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Lesson 1
Teacher: Yvonne Boeskool
Grade Level: First Grade
Date: 12/13 February 2018
Format: Individual

Guided instruction (including listen to reading/read to someone) mostly in the

Strategy:
Objective/Purpose/Instructional
Goals:
Texts/Resources/Materials:
Assessment(s):
Brief outline (Activities):
middle of gradual release model (note where your lesson fits into the gradual
release model)
Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring
 Use questioning to analyze The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.
 Use visualizing to predict what will happen when Peter puts the
snowball in his pocket.
 Use inferring to understand and relate to Harry the Dirty Dog by
Margaret Bloy Graham.
 Use visualizing by analyzing the pictures to infer why Harry’s family
didn’t recognize him.
 Complete the Literacy Survey
 Book 1: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
 Book 2: Harry the Dirty Dog by Margaret Bloy Graham
 Sticky notes
 Color pens/pencils
 Two pieces of paper for the student
 Literacy Survey
 Student’s responses and sticky notes during reading.
 Student’s drawing in response to the story.
(Think about how this ties into the objective/purpose/instructional goals. Does
your assessment match up with your purpose for the lesson?)
1. Student meets with literacy teacher in a convenient location.
2. Teacher asks student to read the title and come up with some questions he
might have about what he is soon to read. Student may need some prompting
and help producing ideas. Write them on a sticky note and stick them to the
cover.
3. Teacher explains to student that while reading the book, they will need to
stop and write down any questions they have about what they read and leave
the sticky notes on the pages.
4. Teacher begins reading. A few good places to prompt students to ask
questions are when Peter makes footprints in the snow, when he finds
something sticking out of the snow, and when Peter packs a snowball. Here are
some examples of questions to aim for:
Why is Peter making prints in the snow?
What did he find sticking out of the snow?
What happens when he hits the tree?
What will happen to the snowball?
How did the snowball disappear?
What will Peter and his friend do in the snow?

NOTES *Use this area to jot
down any notes about the
strategy or lesson.
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5. At page 24, when Peter makes a snowball, stop after reading and ask student
to draw what they think will happen to the snowball.
6. Continue reading and have student continue to record questions with teacher
guidance.
7. After reading, take out all of the sticky notes and put them on the piece of
paper.
8. Read through each one and have student answer their own questions.
9. If there are questions left at the end, ask student:
Are there any questions that you can’t answer?
Why can’t you answer them?
Do other books ever leave us with questions?
Why do you think the author might do that?
What do you think Peter and his friend will do in the snow?
10. Ask student:
Remember when the snowball melted?
How did you know it melted? Did the book tell you? (Refer back to page 28 –
the picture shows a wet spot in his pocket.
11. Discuss how pictures can give us information. Introduce the word “infer” by
writing it on the paper.
What does infer mean? (Brainstorm and record possible synonyms)
Did the picture help you to infer?
Can words also help you to infer?
This next book is going to have something happen in it. The book isn’t going
to tell us exactly why it happened, but we can use the clues to infer why.
12. Give student option to read Book 2 aloud. Stop at the page where Harry
returns home. Ask student to infer why Harry’s family doesn’t recognize him.
How do we know it’s because he is dirty?
When do you think they will realize it is Harry?
13. Teacher concludes with how using pictures and text helps them to infer why
things happen in a story.
14. Teacher talks about how we all have different strategies we use to help read
books and how it is important that the teacher understands how students feel
about reading and their reading habits in order to help them read better.
Teacher introduces the Literacy survey and works through it with the student.
Questioning/Visualizing/Inferring
Questioning, visualizing, and inferring are three reading strategies that can be
and often are heavily intertwined. By verbalizing and writing out questions,
students will then be looking for that information. It’s also important that they
understand that some questions are never answered especially at the end of a
book. This leaves information up to the imagination. Many questions that arise
come from pictures, and many pictures allow us to infer. When we infer, we
visualize information that might not be explicitly explained in the text.
*Using these three together and focusing on how they affect each other
strengthens comprehension and are important in instructing literacy.
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2/21/18
Lesson 1 Reflection

