The Tale of Despereaux

Sydney Dodson
3rd Grade English

Common Core Standards:

Key Ideas and Details
RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as
the basis for the answers.
RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their
actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Craft and Structure

RL.3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from
nonliteral language

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a
story (e.g., emphasize aspects of a character or setting).

Lesson Summary:

We will read The Tale of Despereaux both together and separately and then take a kahoot quiz on it together

Estimated Duration:

This lesson will be broken up into about 5 separate 50 minute sessions along with the students reading on
their own. It will all conclude with a fun game of Kahoot.

Commentary: I will just read the book to them and stress to them to highlight the important parts of the
book. I think getting the kids to understand what is important will be hard. I think that telling them the
premise of the book will get them hooked.

Instructional Procedures:
Day 1:
I will read the chapters 1-10 to the class, they will follow along with their ipads that have the book
Have the kids read chapters 11-15 for homework making sure that they highlight the important parts

Day 2:
I will read the chapters 16-27 to the class, they will follow along with their ipads that have the book
Have the kids read chapters 28-32 for homework making sure that they highlight the important parts

Day 3:
I will read the chapters 33-40 to the class, they will follow along with their ipads that have the book
Have the kids read chapters 41-46 for homework making sure that they highlight the important parts

Day 4:
I will finish the book.
We will then start going over examples of literal and non literal language. We will also make a small
character chart explaining each characters motivations.
Their homework is to go over all the parts that they highlighted in preparation for our interactive quiz

Day 5:
Take the Kahoot Quiz

Pre-Assessment:
Prior to us reading the book we will have a lesson over what we are looking for in the book. This will be
things such as the traits and motivations of a character as well as discussing what literal and non-literal
language is. This will help the students know what to highlight in the book.

Scoring Guidelines:
I will just determine if I think the students are understanding what we are looking for when we read
the book.

Post-Assessment:
They will be taking a Kahoot quiz as a class.

Scoring Guidelines:
It will be pass/fail based on their participation in the Kahoot quiz. I want to see that they have learned
and are having fun participating.

Differentiated Instructional Support

Describe how instruction can be differentiated (changed or altered) to meet the needs of gifted or accelerated
students:
For gifted students I will let them read ahead in the book and then when they finish I will have some
worksheets about figurative language for them to do.
Discuss additional activities you could do to meet the needs of students who might be struggling with the
material:
If a students is struggling then I could give them the audiobook to listen to, it might help them pay attention
more.

Extension
http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio
Go and click on the Ohio Learning Standards and the click in Third Grade. The English and language arts
section will tell you what we are learning.

Homework Options and Home Connections

Their homework will be to read certain chapters of the book and on the last day to go over what they have
highlighted in the book. They will do this with the ipad that is provided to them.

Interdisciplinary Connections
We can look at the social climate around the time this book takes place in (History) and we can discuss what
type of mouse Despereaux is (Science).

Materials and Resources:

 For teachers Ipad, printer, computer, physical book

For students Ipad

Key Vocabulary
Figurative language, simile, metaphor, traits, motivations, feelings

Additional Notes