Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary
This book is called Maps and Globes. It was written by Jack Knowlton and illustrated by Harriett Barton.
The difference between a map and a globe.
Teach Text Structure
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Teach Sentence Composing
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Week 26, Day 1- Day 3
Miss Alaineus by Debra Frasier
Develop or Activate Background Knowledge:
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
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Teach Meaning Vocabulary
Teach Sentence Composing
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*Planning Notes
This book is unusual from the standpoint of teaching vocabulary. It is filled with definitions—for all three tiers of words! These lesson plans therefore direct you to return to several of the words presented in the text each day and explore the definition and its sentence context.
You may wish to include a writing assignment like Mrs. Page’s, but the students will need access to dictionaries.

Week 13, Day 3---Day 4
Miss Rumphius--fiction--Barbara Cooney
Miss Rumphius was inspired by the real life "Lupine Lady," Hilda Hamlin, who spread lupine seeds along the Maine coast, as well as Cooney's own experiences traveling the world. Cooney and William Steig (Doctor De Soto) shared the 1983 National Book Award for Children's Books in the hardcover Picture Books category. (Wikipedia).
Develop or Activate Background Knowledge:
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Meaning Vocabulary
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
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*Planning Notes
Obviously, it would be wonderful to bring some lupines to class if you can find them. And you can make some tie-ins with science at the same time!
The next best thing is to project a photo that gives a close-up view. Search for lupine online.

Week 22, Day 1---Day 2
Mudball written and illustrated by Matt Tavares.
Develop or Activate Background Knowledge:
"Usually, when an author tells a story, it is either a true story or it is fiction....But no one is sure about [this] story....the main character, Andy Oyler, was a real baseball player who played more than a hundred years ago."
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
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Teach Meaning Vocabulary
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
Review and Share Written Responses
*Planning Notes
This book presents a problem because it assumes some prior knowledge of baseball that many second graders are not likely to have. The suggested introduction below is intended to help you provide a working knowledge of the situation so that all students will be able to comprehend.
In addition, you will need to do some fast scaffolding of baseball terms that the writer takes for granted that the children will know.
If you have an interactive board, you could draw a baseball diamond on it and move names around as the runners advance.

Week 23, Day 3--Day 5
My Brother Martin--nonfiction--Christine King Farris, illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet
The author is the sister of Martin Luther King, Junior. The book is called My Brother, Martin, and in it she tells what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.
Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary
Teach Text Structure
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Sentence Composing
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*Planning Notes
This book is an example of narrative nonfiction. The approach to vocabulary taken in this plan is to address a few key terms (the names of the principal people) and also some Tier 2 words.
During the first day, we suggest that you construct the family tree shown below, and that you add to it as characters are introduced.
Note that the “I Have a Dream” Speech is available on YouTube. If you have time, consider playing it.

Week 12, Day 1 - Day 5
My Life in Dog Years
Gary Paulsen organized his life story in an unusual way. Each chapter is about one of the many dogs he’s owned. So really, the book is not just about him but also about his dogs. It’s a collection of dog biographies. But we’ll learn a lot about the life of Gary Paulsen by reading them.
Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary
Teach Text Structure
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
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*Planning Notes
Though nonfiction, this book contains no technical terminology. Because of this, for vocabulary, these lessons focus on Tier 2 words instead.

Week 18, Day 1---Day 2
My Rows and Piles of Coins---fiction
Today’s book is called My Rows and Piles of Coins. It was written by Tololwa Mollel, who lived in Africa as a boy. The illustrations are by E. B. Lewis.
Develop or Activate Background Knowledge
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Meaning Vocabulary
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
Review and Share Written Responses
*Planning Notes
If a map of Africa is in the room (or can be projected), it would be helpful to point out the location of Tanzania.
Also note that pronunciations of African words are provided on the last page.

The subtitle of One Hen is How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference. The book was written by Katie Smith Milway and illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes.
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
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Teach Meaning Vocabulary
Teach Sentence Composing
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Planning Notes
It would be helpful to have a map of Africa on display to indicate the West African places mentioned — Ghana, Mali, and Burkina Faso
Consider making and bringing in some fufu. There are only three ingredients (Cassava, Plantains and Butter), and recipes are on the web. It might reinforce the plainness of Kojo’s life. You can also find recipes for peanut stew and palm oil soup!

Develop or Activate Background Knowledge:
--Our book is called Pinduli. It was written and illustrated by Janell Cannon. This is the story of a young hyena, who lives in Africa with her mother. There are several kinds of hyenas. Some have spots, some have stripes, and others have neither. Pinduli has stripes. She is young and unsure of herself. The other animals criticize how she looks, and it makes her feel bad about herself. But then something strange happens. Life for Pinduli will suddenly change.
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Meaning Vocabulary
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
Review and Share Written Responses
*Planning Notes
If your students have read Stellaluna, point out the author connection.
The information on the various animals is not part of the read-aloud. It may be included at teacher discretion.