I think that it’s evident that I met the objectives, or instructional goals because my student
showed me great understanding by asking complex questions and creating strong visuals. He
seemed to get into the activities as well by participating eagerly. Next time, I will limit the
lesson to one book (by spending more time looking for a book that works for all of the
strategies of the week). Creating and delivering this lesson makes me wonder how I can
integrate the strategies more effectively and still teach them in a way that gives plenty of time
for understanding and practice of each one.
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Lesson 2
Teacher: Yvonne Boeskool
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Date: 28 February 2018
Format: Individual, Guided Instruction
Strategy: Summarizing and Synthesizing
(Comprehension, Instruction)
Objective/Purpose/Instructional  Student will be able to summarize the story
Goals: during reading (chunking) and after reading
 Student will be able to employ the strategy of
synthesizing to derive meaning from the story
and recognize his changing thinking process.
Texts/Resources/Materials:  Book Sammy and the Dinosaurs by Ian
Whybrow (ill. Adrian Reynolds)
 Book Curious George and The Dinosaur by
Margret Rey and Alan J. Shalleck
 Vocabulary cards of words
 Color pens/pencils
 Blank paper
 Lined paper
 Synthesizing Graphic Organizer
Assessment(s):  Students’ responses to pre-, during- and post-
reading summary questions of Sammy.
 Student’s responses on the Synthesizing
Graphic Organizer
 Student’s drawing/notes before reading
compared to after reading.
 Student’s letter to a friend summarizing the
Curious George story.
Brief outline (Activities): 1. Teacher asks student what he knows about
dinosaurs.
What do dinosaurs look like?
What types of dinosaurs do you know?
Where can we go to learn more about dinosaurs?
2. Teacher pre-teaches by having student write or draw
as much as he knows about dinosaurs and how he feels
about them (SYNTHESIS ACTIVITY #1).
3. Teacher pre-teaches vocabulary [working with
words] to be found in the text by having students act
them out.
Fussing
Excited
Upset

NOTES *Use this area to jot down
any notes about the strategy or
lesson.
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Museum
Explain
Wander(ed)
Climb(ed)
Skeleton
Damage
Interested/Interesting
Forgive
4. Teacher reads aloud text of Sammy [guided
reading], using during-reading questions asking for an
oral response (SUMMARY ACTIVITY #1):
What has happened so far in the story?
How did that happen?
5. Teacher continues reading [guided reading], using
during-reading questions asking for a written response
on the Synthesis graphic organizer (SYNTHESIS
ACTIVITY #2).
6. Teacher employs post-reading [guided reading]
strategy of having student complete the graphic
organizer after reading and continuing summary
discussion.
7. Student will then be provided with Curious George
book to read aloud or quietly [reading to self].
8. Teacher uses post-reading [guided reading] strategy
of having student write [writing] a letter to a friend
describing the visit to the museum in a few sentences
from the perspective of one of George’s classmates
(SUMMARY ACTIVITY #2).
9. Teacher has student go back to (post-reading) their
original drawing/notes about dinosaurs and has them
revise/add [writing] to their masterpiece (SYNTHESIS
ACTIVITY #1 again).
Synthesizing and Summarizing
These two strategies are somewhat similar, so they are
hard to isolate. I think if you look at summarizing as
responding to a story objectively and synthesizing as
responding subjectively, it may be easier to create
activities to go with each strategy. A great way to
synthesis is to respond to a topic visually and through
words both before and after reading and analyze how
the response has changed. A great way to summarize
in a creative way is to act like you’re telling someone
else about the story, hence the letter-writing activity.
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*Summarizing helps us as readers because we

understand the story’s main points and put it into our
own words.
*Synthesizing helps us as readers to evaluate how our
thinking changes and how the reading is affecting us.

2/28/18
Lesson 2 Reflection

I think that I met the objectives for synthesizing well because my student seemed to fully
understand the concept of changing his thinking throughout reading. I didn’t get through all of
my summarizing activities, though, so that strategy could use more work. My student kept up
with the activities fairly well although he was eager to start/keep reading. Next time, I will try
to better integrate the meanings of the strategies into the lesson rather than stopping to
explain it to him, which takes up time. Creating and delivering this lesson makes me wonder
how much the student needs to know about the strategy or just be able to use it?
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Lesson 3
Teacher: Yvonne Boeskool
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Date: 7 March 2018
Format: Individual, Guided Instruction
Strategy/Focus Area: Rhyming
(Phonological Awareness Instruction)
Objective/Purpose/Instruction  Student will be able to identify words that rhyme by
al Goals: matching with pictures.
 Student will be able to show understanding of how
rhyming works in a book and why it might be useful.
 Student will be able to show the teacher their reading
skills for the purpose of a Running Record.
Texts/Resources/Materials:  Rhyming puzzle downloaded from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rhymi
ng-Word-Puzzle-Freebie-2713460
 How Many Rhymes? downloaded from
https://www.readinga-z.com/books/leveled-
books/book/?id=79
 Book Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric
Litwin (ill. James Dean)
 Monkey To The Top w/ Running Record Form
downloaded from https://www.readinga-
z.com/books/leveled-books/book/?id=664
 A Dog for Sally w/ Running Record Form downloaded
from https://www.readinga-z.com/books/leveled-
books/book/?id=1391
 The Vet w/ Running Record Form downloaded from
https://www.readinga-z.com/books/leveled-
books/book/?id=1544
Assessment(s):  Answers given in the pre-reading discussion on rhyming
serve as an assessment for learning.
 Teacher will monitor participation and understanding
throughout reading by asking questions which reflect
strategies from previous lessons.
 Completion of the rhyming puzzle and participation in
self-reading will serve as assessments as learning.
 Discussion of the purpose of rhyming after reading will
give the teacher an idea of the student’s progress and
serve as an assessment of learning.
 The Running Records assessment will serve as an
assessment for learning for future lessons.

