Text Type: Fiction/Realistic
Page Count: 12
Word Count: 590

Book Summary
It's time for the annual Deer Lake Fishing Derby. Last year, all the kids except for Luis caught fish and won prizes. This year Luis is determined to win, and using his secret plan, he is sure not to fail.

About the Lesson

Targeted Reading Strategy

• Make, revise, and confirm predictions

Objectives

• Use the reading strategy of making, revising, and confirming predictions to understand the text
• Analyze the main character in text
• Identify and understand the use of quotation marks
• Identify and understand homophones

Materials

• Book -- The Fishing Derby (copy for each student)
• Chalkboard or dry erase board
• Dictionaries
• Prediction, analyze characters, quotation marks, homophones worksheets
• Discussion cards

     Indicates an opportunity for students to mark in the book. (All activities may be completed with paper and pencil if books are reused.)

Vocabulary

• Content words: bullhorn, determined, Derby, enormous, fishing, patiently, perched, prize, secret

Build Background

• Ask students to share kinds of contests they know of or have participated in. Invite them to tell whether the contest had prizes for the winners and, if so, what kinds of prizes were awarded to the winners.
• Have students share what they know about fishing and the materials needed to fish. Invite them to tell what kinds of contests there might be for fishing.

Preview the Book

Introduce the Book

• Give students their copy of the book. Guide them to the front and back covers and read the title. Have students discuss what they see on the covers. Encourage them to offer ideas as to what type of book it is (genre, text type, fiction or nonfiction, and so on) and what it might be about.
• Show students the title page. Discuss the information on the page (title of book, author's name, illustrator's name).

Introduce the Reading Strategy: Make, revise, and confirm predictions

• Explain that good readers often make predictions about what might happen in a book based on the series of events and what the characters say, do, and think in the story. As they read the story, readers revise or confirm their predictions based on what they learn from reading. Before reading a book, readers can use the title and illustrations as the basis for making predictions.
• Model using the title and cover illustrations to make a prediction as you preview the book.
  Think-aloud: Let's look at the front cover. I see a boy with a fishing pole. The fishing pole is next to a calendar that shows the month of July, so this story might take place in the summer. Behind the boy is a man carrying cooking supplies. He is leaving the house with them. Perhaps he is going to cook something outside on a grill. The title of the story is The Fishing Derby. Based on all of these clues, I think the boy is going to be in a contest to catch and cook the best fish. I'll have to read the book find out what happens.
• Create a four-column chart on the board with the headings Make, Revise, Confirm, and Actual. Model writing a prediction in the first column, Make. (For example, The boy is going to be in a contest to catch and cook the best fish.)
• Introduce and explain the prediction worksheet. Invite students to make a prediction before they begin reading and write it on their worksheet.
• As students read, encourage them to use other reading strategies in addition to the targeted strategy presented in this section. For tips on additional reading strategies, click here.

Introduce the Comprehension Skill: Analyze characters

• Explain to students that authors try to make their characters believable and interesting so readers feel as though they know and understand the characters. Readers learn about characters in a story through their thoughts, actions, and words.
• Ask students to turn to page 3 in their book. Read page 3 aloud to students while they follow along.
• Model how to analyze a character based on actions.
  Think-aloud: After reading about Luis and his plans for the fishing derby, I know that he is very determined to win. He has created a plan to help him achieve this goal. Based on Luis's actions, he seems very determined and creative.
• Introduce and explain the analyze characters worksheet. On the board, create a two-column chart with the heading Luis. Label the first column Traits and the second column Clues. Write determined and creative under the Traits heading, and phrases that support each trait under the Clues heading. Have students write the information from the discussion on their worksheet.

Introduce the Vocabulary

• Write the content vocabulary in a list on the board. Point to each word, read it aloud, and ask students to give the thumbs-up signal if they know the word or have heard it before. Circle any words that most students are unfamiliar with.
• Explain to students that good readers can use context clues to help them figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word in the text. However, sometimes they will not find enough context clues to clearly define the unfamiliar word. Model how students can use the dictionary to locate a word's meaning.
• Ask students to take turns reading the words and their definitions in the dictionary. After each definition has been read, have them find the sentence on the page where the word is located. Have them read the sentence aloud to confirm the definition.
• Prepare index cards ahead of time that have the content vocabulary words and definitions written on them, one word or definition per card. Spread out the cards face down on the table and have students play Concentration to match the words with their definitions. Have them use the dictionary to confirm whether they have made a match.
• For additional tips on teaching word-attack strategies, click here.

Set the Purpose

• Have students read the book, making predictions about what will happen in the story based on the events and what the characters say, do, and think. Remind them to revise or confirm their predictions as they learn more about the events of the story.

