I have noted some requests for beginning first grade lessons for guided
reading. Here are some lessons that I used successfully this year. Cat’s Colors by Jane Cabrera
This book is available in the Trumpet Early Years September book order
for $1.95. Last year it was one of .95 ones when I bought multiple copies.
Guided Reading Day 1
Purpose : Today we are going to take a picture walk of this book. The
pictures will help us read the words in this story.
Procedure:
1. First I showed the cover and discussed what we saw.
2. I proceeded to go through the pages of the book asking them
questions like what color do you suppose the kitty is talking about on
this page. What is the kitty doing? What is that called? How do bats
move? The questions I asked were generated by the text. I wanted to get
them to verbally tell me the words that were on the page. We continued
on throughout the book except I didn’t turn the last page to allow for
the “surprise” ending.
3. After the picture walk, I read it outloud modeling how I would use
the pictures to help me read the text. I would pause when I came to a
“hard” word. For example on the green page the text reads: Green is the
grass where I like to walk. I stopped at grass and said outloud, “This
word starts with /gr/, it must be grass.” I did the same thing with
walk. I continued doing this for the remainder of the book including
the last page, which tells why orange is his favorite color. (It’s the
color of his mom!)
4. I then passed out books to partners and reminded them how to sit
for partner reading. We read it chorally one more time and then the
partners read it together.
Guided Reading Day 2
Purpose: Listen and see if you can find a pattern in this story.
I passed out the book again using partners and they followed along while
I read. After the first page the book follows a question and answer pattern.
Here’s how the text goes: Is it green? Green is the grass where I like
to walk. Is it pink? Pink are the petals of my favorite flowers.
Until you get to orange. I then asked if anybody knew what the pattern
was. I got,” Itís an AB pattern!” and with a little more prodding I
got first there’s a question and then there’s an answer.
After getting that information, they then reread it with a partner.
After reading we came back together for this closing question. What
other book have we read that has this kind of pattern? I did get blank
stares until I gave the hint that it was about colors too. Hands flew
up with the response Brown Bear, Brown Bear.
Joanne Hauseman/1/OR