Brief outline (Activities):
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1. Teacher asks student what he knows about rhyming as a
pre-reading activity.
What is rhyming?
How do we know when something rhymes? Is it how the
words look or how they sound?
Can you give me an example of two words that rhyme?
How might rhyming help us read?
2. Teacher introduces and reads aloud text of Pete the Cat
allowing student to read/sing along if he knows the song
[guided reading].
3. Teacher employs the strategies of questioning,
predicting, and summarizing from previous lessons through
during-reading questions:
What color will Pete’s shoes be next?
What has happened so far in the story?
How did that happen?
4. Teacher and student discuss rhyming used in Pete the
Cat by flipping back through the book.
Where did you hear words that rhymed?
Teacher may need to re-read parts or have student read it
aloud.
What word rhymed? Did the end of every line rhyme?
What were some of the sounds you heard that rhymed a
lot?
5. Teacher sets up and introduces Rhyming Puzzle [working
with words] by showing an example. Student works
through puzzle with teacher’s guidance. Student can
complete the rhyme creation worksheet (included in PDF)
if time permits.
6. Teacher introduces How Many Rhymes? and has the
student read aloud placing his finger on his nose every time
he hears a rhyming pair, as a during-reading activity
[guided reading/reading to self]. Student can fill in the
workbook section of the book if time permits.
7. Teacher and student have a post-reading discussion of
the concept of rhyming.
Did all the rhyming in that book help you read?
Were there any words you didn’t know, but figured out
easier because you knew it had to rhyme?
Why else might a book have rhyming words?
8. Teacher then conducts Running Record assessment using
Monkey to the Top, which is an F Level book. If teacher
feels that student would do better up or down one level,
the E and G level books will be available as well. Student
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reads the text aloud and teacher records their errors on

NOTES *Use this area to jot
down any notes about the
strategy or lesson.
the corresponding Running Record sheet. Teacher should
follow reading with questions about the text to test
comprehension. Teacher analyses data after the lesson has
concluded in order to better choose reading material for
future lessons.
Rhyming
Rhyming is often viewed as a creative literary element, but
I wanted the student to see that it can also be useful.
Using the pattern of a rhyming text, they can better
anticipate and sound out words they may not know.

*Rhyming helps us as readers to anticipate words by

understanding how sounds relate.

3/7/18
Lesson 3 Reflection

I think that I met the objectives for phonological awareness pretty well because my student
seemed to be comfortable with the concept of rhyming after the lesson. I was proud of myself
for sticking to phonological awareness rather than getting into phonics as I was so tempted to
do. My student kept up with the activities fairly well although the rhyming puzzle took a little
more time and effort than I expected. Next time, I will try to frame that activity better and
maybe give him less words to work with. Creating and delivering this lesson makes me wonder
how much the teacher should focus on phonological awareness when the student is so eager to
get into the spelling of words?
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Lesson 4
Teacher: Yvonne Boeskool
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Date: 14 March 2018
Format: Individual, Guided Instruction
Strategy/Focus Area: Prefixes
(Phonics Instruction)
Objective/Purpose/Instructional  Student will be able to identify words containing the
Goals: prefix un-.
 Student will be able to locate the root word from a
word containing the prefix un-.
 Student will be able to make meaning from words
containing the prefix un- and discuss their
significance.
Texts/Resources/Materials:  Wear lace-up sneakers
 Book A Visitor for Bear by Bonnie Becker
 Blank piece of paper
 Multiples of my Homemade Prefix Tree
 Magic markers for students (one each)
 Un- Prefix Worksheet downloaded from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/un-
Prefix-Worksheet-2441712
Assessment(s):  Answers given in the pre-reading discussion on the
word “untie” serve as an assessment for learning for
the class as a whole.
 Teacher will monitor participation and understanding
throughout reading by asking questions which reflect
strategies from previous lessons.
 Participation and discussion of un- words throughout
the lesson serve as an assessment as learning.
 Independent completion of the Prefix Tree
Worksheet serves as an assessment of learning for
each student.
Brief outline (Activities): 1. Ask student:
What did I need to do this morning to make my shoes stay
on?
Student should reply with “tie them” or something
similar
2. Write the word “tie” on a paper and ask class:
What would be the opposite of that? What will I have to
do when I get home to get my shoe off?
Student should reply with “untie.”
3. Write the word “untie” on the paper.
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Are these words related?

