Language Arts Lesson Plan

Part I
Cause & Effect: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (effects)

Title of Lesson: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (effects)

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: Reading

Timeframe: Multiple-Day Lesson

Planning for Instruction:

Student Learning Goals/Outcomes: Students will identify effects when given a cause in
fiction.
Standards Addressed:
KPBSD Alaska Content Standard for Reading:
1.8.1: Students will identify problems and solutions, main characters, and setting (where
and when in fiction).
Alaska Culturally Responsive Teaching Standard:
CS.D.5: Culturally knowledgeable students are able to build on the knowledge and skills
of the local community as a foundation from which to achieve personal and academic
success throughout life. Students who meet this cultural standard are able identify and
utilize appropriate sources of cultural knowledge to find solutions to everyday problems.
Physical Activity, Health and the Arts:
Physical Activity Integration:

Students will move from the floor for guided reading and teacher led discussions to their

desks for independent seat work.

YouTube brain break video: Cookie Dance Song

Art Integration:
Students will illustrate the effects of what would happen if they were given a cookie.
Health Integration:
Students will be provided multiple opportunities to talk with each other in small and large
groups. The social and emotional experience will provide them with an opportunity to
positively interact with each other as they brainstorm cause and effect events that happen
in their everyday lives and as they are portrayed in If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. They

will gain practice in how to appropriately respond to their peers feelings while waiting
for their turn to speak and how to actively participate in a small and large group
discussion.
Stop after identifying the first effect, hes going to ask for a glass of milk, in the text.
Explain to the students that a single cow produces 90 glasses a day. Tell them milk not
only comes from cows, but also goats, sheep, and camels. The United States is the only
country that drinks mostly from cows milk.
Technology Inclusion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=5EqHicZTSCg&list=PLPQtT23fUVrkhfdyJlwLpjk0QpMp7PYHV&index=2 Cookie
Dance Song is an upbeat video that teaches healthy eating habits while encouraging

students to dance.
Opening Activity: PowerPoint will be used as an explicit teaching method to demonstrate

how to chart everyday cause and effects.

Main Lesson: PowerPoint will be used as an explicit teaching method on how to chart
cause and effects that are illustrated in If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. During a teacher

led discussion, students will work together to complete the chart.

Closure: PowerPoint will be used to guide independent seat work as they complete a
chart that reflects cause and effects from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

Materials/Resources:

PowerPoint slide: Everyday Cause and Effect Example Chart

PowerPoint slide: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Cause and Effect Chart
Independent cause and effect worksheet
Book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Computer with internet connection
Pencils
Crayons or markers

To prepare for this lesson, worksheets will be printed from the computer and enough copies
made for every student. If pencils need to be sharpened, there is a pencil sharpener in the
classroom the students can utilize. Crayons and markers are located on student shelves.

Instruction will take place in the classroom as it is set up to accommodate the needs of every
student and there are no known safety risks.
Classroom Environment:
The classroom is set up to effectively facilitate student learning. Student desks are arranged to
provide each student with personal space to complete seatwork. The desks are arranged in
groups of four; whereas there are three groups with four students in each group. The desks are
situated far enough away from the front of the room to facilitate large group discussions with the
students sitting on the floor. Be familiar with how students work with each other and encourage
positive interactions to insure that each student and their cultures are respected. Remind students
that everyone is valued and has something of significance to contribute to the classroom
community.
Differentiation Strategies / Individual Modification / Special Arrangements:
Differentiation teaching strategies include:

students will interact with the Smartboard through the use of cause and effect charts
large group discussion with open ended, higher level thinking questions to encourage

participation and increase comprehension of the material

large group guided listening of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Cookie Dance Song will provide a gross motor brain break
art creativity
guided listening and writing worksheet
pair struggling English Language Learners with students who are fluent in English

Differentiated teaching strategies/ individual modification / special arrangements for

unforeseeable classroom interruptions:

If students become restless on the floor during the main activity, they can return to

their desks and finish the lesson from there.

Struggling students may benefit from a sentence starter when writing or
illustrating the cause in the independent practice chart. (i.e., The mouse asked
for a napkin because__________. The mouse drew a picture because
____________.)

As students are completing the independent worksheet at their desks, I will

observe them and provide support as needed to keep them on task.

Because cause and effect can be a difficult concept for students at this age to
understand, multiple visual and kinesthetic examples will be provided for
additional support.

