Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Fireboat

Use Fireboat by Maira Kalman to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

The John J. Harvey is a fireboat that was launched in New York City in 1931. Having outlived its usefulness, the boat was waiting to become scrap. In 1995, a small group of friends decided to save the Harvey and restore it to use for fun on the river. The horrific acts on September 11, 2001 brought the Harvey out of retirement, and the fireboat became a hero once again. This book offers a perfect backdrop for building comprehension skills using a nonfiction text.

Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with Fireboat in the drop down below.

Determining Importance with Fireboat

The first page of Determining Importance with Fireboat

Determining Importance with Fireboat

Comprehending a nonfiction text such as Maira Kalman's Fireboat, requires readers to identify and remember the most important details. This determining importance mini lesson prompts students to pause and reflect on the importance of various details while reading.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Making Connections with Fireboat

The first page of Making Connections with Fireboat

Making Connections with Fireboat

Because most students have had some experience with the events of 9/11, Fireboat is an excellent choice for practicing making connections. Using this mini lesson, students will discover how making text-to-world, text-to-self, and text-to-text connections improves their understanding of the material.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Making Inferences with Fireboat

The first page of Making Inferences with Fireboat

Making Inferences with Fireboat

Inferring details about the historical information presented in Fireboat by Maira Kalman is a great way for students gain understanding of this nonfiction text. This focused mini lesson is supported by engaging text and colorful illustrations.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Understanding Text Structure with Fireboat

The first page of Understanding Text Structure with Fireboat

Understanding Text Structure with Fireboat

Author Maira Kalman relied on description, problem/solution, and cause/effect text structures when writing Fireboat. This ready-to-use mini lesson shows students that identifying how a nonfiction text is organized will help them better understand the material presented.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Visualizing with Fireboat

The first page of Visualizing with Fireboat

Visualizing with Fireboat

This visualizing mini lesson prompts students to practice using the author's words to "see" the text. Author Maira Kalman presents both positive and emotional events in Fireboat; making it a wonderful anchor text for students developing this skill.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Vowels with Fireboat

The first page of Vowels with Fireboat

Vowels with Fireboat

This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use Fireboat by Maira Kalman as a springboard for instruction focused on CVCe words.

By anchoring word study to the text, students will benefit from seeing how silent e words are used inside of the text before engaging in both guided and independent practice with CVCe words.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Vocabulary Connections with Fireboat

The first page of Vocabulary Connections with Fireboat

Vocabulary Connections with Fireboat

This set of vocabulary development resources for Fireboat highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book. Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions and pictures, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Running Record with Fireboat

Thumbnail for Running Record with Fireboat

Running Record with Fireboat

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with Fireboat. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.

Cause and Effect Matching with Fireboat

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Cause and Effect Matching with Fireboat

Read Fireboat then have some fun matching cause and effect sentences from the book. By using these cause and effect cards, students will demonstrate both their comprehension of the text and their understanding of cause and effect relationships in hands-on and interactive way.

This resource includes matching/sorting cards and a sorting mat for four cause and effect sentences in Fireboat. Each cause card is marked with a square and each effect card is marked with a circle, making it easy to support students who struggle with matching cause and effect relationships.

Cause and Effect Sentence Stems with Fireboat

Thumbnail for Cause and Effect Sentence Stems with Fireboat

Cause and Effect Sentence Stems with Fireboat

Understanding cause and effect is a key comprehension and language skill. The text structure of Fireboat includes several examples of cause and effect relationships, making it easy to use as a springboard for modeling or independent practice.

This simple resource includes four sentence stems. Each sentence stem presents an effect. Students will use what they know about the book to fill in the cause of the effect.

True or False with Fireboat

Thumbnail for True or False with Fireboat

True or False with Fireboat

The BookPagez extension activities are a great way to push student engagement beyond the pages of the text. Try using this activity with early finishers, with students who show a deeper connection with the text, or as a center activity.

Determining Importance with Fireboat (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Making Connections with Fireboat (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Making Inferences with Fireboat (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Understanding Text Structure with Fireboat (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

Visualizing with Fireboat (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer

True or False with Fireboat (Spanish)

Worksheet

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About the Book

The cover for the book Fireboat
Title: Fireboat
Author: Maira Kalman
Genre: Nonfiction
Themes: Perseverance, Fall
ISBN: 9780698408234
Publisher's Summary:
This is the inspiring true story of the John J. Harvey—a retired New York City fireboat reinstated on September 11, 2001. Originally launched in 1931, the Harvey was the most powerful fireboat of her time. After the September 11 attacks, with fire hydrants at Ground Zero inoperable and the Hudson River's water supply critical to fighting the blaze, the fire department called on the Harvey for help. There were adjustments—forcing water into hoses by jamming soda bottles and wood into nozzles with a sledgehammer—and then the fireboat's volunteer crew pumped much-needed water to the disaster site. The John J. Harvey proved she was still one of New York's Bravest!
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