What is the difference?
4. Teacher pre-teaches by introducing un- to student as a
negative prefix. Introduce the terms: prefix and root
word. Apply this concept to “untie” pointing out that
“tie” is the base word.
5. Teacher introduces A Visitor for Bear by explaining to
students that they should raise their hand every time
they hear an un- prefix. Teacher begins reading aloud
[guided reading] stopping at the end of each page where
hands are raised. Teacher employs during-reading
strategies by asking student to define the un- words if
possible.
6. When finished with the book, review with student the
un- words they heard by asking him to recall a few (post-
reading).
7. Point out the following words and point to them on the
Un- Prefix Tree [working with words]:
unplug
undone
unlock
Ask student for the root word of each of these and fill in
the corresponding spaces on the roots of the tree.
8. Ask student if he can think of any other un- words.
Prompt student by writing the following root words on
the tree and asking what the opposite of that word would
be:
unsafe
unsure
unhappy
And fill in the corresponding leaf on the tree as you go.
9. Explain the concept of the tree and that the root words
go at the roots of the tree. Put up the un- label on tree at
the trunk and brainstorm with students how we could
define the prefix un-.
Write “negative” and “opposite” and draw the red
negative symbol to support ELLs.
10. Fill in additional un-words on the leaves and have the
student fill in the root words [writing].
11. Explain to the student that there are other prefixes as
well. Introduce the prefix re- and fill out some pairs on
the an extra Prefix Tree. If time allows, try the same
thing for the prefix pre-.
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12. If time allows, give student the Un- Prefix Worksheet

NOTES *Use this area to jot
down any notes about the
strategy or lesson.
and have students work independently.
Prefixes
I chose to just focus on prefixes as to not confuse the
students. I think it’s better to isolate each common prefix
so that students can make meaning from all the words
created with it. Being familiar with this prefix and with
this strategy will encourage greater inquiry in students to
deconstruct confusing words they may come across.

*Breaking down words into prefixes, root words, and

even suffixes allows the reader to analyze the meaning
of each part and therefore develop a greater
understanding of the word as a whole.

3/14/18
Lesson 4 Reflection

I think that I met my objectives for phonics but there is also so much more I wish I had time for.
I chose to do an un- prefix lesson similar to the one I demonstrated in class because I wanted to
refine and practice it as well as try it out on an actual emergent reader. My student did well
with the activities, even exceeding my expectations at times. He understood the concept that
un- creates opposites so well that he reflected that idea in his color scheme on the tree
worksheet. Next time, I will try to find better reading material to support my lesson because I
felt my book wasn’t quite there. Creating and delivering this lesson makes me wonder how to
find fun examples of the phonics I’m teaching.
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Lesson 5
Teacher: Yvonne Boeskool
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Date: 28 March 2018
Format: Individual, Guided Instruction
Strategy/Focus Area: Digraphs: ch, sh, th, wh
(Phonics Instruction)
Objective/Purpose/Instruction  Student will be able to identify words containing the
al Goals: digraphs ch, sh, th, and wh.
 Student will be able to sort words into these four
digraphs.
 Student will be able to come up with words on their
own that contain these digraphs.
Texts/Resources/Materials:  Several blank pieces of paper
 Pencils/markers
 Book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
 Decoding Digraphs Puzzle downloaded from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Decodi
ng-Digraphs-ch-sh-th-and-wh-218842
Assessment(s):  Answers given in the pre-reading discussion on the four
diagraphs being studied will serve as an assessment for
learning.
 Teacher will monitor participation and understanding
throughout reading by asking questions which reflect
strategies from previous lessons.
 Participation and discussion of the digraphs we find
throughout the lesson serve as an assessment as
learning.
 Completion of the Decoding Digraphs Puzzle serves as
an assessment of learning.
Brief outline (Activities): 1. Write out the digraphs ch, sh, th, and wh on a blank
piece of paper as a pre-reading activity, and ask student:
Have you ever seen any of these letters paired together like
this? Which ones?
2. For each of the four digraphs, ask student what sound
the letters make when paired together:
What do these letters sound like paired together?
Can you think of a word that has this sound in it?
3. Give student this information and make a connection to
previous phonics lesson on prefixes:
Today we are going to work with words that have these
sounds in them. They can be at the beginning, middle, or
end of a word. But remember last time I was here when we