Student Reading

• Guide the reading: Have students read to the end of page 6. Encourage those who finish early to go back and reread.
• Ask students if they have read enough of the story yet to confirm their first prediction. Model revising a prediction.
  Think-aloud: I predicted that the boy on the cover was going to be in a contest to catch and cook the best fish. As I read, I learned that that boy was going to be in a contest. However, the prizes were for the smallest fish, the first fish caught, and the biggest fish caught. I also learned that Luis had a secret plan for winning the grand prize. When the contest began, he started to fish in an area away from the other children. Maybe he knew where all the best fish were, or perhaps his plan involved doing something that he didn't want others to see, such as cheating. The contest doesn't have anything to do with cooking. The man on the cover is Luis's dad, who cooks at the derby picnic every year. Based on what I've read, I want to revise my prediction. I think that Luis wants to win so badly that he decides to cheat. I will write this prediction next to my original prediction under the heading Revise.
• Encourage students to use the information they've read and discussed to revise or confirm their prediction. Have them write their new prediction under the heading Revise on their worksheet. Remind them that if their first prediction has been confirmed or has not yet been proven, they may write another prediction in the Make section of their worksheet. Model for students how to think through whether or not their predictions were confirmed, and if not, to explain why not. Invite students to share their predictions.
• Review the discussion about Luis's character from the Introduce the Comprehension Skill section. Discuss with them what Luis's words, thoughts, and/or actions tell about his character. Have students write the information from the discussion on their analyze characters worksheet.
• Check for understanding: Have students read to the end of page 9. Have them make, revise, and/or confirm a prediction and write it on their worksheet.
• Ask students to work with a partner to write on their worksheet additional clues from the text that support one or more of Luis's character traits. Assist student pairs as needed. When they have finished, discuss their responses.
• Invite students to read the remainder of the book. Encourage them to continue to make, revise, and confirm their predictions as they read the rest of the story.

      Have students make a question mark in their book beside any word they do not understand or cannot pronounce. Encourage them to use the strategies they have learned to read each word and figure out its meaning.

• Ask students what words, if any, they marked in their book. Use this opportunity to model how they can read these words using decoding strategies and context clues.

Reflect on the Reading Strategy

• Think-aloud: I predicted that Luis wanted to win the derby so badly that he decided to cheat. I learned that Luis decided to go to a secluded spot because he predicted that the noise from all the other children would make the fish come over to him.
• Ask students to share their predictions about what they thought might happen in the story. Ask them to compare their predictions with what actually happened in the story and to share any predictions that were confirmed. Reassure students by explaining that using story events and prior knowledge to make predictions, rather than predicting correctly, is the purpose of this reading strategy.
• Ask students to explain how the strategy of making, revising, and confirming predictions helped them understand and enjoy the story.
• Independent practice: Have students complete their prediction worksheet.

Reflect on the Comprehension Skill

• Discussion: Review how readers got to know Luis throughout the story. Share and discuss the clues from the text that support students' descriptions of Luis.
• Independent practice: Have students write on their analyze characters worksheet additional clues from the text that support one or more of Luis's character traits. When they have finished, discuss their responses.
• Enduring understanding: In this story, Luis's determination and problem-solving abilities led him to win the fishing derby. Now that you know this information, what will you do next time you want to achieve a goal?

Grammar and Mechanics: Quotation marks

• Have students locate the first sentence on page 4. Ask students to tell which words are spoken by Dad. Point out the quotation marks. Explain that quotation marks are punctuation marks around dialogue in text. Discuss the difference between which words the character says aloud (Hurry up, Luis!) and which words tell the reader which character is speaking (Dad hollered).
• Continue reading page 4 in the book aloud to students as they follow along. Ask students to give the thumbs-up signal when they hear dialogue.
• Discuss different words used to signal dialogue. Remind students that these words come directly before or after the quotation marks to show which character is speaking. Ask students to find all the words used in the text that signal dialogue. Write them on the board as students identify them: hollered, announced, yelled, said.

      Check for understanding: Ask students to highlight the sentences with quotation marks in the book. Next to each highlighted sentence, have them write the name of the character who is speaking. Then have students use a separate piece of paper to write their own sentence using quotation marks.

• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the quotation marks worksheet. If time allows, discuss their answers.

Word Work: Homophones

• Have students turn to page 3. Read aloud the last sentence in the first paragraph. Ask students to circle the word one. Have them tell the meaning of the word.
• Have students turn to page 11. Read aloud the last sentence in the paragraph. Ask students to circle the word won. Have them tell the meaning of the word.
• Explain to students that the words one and won are homophones--two words that sound the same but are spelled differently and mean different things.
• Ask students to reread the last sentence on page 11. Write the word new on the board. Ask students if they know another word that sounds the same but is spelled differently and has a different meaning (knew).
• Invite students to share other homophone pairs they may know. Write these pairs on the board.
• Check for understanding: Write the homophone pair know/no on the board. Have students work with a partner to use each word in a sentence on a separate piece of paper. Invite them to share their sentences aloud.
• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the homophones worksheet. If time allows, discuss their responses.

Independent Reading

• Allow students to read their book independently. Additionally, partners can take turns reading parts of the book to each other.

Home Connection

• Give students their book to take home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends. Have students compare their predictions with those made by someone at home while reading the story.

Realistic Fiction Writing Connection
Review or explain to students that realistic fiction stories are based on characters, settings, problems, events, and solutions that could happen in real life. Have students write a story about someone who participates in a contest.

Visit Writing A–Z for a lesson and leveled materials on realistic fiction writing.

Social Studies Connection
Explain to students that the seafood in grocery stores is provided by men and women who fish for it. Have students use the Internet to learn more about the jobs in the fishing industry. Have them create a poster about their findings.

Skill Review
Discussion cards covering comprehension skills and strategies not explicitly taught with the book are provided as an extension activity. The following is a list of some ways these cards can be used with students:

• Use as discussion starters for literature circles.
• Have students choose one or more card and write a response, either as an essay or a journal entry.
• Distribute before reading the book and have students use one of the questions as a purpose for reading.
• Cut apart and use the cards as game cards with a board game.
• Conduct a class discussion as a review before the book quiz.