YouTube Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=yv0xiVCOfBU
Link to My Read Aloud: A Place For Pluto Read Aloud

Standards: What standard could you address using this book that aligns with the strategy you’ve chosen to
focus on?
ELA Standard(s): https://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2016/ela/

 W.2.1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about,
state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and,
also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a conclusion
 RL.2.5. Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces
the story and the ending concludes the action identifying how each successive part builds on
earlier sections
 RL.2.7. Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to
demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
 RI.2.7. Explain how specific illustrations and images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine
works) contribute to and clarify a text.
 SL.2.3. Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension,
gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.
 SL.2.5. Use multimedia; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences
when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Content Standard(s): https://www.nj.gov/education/cccs/2020/

Science:
 ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System

Social Studies
 6.1.2.CivicsCM.3: Explain how diversity, tolerance, fairness, and respect for others can contribute
to individuals feeling accepted

A. Title of Book:
 Briefly describe the book. A Place for Pluto was authored by Stef Wade and illustrated
Include the title, author, by Melanie Demmer. It is written for ages 5-9 but it does not provide an exact
approximate reading reading level. The book is about the former planet, Pluto, who has been
level, and a brief kicked out of the “famous nine.” When his planet status is stripped away, it
summary. leaves him lost and confused. On his quest to find a place where he belongs,
 Explain why you chose he talks to comets, asteroids, and meteoroids. He doesn't fit it anywhere but
this book. What makes it when Pluto is about to give up, he runs into a dwarf planet and finally finds
a good choice for Read his place in the solar system. This book is a great choice for a read aloud
Aloud or Shared because it is a feel-good story that combines a popular science topic with
Reading? How does it character education themes of self-discovery, identity, acceptance, and
connect to the current friendship. Students can relate to their feelings about fitting in and finding
content you are teaching their place in the world on both small and large scales. Additionally, this book
in your class? Identify connects to second grade scientific content by touching on the Earth and our
what makes it solar system. It introduces the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
 developmentally and
culturally appropriate for Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, dwarf planets such as Pluto, moons, asteroids,
your students and their comets and meteoroids.
interests.

1. Read Aloud
 Consider what discussion
you can create before
during and after the
lesson.
3 Lesson Sequence
Discussion Before Reading:
Preview the book cover and title, then ask students what they think
the book is about or related to. Ask if they know where the story is taking
place and if they can describe anything that they think might be happening on
the cover: the look on Pluto’s face, why he has a luggage bag, what place the
author might be describing. We will flip through some of the pages in the
book and discuss whether or not they see anything familiar, any images that
stick out and any changes that may seem present based on the illustrations.
Ask students if they can make any educated guesses or inferences about what
might happen to Pluto throughout the story.

Discussion During Reading:

During the story, ask students if they know what an asteroid, meteor, or
comet is. Ask students to consider how Pluto feels when his friends tell him
that he is no longer part of their group. Ask the students if they ever
experienced anything like this, or if they have ever felt sad or like they didn’t
belong (like Pluto in his situation or another). If time permits, ask them to
consider if they think about how their actions make others feel. Some sample
during reading questions include:
 What do you think would be the “worst news ever” for you?
 Discuss what “the famous nine” means.
 What emotions do you think Pluto feels when his friends tell him that
he is no longer a planet?
 What is a protest?
 Why can’t Pluto be an asteroid, comet, or meteor?
 What does it mean to feel blue?

Discussion After Reading:

After the reading, discuss why Pluto was no longer considered a planet
and who made the decision. Discuss how Pluto felt to be kicked out of his
friend group and what he did following the “worst news ever.” Ask questions
such as:
 How did Pluto’s feelings change at the end of the story?
 Discuss what a dwarf planet is.
 Discuss Pluto’s problem-solving skills and how he came to find new
friends.
 Do you think Pluto should still be a planet? Why or why not?