NOTES *Use this area to jot
down any notes about the
strategy or lesson.
Y Boeskool 14
did the un- prefix? These sounds don’t work like that
because they can’t just be added and taken away from a
word – they are just part of the word.
If needed, write an example of an un- word on the paper
and show how the word can makes sense with it and
without it. Show how this is not the same for a ch- word
for example.
4. Teacher introduces Goodnight Moon by explaining to
student that he should pay close attention for words with
ch, sh, th, or wh in them. Teacher begins reading aloud
[guided reading] stopping at the end of each page where
there are applicable words. Teacher employs during-
reading strategies by asking student to define the words if
possible and the storyline. Point out the rhyming in the
book and make a connection to Lesson 3 on phonemic
awareness.
5. When finished with the book, review with student the
some of the digraphs words he saw by asking him to recall
a few (post-reading).
6. Introduce the Decoding Digraphs Puzzle [working with
words]:
Now we are going to practice sorting a bunch of word into
these four-letter patterns. You should grab a card with an
umbrella on it and decide which letter pairing it has in it
and put it under the right cloud. Remember, these words
could have the ch, sh, th, or wh in the beginning, middle, or
end of the word. And it may help to say the word out loud.
7. Take out the worksheet that comes with the Decoding
Digraphs Puzzle. Use it as a scavenger hunt and ask student
if he can find objects or words that he sees in the classroom
that would go under each cloud. If he struggles, to find
them, tell him he can just think of some on his own.
Have him fill in the chart as he goes [writing].
8. Conclude by discussing with student how in each of
these pairings, the letters come together to make a new
sound. Go through each of them again, pronouncing them
aloud.
9. Have student choose a book to read [self-
selected/independent reading] and ask him to look for
these four letter pairs as he reads.
Digraphs: ch, sh, th, and wh
I chose to just focus on these four simple digraphs because
I noticed that although my student has clearly learned
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them before (he figures them out after some careful

thinking), he struggles to read them fluently. So I figured
that working with these words might help him develop
sight words that would make him a more fluent reader. It
is important in a lesson such as this to make connections
with other lessons but be careful that the student doesn’t
get them confused. Since many of the words in this lesson
begin with the four digraphs, it might be easy to perceive
them as prefixes, so it is important to make that distinction
from the beginning.

3/28/18
Lesson 5 Reflection

I was very glad to be assigned another phonics lesson this week because I think that my student
needs more work in phonics than anything else we’ve done so far. I chose to do a lesson on the
digraphs ch, sh, th, and wh because I’ve noticed before (on his running record as well as reading
other books with him) that although he knows the sounds these digraphs make when he thinks
about it, it takes him some trial and error. My student did well with the activities and seemed
to do well with the visual/spelling aspect. Next time, I will try to link the spelling more strongly
to the sounds because he struggled with distinguishing the different digraphs by ear. Creating
and delivering this lesson makes me wonder how to better link phonemic awareness to
phonics.
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Lesson 6
Teacher: Yvonne Boeskool
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Date: 11 April 2018
Format: Individual, Guided Instruction
Strategy/Focus Area: (Fluency Instruction)
Choral reading for automaticity
Re-reading/Readers Theatre for expression
Objective/Purpose/Instructional  Student will be able to read a nursery rhyme fluently
Goals: using choral reading and the gradual release
framework.
 Student will be able to read a nursery rhyme (used as
a readers theatre) with obvious expression in their
voice.
 Student will complete a taped reading of a non-
fiction book for the teacher’s case study.
Texts/Resources/Materials:  Blank paper
 Copies of the poem Five Little Fishies from
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/5fish/m-5fishes-
lyrics.htm
 Copies of the poem Five Little Chickens from
http://www.dltk-
teach.com/rhymes/five_little_chickens.htm
 Pencils/markers
 Highlighter
 Book How Do They Swim? from
https://www.readinga-z.com/books/leveled-
books/book/?id=3417
 Rasinski Rubric for Fluency
Assessment(s):  The word-work discussions prior to the nursery
rhyme reading will serve as an assessment for
learning.
 Teacher will monitor participation and understanding
throughout reading by asking questions which reflect
strategies from previous lessons.
 The discussions of words, rhyming, and expressions
as well as each round of reading will serve as an
assessment as learning.
 The final reading of each of the two poems will serve
as an assessment of learning for this lesson.
 The recorded non-fiction reading will serve as an
assessment of learning for all the lessons so far.

