Lesson Plan

The Empty Pot

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

2

Overview

This lesson will help students identify the moral of the story The Empty Pot by Demi. During this lesson, students will have an opportunity to discuss and write about the character trait honesty. Students will share about a time when they demonstrated this character trait.

This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

ELA21.2.4

Orally answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about a text or conversation, using complete sentences to provide key ideas and details.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.2.4

Vocabulary

  • Orally
  • Who, what, when where, why, and how questions
  • Complete sentences
  • Key ideas
  • Key details

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Key ideas and details should be included when answering questions.
  • Complete sentences, which contain a subject and a predicate, should be used when answering questions.
  • Who, when, and where questions will have a concrete, objective answer.
  • What, why, and how questions may have a more abstract, subjective answer.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Orally answer questions about a text or conversation using complete sentences that provide information about key ideas and details.
  • Orally answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about a text or conversation with appropriate key ideas and details.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • When answering who, what, when, where, why, and how questions they should provide key ideas and details from a text or conversation to demonstrate their comprehension.
  • Speaking in complete sentences helps them clearly communicate their message and their understanding.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

ELA21.2.22

Use content knowledge built during read-alouds and independent reading of informational and literary texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through writing.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.2.22

Vocabulary

  • Content knowledge
  • Read-alouds
  • Independent reading
  • Informational text
  • Literary Text
  • Content-specific discussions
  • Writing

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Content knowledge is information learned about a specific subject.
  • Content knowledge can be learned by listening to read-alouds or independently reading.
  • Informational text is nonfiction text, and literary text is fictional.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Build content knowledge from listening to text read aloud and from independently reading.
  • Use content knowledge learned from read-alouds and independent reading in content-specific discussions with peers.
  • Use content knowledge learned from read-alouds and independent reading in writing.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Content-specific discussions with peers can demonstrate the content knowledge they learned through read-alouds or independent reading.
  • They can produce writings that demonstrate knowledge of content-specific information.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

ELA21.2.23

Identify the main story elements in a literary text.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.2.23

Vocabulary

  • Story elements
  • Literary text

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Literary text is a story that contains story elements, like a plot and characters.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify the main story elements in a literary text, such as characters, settings, and plot.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Literary texts include story elements, and they can identify the various elements to better understand the text.

Primary Learning Objectives

The students will recount stories, including fables and folktales, from diverse cultures to determine the central message, lesson, or moral.

Students will answer questions by recalling information from experiences and gathering information from provided sources.

Additional Learning Objective(s)

The student will recount or describe key details from a text read aloud.

Procedures/Activities

Before Activity

1. Ask students if they know what the word honesty means. Talk to them about why it is important to tell the truth and the consequences of not telling the truth.

2. Engage the students in the lesson by showing the honesty video clip.

3. Ask students to turn and talk to their partner about a time something good happened because they told the truth. Give students an opportunity to share their responses.

4. Ask students to turn and talk to their partners about a time they did not tell the truth and the consequences they faced. Give students an opportunity to share their responses.

During Activity

5. Read aloud the Chinese folktale The Empty Pot by Demi. Discuss examples from the story of the characters being either honest or dishonest. The students will pick an example from the story and draw a picture that represents an example of either honesty or dishonesty. The students will be directed to cite evidence from the text to support their responses.

6. The students will share their pictures and text-supported evidence with the class. The students will give the detail from the text orally that supports the picture they drew. The teacher will record the responses on a T-chart labeled "Examples of being honest/Examples of being dishonest."

7. Discuss the moral of the story (it is always better to be honest rather than to be dishonest). Talk about the part of the story where Ping was frustrated when his plant didn't grow, and the part when he found out why it didn't grow. Ask students to turn and talk with their partner about Ping's feelings each time.

After Activity

8.  Use each letter of the word "honesty" to write details from the story. The teacher will model an example of how to complete the assignment.  

Example:

H - He planted the seed the king gave him.  

O - Only Ping was honest. 

N -No one was given a seed that would actually grow.

E - Every person that brought a flower to the king was dishonest.

S - So many people could not believe Ping pleased the King. 

T- The king was pleased when he saw Ping's empty pot. 

Y - You should follow Ping's example of doing the right thing.

After modeling an example of the writing activity, the students will complete the writing assignment on the handout. (See the attached handout honesty.pdf)

The teacher will assist students with their writing.

Students will share their work when completed.


Before Activity

1. Ask students if they know what the word honesty means. Talk to them about why it is important to tell the truth and the consequences of not telling the truth.

2. Engage the students in the lesson by showing the honesty video clip.

3. Ask students to turn and talk to their partner about a time something good happened because they told the truth. Give students an opportunity to share their responses.

4. Ask students to turn and talk to their partners about a time they did not tell the truth and the consequences they faced. Give students an opportunity to share their responses.

During Activity

5. Read aloud the Chinese folktale The Empty Pot by Demi. Discuss examples from the story of the characters being either honest or dishonest. The students will pick an example from the story and draw a picture that represents an example of either honesty or dishonesty. The students will be directed to cite evidence from the text to support their responses.

6. The students will share their pictures and text-supported evidence with the class. The students will give the detail from the text orally that supports the picture they drew. The teacher will record the responses on a T-chart labeled "Examples of being honest/Examples of being dishonest."

