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| Overview |
 Each session of this lesson plan focuses on the strategy of “wonder” statements, asking students to stop, think, and write about what may be happening in the text periodically as they read a story. This strategy helps students think about what they are reading and helps increase reading comprehension. This lesson can also be used during guided reading centers, while the rest of the class is participating in other Leo Lionni activities, such as those suggested in the Extensions section.
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| From Theory to Practice |
Strategies that help students stop and think while reading can increase student understanding and comprehension. When we ask students to focus on this kind of thinking consciously, they engage in metacognition, or “thinking about thinking,” which has been relates directly to reading comprehension. Strategies that can help increase metacognition include explicit instruction, modeling, interaction, increased student control, guided practice, and systematic feedback.
Further Reading
Collins, Vicki L, Dickson, Shirley V, Simmons, Deborah C., and Kameenue, Edward. “Metacognition and Its Relation to Reading Comprehension: A Synthesis of the Research.” NCITE Research Synthesis. 1996. University of Oregon. 22 April 2006.
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| Student Objectives |
Students will
- participate in class discussions about characters, setting, and plot.
- make predictions about a variety of texts.
- draw conclusions from a variety of books.
- learn how to make “I wonder” statements while reading a new text.
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| Instructional Plan |
Resources
Preparation
- Gather several copies and titles by Leo Lionni from the booklist or other suggested titles, which include Swimmy (1963), A Flea Story (1977), A Color of His Own (1975), Frederick (1967), Fish is Fish (1970), It’s Mine! (1985), The Biggest House in the World! (1968), Tillie and the Wall (1989), Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse (1969), Little Blue and Little Yellow (1959), Matthew’s Dream (1991), Mr. McMouse (1992), Feathers for Lunch (1990), and A Busy Year (1992).
- Preview the Leo Lionni books you have selected, and mark three pages spread out within the book for students to stop at and write a wonder statement. Use the Stop and Wonder Bookmarks to mark the pages for the students.
- Divide the class into groups for guided reading (leveled or mixed reading ability).
- Copy “I Wonder” Worksheet, Wonder Statement Directions, and Stop and Wonder Bookmarks.
- Test the Stapleless Book on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tools and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.
- Print Stapleless Books for students with “I wonder” on the first page and room for a picture on the opposite page and make copies. This where students will record their wonder statements.
Instruction and Activities
Session One
- Picture walk Swimmy by Leo Lionni together. Discuss what students think the story is about, asking questions such as the following:
- What do the students think is the setting of the story?
- Who do you think is Swimmy?
- Read Swimmy aloud to students. Stop and wonder aloud what might happen next in the story periodically, using questions such as these:
- “I wonder if Swimmy will make friends.”
- “I wonder if that is the same fish that ate Swimmy’s family.”
- Write these statements of wonder on the board or chart paper as you read the story.
- Look back at the wonder statements, and discuss what happens in the story by discussing how you found some of the answers from the story (e.g., Swimmy made friends and was happy).
- Discuss how some of the answers will not be answered in the text (e.g., It’s not clear if the fish at the end is the same fish as in the beginning).
Session Two
- Review wonder statements on the book Swimmy from the previous session.
- Explain that the class is also going to get a chance to create wonder statements.
- Pass out “I Wonder” Worksheet.
- Read The Biggest House in the World! by Leo Lionni to students.
- Stop every few pages, and ask students their own wonder statements about the story.
- Write their ideas on the board or chart paper.
- Halfway through the story, ask students to pick a wonder statement, write it on their paper, and draw a matching picture.
- Continue to read The Biggest House in the World! stopping every couple of pages to write down wonder statements from the students.
- At the end of the story, ask students to pick another wonder statement to write down and draw a picture to match it.
- Invite students to share their wonder statements and discuss whether they found the answers to their statements or if they are still wondering. This process can create a lively conversation when students have differing opinions about whether the answer was in the text or not.
Session Three
- Arrange students in groups of three to five. Students can be grouped by reading level or groups can be mixed levels of reading.
- Ask students to read a Leo Lionni book together in their small groups.
- After each group has completed the book, pass out copies of the Wonder Statement Directions and the Stapleless Books that you prepared before the session.
- Ask students to follow the instructions on the Wonder Statement Directions:
- Picture walk the story together.
- Make a wonder statement together before reading the story. What do you think this story is about?
- As your group is reading the story, you will come to a bookmark.
- At each bookmark, stop and write down a wonder statement about that reading selection in the Stapleless Book.
- After completing the story, draw a picture to match each wonder statement from the story.
Session Four
- Once all of the groups have completed their Wonder Statement Stapleless Books, invite them to share their work with the class.
- Discuss the wonder statements with the students.
- Did they find answers to their questions in the book?
- Were more answers based on their own opinions and experiences?
- End the discussion with any other feedback that the students would like to share about the project.
Extensions
Web Resources
- Book List: Authors Starting with Ks & Ls
http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/KLauthor.html
- This site is helpful for guided reading groups. It includes Leo Lionni books and their reading levels.
- Paper Bag Puppets
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/puppets/paper bag/index.shtml
- Leo Lionni has so many animal characters in his books. Children can learn how to make a variety of paper bag puppets and reenact Lionni's stories or make their own!
- Leo Lionni Author Study, from Beal School
http://www.shrewsbury-ma.gov/schools/Beal/Curriculum/media/Lionni/leolionni.html
- Created with content by first grade children, this Web site has links to more information about Leo Lionni, written in a form that is easily understood by children.
- Swimmy Puzzle
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow8/dec98/games/slidepuzzle/swimpuzzle.html
- This interactive puzzle invites students to put the school of fish back together.
- Leo Lionni Author Study
http://www.waiau.k12.hi.us/Waiau/StudentLearn/Gr4/LeoLionni/llindex.htm
- A fourth-grade class shares their drawings and text from a Leo Lionni author study.
- Leo Lionni
http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/dcorley/authors/Lionni.htm
- This site has basic background information on Leo Lionni as well as links to related sites, including a link to an interview with the author.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
- Monitor student participation during whole group talks and discussions of wonder statements.
- Check “I Wonder” Worksheet for completion and student understanding.
- Check Stapleless Book for wonder statements that are clear and connect to the story.
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Check Stapleless Book for pictures that match statements.
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1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
2 - Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
7 - Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
11 - Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
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