Literacy Lesson: Chester's Way
Literacy Lesson: Chester’s Way
Grade Level: Advanced 2nd Grade, On-Level 3rd Grade, Struggling 4th Grade
Subject: English/Reading
Duration: Listening - 10 minutes, Assessment - 5-7 minutes, Writing Activity - 20 minutes
DOK Level: 3
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 literary elements questions about the story, and create a project with information from the story.
Procedure: The student will access this link to view and listen to the story “Chester’s Way” by Kevin Henkes: Read Aloud Link. 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. One of the readers uses American Sign Language to make the text even more accessible to a wide range of audience members. 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: Option 1 ~ “Chester and Wilson have a very close friendship. Then Lilly moves into the neighborhood. Has this ever happened to you? If it has, tell us about in a Google Doc. How did this new person change your friendship? If this has not happened to you, tell about what you might do if someone new tried to be a part of an important friendship.”
Option 2: “Throughout the story, you probably noticed Katie Leclerc using sign language. Do you know why someone might need this for a story? Take some time to research American Sign Language. Create two Google slides. On the first slide, tell three important facts about sign language and why it is needed. On the second slide, research the proper hand gesture/s for your name. Practice saying, ‘My name is (your name).’ Then, take a short video, introduce yourself to the class. You may do this with a partner.”
Option 3: “One time Wilson accidentally swallowed a watermelon seed and cried because he was afraid that a watermelon plant would grow inside him, so Chester swallowed one too. Chester said that way, both of them would grow a watermelon plant. We know that it is not possible to grow a watermelon seed in our stomachs. Create a Google Doc that explains why a seed cannot grow there. Include helpful information with at least one picture that you could give Chester and Wilson to help them understand what a plant needs to grow.”
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 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.
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: 9114 . The book level is 3.4. 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: Chester's Way Story Elements Quiz. 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.
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 Additonal Resources and Activities for this story.
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 .