Danielle Nugent Directed Reading Thinking ActivityStellaluna NJ- New Jersey Core Curriculum Content StandardsSubject:Language Arts Literacy (Prior to the adoption of Common Core standards)Standard 3.1:READING - ALL STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND AND APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE OF SOUNDS, LETTERS, AND WORDS IN WRITEN ENGLISH TO BECOME INDEPENDENT AND FLUENT READERS AND WILL READ A VARIETY OF MATERIALS AND TEXTS WITH FLUENCY AND COMPREHENSION.Range/Grade Level:By the end ofGrade 3Strand:G. Comprehension Skills and Response to TextCumulative Progress Indicator 10:Compare and contrast story plots, characters, settings, and themes.

Book: Stellalua Stellaluna is a story about a young bat that losses her mother during an owl attack. Stellaluna survives and is raised by bats. She develops some unique traits, like sleeping right-side up, eating bugs, and staying awake during the day. She grows up thinking she is different, it is not until she meets a group of bats and is reunited with her mother that she realizes bats are much different than birds. Stellaluna grows up with a unique childhood and is happy to have two different families.

A. Activate/ Build Prior Knowledge The lesson will start with students imagining what it is like be a fruit bat. Students will be told to close their eyes and envision themselves as a bat. The teacher will ask questions to help them imagine a bats life, like where would they go and what would they do. This will be used as the anticipatory set and get students excited and prepared for the lesson. Then students will be shown the book Stellaluna. The teacher will have a KWL chart on the board to guide and motivate students as they read the story Stellaluna. The teacher will ask students what they know about bats. The teacher will ask if students have ever seen a bat, or share a story about a bat. This will access students prior knowledge. Then students will be asked what bats eat and what kind of predators do bats have. This is the what (W) you want to find out in the KWL chart.

B. Preview Text and Make Predictions The teacher will take the students on a Picture-Walk. The teacher will guide students to explore different pictures. The Picture-Walk will start by the students looking at the front cover. The front cover depicts a small brown bat hanging from a branch right-side up. In the far off right hand corner are a group of three birds, in the lower left hand corner are three bats. Students will be asked to look at the picture closely and asked to identify the different animals. The teacher will ask what the student thinks what is going to happen in the story. Students will be guided and asked to construct a timeline of Stellaluna as she grows up. Students will be asked what they think will happen to Stellaluna after she loses her mother.

C. Develop Vocabulary Knowledge During the Picture-Walk student will be reminded to pay close attention to illustrated details. Students will predicate what they think is going to happen. The teacher will point out important vocabulary that students will encounter in the text. Students will be asked to explain vocabulary. The teacher will use the vocabulary in a sentence, and additional examples for the meanings will also be given.

D. Set a purpose for ReadingA short YouTube clip on fruit bats will be shown. This will show students what a real fruit bat like Stellaluna looks like. The teacher will begin reading the story, the teacher will stop and ask what the setting of the story is and who the main characters are. The teacher will continue reading and then stop to ask what will happen to Stellaluna when she gets separated from her mother. The teacher will ask open ended questions and pause to allow students to think. Then the teacher will continue stopping to ask how is Stellaluna changing and will she ever see her mother again.

II. Read Silently Students will have their own KWL chart in front of them. They will read silently until they discover the purpose set for reading. As students are reading the teacher will monitor their progress. Students will write down any words they are unsure of so the teacher can monitor their vocabulary. Students will be required to draw or write down the setting and main characters from the book.

III. Respond to Reading to Develop Comprehension A. Revisit Purpose Setting QuestionsThe class will discuss what they have learned regarding the storys plot, character, setting and themes. Students should come to the conclusion the story Stellaluna is about a fruit bat who lives in a forest setting. She once had a mother bat, but now belongs to a bird family. The theme about Stellaluna is how she grows up feeling different from everyone else.

B. Clarify Additional Concepts/ VocabularyThe teacher will ask students if they were unfamiliar with any words. The teacher will have a list of unfamiliar words to discuss like clutched, shrieking, limp and clambered. The teacher will use these words in a sentence. The teacher will also point out a small drawing at the top of each page that shows Stellalunas mother searching for Stellaluna. The teacher will ask the advanced students to add words to these pictures and explain how Stellalunas mother is feeling.

C. Supporting Comprehension of StructureThe teacher will elaborate on the plot of the story and ask students what events occur in the beginning, middle and end. Students will add events to their timeline, signal words like first, next, then and finally will be used.

D. Seeking Additional Sources for InformationStudents will answer what they learned on the KWL chart. They will then explore the similarity and differences between bats and birds.

E. EncouragedStudents will be encouraged to continue reading Stellaluna. The teacher will pause when Stellaluna finds other fruit bats and will ask the class what they think will happen next.

IV. Review/ Reread and Explore Strategies A direct instruction lesson will be used for this lesson. Students will first create a comic strip cartoon retelling Stellaluna life. Advanced level students will retell the story from Stellalunas mothers or the birds point of view. Lower level students will recreate the story as told by Stellaluna. Students will be reminded to include all the characters and use the correct setting when the create their comic strip. Students will have the opportunity to recreate the Stellaluna story by drawing, writing, or role playing the story. V. Integrated Project-Based Learning TasksAfter learning about bats and birds, students will decide as a group if they should theoretically purchase a bat or a bird. Students will research animals in depth to find out what they eat, their habitat, supplies the school would need and the cost.