterns by reading quarter notes, quarter rests,
paired eighth notes, and half notes, including playing them on various rhythm
instruments.


Content area: When given a Telling Time with the Pigeon word problem
worksheet, students will identify the bus drivers route schedule, with 80%
accuracy.
Arts Area: Students will make beats with rhythm sticks to represent the time by an
hour lasting a half beat and a half hour lasting a fourth beat.

Engagement

Teacher calls students to the front carpet based on their table groups. Good morning,
boys and girls! Thank you so much for being so well behaved on the carpet. Today we
are going to continue our study of our author. Does anyone remember what author we
are studying? Thats right, Mo Willems! Does anyone remember the book we read
yesterday? Yes, we read an Elephant and Piggie book! Today, I am going to introduce
you to a new character from Mo Willems books. I am going to project a shadow
outline of this character on the board, and I want each of you to sit for a bit and think
of what this character could be. Teacher projects shadow outline of the Pigeon on the
board. Now, share with your elbow buddy what you think this new character is.
Students talk with a buddy for 30 seconds. Can I please have a pair share with me
what they think the character is? Calls on students until someone guesses bird or
pigeon. Excellent guess! Our new character is the Pigeon. Teacher projects a full
picture of the Pigeon on the board. The book we will be reading today is Dont Let the
Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. Teacher shows the book to the class and asks
questions. Just by looking at the cover, what do you think the book is about? Students
will respond with answers like a pigeon or a bus driver. Have any of you ever
ridden on a bus? Has anyone ever seen a pigeon? Allow students to share their
experiences with the class. Lets all pay attention as I read the story. Teacher reads
book. Once book has ended, teacher asks questions like: What did you all think of the

Pigeon? Why do you think the bus driver didnt want him to drive the bus? Teacher
then goes into the objective. I believe the bus driver didnt want the Pigeon to drive his
bus because he had a schedule to keep. Just like how we have a daily schedule, the bus
driver has one to pick up and drop of people. Today, students, we are going to practice
telling time using the bus drivers bus schedule. We will focus on telling time using
digital clocks, just like how we learned to do yesterday in math. Transition into
activity


Teacher introduces and describes the activity. Today we will be using rhythm sticks
to help us with keeping time! First, we will review our knowledge of reading digital
clocks, as well as keeping a steady beat with half and whole notes. Can anyone remind
me why we are practicing reading time? Very good! It is because just like us in school,
the Bus Driver has a schedule that he must keep. For example, he may be at the park at
2:00 to pick up people, but needs to be at the museum at 3:30. Being able to read
digital clocks is very important because they are everywhere! Can someone tell me
where they have seen a digital clock before? Yes, we have one in our classroom. I also
have one on my bedside table at my home too. We learned how to read digital clocks
yesterday in math. Can someone remind me how we do that in their own words? So you
are saying that the first number is the hour and the numbers after colon are the
minutes? Thats correct! So with this in mind, it will be very easy to write out the times
in the Bus Drivers schedule. To help us with knowing how to write out digital times,
we are going to use our rhythm sticks later in the lesson using half and fourth beats.

Build Knowledge
Raise your hand if you know what a half beat is. Every student should raise his or her
hand because this is something they have been learning in their music class. Very
good, to rephrase what you said, a half beat is a note played for half of a whole note.
Lets clap some half beat together! Class claps half beats. I know that you all have also
learned what a fourth beat is. Give me a thumbs up if you have a definition for this.
Great, a fourth beat is a note played for fourth of a whole note, which is the same as
half of a half note. Lets clap some fourth notes together. Can anyone think of a song
they have sung before that uses half and fourth notes? Row, Row, Row Your Boat is a
great example! Lets clap that out together. Class claps this out. Teacher describes
activity again. Today we are going to be using our knowledge of rhythm with our
knowledge of time, to make some steady beats!

Model:
Okay students, so as I said we will be using the rhythm sticks to represent the time. I
am going to model this for you all so that you will know what I expect from each of
you. Before we reviewed what a half beat and a fourth beat was. So, when connecting
this to time, we are going to have each hour be a half beat, and each half hour be a
fourth beat. Teacher projects a page on the board with 10 different times on it. She
does the first two to model for the class. Can anyone tell me what the first time on the

board says? Yes, it says 5:00. So if we were to do that with our rhythm sticks, we would
do 5 half beats just like this. Teacher does 5 half beats with her rhythm sticks. Can
anyone read the second time for me? Great, it says 3:30. So that would sound like this.
Teacher does 3 half beats, then one fourth beat. So boys and girls, now it is your time
to do this with me!

