Angelica Rinebarger

4/26/13

Jackalope by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel

Lesson Plan
Basic Lesson Information
Grade:
3rd Grade CATS
Estimated Time:
45 minutes (20 minute read-aloud, 25 minute activity)
Connections to Standards and Lesson Objectives:
Arizona CORE Reading Standards for Literature
(4.RL.3) Students will describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama,
drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a characters thoughts, words, or actions).
(4.RL.6) Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are
narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.
Arizona CORE Writing Standards
(4.W.9) Students will draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
Materials and Supplies:
Literary Selection: Jackalope
Author: Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
Illustrator: Janet Stevens
Publication: 2003
Genre: Western
Supplies Needed:
Whiteboard and marker
Character activity paper
Character trait posters
Pun sentence strips
Crayons, markers, colored pencils
Key Vocabulary:
Heed, unabridged, kindling

Reader-Response Activity:
Students will work on an activity page that includes drawing a character from the book,
writing character traits, creating their own pun, and pretending theyre a rabbit.
Connections to Prior Learning/Knowledge/Experience:
Explain to students that they have learned about character traits recently and have them
describe some of the traits of the characters from the book.
Lesson Procedures/Activities
1. Gather students at the front of the room and wait until they are focused.
2. Hold up the cover of the book and say, Todays story is called Jackalope.
3. Before reading the story, check students prior knowledge about these things:
Which fairy tale character spoke to her mirror on the wall, and what did
she ask it?
What does a fairy godmother do?
In what fairy tale did a fairy godmother turn pumpkins into carriages and
rags into a gown?
In what fairy tale was a frog turned into a prince?
In what fairy tale did a boys nose grow whenever he told a lie?
What is a family tree?
What is the role of a narrator in a story?
o The narrator of this story is an armadillo.
Does anyone know what a jackalope is? (It is a fictitious animal that
supposedly lives in the Southwest. It has a body of a jackrabbit and horns
like an antelope.)
4. Introduce puns ask if anyone knows what a pun is? (The usually humorous
use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the
meaning of another word similar in sound.) Have the sentence strips ready to
pass out to volunteers. When the volunteers hear their sentence strip read,
have them share the pun with the class. Pause reading of the story so students
have time to get the joke.
5. The story has two endings. Read the first ending and watch the reaction of the
class. After pausing for a bit, read the second ending. Then ask:
Why do you think the first ending of the story surprised you?
Did you have any other feelings besides surprised?
Why do you think the authors wrote two endings to the story?
6. Tell the students theyre going to be finding character traits for characters
from the story. Ask the students who the characters were and write them on
the board. Ask them to describe the characters.
7. Have students return to their desks and work on the character trait activity.
Students choose one character from the book for their paper. Students may
color their drawing of the character if theyd like.
8. Students can volunteer to share their paper to their classmates.

Reflection
The class really enjoyed the story because of the fun qualities it possessed. Students were
actively engaged throughout the story and laughed at the puns. Students participated in
the discussions both before and after reading. They used their prior knowledge about
character traits to help them with their activity. The puns they came up with on their own
were so cute and they really seemed to enjoy the activity!

Name: _________________________________
_____________________________________________
Title of Book
Characters Name: _______________________
Character Traits:
1. ____________________________
2. ____________________________
3. ____________________________

Book Examples of a Pun:

Hare (Hair)
Lettuce (Let us)
Carrot (Care at)
Beets (Beats)
Butternut (Better not)
Turnip (Turn up)

Create your own funny sentence by using an example(s) of a pun from the book (or come
up with your own pun):

Fairy Godrabbit uses her book Wishes for Wabbits to grant Jack his wish. If you were a
rabbit, what would you wish for and why?

________________________________________________________________________

Sentence strips:

Having a bad hare day?

Now lettuce see, you wished for fangs, claws, a stinger, beak, and
horns.
I see you dont carrot all about me!
Beets me!
Hare today, gone tomorrow!
You butternut come any closer or Ill squash you!
Oh, Jack, I knew youd turnip!
You could decorate them with hornaments.
And if you stayed here, Id be happier, even with your corny
vegetable talk.