5th Grade Lesson Plan
Lesson plan
Teacher: Miss. Kelsey McCormick
Date: 03/11/2019
Book: Sylvia & Aki
Author: Winifred Conkling
Published: July 9, 2013
Level: 4th grade – 7th grade
Multicultural Themes
▪ Racism
▪ War
▪ Segregation
▪ Internment
Educational Standards
1. CCSS.ELA- Literacy. RL. 2.5 - Describe the overall structure of a story, including
describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
2. CCSS.ELA- Literacy. RL. 2.7 - Use information gained from the illustrations and words
in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
Objective
1. The students will be able to illustrate acceptance and awareness of different
cultures by creating a story map of the setting, characters, rising action, conflict,
climax, falling action, and resolution with 90% accuracy.
2. Students will be able to identify their heritage by creating a “clothes pin doll”
dressed in paper clothing represented by the country of their ancestors with 90%
accuracy.
3. Students will be able to summarize and identify the moral of the story through
peer/group discussion with 95% accuracy.
Materials Needed
▪ The book Sylvia & Aki by Winifred Conkling
▪ Writing utensils (Crayons, markers, colored pencils)
▪ White sheets of paper (To create story map)
▪ Safety scissors (To cut construction paper)
▪ Various colors of construction paper (To create their own cut outs for their
“clothes pin doll”)
▪ Glue (To glue down construction paper)
▪ Paper doll (provided by teacher)
▪ Computers or books (to research their ancestry
Procedure
1. Introduce: Present the book Sylvia & Aki You by Winifred Conkling. Then ask
students to imagine that they observe a classmate being discriminated against by
other students because of some physical attribute, such as skin color. What would
they do? What could they say to the students who are being mean?
2. Read: Teacher reads the book aloud to entire class.
3. Discuss: (“Think, Pair, Share”) Students will be addressed the five questions
and given time to reflect on them. Then, students will pair with a peer and
compare their answers. After given a few minutes to exchange opinions, they will
share with the class what they had come up with for the questions. Collectively as
a class discuss initial thoughts and opinions on the plot, how the story began and
ended, and what was the author’s message.
▪ Question 1. How did Westminster School differ from Hoover School?
▪ Question 2. Why do you think Aki was permitted to attend Westminster
School but Sylvia wasn’t?
▪ Question 3. How do you think the experience of being forced to live in an
internment camp may have affected the rest of her childhood and adulthood?
▪ Question 4. How did this story end, and why?
▪ Question 5. Do you think it’s right discriminate against people? Explain
how you would feel if someone made fun of you for being different.
Activities
1. Students actively work individually on creating their own clothespin doll dressed
in clothing representative of the country of your ancestors. They may use: colored
pencils, markers, crayons, colored construction paper, ribbons, buttons, googly
eyes, scissors, and glue during this activity. (Hands-on)
2. Students will pair with one classmate, and together write a story map, Including
setting, characters, rising action, conflict, climax, falling action, and resolution.
(Teacher will staple characters and story map together and display in classroom.)
Evaluation
▪ Teacher openly reviews story map to check accuracy and acknowledgment
of differences in people.
