You Can Judge A Book By Its Cover

  Designed by:  Andress Carter-Sims , Burton Pack Elementary

1) Core Curriculum Objective(s):   Make predictions based upon analysis of title, pictures, subtitles and other available information. (5-CM-3)

Grade Level: Five        Subject: Reading

2) Overview: This is a pre-reading activity and should be used to increase the purpose for reading a piece of literature.  The students will first observe the cover of a book they have never seen or heard.  They will then view some details from the book.  Next they will try to place details from the book in sequential order. After they have made predictions about the details they will listen to the piece of literature selected by the teacher.  After listening to the literature they will confirm and revise their predictions in both a large and small group setting.  Finally they will be assessed independently.

3) Focus Essential Question(s):  How can a title, pictures, subtitles and other information help you make predictions about a piece of literature.

4) Time Frame:  Two forty-five minute class periods

5) Resource Materials:

Any piece of literature (chapter books are not appropriate for this
lesson.

Sentence strips for demonstration lesson and eight sentence strips for each small group

Marker for demonstration lesson

Magnetic tape (optional) or tape or magnets for displaying sentence strips

Notebook paper for each small group

Pencil for each small group

Pencil and paper for each student during the independent assessment

6) Culminating Assessment:  During the culminating assessment students will be asked to independently write down ten details in sequential order as they occurred in the story.  Students should be reminded that they can not use the details provided by the teacher in activity one.  During the assessment the demonstration details may remain on the board as a model.

7) Instructional Activities:

Activity One:

Prior to this pre-reading activity the teacher should read the book carefully and choose several appropriate details.  The details should be placed on sentence strips.  The details from the story should be written in complete sentences.  Note:  The teacher should pick a book that they feel most students have not been exposed to, although this is not always possible.  For those students who have heard or read the book before it is appropriate for them if they just sit and listen.

The teacher should now tell the students that they are going to make sequential predictions based upon the cover and title of a book.  The teacher will then show the students the cover of the book only.  The teacher should be careful not to show the back cover of the book because they sometimes provide the ending of the story and we want students to make their predictions based on the front cover only. The teacher should provide ample viewing time as students observe the cover of the selected book.

The teacher is now ready to place the details on the board.  Note:  The details are things that have occurred in the story and any significant details in the story that they wish to select from the story. The details that the teacher selected should not be placed on the board in order. Now the students should be provided the appropriate time to read each detail. 

Once all the students have read each detail the teacher should ask several students what they think the first detail in the story is.  Asking several students the same question will help assist those students who do not have an opinion.

Now the teacher is ready to select a student to place the detail that they think comes first at the top of the board.  The teacher may ask for thumbs up or down to receive the other student’s opinion.  Students should be reminded several times during the lesson that there are no wrong or right answers when making predictions. 

The teacher should now choose another student to come up and place the detail that they think comes next in the story.  If this student does not agree with the first detail they may change it as well.  Each student may choose a detail and change one detail that has already been placed.  The teacher may ask the student why they think that detail would or could come next in the story.  The teacher should be sure to have students provide well thought out reasoning as to what their opinion is.  The teacher may also assist students with their explanations.

The second student chosen may also after placing the second detail, change the first if they do not agree.  This process continues until all of the details have been placed.  Each student that is chosen may choose the detail that they think come next.  That same student may change one of the other items placed earlier.  Each student will have the opportunity to affect two sentence strips at a time except for the student that is first. 

Once all details have been placed the class should read the details together.  At this point no more changes may be made once the last detail is place.  This will help to control time. 

The teacher will now read the selected piece of literature.

Once the story is completed the teacher should choose one student at a time to place the details in the correct order as they relate to the story.  This is only necessary if they are not in sequence.  The teacher should also guide the instruction as the large group discusses their similarities. 

Activity Two:

Students are now ready to be placed into groups of three.  The teacher will instruct each group to write eight details in a complete sentence that will be given to another group to place in order. Students are to select details from the same story that was just read to the large group from activity one. The groups should not be allowed to use any of the details that were used by the teacher in activity one.  The details should be left on the board as a model for the groups. Because students are not allowed to repeat details that were used this will test their recall ability and require them to stretch their thinking.

Each group should select a recorder to write on a piece of notebook paper the eight details that they would like for another group to place in order.  The details should be on the notebook paper in the order in which they occurred in the story. The notebook paper will be used as a checking system. The details should also be numbered and written as complete sentences.  As each group finishes the teacher will monitor each group and assist where necessary.  Once the teacher approves the eight details the group will be given eight sentence strips to place their details on.  The groups are to write on the sentence strips using pencil.  This will help with saving paper. If errors are made they can erase.

Once each group has placed their details on sentence strips, the small groups should mix them up.  The teacher will then switch the strips to another group.  The group that has received the sentence strips should place them in the order in which they occurred in the story.  

After a group thinks that they have the details in the correct order they should ask for the answer sheet which is the piece of notebook paper that the teacher had to approve.

Each group is allowed to make changes as they discuss with the other group if necessary.

After all checking and discussions are finished the teacher should collect all notebook paper and sentence strips.

Activity Three:

During the assessment students will work independently to write ten details from the story in sequential order.  The details must be written in a complete sentence. Again they are not allowed to repeat sentences from the demonstration which may be left on the board.  They may repeat details from their small group. The teacher will do a very informal assessment.  The criteria for assessing is provided. 

As an integrated lesson the criteria may be more complex as a teacher looks for correct grammar because students are to write their assessment in complete sentences.