Education Standards
Identify characters
LA sequencing activity
MA-HA sequencing activity
Story time with Gruffalo
Overview
- These lesson plans and activities were purposed and designed by Paula Turon Loren for Kindergarden English teachers in the United Kingdom. The activity is designed and differentiated for different ability groups, thus teachers can adapt the lesson to their students levels and needs. Moreover, the materials may be used and adapted for any country's specific context.
The Gruffalo
The Gruffalo is a British children's picture book by author Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. This lesson uses this popular story to teach writing and story sequencing.
A lesson plan for Kindergarden English Language Arts (Literacy).
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate an understanding of varied sentence patterns and will be able to sequence and act out the Gruffalo story.
Teacher planning
| Learning Intention | Steps to Success | Teaching (Group time) | 1:1 Work Tasks (differentiated) | Materials: Story characters Mask. Youtube (Gruffalo story). Story map. |
| Listening and attention: Listen to stories, With props, actions and role play respond to what they hear with movement, symbols & copying/mimicking adults, singing, provide sensory materials/toys to maintain attention. Speaking: Respond with gestures, body language, sound, sound, symbols, actions or signing
LI: Listens to familiar story sounds.
LI: Listens to the noises adults make when they read the Gruffalo.
LI: Joins in with repeated refrains and anticipates key events and sequences the Gruffalo story.
| I can show some interest in books and printed materials in my environment. I can sit in the book area with an adult to look at a book. I can begin to hold a book with adult support I can begin to hold books and other printed materials independently I can hold books and other printed materials with care with adult support I can independently hold books and other printed materials with care. I can show an interest in the books that I am holding, with adult support I can independently show interest in books, looking at the pictures etc. I can show an interest in books. I can show an interest in listening to stories when an adult reads to me. I can listen to stories with enjoyment. I can join in with simple phrases to a story by echoing an adult. I can begin to copy words used by adults when reading stories making some verbalisations independently.
| Provide children with the Gruffalo story characters masks. Show children the Gruffalo story video on Youtube to support them to act it out. Each child will have to recognise its character and take turns to come up to the front and act their part. Extend to: Encourage children to remember the story key evens and phrases from the Gruffalo story.
| Group: A (low ability group)) : Children to echo character names and copy story telling actions. Encourage the use of spontantious language. Challenge: to orally retell the story with adult scribing children’s ideas.
Group: B (middle ability group)): Children to recall characters and the events that take place. Ask the children to join in story telling, continuing an adult model. Provide children 4 images from the text. Allow the children to talk about these using story map and story book language. More able children to sequence these independently. Challenge: to orally retell the story with adult scribing children’s ideas.
Group: C (high ability group)): Children to recall characters and events, attempting to role-play/ retell the story, responding to adults questions to add more detail.Children to complete story maps, adding in the correct pictures/ symbols based on the class story map. Challenge: to retell the story and write their own ideas.
|
| Learning Intention | Steps to Success | Teaching | 1:1 Work Tasks (differentiated) |
Gruffalo story puppets. Woodland setting.
|
| Understanding: Follow instructions involving simple ideas or actions; Sensory turn taking activities and Intensive Interaction.
Reading: Chn to share book-turn pages and to point to pictures (make reading fun –my turn to turn the page-your turn to turn the page) adult to model expectation.
LI: Selects familiar story character by name and will take it.
LI: Makes one-word comment/symbol about a story key character.
LI: Uses 2 word phrases/symbols to describe a story character.
| I can listen to a story. I can feel/explore props. I can relate the props to the parts of the story. I can repeat specific lines of the story. I can make a noise in response to a specific setting in the story. I can say the repetitive phrase in the correct place. I can try to retell the story. I can describe the scene. I can pretend to be a character. I can retell the story in my own words. I can hold mark making tools and make marks on a paper with hand-over-hand support. I can hold mark making tools and make marks on a paper. I can hold mark making tools and attempt to overwrite patterns/single letters/words. I can hold mark making tools and overwrite patterns/single letters/ words. I can hold mark making tools with a correct 3 finger grip to over write patterns/single letters/ words. I can hold mark making tools correctly to copy write labels and captions. I can orally create labels and captions and overwrite/copy 1. | Stick the Gruffalo Puppets with sellotape on the table. Read the Gruffalo story to the children and ask them to identify the characters (Everytime a new character comes, each child will have to take off the sellotape- Fine motor skills).
Extend to: Encourage children to remember the story key evens and phrases from the Gruffalo story.
| Group: A : Provide children with a woodland setting and the Gruffalo characters. Adult to do bucket time to introduce the characters-encourage children listening and attention skills. Then, encourage children to role play the story (with support). Challenge: Ask the children to verbalise charcters names, label objects. Group: B :Provide children with a woodland setting and the Gruffalo characters. Children to recall characters and the events that take place. Ask the children to join in story telling, continuing an adult model. Ask children to talk about the Gruffalo story character. Challenge: Orally retell the story with adult scribing children’s ideas.
Group: C: Provide children with a woodland setting and the Gruffalo characters. Children to recall characters and the events that take place. Ask the children to join in story telling, continuing an adult model. Children to use 2 word/phrases to describe the Gruffalo. Challenge: Orally retell the story with adult scribing children’s ideas.
|
| Learning Intention | Steps to Success | Teaching (Group time) | 1:1 Work Tasks (differentiated) |
Green paper and mark making tools. Story labels. Sand tray. Gruffalo characters. |
| Writing: Draw lines or shapes on a small or a large scale (e.g. on paper, or in the air, or sand).
