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Have you ever seen fireflies?  If so did you ever catch one?
Invite a few students to share their experiences before beginning the story.
Give a book introduction by turning through the pages while pointing out the goofy grins, exaggerated noses and other facial expressions of the different characters in the story.
This story begins one starry night when the gecko complains to the elephant, who is the village boss, that he can't sleep because the buffaloes drop poop all over the road and travelers need to avoid it.  The buffalo, showing equal thoughtfulness, explains that the rain washes his poop into the road's potholes to protect these same travelers.  This does not appease the gecko, who demands that the elephant talk to the rain.  The rain admits to pouring all night long, but this is to provide the mosquitoes with the water they need to survive.  And without mosquitoes, what would geckos eat?
Moral / Lesson:  Elephant's conclusion:  "The world is all connected." Content with this explanation, the gecko is finally able to close his eyes and get a good night's sleep.

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Ruby the Copycat by:  Peggy RathmannTeacher Participant:  Millie MorrisIntroduce the book by reading the title and the author.Before reading:  What is a copycat?What do you think this book might be about?Have you ever had anyone copy you before?  How did you feel?During Reading:Open to the first page (where Ruby is just barely opening the door)  Ask:  How does Ruby feel about coming into the classroom?Why did Ruby smile at Angela’s bow and then tip toe to her seat?Discuss the word coincidence in the text.   What does it mean?  How is the word used in this text?At lunchtime Ruby hops home.  What does Ruby do when she gets home?  How does Angela respond?  Why did Ruby answer, “Wet paint” when Angela asked her why she was sitting like that?How does Angela and Miss Hart feel about Angela copying them?How does Miss Hart help Ruby? After Reading:Why did Ruby copy Angela so much in the text?Have you ever been new and tried to fit in?What would you do if you were Ruby?What would you do if you were Angela and someone was copying you?This lesson went great.  The kids were very engaged and truly understood the author’s message.  

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Ruby the Copycat by:  Peggy RathmannTeacher Participant:  Millie MorrisIntroduce the book by reading the title and the author.Before reading:  What is a copycat?What do you think this book might be about?Have you ever had anyone copy you before?  How did you feel?During Reading:Open to the first page (where Ruby is just barely opening the door)  Ask:  How does Ruby feel about coming into the classroom?Why did Ruby smile at Angela’s bow and then tip toe to her seat?Discuss the word coincidence in the text.   What does it mean?  How is the word used in this text?At lunchtime Ruby hops home.  What does Ruby do when she gets home?  How does Angela respond?  Why did Ruby answer, “Wet paint” when Angela asked her why she was sitting like that?How does Angela and Miss Hart feel about Angela copying them?How does Miss Hart help Ruby? After Reading:Why did Ruby copy Angela so much in the text?Have you ever been new and tried to fit in?What would you do if you were Ruby?What would you do if you were Angela and someone was copying you?This lesson went great.  The kids were very engaged and truly understood the author’s message.  

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Interactive Read Aloud- Baseball Hour by Carol Nevius

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Close Reading Activity

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Connection: Congratulate students on their reading habits! Lucy says you can spend this time giving students new book bags and partners (up to you).

Share a time when you noticed a new detail in a book you thought you knew well. You might say, “One night, I was reading Goodnight Moon at bedtime, and all of a sudden I noticed something I had never noticed before. There was this little mouse in the corner on one page, and it turns out that little mouse was hiding on lots of pages.” You can express your amazement that a well-known book can still have surprises!

Teaching Point: “Today readers, I want to teach you that another good habit to have is reread, so that you can see more and more each time. When you reread, you say things like, “Oh! Interesting!” and “Look! I didn’t see that before!” New details pop out that help you understand your books in even bigger ways.

Teaching: Hold up a paper cut out hand lens to look closely at your book (or just look closely for new details). Study the front cover, discuss the title, then move through the pages as children realize new details they didn’t see before. You may find things in the pictures or new details about how the characters are feeling in the pages of books.