Brief outline (Activities):
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1. Write out the words fishies, swimming, kerplash, and
first/second/third/fourth/fifth on a blank piece of paper
as a pre-reading activity / [working with words] block
and go through each of the words:
“Fishies” is what we’re going to call cute little fish in this
poem even though it’s technically not a word.
What is this s word? What word do you see inside of it?
Do you know that ending?
“Kerplash” also isn’t a real word, but this poem uses it as
a sound word – like the sound of a splash in water.
The rest of these are words that we use to put things in
order. Can you read them? Write the correct number (1-
5) with each of the words. [writing]
2. Introduce the student to the poem/nursery rhyme
“Five Little Fishies.” Read it to the student the first time
going slow and following along with your finger. Have
student follow along with their finger on their own copy.
[guided reading]
3. The second time around, read the poem chorally with
the student making sure they are keeping up during-
reading.
4. The third time, have student read the poem on their
own, but still both follow along with your fingers to show
student you are paying attention to their reading and to
keep them going steadily.
5. When finished with the poem, discuss what happened
in the poem. (post-reading).
What things that we have worked on together before did
you see in this poem?
How about rhyming? Where did you hear rhyming?
6. Write out the words queer, squirm, shrug, squeal,
grief, faint, gravel, and scratch on a blank piece of paper
as a pre-reading activity / [working with words] block
and go through each of the words similarly to the last
poem – asking student what they know and helping out
by giving a definition when needed.
7. Introduce the student to the poem/nursery rhyme
“Five Little Chickens.” This time, read the poem chorally
(together) right away. (during-reading) [guided reading]
8. Talk about the dialogue in the poem post-reading.
What if I read it like this?
Read the first few verses with no inflection, emotion, or
expression in your voice, not pausing or reading very
loudly.
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What is wrong with that?

NOTES *Use this area to jot
down any notes about the
strategy or lesson.
Discuss how important it is to change your tone of voice,
read loud, and include pauses. Re-read those passages
with expression to model the concept for the student.
Why do you think doing those things is important?
9. Have the student highlight the chickens’ dialogue in
each verse on their paper. Read through the poem again
having the student read the chicken parts and the
teacher “narrating”. Stress the importance of getting into
the reading. You can even make it into a “contest” to see
who can read the most dramatically. Give positive
feedback for things the student did well.
10. Introduce the Reading A-Z book and have student
read it aloud for the recording [reading to
self/independent reading]. Remind him prior to reading
to try and use expression even though the book doesn’t
have dialogue or rhyme.
11. Teacher should complete the Rasinski Rubric based
on this reading sample.
Choral reading for automaticity and
Re-reading/Readers Theatre for
expression
Both strategies include re-reading which is great for
fluency. Choosing nursery rhymes or poems for these
activities provides a rhythm that contributes to
automaticity. They also have fun language and dialogue
that pleads to be read dramatically which leads to
positive development in expression.

4/11/18
Lesson 6 Reflection

I realized half way through my lesson today, as I noticed others around me, that mine was a bit
boring, so I ended up enhancing it a little as I went along. Then I realized, though, that this
student is still pretty shy, so maybe planning not to do some crazy drama game for teaching
expression was fitting. My student did well with the coral reading and not as great with the
expression activity. Next time, I will try plan activities that get my student to open up a little
while still feeling comfortable and safe. I will also do my recording and Rasinski Rubric right
away at the beginning of the lesson since I ran out of time today and it did not turn out well.
Creating and delivering this lesson makes me wonder how to plan expression activities for shy
students.
 Y Boeskool 19

Lesson 7
Teacher: Yvonne Boeskool
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Date: 25 April 2018
Format: Individual, Guided Instruction

Strategy/Focus Area: (Critical Literacy Instruction)

Objective/Purpose/Instructional  Student will be able to employ the comprehension

Goals: strategies of predicting, summarizing, visualizing, and
synthesizing to make meaning from a text.
 Student will be able to apply the concepts read and
discussed to in a real world context in which they
challenge societal norms (critical literacy).

Texts/Resources/Materials:  Book Say Something by Peggy Moss and illustrated by

Lea Lyon
 Synthesizing Graphic Organizer
 Blank paper
 Pencils/markers

Assessment(s):  The word-work discussions prior to the book reading

will serve as an assessment for learning as does the
first box of the Synthesizing Graphic Organizer.
 The predicting questions serve as an assessment as
learning as do the second two boxes of the
Synthesizing Graphic Organizer.
 The oral summary, last box of the Synthesizing
Graphic Organizer, and the final drawing all serve as
an assessment of learning for this lesson.

Brief outline (Activities): 1. Write out the following words and phrases on a blank
piece of paper as a pre-reading activity / [working with
words] block and go through each of the words by
having student act them out.
getting picked on
teased
always
laugh
alone
cafeteria
jokes
 Y Boeskool 20

disappear
surprised
shrugged
2. Introduce the book to the students and beginning
reading, taking turns [guided reading]. Teacher should
use during-reading questions asking for a written
response on the Synthesis graphic organizer (SYNTHESIS
ACTIVITY).
3. Employ during-reading questions asking for an oral
response (PREDICTING ACTIVITY):
What will happen to the girl telling the story?
What will the girl do about it?
4. Employ post-reading questions asking for an oral
response (SUMMARY ACTIVITY):
What happened in this story?
What do you think this story is telling you?
5. Have student complete the Synthesizing Graphic
Organizer [writing]. Discuss answers with student.
6. Have student close their eyes and think of a time
where they saw someone being made fun of. Have them
imagine what they could have done differently (and will
do differently next time).
7. Have the student draw it (VISUALIZING ACTIVITY).
8. Instruct student to find a book about people who are
in tough situations like this or need to make changes to
make the world a better place [self-selected reading].

