Grade 1: Julius Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes
Rating: 
http://www.achieve.org/files/JuliusBabyoftheWorld.zip
Common Core Standards
Reading Literature
RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
Speaking and Listening
SL.1.4 Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
Description of Lesson
This EQuIP exemplar lesson plan for Grade 1 titled, “Julius Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes" from Chicago Public Schools is Day 15 of a twenty-day unit of ELA/literacy instruction. The emphasis of the lesson is for students to: ask and answer questions about key details in the text that describe characters, settings, and major events; identify words and phrases that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses; and orally describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. Students are assessed throughout the lesson by their verbal responses during partner discussions, written responses on Post-its and in reader’s notebooks, and anecdotal records. The summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit.
Cautions
Connecticut teachers should be cautioned that since this lesson is part of a larger unit, it will be important to look through the unit plan provided on the site. The First Grade Scoring Tool for Assessments that targets individual standards in the lesson is currently missing RL.1.4 and will need to be added.
Rationale for Selection
The lesson plan is an exemplary example of how to provide all students with opportunities to engage with a text of appropriate complexity for the grade level. It includes a clear and explicit purpose for instruction as it makes reading a text closely, examining textual evidence, and discerning deep meaning a central focus. Instruction centered on challenging sections of the text engages students in a productive struggle through discussion questions and other supports that build toward independence. The formative assessments included throughout the lesson elicit direct, observable evidence of the degree to which each student is mastering the standards-based content and skills.