Lesson Plan for a novel

I teach first grade so I will explain a lesson I would do for the level of my students. When reading "Johnny Appleseed," I start with reading the book to the students, since this would be too difficult for most first graders to read independently. (We read about "Johnny" at the beginning of the school year.) I bring in other books about Johnny Appleseed written by different authors. We discuss similarities and differences in the books and determine what things about Johnny were true and what things were added to the story. With a partner, students do interactive writing and write about (and draw a picture) the thing they liked most or were impressed with in Johnny Appleseed. These are later presented to the rest of the class. We tie it in with art and make Johnny Appleseed puppets to be used in our puppet theatre in an informal fashion. The lesson ties in with geography as we look at the states he traveled in on our carpet which has a huge map of the United States. Because Johnny lived off the land with basically the shirt on his back, a pan on his head, and no shoes (according to most versions), we take our shoes off and walk on the gravel playground and also on the grass to feel how it was for Jonny when he went barefoot. We discuss the importance of planting trees and plant apple seeds in containers to grow in our classroom. Finally, each student brings an apple and we make applesauce. While students enjoy their applesauce, they watch the video of Johnny Appleseed that comes from our public library. I realize this is more like a mini unit than a lesson plan but activities could be added or deleted according to the amount of time that is available.