NOTES *Use this area to jot
down any notes about the
strategy or lesson.
story’s main points and put it into his/her own words.
*Predicting ties in closely with synthesizing. The
student is using their critical thinking skills to predict
what will happen next. Using this strategy to predict
characters’ action helps the reader relate to the
characters.
*Summarizing helps the reader to understand the
*Synthesizing helps the reader to evaluate how their
thinking is changing and how the reading is affecting
him/her.
*Visualizing can help the reader apply the critical
literacy concept to his/her own life.
 Y Boeskool 21

4/25/18
Lesson 7 Reflection

I think my lesson went well today. I feel as though I got my point of activism in the case of
bullying across effectively. Though my student struggled reading many of the words in the
book, he did well with applying the concept of standing up for someone or comforting them
with a little prompting from me to make the connection. Next time, I will try to find a book that
engages my learner more and is at a lower reading level. Creating and delivering this lesson
makes me wonder how to plan a critical literacy lesson that everyone in the class can relate to,
rather than just one student.
 Y Boeskool 22

Lesson 8
Teacher: Yvonne Boeskool
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Date: 9 May 2018
Format: Individual, Guided Instruction

Strategy/Focus Area: Writing Mini Lesson:

Poetry/Rhyming words

Objective/Purpose/Instruction  Student will be able to

al Goals:  Student will be able to

Texts/Resources/Materials:  Book There was an Old Lady Who swallowed a Fly by

Simms Talback
 Book Pocket Poems selected by Bobbi Katz and
illustrated by Marylin Hafner
 Same rhyming puzzle used in Lesson 3 downloaded
from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rhymi
ng-Word-Puzzle-Freebie-2713460
 Blank paper
 Pencils/markers

Assessment(s):  The discussion of the word wall words serves as an

assessment for learning.
 The flashcard game as well as discussion during reading
serve as an assessment as learning
 The final written (and drawn) product serves as an
assessment of learning for this lesson.

Brief outline (Activities):
1. Go over the five wall words as an introduction to the
lesson. Have student read them and discuss how each of
them would be used. Encourage student to come up with a
sentence for each of them orally. Discuss how all five can
easily be confused with other words.
went
they
for
of
out
2. SIGHT WORD ACTIVITY #1: The following is a flash card
game that serves as a pre-reading activity. Take the words
off the word wall and put them in a deck. Shuffle the deck

NOTES *Use this area to jot
down any notes about the
strategy or lesson.
Y Boeskool 23
and flip them over. The student and teacher take turns
flipping the cards over try to beat each other to saying the
word first (the teacher should show some grace though)
[working with words].
3. Introduce the book to the student and beginning
reading, taking turns [guided reading] and having student
look for the five words as you read. Teacher should use
during-reading questions such as:
How is the word used?
What is happening in the story?
What words have you see a lot?
4. Employ post-reading questions asking for an oral
response:
What happened in this story?
What do you think this story is telling you?
What words did we find a lot?
5. Model, orally, how to construct a story using all five
words. Mention how you can arrange them in any way to
work together to tell a story.
6. SIGHT WORD ACTIVITY #2: Have student come up with
their own story orally first, giving student ideas on how to
incorporate each word.
7. Have student draw out their ideas as a pre-writing
activity, labeling each of the word wall words. Discuss the
narrative with the student.
8. Have student write the story the best they can in a few
sentences [writing].
9. Have the read their story to you.
10. Instruct student to find a book with words at their level
as look for these words as they read [self-selected
reading].
*I spent a lot of time choosing the five sight words for the
lesson. At a glance, they seem like pretty simple words.
But, these are words that I’ve noticed that my student
gets mixed up with other words. “Of” and “for” are a
great example of this. I know he knows them, but I feel
he needs this review since he often gets them mixed up.
“Went” he often confuses with “want” or “what” and
other “w” words. This is similar for “they.” “Out” is a
simple word I’ve noticed he struggles to recognize
possibly because of the diphthong.
 Y Boeskool 24

*The flashcard activity creates an upbeat environment

because of its fun, competitive nature. It serves as solid
practice for the student to recognize each of the five
words on sight.

*The writing/drawing activity prompts student to use the

words in attempt to help them fully understand their
meaning and use.

