Lesson Plan

Reading "The Hundred Penny Box"

Main Subject Area: Language Arts

Keywords:

• Brainstorming

Brief Description:

Using a penny and its date, students are asked to remember and write about an important event in their lives. Then students read "The Hundred Penny Box" by Sharon Bell Mathis, the story of a 100-year-old woman who has collected a penny for each birthday she's celebrated and who uses the collection to recount the stories of her life.

National Standard(s):

• Demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process
• Demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of literary texts

Additional Subject Area Standard(s):

Objectives:

Students will be able to identify more closely with the story's characters, increasing their knowledge and experience with the book's topic.

Materials (online):

Materials (offline):

One penny for each student in your class, and a copy of the book "The Hundred Penny Box" by Sharon Bell Mathis.

Coins Used in Lesson:

Grade Level(s):   K-2     3-5  

Procedures (online):

Procedures (offline):

1. Collect a penny for each student in your classroom that was minted during their lifetimes. Alternately, you could ask students to each bring in such a penny.

2. Using the date on the penny, ask each student to remember something of personal significance that happened that year. For example, the birth of a sibling or a move to a new household.

3. Have students share their personal events by either breaking into small groups or by having a classroom-wide discussion.

4. Show students the cover of "The Hunderd Penny Box." Ask them to guess what they think the book will be about and how old the woman on the cover is. What feelings do they think are portrayed on the cover? If students have classroom journals, have them write their guesses and descriptions in the journals.

5. Read and discuss the book.

Assessment / Evaluation:

How well are students able to express their predictions about the book's content and the emotions it conveys?

Differentiated Learning Options:

Create a penny record. Have students draw a picture of the obverse (front) of their penny on brown construction paper, being sure to include the mint date. Then have them briefly describe their personal event on the reverse of the paper penny.

Start a hundred penny box or album. Have students collect a penny for each year of their lives so far. Ask them to brainstorm one or more major events for each year. You may want to have students add photos or drawings to their boxes or albums.