Whole Group Reading- Focus Lesson

February 20, 2018

LEARNING GOAL / OBJECTIVE MCCRS
I can refer to the elements of a folktale in order to ask and Primary: RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to
answer questions about the text. demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly Commented [J1]: This objective will allow students to
to the text as the basis for the answers. practice going back into the text to identify details to
Secondary: RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; support their thinking instead of simply shouting out the
first thing that comes to their mind. I highlighted how
recount the key details and explain how they support managing one’s impulse is critical in allowing them to come
the main idea. to a correct conclusion when asking and answering
questions.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING MATERIALS

 Observation of student learning and behaviors/  Common Folktale Elements Chart
anecdotal records  The Tortoise and the Hare
ACCOMODATIONS/MODIFICATIONS
IL - CFU, repeated directions, modified instruction,
reduced workload, extended time

AGENDA (Lesson Sequence) BIG IDEA/TASK

❶ Introduction & Establish Purpose/ Lesson: Good readers refer explicitly to the text for the
Connect with Prior Learning (1-2 min.) basis of their answers.

❷ First Read (10-15 min.) Module: Exploring the World through Traditional
Literature
❸ Send Off (3-5 min.)
TASK: Students ask and answer questions about
The Tortoise and the Hare using evidence from the
text as the basis for their answer. (RI.3.1)
LESSON SEQUENCE TEACHING MOVES & LANGUAGE
❶ State the purpose of the strategy, skill or task Commented [J2]: Scholars are alerted that true mastery
of concepts occurs only when they take their time to
Introduction & understand the information being presented to them. In
“The new unit we are starting is about folktales. Today, we are going to practice identifying
Establish Purpose elements of a folktale in order to better understand the information being presented in the
order to provide a reasonable response, they have to pause
and think about what they read in order to make a
text. Good readers look carefully at all the elements of a folktale in order to understand the reasonable inference.
Connect with Prior lesson or the author’s message. They stop to think about the details presented in the text in
Learning order to better understand the author’s message.”

Possible Word Study

Connection Reminder

Name the strategy, skill, or task.

“Today we are going to begin our new unit which will allow us to explore the world through
❷ traditional literature. “Folktales are made-up stories, even if they have elements from the
Name It! real world. Even though they are imaginary, not real, they are often told because they
Tell them what you will contain a lesson. Today we’re going to identify the common elements of a folktale in our
teach today. (1-2 min.) story.”
 Demonstrate how the skill strategy, or task is completed.
 Direct explanation
 Demonstration

Today we are going to read a short folktale called “The Tortoise and the Hare”. As
we read, we are going to stop and think about the elements of a folktale that is
presented in this story. We are going to utilize the “common elements” chart and our
guiding questions to help us identify important details from the text. These details will
help us understand the common elements of a folktale (characters, setting, plot,
lesson” as it appears in this folktale. We will then refer to the details recorded to state
the lesson learned from this folktale. Commented [J3]: The lesson that will be highlighted from
this folktale is “managing impulsivity”. By taking their time
Hand out the chart below to scholars to record details about the elements of a folktale and the
main details from the story, scholars will be able to draw a
sound conclusion. Instead of simply stating a random
Guiding Questions: How does “The Tortoise and the Hare” incorporate common lesson, I will return to the notes recorded to support my
elements of a folktale thinking.
Element Definition In a Folktale… In The Tortoise and
the Hare…

Explicit Teach/
Direct Explanation Say….
-Folktales are made up stories that are passed down from one generation to another
Show them exactly how -There are many different kinds of folktales but they all share the same characteristics
to do it. Read and think -What do you think are some common elements (or characteristics) of a folktale? (call
aloud while they watch, on a few scholars to share)
or demonstrate exactly
what you want them to
do. The following are the common elements of a folktale:
-characters: People of figures in a story
-setting: the time and location of a story
-plot: the main events; the storyline
-moral: the lesson learned

In a Folktale
-characters are usually either good or bad
-the time is usually “long. Long ago”
- Plots or story events are simple. Problems are often solved in surprising ways,
sometimes using magic.
-the lesson reflects the morals and values of a culture

