Students name: Lindsey Bolger

CT and school: Ms. Carrie, The YCP

Date/Time to be presented: October 3, 2016
Date/Time to be submitted: September 26, 2016
LESSON PLAN OUTLINE
JMU Elementary Education Program

A. TITLE/TYPE OF LESSON
Read Aloud lesson with the book Lets Look at Fall by Sarah L. Schuette
B. CONTEXT OF LESSON
My practicum class has been working on identifying the different components of a book. The
book Lets Look at Fall will teach the students where the table of contents is located in a
story. This story also has headings for the different sections of the book, introducing students
to the location of headings. Another thing my class has been working on is identifying the
different signs of fall. This book will explain the changes of fall seen through plants, animals,
and weather. This book is very appropriate for the Pre-K level because it utilizes familiar, yet
challenging vocabulary to introduce the students to new words. Students are also working on
examining multiple colors and each page incorporates a variety of colors.
C. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand Students will begin
to understand the elements of a
book and factors associated with
the fall season.

Know Students will be able to

identify the changes taking place
in the plants, animals, and weather
during fall.

Do Students will describe at

least 2 different colors that the
leaves change and one behavior
that an animal performs in
response to the fall season.

D. ASSESSING LEARNING
Concluding the read aloud, I will ask the students as a whole group to tell me at least 2
different colors that the leaves change to when the fall season approaches, that they saw in the
book. I will then ask them to recall one action described in the story that an animal makes in
response to the arrival of the fall season.
Questions for Assessment:
When the leaves are starting to fall from the trees, what are some of the colors that we
can see them change to?
What do birds do when the weather gets colder?
During fall, what must bears do in order to prepare for the winter?
What do squirrels do in preparation for winter during the fall season?
After conducting the read aloud, I asked the entire class my assessment questions. All
students answered together when I asked them to identify some colors that leaves falling from
the trees change to during the fall season. The 3 year-olds and 4 year-olds answered red,
orange, and yellow. Moving on to the questions regarding animal behaviors, I asked both
my 3 year old class and my 4 year old class what birds do when the weather gets colder, The
3 year-olds could not recall that information. The 4 year-olds responded, They fly away to
warm weather! When I asked both classes what bears prepare to do in the winter during the

Students name: Lindsey Bolger

CT and school: Ms. Carrie, The YCP
Date/Time to be presented: October 3, 2016
Date/Time to be submitted: September 26, 2016
fall, the 3 year-olds couldnt answer but the 4 year-olds responded, Sleep! I realized that
recalling the information, regarding animals, of that difficulty was above the development
level of the 3 year-olds. They successfully recalled questions regarding leaves and even
mentioned they were aware that the weather gets colder. The children in my 4 year-old class
understood the concepts involved in the book, but they did not know the vocabulary terms. I
then had to emphasize the terms hibernation and migration so the students could make the
connection between vocabulary and definition.
E. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (and NATIONAL STANDARDS if
required)
VA Literacy Foundation Block 1: Oral Expression
a) Listen with increasing attention to spoken language, conversations, and stories read
aloud
b) Correctly identify characters, objects, and actions in a picture book, as well as
stories read aloud, and begin to comment on each
f) Engage in turn taking exchanges and rules of polite conversation with adults and
peers
g) Listen attentively to stories in a whole-class setting
VA Science Foundation Block 3: Matter
a) Identify colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) and white and black
F. MATERIALS NEEDED
Lets Look at Fall by Sarah L. Schuette and I will provide the book.
G. PROCEDURE
1. Before:
a) Before the children enter the classroom from playing outside, I will clear the read
aloud carpet of any objects left out to ensure that every student has a space to sit and place the
book on the easel for the kids to see as they sit down.
b) Once the children reenter the classroom, I will ask them all to join me on the carpet
for a read aloud.
c) I will introduce the title and author of the book and explain to the students that the
book I am reading is about the season fall.
d) I will then ask the children to tell me the first word that comes to mind when they
think of fall.
2. During:
a) Stop reading after page 6 and ask them What do you notice about the leaves on
page 6? This will connect the idea of leaves changing color from the book to the
observations that the students have made outside of the classroom.

Students name: Lindsey Bolger

CT and school: Ms. Carrie, The YCP
Date/Time to be presented: October 3, 2016
Date/Time to be submitted: September 26, 2016
b) Continue reading until page 14 when the book explains how bears prepare for
hibernation. Ask the students if they know what the word hibernate means and give its
definition for those who are unfamiliar with the word.
c) Continue until page 16 and then, after reading about apples, ask the students if any
of them have ever gone or plan on going apple picking, to connect to real life experiences.
d) Read the rest of the book until the end.
3. After:
a) Ask the students to answer the question stated at the end of the book about what
season comes after fall.
b) Ask the students to identify the colors the leaves change to when they are falling
from their branches that they saw throughout the book.
c) Ask the students to recall the action of one animal described in the story that is done
in response to the fall seasons arrival.
d) Conclude the read aloud by explaining that the changing of seasons impacts all
animals, plants, and the weather. Describe each of the changes seen in all three of these
factors by engaging the students in an open-ended discussion connecting what they saw and
read from the book to the observations they have made in nature, outside of the classroom.
H. DIFFERENTIATION
Describe how you have planned to meet the needs of all students in your classroom with
varied learning styles and abilities, English language proficiency, health, physical ability, etc.
How will you extend and enrich the learning of students who finish early? How will you
support the learning of children struggling with your objectives?
All students will be able to participate in the read aloud and be engaged in the story. For
those who do not comprehend the more difficult words, such as hibernate and harvest, I
will be sure to give a clear definition for each of them. I will ensure that at the end of the read
aloud all students can comprehend what each of the words means. For students who are
unsure of the specific animals or plants described in the story, I will also be sure to give a
brief definition of each so that each student is understanding the material presented.
I. WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
a) Some children may have a hard time sitting still for the entire duration of the read aloud. I
will remind the students that everyone should be fully seated and engaging in the read aloud
questions and discussion before conducting the read aloud. If there are students who start to
stand or do not remain fully seated and start to disrupt others, I will simply ask them to
reposition themselves so they are seated appropriately, crisscross applesauce style, so that
everyone can see the book. If there are students who have a particularly hard time at doing
so, I will calmly ask them to have a seat next to me so I can easily contain their behavior. If I
notice that the entire class is highly energetic or antsy, I will do a quick exercise with them to
get them ready for the read aloud and their energy out.

