Integrating Kindles in Everyday English Language Arts Lessons

A three-day kindle integrated project

Britaney Cosner
Note: This project is intended for a mid-year 4th grade classroom.
Students should have prior knowledge on the following topics before beginning this projects:
o How to effectively and efficiently use their kindle
o How to summarize and identify the main idea of a text
o What is a story map, what are some parts of a story map
o What is setting, characters, problem, solution
o What is a folktale and the characteristics of different types of folktales

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Standards:
Reading Literature and
Informational Text - Standard 1:
Students inquire about and
comprehend key ideas and details
in a variety of texts.
o Benchmark 4.1.2: Explain
events, procedures, ideas, or
concepts in an expository text,
including what happened and
why, based on specific
information in the text.
o Benchmark 4.1.5: Describe
characteristics of common
forms of literature

Standards:
Reading Literature and
Informational Text - Standard 1:
Students inquire about and
comprehend key ideas and details
in a variety of texts.
o Benchmark 4.1.3: Describe
characters in any story, and
show an understanding of their
relationship to the plot or
sequence of events.
o Benchmark 4.1.5: Describe
characteristics of common
forms of literature
Reading Literature and
Informational Text Standard 3:
Students integrate knowledge to
make meaningful connections
between ideas in diverse texts.
o Benchmark 4.3.3: Show indepth understanding of a
character in a story or drama,
drawing on specific details in
the text.

Standards:
Reading Literature and
Informational Text - Standard 1:
Students inquire about and
comprehend key ideas and details
in a variety of texts.
o Benchmark 4.1.5: Describe
characteristics of common
forms of literature
Reading Literature and
Informational Text - Foundational
Skill 4: Students read a range of
texts with fluency.
o Benchmark 4.F.4: Read with
sufficient accuracy and fluency
to support comprehension.
Speaking and Listening Standard
7: Students present their knowledge
and ideas orally and
comprehensibly
o Benchmark 4.7.2: Demonstrate
that intonation, expression, and
emphasis are part of meaning

Unit Theme: Folktales!

Unit Theme: Folktales!

Unit Theme: Folktales!

Objective: Students will read a

Readers Theater of the common
folktale The Tortoise and the
Hare in order to fill in a story map
with key ideas from the text.

Objective: Students will do a closeread of The Tortoise and the

Hare Readers Theater in order to
describe the characters in the story.

Objective: Students will practice

fluency skills in order to perform
their part of The Tortoise and the
Hare Readers Theater with
accuracy, fluency, intonation, and
expression.

Materials: Kindles, student journals

Materials: Kindles, student
journals, sticky notes
Documents on Kindles: The
Tortoise and the Hare Readers

Documents on Kindles: The

Tortoise and the Hare Readers
Theater, Folktales Anchor
Chart, Character Traits

Materials: Kindles, student

journals, student props
Documents on Kindles: The

Theater, Folktales Anchor Chart

Assessment: Students will
complete the story map by placing
sticky notes on the appropriate
spaces on the board
Homework: Practice reading your
part out loud at home. Create any
props you feel are necessary for
your part.

Assessment: Students will assume

the characteristics of a character
and will be asked a question by the
teacher. The students must answer
the question as the character based
on the characters traits.

Grading Scale for Observed

Assessment:
CE Clearly Evident
E Evident
D Developing
NE Not Evident

Homework: Practice reading your

part out loud at home. Create any
props you feel are necessary for
your part.

Homework: Reflect on your

performance. Write two sentences
stating what you did really
well/what you were proud of and
one sentence stating what you
would change for next time.
Opening: Start by telling students
that you are going to read them a
story. Read 2-3 pages of any book
with a very bland mono-toned
voice. Make mistakes while you are
reading to make it hard to
understand what is happening.

Opening: Review with students

what a folktale is. Discuss the
characteristics that all folktales
share. Ask students who are
struggling to refer to the Folktales
Anchor Chart on their kindle.

Ask students to think about the

most recent movie they watched.
How did the actors know what do
say?

Review the parts of a Readers

Theater: Title, roles, characters,
narrators, script, etc.

Review the parts of a Readers

Theater: Title, roles, characters,
narrators, script, etc.
New Material: Have students open
The Tortoise and the Hare
Readers Theater. Students should
take 2 minutes to preview the text.
(Look at titles, key words, repeated
words, key ideas, skim parts, etc.)
Have students make predictions:
Using your prior knowledge of
fables (and this fable) as well as

Assessment: Students will perform

their part of the Readers Theater
with accuracy, fluency, intonation,
and expression

Grading Scale for Observed

Assessment:
CE Clearly Evident
E Evident
D Developing
NE Not Evident

Opening: Review with students

what a folktale is. Discuss the
characteristics that all folktales
share. Ask students who are
struggling to refer to the Folktales
Anchor Chart on their kindle.

