Ages 5-8 Lesson Plans Lesson Plans Every Lesson: Identifies key vocabulary and tricky phrasing Includes discussion starters and questions to check for understanding Features engaging writing prompts Includes activities and at least one printable activity or resource Aligned to Common Standards Every lesson plan aligns with gradelevel standards in Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening and Literacy and supports age appropriate learning mindsets and behaviors. Seven book-based lesson plans that elaborate on the third letter of NED s name. LESSON PLANS FOR AGES 5-8 Book Title and Author Just a Duck Carin Bramsen IDEAL FOR AGES 5-6 Pete the Cat & the New Guy Kimberly and James Dean Printable Activities Photos of Animals: Teaching aid I Can Book: Story retelling, personalization and writing practice Art Collage: Textural art project Writing Prompt: Writing practice Second Writing Prompt: Writing practice Big Ideas Do Your Best Uniqueness of Me Friendship Compassion Self-Acceptance Never Give Up Determination Clorinda Robert Kinerk Illustrated by Steven Kellogg Writing Sheet: Story telling and reflection Good, Better, Best: Self-Assessment LESSON PLANS FOR AGES 8-12 Book Title and Author Calvin Can t Fly Jennifer Berne Illustrated by Keith Bendis Unicorn Thinks He s Pretty Great Bob Shea The Dot Peter H. Reynolds Printable Activities Everyone s Unique: Identify and reflection chart (double-sided) Story Planning: Pre-write brainstorm Peer Edit Guide: Reference handout When We Do Our Best: Personal reflection with partners Graphic Organizer: Persuasive Writing Organizer Big Ideas Do Your Best Never Give Up Uniqueness of Me Self-Acceptance Encouragement Boasting Better Than You Trudy Ludwig Illustrated by Adam Gustavson Personal Inventory: Self-assesment Class Survey: Create a list to identify unique traits 2015 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show More lesson plans & resources at www.thenedshow.com/teachers
Just a Duck? by Carin Bramsen Themes Do Your Best Uniqueness of Me Friendship Compassion Self Acceptance Encourage Others Heroes Appreciation of Differences Cat and Duck are friends. Duck wants to do everything that Cat does but he finds that his best efforts don t produce the same results as Cat s best efforts. Duck soon discovers what he is best at and they both learn that they are real heroes because of their unique abilities. IDEAL FOR AGES 5-6 PRINTABLE: Photos of Animals Key Vocabulary Slink: to move as if afraid or ashamed. Creep close to the ground to avoid attention. Shame: to feel like you have done something not right Shimmy shake: to move and wobble your body from head to toes Bat at leaves: to swing and softly hit, not to hurt or destroy Before Reading: Discussion Starters Teacher Note: NED reminds kids to do their best at everything! Even if you can t do something as great as someone else always try to do your personal best. That s what makes you a champion! And, if you never give up, you will get better and better with practice. 1. Show students an empty box and ask, If you looked into a box and saw a cat, what you would see? Answers will vary: four legs, furry, nose, ears, tail. If students are having trouble visualizing and describing show them the picture of the cat. Help them to focus on the physical description not sounds they might hear! 2. Could that same description fit a duck? Why? Why not? Describe how they are the same and different? Answers will vary as students compare and contrast a duck and cat s physical features. 3. We re going to read a story about a cat and a duck who want to be friends. Do you think that would work? Why? Why not? Answers will vary After Reading: Discussion Starters 1. Why did Duck want to do everything that Cat did? They were good friends and enjoyed playing together. Duck wanted to grow up to be just like a cat. 2. Describe what actions/motions Duck tried to do to be just like cat. Did Duck do his best? What would NED say to Duck when he failed? Answers will vary; slinking-no problem. Climb a tree (race to the top)-duck couldn t grip the tree with his feet and he didn t have 4 legs like cat. NED would encourage Duck for trying and trying never giving up. 3. What did Cat do when Duck struggled to climb the tree? Was Cat acting NED-like? Cat encouraged Duck that he needed more time to grow. Cat did not make fun of him, brag or boast. Cat was an encourager like NED! Cat tried to find something else that they both could do. 4. What was Duck able to do his best at that Cat could not do? Swimming in the water. 5. Have you ever been like Cat? Are there things that YOU are best at and others struggle with? Have you ever felt like Duck? Are there things that others are best at and you struggle with? 2014 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show All Rights Reserved Free lesson plans & resources at www.thenedshow.com/teachers
