Comprehension Lesson Plan for Just Fine the Way They Are

Essential Question

• Are things fine just the way they are?

Big Ideas

• Some people embrace change while others resist it.
• One change often leads to another.
• Sometimes change leads to unforeseen problems.
• Change is inevitable.

Materials and Resources

• Text: Just Fine the Way They Are
• United States map with the National Road (US 40) marked

Vocabulary

Conestoga wagons                dandies                             banded

stagecoach                              contraptions                    hitched

enterprising                            wheelmen                        insults

tinkerers                                  mobility                           citified

newfangled                              pesky                               military vehicles

locomotive                               hogwash                          lobby

Comprehension Lesson Plans

1. Cause/Effect
2. Character Point of View

Explicit Teaching

• Build background by showing a map of the route of the National Road today.
• Trace the road from its conception in the early 1800’s in Ohio to Illinois.
• Define vocabulary words above.
• Discuss the concept of “change.” What does change mean as it relates to transportation? What changes have the children seen in the world of technology in their lifetimes? What other changes have the children experienced? How do people feel about change? Why?