Interactive Read Aloud Planning Template
Text: _Beatrice’s Goat
Author: Page McBrier
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Learning Goals: Language Arts or Content Area
 The students will understand a character’s traits based on their words and actions.
 The students will be able to identify why the goat was such a valuable resource for the
family and for others in the community.
Before reading:
Build background knowledge: This is based on a true story about a young girl in Uganda in East
Africa.
Introduce story vocabulary: tend; longed; yearned
Set purpose: As I read this story I want you to listen to what our main character Beatrice says
and does. I also want you to think about why the goat in our story is so valuable to the family
and the community.
During reading:
Teaching Points/Questions:
Page #6-On the previous page the author stated, “there was one reason that Beatrice loved
Mugisa most of all” but on this page the author didn’t come right out and tell us that reason.
Instead, she started telling of the time before Mugisa. What might be the author’s purpose for
doing this? ( to provide us with the story of what makes Mugisa so special to Beatrice, tell us
what life before Mugisa was like)
Page #8-The author says that Beatrice “longed to be a schoolgirl and she yearned to sit on one
of the benches and figure sums on a small slate chalkboard.” Based on how these words are
used, what do you think longed and yearned mean? They are synonyms, which means they
actually mean about the same thing. (students should come to the conclusion that they mean
“wanted or wanted badly”) Why didn’t the author just use the word “wanted” here? (to show
she wanted it badly or to use a more sophisticated word or to vary the word choice)
Page #12- I told you earlier to listen to what Beatrice says and does. Think about her reaction
as her mother tells her about the “lucky gift” they will be receiving. What can we infer or
conclude about Beatrice based on how she responded to her mother? (she’s respectful,
obedient, hardworking) What clues or evidence from the text support these character traits?
(she did what her mother asked without questioning her; she helped her mother- the text says
“she worked harder than ever.” If they can’t come up with the character trait, you could say,
“what clues do we see in the text that prove she is hardworking or respectful?”
Page #14- How can we tell from Beatrice’s actions that she is responsible? (each day she made
sure Mugisa had enough to eat and drink even it meant she had to take another long trip
downstream)
Page #18-On the previous page, it said that Beatrice would have some milk when the other kids
no longer needed it. On this page Beatrice says, “There will soon be enough money for a new
shirt for Moses and a warm blanket for the bed she shared with Grace.” What word could be
used to describe Beatrice based on these actions? (thoughtful, giving, selfless) What word
would be the OPPOSITE of Beatrice’s actions? (selfish)
Page #22-How can we tell that education and school was valued by the family; that it was
important to them? (as soon as they had the money, they sent Beatrice to school; mom said,
“first things first”)
Page #26-How might life for Bunane be different in the future? What clues from the text lead
you to think that? (he may get a chance to go to school too- Beatrice said his family was next in
line to receive a goat and the goat could provide the resources his family needs and possibly
even money so he could attend school)
After reading:
Comprehension focus: In the beginning the author stated “there was one reason Beatrice loved
Mugisa most of all.”. What was that one reason and why was it the most important reason for
Beatrice? (that the goat allowed Beatrice to attend school which is something she had longed
for; in the text it said, “you have given me the gift I wanted most” when she found out she
could attend school)
Vocabulary review: _Review the 3 words mentioned earlier by having the students share a
sentence with their partner using the word in the correct context-how it was used in the story.
(Students should recognize that longed and yearned are synonyms and can be used
interchangeably. They represent a strong desire instead of just something you want)
Written Response: Modeled_____Shared__X___Independent_____
Sample Writing Extensions:
Use details from the story to explain why Mugisa was considered to be a “lucky gift.”
OR
Identify one character trait that describes Beatrice and use evidence from the story to support.
You may want to brainstorm a list of the traits that were discussed, and then have them use
details from the story to prove that particular trait. You could model one; have them do one as
a group, then do one independently.
Example: In the story, Beatrice’s Goat, the main character Beatrice was very responsible. She
helped her mother tend to the fields and often spent her days tending to her five brothers and
sisters. She also made sure that Mugisa was properly fed even if it meant more work on her.
She had a lot of responsibility for someone so young.