5/2/18
Lesson 8 Reflection

I felt very good about my lesson today and it lifted my spirits in the midst of an awful week. My
student did so well with the activities and he seemed to show interest in it too. Although they
were simple words, I put a lot of thought what I chose for the word wall based on what I’ve
noticed of this student’s reading habits. I’ve noticed that he gets a bit antsy and fidgety when
he is actually into something as well as when he’s especially not. He got yelled at by the
teacher today for moving around a lot, but I sincerely think that this time it was because he was
excited about what we were doing – it didn’t bother me at all. Next time, I will try get him to
direct his energy in a calmer way. Creating and delivering this lesson makes me wonder I can
incorporate more competitive and creative activities like these into my teaching.
 Y Boeskool 25

Lesson 9
Teacher: Yvonne Boeskool
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Date: 9 May 2018
Format: Individual, Guided Instruction

Strategy/Focus Area: Writing Mini Lesson:

Poetry/Rhyming words

Objective/Purpose/Instruction  Student will be able to recognize rhymes and simple

al Goals: rhyming patterns in a short poem.
 Student will be able to create a short poem given
rhyming words.

Texts/Resources/Materials:  Book There was an Old Lady Who swallowed a Fly by

Simms Talback
 Book Pocket Poems selected by Bobbi Katz and
illustrated by Marylin Hafner
 Printout of the poems (from the book above) “I’m
Glad,” “Bedroom Window” and “The Dog Show” for
annotation (attached below)
 Same rhyming puzzle used in Lesson 3 downloaded
from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rhymi
ng-Word-Puzzle-Freebie-2713460
 Poetry Template made by me (I included a picture of it
below)
 Blank paper
 Construction paper to mount poems on
 Glue stick
 Pencils/markers

Assessment(s):  Reading of There Was an Old Lady and review of the

rhyme matching game both serve as an assessment for
learning.
 Discussion with student and guidance while drafting
their poem serve as an assessment as learning
 Their final poems and sharing of them serve as an
assessment of learning for this lesson.

Brief outline (Activities): 1. Read through There Was an Old Lady with the student as
a warm-up for discussion on rhyming. Ask the student
throughout the book:
 Y Boeskool 26

Do you hear any rhyming words here?

2. Do a quick review of the rhyming word game played in
lesson 3 to get student listening for rhymes as well as
producing them. This is a pre-reading activity for the
poetry and [working with words] block.
3. Introduce the poems to the student stating something
like:
Each of these poems has a rhyming pattern.
Read the poem first, then have the student read it aloud.
[guided reading]
4. Ask them to circle the words that rhyme during-reading.
The first two poems have a rhyme pattern that is every
other line, and the third has a pattern that is every line.
5. Employ post-reading questions asking for an oral
response:
What do you notice about the pattern of the rhymes?
How many rhyming words are there in the first poem?
Where are they?
6. (MINI LESSON) Model, on a separate teacher copy of the
template, how to construct a poem with both rhyme
schemes. Use a pair of rhyming words from the matching
activity to build the poems around. The rhyming words go
in the boxes. It may be useful to start the poem by simply
stating an object preceded by an adjective like:
A green leaf
And then describe the actions of the object like:
A green leaf
Floats in air
Lots of green
Everywhere
7. (DRAFTING) Have student choose their own rhyming
words and create their own poem. This will most likely
take some guidance from the teacher, especially on the
first one. The second should be more independently done
for the teacher, although the teacher should be available
for help with ideas [writing].
8. Have student title each poem and put their name on the
line.
9. If time allows, have the student decorate or draw a
picture to accompany each poem.
10. Have student mount both poems on colored paper with
the glue stick.
11. (SHARING) Have the student read their poem to you or
anyone nearby.
 Y Boeskool 27

12. Instruct student to choose poems from the Pocket

Poems book or from elsewhere independently [self-
selected reading].

NOTES *Use this area to jot
down any notes about the
strategy or lesson.
*I really wanted to do a lesson on poetry, but it was very
hard to plan for the first grade level. This is why I made
the poem template, used plenty of examples, and
referred back to the rhyme matching activity we did
several weeks ago.

*The writing workshop structure is evident throughout

my lesson. Much of the “mini lesson” is modeling and
explaining my actions. The student’s “drafting time” may
still need some guidance, but it is their work. They should
also be encouraged to revise as they go. The “sharing”
section is a way for the student to voice their poems as
poetry is meant to be heard.

5/9/18
Lesson 9 Reflection

I am so sad that today was our last day with our students at this school, but I feel like it ended
well. I took a risk and tried poetry for first grade and I was honestly pretty surprised at how
well it went. My student seemed to like creating his own special poem. The only thing that
didn’t go super well was that I don’t think I structured my expectations of the poem well
enough. Next time, I will think through what it would be like to be given those instructions as a
first grader. Creating and delivering this lesson makes me wonder about other ways that
poetry can be used and created at this young age.

P.S. During the middle of my lesson today, my student said, “My eyes are all watery.” So, I said,
“Oh no! Why is that?” and he said, “because today is your last day…” 