ELA Plan (90 Minute Block)
1st 9 Weeks: Week 6
Day 1
10 minutes
Set the
Stage
10:20-10:30
DEAR Time
10 minutes


Independent Reading – Choice short reader or vocabulary reader from
the teacher’s basket
10:30-10:40
Spelling
/Grammar
Mini-Lesson
10 minutes
10:40-10:50
Whole
Group MiniLesson
15 minutes
Reading
Groups /
Centers
Writing
MiniLesson
Flashback
Overview of Learner Outcome
Spelling:
Grammar: abstract nouns
10:50-11:05
40 minutes
11:05-11:45
15 minutes
12:35-12:50



Read aloud from More Stories Julian Tells.
A day when frogs wear shoes
Discuss the character’s traits and motivation
Centers
Groups (1&2)
 Copy the chapters The Bet and I Learn Firefighting, I Wish for Smokey
the Bear.
 Discuss character’s traits and motivation
 Using the t chart identify the problem and solution in all 3 chapters
Topic: Organization
Tell students authors use titles to get people interested in the
book and to tell a little about the story. Explain to them that
there is a difference between a title and a label.
Give them some examples:
Label - My Trip to the North Pole
Title - The Polar Express
Label - Our Dog
Title - Good Dog, Carl
Label a piece of chart paper "Titles Come From:". List three
categories under the title: "Names of Characters", "Words
from the Story", "A Place in the Story".
Tell students authors get their titles by using the name of an
important character like Miss Rumphius, a quotation from the
story like Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle, or a
key setting or place in the story like Tar Beach by Faith
Ringgold.
Writer’s
Workshop
Closure &
Homework
20 minutes
12:50-1:10
10 minutes
Read a book and list the title under one of the 3 categories that you have
on a piece of chart paper: Names of Characters, Words from the Story,
Places in a Story. KEEP THIS POSTER ALL YEAR LONG AND ADD
TO IT!
Read a story aloud to the students and don’t show them the title. Have
students brainstorm with a partner to come up with a good title using
one of the 3 categories.


Oral discussion (Think Pair Share) have students discuss or prove to
their partners that they can demonstrate understanding of the
learner outcome
Pass out Reader’s Theater Script Assign Parts


Flashback
Overview of Learner Outcome
1:10-1:20
Day 2
10 minutes
Set the
Stage
10:20-10:30
DEAR Time
10 minutes
Independent Reading – Choice short reader or vocabulary reader from
the teacher’s basket
10:30-10:40
Spelling
/Grammar
Mini-Lesson
10 minutes
10:40-10:50
Whole
Group MiniLesson
15 minutes
Reading
Groups /
Centers
Writing
MiniLesson
Spelling:
Grammar: abstract nouns
10:50-11:05
40 minutes
11:05-11:45
15 minutes
12:35-12:50




Read aloud from More Stories Julian Tells.
Superboy and Me AND Huey makes the Leap
Compare and contrast the two stories
Identify the problem and solution of both stories
Centers
Groups (3&4)
 Copy the chapters The Bet and I Learn Firefighting, I Wish for Smokey
the Bear.
 Discuss character’s traits and motivation
 Using the t chart identify the problem and solution in all 3 chapters
Ahead of time label a piece of chart paper with "Good Beginnings
for Stories". Under this title list four headings: "Questions",
"Characters Talking", "Action" and "Telling Who and/or Where".
Tell students authors think about how to begin their stories in an
interesting way. Read the first sentence of each of these four
books and ask students to tell you what kind of beginning it is,
using the categories on the chart. Write the beginning sentence
and the title in the correct category.
1. Toot and Puddle by Holly Hobbie - Toot and Puddle lived
together in Woodcock Pocket. (Who and where).
2. The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins - "I've made some
cookies for tea," said Mom. (Character talking).
3. Alexander and the Wind Up Mouse by Leo Lionni - "Help!
Help! A mouse!" There was a scream. Then a crash. Cups,
saucers, and spoons were flying in all directions. (Action)
4. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak - Have you ever
heard of Mickey, how he heard a racket in the night and
shouted Quiet Down There! and fell? (Asking the reader a
question)
NOTE: you can use whatever stories you have
Writer’s
Workshop
Closure &
Homework
20 minutes
12:50-1:10
10 minutes
Ask students to try out one of these types of beginnings in the
next story they begin. Look for evidence of this as you
conference with students and during Author's Chair. As you read
books aloud over the next several weeks examine the beginnings
and add them to the chart.
Have students begin writing a story with a partner. They should
quickly brainstorm the elements of the story and start their story
using one of these beginnings.


Oral discussion (Think Pair Share) have students discuss or prove to
their partners that they can demonstrate understanding of the
learner outcome
Assign journal prompt for homework.