Assessment of Student Learning:

80% of the students will actively participate in a large group guided listening lesson and
discussion regarding cause and effect as it pertains to everyday events, the book: If You Give a
Mouse a Cookie and complete the art integration project. 90% of the students will complete the
independent cause and effect worksheet.
Informal assessment of reading comprehension will occur throughout the lesson through open
ended questions that support higher level thinking. Students will work with each other and the
teacher to verbally complete the cause and effect chart projected onto the Smart Board. Final
assessment will occur as students complete the independent worksheet.
Instructional Sequence:
Prior Knowledge / Experience:
Students are already aware every decision has an effect. They know if they miss the bus to
school; their parents have to drive them. If they forget their lunch at home; they have to eat hot
lunch. If they dont bring their heavy jacket to class; they cannot go outside for recess. While
they may not understand the terminology cause and effect, they do grasp the idea actions or
decisions will result in a reaction or effect. This lesson will expand on this foundation by
exploring the cause and effect actions of a mouse.
Opening Activity:
Explain that a cause is the reason why something happens and an effect is what happens
because of something. Using the PowerPoint slide, Everyday Examples of Cause and Effect,

explain the difference between the two. Encourage them to think of one on their own and share
it with a friend.
Learning Activity:
Guided listening: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. Read aloud, pausing after
each page to think aloud in order to identify the effects of giving the mouse what he wants.
Using the PowerPoint slide, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Cause and Effect Chart, discuss the
effects, stopping on page 4. After reading page 4, check for understanding by asking: How did I
find the effect in the story? Students should respond to the identified causes in the story. Each
time a cause happens, you read the text and think about what the effect will be.
Continue reading, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and engage students to work with you to
identify and chart the causes from the middle of the book, stopping at page 11.
Closure:
Continue reading to the end of the book, stopping to identify causes in the rest of the story. Do
not chart the remainder of it; rather, tell the students to do the rest of it on their own at their desk.
Review the directions on the independent worksheet before instructing them to go back to their
seat to complete it. If students struggle to complete the worksheet, lead a large group discussion
and model how to complete the remainder of the chart on the PowerPoint.
After the worksheet is completed, tell that students you wonder what would happen if they were
given a cookie and have them share with a friend. Pass out the art project and instruct them to
write a sentence and draw a picture of what they think will happen if they were given a cookie.
Invite them to share their finished product with the rest of the class.

Language Arts Lesson Plan: Part 2

Cause & Effect: If You Give a Moose a Muffin (cause)

Title of Lesson: If You Give a Moose a Muffin (cause)

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: Reading

Timeframe: Multiple-Day Lesson

Planning for Instruction:

Student Learning Goals/Outcomes: Students will identify causes when given an effect in
fiction.
Standards Addressed:
KPBSD Alaska Content Standard for Reading:
1.8.1: Students will identify problems and solutions, main characters, and setting (where
and when in fiction).
Alaska Culturally Responsive Teaching Standard:
CS.D.5: Culturally knowledgeable students are able to build on the knowledge and skills
of the local community as a foundation from which to achieve personal and academic
success throughout life. Students who meet this cultural standard are able identify and
utilize appropriate sources of cultural knowledge to find solutions to everyday problems.
Physical Activity, Health and the Arts:
Physical Activity Integration:

Students will move from the floor for guided reading and teacher led discussions to their

desks for independent seat work.

YouTube brain break video: a Moose a Cha

Art Integration:
Students will illustrate causes of what would happen if they were given a muffin.
Health Integration:
Students will be provided multiple opportunities to talk with each other in small and large
groups. The social and emotional experience will provide them with an opportunity to
positively interact with each other as they brainstorm cause and effect events that happen
in their everyday lives and as they are portrayed in If You Give a Moose a Muffin. They
will gain practice in how to appropriately respond to their peers feelings while waiting
for their turn to speak and how to actively participate in a small and large group
discussion.

Before reading the book, tell the students you are going to read a story about a moose.
Explain to the students that in Alaska, it is common for people to eat wild game such as
moose, caribou, and fish. Show the students a picture of a moose. Tell them they eat
leaves and bark off trees and shrubs. They also do not have a set of upper teeth, so they
eat by stripping leaves off of the plant, like a Band-Aid.
Technology Inclusion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tGdwo9nYVQ a Moose a Cha is an upbeat

dance video encouraging students to get up and move.

Opening Activity: PowerPoint will be used as an explicit teaching method to demonstrate

how to chart everyday cause and effects.

Main Lesson: PowerPoint will be used as an explicit teaching method demonstrating how
to chart cause and effects that are illustrated in If You Give a Moose a Muffin. During a

teacher led discussion, students will work together to complete the chart.
Closure: PowerPoint will be used to guide independent seat work as they complete a
chart that reflects cause and effects from If You Give a Moose a Muffin.

