lessons also include embedded scaffolds to help students make meaning of the text itself. It calls out opportunities for paired or small group discussion, includes recommendations for ways in which visuals, videos, and/or graphic organizers could aid in understanding, provides a mix of questions (both factual and inferential) to guide students gradually toward deeper understanding, and offers recommendations for supplementary texts to build background knowledge supporting the content in the anchor text. These lessons feature embedded supports to aid students in developing their overall language and communication skills by featuring scaffolds such as sentence frames for discussion and written work (more guidance available ) as well as writing opportunities (and the inclusion of graphic organizers to scaffold the writing process). These supports help students develop and use newly acquired vocabulary and text-based content knowledge. The Lesson – Questions, Activities, and Tasks Questions/Activities/Vocabulary/Tasks Expected Outcome or Response (for each) FIRST READING (1-2 sessions): Read aloud the entire book with minimal interruptions. Stop to provide word meanings or clarify only when you know the majority of your students will be confused. The goal of this reading is for students to enjoy the book, both writing and pictures, and to experience it as a whole. This will give them a sense of the book’s entire storyline and craft before they examine parts of the book more carefully. SECOND READING (3 sessions): During the second reading of Dear Juno, students will explore the idea of the distance between Juno and his grandmother. Most questions and tasks relate to noticing and understanding the distance between the two. Before the reading, have students draw their own pictures of Juno and his grandmother on two small, separate pieces of paper or index cards.
[Pp. 22-23] What does Juno’s grandmother receive from him? What do you think she learns about Juno? [P. 24] Juno received his final letter from his grandmother. Inside, there was a toy airplane. What did Juno know the plane meant? How did he know this? Read the last page of text, and show the picture of Juno’s grandmother on the very last page. [P. 26] Ask students, “Do Juno and his grandmother live close together? How do the pictures and words tell you?” Have students draw and describe where Juno lives and where his grandmother lives. This illustration can be used to demonstrate understanding of the distance between the two. She receives the pictures Juno drew and the leaf from his swinging tree. She might learn that he likes swinging on the tree, and that he cares about his parents and his pet dog Sam. Juno knew the toy airplane meant that his grandmother was coming to visit. He knows that she lives very far and is only able to reach where he lives by an airplane. Juno “dreamed about a faraway place” where his grandmother lived. The illustrations show him and his grandmother in two different places. Juno and his grandmother live in separate places, far away from each other. Juno lives in a house with a swinging tree outside, and his grandmother lives next to a flower garden with a persimmon tree. READING (1-2 sessions): During this reading, the class will show how Juno and his grandmother connect/communicate with one another through their letters. Students will need individual T-charts, about 8 small pieces of paper/tiles, glue, and pencils, crayons, or markers. (See
[P. 1] When the author writes that the blinking lights “soared across the night sky like shooting stars,” what picture comes to your mind? In that sentence, what is the author comparing? Why did the author choose to compare these two things? [P. 1] The author repeats the “wondered” three times: “Juno wondered where they came from. He wondered where they were going. And he wondered…” What does the word “wonder” mean? What does this tell the reader about Juno? Does it seem like he knows much about his grandmother? How do you know? [P. 27] Read the description of the dream that Juno had about his grandmother, and then ask students to draw a picture of his grandmother and the setting. Ask students which words from the text helped them create that picture. Show students the text’s illustration of this (Students can compare their own illustration with the one in the book.) Ask, “Does his grandmother really have a doughnut on her head? Why did the author compare it to that? What does this page tell you about how Juno thinks of his grandmother?” The planes are moving quickly and its lights blend in with the stars. The sentence compares the planes’ lights to shooting stars. The author might be comparing them because they are both lights you can see faraway in the sky. In general, the image is of things that seem very distant. “Wonder” means to question or be curious about something. Juno seems to be doing a lot of wondering on this page, so he appears to be a curious boy, especially when it relates to his grandmother. He probably cares about his grandmother since he is thinking about her. Juno knows that his grandmother lives in “a little town near Seoul” and “eats persimmons every evening.” This page does not reveal anything else Juno knows about his grandmother. “gray hair… on top of her head like a powdered doughnut” “sipping morning tea” “golden leaves which cover the persimmon garden” “crisp enough to crackle” She does not have a doughnut on her head, but her bun does look like one. The author tried to create a picture in the reader’s mind. This language shows that Juno can picture his grandmother in great detail.
processes/ideas/concepts/experiences that are familiar to your students.) of a large family of words with related meanings. These words are likely to describe events, ideas, processes or experiences that most of your student will be unfamiliar with) Page 1 – blinking – shining with a light that seems to go off and on Page 1 – soared – flew in the air Page 1 – planes – short for airplane, an aircraft supported by wings and driven by a propeller Page 1 – shooting – meteors that look like brief streaks of light in the night sky Page 1 – persimmons – edible fruits of a persimmon tree Page 1 – evening – part of the day between afternoon and Page 2 – printed – written Page 8 – gentle – soft, not rough Page 10 – garden – a place where people grow flowers or edible plants Page 10 – strange – weird, unusual; not familiar Page 13 – keep me company – time with me so I’m not alone Page 27 – crisp – thin, hard, and easily crumbled; pleasantly cool Page 27 – crackle – crush or crack with snapping noises Page 1 – faraway – distant Page 1 – wondered – questioned; felt curiosity or doubt Page 1 – Seoul – capital city of South Korea Page 2 – – paper attached to something to show that a fee has been paid to send it Page 2 – envelope – a flat container, usually made of paper Page 2 – letter – a piece of written communication from one person to another Page 8 – letters – marks that are symbols for speech sounds in writing or print and that make up the alphabet Page 8 – photograph – a picture of a real object captured by a camera Conceptual words not found in text, but important for discussions of text’s meaning: distance – a separation in time or communicate – to transmit information, thought, or feeling so that it is received or understood connect – to join or together similar – having qualities that are the same in common – having qualities that are the same give – to put into the possession of another receive – to take something that is given Extension learning activities for this book and other useful resources Students may play out daily life of each character in a dramatic play center. The center should include artifacts from each setting and writing and art supplies for students to recreate objects from the story. With student help, the teacher can set up one side