Calvin Book Club Leader: Holland Cummisford

Grade: 4
Date: 4/30/18

Subject area: ELA

Main Focus: “The War That Saved My Life” – Chapters 29-34, Time Period

In a ‘typical’ lesson plan (ELA) you should show about 3-4 common core standards in progress.

1 · Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.4 - Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency
to support comprehension.
· Teaching and Learning Outcomes (Goals): Students will be able to read chapters 32 and 33 out
loud in groups with accuracy and expression in a way that they can answer the following
comprehension questions and summarize events.
· Assessment: Listening to students as they read aloud in groups and answer the following
comprehension questions.

2 · Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 - Describe in depth a character, setting, or

event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words,
or actions).
· Teaching and Learning Outcomes (Goals): Students will be able to describe the historical setting
(WWII) in the novel and how it affects the events and characters using specific details from the book.
· Assessment: Discussion of WWII brainstorming map and how they have been seen so far and
creation of a comic strip emphasizing the historical aspects of the setting.

3 · Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2 - Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or

information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
· Teaching and Learning Outcomes (Goals): Students will be able to use information from the
Power Point chapter summaries, text read aloud, and silently in order to answer comprehension
questions and summarize chapters 29-34.
· Assessment: Comprehension questions following readings and creation of a comic strip
summarizing an event in today’s reading.

Differentiation (UDL)

Content: Vocabulary is introduced, connection to previous brainstorming map and continuation of

discussion on setting
Process: Summaries of chapters, reading out loud in small groups, and reading silently
Outcomes: Comprehension questions, discussion of setting, and creating a comic strip to
demonstrate learning.

Materials and other preparation

 Tri-Fold
 Folders
 Vocabulary Bookmarks
 Popsicle sticks with names
 Comic Strip Layout
  Markers
 Ch. 29-31 Power Point

TEACHER ACTIVITY STUDENT ACTIVITY

Motivating, Engaging. (Introduction)

 Review silent reading: Chapters 26-28. Ask three different  Summarize the
students to summarize what happened in the chapters chapters read on
(choose with popsicle sticks). their own.
 Come back to the brainstorming map about WWII (in the  Review brainstorm
tri-fold) from the first session: How much of it have we map and answer
seen in the book? What new details could we add to our questions about time
knowledge about WWII? Is this an important part of the period in the novel.
book?

Development (Process)
 Introduce the daily vocabulary: “ration” - a specific amount  Contribute to
of something given to each person – and “chilblain” – an definitions and write
itchy red patch you get on your skin when it’s cold. Write the words on vocab
words on the vocab sheet in the tri fold and have the bookmarks
students write the words on their vocab bookmarks.
 Ch. 29-31: Use Power Point to summarize. There are some  Watch Power Point
portions of these Chapters that will be read out loud from and listen to reading.
the book, too:
o Slide 1: Maggie wins the race, but they keep riding
horses together and talk about everything in their
lives
o Slide 2: Susan makes them go cut down their own
Christmas tree, and they make their own paper
ornaments to decorate.
o Slide 3: Maggie tells Ada she needs to get Susan a
Christmas present, so she starts brainstorming…
o Slide 4: She goes to visit Fred and asks for some
yarn. He gives her his wife’s old knitting bag (she
died a few years ago). She brings it home and starts
knitting a present for Susan.
o Slide 5: They all start getting ready for church, and
Susan gives Ada a brand-new green, velvet dress to
wear! Read bottom of pg. 213-214 out loud.
(starting at “it’s perfect.”)
o Slide 6: They do not go to church. Susan wraps Ada
in a big blanket to calm her down, and they all fall
asleep by the fireplace.
o Slide 7: They open their wonderful Christmas
presents, and Ada gives Susann the scarf she knit.
 o Slide 8: 3 of Jamie’s pilot friends come over for
Christmas dinner, and they and they had a great
time!
o Slide 9: They end the night by reading Ada’s new
book: “Alice in Wonderland.” Ada feel connected to
the book. Read last paragraph on pg. 223.
 Ask comprehension questions: Why is Ada so happy to have  Answer
a new friend like Maggie? Why does Ada get so upset when comprehension
she gets a new dress? Have you ever gotten something you questions
felt like you didn’t deserve? What did you do?
 Ch. 32-33: Read out loud in groups of 3. The groups are  Read out loud in
Abby, Lucy, and Pierson; Connor, Audrey, and Alexis groups.
 Once done reading, have them discuss historical aspects of  Discuss historical
the chapters they just read. What happened because it was aspects of setting in
WWII? What would have been different if it was happening groups
today, instead?
 Ch. 34: Read Silently. When finished, move to comic strip  Read silently
activity.

Closure.

 Explain that students will create a comic strip of one of the  Create comic strips
events in today’s reading. The important part is that they from a scene in
need to try to include at least 3 things from the time period today’s reading.
of WWII. This could be done with clothes, food, a sign, etc,
but just make sure someone who had never read this book
before could tell this comic was set in WWII. Pass out the
comic strip layout sheets.
 Share comic strips as a large group. Have other students try  Share comic strips
to find the things that show it is set in WWII. and find historical
 Prayer things in other
students’ comics