LESSON PLANS JULIE DEGNER

Grade One Language Arts: Elephant and Piggie Compare and Contrast
November 26th, 2015
Curriculum Ties
Language Arts Program of Studies:
make observations about activities, experiences and oral, print and other media texts
group ideas and information into categories determined by an adult
use previous experience and knowledge of oral language to make connections to the
meaning of oral, print and other media texts
talk about print or other media texts previously read or viewed
associate sounds with letters and some letter clusters
retell interesting or important aspects of oral, print and other media texts
tell what characters do or what happens to them in a variety of oral, print and other
media texts
explore and share own ideas on topics of discussion and study
connect information from oral, print and other media texts to topics of study
identify or categorize information according to sequence, or similarities and
differences
represent and explain key facts and ideas in own words
identify and use an increasing number of words and phrases related to personal
interests and topics of study
use phonic knowledge and skills and visual memory to attempt spelling of words
needed for writing
take turns sharing ideas and information
recognize personal contributions to group process
Introduction (About 10 minutes)
Plan for Diversity
All types of learners will be included in this activity as they get the opportunity to
share their ideas with the class and respond to other peoples ideas during the large
class discussion
ELL students will be able to participate as they first write their ideas down
individually and then come together into the large group to have their spellings and/or
meanings clarified in the discussion
ELL students can also work with a buddy during the small group time to come up with
more ideas or get the correct spelling. They can also accomplish this by showing the
teacher their work and getting some feedback
Students who have trouble focusing will have several transition periods between
activities to get small body breaks and re-gain their focus for the next task at hand
Difficult vocabulary words from the story and discussion will be clarified during the
large group discussion by the teacher and/or the other students
Teacher Activity

Student Activity

LESSON PLANS JULIE DEGNER

1. Gather kids on the carpet
2. Read aloud I Really Like Slop! by
Mo Willems. Go over difficult
vocabulary words as you are reading
that may need to be clarified.
3. Go over characteristics of the pigeon
from last time. How did they describe
him? By saying what he looked like?
What he likes or doesnt like to do?
What he is like as a person (Eg. Is he
funny? Happy? Grumpy?)
4. Explain venn diagram activity.
Students will be describing Elephant
and Piggie, just like the Pigeon from
last time. Specifically point out which
areas of the diagram are assigned to
what character (Eg. The left side is for
the elephant only, the right is for the
pig only, and the middle is for things
that are the same about the elephant
and the pig)
5. Have a small brainstorming session
about some of the characteristics that
they can write down for each section.
(Eg. Ask them if both Elephant and
Piggie are funny, if they are both nice,
if they are both elephants, etc.)
6. When they are done (they must have
2-3 words in each section), they can
colour Elephant and Piggie on their
sheet and then they can try to draw
them in their journals using the
instructions that I will give them when
they are all finished.
7. Ask if there are any questions
8. Ask handout helpers to pass out
worksheets and send everyone back to
their desks

2
1. Gather on the carpet
2. Listen to I Really Like Slop! by Mo
Willems. Contribute to class discussion
about difficult vocabulary words.
3. Generate ideas about pigeon from last
time
4. Listen to teachers instructions for venn
diagram activity
5. Generate ideas about Elephant and
Piggie, as well as what is the same
about them
6. Return to desks

Central Activity (10-15 minutes):

Teacher Activity

Student Activity

Prepared for EDUC 535 class by Barbara Martin 2015

LESSON PLANS JULIE DEGNER

1. Draw large venn diagram on
the white board to prepare for
class discussion
2. Walk among students and
comment on their work. Help
those students who need help
with spelling or ideas. Once
they are done, give them a
drawing sheet.

3
1. Work on venn diagram sheet
2. Ask teacher any questions that may
arise
3. Show teacher worksheet when finished.
Afterwards, work on their drawings of
Elephant and Piggie.

Closure (About 15 minutes):

Teacher Activity
1. Get students attention back to the
white board
2. Ask them for their ideas and place it
in the correct place on the venn
diagram. When they give a
suggestion, ask them if they think it
is the same for the other character.
Also ask them to explain their
answer by drawing evidence from
the book.
3. If there is extra time, the students
can work on their Elephant and
Piggie drawings

Student Activity
1. Contribute ideas to the large
venn diagram and clarify their
answers
2. After large class discussion, work
on their Elephant and Piggie
drawings

Assessment
Students will receive formative assessment feedback as they present their ideas both in
their own venn diagrams and in the large classroom discussion. The teacher will give
both compliments and some suggestions for what else they could do.
They will also ask them to clarify their understanding of the characters personalities by
pointing out specific instances where they demonstrated them in the story. This will take
place during the large classroom discussion.
Specifically, the teacher will make individual note of any students who particularly
excelled or failed to understand the concept of how to describe a character, how to place
the information into different categories in a graphic organizer, or who did not
comprehend the subject matter of the story
Materials/Resources

White board

Prepared for EDUC 535 class by Barbara Martin 2015

LESSON PLANS JULIE DEGNER

Markers

Elephant and Piggie Compare and Contrast worksheets

Pencils/erasers

Copy of I Really Like Slop! by Mo Willems

Step by step instructions for how to draw Elephant and Piggie

Pencil crayons

Reflection
-worked really well overall
-kids really seemed to understand Venn diagram layout and purpose
-got much better at describing the character than last time (we did a similar exercise with
the pigeon last time and they werent as good at describing as they were today)
-elephant and piggie drawing pages were great fillers for those kids who finished early,
but they were slightly distracting to the kids as we brainstormed together during the
discussion
-everyone understood the same vs. different characteristics so well! Very proud of the
kids!

Prepared for EDUC 535 class by Barbara Martin 2015