Explanation:  This lesson is designed as an extension activity to writing letters and being creative in the content of the letter.  The 3rd Grade was reading Ramona's Book Report and had started researching the author Beverly Cleary to complete Activity 3 discussed in the Outline of this unit.  This lesson is meant to aid students as they think about the characters that Beverly Cleary describes and what to write in their letters.

Topic: Facing Challenges
Grade Level: 3rd

Behavioral Objectives:
1. Students will discuss grammar usage in the story and how commas aid understanding.
2. Student will comprehend aspects of the story through discussion, group reading and personal experiences.

Concepts Addressed:
1. Grammar
2. Commas
3. Sequence
4. Character

Materials required:
1. Ramona’s Book Report
2. Paper and Pencil

Anticipatory Set:
    Remind students of the challenges that they said they faced at the beginning of the story.  Ask them to think of some ways that Ramona met her challenge and what they have learned from her so far.

Procedure:
1. Call 3rd Grade to the front of the room with books and pencils.
2. Follow the anticipatory set specified above.
3. Review commas in a series. Ask them what other supplies they see on p.279 and write them on the board.  Ask where commas should be placed.
4. Ask students to identify the steps that Ramona took to create her book report.
5. Continue reading from p. 284.  Connect Ramona feeling brave behind her cat mask to students’ personal experiences of wearing a mask and feeling different.
6. Continue reading until the end.
7. Give assessment assignment.

Closure:
    Ask students to compare this story to Uncle Jed’s Barbershop.  What kind of challenges did the characters face?  How did they deal with these challenges?

Assessment:
    Assign each student to write three things that they learned from Ramona that can help them meet their own challenges.

Reflection on the lesson:

Justification for the entry:
    Please see explanation above.

Connection between lesson and philosophy of learning and teaching:
    If I expect students to be creative and tie in themes from different disciplines and topics, then I should provide them with the foundation to do so.  This lesson helped the students think about what to write to Beverly Cleary and gave them tools to think critically about her writing and her characters.

Evaluation of methods:
    My method of choral reading for this lesson was effective in that that is what the students are accustomed to.  Discussing commas in a series and bringing in knowledge of commas in a friendly letter was also helpful.  Asking the students to compare this story to Uncle Jed's Barbershop also helped them notice the different styles of writing between the two authors.

Possible Improvements:
   In the future, I would try different forms of reading such as partner reading.  This might give students more interaction and give them something different to try.  Another improvement might be to have students write a continuation of the story or write a skit or song about what they read.