On an Airplane aa

Focus Question:
What steps do you take to ride on an airplane?
Book Summary
Text Type: Fiction/Concept
In the book On an Airplane, students read about a girl who embarks on a plane trip with her
family. Detailed, supportive illustrations and high-frequency words support early emergent
readers. The book can also be used to teach students how to sequence events and to recognize
and use nouns.

Guiding the Reading

Lesson Essentials
Before Reading
Instructional Focus
Ask and answer questions
Build Background
to understand text • Ask students to imagine they are going to take a
long trip. Ask them to discuss with a partner how
Sequence events they might travel (by boat, car, airplane, and so on).
Describe information provided Record their ideas on the board.
by illustrations • Explain that students are going to read a book about
Discriminate initial consonant Tt a girl who rides on an airplane. Have them work
Identify initial consonant Tt with a partner to explain what they think the steps
might be to ride on an airplane and whether or not
Recognize and use nouns
they have ever traveled by plane. Ask volunteers to
Recognize and use the high-frequency share their discussions with the class. Point out the
word the similarities and differences in students’ responses.

Materials Introduce the Book

Book: On an Airplane • Give students their copy of On an Airplane. Guide
(copy for each student) them to the front and back covers and read the
Sequence events, initial consonant Tt, title. Have students discuss what they see on the
covers. Encourage them to offer ideas as to what
nouns worksheets
type of book it is (genre, text type, and so on)
Retelling rubric and what it might be about.
• Show students the title page. Discuss the
Vocabulary
information on the page (title of book, author’s
Boldface vocabulary words also appear name, illustrator’s name).
in a pre-made lesson for this title on
VocabularyA–Z.com. (*) words appear Introduce the Reading Strategy:
in the lesson but not the book. Ask and answer questions
• High-frequency word: the Explain to students that engaged readers ask
questions about a topic before and during reading.
• Words to Know Then they look for the answers while reading to
Story critical: airplane (n.), pilot (n.), help them understand and remember what they
seat (n.), snack (n.), ticket (n.), window (n.) read. Have students look at the illustration on the
front cover of the book. Model asking a question.
• Academic vocabulary: event (n.)*,
Say: Where is the girl? Discuss with students how
sequence (v.)* this question might be answered. Ask students what
questions they might ask about the picture. Have
them share these questions with a partner. Ask
volunteers to share their questions with the class.
Record the questions on the board. Discuss where
the answers to the questions might be found.

Introduce the Comprehension Skill:

Sequence events
• Explain to students that when an author describes
how to do something in a story, it is important that

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 On an Airplane aa

Guiding the Reading (cont.) helping him or her make inferences. Guide students
back to page 4 and have them make an inference
the steps are in the correct order. Point out that the using the illustration by asking: What information
order of how to do something or the order of events does the illustration give you about the setting?
in a story is called the sequence of events. Explain What information did you find in the illustration?
that transition words, such as first, next, then, and What information did you already know? Invite
last are usually used when telling steps in order. students to share their responses with the class.
• Recount a simple story for students about the steps Review other illustrations in the story and discuss
taken to pack a bag for a trip. Record the steps in groups what inferences can be made about where
on the board using a picture to illustrate each and when the story takes place. Invite volunteers to
step. Model how to place a transition word at the share their thoughts with the rest of the class.
beginning of each step. Remind students that the
Skill Review
word first works only with the first step and the
word last works only with the last step. • Model for students how you ask and answer
questions as you read. Point out that some
Vocabulary questions can be answered by reading the story
Have students turn to the “Words to Know” box and others will require further research. Then direct
on the copyright page. Point out that these words them to stop at several points during the reading
can be found in the story and that understanding to share questions with a partner. Invite volunteers
the meaning of each word will help them better to share a question with the class. Discuss with
understand what they read. Read the words aloud to students how their questions might be answered.
students and, as a group, discuss the meaning of each • Invite students to discuss the first step in riding on an
word. On the basis of the definitions discussed, have airplane with a partner. Invite a volunteer to share
students work in groups to illustrate each vocabulary the answer, and record it on the board. Ask students
word on a poster. Have students share their posters what transition word should be used to describe this
with the class. step. Write the word first on the board.
• Model sequencing events from the story.
Set the Purpose Think-aloud: This story is about a girl and the steps she
• Have students read to find out more about riding takes to ride on an airplane. The girl and her parents
on an airplane. Write the Focus Question on the follow the steps in a certain order, or sequence, so
board. Invite students to look for evidence in the they will be able to successfully ride on the plane.
book to support their answer to the question. For example, if they didn’t get their ticket, then they
• Have students make a small question mark in their wouldn’t be able to board the airplane. As I read,
book beside any word they do not understand or I pause several times to think about the sequence
cannot pronounce. These can be addressed in a of events in order to understand and remember
future discussion. the details in the story.
• Cut out the pictures from an extra copy of the
During Reading book. Hand the pictures to volunteers and have
Text-Dependent Questions them come to the front of the classroom. Ask
volunteers to place the students holding the
As students read the book, monitor their understanding
pictures in the correct sequence. Invite other
with the following questions. Encourage students to
volunteers to orally recite the sequence of
support their answers by citing evidence from the book.
events using transition words.
• Who are the characters in the story? (level 1) page 3
• Model how to complete the sequence events
• What does the girl do after she meets the pilot? worksheet. Have students share their work with a
(level 2) page 5 partner when they have completed the worksheet.
• What does the girl do right before she looks
at the sky? (level 2) page 8 After Reading
• What does the girl see when she looks out
Ask students what words, if any, they marked in
the window? (level 1) page 9
their book. Use this opportunity to model how they
• How does the girl feel about riding on an airplane? can read these words using decoding strategies and
(level 3) multiple pages context clues.
Text Features: Illustrations Skill Review
Explain that illustrations, or drawn pictures, are helpful
Graphic Organizer: Sequence events
because they provide the reader with more detailed
information about the story. Discuss how illustrations Review the sequence events worksheet that students
can also allow the reader to understand the story by completed. Have students share their work in groups.
Have members of the group give the thumbs-up