Create:
Alright, boys and girls, now it is time for you all to create a rhythm using the rhythm
sticks. Teacher passes out two sticks per child. I modeled the first two times for you,
now I want you all to join me in completing this list! For each time, the teacher calls
on a student to read the time for the class. Then, as a class they make the beat using
half notes for the hours and fourth notes for the half hours. She will also switch up
the pace by asking small groups of students to figure out the rhythm without help
from her or the rest of the class. She will ask them to defend their rhythm reasoning.
The class will complete the rest of the times on the board. Now students, we are
going to switch things up a bit. I am going to make a rhythm, and I would like you all
to give me a thumbs up if you think you know the time I am representing. Teacher
makes a few different rhythms and calls on students after each one to tell her the
time. She also has those students come up to the board to write the time in digital so
they can practice visualizing it. Transition into assessment

Assessment
Students will be sent back to their table groups, group by group. Alright, boys and girls, it is
time to put our knowledge to the test! I have a worksheet for each of you to complete on your
own. Teacher gives directions as she is passing out the worksheet. This worksheet walks
through the Bus Drivers daily schedule. It will be your job to read the digital time and write
that time out in words. If you have any questions, please raise your hand and I will come assist
you. When you are finished please turn your paper in to the back table, then you may read one
of your beginner readers books. Teacher walks around the room to watch students and help
if students have questions. There will be five questions, each counting 3 points. Students
will receive 3 points for the correct answer, 2 points for one mistake, and 1 point if there
are two or more mistakes. The student will receive no points if the answer is completely
wrong. When students have all turned in their worksheets, transition into closure

Closure
Can I please get all eyes on me? Great job today, boys and girls! Teacher closes lesson with
questions like: Can anyone remind me what the focus of our lesson was today? Why is reading
digital clocks so important? Why do you think the Bus Driver didnt want the Pigeon to drive
the bus? Why is it important that bus drivers have schedules? How did making steady beats to
represent time help you on the assessment? It that a tool you will be able to tap out on your
own to help you with telling time? Great job! Give yourselves a pat on the back!

Dont let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
Elmo
Time sheet

Telling time worksheet (1 per student)
Rhythm sticks (2 per student)
Shadow outline of the pigeon
Picture of the pigeon

Telling Time with Pigeon

1. 5:00
2. 3:30
3. 4:00
4. 7:30
5. 1:00
6. 12:00
7. 8:30
8. 2:30
9. 11:00
10. 6:00
Can you help

me tell time?

Name__________________________
Do you know the Bus Drivers Schedule?
Directions: Help the Bus Driver read his digital clock by writing out the time
in a full sentence!
1. The Bus Driver is at the park at 8:00.
2. He leaves the park at 8:30.
3. The Bus Driver is at the grocery store by 10:00.
4. His next stop is the museum at 12:30.
5. The Bus Driver finally gets a break at 1:00.
Design for Learning

Activity Plan


Lesson Title: Meet Mo Willems!

Arts Area: Visual Art

Curriculum Area & book connection: (Introductory Activity) Knuffle Bunny


Content Area: Language Arts 25.) Write informative or explanatory texts in which
they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of
closure. [W.1.2]
27.) With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions
and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
[W.1.5]
Arts Area: Visual Arts 1.) Create works of art using a variety of techniques.


Content area: Students will practice their writing skills with a free write and listen
to a peers writing and ask questions about it. (this will be done in a 5.7.10 format)
Arts Area: Students will illustrate a picture to go along with their free write story, by
using at least two of the art mediums provided.

