Classroom Lesson Plan: Sketch to Stretch Visualizing (My Friend Grandpa)

Teacher: Zachary D Crothers

Grade Level: Second
Topic: Families
State Standards:
MLS Reading 2.A Grade 2 Fiction Develop and apply skills and strategies to
comprehend, analyze, and evaluate fiction, poetry, and drama from a variety of cultures
and times. Read, infer, analyze, and draw conclusions to:
a. Describe the setting, problems, solutions, sequence of events (plot), and big idea or
moral lesson
b. Describe the main characters in works of fiction, including their traits, motivations,
and feelings
STUDENT OBJECTIVES
Students will
Become familiar with the comprehension strategy of visualizing
Learn and apply the sketch-to-stretch strategy as a way to better understand and interpret
texts
Visualize the descriptions and events in texts and describe how this strategy helps
enhance their comprehension
Day 1: Stage 1Teacher-directed whole-group instruction (40 minutes)

1. Explain the strategy. Explain to students what visualizing means and show them what
Visualizing means. As an introductory activity, read any chosen passages aloud and ask
students to visualize a "picture" of the reading in their heads. It may be helpful to describe
this activity as "brain T.V." As students listen to the readings, they should close their eyes
and create images in their heads as if they were watching a television show.
After reading each passage, ask students to talk about what they visualized. Emphasize that
each student has his or her own ideas of what the images look like, and point out that no two
images are exactly the same. Explain to students that this strategy of visualizing can help
them to better understand what they are reading in a text.

2. Demonstrate the strategy. Tell students that they are going to listen to a story read aloud.
Ask them to visualize the events of the story as it is read. Read Freedom Summer aloud.
When you are finished reading, tell students that you are going to do a quick sketch of what
the story means to you. Draw (quickly) a picture on poster paper so that the students can see
it. Ask students for their interpretations of your picture. Why do they think you drew that
picture? What do they think it means? After students have discussed your picture, give them
your own interpretation of your drawing.
 Be sure to emphasize that students should not be concerned with their artwork.
Sketches should be done quickly. The point of the strategy is to get their interpretations
down on paper without using words.

3. Guide students to apply the strategy. Pass out a copy of the Sketch-to-Stretch template to
each student. Read My Friend Grandpa aloud and ask students to quickly sketch their
interpretation of the story while listening.

4. Practice individually or in small groups. Divide students into groups of three. Ask
students to share their sketches of the story with their group. The author of the sketch should
hold back his or her own interpretation until after the other group members have had a
chance to share their thoughts on the drawing. Continue until each group member shares a
drawing, listens to the group members' thoughts on the drawing, and then offers a personal
interpretation.

5. Reflect. Come back together as a class and discuss sketch-to-stretch as a visualizing

strategy.
1. How did visualizing help them understand the texts?
2. How is visualizing similar to or different than watching television?
3. How does reading differ when they do not visualize in their heads as compared to
when they do?

6. STUDENT ASSESSMENT/REFLECTIONS
Assessment can be done informally through anecdotal notes and observations.
Student understanding can be assessed using the Sketch-to-Stretch templates they
completed.
You can also ask students to reflect in their comprehension journals about how they
used the visualizing strategy and their experience with sketch-to-stretch. Some
possible journal prompts include:

Compare and contrast how using the strategy of visualizing is the same as or
different than watching television.
Respond to someone who says that visualizing a story in your head is not
important.
Describe how drawing a sketch helps you respond to the story. What was it like
to see and discuss the sketches with your peers?
Tell what you have learned about yourself as a reader by using the visualizing
strategy and sketch-to-stretch.