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Lesson plan Grade 1 English Language Arts

Sparrow Hill's Leafy Puddle: A Grade 1 Storm Drain Opinion Lesson

A 30-minute grade 1 lesson where students hear a read-aloud about a clogged storm drain and write a one-sentence opinion with a reason about clearing it.

Objectives

  1. Students will describe what happens on a sidewalk when a storm drain is covered by leaves.
  2. Students will state one opinion about whether the drain should be cleared right away.
  3. Students will write one opinion sentence that includes a reason using the word because.

Vocabulary

Storm drain
A storm drain is the grate at the edge of a street that swallows rainwater and sends it through pipes to the nearest creek or river. That water is usually not treated, so only rain belongs down the drain.

Also: puddle, opinion, because

Teacher overview

At the corner of Sparrow Hill (a fictional street used for this lesson), a metal storm drain sits at the edge of the sidewalk. After a windy day, fallen leaves pile up right over the drain's slots. This lesson uses that small, familiar scene to introduce a real decision: should someone clear the leaves off the drain right away, or can it wait? Students hear a short read-aloud, discuss what they think should happen, and write one opinion sentence with a reason, the structure W.1.1 asks first graders to practice.

Beyond the short story below, the lesson needs only a board for the opinion chart and writing paper.

Procedure

Hook (5 min): Ask, "What do you think happens to rain when it lands on a sidewalk?" Take a few answers, then say, "Today's story is about a sidewalk where the rain had nowhere to go."

Read-aloud (8 min): Read this short story aloud: "Rain fell all afternoon on Sparrow Hill. Water ran along the sidewalk toward the storm drain at the corner. But leaves from the big oak tree covered the drain's metal slots. The water could not get through. A big puddle grew across the sidewalk. Kids had to walk around it to get to school the next morning. Mr. Diaz, who lived on the corner, noticed the puddle and swept the leaves off the drain with a broom. The water rushed through right away, and the puddle drained in minutes."

Discussion (8 min): Ask, "Should someone clear leaves off a storm drain right away, or is it fine to wait?" Chart student opinions in two columns, "Clear it now" and "It can wait," and ask one student from each side to give a reason. If a student offers to clear a drain, explain that this is a job for an adult and that children stay away from drains while water is flowing.

Independent writing (6 min): Students write one opinion sentence using the frame "I think leaves ___ because ___." Circulate to help students connect their stated opinion to a real reason from the discussion.

Closure and exit ticket (3 min): Read two or three student sentences aloud (with permission) and ask the class to give a thumbs-up if the sentence has both an opinion and a reason connected by the word because.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key
  1. Exit ticket answer: Any sentence that states a clear opinion about clearing storm drain leaves and connects it to a reason with the word because meets the goal, such as "I think leaves should be cleared fast because water needs a place to go."

Differentiation

Support

Provide the sentence frame "I think leaves ___ (should be cleared right away / can wait) because the water needs to ___." with two word-bank choices for the blank so students only need to select and copy.

Extension

Ask students to add a second reason to their opinion sentence, connecting it with the word and, and to explain in one more sentence what could happen if nobody ever cleared the drain.

ELL supports

Pre-teach storm drain, puddle, and leaves with a simple drawn picture of a sidewalk drain covered in leaves before reading the story aloud. Allow students to state their opinion by pointing to one of the two chart columns before attempting the written sentence.

Extensions

Take students on a short walk around the school building to look for a real storm drain, checking whether it is clear or covered, and report back to the class what they found the next morning.