Name: David Knapp

Teacher Read Aloud

Book Citation (APA format):
Morris, J. (2010). Please write back! New York: Scholastic.

Before Reading: Introducing the Book Today we are going to read a book about
Alfie who writes a special person a letter.

Making connections with Prior

experiences and prior knowledge

The letter in the book is not the kind of

letters we think of when we say our A, B,
Cs what is another kind of letter? What
might happen when you write a letter?
Give me thumbs up if you have ever
received a letter.
How does a letter get from one person to
another?
Give me a high five if you have ever written
and mailed a letter.

Title, Author, illustrator

Todays book is Please write back! The

author and illustrator of this book is Jennifer
Morris.

Using the book cover to make

Predictions

Lets look at the cover and see if we can get

some clues about this story.
What is something you notice right away
about the main character on the front cover
(answer: the main character appears to be a
crocodile)?

Is there anything on the front cover that

gives you a hint about the storys action?
(answers: text= please WRITE back;
envelope; stamps)

Giving the children a specific Purpose

to guide their listening and the
discussion after reading

The author wrote this book to entertain her

readers and share a story about what might
happen when you write a letter.
As we read the story listen carefully as the
main character in the story writes a very
special person a letter. Are you ready to
listen? If so, give me a high five!

During the Reading of the Book

Using the illustrations to make
predictions.

p. 7 (addressing the envelope)

What will Alfie do next with his letter?

Confirming predictions

p. 8 (placing the letter in the mailbox)

So, did we guess right?

Whenever we read or listen to a story we

want to always be thinking about what the
author is telling or showing us.
Alfie is writing his grandma; notice how he
starts his letter (Dear Grandma,), addresses
his envelope with her address in the middle
and his address in the upper left corner (p.7)
and then seals the envelope, places a stamp
on it and places it in a mailbox (p.9).
After seeing how Alfie does those things do

you think you could write/mail someone a

letter?

Developing vocabulary, descriptive

words

Lets look at pages 6 and 7. Alfie

addressed the letter. He stamped the letter.
Using the illustrations as additional cues,
can you tell what the words addressed
and stamped mean?

Making predictions and providing a

reason that supports it.

When we look back to our predictions about

the story just from looking at the cover, how
was the story like or different- from our
expectations/prediction(s)?

Monitoring comprehension and

confirming inferences

Lets look for specific pages (words/text

AND pictures) inside the story that show
how the story was like or different- from
our prediction(s).

Making connections and developing

vocabulary and supporting story
comprehension

Have you ever waited for something to

happen or waited to get something you
really wanted?
Is waiting easy or hard to do? What makes
waiting either easy or hard for you?

Using background knowledge to

make predictions and inferences

Do you think it was hard for Alfie to wait

for his grandma to answer his letter?

Now that he has had the experience of

writing a letter, waiting and then getting a
great answer back (a box of cookies and a
note from his grandma), do you think Alfie
will write more letters?
Do you think waiting for a letter from
someone will be easier, harder or the same
for him next time? Explain what makes you
think _____.

After Reading
Asking questions that require a
variety of thinking types in order
to answer.

How did you like the story?

What was your favorite part of the story?
Why was Alfie waiting for the mailman
each day?
What happened after Alfie wrote his
grandma a letter?
What was the extra surprise he received in
the mail?
What did Alfie do next after he received an
answer to his letter from his grandma?
What are some of the reasons people write
letters to each other?
What other ways to we use the mail?
Are there any ways of communicating with
other people that are like writing letters?
(Ex.: notes in class, email, texting, etc)

Vocabulary: (Write out all directions.)

Wait (write the word on the

Whiteboard and have the class repeat
it and write it in their vocabulary,
reading journals)
Definition: to be hoping for
something or on the lookout for
something
Lets find the page(s) in the book
where the author uses the vocabulary
word wait. (page 21)
Notice Page 11, then again page 12.
Do you notice anything interesting
about any of the words on those
pages? (the word waited)
Lets read the sentences with waited
in them. Is the meaning the same as
wait? How is the word similar how
is different?
Can we make a sentence of our own
with each FORM of the word wait?
(Lets make the sentences about
recess.)
Have students say the word one more
time

Retelling activity directions

Lets list the pages in the book that

are the most important to
understanding the story.
What was the mailmans reaction to
Alfie when he kept asking if he had

any mail what page(s) can you

find this? Do we tell the mailmans
reaction by words or illustrations or
both?
Could you understand the story if it
were only words if it was only
illustrations?
What would you tell your friends (the
ones who have not read/heard this
story yet) about Please write back?

Response activity directions

Working with the people at your

table, make a picture timeline or write
four steps that tell Alfies story about
writing his grandma (make sure you
have a beginning, at least two details
in the middle and an end).
Pretend you are Alfie and write
another letter to his grandma where
he tells her about something fun he
did at school.