Active Engagement: Ask students to do the same work in their own books, rereading to discover new details in a book they have already finished.

Link: Add to chart. Invite the class to do this and more during today’s reader’s workshop and across the year.

Mid-Workshop: Give your children tips about the kinds of extra details they can look for and think about—such as more details in pictures, and what all characters on the pages are doing.

Share: Celebrate the end of the first bend! “Readers, your pockets are full of good reading habits. Right now, will you reach deep down into one of your pockets and pull out a good habit you have? Quick, tell your partner!

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad DayJudith Viorst                       Grade 1Develop or Activate Background Knowledge            Have you ever had a day when everything goes wrong and nothing goes right? No matter what you try to do, nothing seems to work. I know I have had days like that, and it always makes me want to go right home and go back to bed. This is a story about a boy named Alexander who has the worst day you can ever imagine. It was so bad that the name of the book is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It was written by Judith Viorst. Bad things start happening to Alexander before he even gets up. Model Comprehension Strategies and Ask Questions During Reading: As I read, be thinking about a really bad day you had once. Later you can write and tell me about it.[Top of first page]Before I show you the picture on this page, I want you to try to make a picture in your mind of Alexander and his bedroom. Pay attention to all of the things he mentions. When you have your picture in mind, I will show you how the illustrator, whose name was Ray Cruz, pictured it for the book.[End of same page]So what facts did you hear when I read that helped you draw your mental picture?I mentioned gum in his hair, a skateboard, and a sweater in the sink. You should have pictured all of those things. Here is the picture in the book.[End of third page]Australia is many thousands of miles from here on the other side of the world. [Point it out on a map or globe if available] It's about as far as you can get from where we are right now. Why do you think Alexander wants to move there?[End of pages with car]Why do you think no one paid attention to Alexander when he said he was going to be carsick?[End of page with teacher]Now it’s time to infer. Remember that when we infer, we take the facts we know, think about them together, and come up with a fact that we didn't know before. Now the word invisible means that something can’t be seen. We know that Alexander says he drew an invisible castle. What do you infer might be on the piece of paper he is holding? No wonder his teacher didn’t like it![End of page about the number 16]Why do you think he says we don't need the number 16? Does he really mean that?[End of page with girls hugging teddy bear]What do you think Paul thought when Alexander said that mean thing to him? Talk to your partner.[End of lunch page]Raise your hand if you think Alexander's mother left out dessert on purpose.[End of page with dentist]This time Alexander says he’s going to Australia next week. Why does he say next week?DiscussionLet’s think back about all the horrible things that have happened to Alexander so far. Help me summarize.

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad DayJudith Viorst                       Grade 1Develop or Activate Background Knowledge            Have you ever had a day when everything goes wrong and nothing goes right? No matter what you try to do, nothing seems to work. I know I have had days like that, and it always makes me want to go right home and go back to bed. This is a story about a boy named Alexander who has the worst day you can ever imagine. It was so bad that the name of the book is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It was written by Judith Viorst. Bad things start happening to Alexander before he even gets up. Model Comprehension Strategies and Ask Questions During Reading: As I read, be thinking about a really bad day you had once. Later you can write and tell me about it.[Top of first page]Before I show you the picture on this page, I want you to try to make a picture in your mind of Alexander and his bedroom. Pay attention to all of the things he mentions. When you have your picture in mind, I will show you how the illustrator, whose name was Ray Cruz, pictured it for the book.[End of same page]So what facts did you hear when I read that helped you draw your mental picture?I mentioned gum in his hair, a skateboard, and a sweater in the sink. You should have pictured all of those things. Here is the picture in the book.[End of third page]Australia is many thousands of miles from here on the other side of the world. [Point it out on a map or globe if available] It's about as far as you can get from where we are right now. Why do you think Alexander wants to move there?[End of pages with car]Why do you think no one paid attention to Alexander when he said he was going to be carsick?[End of page with teacher]Now it’s time to infer. Remember that when we infer, we take the facts we know, think about them together, and come up with a fact that we didn't know before. Now the word invisible means that something can’t be seen. We know that Alexander says he drew an invisible castle. What do you infer might be on the piece of paper he is holding? No wonder his teacher didn’t like it![End of page about the number 16]Why do you think he says we don't need the number 16? Does he really mean that?[End of page with girls hugging teddy bear]What do you think Paul thought when Alexander said that mean thing to him? Talk to your partner.[End of lunch page]Raise your hand if you think Alexander's mother left out dessert on purpose.[End of page with dentist]This time Alexander says he’s going to Australia next week. Why does he say next week?DiscussionLet’s think back about all the horrible things that have happened to Alexander so far. Help me summarize.

