The Story of the Three Whales
Day 1:
Green Band
VSC: 1.B.2.a Use phonics to decode words
Objective: Students will be able to decode grade level words by blending
Word Knowledge
Direct Instruction
o Review sound spelling cards
o Review Sound/spelling cards 34 and 37
o Point to the words in lines 1-2 and 5 and ask the students to read the words together
If the students have difficulty reading the word, stop and have the students blend
the word until they have pronounced the word naturally
o Have students read sentence 1 unison twice, the first time with a focus on reading the
words, and the second time with a focus on reading the sentence smoothly
o Talk about the lines and the sentences
Lines 1-2: All of the words are from the selection and provide practice with /e/
spelled ee and ea. After reading the words, have the students underline the spellings
for /e/.
Line 5: All of the words are from the selection and provide practice with hyphenated
words. Before having the class read the words in line 5, review compound words.
Tell the students that that some compound words have a special punctuation mark
called a hyphen. These words are called hyphenated compounds. Have the students
then read the words in Line 5 and discuss the meaning of each word. Tell the
students that they will see hyphenated compound words in the selection they are
about to read.
Sentence 1: Have students identify the words in the sentence with /e/ and /i/. Ask
a volunteer to underline the spellings of the long vowel sounds.
Developing Oral Language
o Ask a student to come up to the board and underline a long vowel sound in a word from the
word lines. Then have the student use the word in a sentence.
o Say each compound word. Have the class identify the two words that make up each
compound word. Ask the students to name other compound words they know.
Workshop
o See workshop chart
Red Band
VSC: 2.E.2.a: Make and explain connections made from prior knowledge and experiences within the text
2.E.2.c: Set a purpose for reading and identify a text (fiction/non-fiction)
2.E.3 (a-j): Use strategies to make meaning from text
Objective: SWBAT make ask questions, monitor and clarify, and summarize to increase comprehension
by reading The Story of the Three Whales.
Build Background
Activate Prior Knowledge
o Preteach by having students recall that in “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” kindness is a two
way street. Ask students whether they remember a time when they performed an act of
kindness for someone who performed an act of kindness for them. Explain to students that
in this story, the acts of kindness cannot be reciprocated.
o Discuss other true life adventure stories about animals that students might be familiar
with, such as Fly Away Home or Free Willy. Ask students to share what they know about the
relationship between people and whales.
Background Information
o Tell students that “The Story of the Three Whales” is an example of a true adventure.
Explain that a true adventure tells the story of an event that really happened. This genre is
nonfiction and is written to tell about an exciting or suspenseful event that actually
happened. It is meant to be informative and to tell a story using facts about real events or
real people. This information can be checked in sources such as encyclopedias or
newspapers.
o Some students might not realize that animals have instincts just as people do. Most of the
whales in the story instinctively knew when it was time to leave the cold waters for
warmer ones. Discuss the instincts of other animals, such as birds flying south in the
winter.
Preview and Prepare
Browse
o Have a student read the title aloud. Point out the names of the author and the illustrator
and discuss what they do.
o Have the students preview the selection by browsing the first few pages of the selection,
including the text and the illustrations.
o As the students browse, have them search for clues, problems, and wonderings they have
about the text. Use Reading Transparency 39 to record these observations.
o Have students read the focus questions aloud.
Set Purposes
o Ask students to think about questions that they might have about sharing stories. Remind
them of the wonderings that they just listed. Ask students what information they want to
find out from this story, and other reasons that they have for reading the text.
Selection Vocabulary
Display Reading Transparency 9 before reading the selection to introduce and discuss the
following words and their meanings
o Lurk: to hide in or about a place
o Surface: to rise to the top of any liquid
o Trudged: walked or marched steadily with great effort
o Plight: a bad condition or situation
o Invincible: impossible to defeat
o Ordeal: something that is difficult to do
Go through and have students read words from the word box, stopping to blend any words that
they have trouble reading.