As students think about Pluto and his place in the universe, ask them to think
about whether or not they would consider Pluto a planet if they were
scientists. What are some of the reasons/thoughts that they came up with,
 why or why not? Also, talk about their own place in the universe, where they
belong, and how they can work towards finding out.
2. Strategy Focus
Based on the literacy strategy you
identified in lesson 1, consider how you
will explicitly teach and have students
practice the literacy strategy using the
workshop model structure to design
your plan. Be specific and address the
following components of the lesson as it
relates to the book you’ve chosen.
 Identify a literacy strategy
you will have opportunities for
developing in students by using this text
as a mentor text. Be specific about how
the strategy aligns well with the book.
o Connection
o Model or Teach
o Engage Students
o Link to Independence
o Independent Practice with
Coaching
o Share Session
Strategy: Generating and Asking Questions
Connection: Explain the following to the students, “In the book A
Place for Pluto, the author presented Pluto with a serious
problem: He was no longer a planet. In order to find a solution to
this problem, Pluto had to go on a search and figure out where he
belonged in the solar system. He had to ask many questions in
order to find his place among the dwarf planets. We will be going
over the concepts of what a Question-Answer Relationship looks
like and how to recognize them while you are reading. Good
readers pay attention to questions and often look for solutions to
follow. In my example, I will demonstrate how I ask and interpret
questions to better understand the reading. Then, I will ask that
you do the same; create your own questions about the reading
and as a class, we will discuss some potential answers or ideas in
response.”
3 Examples from the Book for Modeling:
Question-Answer Relationship Table (QAR):
 “As a good reader, I ask questions throughout the
reading, a question that I have is what made Pluto so
different from the other planets?”
 “As a good reader, I make predictions about the story
line. I predict that Pluto will be able to be a planet
again.”
 “As a good reader, I consider the characters feelings.
If Earth was like a mother to Pluto, why didn’t she
help him?”
1 Example from the Book for Students to Use the Strategy
through Active Engagement:

3. Writing Connection - Application of the Reading Through a Meaningful Connection to Writing:
 Design a writing task for students to
complete which will integrate
opportunities to apply the literacy
strategy.
 Clearly identify what the writing
prompt will be.
 Include an explanation of what the
criteria will be for this task. What will relationship and not another?" Continue to give students
you expect students to do?
 How will the prompt you’ve created
enable to them use the literacy
strategy?
Gather students on the floor/carpet to participate in Planet Pass-
Around. Each student will get a chance to roll the ball to a person
in the circle. The person with the ball will say what he or she
learned from the book and ask a question about something they
would like to know more about.
Explanation to support students’ ability to link the strategy to
how it should be used whenever they read:
Good readers automatically engage in critical thinking by asking
themselves questions to make sense of what they read. Factual
questions are important, but students must also learn how to
generate the kinds of questions that require them to go beyond
readily available information if they are to engage in deeper
critical thinking. By using active engagement, the students will
bounce ideas off of each other and ask questions that encourage
critical thinking based off of the reading.
Independent Work:
Ask students to work independently in class to generate their
own questions and QAR sheets then pass to a classmate who will
provide answers to the sheet that they have created. Students
should have some ideas flowing after our Planet Pass-Around
activity.
Share:
Allow students to share their questions and answers with the
class (one or multiple). Record students QAR task and upload to
our collaborative class Padlet.
Writing Task: After creating our own Question-Answer
Relationship tables and introducing them to the QAR concepts, I
will provide them with a reading passage and a question and
answer for the passage. Have students, individually or in
cooperative groups, read the passage, identify the question-
answer relationships present, if any, and explain their thinking.
Ask, "Why do the questions represent one question-answer
immediate feedback.
Passage:
 QAR Example:

Right There (Question):

What is Pluto Considered?
Answer:
Pluto is considered a dwarf planet

 Briefly engage students in discussion first. Encourage

students to talk about the topic before writing. Ask the
following:
 Would you still consider Pluto a planet? Why, or why
not?
 How did Pluto change throughout our read aloud
story?
 What kind of questions do you think the author asked
herself while writing?
 Transition them to the idea of writing or drawing their
ideas. For example, say the following:
 Can we write that down so I can remember it?
 Maybe we should draw a picture so we can remember
what you said.
 If the student writes successfully… encourage them to
think about what else they can say to add to the story.
 If the student is feeling inspired… ask them to write or
draw an alternative ending to the story and share with
the class if they wish to.