Help! I Need a Friend! Lesson Plan

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Academic Standards

 

Reading Objective:

Children will discuss various tips for making new friends.

 

Social-Emotional Learning Focus:

relationship skills, friendship

 

ELA Skills:

key details, vocabulary, writing, punctuation

 

Page 4 Skill:

RI.2.7 read a graph

 

Vocabulary:

experts, flexible

 

CCSS:

SL.2.3, RI.2.1, RI.2.4, RI.2.10, L.2.1, L.2.2

 

Guided Reading Level: 

K

 

Lexile Level: 

520L

Download TEKS Standards
Download Common Core Standards

Provide students with some background on friendship.

Build background knowledge (10 min.)

Watch our video "Fantastic Friend Countdown." After children have finished watching the video, discuss the following question:

  • Can you think of a time when you were a fantastic friend?

Preview vocabulary (3 min.)

Next, play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are experts and flexible.

Set a purpose for reading (5 min.)

  • Pass out the issue, and discuss the cover. Let kids share ideas for making friends.
  • Next, read the As You Read prompt on page 2: “Think about ways you can make a new friend.” Encourage children to think about this prompt as they read.

Read together (20 min.)

Pass out the Read and Think printable. Use it to check comprehension as you read the issue together, pausing to ask the questions. 

Assessment: Reading Quiz 

Pass out the Reading Quiz to review key concepts from the issue and assess students’ proficiency on key nonfiction reading skills.

  • The “Friends Make It Fun” game helps children practice punctuation. For each friendship-themed sentence, children choose between periods, question marks, and exclamation points to end sentences about friendship.

You can use our printable worksheets to focus on important SEL and ELA skills. Here’s how.

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 min.)

  • Use the Word Work printable to deepen students’ understanding of the words experts and flexible.

Editor’s Pick: Meet Mystery Classmates! (15 min.)

  • The Guess Who? skill sheet invites students to describe themselves by answering questions, such as their favorite activities, hobbies, and interests. Post each child’s self-description (no names!) and let classmates try to figure out who’s who!

ELA Focus: How-To Writing (15 min.)

  • The Making a New Friend skill sheet lets students write their own friendship tip, using the First, Next, Then, Last structure.

 Here are two past issues you can use to extend your lesson on friendship:

  • “Friends Make It Fun,” September 2018. This issue gives students more friendship tips from real kids.
  • “Two Wild Friends,” September 2017. This issue illustrates good friendship through the lens of a lion cub and tiger cub that met at a zoo!

You can find a higher-Lexile-level and a lower-Lexile-level version of the article online here:

  • Higher-Lexile level: 620L
  • Lower-Lexile level: 490L