Reading in the Middle, Junior and Senior High Schools, Spring, 2010

I decided to review a lesson geared towards elementary school children, specifically kindergartners. Since I plan on teaching children with special needs, diversity is a large part of these children’s backgrounds. When looking for a lesson, I focused on topics dealing with community and celebrating diversity.
The lesson plan I found was about Corduroy the Bear. It can be found at http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/journal-corduroy-responding-literature-30.html?tab=1#tabs. The lesson begins with the teacher reading “A Pocket for Corduroy” by Don Freeman. Although I remember reading “Corduroy” I could not remember this book, so I looked it up on www.youtube .com and it quickly refreshed my memory. If any of you would like to refresh your memory here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUKItzYYKDo. During the reading activity the teacher can ask questions related to the plot, setting or characters, such as, “Who was Corduroy?” “Why did the little girl look for Corduroy?” After the reading activity, the teacher hands out, “Corduroy Favorites,” which focuses on each student’s favorite part of the book, why they liked it and even has them to draw a picture of their favorite part. http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson30/favorites.pdf For the next few days teachers can also use “Corduroy Characters” http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson30/characters.pdf which focuses on the students favorite characters. Through these next few days, the class can read other “Corduroy” books. After the children have become familiar with the books, the teacher tells them that each student gets to take the class’s actual Corduroy bear home with them in a suitcase, and will write an adventure story about Corduroy’s night with the student. The next day, the students will sit in a circle and discuss Corduroy’s adventures he had. After Corduroy has been home with everyone, the class will write a story about Corduroy’s adventures.
I was very impressed with this lesson plan. It went into great depth, and was well comprised. It helps children learn about each other’s community and culture, as the adventures that Corduroy embarks on are related to each child’s home and family. This lesson can be easily adapted to address the needs of individuals with disabilities. But perhaps the part I liked the most of the lesson plan is how it represents diversity such as Corduroy, having a missing button, yet the young girl still picked him, to Corduroy getting to actually go home with the students and then having them share about his adventures at their individual homes. One critique I have of the lesson, is the choice of book to begin the lesson. “Pocket for Corduroy” is the sequel to “Corduroy” so I would have chosen “Corduroy” first then follow with a Pocket for Corduroy.” “Corduroy” also talks about acceptance, which is a crucial concept for kindergartners to understand. I also think it would be a good idea to address the learning styles of all students, so perhaps after reading each Corduroy book, the teacher could have shown the YouTube videos for the corresponding books. The words used in the books, were simple and could easily be incorporated into making them site words for the students to learn. I was pleased with the extensions given in this lesson plans, as it gave wonderful ideas to help the students become critical thinkers. One idea, in particular, was getting other classes involved, and collaborating about the adventures Corduroy is taking in their classrooms. Having the students place themselves in Corduroy’s shoes is also a good idea, encouraging them to ask themselves, “What they would do if they were Corduroy and lost in the Laundromat?” The assessment given in this lesson plan was very thorough and could be given to all students, even with special needs. The assessment was not formal and could easily be conducted through a student-teacher interview.
All in all, after I read the lesson plan, I remember my little cousin had to bring home Corduroy, and write an adventure for him. He also had to take a picture of Corduroy and him at his house, doing an activity that normally took place at night at his house. This could be a good additive to go along with this lesson plan, as these photos could be the illustrations in the class story of Corduroy. This lesson on Corduroy, could act as the building blocks to children’s success in their future classrooms. The students were able to learn about diversity, and responsibility of taking care of Corduroy for the night. Once they reach 3rd grade, they can learn about other great adventurers, such as Nancy Drew (as mentioned under related resources,) and could possibly do similar activities with her.

I love love love this lesson plan Amber! I can see you using this in your classroom as well! I think Corduroy is a timeless character with amazing books that encourage children to be adventurous and loyal to the ones we care about. I really liked the part of the lesson when the students get to each take home Corduroy and write an adventure story about the time they spend with him. I think this will encourage writing just as much as reading in your classroom and get students excited about both. I also like how after each child gets to take Corduroy home, the class will collaborate to write a story, I am sure this will be a very entertaining story! I like this lesson plan because it encourages thinking, and being adventurous instead of always "staying inside the lines", I think if we give students more range to explore within education then they may have a better experience or more positive outlook on school. Overall, good lesson plan find! Thanks for sharing!

I think this is an awesome lesson plan. I loved the Corduroy books when i was younger and I think that it is a good book to really keep the students attention and to really get them interacting with the story. I also like the chance that the students get to be creative by getting to take the Corduroy home and get a picture with it somewhere at their house. I also like the part where the students can write their own story. This i a great lesson plan that I will be sure to use in my own classroom.

I like the lesson plan you chose, Corduroy books are with out a doubt a favorite of my childhood. Corduroy books are definitely a fun read for many students in the lower grades. I like all the good values that kids can gain from Corduroy. The class will also have an opportunity write their on Corduroy adventure which looks to be a very enjoyable experience.
Once again great choice!

I found the anticipation guide a fun and engaging activity, as it broke away from the normal read and reflect monotony we often face. I have done a similar assignment in my middle and high school years, but it was called KWL charts. We wrote in one column what we already knew, another column what we want to know, and the last column what we learned. However, I liked this activity better as it addressed specific topics and asked for your opinion as to why you agreed or disagreed. This will be very beneficial when I become a teacher, as many of my students who will have a disability, may have trouble with abstract material, and by directly giving them certain questions which engage their opinion, will help them become more engaged than simply asking them to blindly give their opinion. The article we looked at was an interesting read, and really brought to light some topics that I have never really thought about. It even changed my mind about some opinions I had before reading the article. I look forward to trying this out in my classroom someday!