Have students read the sentences on the transparency with teacher
Use the skills of context, word structure, and apposition to figure out the meanings of words
Have students guess what the words mean in each sentence, and make sure that the meaning that
the students came up with fits both sentences.
o Make sure that students explain how they came up with the answer that they volunteer.
“What in this sentence tells me…”
Break words apart to find base words that students will be familiar with.
After coming up with definitions for each vocabulary word, reread the student definitions, and
give clues for the words and have students call out the word in the word bank that matches.
Using Comprehension Strategies
Focus strategy: Summarizing
o Prompts readers to keep track of what they are reading and to help focus their minds on
important information
Focus strategy: Ask Questions
o Prompts readers to learn how to ask strategic questions and to focus on what they are
reading
Focus strategy: Monitoring and Clarifying
o Helps readers understand the meanings of words and difficult ideas or passages
Have students track with their fingers as I read the text aloud. (page 200-209)
o While reading, model focus strategies
Workshop
Silent reading
Blue Band
VSC: 2.D.1.b Spell phonetically regular high frequency words
Objective: SWBAT read and spell words with short u in them
Spelling Words
Trade old for new behavior charts
Introduce new spelling words for the week
o Robin
o Dragon
o Chicken
o Lemon
o Wagon
o Cabin
o Broken
o Seven
o Open
o Person
Day 2:
Green Band
VSC: 1.B.2.a Use phonics to decode words
Objective: Students will be able to decode grade level words by blending
Word Knowledge
Direct Instruction
o Review sound/spelling cards
o Point to the words in lines 4-5 and ask the students to read the words together
If the students have difficulty reading the word, stop and have the students blend
the word until they have pronounced the word naturally
o Have students read sentence 3 in unison twice, the first time with a focus on reading the
words, and the second time with a focus on reading the sentence smoothly
o Talk about the lines and the sentences
Lines 3-4: The words provide practice with /i/ spelled igh and i_e. Have volunteers
point out the different spellings for /i/.
Line 6: The selection spelling words in this line provide with the final /en/ sound.
Sentence 2: Have the students identify the words in the sentence with /i/ and their
spellings.
Sentence 3: Have students identify the words in the sentence with the final /en/
sound.
Developing Oral Language
o Ask a student to come up to the board and underline a long vowel sound in a word from the
word lines. Then have the student use the word in a sentence.
o Say each compound word. Have the class identify the two words that make up each
compound word. Ask the students to name other compound words they know.
Workshop
o See workshop summary table
Red Band
VSC: 2.E.2.c: Set a purpose for reading and identify a text (fiction/non-fiction)
2.E.3 (a-j): Use strategies to make meaning from text
2.E.4.a: Review/restate and explain what the text is mainly about
Objective: SWBAT make ask questions, monitor and clarify, and summarize to increase comprehension
by reading The Story of the Three Whales.
Summarize Reading from Day Before
Using Comprehension Strategies
Focus strategy: Summarizing
o Prompts readers to keep track of what they are reading and to help focus their minds on
important information
Focus strategy: Ask Questions
o Prompts readers to learn how to ask strategic questions and to focus on what they are
reading
Focus strategy: Monitoring and Clarifying
o Helps readers understand the meanings of words and difficult ideas or passages
Discussing the Selection
Handing off
o Review rules of handing off
o Ask questions
What does this story have to do with our theme, “Kindness?”
What is the most important part of this story?
What was difficult to understand?
How were the Inuits being kind?
Independent Activity
Have students complete comprehension Day 2 assessment independently
Workshop
Have students read independently
Blue Band
VSC: 5.C.2.d Use capital letters to identify nouns and begin sentences
Objective: SWBAT capitalize proper nouns and sentence beginnings by writing their own sentences
Grammar
Direct Instruction
o Review what students know about capital letters (they are used for proper nouns – the
names of people, places, and things.)
o Tell students that the names of the days of the week, the months of the year, and the first
word in the greeting of a letter begin with a capital letter also.
o Use Language Arts Handbook pages 236-237 for examples of rules for capitalization
o Examples of capitalization: Write on the board
Days of the week: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
Months of the year: June, April, December
Greetings in a letter: Dear Melissa
Guided Practice
Go over Comprehension and Language Arts Skills page 36 together as a class. Make sure to
explain that when you are editing, you need to make marks to show the writer how they can fix
their work.
