Spork activities and lesson plan ideas

Our Spork Activities are now digital for distance learning with editable teaching slides and worksheets based on Kyo Maclear's book. Read aloud the picture book then use the printables or go paperless with Google or Seesaw to practice standards-based skills.

THIS READING UNIT FOCUSES ON USING THE MENTOR TEXT TO TEACH: 

◼️ READING STRATEGIES

☐ analyzing character

☐ making predictions

☐ plot | problem - solution

☐ sequencing

☐ identifying theme | message | moral

◼️ SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING TOPICS

☐ appreciating diversity

◼️ GRAMMAR & LANGUAGE CONCEPTS

☐ plural nouns

☐ base words

☐ interjections

☐ homophones

SUMMARY OF THE MENTOR TEXT:

Spork was different from all of the other cutlery in his kitchen. He was part fork and park spoon. It was very unusual for cutlery to be mixed like Spork was, and people did not seem to understand what he was. Spork felt lonely and was never placed at the table like spoons and forks were. He felt like if you could just pick one thing to be, things would be easier. He decided to wear a round hat but the forks thought he was too round. Next, Spork tried a crown but the spoons thought he was too pointy.

One day, the “messy eater” arrived and made a mess of the kitchen despite the spoons and forks efforts. Spork realized the messy easter needed something that could scoop and poke, something flexible and easy to hold. When Spork presented himself to the baby, he realized he had finally found his place at the table.

THIS COLLECTION OF ACTIVITIES and LESSON IDEAS INCLUDES:

➜ Comprehension Questions categorized by reading strategy; text-dependent
➜ Social-Emotional Learning guidance lesson ideas & discussion topics based on the story
➜ Vocabulary Activities with kid-friendly definitions
➜ Grammar Topics selected to align with the text
➜ Focus Sentences use the book & author's craft as a mentor text to improve writing
➜ Lesson Planner summary, background info and planning space

➜ Story Mapping Printable identify character, setting, problem and solution

➜ Making Words Activity Page use any word from the book

➜ Focus Sentence copy work, identifying elements of the sentence, rewriting)

➜ Design a New Book Cover demonstrate understanding of the text by creating an illustration

➜ Predicting Activity primary-ruled and wider-ruled versions
➜ Summarizing Somebody → Wanted → But → Then → Finally

➜ Comparing and Contrasting using a Venn Diagram

➜ Cause and Effect analyze how events affect one another

➜ Visualization illustrate visualizations from the story and support thinking with text-based evidence

➜ Making Connections identify text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections

➜ Thematic Writing Paper Use with the Writing Prompts... Makes a Great Bulletin Board

➜ 2 Sequencing Activities First → Next → Then → Last and Beginning → Middle → End

➜ 2 Vocabulary Activities Vocabulary Booklet and Word Mapping

➜ 2 Character Trait Activities listing traits and supporting traits with text-based evidence
➜ 30 Text-Based Writing Prompts 3 prompts for each of the following types of writing:

• narrative
• persuasive / opinion
• descriptive
• expository / informative
• creative / story writing
• procedure / how-to
• list-making
• letter / postcard writing
• poem
• book reviews

INCLUDED DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:

➜ 5 Teaching Slides to use for instruction (add questions, vocabulary, instructions, etc)

➜ 15 Student Pages for use in Google™️ Classroom or as editable files to create customized printables