The Boat Trip

Objectives:
  1. Students will have a thorough understanding of what is involved in taking a boat trip from England to France.
  2. Students will comprehend the information presented in the book.
  3. Students will be able to create their own boats, following the directions given.
  4. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the vocabulary presented in the book.
Materials:
  1. Look Inside a Ship
  2. Guide sheets for boat construction
  3. Scrap box of construction paper
  4. Class globe that utilizes dry erase markers
Procedure:
  1. Have all of the children gather in the story area.
  2. Discuss their prior knowledge of boats and ships and ask about their own experiences taking boat trips. Ask questions such as:
    -Have you ever taken a trip with your family on a boat?
    -How far did you go?
    -What types of activities were on the boat?
    -Were there lots of other people on the boat?
  3. Discuss the trip we will be taking later in the day, using the map on the bulletin board. Have students come up and follow the path of our boat to ensure they all realize exactly where we are going. When using the globe have them draw the path that our boat would take across the English Channel.
  4. Discuss the story and emphasize the important vocabulary words that are introduced, so the students remain attentive during the story. Give some example questions to the class that they should be trying to answer during the story.
  5. Begin reading Look Inside a Ship, and stop to ask questions that check for understanding. Also stop during the story to discuss important vocabulary words that are used to describe certain parts of the ship.
  6. Once the book is finished, introduce guide sheets and explain the directions necessary to make their own ship for travel. The directions are to use only torn construction paper from the scrap box when constructing their boats.
  7. Send them back to their seats to begin working on their boats.
  8. Once the students are at their desks, the teacher helper will pass out the guide sheets and they can begin to construct their own boat. They can choose 6 pieces from the scrap box at a time to ensure there will be enough for everyone.
  9. Once students begin to finish their boats they can look through the other books about boats and ships in the class. They can present books to the class once they have read them if they choose to do so.
Evaluation of Student Learning:
  1. Were the students able to understand that we will be taking an imaginary boat trip from England to France on the English Channel?
  2. Did the students comprehend the book read aloud? Were they able to remember the important vocabulary words used throughout the book?
  3. Were the students able to construct their own boats using the directions given?
  4. Were the students able to demonstrate an understanding of the vocabulary words presented in the construction of their own boats?
Evaluation of Lesson:
  1. Were the students eager to listen to the book that was read aloud?
  2. Were the students excited to share their understanding and comprehension of the book?
  3. Did the lesson flow smoothly from the reading of the book to the construction of their boats?
  4. Were the students excited and to construct their own boats using torn pieces of construction paper?
  5. What would I change when doing this lesson again in the future?
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