Independent Practice
Have students complete page 37 independently.
Day 3:
Green Band
VSC: 1.B.2.a Use phonics to decode words
Objective: Students will be able to decode grade level words by blending
Decodable
Read the decodable Aloha Hello, Aloha Goodbye
o Review the high frequency words on the word wall
o Have students identify the word, say it, and use it in a sentence.
Allow students to read each page to themselves, walk around and answer questions about words
that are difficult.
Have students track on their decodables while the entire class reads the book chorally.
Phonics and Fluency
Direct Instruction
o Review sound/spelling card 37
o Point to the words in lines 1-5 and ask the students to read them together. If students have
difficulty reading a word, stop and blend the word until the students are able to pronounce
it naturally. Tell students that blending is an important strategy for figuring out unfamiliar
words.
o Have the students read each sentence twice – the first time to make sure they know the
words, the second time for smooth, fluent reading.
Talk about the words and the sentences
Line 1: The words provide review with /e/ spelled e and e_e. Have the
students say each word and clap the syllables. Then ask the students to
identify which syllable contains the long e sound.
Line 2-4: All the words are from the story and provide review with /e/
spelled ee, ea, and _y. Ask students to identify the /e/ spelling in each word
by underlining the spellings on the board.
Line 5: The words provide review with /e/ spelled _ie_.
Sentence 1: Ask the students to identify the words in the sentence with /e/
spelled ea. (creature, leaf)
Sentence 2: Have students identify the words in the sentence with /e/
spelled ee. (trees, breeze)
Sentence 3: Have students identify the words with /e/ spelled _y and _ie_ in
the sentence. (scary, movies)
Developing Oral Language
o Ask a student to underline a long vowel spelling in a word from the word lines, then read
the word and use it in a sentence.
o Make up sentences using words from the word lines. Ask students to fill in the blanks by
pointing to and reading the words on the words lines.
Red Band
VSC: 2.E.2.a: Make and explain connections made from prior knowledge and experiences within the text
2.E.2.c: Set a purpose for reading and identify a text (fiction/non-fiction)
2.E.3 (a-j): Use strategies to make meaning from text
Objective: SWBAT be able to make inferences using the text The Story of the Three Whales
Focus Comprehension Skill
Inferences
Introduction to New Material
o Definition: we make an inference when we use our brains to figure out something that
happened even though it wasn’t said exactly in our books
o We might make inferences about something that has already happened, the way that a
character is feeling, what day it is, or other things that are not directly said in the book
Guided Practice
o We will make inferences in two short stories – A Birthday Bike and Adventure at Sea –
filling out a chart (Text, What I Know, Inference)
Second Read
Reread story as a class
Guided Activity
Go through comprehension assessment Day 3 with students, making sure that they understand
how to answer the questions correctly.
Workshop
Students will read independently
Blue Band
VSC: 2.C.2.d Use capital letters to identify proper nouns and to begin sentences
Objective: SWBAT start all sentences by using a capital letter
Writing
Read Language Arts Handbook pages 68-71 to introduce the friendly letter writing form.
Show a model of good writing: Language Arts Transparency 1.
Teacher model: Inspiration: “I want to write a friendly letter to a friend or relative telling about
someone who showed me kindness, just like in ‘The Story of the Three Whales’. I’ll think of someone
who has given me an unexpected gift.”
Brainstorming
o Using kindness in the selection as a springboard for ideas, encourage students to suggest
ideas for friendly letters. Make a list of ideas on the board. Have students write ideas in
their Writer’s Notebooks in the Writing Ideas section.
Guided Practice
o Have each student choose an idea to develop. Make sure the ideas are about an unexpected
gift they gave or received.
