Josh's+Storybook

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton Lesson Activities by Josh Nimmer ED 401 Reading Strategies Concordia University-Wisconsin Spring 2010




 * __Section A: ANTICIPATION__**


 * Activity 1A- Picture Walk**

Wisconsin Standard A.4.1 Use effective reading strategies to achieve their purposes in reading. (Comprehension) (Discern how written texts and accompanying illustrations connect to convey meaning)

Wisconsin Standard C.4.3 Participate effectively in discussion. (Fluency, Comprehension) (Volunteer relevant information, ask relevant questions, and answer questions directly, reflect on the ideas and opinions of others and respond thoughtfully, and ask for clarification and explanation of unfamiliar words and ideas)

Prior to having the students read the book, I will lead them through a picture walk. Using the web tool PhotoPeach.com, I have created the slideshow below to use as a picture walk for the students. This is an alternative way to integrate technology and to conduct a picture walk with out just paging through the book and ignoring the words. By using this slide show, I can pause it at any time to give students a longer look at a picture or to ask questions. During the picture walk, the students will view the pictures in the story from beginning to end without reading any of the text. I will prompt the students to share their ideas about the story. I will make sure that all students have an equal opportunity to participate, and I will encourage them to vocalize their ideas so that the whole class can hear them.

Before, during and after the picture walk, I will ask questions such as:

From looking at the cover, what do you think the story is about? What do you think is happening in this picture? What do you think happens in the story?

media type="custom" key="6090097" Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel Picture Walk on PhotoPeach


 * Activity 2A: Vocabulary**

Wisconsin Standard D.4.1 Develop their vocabulary of words, phrases, and idioms as a means of improving communication.(Vocabulary) (Consult dictionaries, thesauruses, and other resources to find and compare definitions, choose among synonyms, and spell words correctly, and use their knowledge of roots, prefixes, and suffixes to interpret and convey the meaning of words)

Another activity that I will have the students do is learn and review vocabulary words that they will need to know in order to understand the story. I will list the words on the board, I will give the students opportunities to act out or describe the word in front of the class. This is designed to give students memories or triggers that will help them remember the meanings of the words. After this introductory activity I will review the words with the students by using a dictionary and thesaurus to help them learn more abut the words. Finally, I will have the students take a vocabulary quiz to assess their knowledge of the words.


 * Activity 3A: Picture Identification and Discussion**

Wisconsin Standard A.4.1 Use effective reading strategies to achieve their purposes in reading. (Comprehension) (Comprehend reading by using strategies such as activating prior knowledge, establishing purpose, self-correcting and self-monitoring, rereading, making predictions, finding context clues, developing visual images, applying knowledge of text structures, and adjusting reading rate according to purpose and difficulty)

Wisconsin Standard A.4.2 Read, interpret, and critically analyze literature. (Comprehension) (Recognize and recall elements and details of story structure, such as sequence of events, character, plot, and setting, in order to reflect on meaning, and Summarize ideas drawn from stories, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, interpreting events and ideas, and connecting different works to each other and to real-life experiences)

Another anticipatory activity that I will use is a picture identification and discussion. This activity will require the students to recall prior knowledge, develop visual images, and make predictions about the story. The slide show will include construction vehicles and modes of transportation. It will include machines that are in the story in addition to some that are not. this will help the students to begin to make real-world connections as they prepare to read the story. The students will look at each picture, identify the machine, and describe what it does.


 * __Section B: BUILDING KNOWLEDGE__

Activity 1B: Create Your Own Machine**

Wisconsin Standard A.4.3 Read and discuss literary and nonliterary texts in order to understand human experience. (Fluency, Comprehension) (Demonstrate the ability to integrate general knowledge about the world and familiarity with literary and nonliterary texts when reflecting upon life's experiences)

In the story, Mike Mulligan believes that Mary Anne can dig as much in one day as one hundred men can dig in one week. I will lead a discussion with the class about how machines help people do things faster and easier. For this activity, each student will have the opportunity to design their own machine. I will prompt the students to think of something (such as a job or a chore) that they wish they could do faster and/or easier. They will draw a picture of their machine, name it, and write a paragraph describing what it does. They will also include any special features that is has. Also, to make a connection to the story, I will have each student include in their paragraph the number of men they think that it would take to do the same job as their machine.


 * Activity 2B: Onomatopoeias**

Wisconsin Standard A.4.1 Use effective reading strategies to achieve their purposes in reading. (Phonics, Fluency) (Read aloud with age-appropriate fluency, accuracy, and expression, and demonstrate phonemic awareness by using letter/sound relationships as aids to pronouncing and understanding unfamiliar words and text.)

