I’ve written about writing about reading before (here and here), but today I want to go deeper and share a replicable flow you can use with any book, at any grade.
In this article, I’m preparing and implementing a unit on The One and Only Ivan, and I’m inviting you inside—not just for ideas about that book, but to show you a flexible, reflective process for building comprehension, writing, knowledge, and conversation all at once.
You’ll see how it begins with purposeful pre-work, then moves into deeper reading and rich conversations that guide students to craft thoughtful, grounded writing.
Just as important as the structure is the reflection—mine and the students’—woven throughout the process. Curriculum that lasts isn’t static. It’s built through planning, teaching, noticing, and adapting.
In this post, you’ll see both the plan and, the pivot when student’s responses and confusions warrant it. Real tools, real thinking, and a way to design responsive, research-informed instruction that sticks.
📌I lean on the tools from ThinkSRSD to support some of the work in this flow.
📌If you don’t know the book The One and Only Ivan you should! It’s a wonderful book about friendship and animals and enables students to broaden their perspecives.