There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea

In the classroom/library:

GRADE LEVEL: Kindergarten
SUBJECTS: Reading, Writing, Science, Health Education
OVERVIEW: Students will listen to a story that includes repetitive verse and rhyme, and complete activities that will help reinforce key concepts.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this lesson is to enjoy literature and to sharpen students' sequencing skills and ability to make predictions.

Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Describe what a coyote is; where they live, and what they typically eat.
2. Retell the silly story about the coyote who swallowed a flea and make a prediction as to what he will eat next.
3. Use a prompt to write about and draw the predictions.

Standards - Kyrene Elementary Curriculum

Reading:
Strand 1: Reading Process
Concept 2: Phonemic Awareness
2. Orally produce rhyming words in response to spoken words (e.g., What rhymes with hat?)
Concept 6: Comprehension Strategies
3. Derive meaning from books that are highly predictable, use repetitive syntax, and have linguistic redundancy.
Strand 2: Comprehending Literary Text
Concept 1: Elements of Literature
1. Participate (e.g., react, speculate, join in, read along) when predictably patterned selections of fiction and poetry are read aloud.
2. Identify elements of a story, including characters, setting, and key events.
3. Retell or reenact a story, placing the events in the correct sequence.

Writing:
Strand 1: Writing Process
Concept 1: Prewriting
2. Draw a picture about ideas generated through class discussion.
Strand 3: Writing Applications
Concept 5: Literary Response
1. Participate in a group discussion, based on a literature selection, that identifies the:
a. character(s)
b. setting
c. sequence of events
d. text to text (compare within multiple texts)

Science
Strand 4: Life Science
1. Identify some plants and animals that exist in the local environment.

Health Education
Strand 4: Students analyze the influence of culture, media, technology, and other factors on health.
Concept 1: Identify the different foods of various cultures.
1. List different foods from various cultures

Standards - from the AASL's Standards for the 21st-Century Learner

Resources
Children's Picture Book:
There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Gray

Materials
Sequencing Worksheet #1 and #2 (pdf file), available online and used with permission of "Tools for Teachers," 2007, by Rising Moon and www.Jenniferwardbooks.com.

Process
1. Introductory Set
Introduce the class to the coyote with a color cut out of the character. Determine by class discussion what the class knows about coyotes; where the live, member of the dog family, what they eat, and so on.

2. Objectives - The students will:
A. Students will listen to There Was A Coyote Who Swallowed A Flea.
B. Students will participate in a whole group activity to sequence the events of the story.
C. Students will predict what the coyote might eat next.

3. Input
Read aloud and interact with the anchor book.

4. Modeling
While reading the book to the class pause at times to encourage students to supply a rhyme and to try to predict what the author might have used. "There was a coyote who swallowed a snake. It tasted like _____________."

5. Check for Understanding
Discuss the details of the book: What was your favorite part? What was the yuckiest thing the coyote ate? Go back and look at pages if students can't remember particular events.

6. Guided Practice
After distributing supplies, the teacher will lead the completion of Worksheets #1 and #2 through discussion and example.

7. Independent Practice - or Homework
With students back at their desks, they will draw a picture of what they think the coyote might eat for breakfast. Complete the prompt: Coyote's breakfast will be _____________.

8. Closure
Share breakfast ideas with other members of the class.

Assessment

Check for accuracy of sequencing on worksheet and evaluate independent practice during group sharing. Students will receive full credit for a drawing that uses at least 5 colors, and completion of the prompt in phonetic (kindergarten) spelling.

Extensions/Modifications
Due to our proximity to Mexico, and the Sonoran Desert we share, chips and salsa will be provided to snack on during independent practice.

 

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