Lessons & Units :: Setting Kindergarten Unit

Lesson 3: Where and When

Lesson Plan

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale | 120L

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
Learning Goal
Identify when and where a story takes place.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Independent Practice Worksheet
Not Provided: Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

  • Teacher Modeling

    will review that the setting of a story includes where and when the story takes place. I will model using pictures and text to determine the setting (where and when) of the beginning of Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems by reading it aloud and stopping on page 5. Trixie has on short sleeves and her daddy has his sleeves rolled up. They are not wearing any jackets or hats. It must be warm outside. Maybe the story takes place in the spring or summer. I can see the shadows of the trees on the building. You can only see shadows in the daytime, so it must be during the day. It looks like they are leaving their home. The mom is waving and the text tells us that Trixie is going on an errand with her dad.

    TIP: Create a chart of words and pictures that are clues for identifying “where” and “when” a story takes place.

  • Think Check

    Ask: "How did I know that the story is taking place outside during the daytime?" Students should respond that you used the pictures and text to help you determine when and where the story is taking place.

  • Guided Practice

    will use pictures and information in the text to determine the various settings (where and when) of the middle of the book, stopping at the page that reads “. . . but Knuffle Bunny was nowhere to be found.” We will discuss which clues (pictures and/or text) we use to determine the setting.

  • Independent Practice

    will illustrate the setting from the last three pages of the book. You will explain orally or in writing how you determined the setting. (Independent Practice Worksheet is provided.)

Build Student Vocabulary bawled

Tier 2 Word: bawled
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story After Trixie and her daddy left the Laundromat, her daddy said, “‘Now please don’t get fussy.’ Well, she had no choice . . . Trixie bawled.”
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) Bawled means to cry loudly. When Trixie bawled, she cried loudly.
Students repeat the word Say the word bawled with me: bawled.
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts My son bawled when he fell off of his bicycle and hurt his knee. My daughter bawled when she could not find her favorite toy.
Students provide examples Have you ever bawled? Why did you bawl? Start by saying, “I bawled because ___________________.”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? bawled
Additional Vocabulary Words machine, errand

Build Student Background Knowledge

Pause after Trixie's father helps her put money into the machine. Explain to the class that people wash their clothing in many different ways. Some people have a machine at home that washes and dries their clothes. Some people go to the Laundromat, a store that has washing machines, just like Trixie and her father. Other people wash their clothes in the sink or bathtub, or even a river, and then hang them out to dry on a clothes line.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

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