Lessons & Units :: Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships 1st Grade Unit

Read-Aloud Lesson: Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships

Lesson Plan

Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships

Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships
Learning Goal
Examine instances of friendly relationships between animals of different species in order to discuss a main idea of the book.
Necessary Materials
Provided:
  1. Detailed lesson plan
  2. Graphic organizer for guided practice
  3. Independent student worksheet

Not Provided:
Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships
 
  1. This lesson is a close reading of the entire text. So it’s important to engage students often, to enhance their learning. Here are two tips:

    •   When you ask the more complex questions from the lesson, ask students to “turn-and-talk” or “buddy-talk” before answering.

    •   Once you are deep into the lesson, instead of asking students every question provided, ask them to share with you what questions they should be asking themselves at that point in the text. This is also a great opportunity to use "turn-and-talk."
       
  2. Suggested teacher language is included in the lesson.

  3. We recommend you read the book once to your students, either the day or morning before teaching the lesson.

  4. This research-based, read-aloud lesson may seem long. Why do students need the lesson to be this way?
 

Part 1: Teacher Modeling and Questioning

 

Write the student-friendly learning goal on the board, then read the learning goal out loud with the class:

We will learn about friendships between different kinds of animals.

 
Transition Students into the Text
 
Teacher says: [show students the cover of the book] Can a tiger and an orangutan be friends? [turn to title page, featuring a photo of a fox and a badger] What about a fox and a badger? Let’s find out.
 
Read page 1 out loud, then stop. Page 1 ends with, “...in the other.” Show students the illustration on page 2. If possible, always show students the illustrations accompanying the pages you read throughout the lesson.
1.
Teacher says: A macaque [muh-KAK] is a type of monkey. A pigeon is a type of bird. Here is a picture of the baby macaque we read about with the pigeon.
2.
Teacher asks: How was the macaque feeling before it met the pigeon?
 
Students answer: The macaque was feeling sad.
3.
Teacher asks: What did the macaque do when it met the pigeon?
 
Students answer: The macaque gave the pigeon a hug.
4.
Teacher asks: The book says that the macaque and the pigeon “seemed to find comfort” in each other. What does that mean?
 
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): It means that the macaque and the pigeon seemed to enjoy being around each other.
5.
Teacher says (models thinking): Remember that our goal for this lesson is to learn about friendships between different kinds of animals. Now we have one example. A macaque and a pigeon are different types of animals, but these two were friendly toward each other. The macaque gave the pigeon a hug, and they both seemed to find comfort in each other’s company. Their kind behavior toward each other is evidence that they were friends.
Read more
 
Read pages 2 and 3 out loud, then stop. Page 3 ends with, “...comforted and content.”
6.
Teacher says: An orangutan is a large ape. Orangutans are related to gorillas, but they are not quite as big as gorillas. Tonda, the orangutan we just read about, was feeling sad and would barely eat. She was feeling this way because she had lost her mate, the orangutan she was living with.
7.
Teacher asks: Workers at the zoo where Tonda lived did something to cheer her up. What did they do?
 
Students answer: They brought Tonda a cat.
8.
Teacher asks: Tonda and TK the cat became friends. What are some of the things they did together?
 
Students answer (all of the following responses are acceptable; make sure at least two are given):
  • They ate together.
  • They played together.
  • They slept side by side.
  • The lived side by side.
9.
Teacher asks: Are Tonda and TK another example of different kinds of animals that became friends? Support your answer with information from the book.
 
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): Yes, Tonda and TK are an example of different kinds of animals that became friends. Tonda was an orangutan, and TK is a cat. Those are two different kinds of animals, and the book tells us Tonda and TK were friends that ate and played together.
 
Read pages 5-9 out loud, then stop. Page 9 ends with, “...and snoozed.”
10.
Teacher asks: What kind of animal is Wilbur?
 
Students answer: Wilbur is a pig.
11.
Teacher asks: What kind of animal is Brad?
 
Students answer: Brad is a lion.
12.
Teacher asks: What did Wilbur and Brad do together?
 
Students answer: Answers may vary but should reflect the text. Acceptable responses include the following:
  • Wilbur and Brad napped together.
  • Wilbur and Brad played together.
  • Wilbur and Brad snuggled up together.
13.
Teacher asks: Were Wilbur and Brad friends? Support your answer with information from the story.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they are supported by the story. Students may respond that Wilbur and Brad were friends because they snuggled, napped, and played together. On the other hand, students may respond that Wilbur and Brad were not really friends because Brad would probably have eaten Wilbur if they had not been separated.
 
Read pages 11-13 out loud, then stop. Page 13 ends with, “...in a crisis.”
14.
Teacher asks (showing picture on page 14): Look at this picture of the two animals we just read about. What kind of animal is the one on top?
 
Students answer: The animal on top is a mouse.
15.
Teacher asks: What kind of animal is the one on the bottom?
 
Students answer: The animal on the bottom is a frog.
16.
Teacher asks: This mouse and frog met in a city in India after rainwater had flooded the streets there. Why might the mouse have climbed on top of the frog?
 
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): The mouse might have climbed on top of the frog to get across the water in the streets.
17.
Teacher asks: Were the mouse and the frog friends? Support your answer with information from the book.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they are supported by the book. For example, students may respond that the mouse and the frog were not friends. The mouse was just using the frog to get across the water. On the other hand, students may respond that the mouse and frog were friends. The frog let the mouse ride on its back, and the book calls the two of them “buddies.”
 
