The Rag Coat - Tanya Beers

Tanya Beers

IST571: Children's Literature Lit Kit

Book: The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills

Lesson Plan and Selling Tool:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hv55xPzMxuU9R5kgYJZqmaW3qX8NnVwyjmzqs8HE5ZI/edit 

Tanya Beers

IST571: The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills –Lit Kit

Title: The Rag Coat

Author:  Lauren Mills

Lexile Level: 630L

Grade Level:  Preschool – 3rd grade

Age Range: 6 to 9 years

ISBN #: 0316574074

Minna is an 8-year-old Appalachian girl who desperately wants to go to school but does 
not have a coat and winter is coming. When townspeople learn of this, they are willing to 
help, giving Minna the opportunity to go to school; something she has longed for and didn’t 
think she would be able to do. This story is rich with realism and a heartwarming ending 
that children will enjoy!

Lesson for 3rd graders:

Students will have a PowerPoint presentation lesson about an overview of the culture and 
what states encompass the Appalachian area.

I will read The Rag Coat to the class and then the students will write a 1-page journal entry 
about:    

  1. How would you feel about living in the Appalachian area?

2. If you were in need of anything do you think those around you would help out?

3. Have you ever known of someone who was in need in some way? Did you help 
out or know of others who did?

Students will also draw (with their choice of colored pencils, markers, crayons, and charcoal 
pencils) their own version of a rag coat that they think would keep them warm during the 
winter.While students are drawing, I will play a few Appalachian songs from this CD 
for the class so they can learn more about the Appalachian culture:  https://www.amazon.com/
Appalachians-Various-Artists/dp/B0007TFI1U/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1513389810&sr=1-3&keywords=appalachian+music

 

Learning Standards:
Common Core ELA Writing Standards K-5 (Grade 3).

3.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
    a. Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an

organizational structure that lists reasons.
    b. Provide reasons that support the opinion.
    c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect

opinion and reasons.
    d. Provide a concluding statement or section.

3.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information 
clearly.
    a. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when

useful to aiding comprehension.
    b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
    c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more,but) to connect ideas

within categories of information.
    d. Provide a concluding statement or section.

3.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, 
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.    

a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event

sequence that unfolds naturally.
    b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and 
events or show the response of characters to situations.
    c. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
    d. Provide a sense of closure.

Learning Goal:
Students will discover new information about a part of American culture that they didn’t know 
before through a PowerPoint lesson, the reading, and Appalachian music.

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will write about how they would feel if they lived in Appalachia and how they would 
react to others in need through their writing assignment. (Affective)

2. Students will integrate their new knowledge of Appalachian culture with a writing assignment
that engages them to think about their own character. (Cognitive and Psychomotor)

Learning Outcome:
Students will be able to write about how they would feel to live in Appalachia and how they 
would view and treat others.


Works Cited:

Mills, Lauren. The Rag Coat. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1991.

New York State Department of Education. (2011). New York State P-12 Common Core Learning 
Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. Retrieved from https://www.engageny.org/resource/
new-york-state-p-12-common-core-learning-standards-for-english-language-arts-and-literacy.



Selling Tool: Poster
From: https://littlelearninglane.com/2017/09/29/the-rag-coat/#jp-carousel-11261