In this activity the students will make connections between the story, the pictures, and the onomatopoeias. I will select each picture in the story that includes an onomatopoeia. The students will read the story aloud and they will also read the sounds aloud. I will encourage the students to make the actual sounds instead of simply reading the words. The students will be asked to explain what is happening in each picture that includes a sound. The students will explain and discuss what is making the sounds in each picture and why. I will also have the students think about the machines that they created and brainstorm about sounds that they would make. The students would be reminded to make connections between the action of the machine relating to the sounds that it makes.


 * Activity 3B: Identifying Emotions**

Wisconsin Standard A.4.2 Read, interpret, and critically analyze literature. (Comprehension) (Recognize and recall elements and details of story structure, such as sequence of events, character, plot, and setting, in order to reflect on meaning, and Summarize ideas drawn from stories, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, interpreting events and ideas, and connecting different works to each other and to real-life experiences)

Wisconsin Standard A.4.1 Use effective reading strategies to achieve their purposes in reading. (Comprehension) (Discern how written texts and accompanying illustrations connect to convey meaning)

In this activity, I will provide the students with nine pictures from the story that display Mike and Mary Anne showing emotions. Each student will choose three of those pictures, and will write a paragraph about what they are thinking and feeling and why they are showing those emotions. Using the web tool bubbl.us, I created a visualization of a thought map to give students the chance to explore a wide range of emotions. The map allows them to find positive and negative emotions that they can use to describe the characters' feelings. I also included a PhotoPeach slide show that features the emotions of Mike and Mary Anne in the story. The students will draw their own versions of those three pictures of Mike and Mary Anne, and they will include speech bubbles showing what the characters are thinking and feeling and why they feel that way.

media type="custom" key="6090291"

media type="custom" key="6090339" Mike and Mary Anne's Emotions on PhotoPeach


 * __Section C: CLOSURE/CONSOLIDATION__

Activity 1C: Compare and Contrast with Venn Diagram**

Wisconsin Standard A.4.2 Read, interpret, and critically analyze literature. (Comprehension) (Recognize and recall elements and details of story structure, such as sequence of events, character, plot, and setting, in order to reflect on meaning, and Summarize ideas drawn from stories, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, interpreting events and ideas, and connecting different works to each other and to real-life experiences)

Wisconsin Standard C.4.3 Participate effectively in discussion. (Comprehension) (Volunteer relevant information, ask relevant questions, and answer questions directly, reflect on the ideas and opinions of others and respond thoughtfully, and ask for clarification and explanation of unfamiliar words and ideas)

The students will compare and contrast Mary Anne to their own machine. I will lead a discussion in which the students can share the similarities and differences between Mary Anne and their machines. I created the interactive Venn diagram below using Classtools.net. The students will complete the Venn diagram in which they list the similarities and differences, allowing them to visulaize and organize their thoughts. The students will also select a real maching and compare and contrast it to the two.

media type="custom" key="6089863"


 * Activity 2C: Write a Story**

Wisconsin Standard B.4.1 Create or produce writing to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. (Vocabulary, Fluency) (Write expressive pieces in response to reading, viewing, and life experiences (narratives, reflections, and letters) employing descriptive detail and a personal voice, and write creative pieces (poetry, fiction, and plays) employing basic aesthetic principles appropriate to each genre)

The students will write a story about their machine that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. I will prompt the students to think of a problem that their machine might face, and to include the feelings of the machine and its operator in their story.


 * Activity 3C: Creating a Class Book**

Wisconsin Standard B.4.1 Create or produce writing to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. (Fluency, Vocabulary) (Write nonfiction and technical pieces (summaries, messages, informational essays, basic directions, instructions, simple reports) that convey essential details and facts and provide accurate representations of events and sequences)

Wisconsin Standard E.4.3 Create products appropriate to audience and purpose. (Comprehension) (Write news articles appropriate for familiar media)

In this closure activity, each student will write a paragraph about a real machine of their choice. They must include what the machine does, what it is used for, and what sounds it makes. The students will be required to include onomatopoeias and explain why the noises are made. This will be used to make connections to real-life machines and to assess the students' understanding of onomatopoeias by applying them in the activity. The students will also find or draw a picture of their machine. They will type their paragraphs, print them out, and combine them with their pictures. I will then combine the work of all the students to create a class book to display all of the students' work.