Learning Experience Template

Name: Rosa Kleinman

Date and time of the lesson: Thursday, December 10th, 2015, 11:20 am (45 minutes)
School: PS 124M
Grade: 1
Cooperating teacher: Ms. Laura Lai
Room number: 225
Content area: ELA/Social Studies
Central Focus/Essential Question (Standard 3.3)
How do families grow and change over time?
Goal of Lesson
In this lesson, we will read All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little
Shovel by Dan Yaccarino and then complete a T-chart as a class about how the authors family
changed over time.
Common Core Standards (Standard 2.1, 2.8)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3

Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9

Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.

NYSocialStudiesScopeandSequence:
1.8:Historicalsourcesrevealinformationabouthowlifeinthepastdiffersfromthepresent.
1.8a:Lookingatchange
1.8b:FamilyHistory
Prior Knowledge/ Key Misconceptions
The students have already learned about the concepts of past, present, and future. I think that all of
the students will be able identify with the concept of moving to New York City and building a new
life.
Materials & Resources (Standard 3.1)
Chart paper/easel, markers.
Lesson Development (Standard 3.1, 3.3)
(10 minutes) First, I will introduce the book All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian

Family and a Little Shovel and I will explain to the students that it is a non-fiction text and then
we will do a picture walk. I will ask them to think about This is an autobiographical storythat
means it is a story about the author and his family. We will learn about how the authors family
changed over time and we will be writing it down. As we look at the pictures in this story, think
about how the family changed from the past to the present. You can think about where they are,
what their jobs were, how they dressed, where they lived, etc.
(15 minutes) Next, we will read the text. As we read, I will remind the students that we will be
charting the differences between the authors family in the past and the present and ask

comprehension questions:
(10-15 minutes) After we read, we will chart and compare and contrast the differences in the
familys history using PAST and PRESENT on a T-chart. We will also make a list of things
that were similar at the bottom of the chart (ways that the family did not change)
I will be eliciting questions from the students on how the family changed from the past to the
present using questions such as:
Where did the family live? (which country, was it the city or rural?)
How did the ways that the family earn money change?
Did characters names change?
What were some things about the family that stayed the same?
(5 minutes) I will wrap up the lesson by asking the students to reflect on the text in a personal way in
pairs. Did this text remind you of your familys history? How has your family changed from the past to
the present? In what ways? Turn and share with someone next to you. I will then ask a few students to
share.

Differentiated Instruction (Standard 3.2)

To support English Language Learners (ELLs), we will do a picture walk of the text before
reading it. This is especially important because we will be comparing and contrasting the authors
family in the past and present and the pictures in the text will help the students make the right
connections. There are also some challenging words in the text (i.e. zucchini, opportunities,
immigrants, Sorrento, San Gennaro, etc) but I will explain them as we read the text. I will also
give students who may not have had a chance to speak a time to talk at the end during a turn and
talk.
Assessment (Standard 4)
Students have already the learned the concepts of past/present/future. As we chart the authors
family in the past and present, I will be assessing them to see if they understood the chronology of
the story and how the family changed over time. I will also be listening in to the turn and talk to
hear what the students are talking about and what questions they may have.