Actors use scripts to help them

perform, and we are going to be
reading a script to perform a
readers theater!

Tortoise and the Hare Readers

Theater

Review the key ideas from the

story map yesterday (see if any
students can summarize the
Readers Theater, unassisted or
assisted)
New Material: Opening Question;
Why are characters important in
plays? Have students think-pairshare this question.
Today we are going to focus on the
characters of the story.
Do a close read of the Readers
Theater. Start by chorally reading
the entire script together. Then,
reread it again chorally, but
students should only be reading
their parts (there will be more than

When students start to look

confused or bored, ask them why
they are confused/bored. What
would make this story more
interesting?

New Material:
Tell students that these things that
make listening to a story more
interesting are called Fluency
Skills. Fluency is when you can a
text with ACCURACY and
EXPRESSION. Have students look
up these two words in the
dictionary on their kindle and share
the definition. Tell students that
actors use fluency to read their
script to make the movie believable
and interesting, and we are going to
use fluency to read our scripts
today. Fluency also helps the

what they saw in their previewing,

what do you think this Readers
Theater will be about?
Identify the following key
vocabulary using the define tool on
the kindles. Give students about 30
seconds to look up each word, and
then have a student give you the
definition and write it on the board
for reference:
o Hare
o Tortoise
o Fox
o Plodding
o Harvest
o Snickered
o Scurried
o Forlorn
o Gestures
o Vain
After defining and discussing the
vocabulary, have students get into
partners to partner-read (side by
side, reading one sentence at a
time) the entire Readers Theater.
While students are partner-reading,
draw a very large story map on the
board (five boxes, arranged in any
way, labeled: Characters, Setting,
Problem, Solution, Moral)
Once all partners are finished
reading, come back together to
discuss the text. Ask students to
summarize the story. Have students
think-pair-share. Encourage
students to use Who, Did What,
Where, When, and Why

one student per role).

We use character traits to
describe characters in a story. Can
anyone think of any traits that
describes themselves?
Have students open Character
Traits on their kindle. Then, have
students name a few more traits
that describe themselves.
Practice:
Have students draw three brain
bubbles in their journal. In each of
the bubbles, write a characters
name (Tortoise, Hare, or Fox).
Have students spend a few minutes
independently brainstorming traits
that describe the characters. Then,
have students share with the person
next to them.
Come together as a whole group.
Have students give you traits for
the characters, one character at a
time. When students give a trait,
ask, What did [character] do in the
Readers Theater to make you say
that? Encourage students to use
their kindles and go back into the
text for their support. Spend several
minutes on this discussion for each
character.
Now that we have identified traits
of the characters, we are going to
practice being the characters!

One at a time, call students up to

the front. Students will tell you
which character they want to be
Practice: Students will be given 5
(Tortoise, Hare, or Fox). Then, ask
sticky notes. Have students put
the characters questions. Assess
their name on the back of the sticky students on a data collection chart
note. Then, each sticky note will be based on their responses to the
used to fill in one part of the story
questions (assuming the role of a
map on the board. Have students
character).
write their answers on the sticky
and then place them in the
Possible questions include:
appropriate box on the story map
o What is your favorite game?
on the board.
o What makes a good friend?

listener to understand the main idea

and story elements.
Now, read the same story, but
model reading with fluency. Ask
students to point out a few
differences from the first time you
read (without fluency) and the
second time you read (with
fluency)
Practice:
Students will now practice reading
their parts with fluency. Have
students read their scripts from
their kindle with their group.
Circulate the classroom and help
model fluency when needed.
Closure:
Students will now be performing
their skits. While one group is
performing, the other group should
be at their desks making a list of
compliments and points of
interest. Give examples of these
two things before beginning.
PROJECT CLOSURE:
Have a grand discussion with the
whole class: What skills did we use
or learn this week that helped us to
understand and perform our skits?
1. Looking up vocabulary
2. Identifying story elements
3. Identifying moral
4. Describing and identifying
traits of characters
5. Using fluency
How would our play have been
different if we did not
use/learn/practice these skills?
How can these skills help us in
reading class in the future?

Closure: Discuss the story map as a

group, especially the problem,
solution, and moral, sections
where there may be a wide variety
of answers.
Give students their roles for the
play. If there is extra time, have
students practice reading their lines
on their kindle.

o What are you really good at?

*For students who are more shy or
have lower verbal skills, give them
the option of doing a dual, where
two characters come up at the
same time.*
Closure: Closing discussion
question - How does understanding
a character help us understand a
story better?