The Velveteen Rabbit Guided Reading Lesson Plan RDG 3110

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The Velveteen Rabbit
Guided Reading Lesson Plan – RDG 3110

LESSON PLAN STEP 1: Fourth Grade Level Expectations from the Colorado
Academic Standards, Content Area:

After this lesson, the child will know:

Grade Level Expectations: Fourth Grade:
1. Comprehension and fluency matter when reading literary texts in a facile way.
3. Knowledge of complex orthography (spelling patterns), morphology (word
meanings), and word relationships to read multisyllabic words contributes to
better reading skills.

LESSON PLAN STEP 2: Evidence Objective

The students can:

1a. Indentify and draw inferences about setting, characters (such as motivations,
personality traits), and plot

3d. Infer meaning of words using explanations offered within a text

LESSON PLAN STEP 3:

Assessment of Evidence Outcome:
1a. Each student will demonstrate proficiency in comprehension by successfully
completing a story map and Question-Answer-Relationship worksheet.

Assessment of Evidence Outcome:
3d. Each student will demonstrate proficiency in the inferring the meaning of
words objective by successful completion of the attached Vocabulary Worksheet.

LESSON PLAN STEP 4: Describe the Student Group for whom the lesson is
written:

1. Number of students: 4-6
2. Grade level: 4th

LESSON PLAN STEP 5: Resources/Materials: Identify the text that you will use.
1. Title: The Velveteen Rabbit
Author: Margery Williams
Illustrator: William Nicholson
Publisher: Avon Books
Year of Publication: 1975
2. Reading Level: 4.2

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Frye‟s Readability Level
3. List the factors that make this text suitable for the group and for the

lesson: The Velveteen Rabbit is a fiction book that is rated at a fourth-
grade, second month level. For the at-grade-level students that will be
working in this group, the reading level is appropriate, and the text should
be accessible to all students, with some support. Every child has had a toy
or blanket that has had a profound impact on their life. For a child, a toy
can be the best friend and confidant. They will all be able to relate to the
boy and the Velveteen Rabbit. The book also helps the children to deal
with tough life situations, such as sickness, in a way that is accessible to
them.
4. Schema and/or background: The students will have to have an
understanding of an attachment to something loved, whether a toy,
blanket, family member, etc. They will have to learn what Scarlet Fever is,
and the teacher will have to discuss the implications of it.
5. Challenges this text might present for students that will need to be
addressed: The book can be highly emotional, so the teacher must take
this into consideration. In addition, the book is older, with some language
that is no longer used today, which requires more extensive conversation
about unknown vocabulary words.
6. Vocabulary:
Splendid (32)-magnificent
Snubbed (11)-to treat somebody rudely
Velveteen (11)-fabric that resembles velvet
Bracken (21)-a type of large fern native to tropical regions
Shabby/shabbier (18)-worn and threadbare, inferior in quality
Burrows (17-tunnel, rabbit‟s home
Rubbish (30)-trash
Threadbare (32)-worn away to reveal threads; worn out.
Fronds (36)-large leaves typically found on ferns.

LESSON PLAN STEP 6: Teaching Approach/Method/Procedure.

PREREADING:
1. Describe how you will activate prior knowledge and schema, and/or build

background needed:
“How many of you have had a toy that you have loved like a friend?” Wait

for responses. “How important was that toy to you?” Wait for responses. “How
did that toy make you feel?” Wait for responses. “Good. We‟ve all had something
so special to us that it seems real. Today, we are going to read about a boy and his
favorite toy in the world. As we read, think about how the boy and his toy are
feeling.”
2. Describe how you will introduce a comprehension strategy.

“Today while we read, we are going to work on a strategy that will help us
find answers to our questions. This new technique is called QAR. It stands for

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Question-Answer Relationship. Good readers ask different types of questions that
help them understand what they are reading. Books offer us two different types of
information: the information that we get directly out of the book, and information
that comes from our own knowledge and experiences. So we have „In the Book‟
information, and „In my Head‟ information.” On chart paper, write the two types
of information on the left-hand side, color coding, and leaving plenty of space in
between. Example of chart paper is attached. “For each type of information, there
are two different types of questions. Some of the answers to our questions are
right there in the book, others we will have to search for in the text.” On the chart,
under In The Book, write ‘Right There’; below that, write ‘Think and Search’.

“Information that is „Right There‟ is very clearly stated. We don‟t really
have to look for it. It „pops‟ out at us. „Right There‟ questions usually begin with
words like: Who is…Where is…When is…What is…How many…? When a
question begins with these words, the answer is usually found right in the text.”
Write the example words on chart paper, under corresponding category. See
attachment.

