LitCamp Sample Lesson | Grades 1–2

ORANGE BUNK (GRADES 1–2) Sample Lesson

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen • Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes LESSON: 3 UNIT: BELONGING

OBJECTIVES Reading: Campers will use illustrations and details from the story to describe story elements (characters, setting, and key events). Listening and Speaking: Campers will act out a story utilizing details from the text and illustrations. Writing: Campers will create their own illustrations and sentences about a favorite story event. Lions do not belong in libraries! Or do they? Campers will come to better appreciate the theme of belonging as they explore the characters, setting, and key details in this story about a lion who proves to the people in the library community that he does indeed belong.

UNIT GOAL Through books and shared experiences, campers will appreciate the importance of belonging and develop their sense of belonging to the camp community.

OPENING CAMPFIRE 15 MIN

WELCOME Greet your campers by name as they enter. Invite them to put their personal items away and gather on the floor or other common area.

MATERIALS FOR THE DAY • Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen (leader’s copy and copies for campers) • Leader copy of Story Elements chart • Timer for the game of Snapshot • Independent reading book baggies or self-serve bins with books inside • Campers’ journals, pencils, and crayons Whole Group Chart for Leader’s Use Story Elements Story Element Description Character: Library Lion

OPENING SONG The Hello Song COMMUNITY BUILDING ACTIVITY Bunk Identity

Explain to campers that their community is the LitCamp Red Bunk. As a group, create and display a banner that identifies the bunk. Teach or have campers customize a Bunk Cheer, which you might decide to use some days as an alternative to the transition song.

Character: Miss Merriweather

Character: Mr. McBee

Setting: The Library

Event: Library Lion

becomes part of the library community.

TRANSITION SONG Now We’re Ready

Event: Miss Merriweather gets hurt and Library Lion must help her.

BOOK: Library Lion • LESSON: 3 • UNIT: BELONGING 89

WORDS OF THE DAY • describe: to tell what something or someone is like • library: a place in the community where people can use books, computers, and magazines • rules: statements about what you are and/or are not allowed to do • story elements: the characters, story events (plot), and setting

EL SUPPORT For children whose first language is Spanish: point out the similarity between describir and the English term describe. Discuss the connection between the Spanish word for book, libro , and the English word library.

LESSON: 3 • UNIT: BELONGING

READ ALOUD: Library Lion 25 MIN

INTRODUCE THE BOOK Today is the first day of our new unit, Belonging. Belonging means feeling needed, loved, and respected in a place or community. As we read today’s book, think about what it means to belong. • Display Library Lion , noting the title, author, and illustrator. What can you tell about the lion character from the illustration on the cover? DURING READING As you read, pause for discussion as noted below. The first page of the text is page 3. • AFTER PAGE 4: Why does Miss Merriweather say that the lion can stay? What do you think she would have said if the lion had broken a rule? How do you know? • AFTER PAGE 9: How would you describe the lion? What do we know about him so far?

EL SUPPORT Some children may not be familiar with how a library works. Explain that a library is a place where people can borrow books to look at. If possible, give children a tour of the school library, or encourage children’s families to take them to a public library to apply for a library card.

• AFTER PAGE 16: How does the library community feel about the lion? What clues do you see in the illustration that support your thinking? • AFTER PAGE 22: Why is the lion leaving the library? What does this illustration tell us about the lion and Mr. McBee? • AFTER PAGE 30: How are the people feeling right now? What do you see in the illustration that tells you the people are hoping that the lion will come back? • Why did Mr. McBee decide to go find the lion even after the lion broke the rules? • In the end everyone, even Mr. McBee, agreed that the lion belonged in the library. What did the lion do that made them feel this way? Would you have felt the same as the community members? Why or why not?

AFTER READING The author’s words told us a lot about the characters, setting, and events. When we really studied the illustrations, we found even more information, especially about the characters!

BRING THE TEXT TO LIFE: Act It Out! 20 MIN

remember that our camp community supports each other. Each of you belongs to this community, and in this community, we don’t laugh at others if they make a mistake. Let’s be supportive audience members by listening and showing kindness. If time permits, have campers act it out several times. After each performance, ask the audience: What did we love about that performance? What was your favorite part? Did we miss anything important? Is there anything we want to look back in the book for before we do it again?

INSTRUCTIONS: Invite campers to act out the story of Library Lion . Explain that each camper will have a chance to play one of the main characters. Give campers the freedom to make signs or use other simple props to support the storytelling. Ask for volunteers or assign the following roles: Lion, Miss Merriweather, Mr. McBee, the story lady, and a few children who use the library. When the first actors are ready, say: If you get stuck and forget what comes next, ask for help! Before we start,

TRANSITION SONG The Cleanup Song

READING POWER: Story Elements 25 MIN

Share the Story Elements chart. This chart shows the characters, the setting, and two key events from the story. Today we’re going to practice describing these elements with details. Model how to complete a description by pointing out that you used examples from the book to support your thinking.

