The Important Thing About a Family

Lesson Author: Stevane Godina

Subject: Language Arts; Writing

Grade Level: 1

Overview: In this lesson, students identify the ways families provide basic needs to their members. Students create and publish a booklet to display this information. This lesson is designed to have a class of older children buddy with the first graders to help with the reading and writing.

Background for Teachers: Read several books about family prior to this lesson giving students examples of how families provide basic needs. Have a class of older children, 3-6 grade, buddy with the class for this activity to help first graders with the reading and writing.

State/National Standards:

Prepare to write by gathering and organizing information and ideas (pre-writing).
Compose a written draft.
Revise by elaborating and clarifying a written draft.
Edit written draft for conventions.
Use fluent and legible handwriting to communicate.
Write in different forms and genres

Learning Objectives: The learner will identify the ways families provide basic needs to their members.

Materials:

One copy of this story frame for each student (attached at the end of this plan).

A five page flip book for each student. This can be made by taking 3 pieces of unlined 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. Layer them one on top of the other leaving a one inch space at the bottom of each page. Fold the top edges down, again leaving a one inch space between each sheet. Now you have a flip up book with a cover and five pages. Staple once at the top on each side to secure the book.

Procedure:

Read aloud The Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown. The students' books will be patterned after this.

Tell the students they are going to make an 'Important Thing About A Family' book.

Write the word family on the board and draw a circle around it. Have the class brainstorm all the things families provide for us. Record their responses on the board in a web fashion coming off of the word family. Write their ideas in a phrase that could finish this sentence 'The important thing about a family is', such as 'they give you love.' Try to keep the ideas varied by saying 'Can you think of any different ideas?'

Give each student a copy of the story frame (attached at the end of this plan).

Have the students choose the most important thing they think a family provides and write it by line 1. They rewrite it again down by line 5. The older buddies can help them find the idea they like and help with spelling.

Then they choose another thing they think families provide and write it by line 2.

Repeat this process to put ideas by line 3 and line 4 having the older students help with spelling.

Have students and older buddies check to make sure they have all five blanks filled in and that 1 and 5 are the same.

Pass out a flip book to each student.

Have buddies help the first graders see where to copy each line of their story. On the cover will be 'The important thing about a family is'. On the next flap (in the one inch section that is showing) they write idea 1. On the next one inch flap section they write idea 2, and so forth. Idea 5 ends up on the last flap. It helps to have a sample made up ahead of time.

Again have buddies help check to make sure that every line is written in the correct place.

Have students lift up each page and draw a picture to illustrate their ideas.

Resources Consulted/Bibliography: Wise Brown, Margaret The Important Book (Trophy Press, April, 1990)

Extension/Enrichment:

Around the World: Personal Home Pages. As a whole class, using a T.V. display, visit this internet site. It's a fun site showing home pages from families around the world. The url is: http://www.yahooligans.com/around_the_world/personal_home_pages/Families/

Story Frame "The Important Thing About a Family"

The important thing about a family is that:

1.____________________________________________________________________________

2.___________________________________________________________________________

3.___________________________________________________________________________

4.____________________________________________________________________________

5. But the most important thing about a family is that:

_____________________________________________________________________________