Lessons & Units :: Predicting 4th Grade Unit

Lesson 1: Cliffhangers

Lesson Plan

Marvin and the Meanest Girl

Marvin and the Meanest Girl
Learning Goal
Predict events in a story based on a cliffhanger.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: N/A
Not Provided: Marvin and the Meanest Girl by Suzy KIine

  • Teacher Modeling

    will explain that when reading chapter books, they often have cliffhangers. A cliffhanger is an event that usually comes at the end of a chapter and is meant to interest the reader in continuing to read. Sometimes, when you are watching a show that ends with “to be continued”, they have ended with a cliffhanger: something that has happened that will encourage you to watch the next time to see what happens. Cliffhangers are a good place to make a prediction about what will happen next. I will read chapter 1 of Marvin and the Meanest Girl by Suzy Kline. I will identify the cliffhanger at the end of the chapter and make a prediction about what will happen next. The cliffhanger at the end of chapter 1 is that Marvin has decided that he has to get Lucy back but doesn’t know how. This is a good place for me to stop and predict what might happen next. I predict that Marvin plays some kind of joke on Lucy to get her back but that their teacher finds out and Marvin gets in trouble.

  • Think Check

    Ask: How did I make a prediction about what will happen next in the story? Students should respond that you stopped at a cliffhanger and then thought about what might happen next based on what has happened so far in the story and the cliffhanger.

  • Guided Practice

    will read chapter 2 of Marvin and the Meanest Girl and identify the cliffhanger at the end of the chapter. (Lucy still hasn’t realized that her cigar box is now in her backpack.) We will make a prediction about what will happen when Lucy finds out that her cigar box is not where she left it.

  • Independent Practice

    will listen as I read chapter 3 of Marvin and the Meanest Girl aloud. You will identify the cliffhanger at the end of chapter 3 and predict what will happen next. Note: Finish reading the book as time permits over the next few days.

Build Student Vocabulary backfired

Tier 2 Word: backfired
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story His game backfired. He was the one who got fooled!
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) When an action or a plan backfires, it gives you the opposite results of what you had been trying to do. Marvin’s game backfired because Lucy didn’t find the cigar box in her book bag, which was what he had planned.
Students repeat the word Say the word backfired with me: backfired.
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts My plan to go to bed early last night backfired because I got distracted watching a movie. I was having fun yesterday playing with my little sister, but it backfired because she accidentally hit her head and started to cry!
Students provide examples Have your plans ever backfired? Start by saying, “Once my plans backfired when __________________.”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? backfired
Additional Vocabulary Words abruptly, insistent

Build Student Background Knowledge

While reading Chapter 1 of Marvin and the Meanest Girl, pause when Marvin reads his report on the Eiffel Tower. Ask your students if they know what and where the Eiffel Tower is located. The Eiffel Tower is the most recognizable landmark in Paris, the capital of France. Show students these locations on your classroom map. The Tower was built over 100 years ago for the Paris World's Fair, a global festival held in different cities. The World's Fair has also been held in New York City (Queens), Chicago, and St. Louis. Every night, there are searchlights on the top of the Tower that create a light show for the entire city to see.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

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User Comments

Very informative! Keep up the good work.

Submitted by jbcazeau_1619877 on 10/10/15