Pink and Say Lesson Plan
Pink and Say is used as an introduction to our social studies unit on the Civil War. As a culminating part of the unit, the students create a Civil War ABC book. The students really enjoy creating their ABC books. We often invite another class to join us while my students share their books. They are very proud of their finished products.
OBJECTIVE
Students will identify important words and phrases from the story that describe different aspects of the Civil War. They will also compile a list of important words and phrases about the Civil War, discuss with partners and the whole class the theme of the book and knowledge gained about the Civil War. Students will then create and illustrate a Civil War ABC book using information collected during unit of study.
MATERIALS
- Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
- KWL chart
- clipboard, paper, and pencils for each student
- blank books for each student, or paper and binding material (staples, vinyl tape, ribbon) to make your own blank books.
SET UP AND PREPARE
The first 5 class periods are dedicated to reading Pink and Say and other books about the Civil War. The next 5 would be used to create the Civil War ABC books.
Step 1: Before reading the story, I have my students gather at our reading carpet with a clipboard and a piece of lined paper. I explain to the students that we are going to read a story that took place during the Civil War. I then ask my students to tell me what they think they already know about the Civil War. I begin to create a KWL chart while the students share their ideas. The (K) stands for what the students “Think they Know," The (W) stands for “What we want to know," and the (L) stands for “What we learned and is confirmed true.” As a class, we will continue to fill out the chart as we progress through our studies of the Civil War.
Step 2: Explain to the students that as you read the story you want them to create a list of words and phrases that would help them remember and describe what they are learning about the Civil War. Have the students write “Words about the Civil War” on the top of their paper before reading. I encourage the students to write down any words that come to their mind, not just words found in the story.
DIRECTIONS
As I read the story, I stop every couple of pages to discuss what is occurring. I then invite students share some of the words they have written down and how they would describe or explain the Civil War. I also create a class list to help those who might have difficulty finding words. Common words students might write include Pain, children, Abraham Lincoln, Union, danger, root cellar, Marauders, master, Confederate Army, Friendships, slave.
After the students are finished reading we discuss what we have learned about the Civil War. For several days after reading the book, my students study more about the Civil War by reading their textbooks and other classroom materials. As they learn more about the Civil War, we continue to fill out the KWL chart and students continue to add words and phrases about the war to their lists. They also take notes in their notebooks.
When I feel the students have accumulated enough information, they break-up into groups of 4-5 students. As a group, they will create and illustrate an ABC Picture Book about the Civil War. (During this time, I have students look through other ABC books to give them ideas about how to set-up their books.) Students are instructed to brainstorm a word or an idea about the Civil War that coincides with each letter of the alphabet. After that is finished the students write a couple of sentences describing how the word or idea is connected to the Civil War. I find it works best if each student takes a couple of letters of the alphabet to work on and as a group they edit and revise each others work before they create the final copy of the book. During this process, I have my students participate in mini-lessons to bring them through the writing process.
SUPPORTING ALL LEARNERS
It is important to discuss the different events in the book as you read the story because many students do not have prior knowledge about the Civil War.
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