From “Little House” to my house: Exploring history and family roles
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=879
A lesson plan for grades K–2 English Language Arts
In this lesson, students learn about historical fiction, memoirs, pioneer life in the United States, and family roles by reading a picture book adaptation of Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. After a read-aloud, first and second graders practice literary analysis by drawing connections between a text and their own experiences, comparing and contrasting ways families are alike and different, and categorizing information using a graphic organizer. By engaging students in an activity where they complete T-charts comparing a character from the book to a member of their family, the teacher helps students make connections with the literature. Readwritethink provides several options for extensions to this lesson and opportunities for student assessment and reflection.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 1
- Goal 2: The learner will develop and apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.02: Demonstrate familiarity with a variety of texts (storybooks, short chapter books, newspapers, telephone books, and everyday print such as signs and labels, poems, word plays using alliteration and rhyme, skits and short plays).
- Objective 2.03: Read and comprehend both fiction and nonfiction text appropriate for grade one using:
- prior knowledge.
- summary.
- questions.
- graphic organizers.
- Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
- Objective 3.01: Elaborate on how information and events connect to life experiences.
Grade 2
- Goal 2: The learner will develop and apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.06: Recall main ideas, facts and details from a text.
- Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
- Objective 3.01: Use personal experiences and knowledge to interpret written and oral messages.
Kindergarten
- Goal 2: The learner will develop and apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.02: Demonstrate familiarity with a variety of types of books and selections (e.g., picture books, caption books, short informational texts, nursery rhymes, word plays/finger plays, puppet plays, reenactments of familiar stories).
- Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
- Objective 3.01: Connect information and events in text to experience.