LI: Makes circular and linier marks. LI: Forms letters correctly. LI: Uses phonic knowledge to start spelling words.
| I can pick mark making tools. I can explore markmaking tools. I can use mark making tools to make random marks. I can use mark making tools to make purposeful marks. I can watch as an adult make vertical and horizontal marks. I can form letters tracing over an adult model. I can copy letters. I can attempt to form letters independently. I can form letters independently. I can form letters of an appropriate size. I can echo a phonic sound as an adult shows me a letter. I can hear and say all sounds in words. I can blend the sound I hear to say a word. I can say sounds and blend these to read words. I can echo tricky words after an adult model. I can read tricky words in a familiar book. I can read tricky words in my environment. I can select the correct tricky word from a choice of 2. I can select the correct tricky word from a small group of words. | Read the Gruffalo story to the children. Cover the table with green paper. Provide children with different mark making tools (brushes, paint, pens, pencils, etc.). Encourage children to draw the woodland characters (Free mark making exploration).
Extend to: Provide children with labels to label their work/ Use phonic knowledge to write words correctly.
.
| Group: A: Provide children with a sand tray with the Gruffalo characters. Explain them that we need to help the mouse to find the other animals. Support children to trace a line on the sand between the animals. Challenge: Use a pen to make circular or liner marks. Group: B: Provide children with a sand tray with the Gruffalo characters. Explain them that we need to help the mouse to find the other animals. Intensive interaction with children to start forming letters correctly/ Write animal’s initial sounds. Challenge: To write labels. Group: C : Provide children with charatcers from the text and speech bubbles. Ask the children to identify the characters and something they may say from the story. Challenge: To spell words independently.
|
| Learning Intention | Steps to Success | Teaching (Group time) | 1:1 Work Tasks (differentiated) |
Story props. Word cards. |
| Understanding: - recount a short sequence of events (e.g. by sequencing images or manipulating objects).
LI: To sequence a familiar story. | I can explore props linked to familiar text. I can copy and adult model when exploring props. I can use props in story telling. I can sequence props from a familiar story. I can begin to use phrase from a familiar text. I can use phrases from a familiar text when story telling. I can sequence prictures to create a story board. I can sequence phrases to make a famialr story. I can sequence sentneces to retell a familiar story | Using story props such as book, pictures, etc., ask the children to join in with oral story telling.
Adults to model the use of text vocabulary to tell the story.
Also model the use connectives to sequence events.
First Then Next Later After Finally | Group: A: Using a story box, provide children with the chracters and ask the children to role-play/ story tell the text. Children to place animals in order of being met and the mouse to walk along the map to meet each one. Adults to model story book language.
Group: B: Using a story box, provide children with the chracters and ask the children to role-play/ story tell the text. Children to place animals in order of being met and the mouse to walk along the map to meet each one. Adults to model story book language.
Group: C: Provide the children with story scene and characters. Ask the children to identify and sequence these as in the order they appear in the text. Encourgae and model the use of text related language.
Challenge: Adults to question children on comprehension and understanding of the text.
|
| Learning Intention | Steps to Success | Teaching (Group time) | 1:1 Work Tasks (differentiated) |
Story pictures. Sequencing story worksheet. |
| Understanding: - recount a short sequence of events (e.g. by sequencing images or manipulating objects).
LI: To sequence a familiar story. | I can explore props linked to familiar text. I can copy and adult model when exploring props. I can use props in story telling. I can sequence props from a familiar story. I can begin to use phrase from a familiar text. I can use phrases from a familiar text when story telling. I can sequence prictures to create a story board. I can sequence phrases to make a famialr story. I can sequence sentneces to retell a familiar story | Show children some pictures from the gruffalo text.
Ask the children to talk about what they can see and what could be happening in each.
As a class sequence these pictures to create a story board.
| Group: A : Provide the children with a story board- and sequencial language. Ask the children to sequence story pictures to create a text. Adults to question children on comprehension and understanding of the text.
Group: B : Provide the children with a story board- and sequencial language. Ask the children to sequence story pictures to create a text. Adults to question children on comprehension and understanding of the text. Extend/challenge-to orally re-tell events and adults to record.
Group: C: Children to write sentences sequencing the story.
Challenge: Can you tell me the story in your own words?
|
| Learning Intention | Steps to Success | Teaching (Group time) | 1:1 Work Tasks (differentiated) |
Story book. Story questions. |
| LI: I can answer a question ( Assessment) | I can listen to a story
I can understand a story
I can answer questions about a story
I can choose a symbol
I can choose the correct answer
I can write the correct answer
| Re read the story with the children and ask questions about the story. Group the children in ability groups and ask them to act out the story without visual or written support.
| Group: A : Ask children different questions about the story providing them with visual support (symbols) to give them choices.
Group: B : Ask children questions about the story for them to orally answer them without any support. Group: C : Ask children to answer questions about the story by writing correct answer.
Class reflection: Children to share their knowledge about the story and to asses their own work by comparing their answers. Then, ask them to self reflect about their learning through the lessons.
|