Engagement:

Teacher calls students to carpet based on their table groups. Good morning, boys and
girls! I have an exciting new topic to introduce to you all today. For the next few weeks,
we will be doing an author study. Please raise your hand if you think you know what
this is. Teacher calls on a couple students. An author study is where we will be reading
books from one author and applying this authors work to our many subjects! For
example, we will be reading books during math, Language Arts, Social Studies, and
science! Today, I will be introducing you all to the author and we will be doing a fun
activity! The author we will be studying is Mo Willems! Teacher projects a picture of
Willems on the board and passes out his biography. Here is a biography on Mo
Willems. A biography is an account on or story of someones life written by anyone
other than the person it is about. So this is considered a biography of Mo Willems
because I wrote it for you all. Lets read his biography together! Class choral reads
biography. Can someone please tell me one fact they remember about Mo Willems?
Call on at least three students. As it said in the biography, Mo Willems has created lots
of fun characters, but today we will be reading Knuffle Bunny. Just by looking at the
cover, does anyone have any predictions of what this story is about? Why do you think

that? Students answer. Alright, lets see if your predictions come true! Read Knuffle
Bunny. How did your predictions line up with what happened in the story? How would
you have reacted if you lost your favorite toy? Have you lost something important to
you before? How did you feel? Transition into activity

So just like the little girl in the story, we all have our favorite toys too! That is what we
will be focusing on today for our activity! We will be describing our favorite toys using
art and writing. For art, we will be practicing creating art using different techniques.
You all will have the opportunity to be very creative! You will be illustrating your
favorite toy! This will be very fun because I have set up an art table in the back of the
room. You all will have access to lots of different materials and you can choose how you
want to portray your favorite toy. We will then do a writing activity that will count as an
assessment. I am going to be introducing you all to a new writing activity later in the
lesson called free write. You will get to write about your toy, share your writing with a
buddy and ask lots of questions to your buddy!
Build Knowledge
We all have favorite things just like the girl in the story. Does anyone want to share what
his or her favorite toy is? Call on a few students. Teacher will then go on to ask questions
like: Why are those your favorite toys? What makes them so special? Do you have
memories attached to these toys? Has anyone ever lost a toy? What would you do if you
lost your favorite toy? Gets lots of participation from all different students in the
classroom. These are great questions to find answers to when you are doing your writing
later! But first, we are going to talk about the art project! We will be illustrating our
favorite toys. Teacher will ask questions like: What does your toy look like? Where are
you when you play with it? She gets answers from multiple students. Now that we have
all brainstormed what our toy physically looks like, I think you all are ready to get the
directions for the art project, and then get started on it! Teacher dismisses students back
to their seats based on their table groups. Now that we are all seated, I am going to give
you all directions. I have an art table at the back of the room, where you will find all
types of supplies. Each person will get either a piece of white paper or colored
construction paper. There are markers, tissue paper, cotton balls, glitter, and more on
the art table! You all are required to use at least two of the art supplies on the art table.
So, you may not only use markers or crayons for your picture. We want to be very
creative!
Model:
I am going to show you all an example I made! My favorite toy growing up was my
stuffed dog. So, I chose a piece of white paper and used markers and cotton balls to make
my picture of my stuffed dog. He was very fluffy, so I thought to cotton balls would be
great to use! I am going to put my drawing up on the whiteboard, so you all can look at it
and use it as a reference while you all work. I will be walking around the room to help in
any way that I can! Teacher dismisses table groups one by one to gather supplies from

the art table. Once you get your supplies, please return to your seat and get started! This
is an individual activity, but you may talk quietly with those at your table groups to share
your ideas for your art project!
Create:
Students will go to the art table in the back of the room table by table to collect their
items they want to use for their art project. Students will make a picture of their favorite
toy using two different art supplies. This is an individual activity that is done at their
desks, but they may communicate with the other students at their tables and share the
ideas they have for their art project. This is a project that can be hung up in the classroom
upon completion.
Assessment
Teacher claps a rhythmic pattern to get students attention. Alright, boys and girls, it looks to
me that the art project is winding down! Lets all put our finishing touches on our projects and
begin to clean up. Teacher walks around the room to help clean up and return unused
supplies to the art table. Once the classroom is back in order, she gives directions. Now it is
time to practice our writing skills for the day! Can everyone please pull out a lined piece of
paper and pencil and clear their desks of everything else? We are going to do a free write.
This is a new activity for us! We are going to do this in a 5.7.10 format. Teacher writes 5.7.10
on the board. Let me explain what that means! I am going to give you all a topic and you will
have five minutes to write as much as you possibly can about it. You can write about whatever
comes to mind, there are no right or wrongs! Then you will have seven minutes to share your
story with your elbow buddy. When those seven minutes is up, you will then have ten minutes
to ask your buddy questions about what they wrote. Teacher asks if anyone needs any
clarification. I am sure you all can guess what our topic is for this free write. The topic is
favorite toy. I am going to set my timer and you all will be able to write whatever comes to
mind! And go! Teacher times students for five minutes. Finish up your last sentence. Now,
turn to your elbow buddy, and you both will need to share your stories in seven minutes. I
have set my timer go! Students are timed for seven minutes. Now that you all have shared
your stories, lets take some time to ask our buddy questions for ten minutes. Teacher sets
timer go! Time ends. Now that we have written, shared, and asked questions, I have one
more thing before we turn in our writing. I would like each of you to write down on your
paper two questions you asked your buddy. Once you have done that, turn in your writing to
the back table. This writing is assessed on how many words the child wrote to be added to
the teachers record. She will also check for two questions the student asked.

