Lesson Plan - A Warm Welcome!

Watch a Video

Play “Welcome to Your Classroom!,” then discuss: What is one way we can help everyone in our class feel welcome and respected?

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• defend
• settle
• routines

Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them think about how Kira probably felt when she arrived in the U.S.

1. Why is “A Warm Welcome!” a good title for this article? What details support this title? “A Warm Welcome!” is a good title for the article because Kira’s class in Thetford, Vermont, welcomed her when she moved there from Ukraine. Details in the article show how they did this. For example, the article says that “the class gave her a giant stack of welcome cards.” The students also played with Kira and taught her their classroom routines. 

_{(RI.3.2 Main Idea and Details)}

2. Why did Kira’s family have to leave Ukraine? Use text evidence to support your answer. The article explains that Kira’s family left Ukraine “when a war made their country unsafe.” The war began when Russia attacked Ukraine.

_{(RI.3.3 Cause and Effect)}

3. What does the word routines mean? How does the article help you figure out the meaning? The word routines means “regular ways of doing things.” You can find this definition in the Words to Know box for the article. The article helps you figure out the meaning by giving an example of a classroom routine—what to do during a fire drill.

_{(RI.3.4 Determine Meaning)}

FEATURED SKILL: Social and Life Skills

Have each student pair up with a classmate they don’t know well. Distribute dice (if you have some handy) and the skill builder “Break the Ice.” After students interview one another, have them share one fact about their partner with the class.

_{(CASEL: Communicating effectively)}