Mini-Unit
Language & Literature
Grade Level (K-1)

Objectives:

  1. The students will learn words in The Monsters' Party by Joy Cowley.
  2. The students will understand the text well enough to create a book of their own.

Materials:

  1. The Monsters' Party by Joy Cowley (enough for each student in center B)
  2. Worksheets to be used during center time

Procedures:

  1. Read the students The Monsters' Party by Joy Cowley.
  2. Explain to students the rules during center time:
    1. Each child will be given a worksheet.
    2. Each child is to complete the worksheet by drawing a picture and writing about it.
  3. Set up center by putting out as many copies of The Monsters' Party as there are children.
  4. Have children take turns reading the book aloud.
  5. Pass out worksheets and have children complete them.
  6. These worksheets will be compiled into a class book.

Evaluation:

  1. The students will be able to read The Monsters' Party on their own, using memory and picture cues.
  2. The students will be able to read their page of the book. Older students will be able to read the pages of some of their peers.

Reflection & Extension:

I felt that this lesson went really well. I would not change anything about the way in which I presented it to the class. The only problem that I saw, was that it really did not teach the students about dinosaurs. Perhaps in the future I would require students to write a non-fiction page rather than fanciful.

To extend this lesson, I plan to read the book to the children. I haven't decided yet if I will read to them, or if I will have each child read their page to the class. The only problem that I see with having the children read is time constraints.