Just a Duck by Carin Bramsen Themes Do Your Best Uniqueness of Me Friendship Compassion Self Acceptance Encourage Others Heroes Appreciation of Differences PRINTABLE: I Can Book PRINTABLE: Art Collage Send Home Answers will vary. Help students to realize that each of them has something that is easy for them and sometimes others wish they could do the same thing. Reinforce how it s nice to encourage others instead of making fun of them or hurting their feelings when you are better at something than they are. Remind them to never give up and do their best in everything they try. 6. How did Cat feel when Duck was best at swimming? Answers will vary. Cat considered duck a hero because he saved the day. 7. Did Duck brag and boast about being the best swimmer? No he actually thought he was just a duck. 8. How did Duck and Cat play together in the end? They did the drip-dry shimmy shake for two! Who was better at doing the dry-dry shimmy shake? They both did their best. Writing Prompt Make an I Can Book Each student can draw, color and write in this simple two-page booklet. Print double-sided and fold. Activities Can You Be a Cat? This is a great brain break activity to help students refresh and rejuvenate. Pretend to SLINK around the room. Get close to the ground and slowly and quietly lifting one leg high and then placing it down. Repeat with second leg. Pretend to CLIMB a tree. Move arms and legs as if climbing a tree higher and higher. Move one arm, then the second arm, one leg and then other leg. Repeat until you get to the top of the tree! Pretend to JUMP UP and bat at leaves. Jump and stretch with your right hand and then jump and stretch with your left hand. Pretend to SWIM. Use your arms only and do different swimming strokes. Do the DRIP-DRY SHIMMY SHAKE! Art Collage Use the printable of a simple drawing of a cat and duck to create a texture collage. What can students add, from the art supplies in the classroom, to show the unique features of a cat and duck? Suggested materials: scrap pieces of fake fur, feathers, glass eyes, black buttons. TEACHER NOTE: This activity makes a great parent/child home project. Have students bring back their completed collages to share with the class. Resources Accelerated Reading Quiz: 171838 Author Website: www.carinbramsen.com I Did My Best Button NED buttons are a great reward when students do their personal best! Visit www.thenedshow.com/ shop_ned to purchase. 2014 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show All Rights Reserved Free lesson plans & resources at www.thenedshow.com/teachers
Orange tabby cat sitting on fallen leaves by Hisashi is licensed under CC BY 2.0 2015 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show www.thenedshow.com/lessonplans Just a Duck?
2015 All for KIDZ www.thenedshow.com/lessonplans Do your best Give it all you can Never give up Cause that s NED s plan My Book
Cats can But I can t yet!
I can But cats can t
Ducks can But ducks can t
2015 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show www.thenedshow.com/lessonplans Art Collage
Pete the Cat and the New Guy by Kimberly & James Dean Themes Do Your Best Friendship Self-Acceptance Uniqueness of Me Appreciation of Differences It s always fun to have more friends but what happens when you meet someone new that is so very different from you? Pete the Cat learns that even though Gus looks different and moves different that any of his other friends, Gus is special in his own way. They all discover that there is always something everyone can do and if everyone does their best, great things can happen. Key Vocabulary Imagine: to picture in your mind Shy: not comfortable, bashful, somewhat fearful Platypus: a mammal that is unlike other mammals. They have a wide bill like a duck, flat tail like a beaver, and lay eggs like a chicken. Tricky Phrasing Rocking to a new song or rocking to his own beat: enjoying the music, playing with the music Sounds like my kind of cat: someone I would enjoy having as a friend Groovy sound: very pleasing, wonderful, great. (slang term) Before Reading: Discussion Starters 1. Have you ever been the new kid at school? How did it feel? 2. What do you think when you see a new kid at school? How do you act towards the new kid? 3. If you did your very best, what would you do to make the new kid feel accepted at school? After Reading: Discussion Starters 1. What was it that Pete first saw that made him want to be friends with the new kid? Teacher Note: Kids struggle when they are not as good at something as someone else is. It is a hard thing to learn but we each have different strengths and weaknesses. Encourage your students to do their personal best and not compare themselves to others. Their uniqueness is what makes a class full of kids fun. Together they can do great things if everyone does their best. Red hat and green shoes. Why did Pete say Sounds like my kind of cat? Pete wore bright colored shoes too but his were orange. 2. Was it easy for Pete to meet the new kid? Did Pete do his best to make friends? What did he do? Pete was feeling shy but he wanted to say hi so he didn t give up. He kept riding by Gus house. Pete was determined and did his best to be friends with Gus. 3. What was Pete s first impression when he finally met Gus? Answers will vary. Gus was very different than anyone Pete had ever met. Gus was NOT like Pete and Pete was NOT like Gus. 4. How did Pete feel about meeting people who were different? He thought it was very cool which means he like it. How do you feel when you meet someone who is different from you? Share stories. 5. How did Pete and his friends respond when Gus couldn t do the things that were easy for them to do? Answers will vary. They encouraged him to try new things (climb a tree, leapfrog). Encouraged him to not be sad. Reminded him that everyone is different and can do different things. 6. How did Gus respond when he couldn t do something that everyone else could do? He 2014 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show All Rights Reserved Free lesson plans & resources at www.thenedshow.com/teachers