Read pages 14-21 out loud, then stop. Page 21 ends with, “...a great big bear.”
18.
Teacher asks: How are Mäuschen [MOI-shen] and Muschi [MOO-shee] different?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they reflect the text. Examples include the following:
  • Mäuschen is a bear, and Muschi is a cat.
  • Mäuschen is bigger than Muschi.
19.
Teacher asks: What do Mäuschen the bear and Muschi the cat do together?
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they reflect the text. Examples include the following:
  • Mäuschen protects Muschi from other bears.
  • Muschi sleeps in Mäuschen’s paws.
 
Finish reading the story. Note that the word “Antolian” on page 25 is a misprint. The correct word is “Anatolian,” a term referring to the western peninsula of Asia, where Turkey is found.
20.
Teacher asks: At the beginning of the lesson, I asked whether a tiger and an orangutan could be friends. Based on what we just read, what is the answer? Support your answer with information from the book.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary but should recognize that a tiger and an orangutan can be friends. At a zoo in Indonesia a tiger and an orangutan cuddled and played together for months.
 

Part 2: Guided Practice and Discussion

 
For this oral lesson, it is suggested to have the completed graphic organizer on the board with the answers concealed. After students provide a correct answer, reveal the corresponding answer on the graphic organizer.
1.
Teacher asks: What were the first two animals we read about? Use the pictures in the graphic organizer to help you remember.
 
Students answer: They were a macaque and a pigeon.
2.
Teacher asks: What did the macaque and the pigeon do together?
 
Students answer:
  • The macaque gave the pigeon a hug.
  • They comforted each other.
3.
Teacher asks: Were the macaque and the pigeon friends?
 
Students answer: Yes, the macaque and the pigeon were friends.
4.
Teacher asks: What were the next two animals we read about? Use the pictures in the graphic organizer to help you remember.
 
Students answer: They were an orangutan and a cat.
5.
Teacher asks: What did the orangutan and the cat do together?
 
Students answer:
  • They ate together.
  • They played together.
  • They slept side by side.
  • They lived side by side.
Read more
6.
Teacher asks: Were the orangutan and the cat friends?
 
Students answer: Yes, the orangutan and the cat were friends.
7.
Teacher asks: What are the next two animals in the graphic organizer?
 
Students answer: They are a pig and a lion.
8.
Teacher asks: What did Wilbur the pig and Brad the lion do together?
 
Students answer:
  • They napped together.
  • They played together.
  • They snuggled up together.
9.
Teacher asks: Were Wilbur the pig and Brad the lion friends?
 
Students answer: Either yes or no is an acceptable response, as there is a basis in the text for each.
10.
Teacher asks: What are the next two animals in the graphic organizer?
 
Students answer: They are a mouse and a frog.
11.
Teacher asks: What did the mouse and the frog do together?
 
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): The frog carried the mouse across the water in the streets.
12.
Teacher asks: Were the mouse and the frog friends?
 
Students answer: Either yes or no is an acceptable response, as there is a basis in the text for each.
13.
Teacher asks: What are the next two animals in the graphic organizer?
 
Students answer: They are a bear and a cat.
14.
Teacher asks: What did Mäuschen the bear and Muschi the cat do together?
 
Students answer:
  • The bear protected the cat.
  • The cat slept in the bear’s paws.
15.
Teacher asks: Were Mäuschen the bear and Muschi the cat friends?
 
Students answer: Yes, they were friends.
16.
Teacher asks: What are the next two animals in the graphic organizer?
 
Students answer: They are a tiger and an orangutan.
17.
Teacher asks: What did the tiger cub and the baby orangutan do together at a zoo in Indonesia?
 
Students answer:
  • They cuddled together.
  • They played together.
18.
Teacher asks: Were the tiger cub and the baby orangutan friends?
 
Students answer: Either yes or no is an acceptable response, as there is a basis in the text for each.
 
After the answers for the graphic organizer have been completed and discussed with the class, ask the following two extension questions.
 
Teacher asks: What is the main idea of the book? The main idea of a book is a statement that tells what the book is mostly about. Before you answer, think about what we focused on and talked about while we read this book. After you answer, explain what information in the book showed you what the main idea was.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, though students should recognize that the main idea has to do with friendships between different kinds of animals. For example, students may respond that the main idea is that “different kinds of animals can be friends.” The book has many examples of such friendships, from the macaque and pigeon that became friends to the bear and the cat that became friends.
 
Teacher asks: What is needed in a friendship? Support your answer with information from the book.
 
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they are supported by the book. For example, students may respond that play and helpfulness are needed in a friendship. Wilbur the pig and Brad the lion were friends partly because they played together. Mäuschen the bear and Muschi the cat were friends partly because Mäuschen gave Muschi protection.
 

Part 3: Student Independent Practice

 
Read each question out loud to your students and have each student complete the worksheet independently. For questions 5 A) and 6, you can have students draw their answers, answer orally, or write their answers depending on your students’ progress. If you have them write their answers, you may want to write the word(s) on the board for them to copy. Question 7 is a class discussion question.

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User Comments

This is exactly what I was looking for. Great lesson. Thank you Readworks!

Submitted by jentineo on 10/22/15

Love this lesson so much!

Submitted by pingalls_1025434 on 5/5/15

good lesson

Submitted by woodwardeileen_1059705 on 11/30/14