Literacy Lesson: I Need My Monster
Literacy Lesson: I Need My Monster
Grade Level: Advanced 2nd Grade, On-Level 3rd Grade, Struggling 4th Grade
Subject: English/Reading
Duration: Listening - 11 minutes, Assessment - 5-7 minutes, Writing Activity - 20 minutes
DOK Level: 2
SAMR Level: Augmentation
Indiana Standard:
2.RL.1 Read and comprehend a variety of literature within a range of complexity appropriate for grades 2-3. By the end of grade 2, students interact with texts proficiently and independently at the low end of the range and with scaffolding as needed at the high end.
2.RL.2.1 Ask and answer questions (e.g., who was the story about; why did an event happen; where did the story happen) to demonstrate understanding of main idea and key details in a text.
3.RV.3.1 Determine how the author uses words and phrases to provide meaning to works of literature, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language, including figurative language (e.g., similes).
Objective: Students will be able to listen to a story being read aloud, accurately answer comprehension and literacy elements questions about the story, and create a monster drawing with explanation.
Procedure: The student will access this link to view and listen to the story “I Need My Monster” by Amanda Noll: Read Aloud Story.It would be helpful for the student to have his/her own copy of the book to track the words and follow along with the story. They can access this video from any device that has an internet connection. They can use the pause or rewind button to review any part of the story. Once they have completed the listening exercise, they should access the assessment (in the Assessment section) to demonstrate comprehension. In addition to the assessment, they should complete the writing exercise.
Student directions for follow up activity: The teacher will prepare a plain, white piece of paper (copy paper will work). Stick eyes on the paper. If the students are reliable, the teacher could leave that to the student in order for them to truly design their own monster having one, two, perhaps even three eyes. “Think about all of the monsters that visited Ethan. They were different than Gabe, one was a girl, one had no claws, one had claws with nail polish, and one had stubby claws! We know that monsters aren’t real because this book is fiction, but if a monster lived under your bed, what would it look like? Take a few minutes to imagine and then draw your monster on the white paper. You may use 1, 2, or 3 wiggly eyes. After you designed your monster, you will create a Google Doc to answer these questions. My monster’s name is ______. My monster eats ____. My monster has these powers ______. What is scary about your monster? Describe what your monster looks like.
Resources: Personal Learning Device (iPad/Chromebook/Laptop) or other device to view video, GoFormative Account (It’s free!) or Scholastic Reading Counts or Accelerated Reader (for use with assessments), Paper and colored pencils to design a monster. Wiggly eyes to design monsters. Digital program for written response, Optional: a physical copy of the picture book. Headphones, if necessary. Access to Google Docs to complete the writing activity.
*Teach Your Monster to Read is a game that makes reading fun. The computer version is completely free! Teach Your Monster to Read (The game is phonics based and geared for beginning stage readers.)
Product or Assessment: If your school provides the assessment systems Scholastic Reading Counts or Accelerated Reader, this book has a comprehension quiz in both systems. The Accelerated Reader quiz number is:130382. The book level is 3.0. Scholastic Reading Counts also offers a quiz, but the number is only accessible if your school has a paid subscription. If your school does not maintain one of those systems, you can use this link to access the assessment created in the GoFormative site over the literary elements: I Need My Monster Literacy Elements. GoFormative is a free assessment tool and anyone can register! The teacher could certainly use the AR/SRC and the Go Formative, as they cover different aspects of literacy, not just comprehension.
Teachers that use Class Dojo might offer the ability to change the student’s monster as a performance incentive on the project and/or assessment.
Enrichment: Storyline Online is available 24 hours a day for children, parents, caregivers and educators worldwide.Each book includes supplemental curriculum developed by a credentialed elementary educator, aiming to strengthen comprehension and verbal and written skills for English-language learners. Click here for Storyline's additional activities and resources.
Additional Note: Ten Reasons to Read Aloud to Children: 1. To provide enjoyment. 2. To model expressive reading. 3. To show the connections between speech and print. 4. To help children develop stronger vocabularies and more sophisticated language structures. 5. To introduce different genres and writing styles. 6. To increase attention Span. 7. To strengthen cognitive ability. 8. To enhance the affective domain. 9. To help second language learners to become familiar with the sounds and shapes of English. 10. To meet national literacy standards (Polette, 2014). Article retrieved from this Read Aloud Resource .