Pete the Cat and the New Guy by Kimberly & James Dean Themes Do Your Best Friendship Self-Acceptance Uniqueness of Me Appreciation of Differences PRINTABLE: Writing Prompt PRINTABLE: 2nd Writing Prompt wished he could. Tried a few new things. Eventually felt discouraged enough to say It s no fun around here for me. He went away from the others. 7. Have you ever wished you could do something that your friend could do? How did it feel? How did your friend respond? Share stories. 8. Describe how the story ended. How was each animal important to the band? Answers will vary. Individual talents make a better band more instruments, better sound. Each used their talent and together it made a fun activity for everyone. 9. What did you learn from this story? Answers will vary. We each have unique talents and we should always do our best with those talents. We also need to know that we can t always do what others do but we should try and do our best to try new things. Your best may look different from someone else s best but if you know you did your very best it s okay. If you look at your group of friends you each have different talents but when you put them all together you can do great things- like having a full band! Writing Prompt Use the printable to fill in the blanks of this sentence: You are not like me, and I am not like you, but I think being different is. Write something you can do and draw yourself. Use the printable to fill in the sentence. Then, think of three things you CAN do! Draw a picture of each thing you can do. Activities There is something everyone can do Work with a partner and talk about what you each can do. Find one thing that each of you do best. Introduce your partner to the rest of the class and share what he/she does best at. Create a Poster Everyone is good at something. What are you good at? Create a poster that shows others what you do well and three things you do in order to Do Your Best at it. Share your poster (and possibly your unique skill with the rest of the class/school) Sing with Pete Visit www.harpercollinschildrens.com/petethecat for music and videos that can enhance the stories and help stimulate class conversation. Resources Accelerated Reading Quiz: 168968 Author Website: www.petethecat.com Video of book read-aloud: www.harpercollinschildrens.com/petethecat I Did My Best Button NED buttons are a great reward when students do their personal best! Visit www.thenedshow.com/ shop_ned to purchase. 2014 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show All Rights Reserved Free lesson plans & resources at www.thenedshow.com/teachers
Name: Directions: Trace the letters and fill in the blank. Then, draw yourself and fill in what you can do! I c n jump! I c n Yo-yo! I c n 2015 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show www.thenedshow.com/lessonplans Writing Prompt
Name: Directions: Fill in the blanks to finish the sentence. Then, write three things you can do and draw pictures for each! But I can I can I can 2015 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show www.thenedshow.com/lessonplans I can
Clorinda by Robert Kinerk and illustrated by Steven Kellogg Themes Do Your Best Never Give Up Uniqueness of Me Determination Self-Acceptance Humility Courage Following Dreams Encourage Others Clorinda the Cow loves to dance even though her farm friends tell her she can t dance. Farmhand Leonard is the only one who encourages her to be bold and imaginative and shoot for the sky! Clorinda s determination and Never Give Up attitude takes her on an amazing adventure where she learns that the most important thing is to always Do Your Best. Key Vocabulary Remote: a far distance away from town Mischance: an unfortunate incident or accident Scoffed: make fun of Throb: mild, steady pain Theatrical agent: person who helps actors and dancers get hired for jobs Indisposed: temporarily not available Fervent: with great feelings Hushed: to become quiet Gasped: sudden breath because of surprise Stunned: shocked or amazed Triumph: joy from victory or success Nimbly: with quick, gentle, easy movements Planks: piece of wood or board Ballet Terms Pirouetting (peer-oo-wetting): twirling around on one foot Corps de ballet (core, di, bahlay ): large group of dancers Jetes (zhe-tays ): from French word to throw. Dancer jumps and weight is thrown from one foot to the other. En barre: dance stretches and exercises using a bar attached to the wall Bravo and Bravissima: expressions to say well done Tricky Phrasing Buck Up : cheer up and don t be discouraged Pounded the pavement : means to walk through the streets looking for job Teacher Note: NED reminds kids to do their best at everything! Even if you can t do something as great as someone else you should always try to do YOUR personal best. That s what makes you a champion at school and in life! Before Reading: Discussion Starters 1. Have you ever wanted to try something but thought you couldn t do it? 2. Do you know anyone who said they couldn t do something, but when they tried, they could do it? 3. What if you loved doing something but weren t very good at it - would you keep doing it? How would you feel if others told you to stop trying? After Reading: Discussion Starters 1. What made Clorinda want to try to dance? She watched a show on classical dance. She really liked what she saw and wanted to try. 2014 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show All Rights Reserved Free lesson plans & resources at www.thenedshow.com/teachers
Clorinda by Robert Kinerk and illustrated by Steven Kellogg Themes Do Your Best Never Give Up Uniqueness of Me Determination Self-Acceptance Humility Courage Following Dreams Encourage Others PRINTABLE: Writing Sheet PRINTABLE: Good, Better, Best 2. Those around Clorinda had different reactions to her dancing. How did they respond and who was most NED-like? The farmhand Leonard supported her by building a stage for her. But, the other animals said she couldn t do it and even called her names. Leonard was most NED-like when he told her to be bold, be imaginative and Never Give Up on what she loved. 3. How did Clorinda respond to her critics? She cried because it hurt but she never gave up and listened to the encouraging words of one friend Leonard. 4. What did Clorinda do to help herself reach her goals? Practiced hard, moved to New York, searched for dancing jobs, worked other jobs while waiting, didn t get discouraged by the rejections, cried yet she never gave up trying to do her best! 5. Did Clorinda do her best? Was her best as good as someone else s best? Why did she receive applause at the end of the performance? Clorinda did her very best at all times. Sometimes, it was just as good as others, but in the end she failed at the big jump. The audience applauded because she did her best, even though she missed. 6. Have you ever done your very best and failed? Answers will vary. Allows students to share their stories and help them to see that what is important is doing your best at all times. 7. How did Clorinda s friends change at the end? They were willing to try something new, like ballet. Writing Prompt Use the printable to tell the story of a time when you tried something and failed. What did you learn? What happened when you didn t give up and continued to Do Your Best? Activities Self Assessment When you do your best, sometimes things you do are good or better or best. You don t have to be the best at everything you just need to Do Your Best! Using the printable assessment, direct student to make a list of 10 things they like to do. They can rate themselves on their effort level for each item and think of ways to improve. Movement Activity: Beat Your Best! As a group, jump on one foot and count the jumps. When you miss, sit down and write down the number of jumps you successfully made. Keep going until everyone has a number. Afterward, discuss: How many of you think you did your best? Could you do a little better? Let s try to BEAT YOUR BEST by jumping again and trying your best to jump two more times than your previous number. Post it! Make posters for your school to encourage others! Focus on determination and perseverance and show your classmates that success is within your reach if you Never Give Up and Do Your Best. Resources Accelerated Reading Quiz: 74022 Author Website: www.robertkinerk.com I Did My Best Button NED buttons are a great reward when students do their personal best! Visit www.thenedshow.com/ shop_ned to purchase. 2014 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show All Rights Reserved Free lesson plans & resources at www.thenedshow.com/teachers
I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H IH I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H I H H I H I H I H I Name: Directions: Tell the story of a time when you tried something and failed. What did you learn? What happened when you didn t give up and continued to do your best? Once I tried to The thing most important is making a try You can t always triumph. You can t always fly. We gave it our best, but there s bound to be misses Now let s take a bow and let s blow them some kisses! - CLORINDA BY ROBERT KINERK
Name: Directions: Make a list of 10 things you like to do. Score yourself on your effort. What could you do to Do Your Best - not necessarily be the best - at each of them. Score yourself: Things I like to DO! good better best Are you doing your best? If not, what could you do to Do Your Best? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2015 All for KIDZ, Inc. Producers of The NED Show www.thenedshow.com/lessonplans Good, Better, Best