Students name: Lindsey Bolger

CT and school: Ms. Carrie, The YCP
Date/Time to be presented: October 3, 2016
Date/Time to be submitted: September 26, 2016
b) The children may not understand certain vocabulary words throughout the story. I will
ensure that I pause after these words and check to see that every student is familiar with them
and understands their meaning. If some do not, I will give a brief definition of the word and
explanation of how else it may be used in regards to the books context. Then, I will make
sure that every student is comfortable with the word before moving on. If some students still
cannot comprehend specific words, I will help that child one-on-one after the read aloud.
c) When I am asking the children about the colors and animal behaviors, they may not recall
this information from the book. To avoid this, I will put great emphasis on these during the
read aloud. If they do not recall this information after the read aloud, I will give an example
or give a response that could trigger the students memories.
d) If I mispronounce anything throughout the read aloud, I will correct myself. This is
important to ensure we as teachers are modeling proper pronunciation.

Reflection
My practicum classroom has two half-day programs; a 3 year-old morning program and a 4 year-old
afternoon program. I conducted the read aloud for both classes, as I wanted to see how both groups behaved
and performed compared to the other. I was surprised at certain results, and then there were ones that did not
shock me in the slightest.
I first performed the read aloud with the 3 year-old class. I wanted to choose a book that would be
easy for them to comprehend, but also challenging to introduce them to expose them to different vocabulary
and possibly new ideas. Lets Look at Fall fits both of those categories. As the children started to enter the
classroom, my cooperating teacher ushered them to sit on the purple carpet. She read a book first and then
introduced my read aloud to the children. I had expected to introduce my read aloud but my teacher did
instead, further proving that flexibility is an important quality to have in the teaching profession. They had
already been seated for a while and my cooperating teacher had separated the children who were causing
distractions, so when I began my read aloud by introducing the title and author the children were behaving
very well. When I stopped on page 6 and asked the students if they had noticed whether or not the leaves
have started to change colors, multiple students spoke out at once. This happened at every point that I
stopped to ask the students a question to further their thinking during the story, and I would quiet them down
as quickly as possible. The fluency of the read aloud was disrupted and this made me realize I would need to
take a different approach next time. After the read aloud was concluded, I asked the students the assessment
questions; they correctly identified the colors of fall leaves, but did need assistance when it came to the
animals behaviors. I had expected this from the 3 year-old class, as these concepts are more advanced. I
had to ask questions to trigger the students memories, and then they could recall the information. When I
asked if anyone knew what hibernation meant, none of the children could give me a correct answer so I gave
them a very brief explanation. All of the children understood that the weather gets colder and when I read
the page that gave this information, one of the students pretended to shiver. Shivering indicated to me that
that child understood what I was talking about; they were using a behavior to make a connection to the book.
Children comprehend ideas much better when you help them make real-life connections.
The second time I did my read aloud was for the 4-year-olds. This time my teacher instructed the
students, after outdoor playtime, to join me on the purple carpet and then she started on her own task. I had

Students name: Lindsey Bolger

CT and school: Ms. Carrie, The YCP
Date/Time to be presented: October 3, 2016
Date/Time to be submitted: September 26, 2016
the responsibility of regaining the childrens attention and it was not easy. They were very energized, unlike
the 3-year-olds, but eventually controlled themselves and settled down. Something that the 4-year-olds were
able to do was answer all of my questions. Whether it was a majority of the class with the answer or only a
couple students, all of my questions were answered correctly including the ones regarding animal behaviors.
The student who talked about hibernation described it as going to sleep for a long time and eating.
Although that is not as detailed as it should be, it shows the student understands the concept but may be
confused on the exact process of hibernation. I changed my approach to asking questions and would ask for
a show of hands before every question. If it required a verbal answer from a student, I would call on them
individually. This created fewer disruptions for the other students during the read loud. As I conducted my
read aloud, there were two children who would not stop touching and talking to each other. I was very timid
in disciplining them and continually asked them to keep their hands to themselves. After doing this several
times my cooperating teacher, who was sitting across the room, spoke up and said, My two friends who
have been corrected several times now please separate and the children separated. Reflecting on this, I will
be sure that I am more forward in taking action to separate children who are creating a distraction for others.
Now that I got to observe the way my teacher went about it, I am more confident that I could do this myself.
This lesson taught me a lot about teaching and myself. It reinforced the idea that being flexible is
essential in the teaching profession and that I can be reserved at times when making a decision on taking
action. The read aloud went much smoother once my cooperating teacher separated the two children in the 4
year-old class that were creating disruption. Seeing the improvement that one simple comment can make
reinforced the importance of these disciplinary actions.