Making a Lesson Plan in Teaching Literature to Children

I. Story: Milo and the Magical Stones by Marcus Pfister

Publication year: 1997
Genre: Modern Fantasy

II. Objectives: For children to learn about the concept of appreciation, The importance of
being thankful when communicating with other people in their daily life.

III. Students: children around age of 5-8, grade K2-3

IV. Length of time: 50 minutes — ․ 15 minutes Pre-reading activity

․ 15 minutes Storytelling
․ 20 minutes Post-reading activity

V. Activities (what, why, & how) activate prior knowledge, acquire new knowledge of
information, application of knowledge

 Pre-reading - 15minutes

To raise students’ attention to their own treasure, remind them to be thankful of getting
them, to knowledge the behavior of giving back and appreciate other’s kindness.

1. What is your most precious treasure?

2. How did you get this treasure; can you share with us?

3. How was your feeling of getting this treasure?

4. What do you want to say to the person who gave you this treasure?

5. How would you feel if the treasure is gone?

 During-reading - 15minutes

We would like to present the positive power of happy ending in picture books, so we would
first read the sad ending edition to students, also guide them to think about what could they
do when there’s a second chance to turn things around. After that we would read the happy
ending to students, to emphases the importance to be humble and thankful to others.

 Post-reading – 20 minutes

(A) 1. Story Mapping (Analysis of the plot and characters)

 Setting: An island in the middle of the sea

 Characters: Milo, Balthazar, and the other cliff mice

 Problem: Milo found a magic stone which it provides light and comforting warmth

 Conflict: Balthazar warn others, “if you take something from the island, you have to
give something in return.
 Event: Other mice began digging to find the glowing stones

 Happy ending – Rising action: Milo and the other mice decorated the ordinary
stones and give the beautiful work back to the island.
 Climax: The windy winter didn't bother the mice

 Ending: Each year the mice celebrated the beginning of winter

 Sad ending – Rising action: Other mice dug the mountain deeper, then it was
hollowed out completely
 Climax: a thunderous roar the mountain collapsed
 Ending: Except Milo and Balthazar went back to work and carve the stone to give
back to the island, the other mice were buried by the boulders
 2. Analysis of characters

(B) Book Discussion

1. Factual questions

1.1 What did Milo and other mice like to do on the island?

1.2 What did Milo and other mice afraid most on the island?

1.3 How did Milo feel after he found the magical stone?

1.4 What did the senior mouse warned about them after getting the magical stone?

1.5 At the sad ending, why only Milo survived?

2. Interpretation questions

2.1 When seeing the glowing stone, would you bring it home if you were Milo?

2.2 How would you react with the fierce competition among your friends?

2.3 What is the key factor leading to two different endings?

2.4 In the story, why did the mountain collapse?

2.5 Please provide one evidence to support what the author is trying to present.

3. Application questions

3.1 If you have something cherished, will you share to other else?

3.2 Do you think it is necessary to give contribution to the land you living in?
 3.3 If the answer is yes, what will you do?

3.4 If there is a person giving warning when you’re going to do something, will you keep in

mind?

3.5 If your friends are committing perpetration, will you ask them not to do that?

4. Evaluation questions

4.1 What do you think about Milo didn’t ask the other mice not to dig wildly for glowing
stone?

4.2 Should the mice own the magic stones?

4.3 What could Milo do to stop the mountain from collapsing?

4.4 Do you believe that people can have a contented mind like the happy ending?

4.5 Is it ethical or fine for mice to take away what they want from the nature?

(C) Other Activities

(please specify)

VI. Assessment or Assignment

We would assign each student a colour paper, then fold into 2 pages, at one page we
would like them to draw down their precious treasure, it could be anything, a soccer or a
candy also can do. On the other page, we would let students to write down a simple
thank you note, if students are struggle with the vocabulary, we would teach them to
write down simple “Thank you” and let them to draw about the person who gave them
this treasure. We encourage students to express their pure thankful from the bottom
from their heart, it could be in any forms, word, drawing, also can warm hug can do.