“Answers that we have to „Think and Search‟ for, are found in the text, but
we have to look closely, and sometimes we have to combine multiple bits of
information to find an answer. We have to „think‟ about how information and
ideas relate to one another, and often we have to „search‟ through an entire
passage to find all of the information. We know that we have encountered a „think
and search‟ question when we see the words
Summarize…Compare…Explain…Retell….Contrast…Find examples…” Write
this information in the corresponding category.

“We can also gather information from our own thoughts and experiences.
These are the „In my Head‟ questions. The answers to these questions require us
to look beyond the text, using our prior knowledge to answer the question. There
are „on my own‟ questions that I can answer in my own head, with information
that I already know. These questions can be answered without reading the book.
An example of this type of question is when I asked you whether or not you had
ever had a toy that you loved more than anything. You can answer that without
reading this book.”

“There are also „Author and Me‟ questions; these questions require us to
use our own knowledge, and information from the text to find the answer to the
question. These questions usually ask about our beliefs, or require us to evaluate
what is going on based on what we think. In order to answer these types of
questions, you had to have read the book. An example would be asking you how
you felt about what happened in the book.” Check for understanding.

(Q.A.R. is a great reading comprehension strategy. Using Bloom’s
Taxonomy, Q.A.R. shows the relationship between questions and answers,
categorizing the types and levels of questions. Q.A.R. helps students learn to
analyze, comprehend, and respond to the text. In addition, this strategy can be
applied to any form of text and virtually any question. It helps students learn how
to answer questions and prompts effectively.)
3. Title, Cover, and Illustrator

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“Let‟s begin by looking at the front cover. Who can tell me the title of the
book?” Wait for responses. “Right, The Velveteen Rabbit. Who is the author, and
who is the illustrator?” Wait for responses. “What can we tell from the illustration
on the front cover?” Wait for responses. “Good. If we flip the book over, there is
a blurb about the book. It will give us an idea of what the book is going to be
about. Students name, will you read the blurb for us?” Student reads. “Great job.
Based on all of this information, what do you think this book is going to be
about?”
4. Picture Walk

“Let‟s take a look at the illustrations in the book. Illustrations give us a lot
of information about what is going on in the book, and sometimes they can help
us answer some of the questions we may have. Turn to page 10where we find the
first picture. What information can you get from this picture?” Wait for response.
“Good. There is another illustration on page 22. It looks like the rabbit is outside
on a hill, with two real rabbits. What do you think is happening here?” Talk about
predictions and reasons.
5. Vocabulary

“This book has a few words that we might not know, so we are going to
use context clues that we have been working on to figure them out. I am giving
you two worksheets. One has a list of words. When you get to the words in the
book, use context clues to figure out what the words might mean, and what clues
you used to figure out the meaning of the word. When we are done reading, we
will look up the words in the dictionary and we will complete the sheet.” See
attached worksheet.
6. Make Predictions

“We all naturally make predictions when we read. I just asked you what
you all think the book might be about. You all made predictions, or educated
guesses based on information that we gathered from the book. I will write our
“Before Reading” predictions up here for you to see. In one column, I will write
the prediction, and in the other I will write why we made that prediction.” The
chart paper has been split into one large column on the left for predictions, and a
smaller column on the right for the reason why the prediction was made. Before
Reading, During Reading, and After Reading predictions and thoughts are color-
coded. Students have been provided with their own graphic organizer for
recording their predictions. See attached sheet “I predict that the book will be
about a stuffed-animal rabbit.” Write in left-hand column. “I made this prediction
because of the illustration on the front cover, so for the reason, I will write „front
cover.‟” “What are some predictions that you would like to make?” Wait for
responses. “Alright, good. Why did you make that prediction?” Wait for response,
and write prediction and reason on chart paper. Write down a few more
predictions and reasons.

7. Purpose for Reading
“Now that we‟ve learned about today‟s comprehension strategy,

questioning, let‟s try it out! As we read, we are going to ask questions, and look
for information that can be found both in the book and in our heads.” Read the

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first few pages, modeling asking and answering questions, thinking aloud while
reading.
READING
1. Word Identification Strategies

“When we come to a word we do not know, we are going to complete the
Vocabulary Worksheet, using context clues to figure out the meaning of the word,
and then checking the definition in the dictionary. Can you find the word
„velveteen‟ on page 11? Good. The sentence says „He was naturally shy, and
being made only of velveteen, some of the more expensive toys quite snubbed
him.‟ We have two unknown words in the sentence. Let‟s start with velveteen.
What do you think velveteen is?” Wait for responses. “Ok, so you are saying that
we know that the rabbit is made of velveteen, so velveteen is a kind of fabric,
right? Great job. Let‟s fill out our sheet.” Provide students an opportunity to fill
out their sheet while completing an example. “The sentence says that „some of the
more expensive toys quite snubbed him.‟ I know that expensive means „costs a lot
of money,‟ so I can assume that the Velveteen Rabbit is a cheaper toy, correct?
Based on that, what do you think „snubbed‟ means?” Wait for responses. “Good,
so the more expensive toys snubbed, or looked down on the velveteen rabbit.
Let‟s fill out our sheet.” Have students work in pairs to complete the remaining
assigned words, and have them complete the blank sheet for any other words they
come across that they do not know. IF NEEDED, follow the guidelines below for
going over the remaining assigned words.

