Book Club Lesson Plan

Information
Calvin Book Club Leader: Rachel Vos
Grade: 4th
Date: December 11, 2017
Subject area: ELA.
1. Main Focus: How to Steal a Dog, Reading Response Project

Preparation
Common Core Standard: RL.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the
text.
Teaching and Learning Outcomes (Goals. SWBAT): Students will be able to use
their knowledge of How to Steal a Dog to write an alternate ending to the
1
book.
Assessment: Look for students to use evidence from the text when thinking
about what might happen in an alternate ending. They should use their
knowledge of the characters and events to imagine realistic events and
dialogue that would occur in an alternate ending.
Common Core Standard: W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear
event sequences.
Teaching and Learning Outcomes (Goals. SWBAT): Students will be able to
2 write (with the group) an alternate ending to the book How to Steal a Dog, in
which Georgina decides not to tell the truth in order to get the reward money.
Assessment: Read the sticky notes students write on when brainstorming
possible events and dialogue for the alternate ending. Read the final narrative
written by the students.
Common Core Standard: SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on
grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own
clearly.
3 Teaching and Learning Outcomes (Goals. SWBAT): Students will be able to
discuss with the group possible endings to How to Steal a Dog and share their
own thoughts.
Assessment: Listen to students share their thoughts in the group discussion. Each
student should share at least one time.
Differentiation (UDL)
For content: Each student will be given sticky notes to brainstorm on. This will enable
the students to brainstorm on their own before discussing with the group.
The process: Students are able to write as much or as little on their sticky notes as
they want. They can fill out as many sticky notes with events or dialogue as they
would like.
Student outcomes: Students will write out their ideas before sharing with the group.
This allows them to write at their own level. Have students share at least once in the
group discussion, but do not make them share more than that if they do not want
to.
Materials and other preparation
- Books, notebooks, folders, trifold board, index cards, markers, crayons,
pencils, sticky notes, paper for final ending
 Book Club Lesson Plan
The Lesson
TIME TEACHER ACTIVITY STUDENT ACTIVITY
Motivating, Engaging. (Introduction)
- Pass out the snacks to the students and allow them to
eat while I am introducing the activity.
- Remind students that at the end of the book,
Georgina had a choice to make. She could either
return Willy and tell the truth or return him and get the
money.
5 - Ask the students which choice Georgina made and
why she did so. (She decided to return Willy and tell the
truth. She did it because she was feeling too guilty
about lying.)
- Explain to students that today, we are going to write a
different ending to the story. We are going to imagine
what might have happened in the book if Georgina
had decided not to tell the truth to Carmella.
Development (Process)
- Pass out sticky notes and pencils to all the students.
Have them each write down things they think should
10 be included in the ending.
- Give students time to write down anything they think - Write down
should be included in the ending of the story important events for
(important events, dialogue, etc.) the alternate
- Call the students back together and go around the ending.
circle having them share what they have on their sticky - Share what they
5 notes. As they share, put the sticky notes on the back wrote on their sticky
of the trifold so they are all displayed. notes.
- Have students organize the sticky notes in piles based - Organize the sticky
on similar ideas (So if there were multiple sticky notes notes into piles.
that said Georgina would talk with Mama after they
get the money, the students would put them all in one
15 pile.)
- After the piles are made, have the students decide - Put the piles in the
what order the events and dialogue should go in. Have order that the
them move the piles in the order that the events events should go in.
happen.
- Read the sticky notes in the first pile out loud. Ask the
students how we should write this in story form.
- Have the first student in the circle write down the story - Write down the story
on the blank paper as the group comes up with it. as the group comes
20 - After going through the first pile, read the sticky notes up with what we
for the next pile and ask students how we should write should write.
this part in story form.
- Have the next student in the circle write down this part
of the story.
- Continue this until all the piles have been written down
in story form.
- If time allows, have the students draw pictures to go - Draw pictures for
with the new ending to the book. the book.
 Book Club Lesson Plan
Closure.
- Read the final story the students came up with.
5 - Ask students which ending they like more.
- Collect materials, pray, and say goodbye.