1. I. General Information
Name: Jamie Snider
Date: 9/8/2009
Curricular Area(s) Language Arts
Grade Level: 7th grade Learning Support
Group Size: 1 small group of 5-8 students
Setting of Lesson: Learning Support Classroom- pull out services
Time of Lesson: 20 minutes
II. Rationale:
This lesson will serve to introduce and motivate the students to participate in a read
aloud of The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.
III. Vocabulary:
Fiction: the class of literature comprising works of imaginative narration
Realistic Fiction: Realistic fiction, although untrue, could actually happen. Some
events, people, and places may even be real.
IV. Resources/Multimedia:
The Westing Game book
Graphic Organizer
Character list
Reader’s Response Journal
V. Objectives/Adaptations
Objectives:
1. Students will demonstrate comprehension of pre-reading activity by orally contributing to
class discussion during anticipatory set questions and during introduction of the book, author,
genre and synopsis.
2. Students will construct background knowledge about the topic of the book by recording their
answers to the anticipatory set questions on a graphic organizer. The graphic organizer will be
used later to assist in writing in their readers response journal during closure.
VI. Pennsylvania Academic Standards:

2. 1.1. Learning to Read Independently: 1.1.5. GRADE 5
• Summarize the major ideas, themes or procedures of the text
1.3. Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature: 1.3.5. GRADE 5
• Read and understand works of literature.
VII. Lesson Body
A. Introductory or Anticipatory Set:
1. The students will be asked if they have a favorite game. They will be asked to share the name
of the game with their classmates. They will be asked why it’s their favorite game. 3 responses
for each question will be collected and placed on a Ladder Graphic Organizer.
2. The students will be asked if they have ever played a game for money or a prize. How did it
make you feel? The students will be asked to give two descriptive words to describe how they
felt. These will be recorded on the graphic organizer.
3. The students will be told that the book we are reading is called The Westing Game. The
teacher will explain to the students that they will be participating is this whole group read aloud
of The Westing Game. Students will be required to participate in book discussions, make
predictions, ask questions, as well as complete homework assignments in regards to each days
reading.
B. Procedures:
1. The cover of the book will be shown to the students. The title and author’s name will be read
aloud to them. They will be asked if they have read this book before.
2. The students will be given background information about the author. The author was born in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin which is the setting for the story. She was an illustrator and loved to write
novels that were “puzzles.” She felt the most important part of her books were the first line. She
wanted to grab the reader’s attention in the first few words. She was compared with a magician
because she often had tricked her readers before revealed the solution to her books. The students
will be asked if they can remember any other books that had surprise endings.
3. The students will be told this book is a realistic fiction genre. The teacher will review the
definition of fiction with the students and introduce the definition of realistic fiction with
examples of each genre.
• Realistic fiction is a form of fiction (not true) accurately reflects life as it could be lived
today
• everything in the story could happen to real people living in our natural physical world
• the characters have normal human powers

3. • It has two parts: historical fiction and contemporary fiction
• story may be set in real places, but the story is NOT based on history, nor does it contain
elements of science fiction
• Examples are: Because of Winn Dixie, A Year Down Yonder, Super Fudge, Tales of the
Fourth Grade Nothing, Hatchet
Fiction has:
• fiction has three main elements: plotting, character, and place or setting
• is an imaginative form of narrative writing
• all the characters are invented in the story
• The story could not happen in real life.
• Examples: Harold and the Purple Crayon, Grimm’s Fairytales, Sylvester and the Magic
Pebble.
4. A list of characters will be given to the students to introduce characters and to set a purpose
for reading as well as motivate student involvement in the story.
5. Finally, a short synopsis will be read to the students to set background in story interest.
C. Adaptations to Procedure:
1. Extended wait time will be given for responses
2. Character list read aloud
3. Graphic organizer will be completed together
D. Closure
1. A short review of the author, genre and synopsis. The students will be asked to retell the
synopsis in their own words as well as a description of the characters. The teacher will instruct
the students to develop 2-3 questions that they have about the story and record them in their
reader’s response journal.
VII. Assessment:
1. Direct observation will be used while the students completed their graphic organizers
2. Oral responses will demonstrate comprehension of the lesson
3. The use of a graphic organizer will demonstrate comprehension and on task
behavior.
4. The paraphrasing of the characters and synopsis will demonstrate reading
comprehension.

4. Character list:
Character Character description
Turtle Wexler a 13 year old girl
Grace Wexler mother of Turtle and Angela
Jake Wexler husband of Grace and foot doctor
daughter of Grace and fiance of
Angela Wexler
Dentin
Doug Hoo a track star and son of Mr. Hoo
Otis Amber delivery boy
Denton Deere intern at local hospital
secretary ( not a heir is at Sunset
Sydelle Pulaski
Towers by mistake)
soup kitchen organizer ( former
Bertha Erica Crow
wife of Westing gets inheritance)
17 year old boy son of coffee
Theo Theodorakis
shop owner
son of coffee shop owner disease
Chris Theodorakis
struck and wheelchair bound
Sam Westing rich owner of a paper company
Sandy McSouthers door man at Sunset Towers
owner of restaurant atop sunset
Mr.Hoo
towers
VII. Teacher Evaluation:

5. 1. The students accomplished the objectives. Today’s objectives were designed to familiarize the
students with the policies and procedures for the small group instruction. The students remained on
task and followed directions. They filled out their reader’s response journals, placed them in the right
bin and participated during class discussion.
2. I did not have to keep explaining the topic and we were able to move on to the next part of the
lessons.
3. The strengths of the lesson were the organization and preparation that went into planning the lesson
and the materials for the students. The students were enthusiastic about the behavior management
plan and the materials that were given during class, as well as the book that was chosen. I was also very
comfortable with being in front of the class and had good behavior management with the first class.
4. Behavior management with the class is an area of improvement. There were times sidebar
conversations occurred and sigh of boredom. I am hoping that as we progress with the story they will
like the story enough to keep engaged and on task. I believe it will be a challenge and I will have to
remain on my behavior management plan to make an effective lesson possible.