Lesson Plan

The Old Man and the Sea: Directed Reading Thinking Activity

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Can you find the themes from Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea in other books? What about picture books? Compare the novel to a picture book with a lesson about making predictions and finding textual evidence.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Ideas
  • Have kids work on the activity in pairs or small reading groups, and share out when they finish
  • Encourage learners to find additional books, poems, or songs with the same themes and concepts
  • Prompt kids to write about a time when they wanted something beloved and couldn't get it, or lost it
Classroom Considerations
  • Lesson uses Toy Boat by Randall de Seve and Loren Long, but if you don't have the book, you can substitute with another picture book with similar themes or concepts
  • Lesson is written by a student teacher, so many of the steps are over-explained for emphasis
Pros
  • Prompts kids to make predictions as they read, as well as how to compare similar themes across multiple works
Cons
  • Much of the lesson is based on discussion, without strong assessment opportunities