READ ALOUD Lesson & Recording

Your Name: Emma Calogero

Focus of the Lesson: Purpose for Laws in the Community
Grade Level: 3rd Grade
Link for the recording:

Standard(s):
3.12 The student will recognize the importance of government in the community, Virginia, and
the United States of America by
a) explaining the purpose of laws;
b) explaining that the basic purposes of government are to make laws, carry out laws,
and decide if laws have been broken;

3.13 The student will recognize that Americans are a people of diverse ethnic origins, customs,
and traditions and are united by the basic principles of a republican form of government and
respect for individual rights and freedoms.

Objective(s):
Students will be able to understand the purpose of laws, how laws are carried out, and the
importance of rights in the community, as identified in the standards (SOL 3.12 and 3.13).

Materials:
● Separate Is Never Equal book
● Read Aloud recording
● Journals
● Creating a Bill handout

Procedures:
I. Opener— (Before-reading):
a. What is a law?
b. Why do we need laws? Why is it important to have laws?
c. What do laws do for our community?
d. What “laws” do we incorporate into our lives as students? In the classroom and at
home.
e. What is segregation?
 f. What happened in schools during the time of segregation? Where else were places
like this?
g. Who is someone famous that you know who helped stop segregation?
h. What is a bill?
i. Does anyone know how a bill becomes a law?
II. Body— (During-reading):
a. Read Separate Is Not Equal and have a class discussion about what they thought
of the story.
b. Explain how they will do a mock court case like Sylvia and her family did in the
story.
c. Find a class problem they want to fight for, like a law to have a class pet or law
for extra recess.
d. Students practice writing their bills to get passed.
e. Assign a class President and class Supreme Court. Other students will be House
of Representatives and Congress. They will act out the case and decide if it will
become a law or not.
III. Closing— (After-Reading):
a. Have students write a journal entry on what they learned from the experience,
what they liked most and why, what they liked least and why, and how they will
enforce the classroom law they passed as a classroom senator?
b. Students can go into discussion groups and talk about questions or comments they
have. After we can come back as a whole group and discuss together.
c. Show Schoolhouse Rock “I’m Just A Bill” video.
d. Have students sign their court case law that they passed.
 REFLECTION

The book I chose was Separate Is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh. The book is based

in the 1940s and is about a little girl named Sylvia and her family’s fight for desegregation in the

school system. It is based around the time during Brown vs. Board of Education and teaches

students about segregation and what it was like in the schooling system. I chose it because I

thought it was a great lesson for students to know and it teaches our history of school systems

and what the world was like in a way younger children can understand. For this lesson, my goal

was to create a mock court case for the students to participate in. I wanted to introduce the

Civics lesson to them in a memorable and interactive way. I would start the lesson asking

questions to get the students’ minds thinking. As a class, we would read Separate Is Never

Equal and have a discussion around the story of Sylvia and her family. Then, the whole class

would discuss and decide on a problem in the classroom that they think needs a law to be passed

for. Students would write their “bill” to propose it to become a law. The class would split up

into different roles and perform a mock court case. From our Tompkins textbook reading, we

learned about the characteristics of an effective classroom community. Safety, respect,

responsibility, and involvement are all characteristics (Tompkins, 2017, page 15). For this mock

court case, these expectations would be necessary and need to be explained beforehand so that

the whole class can efficiently learn from this hands- on activity. Also, it gives the class

knowledge of what is expected during this activity so that more hands-on learning can be

involved in lessons in the future. After the whole case is over, we would discuss as a class what

they observed, what they learned, and how it relates to the story of Sylvia and her family. As a

class, we would watch the Schoolhouse Rock video, “I’m Just A Bill”, and then I would give the

students time to journal about the whole experience. The objectives used for this lesson align
well once the whole trial is performed and the students can journal the experience. Using their

journal entries, the teacher will be able to know if the student individually understood the lesson

and was able to learn the intended objective. In our reading from the Tompkins textbook, we

talked about how effective teachers assess their students. Assessments do not have to be a

standardized test. Tompkins mentions how there are different classroom assessment tools, like

examination of students’ work or observation of students as they participate in instructional

activities (Tompkins, 2017, page 31). The point of this lesson is for the students to experience a

court case first hand and understand the importance of every step of the process. Having a role

in the mock court case will allow for each student to stay engaged in the activity and understand

the lawmaking process. They will also be able to relate to the story of Sylvia and her family

when they had to go to court. Assessing the students from their journal entries is sufficient

enough for this lesson. If they can explain what they learned and the importance for this lesson,

then the teacher can gain an understanding of the students' knowledge. This lesson focuses on

two standards that go together well. The story that was used for the read aloud aligns with both

standards for third grade civics. If I was able to read this book in person and in a third grade

classroom, I would maybe have the students read this book in small discussion groups or as

pairs. In our Tompkins textbook, we learned about different methods and partner reading was

one. This allows teachers to see students read independently (Tompkins, 2017, page 42). As

third graders, they have high enough reading skills to read with buddies and this can allow the

teacher to go around to all groups and hear from each student. I think “popcorn” reading from

each other helps the students to stay focused and engaged in the story as well as helping them

with their comprehension skills. Since they will discuss the story in small groups after reading,

this might be a better way for the story to be introduced to the class.
 RUBRIC

Criteria Excellent Sufficient, Meets Below Satisfactory Self

Requirements Assessment
9-10 points 0-6 points
7-8 points
Objectives and Objectives and Objectives and 10
Materials materials are listed materials are listed
(including a but the objectives do
multicultural not match the read
picturebook). The aloud lesson focus.
objective(s)
matches the read
aloud lesson focus.
Opener Includes prompting Includes prompting No opener 10
questions and is questions and
connected to the motivational activity
book

Body Procedures Procedures Less than 3 10

referenced more referenced, more questions are
than 3 questions than 3 questions referenced and
listed with stopping listed with stopping questions do not
points and points but questions support higher
questions include may lack higher order order thinking
higher level thinking thinking.
questions
Closing Closing involves Closing involves Components of 10
reviewing and some reviewing and reviewing,
synthesizing directly synthesizing directly synthesizing and
related to the book related to the book- reflecting/next steps
with opportunity for however, a reflection are missing.
reflection or next or next steps are
steps are missing.
addressed.
Reflection All Reflection A few questions are Reflection is 10
questions that could addressed minimal and very
be answered are surface level
addressed (no page
limit)
Professionalism Read aloud lesson Read aloud lesson Two or more 10
plan, recording and plan, recording is components for the
this self assessment submitted but the self read aloud lesson
is submitted to assessment is plan and recording
Canvas as one file. incomplete or not are missing.
submitted.
__________/ 60 points