7. Discuss the moral of the story (it is always better to be honest rather than to be dishonest). Talk about the part of the story where Ping was frustrated when his plant didn't grow, and the part when he found out why it didn't grow. Ask students to turn and talk with their partner about Ping's feelings each time.

After Activity

8.  Use each letter of the word "honesty" to write details from the story. The teacher will model an example of how to complete the assignment.  

Example:

H - He planted the seed the king gave him.  

O - Only Ping was honest. 

N -No one was given a seed that would actually grow.

E - Every person that brought a flower to the king was dishonest.

S - So many people could not believe Ping pleased the King. 

T- The king was pleased when he saw Ping's empty pot. 

Y - You should follow Ping's example of doing the right thing.

After modeling an example of the writing activity, the students will complete the writing assignment on the handout. (See the attached handout honesty.pdf)

The teacher will assist students with their writing.

Students will share their work when completed.


Before Activity

1. Ask students if they know what the word honesty means. Talk to them about why it is important to tell the truth and the consequences of not telling the truth.

2. Engage the students in the lesson by showing the honesty video clip.

3. Ask students to turn and talk to their partner about a time something good happened because they told the truth. Give students an opportunity to share their responses.

4. Ask students to turn and talk to their partners about a time they did not tell the truth and the consequences they faced. Give students an opportunity to share their responses.

During Activity

5. Read aloud the Chinese folktale The Empty Pot by Demi. Discuss examples from the story of the characters being either honest or dishonest. The students will pick an example from the story and draw a picture that represents an example of either honesty or dishonesty. The students will be directed to cite evidence from the text to support their responses.

6. The students will share their pictures and text-supported evidence with the class. The students will give the detail from the text orally that supports the picture they drew. The teacher will record the responses on a T-chart labeled "Examples of being honest/Examples of being dishonest."

7. Discuss the moral of the story (it is always better to be honest rather than to be dishonest). Talk about the part of the story where Ping was frustrated when his plant didn't grow, and the part when he found out why it didn't grow. Ask students to turn and talk with their partner about Ping's feelings each time.

After Activity

8.  Use each letter of the word "honesty" to write details from the story. The teacher will model an example of how to complete the assignment.  

Example:

H - He planted the seed the king gave him.  

O - Only Ping was honest. 

N -No one was given a seed that would actually grow.

E - Every person that brought a flower to the king was dishonest.

S - So many people could not believe Ping pleased the King. 

T- The king was pleased when he saw Ping's empty pot. 

Y - You should follow Ping's example of doing the right thing.

After modeling an example of the writing activity, the students will complete the writing assignment on the handout. (See the attached handout honesty.pdf)

The teacher will assist students with their writing.

Students will share their work when completed.


Before Activity

1. Ask students if they know what the word honesty means. Talk to them about why it is important to tell the truth and the consequences of not telling the truth.

2. Engage the students in the lesson by showing the honesty video clip.

3. Ask students to turn and talk to their partner about a time something good happened because they told the truth. Give students an opportunity to share their responses.

4. Ask students to turn and talk to their partners about a time they did not tell the truth and the consequences they faced. Give students an opportunity to share their responses.

During Activity

5. Read aloud the Chinese folktale The Empty Pot by Demi. Discuss examples from the story of the characters being either honest or dishonest. The students will pick an example from the story and draw a picture that represents an example of either honesty or dishonesty. The students will be directed to cite evidence from the text to support their responses.

6. The students will share their pictures and text-supported evidence with the class. The students will give the detail from the text orally that supports the picture they drew. The teacher will record the responses on a T-chart labeled "Examples of being honest/Examples of being dishonest."

7. Discuss the moral of the story (it is always better to be honest rather than to be dishonest). Talk about the part of the story where Ping was frustrated when his plant didn't grow, and the part when he found out why it didn't grow. Ask students to turn and talk with their partner about Ping's feelings each time.

After Activity

8.  Use each letter of the word "honesty" to write details from the story. The teacher will model an example of how to complete the assignment.  

Example:

H - He planted the seed the king gave him.  

O - Only Ping was honest. 

N -No one was given a seed that would actually grow.

E - Every person that brought a flower to the king was dishonest.

S - So many people could not believe Ping pleased the King. 

T- The king was pleased when he saw Ping's empty pot. 

Y - You should follow Ping's example of doing the right thing.

After modeling an example of the writing activity, the students will complete the writing assignment on the handout. (See the attached handout honesty.pdf)

The teacher will assist students with their writing.

Students will share their work when completed.

Assessment Strategies

Teacher will listen to students' discussions to assess their understanding of the lesson content.

Teacher will listen to students' oral responses when identifying evidence from the text to support the picture they drew.

Teacher will use the honesty lesson evaluation rubric to evaluate the students' participation in the lesson. (see attachement)

Acceleration

The lesson could be extended by reading more folktales that contain the same central message, lesson, or moral.

Intervention

Students who need extra help will be assisted by the teacher in a small group.

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

31 to 60 Minutes

Background and Preparation

Background/Preparation

Check video clip link to make sure it is accessible.

Get the book The Empty Pot by Demi

Make a T-Chart

Materials and Resources

Materials and Resources

Book: The Empty Pot by Demi

Paper

Crayons and Pencils

T-Chart

Writing handout

Technology Resources Needed

Honesty Video Clip

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