Stephanie Rosica Interactive Read Aloud: Picture Book
Common Core State Standards: Reading Standards for Literature K-5 Grade 5, [Link].5.10 Objective: The students will listen as the teacher reads aloud, stopping to make predictions, connections, and wonderings. Materials: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg Lesson Sequence: Before Reading: Okay students today we are going to read The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. As I show you the cover of the book I want you to come up with some predictions about the picture. What can you tell me you think this book is about based on the cover? Have the students share their predictions and ask them what made them think that. As I start to read I want you to think about the predictions we have made to see if they are happening in the story. This will help us make new predictions if the ones we thought of were not set in the story. During Reading:
Throughout the reading of the book I will stop to see if the predictions we had made are coming to a confirmation or not. This will help the students make new predictions about the story.
On page 9 ask, How do you think the train is climbing up these tall mountains as if it were a roller coaster?
On page 11 I will demonstrate to them the thinking I am doing as I read the passage. Since the mountains are turning into hills, and the hills are turning into snow covered plains. I can gather from that information that they are getting to flatter land and maybe closer to the North Pole. Then they pass over a giant desert of ice where they see lights that appear to be from an ocean liner sailing on the frozen sea. This tells me that it probably isnt a ship since there is ice all around, so it must be a town of some sort. This is then confirmed when the conductor tells us that it is in fact the North Pole.
On page 19 stop before it says what he asked Santa for, What do you think the boy will ask for the first gift of Christmas?
After Reading: So some of us predicted some things that were confirmed. Did you all think that they were going to end up meeting Santa and going to the North Pole? I want you to turn and talk, I want you to share with your partner things that you found interesting and some things you thought were going to end differently.
Assessment: How will you know the students are successful?
The students will be successful if they are to come up with predictions based off of the book cover. While also rethinking some parts of their predictions within the story itself using the information they have learned from the book.