Closure
Once students have all turned in their assessments, teacher asks questions like: Can I please
have someone share what they wrote for the class? What questions were you asked by your
buddy? How did illustrating your favorite toy before writing about it help you with your
writing? It sounds like a lot of you are attached to your favorite toys, just like the little girl in
Mo Willems story. How would you feel if you lost your toy? What would you do to get it back?
Great job today, boys and girls! Raise your hand if you are excited to read more Mo Willems
books and get to know him and his characters better? I know I am! Give yourselves a pat on
the back!

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
Elmo
Picture of Mo Willems
Copies of his biography (one per student)
Paper- colored and white
Cotton balls
Tissue paper
Markers and crayons
Glue
Scissors
Foam pieces
Large sequins
Lined paper and pencil for assessment
Writing chart to grade assessment

Mo Willems

Mo is from New Orleans and grew up drawing
and telling stories. One of the things that Mo
loved most was reading Peanuts comics. He
would sketch out the characters himself and
said that one day he wanted to take, Charles
Shultz, the authors job. Mo acted in plays and
started doing stand up comedy when he was in
high school.

Mo loved doing stand up comedy and took that
talent to London, England! After he traveled, he moved to New York and went to school to
study film and animation. Many people think that he started out writing books, but he
actually began his career writing and animating for Sesame Street. He also did shows for
Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Throughout his animating career he won 6 Emmy
awards.

During the time he was writing shows for Cartoon Network he decided to start writing and
drawing his own stories. It took up to five years for an editor to notice his doodles of
pigeons and stories. Once his first book, Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, was published,
it kick started his career of being an animated childrens author. Mo gets a lot of his
inspiration from his audience. He says, "Always think about your audience, never think for
your audience."

Someone asked him where he got his ideas and Mo replied Belize. That way they are
belizable. Actually ideas are not gotten, they are grown. His sense of humor along with his
creativity and originality make him an incredible writer and illustrator. In his career this
far, Mo Willems has won 3 Caldecott Honors, 2 Geisel Medals, 6 Emmy Awards, 5 Geisel
Honors, a Helen Hayes nomination, and multiple bubble gum cards.
Number of words
80 or more
70-80
60-70
50-60
40-50
30-40
20-30
10-20
0-10
Students
Design for Learning

Activity Plan
Lesson Title: Dont Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late
Curriculum Area & book connection: Social Studies Arts Area: visual arts


Content Area: Construct daily schedules, calendars, and timelines.
Arts Area: Create works of art using a variety of techniques.


Content area: When given a worksheet, students will construct their daily schedule
and create a timeline of their day including eight events.
Arts Area: Students will illustrate pictures (8) of their daily routine using colored
pencils and crayons.

Engagement:

Teacher will call students to the carpet to read Dont Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late.
After reading the story, the teacher will guide students in a discussion about
bedtime, what they do each day, and introduce the word routine. After the
discussion students will be dismissed back to their desks for more instructions on
the activity.
Okay class I want you to quietly push in your chairs and come find your spot on the
carpet. Teacher will wait for all students to come to the carpet. Can anyone tell me
what author we have been studying? Yes! We have been reading books written by the
author Mo Willems. Today we are going to read a book called Dont Let the Pigeon
Stay up late. Lets make some predictions. What do you think is going to happen in this
book? Teacher will call on three students to get their predictions for the book. She
will write answers on the board to be revisited later. Yes, those are all great
predictions! Lets read the book and find out if we are right. Teacher will read Dont
Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late. After reading the book the class will revisit the
predictions that they made. Wow, some of the predictions were exactly right. In th
book, the pigeon did not want to go to sleep! Are there ever nights that you dont want
to go to sleep? Yes me too! But, going to sleep is just one part of what we do every day.
What are some other things that you do every day? Teacher will call on a few students
to share. Yes, share with the person sitting next to you what you do everyday when you
get home from school. Can anyone tell me what the word routine means? Well today
we are going to learn about our daily routines. I want everyone to quietly stand up and

walk back to your seat so we can begin our activity and learning. (Transition to
activity)