Add these description to chart

Guiding Questions: How does “The Tortoise and the Hare” incorporate common
elements of a folktale
Element Definition In a Folktale… In The Tortoise and
the Hare…
Characters People or figures in Characters are
a story usually either good
or bad
Setting The time and The time is usually
location of a story “long, long ago”
 Plot The main events; the Plots or story events
stotyline are simple.
Problems are often
solved in surprising
ways, sometimes
using magic.
Moral The lesson learned the lesson reflects
the morals and
values of a culture

We are now going to read the folktale “The Tortoise and the Hare”. As we read, we
are going to pay close attention to elements of a folktale in order to answer the
guiding question: How does “The Tortoise and the Hare” incorporate common
elements of a folktale?

Text online: [Link]

There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run.
Tired of hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, the tortoise, challenged him to
a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to watch.

Hare ran down the road for a while and then and paused to rest. He looked
back at Slow and Steady and cried out, "How do you expect to win this race
when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?"

Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking,
"There is plenty of time to relax."

Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped until he came
to the finish line.

The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise, they woke
up Hare.

Hare stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was too late.
Tortoise was over the line.

After that, Hare always reminded himself, "Don't brag about your lightning
pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!"

-Now that we’ve read the folktale, lets take a second to think about the important
details in order to retell the folktale. (give students 15 seconds to silently think about
the story). Remember to reference the common elements of a folktale in your Commented [J4]: Giving students think time will decrease
summary. May I have a scholar to share the summary of the folktale? the chances of students shouting out the first thought that
-“The hare, believing he could never lose to a slow moving creature such as the comes to their mind. When I ask questions, students eagerly
raise their hand before I am even done speaking. By
tortoise, stopped to rest, believing he has all the time in the world. The Hare ends up incorporating think time in all of our discussions, scholars
falling asleep and the tortoise moves past him to win the raise. will learn to be more reflective before raising their hand.
 Lets think about the folktale we’ve just read. What are the elements of a folktale as
seen in the Tortoise and the Hare? (Call on scholars to share)

-The characters in the this folktale is the Slow and Steady Tortoise and the Speedy
Hare
- Setting: In the forest
-Plot: The Hare took a nap because he thought he could never lose the race. The
tortoise ended up winning the race before the hare woke up.
-moral: always display humility (teacher response)

“ Let’s be honest, the tortoise did not win the race; the hare lost the race. If the hare
just ran the race and did not nap he would have easily won. This is why the lesson I
see from “The Tortoise and the Hare” is one of managing your impulse (taking your
time to think through things; planned ahead before acting). The hare simply decided to Commented [J5]: I explicitly discuss the habit of mind of
take a nap, without first planning how he was going to wake up in time. He did not “managing your impulse” by referencing the actions of the
consider other alternatives. If the hare had managed his impulse, and not immediately hare. Students were in agreement with me that hare’s
actions were impulsive because he did not think before
say “yes!” to tortoise request and then took a nap, he would have definitely won. In acting. His actions caused him to lose the race.
fact, the race probably would not have happened because the rabbit would not have
been bragging about his speed.”
Check for understanding through formative assessment.

The importance of managing your impulse was one moral of the story “the Tortoise
and the Hare”. Which animal did not manage his impulse? Which animal managed
❹ his impulse?

Send off If the Hare had managed his impulse, how would the story had been different? Commented [J6]: This question allowed students to use
what they learned about “managing your impulse” to retell
the story of the tortoise and the hare”. Although scholars
were able to verbalize to me what they learned about
managing their impulse, they were having difficulties
rewriting the story with this in mind (Hare managed his
impulse so he did not nap). Some scholars still had the
tortoise winning the race.

We held a brief class discussion in which students were able

to rewrite the end of the story with hare winning the race.
Students were asked why was this possible and they stated
because “he did not nap!” Another scholar expanded on this
idea and stated that hare managed his impulse by focusing
on the task at hand (running the race).