Flashback
Overview of Learner Outcome
1:10-1:20
Day 3
10 minutes
Set the
Stage
10:20-10:30
DEAR Time
10 minutes
Independent Reading – Choice short reader or vocabulary reader from
the teacher’s basket
10:30-10:40
Spelling
/Grammar
Mini-Lesson
10 minutes
10:40-10:50
Whole
Group MiniLesson
15 minutes
Spelling:
Grammar: abstract nouns
10:50-11:05



Read aloud from The Stories Huey Tells
Blue Light, Green Light
Discuss the character’s traits and motivation
Reading
Groups /
Centers
Writing
MiniLesson
40 minutes
11:05-11:45
15 minutes
12:35-12:50
Centers
Groups (1&2)
 Read the chapter The Rule
 Discuss the character’s traits and motivation
 Discuss how the books are written by the same author. How can we
tell? What do you notice about the topics, themes or styles.
Writing a Good Ending
Explain to children that stories do not just stop when the
author runs out of time or gets tired of writing. They have
endings and this is different from simply writing "The End".
Ahead of time label a piece of chart paper "Good Endings
for Stories". Under this title list these categories: Surprise
Endings, Happy Endings, Sad but True Endings.
Read aloud I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. Ask
students whether they think this book will fit best under
surprise, happy or sad. Most students will probably think it
is sad. If they do, add the title of this book to the "sad"
category.
Read Beware of the Bears! (surprise ending), and add it to
the chart. Later, read The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
(happy ending) and add the title to the chart.
Continue to add books from read aloud time to the chart
for several weeks. It is really not important that all students
agree on what kind of an ending the story has as long as
they have a good rationale for their thinking.
NOTE: you can use whatever stories you have
Writer’s
Workshop
Closure &
Homework
20 minutes
12:50-1:10
Students should continue writing the story with their partner.
They should use one of the endings from the mini lesson.
10 minutes

1:10-1:20


Oral discussion (Think Pair Share) have students discuss or prove to
their partners that they can demonstrate understanding of the
learner outcome
Have students read each other’s homework response from their
journals.
Assign vocabulary words for students to do Frayer Model with.
Day 4
10 minutes
Set the
Stage
10:20-10:30
DEAR Time
10 minutes


Independent Reading – Choice short reader or vocabulary reader from
the teacher’s basket
10:30-10:40
Spelling
/Grammar
Mini-Lesson
10 minutes
10:40-10:50
Whole
Group MiniLesson
15 minutes
Reading
Groups /
Centers
Writing
MiniLesson
Flashback
Overview of Learner Outcome
Spelling:
Grammar: abstract nouns
10:50-11:05
40 minutes
11:05-11:45
15 minutes
12:35-12:50



Read aloud from The Stories Huey Tells
Chef Huey
Complete a character analysis of Huey
Centers
Groups (3 and 4)
 Read the chapter The Rule
 Discuss the character’s traits and motivation
 Discuss how the books are written by the same author. How can we
tell? What do you notice about the topics, themes or styles.
Topic: Word Choice
Brainstorming Alternatives (developed by Vicki Spandel)
Ahead of time, write this sentence on a piece of chart paper: I
had a good time at your house yesterday.
Tell students you were thinking of writing a note to a friend
you visited, but you think this sentence is kind of boring. You
are tired of the word "good" and want some other ideas
about what you could write that would let your friend know
how you felt.
Have students brainstorm words that could be used instead
of good. Possible alternatives might include: terrific, fantastic,
great, magnificent, exciting, or awesome. The idea is to help
students understand that they have many alternatives when
they choose the right word to use.
Do this many times using a variety sentences, such as:
I had a BAD dream last night.
"I can't stand it anymore," SAID the teacher.
I could tell it was a MEAN dog.
Brainstorm alternatives to the words in capital letters.
Modeling Word Choice
Model your own writing process in front of students. Use your
own topic or borrow one from one of the lessons in 4 Blocks.
As you write, stop three or four times to consider word choice
and ask for suggestions from the students. Since you are the
author, you will decide which word to choose.
For example, if you are writing about your pet, you would
decide to write, "I have a dog," or "I have a sheep dog," or "I
have a big, shaggy monster."
Looking for Great Word Choice in Literature
Choose a book that you have read aloud to the class. Write
down one sentence from the book. For example, if you were
reading A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle, you could use
the first sentence from the second paragraph:
"But it was frightening out in the open sea without a shell to
hide in."
Underline the word "frightening" and tell students that the
author could have chosen other words to use instead. Have
students give some suggestions for other words. They may
suggest scary, terrifying, etc.
The point that you want students to understand is that
authors make choices about which words to use and that
there are many choices that would fit. The author's job is to
choose the best word. Have students talk about whether they
think Eric Carle used the best word and why they think that.
Writer’s
Workshop
20 minutes
12:50-1:10
Making Word Posters
Ahead of time, label a poster with the word "Good". Have
students brainstorm other words they can use instead of
good. List these words on the poster, and then post it in
the room so students can use it as a reference when
writing.
You can do this with other words, such as bad, sad, mad and
said, or any word you think your students overuse
Closure &
Homework
10 minutes
1:10-1:20

Oral discussion (Think Pair Share) have students discuss or prove to
their partners that they can demonstrate understanding of the
learner outcome