“On page 18, we see the word, „shabbier.‟ What do you think this word
means based on the context clues in the sentence?” Wait for responses.”Great, so
shabby means „worn out.‟”

“On page 21, we find another word on your vocabulary list. The sentence
says „…he always made a little nest somewhere along the bracken, where he
would be quite [cosy], for he was a kind-hearted boy and he liked Bunny to be
comfortable.‟ Based on the sentence, what do you think the word bracken
means?” Wait for responses. “Right, so if we look at the sentence, it is talking
about trees and flowers, and we know that we are outside, and the bracken is
comfortable, so bracken is probably some kind of plant, right?” Have students
write this on their worksheets.

“Right here we have our last vocabulary word. What do you think
„splendid‟ means, and why?” Wait for responses. “Right, so splendid must mean
wonderful or super, because the sentence says the new rabbit has real glass eyes
and plush white fur. Plush is something that is luxurious, fluffy, and soft. Good.
Now that we have finished that part of the worksheet, get with a partner and look
up the dictionary definitions of the words.”

2. Describe what you will say students to encourage independent reading of the
text.
“I am sure you‟re all very excited to find out what happens to the
Bunny, so I‟m going to let you finish reading the book independently. When you
finish, find a partner to work with on your worksheets.”

3. Predictions

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Stop after the second paragraph on page 16. “Ok. Stop right there. Let‟s
look at the predictions that we made before we started reading. How accurate are
they so far?” Discuss predictions that were made. “We are going to make some
more predictions. As of right now, what do you think will happen next?” Wait for
responses. “How do you think the story will end?” Wait for responses. Write
down new predictions and reasons on chart. “I am going to split you into pairs.
With your partner, take turns reading. Write down words that you don‟t know. At
the end of each chapter, look over your predictions. Which were accurate? Make a
new prediction.” Have children split into pairs and continue reading.

If the teacher feels that further guided instruction is necessary, this part
may be followed, however, if the students have a grasp of making good
predictions on their own, it is not necessary to guide them through this:

“Let‟s look back at our predictions. Were they accurate?” Wait for
responses. “Ok, so the prediction that the rabbit would become „real‟ came true. Is
he truly „real,‟ or is it just the nursery magic that has made him real to the boy?”
Wait for responses. “The Bunny seems pretty upset that the other rabbits wouldn‟t
stop and talk to him, why didn‟t they? How is the bunny feeling?” Wait for
responses. “Great! Let‟s make some more predictions, and keep reading. I can‟t
wait to find out what happens next!”

Stop after the first paragraph on page 33. “Wow, there is a lot going on
here. The boy has been very sick, and we know that he cannot keep his old toys,
or he will get sick again. How do you think the rabbit is feeling right now? How
do you think the boy feels?” Discuss and make additional predictions.

RESPONDING TO THE STORY:
1. Provide ONE brief prompt for one “affective” response to the text.
“What did you enjoy about this book and why?” Wait for children to discuss,
getting them to elaborate on what parts they enjoyed, and why.
2. List at least TWO questions you will use to promote critical thinking.
“Have you ever had a toy that you loved this much? How would you feel, if
like the little boy, you had to give up your favorite thing?” Wait for responses after
each question.
“Why do you think the author chose to write this book? What emotions do
you think she feels for the topic?” Wait for responses. Prompt for more depth,
‘because she felt like it’ is not appropriate.
Critical thinking questions consist of both oral and written questions. Oral
questions are listed here, and written questions are found on the Comprehension
Worksheet, which asks students to identify the type of information: In the Book, or
In My Head, and the type of question. See worksheet.

3. List TWO ways you will have students return to the text
“Wow. Is that how you thought the story would end? Let‟s look back at

the predictions that we made. Can you find the page in the book that proved one
of our predictions correct?” Wait for responses, work through the list of
predictions, determining which are correct or incorrect.

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“Who can find the spot where the bunny becomes Real to the boy? Can
you read that page?” Wait for student to read. “Great. How do you think the boy
and the rabbit were feeling right here?”

