LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Writing with Koala Lou (Sequencing and BME)

After reading the story Koala Lou aloud, students practice sequencing the events of the story and identifying the beginning, middle, and end. Upon completing this activity in cooperative groups they write using a teacher given prompt, including proper sequence and beginning, middle, and end. They also share the final product with their cooperative group.

A lesson plan for grades K–1 English Language Arts

By Jenifer Lewis

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Learning outcomes

The student will identify the proper sequence of the story events in a logical order and identify using beginning, middle, and end - resulting in a written paper to include these elements.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

3.00 hours

Materials/resources

  • Koala Lou by Mem Fox
  • A scripted version of the story cut into large sentence strips (one or two sentences grouped together)
  • pocket chart, blackboard, or easel
  • notebook paper
  • pencil

Technology resources

None

Pre-activities

The teacher begins the lesson with a discussion of the importance of sequencing events in a written paper. Also, the students participate in identifying the importance of the beginning, middle and end of a story. The teacher reads aloud Koala Lou to the students.

Activities

Using large sentence strips with sentences from the story, teacher and students put the strips in the proper sequence in pocket chart or on board. Next, they group the strips together according to beginning, middle, and end.

Upon completion students begin writing their own story. Prompt: Think about a special time you spent with an adult. Write a story about that time. Students use a flow map for prewriting. Once the story is completed, students return to cooperative groups to share. The group members must be able to identify the BME (beginning, middle, and end) of the story.

Assessment

Teacher monitors during cooperative group activities to check for sequencing and BME labeling. Students can successfully identify BME in their writing and other student’s writing.

Supplemental information

None

Related websites

N/A

Comments

Adorable story! Your students will love meeting Koala Lou.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 1

  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.02: Use words that name characters and settings (who, where) and words that tell action and events (what happened, what did ___ do) in simple texts.
    • Objective 4.05: Write and/or participate in writing by using an author's model of language and extending the model (e.g., writing different ending for a story, composing an innovation of a poem).

Kindergarten

  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.06: Write and/or participate in writing behaviors by using authors' models of language.