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JANUARY 2005

Outstanding Teacher of the Year Shares Lesson Plan

Mrs. Sharon Weissbart, first grade teacher at PS 111 in the Bronx and 2004 Education Update Teacher of the Year, submitted a lesson plan that she and Ms. Masucci, also a first grade teacher at PS 111, created for their classes. While focusing on developing a text innovation, the lesson aim is to engage children in an author study using Eric Carle books. After completing the lesson, the students will understand that an author has a purpose in writing, that an author can express himself/herself in various genres, and that an author’s writing style and illustrations can be repetitive or different in various books.

The lesson begins with an introduction of the title, author and illustrator of The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. After reading the book, the students interpret the illustrations about seeds and seasons, which allows for a spontaneous science mini-lesson. The children are then given time to talk with a classmate about the book and are invited to share with the class what they learned. A group discussion will highlight how Carle begins his stories and how his choice of descriptive words and colorful illustrations can teach the life cycle of a plant, again leading to a mini science lesson. Mrs. Weissbart and Ms. Masucci emphasize the opportunity to tap into each child’s prior knowledge throughout the exercise.

To assess the children’s comprehension of the story, the students should retell the story through role-playing, art, reading expressively, and writing about the story. They can also share their stories, make pop-up books, and contribute their writings and illustrations to a class book. In Mrs. Weissbart and Ms. Masucci’s classes, the children modeled the author’s writing style and illustrations resulting in the text innovation displayed on the school bulletin board. For follow up or homework, the children can go to the library to obtain additional Eric Carle books to enjoy and share with classmates. They can also do a book report on an Eric Carle book that has not been read in class. Through their collaboration, Mrs. Weissbart and Ms. Masucci hope that their teamwork will be “contagious” for their students in an effort to develop a sense of camaraderie among them.

English Language Arts standards include the following: producing a response to literature, participating in an one-to-one conference with the teacher, participating in group meetings, demonstrating independently and habitually an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral language, and producing work in at least one genre that follows the conventions of the genre.#

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