Materials/Resources:

PowerPoint slide: Everyday Cause and Effect Example Chart

PowerPoint slide: If You Give a Moose a Muffin Cause and Effect Chart
Independent cause and effect worksheet
Book: If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
Computer with internet connection
Pencils
Crayons or markers

To prepare for this lesson, worksheets will be printed from the computer and enough copies
made for every student. If pencils need to be sharpened, there is a pencil sharpener in the
classroom the students can utilize. Crayons and markers are located on student shelves.
Instruction will take place in the classroom as it is set up to accommodate the needs of every
student and there are no known safety risks.

Classroom Environment:
The classroom is set up to effectively facilitate student learning. Student desks are arranged to
provide each student with personal space to complete seatwork. The desks are arranged in
groups of four; whereas there are three groups with four students in each group. The desks are
situated far enough away from the front of the room to facilitate large group discussions with the
students sitting on the floor. Be familiar with how students work with each other and encourage
positive interactions to insure that each student and their cultures are respected. Remind students
that everyone is valued and has something of significance to contribute to the classroom
community.
Differentiation Strategies / Individual Modification / Special Arrangements:
Differentiation teaching strategies include:

students will interact with the Smartboard through the use of cause and effect charts
large group discussion with open ended, higher level thinking questions to encourage

participation and increase comprehension of the material

large group guided reading of If You Give a Moose a Muffin
a Moose a Cha provides a gross motor brain break
art creativity
guided reading and writing worksheet
pair struggling English Language Learners with students who are fluent in English

Differentiated teaching strategies/ individual modification / special arrangements for

unforeseeable classroom interruptions:

If students become restless on the floor during the main activity, they can return to their

desks and finish the lesson from there.

Struggling students may benefit from a sentence prompt when writing or illustrating the
causes in the independent practice chart. (i.e., I know the moose wanted a sweater.
Why did he want the sweater? I know the moose put a sheet over his antlers. Why did

he put a sheet over his antlers?)

As students are completing the independent worksheet at their desks, I will observe them

and provide support as needed to keep them on task.

Because cause and effect can be a difficult concept for students at this age to understand,
multiple visual and kinesthetic examples will be provided for additional support.

Assessment of Student Learning:

80% of the students will actively participate in a large group guided reading lesson and
discussion regarding cause and effect as it pertains to everyday events, the book: If You Give a
Moose a Muffin and complete the art integration project. 90% of the students will complete the
independent cause and effect worksheet.
Informal assessment of reading comprehension will occur throughout the lesson through open
ended questions that support higher level thinking. Students will work with each other and the
teacher to verbally complete the cause and effect chart projected onto the Smart Board. Final
assessment will occur as students complete the independent worksheet.
Instructional Sequence:
Prior Knowledge / Experience:
Students are already aware every decision has a cause. They know if they miss the bus to
school; their parents have to drive them. If they forget their lunch at home; they have to eat hot
lunch. If they dont bring their heavy jacket to class; they cannot go outside for recess. While
they may not understand the terminology cause and effect, they do grasp the idea actions or
decisions are a result of a cause. This lesson will expand on this foundation by exploring the
cause and effect actions of a moose.

Opening Activity:
Explain that a cause is the reason why something happens and an effect is what happens
because of something. Using the PowerPoint slide, Everyday Examples of Cause and Effect,
explain the difference between the two. Encourage them to think of one on their own and share
it with a friend
Learning Activity:
Guided reading: If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff. Students take turns reading
aloud. After each page, pause to think aloud in order to identify the causes of why the moose

wanted what he did. Teacher says: I know that the moose wanted the jam. Why did he want
jam? I think he wanted jam because he was given a muffin. Giving the moose a muffin was the
cause and the moose wanting jam was the effect. Using the PowerPoint slide, If You Give a
Moose a Muffin Cause and Effect Chart, discuss the causes, stopping on page 8. After reading
page 8, check for understanding by asking: How did I find the cause in the story? Students
should respond to the identified causes in the story. Each time an effect happens, you read the
text and think about what the causes will be. Continue reading, If You Give a Moose a Muffin,
and engage students to work with you to identify and chart the causes from the middle of the
book, stopping at page 18. Tell them: We will listen as we take turns reading the rest of the
book. Try to identify the events that led up to a cause in the story.
Closure:
Continue reading to the end of the book, stopping to identify causes in the rest of the story. Do
not chart the remainder of it; rather, tell students to do the rest of it independently at their desk.
Review the worksheet directions before instructing them to go back to their desks. If students
struggle with it, lead a large group discussion and model how to fill-in the remainder of the chart
using the PowerPoint slide.
Invite students back to the front of the room and lead a discussion using the prompt: I gave you
a muffin because. and have them share their answer with a friend. Pass out the art project
and instruct them to write a sentence and draw a picture of what they think will happen if they
were given a muffin. Provide an opportunity for them to share their finished product with the
rest of the class.
Post Instruction Reflection for Both Lessons
Instruction and Assessment Related:
The students learned to identify the differences between cause and effect and demonstrate
an ability to accurately relate these concepts to their everyday lives. This was evident throughout
the instruction, small and large group discussions, and the closing writing assignment they
completed. They remained actively engaged in each lesson and participated in group

