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

Tacky the Penguin

After reading the story, Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester, the students will write their own Tacky story. The students will brainstorm ideas before getting started. Next each student will write a rough draft. After the rough draft, the students will proofread and edit their work. Then the students will type their story and illustrate the pictures.

A lesson plan for grade 1 English Language Arts and Information Skills

By Tonya Williams

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • comprehend the story and retell it in their own words.
  • write complete sentences to retell the story.
  • use the Writing Process (with the help of the teacher and assistant) to write and rewrite their own story.
  • type their story after proofreading and editing.
  • use word processing skills to type their story.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

5 days

Materials/resources

Used by the teacher:

  • book Tacky the Penguin and Three Cheers for Tacky by Helen Lester

  • Teachin’ Cheap by Linda Holliman page 84
  • chart paper

Used by the students:

  • writing paper
  • black construction paper
  • white construction paper
  • scissors, pencil, crayons, and glue

Technology resources

computer
Microsoft Works or any word processing software
printer

Pre-activities

Before the students began writing, I read Tacky the Penguin. Then I divided the class into two small groups. I worked with the students who could already write complete sentences. In this group of 9 students, we discussed what caused Tacky to be an odd bird. On chart paper, we made one big multi-flow map (for cause and effect). My assistant worked with the other group of 11 students. This group consisted of the students who were having some difficulty writing complete sentences. They used a tree map (for classifying). Using the tree map made it easier to write three complete sentences. They had to tell what Tacky had, did, and is.

Activities

All week before writing, I read Tacky the Penguin. Each day we discussed a different element of the story. By Wednesday, the students were helping me read the story. On Friday, my class had “Tacky Day” and the students got to act out the story. I also read Three Cheers for Tacky on this day.

  1. After reading the story, explain a new part of the writing process since this was the students first time using this process.
  2. On day two, model how to write three sentences from the charts that each group had made the day before. Make sure to put mistakes in your model so that you can also show how to proofread. Explain that it was okay if the first draft was sloppy. Also, have each student get out a red crayon to use while they were proofreading.
  3. As the students finish, show small groups how to make a penguin tri-fold book (Teachin’ Cheap). This was done on days two and three depending on when each child finished writing, proofreading, and editing.
  4. Before the students type their story, have a writing conference with each student after they had corrected their mistakes. This should take place on days three and four.
  5. I only have one computer in my classroom so while one student was typing, I had the other students who were finished illustrate each page. The students put one sentence on each page. The students typed their story in Microsoft Works, using the first grader font with 20 as the font size. I had to help them go into this program because we had not used this before. I also had the students press enter a few times after each sentence so that it would be easier for them to cut out the sentences.
  6. On days four and five, students finish typing and illustrating their stories. As they print their stories, show them how to cut and put their sentences on each page.
  7. After five days, I still had a few students who had not had a chance to type their story so I let them go into the computer lab to finish typing. The end result was that each student had their very own version of Tacky the Penguin.

Assessment

Before the students began typing their stories, I made sure that they had proofread and corrected their writing. As my assistant and I conferenced with each child, we were able to tell who was still having trouble with writing complete sentences, putting punctuation at the end of their sentences, and using capital letters in the correct places.

When the students were on the computer, I was able to observe who knew basic word processing terms like enter, backspace, space bar. I was also able to see who had trouble taking their information from their paper to the computer. The students could not print until I had checked their typing.

Supplemental information

Thinking Maps Writing Program
If your school does not have this you can find the program at the URL below.
http://www.thinkingmaps.com

Related websites

http://www.thinkingmaps.com

Comments

I get a lot of ideas for making books in Teachin’ Cheap. This book gives ideas for materials that you already have on hand at your school. I used this lesson last year except the students did not type their stories. The students felt more successful typing their stories because they felt like they had made a real book.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Information Skills (2000)

Grade 1

  • Goal 5: The learner will COMMUNICATE reading, listening, and viewing experiences.
    • Objective 5.01: Respond to reading, listening, viewing experiences orally, artistically, dramatically through various formats.

Computer Technology Skills (2005)

Grade 1

  • Goal 1: The learner will understand important issues of a technology-based society and will exhibit ethical behavior in the use of computer and other technologies.
    • Objective 1.04: Discuss ownership of computer-created work. Strand - Societal/Ethical Issues
  • Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the use of computer and other technologies.
    • Objective 2.04: Identify and use basic word processing terms (e.g., file, open, close, menu bar, save, print). Strand - Keyboard Utilization/Word Processing/Desk Top Publishing
    • Objective 2.05: Locate and use letters, numbers, and special keys (e.g., arrow keys, space bar, insert Enter/Return, Backspace, Delete) on the keyboard. Strand - Keyboard Utilization/Word Processing/Desk Top Publishing

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 2.04: Use preparation strategies to anticipate vocabulary of a text and to connect prior knowledge and experiences to a new text.
    • Objective 2.05: Predict and explain what will happen next in stories.
    • Objective 2.06: Self-monitor comprehension by using one or two strategies (questions, retelling, summarizing).
    • Objective 2.07: Respond and elaborate in answering what, when, where, and how questions.
  • Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
    • Objective 3.03: Discuss unfamiliar oral and/or written vocabulary after listening to or reading texts.
    • Objective 3.05: Recognize how particular authors use vocabulary and language to develop an individual, recognizable voice.
  • 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).
    • Objective 4.06: Compose a variety of products (e.g., stories, journal entries, letters, response logs, simple poems, oral retellings).
  • Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
    • Objective 5.01: Use phonic knowledge and basic patterns (e.g., an, ee, ake) to spell correctly three-and four-letter words.
    • Objective 5.02: Apply phonics to write independently, using temporary and/or conventional spelling.
    • Objective 5.04: Use complete sentences to write simple texts.
    • Objective 5.05: Use basic capitalization and punctuation
      • first word in a sentence.
      • proper names.
      • period to end declarative sentence.
      • question mark to end interrogative sentence.
    • Objective 5.06: Self-monitor composition by using one or two strategies (e.g., rereading, peer conferences).