Comprehension worksheets should be completed at this time as well,
providing students an opportunity to return to the text to find answers for Author
to Me, Right There, and Think and Search Questions.

LESSON PLAN STEP 7: Post-reading Activities to Enhance Comprehension
A story map has been created and attached. This story map will enhance

comprehension of the text by ensuring the student understands certain story elements.
The teacher will use this activity to provide more in-depth comprehension of the story.

In addition, a comprehension worksheet based on the Q.A.R. strategy learned has
been created and attached. The worksheet will enhance comprehension of the text by
ensuring the student understands that there are four types of information for any given
text: Right There, Think and Search, On My Own and Author and Me. The teacher will
use the activity to provide more in depth comprehension of the story by guiding children
to become more reflective about their reading.

LESSON PLAN STEP 8: Pre-reading and/or Post-reading Activity to Enhance
Vocabulary Learning

A Connect-Two worksheet has been created and attached. This vocabulary
activity will enhance vocabulary by ensuring the students understand how words are
related to one another. The teacher will use this activity to provide more in-depth
vocabulary learning.

An additional Vocabulary Worksheet has been included that requires the students
to use context clues to derive the meaning of unknown words. The activity enhances
vocabulary learning by ensuring the student understands how to infer the meaning of
words using explanations offered within a text.

LESSON PLAN STEP 9: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics/Word Identification Skill,
or Word Study Lesson Using Words and Language from the Story

The attached Explicit Instruction routine has been created to enhance word study.
In addition, a corresponding Synonym and Antonym worksheet has been created and
attached. The teacher will use this activity to provide more in-depth word study that is
developmentally appropriate for the level of all of the students.

LESSON PLAN STEP 10: REFLECTIONS AND APPLICATION OF
ASSIGNMENT

1. Standard 1.2: Develop phonological and linguistic skills related to
reading including: phonemic awareness, concepts about print, systematic,
explicit phonics, other word identification strategies, and spelling
instruction.

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I demonstrated proficiency in my ability to develop linguistic skills
related to reading through other word identification strategies through the use
of context-clue activities to figure out the meaning of unknown words. In the
vocabulary activity, the students are required to demonstrate their ability to
use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words in the text, and
then compare those definitions with the definition the dictionary provides.

Future implications of this standard in my classroom include improved
student proficiency in more-difficult text,
Standard 1.3: Develop reading comprehension and promotion of
independent reading including: comprehension strategies for a variety of
genre, literary response and analysis, content area literacy, and student
independent reading.

I demonstrated proficiency in standard 1.3, which requires the teacher
to develop student reading comprehension and promote independent reading.
The Q.A.R. comprehension activity provides comprehension strategies for a
variety of genres, as stated in the standard. The Q.A.R. is a literary response
and analysis activity that guides children into deeper, more analytical reading.

Future implications of proficiency in this standard include increased
reading comprehension for all of my students through effective activities such
as the Q.A.R. When students learn to become more analytical readers, they are
able to absorb information more readily. This activity provides students with a
technique for figuring out what type of information they are looking for as
they read, and through recent use in a field placement, I have proven that the
comprehension strategies works, and has aided children in all genres, as stated
in the standard.
Standard 1.5: Utilize Colorado Model Content Standards in Reading and
Writing for the improvement of instruction.

I demonstrated proficiency in utilizing Colorado Model Content
Standards in Reading and Writing for the improvement of instruction through
the creation of this lesson. Through this lesson, children will be taught and
assessed for success in standard 1a and 3d. The Vocabulary Worksheet calls
for students to infer the meaning of words using explanations within the text.
The Q.A.R. activity and the story map demonstrate student proficiency in
indentifying and drawing inferences about setting, characters, and plot.

Future implications of proficiency in this standard are enhanced
student success on state standards. Lessons that are based around the standards
that students must meet ensure that the students are learning everything that
the state deems necessary. Adhering to state standards ensures that students
state-wide have accessibility to an equal education.
Standard 8.5: Evaluate his/her own performance and access the
professional development options necessary to improve that performance.

I have demonstrated proficiency in my ability to evaluate my own
performance and access the professional development options necessary to
improve that performance. My initial self-evaluation deemed my lesson
ineffective, so I began the process of re-writing. As a teaching professional, it is

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vitally important to be able to evaluate yourself accurately, and then seek out
support if necessary.
Future implications of proficiency on this standard are huge. To be an
effective teacher, it is vital and necessary to be able to evaluate each and every
thing that you do, tweaking as necessary to ensure student success. A true
professional knows where they excel and where they lack, and how to utilize
resources to reinforce those areas.

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