"Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad"
Sample Lesson Plan

Step 1: Activating Prior Knowledge

Children understand episode one, "Spring," in the book, Frog and Toad are Friends, by Arnold Lobel.
Children identify what they already know about frogs, toads, and their habitats, and generate questions they would like to learn more about.
Children learn to analyze the theme of friendship (e.g., what it means to be a friend, and how Frog and Toad demonstrate their feelings toward each other.)

Using the chalkboard or butcher paper, develop a KWL Chart (what children "Know", "Want to know", and "Learned") for tapping into the class's prior knowledge about frogs, toads, and their habitat and piquing their curiosity for extending their learning.
Preview Frog and Toad are Friends by eliciting children's responses about the name of the author, and the table of contents. Next do a "book walk" demonstrating how the book is divided into five different episodes. Then invite children to speculate on what the stories might be about, based on the illustrations.
Introduce the theme of friendship and some background about the author by showing children the Arnold Lobel web site developed by a first grade class at http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/dcorley/authors/Lobel.htm
Begin a classroom word wall by having children volunteer interesting words they want to include. Use activities from the "Word Wall Activity List," at http://lessons.k12.tn.us/~trackstar/tracks/f00500.html
Conduct a phonics lesson focused on the words in the word wall. Then have children select words to add to their personal dictionaries in which they use the word in a sentence and sometimes create an illustration.
Read episode one, "Spring," aloud and discuss it with children. Specifically, discuss what it means to be a friend, and how Frog and Toad demonstrate their feelings toward each other.

Web site about Arnold Lobel (created by a first grade class): http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/dcorley/authors/Lobel.htm
http://foreignword.com is a free online dictionary that translates words into many languages. Use this site to help English language learners make connections between the new English vocabulary words and words in their native language.
KidPix software can be used to create children's personal dictionaries.

Add children's entries (writing and illustrations) in their personal dictionaries to their portfolios.

The web site will generate excitement about the Frog and Toad books and author.
The online translation dictionary will help ESL children assimilate new words.
Kid Pix will allow children to create illustrated dictionaries into which they can integrate words from the Frog and Toad books.