Teacher will ask students to return to their desks. At their desks students will find
all of the necessary supplies to create their daily schedule. After students have draw
their schedule they will receive the rest of the supplies they will need to finish the
activity. For this activity students will create a timeline of their daily routine.
Students will be given a works sheet that has boxes for different times throughout
the day. Together the class will talk about part of their daily routine, like the things
that they do while they are in school. Some of the students daily activities will be
the same because they are all in school during the day. The teacher will walk around
and monitor or answer questions students may have about their routine. Once
students have colored their daily schedule the teacher will give them a large piece of
construction paper so that they can cut out their pictures and put them of the paper
in a line. The students ultimate goal is to create a timeline of their daily routine. If
students do not finish during the time allotted for this activity they will be aloud to
work on it if they compete other work or the next day during morning work time.

Build Knowledge:
Boys and girls, today we read a book called Dont Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late! Going
to bed was part of the pigeons daily routine. Today we are going to talk about our
daily routine! Did you know that we already have a daily routine that we complete
everyday together while we are at school? What do you think our daily routine is?
Teacher will wait for students to respond. Yes those are all part of our daily schedule.
Our daily schedule looks like this Teacher will point to schedule posted on the
board. This is called our routine because we do it in the order almost every day. The
first thing we do in the morning in math. This is the first part of our daily routine. Can
some one tell me what we do next during the day? Yes thats exactly right,, the next
thing we do is reading workshop. All of our schedule are the same her at school But
what about when we get home? Do you think our routines are the same once we get
home? No! What I do is very different from what you do, or what you do! I want you
all to turn to your elbow partner and tell them one thing that you do as part of you
daily routine after school! Teacher will wait and listen to students as they talk about
their routines after school. Can anyone share with me what their partner said they do
after school? Wow that was some great listening you all did with your partners! Know
before we begin the activity I want you to take 1 minute of quiet time to think about
what you do after school. What is your daily routine?

Model:
with supplies in their hands. First, we are going to draw out each part of your daily
routine. I will hand you a piece of paper that looks like this. Teacher will hold up

worksheet for students to see. You are going to draw your daily routine. See ho in
each box I drew a different picture? Each picture represents something I do during the
day. Once you have finished drawing your pictures I want you to raise your hand so
that I can give you the supplies you will need for the second part of the activity. I will
bring you a piece of big construction paper. You will then cut out each of your squares
and glue them on the construction paper. Make sure that you put them in order from
what you do at the beginningof the day to what you do at the end! By doing this you
are creating a timeline of your daily routine. Does anyone have any questions?
Teacher will answer any student questions.

Create:
Ok class, now its your turn! Use the supplies at your desk to create your own daily
routine. Once you have colored all of your picture raise your hand and I will bring you
a big piece of paper and scissors so that you can create your own timeline! Remember
to do your best drawing and cutting for this activity, we are going to hang them
outside in the hallway! I will be walking around the room to help; raise your hand if
you need me!

Assessment:
Students will be assessed based on their ability to logically sequence there day on a time
line. Students will be gins a worksheet with 8 squares on it for different time during the
day. The student will be assessed based on quality of drawing to meet the criteria for the
arts standard.
Boys and girl I will be looking at your time lines to make sure that you have 8 pictures of the
event sin your day. They need to be in the correct order!

Closure:
Boys and girls you did such a great job today! Thank you for using your listening ears and
keeping control of yourselves while we were in the hallway! When we read Dont Let The
Pigeon Stay Up Late, the pigeons least favorite part of his daily schedule was going to bed! He
did not want to go to sleep. Tell the person sitting next to you was the worst part of your daily
schedule is? Wow I heard some very not fun activities! Now, raise your hand if you have a
favorite part of your day! Yes! I do too. Tell somebody else sitting next to you about the best
part of your schedule. Tomorrow we are going to read another Mo Willems book; I hope you
all are excited!

