Book Club Lesson Plan

Information
Calvin Book Club Leader: Rachel Vos
Grade: 4th
Date: November 15, 2017
Subject area: ELA.
1. Main Focus: How to Steal a Dog, Chapters 8-9 (p. 56-69), Georgina’s family gets
kicked out of the new house and Mama loses her job.
Preparation
Common Core Standard: RL.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text
when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.
Teaching and Learning Outcomes (Goals. SWBAT): Students will be able
1
to use evidence from the text to support their inferences on how Mama
might be feeling.
Assessment: Read student responses to the prompt. Listen to students
share what they think about Mama’s feelings.
Common Core Standard: W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts,
supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
Teaching and Learning Outcomes (Goals. SWBAT): Students will be able
to describe, in writing, how Mama might be feeling after losing her job.
2
Students will be able to reflect on how they might feel if they were in the
same situation as Mama and Georgina.
Assessment: Read student responses to the prompt. Listen to students
share about how they might be feeling.
Common Core Standard: SL.4.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud
or information presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually, quantitatively, and orally.
3 Teaching and Learning Outcomes (Goals. SWBAT): Students will be able
to summarize what happened in chapter 9 of the book.
Assessment: Listen to or read student summaries (depending on which
option students choose).
Differentiation (UDL)
For content: Allow each student to list their own definitions so they can use
vocabulary that they are familiar with.
The process: Students can write as much or as little as they would like in their
journal responses. Students may also choose whether they would like to
write down their summary or share it verbally.
Student outcomes: Students will complete vocabulary cards and work on
the timeline in their notebooks. These activities allow for differentiation as
students are able to write at their own level. Have students share at least
once in the group discussion, but do not make them share more than that if
they do not want to.
Materials and other preparation
- Books, notebooks, folders, trifold board, index cards, markers,
crayons, pencils, PowerPoint, journal prompt
 Book Club Lesson Plan
- Place an index card with each student’s name on it in the place they
should sit. Seat the students in this order: Elaine, Lily, Abby, Mariella,
Chase (Chase should be sitting closest to me.)
The Lesson
TIME TEACHER ACTIVITY STUDENT ACTIVITY
Motivating, Engaging. (Introduction)
- Ask students to go back to the predictions
4 they made last time. Read their predictions.
- Show students the word shuddered. Ask
students what they think this word might - Guess what
mean. shuddered
- Show students pictures of the word and ask if means.
that helps them think about the meaning.
- Explain that the word shuddered means: to
shake suddenly, usually because of fear or
disgust. - Fill out
- Have students fill out their vocabulary vocabulary
notecards with the information for the word. card.
- Show students the word conscience. Ask - Guess what
students what they think this word might conscience
5 mean. means.
- Show students pictures of the word and ask if - Fill out
that helps them think about the meaning. vocabulary
- Explain that the word conscience means: an card.
inner voice that is seen as a guide for doing
right and wrong.
- Have students fill out their vocabulary cards
for the word.
Development (Process)
- Explain to students that we are going to read
in partners today. They will read page by
page.
- Tell students that when they finish reading,
they will work on writing down two questions
about the reading. One question should be
about the facts and the other should be
about the story.
- Students will work with the person sitting next
10 to them: Elaine & Lily, Abby & Mariella, Chase
& Miss Vos.
- Give students time to read. - Read with
- After everyone has finished reading, call the their partner.
students back together (even if they haven’t - Work on their
all finished writing out their questions). questions.
- Ask students if there are any events in the - Add to the
chapter they would like to add to the timeline timeline.
(students might suggest Mama losing her job,
 Book Club Lesson Plan
the family being kicked out of the house, or
Georgina making concrete plans to steal the
dog).
- Show students the video about the man who
lost his job and how it impacted him (Stop the
video after about 3 minutes).
15 - Show students the journal prompt: How do - Respond to
you think Mama was feeling when she lost her the prompt in
job? How do you think you would feel if you their journals.
were in that situation?
- Give students time to respond in their journals.
- Use the spinner to call on students to share - Share their
their responses. responses.
- Ask students why they think Mama was so - Explain why
upset when she lost her job. (Possible answers they think
could include: she isn’t making money, she Mama was so
has to find another job, and she can’t save upset.
money to pay for rent.)
- Tell students we are going to listen to the next
chapter on tape. Have students follow along - Follow along
in their book while we listen. with Chapter
15 - After reading, ask students to summarize what 9.
happened in Chapter 9. Give them a choice - Summarize
between writing or saying their summary. It the chapter.
could include Mama getting a new job,
Georgina and Toby finding rope to use to
steal Willy, Luanne not letting Georgina and
Toby come over, and Georgina deciding she
10 is ready to steal a dog.
- Give students time to finish writing their - Finish writing
questions. Put all the questions in a bowl and questions.
have the students take turns picking questions - Answer
to answer. questions.
Closure.
- Ask students what events they think would be
important to add to our timeline from Chapter
9. Possible answers include: Georgina
deciding she is ready to steal a dog and
5 Mama getting a new job.
- Write the events on our group timeline and - Add events to
have students write them in the back of their their timeline.
journals.
- Collect materials, pray, and say goodbye.