Lesson Plan #2 Author Study

Teacher: Cassie Beckett, Kalen Critchley, Tayah Huether, Haley Glanzer

Age Level: Kindergarten

Content of the Lesson

Title of Lesson/Content Area:
Are You a Town Mouse or a Country Mouse?
Literature: Characters/Compare and Contrast

SMART Goals:
After reading Town Mouse Country Mouse by Jan Brett, we will discuss our views or
opinion on the difference and similarities between town and country. We will come up
with three comparisons and three contrasts of the two lifestyles by the end of large group.

Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:
Reading Standards for Informational Text
3. With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events,
ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

Process of the Lesson

Anticipatory Set/Motivation:
We will compare and contrast the differences between the aspects of a town mouse and country
mouse. We will make a chart with a town mouse on one side, and the country mouse on the other
side, and discuss and label the different characteristics seen in each throughout the book. From that
the children will make a townhouse and a country house on paper bags from ideas in the book and
from personal experiences.
Do you notice a difference in clothing from a country house mouse or townhouse?

Activities and Procedures:

1. We will read the book Town Mouse, City Mouse by Jan Brett and point out characteristics of
each mouse to record on the board.
2. Children will make their own representation of either the town mouse or city mouse through
drawing, painting, clay or anything other artistic materials they wish.
3. Students will design their own town mouse and city mouse houses (paper bags) using
different art supplies.
4. Students can do a small journal entry on what a day would be like if they switched roles and
lived in the city or country instead.
Closure:
We will sit down at large group and take a poll to see which students consider themselves to be a
town mouse and which students feel they are a country mouse. We will then identify why we consider
ourselves to fall under these categories. Finally, we will talk about what it would be like to be the
other type of mouse and what aspects of life would be different.

Assessment:
Children will place animals from the story in appropriate bags while considering whether they belong
in the town or in the country.
Assessment:
Child: Below Expectations (Could not At Expectations (Was Above
compare or contrast any objects) able to compare and Expectations
contrast some (Identified
objects) majority or all
comparisons and
contrasts
successfully)

Dale

Rose

Charlie

Anne

Jen

Class Management/Individualization: Some children may have no background or concept of

what country/city differences are. Some children may have different ideas about what
country/city means to them. Some children may come from split families where they live in
both the town and the country; these children could be unsure of where they belong or bring
up feelings about their family. With the book being published in 1994 some ideas or
characteristics may have changed or are no longer.