Crayons
Markers
Worksheet (attatched)
Scissors
Long pieces of construction paper
Pencils
Story Time
Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Standards:
Movement: 1.) Demonstrate movement in various tempos, rhythms, and meters.
Music: 8.) Identify musical phrases in a song presented aurally.
Theatre: 4.) Depict simple stories and situations through the use of puppetry.
Art: 1.) Create works of art using a variety of techniques.

Before reading:
The teacher will start the lesson by asking the students if they remember the author we
have been learning about. Boys and girls, can I have all of you join me at the carpet? Table
1...2...3...4 Who can tell me the name of the author that we have been learning about? Thats
right, Mo Willems! Have you all been enjoying his books? They are fun arent they! I love all of
the characters in his stories. What about you all? If your favorite character is Knuffle Bunny
touch your nose. If your favorite character is the Pigeon, touch your ear. If your favorite
character is Piggie touch your head. If your favorite character is the Elephant touch your
mouth. Turn and talk to your partner about who your favorite character is that we have read
so far and why. The teacher will give the students a few minutes to discuss. Alright class, can
I have all eyes and all ears? Mo Willems has written many books. Can you all remember what
the award is called that he has won for the pictures in his books? Caldecott! Great job. Today
we are going to be reading another one of Mos books called Dont Let The Pigeon Drive the
Bus! Do any of you ride the bus to school? The teachers allows for students to respond. What
are some things that you do on the bus? Do you ride it with your friends? Siblings? The
teacher allows time for class discussion. Do you all like riding the bus? The teacher listens to
student responses. What about the bus driver? Do you all know him? What is he like? The
teacher allows students to share. What would you do if a pigeon started driving the bus you
were on? Today we will be reading about the Pigeon who tried to drive the bus! When you all
look at the title, what do you think is going to happen? We are going to present the story
doing a readers theatre. Before we do the readers theater, we are going to make puppets to
represent the characters! I am going to read you all the book and then you will all work on
your puppet projects and then present them in the readers theatre. Teacher reads them the
book. Alright boys and girls, before we do our readers theater, we are going to make our own
finger puppets and then act the story out. I need you all to listen and follow directions
carefully. I am going to pass out step by step directions on how to make the puppet. I will be
walking around to help you all as you work on them. I am also about to pass out the tool box
with scissors and tape in them. Please do not take anything out until I instruct you to. The
teacher will pass out the materials and then begin giving the students step by step
instructions as listed on the hand out. Alright class, you may now begin working on your
puppets. Remember that we want our work to be nice and neat because these will be
presented in front of the whole class! I cant wait to see what you all make.

Present: The story will be presented in the following way:
One child will be the bus driver, and he will wear a bus drivers hat. There will be two
children who play the pigeons. They will have pigeon puppets made during the before
reading section. There will also be portions of the script where the whole class interacts.
The teacher will have cue cards for the class. When they are to respond to the pigeons
questions, the teacher will hold up no cue cards for the class to choral read with proper
expression.
Characters: Bus driver, pigeon #1, pigeon #2 and class
Props: Bus driver hat, pigeon puppets, cue cards
Bus
Driver
Hi! Im the bus driver. Listen, Ive got to leave for a little while, so can you
watch things for me until I get back? Thanks. Oh, and remember: Dont Let the
Pigeons Drive the Bus!
Pigeon 1
I thought hed never leave.
Pigeon 2
Hey, can we drive the bus? Please? Well be careful.
Class
Nooooo!
Pigeon 1
I tell you what: Ill just steer.
Pigeon 2
My cousin Herb drives a bus almost every day! True story.
Pigeon 1
Vroom-vroom vroomy vroom-vroom!
Pigeon 2
Pigeon at the Wheel!
Class
NOOO!
Pigeon 1
No? I never get to do anything!
Pigeon 2
Hey, Ive got an idea. Lets play Drive the Bus!
Pigeon 1
Ill go first!
Class
No!
Pigeon 2
Cmon! Just once around the block!
Pigeon 1
Ill be your best friend! How bout I give you five bucks?
Class
NOOOO!