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This is a long lesson that takes 2 days. The kids are engaged since most of them are very familiar with the story.
~Debbie Freeman

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by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
This read aloud should be done over 2 days.
DAY 1:
* Introduce the book and then tell students you are going to take a sneak peek to get ideas about what may happen.
* Read the summary on the back of the book and ask students to be dectectives. "What have you already learned about the story? "Who are the characters?" "What's the mystery?".
p.7: What do you notice? What is the character doing? What else do you see?
p.8: Ask students to predict who the new student might be. What do you think will happen in this story?
p.9: Think aloud to emphasize the start of the mystery Make a prediction about what might happen next.
p.15: Think aloud to summarize the story - "What do we know now?"
p.21-22: Have students make a prediction about what might happen next.
p.23: What do you know about the mystery so far? What are the clues? Who are the suspects? Turn and tell a partner.
p.27: Reread this page and encourage students to be detectives.
p.30: Have students retell the story so far to a partner. Prompts: "What's the big problem (mystery)?" "What have the characters done so far to try and solve it?" Retell the story highlighting important events.

DAY 2:
*Recap story events. Reread beginning at p. 28 to review.
p.32: Set students up to meet a new character. "What do they look like?" "What do they do?"
p.38: "What have you learned about the character?
p.39: Encourage students to look closely at the pictures and words to see the story. "Who is in this part?" "Where are we going now?" "What's happening?"
p.41-43: What ideas are you having about these pictures? Tell your partner and add to each others ideas.
p.48: Clarify the meaning and help students understand the joke.
p.50-51: Have students make a final predictions to solve the mystery.
*At the end of the story remind students that readers think about a story when they are done reading.  They may reread parts and they can retell the story.
*Have students work as partners or in small groups to retell the story.
**Adapted from Word Detectives, Units of Study in Reading.

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Text-to-self connections

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Bathtime for Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Skill: Identifying the main idea

1. Preview the story by looking at the cover page. Discuss why Biscuit is in the water.

2. Read the story

3. Ask: What happened in the story?

4. Ask: How do you know Biscuit needs a bath? Find 3 clues.

5. What is the main idea in this story?

6. Record on a graphic organizer.

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How To Read A Story
by: Messner

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Seannin Wallace

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Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell

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Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell

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This books well for getting to know the Characters! (Cindy Dominiecki)
*To be used after a discussion on character traits ( inside and outside) and identifying the main character
*Preview the book with students (make predictions, wonders and general things they notice)
Questions to highlight character traits:
Pg 1. What do we know about how Molly Lou Melon looks? Did you notice that the author introduce the character and told us about how she looks in the very first sentence?
What do you think the author meant by the last sentence on that page?
Pg.3 What else do we know about Molly Lou Melon?
Pg 13 What can you tell about Molly's personality?  Look at the illustration, what do you think "fumble fingered" means?
Pg 18 How do you think she felt when she had to start a new school?  How would you feel?
Pg 21-25 What did Molly do when Ronald was mean to her?  how does she handle it? What does that say about her character?
Pg 26 What do you notice about Ronald?  What can you tell about Ronald's personality before ...and now?  Why do you think he changed?
Pg28 What do you think she meant in her letter to Grandma?
What kind of person was Molly Lou?
Is there a lesson that we can learn from the type of person Molly is?  What about Ronald?

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