TEACH: An element of the story is like an ingredient in a recipe. The characters, setting, and story events are the elements that work together to make the whole story. Details are the small pieces of information that tell us even more about a story element.

STORY ELEMENT

DESCRIPTION

The lion likes being in the library. He likes to hear stories, and to help the children and Miss Merriweather. He’s caring because he breaks the rules to help Miss Merriweather when she is hurt, even when he knows it might get him in trouble.

Character: Library Lion

Character: Miss Merriweather

Character: Mr. McBee

Setting: The Library

Event: The lion becomes part of the library community. Event: Miss Merriweather gets hurt and the lion must help her.

with a partner, using the text for support. After campers have described the elements with their partners, bring them back together and add their thinking to the chart. CLARIFY: Strong readers use details from the words and pictures in a text as clues to help them describe characters, setting, and events. We can always look back at the book for more clues.

TRY: Today you’re going to work with a partner to describe the characters, setting, and key events from Library Lion . Each of you has a copy of the book, so you can turn back to important parts of the book for clues. Give campers time to meet with a partner. Campers will use the elements listed on the chart and describe them

BUNK TIME: Independent Reading 20 MIN

Before settling down for independent reading, have campers stretch, shake, or move in time to music. Campers will read independently for 10 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, stop them and say: Campers, now you’re going to have some time to read with a friend. I want you and your friend to sit next to each other with the book in between. Take turns reading each page back and forth. When you’re done with the book, choose a character, setting, or event from the book. Remember to go back to the text if you think you forgot anything about your story element. Select a few campers for reading conferences during this time.

Possible Areas of Focus for Conferring • Who are the characters in the book? • Can you describe one element of the book with details (character, setting, story events)? • If the camper is reading nonfiction: Can you show me a nonfiction text feature in your book? EL SUPPORT Use pictures from Library Lion or children’s independent reading books to review the meanings of feeling words, e.g., happy, sad, angry, excited, worried, before asking: How are the characters feeling? How do you know?

LESSON: 3 • UNIT: BELONGING

COMMUNITY LIT: Play Snapshot 15 MIN

will sit. Then we’re going to see how many details you can remember about the pose. Note: If you have on hand some simple props, such as hats, sunglasses, or toys that you can add to a snapshot, you can add to the fun of the game. Encourage campers to be specific about what they observed in each snapshot. If needed, ask questions such as: Who was sitting in the chair? Who was smiling? What snapshot was your favorite? Why?

RULES FOR THE GAME: Today we’re going to play a game called Snapshot! You’ll close your eyes and I’ll choose three campers to pose in a snapshot, like a posed photograph, while the rest of you still have your eyes closed. Then I’m going to say, “Ready, Set, Snapshot!” and you can open your eyes. You’ll have 15 seconds to look at the pose, and then I’m going to say, “Time’s up!” and the campers who were posed

WRITING POWER: A Favorite Story Event 15 MIN

TEACH: Today we’ve been talking about using details when describing the story elements: the characters, setting, or events in a story we read. For your writing, you’re going to illustrate your favorite moment from Library Lion and tell or write a sentence to go with your picture. Include as many details as possible about the characters, setting, and events in your picture. The moment you pick can be one that is in the book, such as when Library Lion breaks the rules by roaring, or a moment that isn’t in the book, such as what Library Lion does when he leaves the library after saving Miss Merriweather. Remember how much information we got from Kevin Hawkes’s illustrations? Try to make your illustrations as detailed as his.

TRY: What moment from Library Lion do you want to illustrate? Why? Turn and talk, share the moment with a partner, then get ready to draw and write. CLARIFY: You’re going to create an illustration for Library Lion . Remember to include details that give information about the moment you’re illustrating. Tell or write about your drawing, too. SHARE OUT: Have volunteers share their pages. EL SUPPORT Help ELs add labels to their pictures using English words and words from their first languages. For example, if a child’s favorite scene is when Mr. McBee finds the lion in the rain, you might suggest labeling the umbrella.

CLOSING CAMPFIRE 15 MIN

WORD GAME: True or False?

A library is a good place to eat breakfast. “No running” was one of Miss Merriweather’s rules . When you describe something, you never give any details about it. The setting of a story, or where and when the story takes place, is one kind of story element .

Review the words of the day and then have campers stand in a circle. Explain that you are going to use the words in sentences. Campers should clap if a sentence is true. If it sounds false, they should stamp their feet. You may also want to give volunteers time to correct false sentences or make up new sentences of their own—and have other campers clap if they think the new sentence is correct.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Turn knee to knee and discuss these questions with your partner. What did you learn about belonging from reading and discussing Library Lion ? What makes you a valuable member of your community? PRAISE AND AFFIRMATION: Offer concrete praise and affirmation for reading steps or new things the

campers have tried today and/or ways they have demonstrated one of the 7 Strengths. SHOOTING STARS DANCE: Together with the rest of the group, throw shooting stars (pretend to throw a basketball into a hoop). The campers get to do a dance with the praise, or they can put it in their pockets.

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