Pigeon 2
No fair! I bet your mom would let me.
Pigeon 1
Whats the big deal!? Its just a bus!!!
Pigeon 2
We have dreams you know!
Class
Nooo
Pigeon 1
Fine.
Pigeon 1
and 2
LET US DRIVE THE BUS!!!
Bus
Driver
Im back! You didnt let the pigeons drive the bus did you? Great! Thanks a lot.
Pigeon 1
and 2
Uh-oh!
Bus
Driver
Bye!

After reading:
The teacher will call the attention of the students. Friends, if you can hear me touch your
nose. If you can hear me, touch your chin. If you can hear me, touch your head. Once the
teacher has full attention of the class she will transition into the musical portion. Alright
boys & girls, we just finished reading a book by Mo Willems. Can somebody raise their hand &
remind the class what book we just read? Teacher waits for student response. Very good! We
just read Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. We are now going to listen to a song about the
pigeon! I need you to put your best listening ears on. Give me a thumbs up if you are ready to
begin. The teacher will gage the audience & begin once everyone is ready. The teacher will
pull up a video on YouTube of The Pigeon on the Bus. The teacher will play the song one
time through. Wasnt that fun? The pigeon is always driving that bus. I am now going to teach
you guys the motions to the song. I need everyone to stand up on their feet! The teacher will
make sure she has full attention before she begins. When you hear the wheels on the bus go
round and round, you will move your hands and arms around in a circle. The teacher will
demonstrate the appropriate motions for the class. Now, let me see you guys do it! The
teacher will watch students perform action. Very good friends! We will now learn the next
motion. When you hear the doors go open and shut, you will open and close your hands. The
teacher will model motion. You guys try! Teacher will monitor students. Excellent! Next,
when you hear the horn on this bus goes beep beep beep, you will pretend to honk the horn.
The teacher will model the motion appropriately. You try! Teacher will monitor students.
Awesome! Finally, when you hear the people on this bus go up and down, you will point up
and down. The teacher will model the motion. You guys try it yourselves now! The teacher
will monitor student performance. It looks so good! We are now going to play the song and
you guys will do the motions along with it. If you get lost, you can look back up at me. I will be

modeling the motions too. Give me a thumbs up if you are ready. The teacher will survey the
students to check for readiness. She will then press play & the song will play as the
students perform the motions.
Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWEekO4ufwM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzrjwOQpAl0

Works Cited:

Willems, M. (2003). Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus. New York: Hyperion Books for
Children.
Willems, M. (2004). Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. New York: Hyperion Books for
Children.
Willems, M. (2006). Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct. New York:
Hyperion Books for Children.
Willems, M. (2006). Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late! New York: Hyperion Books for
Children.
Willems, M. (2007). Today I Will Fly! New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
Willems, M. (2009). Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
Willems, M. (2010). Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion. New York: Balzer Bray.
Willems, M. (2011). I Broke My Trunk! New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
http://www.online-stopwatch.com/online-clock/
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com
https://pinterest.com
https://youtube.com
http://www.foldnfly.com/#/1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-2
http://books.disney.com/content/uploads/2013/10/Elephant-Piggie-TG-.pdf

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Table of Contents

Bibliography (Graphic Organizer)

Introductory Activity Plan

STEAM Activity Plan

Culminating Activity Plan

Don't Let the

Cat the Cat, Who

Today I will Fly!

Design for Learning

Design for Learning

Design for Learning

Design for Learning

Trace it (on the back of the paper if you have to):

How far did your plane fly?

Design for Learning

Design for Learning

Word Frame for Science Lesson

Design for Learning

Telling Time with Pigeon

Can you help

2. He leaves the park at 8:30.

3. The Bus Driver is at the grocery store by 10:00.

4. His next stop is the museum at 12:30.

5. The Bus Driver finally gets a break at 1:00.

Design for Learning

Design for Learning

I thought hed never leave.

Hey, can we drive the bus? Please? Well be careful.

I tell you what: Ill just steer.

My cousin Herb drives a bus almost every day! True story.

Vroom-vroom vroomy vroom-vroom!

Pigeon at the Wheel!

No? I never get to do anything!

Hey, Ive got an idea. Lets play Drive the Bus!

Cmon! Just once around the block!

No fair! I bet your mom would let me.

Whats the big deal!? Its just a bus!!!

We have dreams you know!

LET US DRIVE THE BUS!!!

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