Lesson Plan Template

1st grade Read-Aloud

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." -- Chinese

proverb
TEACHER:

Worrell
Revisions by
Palma
Leo Lionni

AUTHOR:

DATE:

UNIT AND #

Unit 9 Day
1

TITLE:

Alexander and the WindUp Mouse

GENR
E:

Fiction

WOW WORDS/ KEY VOCABULARY

Before Reading/Pre-Planning

Mental State: What is going on inside the characters mind

Motivation: WHY a character does something, says something, or feels a certain
way - This is tied to the characters problem and what they want
OBJECTIVE(S)

SWBAT identify the mental state of a character

SWBAT identify the motivation of a character
SWBAT determine how a characters mental state and motivation affect
their actions

COMPREHENSION STRATEGY (BOYLES)

Figuring Out- character mental state and motivation

Noticing- noticing the actions and thoughts of characters to understand
the events in the story

GRAPHIC ORGANIZER(S) & MATERIALS

Mental State Definition

Motivation Definition
Chart:
Mental State: Alexander thinks he
has a hard life as a mouse. (To be filled
in during lesson)

Motivation: Alexander wants to have

the life of the wind-up mouse so he can
be loved. (To be filled in during lesson)

Mental State: Alexander is too

excited to see the purple pebble that
he forgets about Willy being thrown
away. (To be filled in during lesson)

Motivation: Wants to accomplish his

goal of being loved by becoming a
wind-up mouse. (To be filled in during
lesson)

Mental State: Alexander realizes that

if he uses the wish on himself, then
Willy will be thrown away. (To be
filled in during lesson)

Motivation: Doesnt want to be lonely

again and lose his only friend. (To be
filled in during lesson)

Before Reading

HOOK and OPENING

Engage students and capture their interest.

Introduce objective using chants, poems, hand movements, images, or props.
Introduce topic.

Provide an explanation of objective.

(7 minutes)

(Hook) TW ask: TW post picture of wind-up toy What is this? How do

you know?
Highlight that it is a wind-up toy because as the arrow points out, you have
to wind up the toy before it can move.
TW say: In todays story, were going to learn about a relationship that
occurs between a wind-up mouse and a real mouse.
TW say: As we read this story, I want you to begin to think about the
mental state of our characters. A characters mental state is what is going
on inside of the characters mind. A characters mental state can change
over time. Sometimes events happen that can affect a characters mental
state. It is our job as good readers to identify a characters mental state in
order to understand their motivation.
TW show Character Mental State definition/chart.
TW say: The mental state of a character is tied into the characters
motivation.
What does character motivation mean?
Yes character
motivation explains WHY a character does something, says something, or
feels a certain way. Once we identify a characters mental state, we can see
why that character wants or needs something. We can see why they have
certain actions, thoughts, and feelings.
TW show Character Motivation definition.
TW say: Remember, character motivation tells us WHY characters act the
way they do. Their motivation is closely tied to what they want. Just like
when we think about what the character wants to identify the problem, we
can think about what the character wants to help us figure out their
motivation, or why they are doing what they are doing.
TW say: Lets read the back cover of this book and see if there are any
clues about the characters mental state might be or what the characters
motivation will be throughout this text. TW preview the text with the back
notes.
TW ask: What do you think will be some big ideas or themes of this book?
*theme is the big idea of the story - what the author wants you to think
about throughout the entire story.
Students should say things like
loneliness; friendship; wanting to fit in. Accept reasonable themes to be
solidified at the end of the reading.
TW say: As a good reader, I am going to focus on what the characters
mental state and motivation is throughout the story. I wonder who will be
able to make conclusions about this as we read.

MODELING (I DO) AND COMPREHENSION DISCUSSION (WE DO)

Keep in mind the objective as you complete the lessonwhat do you want all students to be
able to do at the end of the reading block for this skill?
Model the objective, completing a Think Aloud as you do so.
Tell students,. Good readers use (objective) to help them understand the story. Or, I used
(objective) to understand what is happening in the story.
Include Think Aloud and Questions for factual (F), inferring (I), and critical thinking (CT). Be
sure to denote which comprehension type it is and the page number.