Week 25, Day 1---Day 5
Poppy--fiction
"Today we will start a chapter book called Poppy. It is written by a man named Avi. ...this author only uses one name. Avi’s twin sister gave him that name when he was just a year old, and he has used it ever since. The illustrations are by Brian Floca."
Develop or Activate Background Knowledge:
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Meaning Vocabulary
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
Review and Share Written Responses
Planning Notes
The chapters are nearly equal in length and about right for one per day. Note that an additional chapter, called Poppy and Ereth, appears at the end of the book. This is really a teaser for the sequel and it is not part of this set of plans.
Avi talks about the Poppy books in a YouTube video (3:07): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fufgUdq2xR0
The video provides excellent background for teachers, but it refers to some of the later books in the series and some parts may be over the heads of second graders.
However, if you plan on making other books in the series available to your proficient students to read on their own, you might want to play it. Hearing Avi’s voice and seeing that he’s a real person could be of interest to your students.

Week 22 Day 4 - Week 23 Day 1
Read Aloud: Roanoke: The Lost Colony
The book is called Roanoke: The Lost Colony, and it was written by Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi Elisabet Yolen Stemple. It was illustrated by Roger Roth. Some books have subtitles, which tell us more about the book. The subtitle of this book is An Unsolved Mystery from History. The book is about a colony that was started in the 1500s in what is now North Carolina. And it simply vanished. The people were never heard from again.
Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary
Teach Text Structure
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
Review and Share Written Responses
*Planning Notes
A map with a close-up view of eastern North Carolina would be helpful so that you can point out the location of Jamestown and Roanoke Island.
A map of the United States and/or North America would also be useful.
As a rule, when you read each two-page spread, begin with the main text (in yellow), and then go on to the notes. That’s because the notes sometimes refer to the text.
In the case of sticky notes, notice that the girl detective has apparently written down definitions that she has looked up. You may wish to call this strategy to the students’ attention and read the definitions when you come to the words.

Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary: This book is called Rosa. It was written by Nikki Giovanni. It is a nonfiction book about Rosa Parks, who is a famous American because of her work for equal rights for all people.
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Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
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Teach Sentence Composing
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Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary:
--The book is called Shiloh, which is the name Marty gives the dog. It was written by Phyllis Reynolds Taylor and it won the Newbery Medal for best book.
Teach Text Structure
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
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Teach Sentence Composing
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*Planning Notes
This book is the first of a trilogy. If the other books are available, some students may wish to continue reading about Shiloh on their own.
This is a first-person narrative told from a boy’s viewpoint. The language is informal and contains slang and dialect. You’ll want to be sure students understand that this is intentional on the author’s part.
Bring a gunnysack (burlap bag) for Chapter 8 if possible.

Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary: Biography about Wilson Bentley
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*Planning Notes
Although this book is a biography, it is written in narrative format so you will use story map structure.
Most pages contain sidebars. Read them after reading the main text on each page.

Week 31, Day 2---Day 4
Starry Messenger
This book about Galileo is called Starry Messenger. It was written by Peter Sís
Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary
Teach Text Structure
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
illustration
Engage Students in Discussion
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Teach Sentence Composing
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*Planning Notes
This book can be read on two levels. The main, linear text is rather simple, but the sidebars are far more challenging. These are written in script and often have interesting shapes that reflect their meaning. With a few exceptions, this lesson plan is written around the main text.
On Day 1, have on hand two plastic water bottles, one full and one empty.

Lesson Plan:
Develop or Activate Background Knowledge
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Meaning Vocabulary
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
Review and Share Written Responses
Planning Notes
It will be helpful to have a world map available for quick reference when places are mentioned. Although The BFG is a work of fantasy, many real places are referenced.
The chapters in this book are uneven in terms of page numbers. We have planned for 20 days of instruction. There are 5 days where you will need the whole period to read and discuss. In order for you to protect that time, we have taken out vocabulary instruction, sentence composing, and the written response. These days are: Day 1, Day 8, Day 11, Day 16, and Day 19. We have worked with this book with many groups of third graders, and they enjoy it so much that these longer stretches of listening and discussing are unlikely to cause any problems.

Week 30, Day 5
The Egyptian Cinderella
"The book was written by Shirley Climo and illustrated by Ruth Heller. As I read, I want you to think about how the Egyptian story is the same as Cinderella [Day 1] and also how it is different."
Develop or Activate Background Knowledge:
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
--Venn diagram
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*Planning Notes
This plan helps students compare and contrast. We have again planned a two-way comparison here. Trying to include all three books in a three-circle Venn might be quite challenging for second graders. This will not prevent you from identifying elements common to all three versions, of course.
A globe or map of Africa would be useful for pointing out the location of Egypt.

Week 33, Day 1---Day 3
The Flag We Love
The book is called The Flag We Love. It was written by Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrated by Ralph Masiello. This book tells the story of our flag and what it stands for.
Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary
Teach Text Structure
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
Review and Share Written Responses
*Planning Notes
Note that reading the poem on each page aloud will require scaffolding certain words. Be sure to read it closely in advance to identify spots where you can scaffold for your second graders.
Also, consider reading the poem portion of each page on a different day than the prose portion, perhaps as an additional reading.

Week 12, Day 1---Day 2
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses--fiction--written and illustrated by Paul Gobel
Develop or Activate Background Knowledge:
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Meaning Vocabulary
pursue, collect, vanished, joyfully
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
Review and Share Written Responses

Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary
Teach Text Structure
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
Review and Share Written Responses