LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Identify key elements from the book Move Over, Rover! by Karen Beaumont; and

use sequence strips and images of the animals to retell the story.

MATERIALS

• Move Over, Rover! by Karen Beaumont
• Rover story strips
• Animal images
• Rover’s doghouse image
• Large board (white board, black board, felt board, etc.)
• Temporary adhesive (low tack or painter's tape, magnets, or push pins)
• Rover retelling handout

EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING STANDARD

1.2 K.G Answer question to describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear.

The learner will:

• Retell a simple sequence in a text using picture support.
• Describe pictures in a text in detail to answer specific questions in a text.

The adult will:

• Provide various experiences to engage with picture/text connections. (e.g., cooking, dramatic play, construction, gardening, posting picture schedule)
• Ask questions to prompt students to relate illustrations to the text in which they appear.
• Model and provide practice connecting illustrations with a text.

PREPARATION

Before the lesson, prepare the materials for the retelling activity. Cut out the Rover story strips, animal images, and Rover's doghouse image. Cut along both sides of the black doghouse opening to make a flap. Secure the doghouse to the board using an appropriate temporary adhesive. Place the skunk behind the doghouse flap before the lesson, to reveal a surprise at the end of the story. Consider laminating the animal images, story strips, and doghouse image for durability.

INTRODUCTION

Gather children in a circle for the story and introduce the book Move Over, Rover! by Karen Beaumont. Before reading, have the children examine the book's cover and encourage prediction through anticipatory questions, such as: 

• “Which character do you think Rover is?” “Why do you think that?” 
• “What do you think the mouse is going to do?” 
• “Where is the dog, inside or outside?” 

Next, tell the children, “Let’s find out if you’re right!” 

INSTRUCTION/TEACHER MODELING

When reading, pause to identify types of animals throughout the story. Enhance the reading experience by adopting an interactive and engaging approach - ask questions, foster the sharing of prior knowledge, and vary verbal tone, pace, and expression. To include non-participating learners, direct their attention to illustrations in the book. This will especially benefit English Language Learners (ELL) in comprehending the story, even if they struggle with some vocabulary. Repeated phrases/pattern and predictability help build comprehension skills.

• In the opening two-page spread, ask: “Is Rover all alone?”
• “I see a snake over here on the rock, and if you look closely, the cat is here by the house… do you see any of the other animals?” (Racoon behind tree, squirrel and bluebird in trees, skunk behind the doghouse).

The last page is a two-page spread containing all the animals from Rover's doghouse. Encourage children to find each animal in the illustration. Extend thinking by prompting predictions, such as:

• "Where are all the animals going now? 
• “What do you think they will do?” 
• “Where is Rover going?” 

On the second to last page, Rover is seen romping, racing, jumping, and chasing. Explain to the children that these actions are performed by one dog, Rover, not multiple dogs. Define each action verb and review its meaning. If space allows, encourage students to act out the actions themselves to aid comprehension.

After completing the reading, ask if students enjoyed the book and encourage reflection. Transition into the retelling activity by saying, "Let's read the book again, paying close attention this time. Be on the lookout for anything you may have missed."

ASSESSMENT

Read the book a second time. Use story strips to enhance student engagement and encourage participation. When reading the text, have the students read the matching story strip phrase as a class to promote active involvement in the retelling of the story. Continue by placing the strips in sequence as you read through the book.

• “Move over, Rover!” (said as you read the book)
• Pick up the story strip and place it on the board.
• “Everyone say it with me, Move over, Rover!”

Ask, "can someone please help me to put the [animal] in the doghouse?" Call students up, inviting as many children to take part in the activity as possible. As students place the animal on Rover’s doghouse image, encourage creativity by asking them to mimic the animal's sounds or behavior. Have students anticipate which animal comes next as they read.

During the rereading, ask children if they missed any other animals in the book. Wait for them to respond and offer a hint about the skunk if the students need help. See if children can see the skunk in the background of Rover's house. Identify the skunk's location in the illustrations when rereading.

• "Where was the skunk again?"
• "What did the skunk do?"
• "Let's look back and see how the skunk got in Rover's house …"
• "Oh look, there is the skunk right behind the doghouse. Maybe the skunk needed shelter, too.”
• “Can you see the skunk's tail?"  

Proceed with the reading until the last story strip: “Tight fit. Might split. Sorry, Mouse. Full House!” Tell the students “Uh oh, there wasn’t enough space for a small mouse. They must be really squished.”

Turn to the next page and the text reads "What's that awful smell?" Remove all the animal images from the Rover’s doghouse. Pose the question to the students, "What do you think could have caused the awful smell?" Listen to their answers and then reveal the skunk from behind the doghouse.

As an extension activity, children can use the handout provided to identify the animals by name and then cut out their images. By arranging the cutouts of the animals in the doghouse, the students can retell the story of Move Over, Rover!. This exercise will aid in reviewing the story and solidifying their comprehension. Additionally, it will also give them an opportunity to practice their fine motor skills as they cut out the images, and to use their creativity as they create their own unique retelling of the story. Encourage students to make the images their own by coloring the animals and doghouse.

ADDITIONAL TEACHER NOTES:

The story strips have rhyming words underlined to highlight the concept. Although not explicitly referenced in this lesson, rhyme can be incorporated or used as a starter for another lesson.