During Reading

[Q-Question; TA- Think Aloud; F-Factual; I-Inferential; CT-Critical thinking]

I Do (5 minutes): Teacher explicitly models (charts if necessary to objective)
Pg. 7 (TA): The narrator is telling this story, but I can see he is writing it to let us
know what is going on inside of Alexanders mind. As a good reader this is going
to be important for me to remember since I want to figure out what Alexanders
mental state and motivation are. The narrator told us that Alexander wanted a few
crumbs. Alexander wants this because he is hungry. Since he is hungry and wants
to get the crumbs, he is going to risk getting screamed at and chased after.
Pg. 11 (TA): HmmWilly keeps saying that everybody loves him, however
Alexander said that no one cares for him. Im starting to think about Alexanders
mental state. People are always chasing him with brooms and shooing him away.
Then he meets Willy and sees how nicely he gets treated. I bet he is comparing his
life to the life of this wind-up mouse. Alexander might be thinking that he has a
hard life as a real mouse since people are always trying to get rid of him, and if he
was a wind-up mouse he would have a better life because people would love to play
with him and have him around. TW chart: Mental state: Alexander thinks he has
a hard life as a real mouse. As a good reader, I can bet this will tie into his
motivation.
Pg. 15 (TA) The narrator told us that Alexander thought to himself about why he
couldnt be a wind-up mouse and be cuddled and loved. This is going to help me
start to figure out Willys motivation in this text. He is envious and jealous of Willy
having people love him and cuddle him - this means he wants people to do the
same things with him. Alexander probably wants people to stop chasing him away
and start showing him love and positive attention. I wonder what Alexander is go
to do or say to make this happen.
Pg. 32 (TA): The author probably wanted us to learn that being envious of
someone is not always a good feeling. You may want to be like someone else
because they describe their life as really great or spectacular. But that might not
always be the truth. The truth might be that they are not as happy as you think. I
think Alexander probably realized that being himself was actually pretty
wonderful. He realized that Willy was only loved for a little while and then he was
thrown away. But friendship and love between two friends could last forever. I
think the big idea and theme of this book is about friendship and accepting who
you are.
We Do (10 minutes): TW work with students to get at objective, but will quickly model
if student is confused or not applying the skills for the objective accurately:
Pg. 11 (Q, F): What is life like as a wind-up mouse? He gets to run in circles,
be cuddled, and sleep in a comfortable place. Everyone loves him.
Pg. 11 (Q, CT) Compare these characters. Why do you think that everybody
loves Willy but not Alexander? Willy is a toy and Alexander is a real mouse.
Some people are frightened or annoyed by mice because they are considered
rodents that may mess up a home.
Pg. 15 (Q, I): I think we are beginning to identify what Alexander really
wants. What does Alexander want? What is his motivation for wanting it?
Wants to be loved & cuddled; he thinks his life is hard as a mouse. His mental
state tied directly into his motivation. TW add to chart: Motivation: Wants to be
loved and cuddled like Willy.
Pg. 15 (Q, I): What do you think envy means based on what we read?
Students should use context clues to think about the meaning; wanting what

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING AND COMPREHENSION DISCUSSION

Complete a Checking for Understanding of the objective.

Ask students, What did you notice as I did a Think Aloud of the objective? What am I doing as
a reader?

TW ask: How does a good reader think about a characters mental state?
How does a good reader think about character motivation?

ginadReerAft

TW say: Lets review Alexanders motivation throughout this text - T and S will
review the graphic organizer
CLOSING

Provide a reminder of the topic and objective.

TW say: Good readers are able to identify the mental state of characters
throughout the text. This will give us a deeper understanding of their
motivation, and help us understand WHY the events in a story unfold the
way they do.

POST LESSON REFLECTION/NOTES

Lesson Plan Key

Acronym
DN

Meaning
Do Now

SWBAT

Students will be
able to
Oral Drill

OD

INM

Introduction to new
material (I Do)

GP

Guided Practice
(We Do)

IP

Independent
practice (You Do)

TW

Teacher will

SW

Students will

Definition
Beginning of class, 3-5 minutes of silent
independent work that sets the tone for class.
Consists of review questions, reading passages, or
content that leads in to the days lesson.
Articulates the lessons learning objectives
Typically used after the Do Now for review of past
objectives. Students are called upon in an
unpredictable manner (cold call, drawing names,
etc) to answer scripted questions.
Mostly teacher led portion of lesson, wherein
teacher presents new content and/or models how
to solve problems.
Portion of lesson wherein teacher gradually
releases responsibility to students. Students and
teacher practice together before students move to
independent practice. Teacher asks questions to
check for student understanding.
Portion of lesson wherein in students work
independently to demonstrate their knowledge of
the days objectives.
Articulates what teachers will do or say at various
points during the lesson.
Articulates what students will do or say at various
points during the lesson.

WTD

What to do

CFU

Checks for
Understanding

ET

Exit Ticket

Teacher clearly articulates exactly what students

are expected to do.
Teacher strategically asks questions to determine
student understanding of the lessons objectives
before students move on to independent practice.
Short assessment at end of class to determine
student mastery of the days objectives.