Slam Dunk! Lesson Plan

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Academic Standards

 

Reading Objective:

Students will track the history of basketball.

 

Social Studies Focus:

long ago and today

 

ELA Skills:

key details, vocabulary, text evidence/writing

 

Page 4 Skill:

read a chart

 

Vocabulary:

tournaments, dribble, popular, professional, competitive

 

CCSS:

RI.2.1 key details; RI.2.2 identify main topic; RI.2.3 describe connect between historical events; RI.2.4 determine meaning of words; RI.2.10 read informational texts; RF.2.3 read gradeappropriate words; W.2.2 write informative texts; W.2.8 gather information; L.2.2 punctuation

 

Lexile level: 

540L

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Provide students with some background on sports.

Build background knowledge (10 min.)

Watch our video “Get Moving!" After children have finished watching the video, discuss the following question:

  • What is one kind of exercise you like to do?

Set a purpose for reading (5 min.)

  • Pass out the issue, and discuss the cover. Have any students heard of March Madness? 
  • Next read the As You Read prompt on page 2: “Think about how basketball has changed over time.” 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. 

 

Review vocabulary (3 min.)

Next, play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are tournaments, dribble, popular, professional, and competitive.

Assessment: Reading Quiz

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

Allie’s Basketball Dream by Barbara E. Barber (20 min.)

Passion. Perseverance. Playing hard. That’s what college and professional basketball players have in common with Allie— the star of this Shook’s Books pick.

With the “Hoop, Hoop, Hooray!” game, students practice punctuation on the basketball court. Each correct answer helps get their ball in the hoop to score a point!

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

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 min.)

  • Use the Word Work skill sheet to deepen students’ understanding of the words dribble, popular, professional, and competitive.

Editor’s Pick: Text Evidence / Writing 15 min.)

  • Use the A Letter to Norbert Know- It-All skill sheet for a fun way to teach text evidence. Read Norbert’s letter to students. They will see that he is definitely NOT an expert! They can use what they learned in the issue to set him straight. Send Norbert a response at norbert@ scholastic.com. Norbert will write back!

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 min.)

  • Students will use words from the word bank to solve clues and practice vocabulary with the Slam Dunk! Crossword skill sheet.

Here is a past issue you can use to extend your lesson on sports that changed over time:

  • “Catch!,” May/June 2022. Students will learn how frisbees got their sweet start and the sport changed over time.
  • “The History of Ice- Skating,” January 2022. This issue explores how ice skating has changed over time—from the bones on the very first skates to the changing reasons people move on ice!

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

  • Higher Lexile level: 650L
  • Lower Lexile level: 490L