discussions. As a follow up health activity, I researched the significance of milk in the United
States and the impact moose have on the Alaskan subsistence lifestyle.
Based on the overall reactions of the students, I believe this lesson was a great success
because of the differentiated teaching techniques I employed throughout the lesson to insure
everyone remained actively involved. This success was based on integrating multiple
opportunities to share in small groups, relating it to their home lives, art integration, and physical
activity. By incorporating various means, students were able to become involved in their
personal learning experience.
Before teaching this lesson, I was aware of the numerous outside influences affecting this
diverse student body. I took this into consideration when planning the opening activities where
students had to provide either a cause or effect to an event they were already familiar with but
not presented in the books. This was identified in the carefully selected examples provided in the
power point visual aids. The students were already accustomed to these examples because they
frequently experienced them with their family or friends. Additionally, I incorporated examples
that were taught in previous lessons by their homeroom teacher. Examples such as: if they forget
to do their homework, they will have to complete it during free time; or if they do not finish their
seat work in class, they will have to finish it during recess, create a sense of familiarity with the
students thus allowing them to relate to the topic and create meaningful connections.

Professional Growth:
In light of my research on teaching and professional ethics, I believe I instilled a sense of
wonder and excitement about learning. This was unmistakable when they wanted to read aloud
the next page in the book to see what happened next or make predictions about what they
thought the cause or effect might be for the main characters. In small group discussions and art
integration, I listened as they eagerly talked with each other regarding a cause or effect that
happened to them before class started. Following the art integration activity, they excitedly stood
before the rest of the class to read what would happen if they were given a cookie or why they
gave a muffin to a friend. I believe the students felt valued and safe in the classroom to share
their thoughts and opinions with everyone.

I am a passionate teacher and enjoy language arts. It is easy for me to get excited about
guided reading and listening activities as a means to teach skill sets such as cause and effect. It
has been my observation if I am excited to teach then they will be excited to learn. Positive
reinforcement was frequently used to for major themes and it was evident throughout the lesson
as students could not wait to share their thoughts. They would frequently forget to raise their
hands to discuss the impact a cause or effect had on the main character in the book and reminded
each other to wait their turn.
As a teacher, I learned from previous teaching experiences that time is limited and very
important in a classroom. I wanted to create a lesson thoroughly covering what cause and effect
were without rushing through the material. This is why I created the lessons to be taught for a
period of two days in 25-30 minute increments due to the time limit placed on me.
What surprised me the most about this experience was the information retention from one
lesson to the next as each lesson was taught on separate days. I originally planned on spending a
little bit of time reviewing material from the first lesson before launching into the next one, but it
was not necessary because when I asked them to tell me what an effect was from the first story,
they answered it with ease demonstrating mastery in that area. This allowed me to spend more
time in the other areas of the second lesson.
If I were to teach this again, I would incorporate an interactive Smartboard activity to
display cause and effect. While the use of Power Point was effective, it served more as visual aid
rather than a hands-on activity. I would also increase the number of books used so students can
read in pairs rather than the whole class reading from a big book. This would encourage students
to finger track to become familiar reading from left to right and turning pages which is a
language arts standard in KPBSD.
Resources:
Cooper, J. D., & Kiger, N. D. (2009). Literacy: Helping Students Construct Meaning (9th ed.).
Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
McGee, L., & Richgels, D. (2012). Literacy's Beginnings: Supporting Young Readers and
Writers (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Numeroff, L. J., & Bond, F. (1985). If you give a mouse a cookie. New York: Harper & Row.

Numeroff, L. J., & Bond, F. (1991). If you give a moose a muffin. New York: HarperCollins.
ReadWorks.org | The Solution to Reading Comprehension. (2012). Retrieved April 2, 2016, from
http://www.readworks.org/