Classrooms are bright and lively places each day. Students are learning new material and building relationships with classmates all day long. However, this also means classrooms can be loud, messy, and a bit chaotic. While nothing is wrong with this, there must be structure and compromise. This means sharing resources, being kind to each other, and listening to what each other has to say. However, these skills can be challenging for students to learn! Luckily, they can focus on practicing conversation skills with Quiet Please, Owen McPhee!
The book and Read Aloud Activities will show students how important it is to pay attention to those around them.
Quiet Please, Owen McPhee!
Author Trudy Ludwig and illustrator Patrice Barton created another fantastic book to bring Social Emotional Learning to the classroom!
Owen McPhee will not stop talking. All day, every day, Owen is talking! He will talk to his classmates, teachers, parents, and his dog. Honestly, he will even talk to himself. Unfortunately, Owen struggles to stop talking when it is time to listen. This means he often misses out on what those around him are saying.
When Owen wakes up with laryngitis, he has no choice but to take a break from all his talking. While this seems awful at first, he realizes how much he is missing by not listening to others. Thankfully, Owen learns the importance of hearing what others say.
Read Aloud Activities
Students often love to share their thoughts. However, they must learn the importance of genuinely listening to those around them. This means they are actually paying attention to the words and reflecting on the information. While teachers can tell students communication is a two-way road, it is vital students truly understand why. So, practicing conversation skills with Quiet Please, Owen McPhee! will be the perfect way to do this!
Since teachers have so much to prepare, there is a teacher guide to outline the entire unit. Specifically, this contains all of the lesson plans needed. Additionally, it includes an introduction to help prepare students and sets the purpose for the story. Likewise, it has essential vocabulary words!
When exploring conversational skills, it is crucial to have a discussion. This allows students to understand that everyone wants others to hear and listen to them. Therefore, there are higher-level thinking questions and talking points to guide student discussion. Each question includes a page number, so teachers know exactly where to stop.
While discussion is essential to include in lessons, personal reflection is also critical. Thankfully, practicing conversation skills with Quiet Please, Owen McPhee! has both aspects! There is a written response and activity sheet to help students understand how to blend talking and listening. There are even differentiated options to ensure every student knows the importance of this social skill.
Furthermore, there is hands-on craftivity! Students will love how the craft connects the story to their lives.
Application
Teachers work hard to ensure students understand how the material taught in the classroom relates to life outside of school. Therefore, there are task cards that provide scenarios or thought-provoking questions. Ultimately, students will realize that for others to listen to their thoughts, they must do the same.
There are different ways to use the task cards. Honestly, they work great for whole class or small group discussions. They even work perfectly for individual work time.
No Prep Resource
Teachers have to handle so much. Thankfully, the Read Aloud Activities are all no prep! Teachers just need to print the resources.
Throughout the year, students learn so much content. In doing this, they work on essential Social-Emotional skills. Honestly, this helps all students be well-rounded individuals. Thankfully, students will understand the aspects of communication by practicing conversation skills with Quiet Please, Owen McPhee!
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Get a Free Read Aloud Lesson
If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive a FREE Book List for Social Emotional Learning for blog exclusive subscribers!
Save this Read Aloud
Be sure to save this pin to your favorite read alouds board on Pinterest! You’ll be able to come back to this lesson plan when you are ready to read it aloud with your students.