Day 4:
Green Band
VSC: 1.B.2.a Use phonics to decode words
Objective: Students will be able to decode grade level words by blending
Phonics and Fluency
Direct Instruction
o Point to the words in lines 1-6 and ask the students to read them together. If students have
difficulty reading a word, stop and blend the word until the students are able to pronounce
it naturally. Tell students that blending is an important strategy for figuring out unfamiliar
words.
o Have the students read each sentence twice – the first time to make sure they know the
words, the second time for smooth, fluent reading.
Talk about the words and the sentences
Lines 1-2: The words are multisyllabic words with long vowels. Have the
students identify the long vowel sounds and their spellings in each word.
Lines 3-4: The words are multisyllabic words with short vowels. Ask
students to identify the short vowel sounds in the words. Have the students
clap while reading the word to identify the syllable breaks.
Lines 5-6: The words provide practice with the schwa sound. Write the
word alone on the board. Point out that the word alone has 2 syllables. Point
out that the vowel in the first syllable can be heard even though the syllable
is not stressed. This is called a schwa sound. As each word is read, have the
students identify the vowel that has the schwa sound.
Sentence 1: Have the students identify the word in the sentence with /e/.
Than have the students identify the spelling. (freezing – ee)
Sentence 2: Ask the students to identify the word in the sentence with the
/i/ (insects)
Sentence 3: Ask the students to identify the words in the sentence with the
schwa sound.
Developing Oral Language
o Have a volunteer point to a word in one of the word lines, read it, and use it in a sentence.
o Have a student act out one of the words from the word lines. The student who guesses
what the word is should use it in a sentence; then that student should act out a new word
for the students to guess.
Red Band
VSC: 2.E.2.a: Make and explain connections made from prior knowledge and experiences within the text
2.E.2.b: Make predictions or ask questions about the text by examining the title, cover,
illustrations/photographs/text, and familiar author/topic.
2.E.2.c: Set a purpose for reading and identify a text (fiction/non-fiction)
2.E.3 (a-j): Use strategies to make meaning from text
Objective: SWBAT make inferences using the text The Story of the Three Whales
Second Read
Inferences: Mini Lesson
o Read parts of “Sideways Stories”
o Model making inferences while reading
o Ask students how characters are feeling and how they know while reading
o Prompt students to make inferences on their own while reading
Have students find and make inferences in their books in The Story of the Three Whales
Independent Activity
Allow students 15 minutes to complete comprehension assessment Day 4 independently.
Workshop
Silent Reading
Blue Band
VSC: 4.1.a-c Compose texts using the prewriting and drafting strategies of effective writers and speakers
Objective: SWBAT brainstorm ideas to compose a friendly letter
Direct Teaching
Review ideas for the friendly letters from Day 1
Make a list on the board of everyone’s ideas. Have students work together in a group to organize
their ideas
Remind students to think about who is going to read their letter and why they are writing a letter
Independent Practice
Have students complete the audience and purpose section in their Writer’s Workbook on page 14.
Students should begin to complete the graphic organizer on page 15 also.
Day 5:
Green Band
VSC: 1.B.2.a Use phonics to decode words
Objective: Students will be able to decode grade level words by blending
Dictation
Direct teaching
o Have students take out their composition notebooks. Have them open to the next blank
page and write “Dictation” and the date at the top of that page.
o Follow this procedure with the dictation words:
Say the word
Use it in a sentence
Repeat the word
Have the students say the word and identify the spellings in each sound.
At the end of the line, write the word on the board and have students correct them
in their notebooks.
o For the sentence, say the sentence as a whole, and dictate one word at a time. Write the
sentence on the board and have the students proofread. Students should check for spelling,
capitalization, and punctuation.
Red Band
Poetry Lesson
Blue Band
VSC: 2.D.1.b Spell phonetically regular high frequency words
Objective: SWBAT read and spell words with long a by frequently reviewing them
Spelling Test
Administer spelling test
Have students write the name and date on their papers
Have students label their papers 1-10 along the side
Students will be expected to remain silent throughout the duration of the test
Say the word, use the word in a sentence, say the word again
Once the test is over, allow students to ask about words that they may have missed