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 On an Airplane aa

Guiding the Reading (cont.) • Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and

have students complete the initial consonant Tt
signal if they agree with the sequence of events. worksheet. If time allows, discuss their answers.

Response to Focus Question Grammar and Mechanics: Nouns

Have students cite specific evidence from the book • Place pictures of a person, a place, and a thing on
to answer the Focus Question. (Answers will vary. the board. Have volunteers identify what is in each
Example: People take many steps to ride on an picture. Explain that words that name a person,
airplane. First, they get a ticket. Next, they talk a place, or a thing are called nouns.
to the pilot. Then, they store their bag. Next, they • Write the following sentence on the board: The
sit in a seat and look out the window. Last, they sky is blue. Read the sentence aloud with students
get a snack and look at the sky.) and have a volunteer underline the noun in the
sentence (sky). Have students turn to a partner and
Comprehension Check tell whether the noun names a person, a place, or
• Retelling rubric a thing. Have a volunteer share his or her answer
with the rest of the class.
• Write the following sentences on the board: The
Book Extension Activities bag is red. The girl is happy. The airport is fun.
Build Skills Read the sentences aloud with students and have
volunteers underline the nouns. Discuss whether
Phonological Awareness: Initial consonant Tt each noun names a person, a place, or a thing.
• Say the word ticket aloud to students, emphasizing • Check for understanding: Have students review
the initial /t/ sound. Have students say the word the book with a partner and circle all the nouns.
aloud and then say the /t/ sound. Have students Review students’ findings as a class.
practice saying the /t/ sound to a partner.
• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have
• Say the following words aloud: table, snack, students complete the nouns worksheet. If time
teacher, seat, tent, turtle, bag, window, and tiger. allows, discuss their answers.
Have students stand up every time they hear a
word that begins with the /t/ sound. Word Work: High-frequency word the
• Check for understanding: Say the following • Write the word the on the board and read it aloud
phonemes, one at a time, and have students add with students. Explain to students that they will
the /t/ sound to the beginning of each phoneme to often see this word in books they read and that they
create a word: an, op, en, ip, and ub. Have students should memorize it so they can decode it right away.
call out the word and then repeat it. • Spell the word the aloud while students write each
Phonics: Initial consonant Tt letter in the air.
• Write the word ticket on the board and read • Write the following sentence on the board: The
it aloud with students. airplane is big. Read it aloud with students and
discuss the meaning of the word the.
• Have students say the /t/ sound aloud. Then, run
your finger under the letters in the word ticket • Have students practice spelling the on a piece
as students say the words aloud. Ask students to of paper.
identify which letter represents the /t/ sound at • Check for understanding: Have students work in pairs
the beginning of the word. Have students practice to create oral sentences using the word the. Call
writing consonant Tt on a separate sheet of paper on students to share a sentence with the rest of
while saying the /t/ sound. the class. Ask other students to give the thumbs-up
• Have students work in groups to generate words signal if a student uses the word the correctly.
with the initial /t/ sound. Ask volunteers to share Connections
examples of words that were generated in the
• See the back of the book for cross-curricular
groups. Record the words on the board.
extension ideas.
• Check for understanding: Write the following words
on the board, leaving off the initial consonant: tom,
tin, tank, task, and tab. Invite a volunteer to come
to the board and add the initial consonant Tt to
the first word. Have students read the word aloud.
Repeat with the remaining words.

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