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DODO Learning
Think Once. In Both Languages.
Lesson 32
Little DODO · Phase 3

I Did It, Not Me — Amelia's Grammar Mix-Up

Amelia Bedelia Means Business · pp. 37-58 (heavy) · Format B · Disposition: Reasoning with Evidence · 25 min
Amelia Bedelia Means Business
Pages this lesson: 37-58
Grammar · Pronouns
Distinguishes when to use 'I' (subject doing action) versus 'me' (object receiving action).
Subject Pronoun · Object Pronoun · Sentence Position · Pronoun Case
Introduce

Vocabulary Exploration· 5 min

Sound focus: subject pronoun I versus object pronoun me
Target words
  1. I 37: “I can stand lemonade. I love lemonade.”
  2. me 41: “My name is Amelia Bedelia”
Today we hunt two special words in Amelia's story. One says I am doing something. One says something happens to me. Listen for which is which.
Exploration steps
  1. Point to each 'I' sentence on the page and ask students to act out the doing action
  2. Point to each 'me' sentence and ask students to show receiving with open hands
  3. Students chorus each sentence type in turn, using the matching gesture
Expected responses
  • I is when she does it
  • Me is when someone does it to her
Differentiation

Quiet kids: pair with gesture partner; fast finishers: find three more examples on any page.

Transition cue

Touch head for I, touch heart for me — now we read.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't let kids chorus without the gesture — the motion locks the pattern.

Why this matters: Gesture anchors the grammar — I points forward doing, me cups hands receiving.

Reading in Class· 10 min

Required reading pages: 37-58
Opening move: Point to the giant lemon sign on page 45 — that's the trouble Amelia makes today.
Amelia wants to earn money for a bike. Her dad says start a lemonade stand. But Amelia thinks he means stand up, not a table. Let's see what happens when she finally understands.
Read-aloud steps
  1. Picture-walk pages 37-58: Amelia tries lemonade business, gets on TV, makes Wild Bill angry, switches to tarts
  2. Read aloud once at storytelling pace, pausing on pages where Amelia or others use I or me
  3. Read again with students chorusing Amelia's confused questions about standing versus sitting
Call-and-response refrains
  1. What does Amelia say when she's confused? 38: “what do you want me to do—run or stand?”
  2. What does Wild Bill yell? 51: “I'm not gonna stand for this!”
Expected responses
  • She makes a sign that says lemons
  • Wild Bill gets mad because people think his cars are lemons
Differentiation

Struggling readers: follow your finger on the refrain lines; fast finishers: count how many times Amelia says I versus me.

Transition cue

Clap twice — Questions Time about who did what.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't rush the TV scene on pages 47-52 — that's where the I-versus-me examples pile up.

Why this matters: Amelia's confusion about stand protects the kids who need repetition to track the plot.

Questions Time· 7 min

Comprehension questions
  1. On this page, does Amelia say I or me when she's doing the action? 49: “I use one lemon in each glass”
  2. On this page, does Wild Bill say I or me when something happens to him? 51: “are you mockin' me with your lemonade?”
Extension

Pick one: I made tarts, or Mom helped me. Say your sentence.

55: “With just a little bit of help from her mom, she baked a dozen bite-sized tarts.”

What students produce: Students say one complete sentence using either I doing action or me receiving action, grounded in the tart-baking scene.

Amelia says I when she does the action. Wild Bill says me when the action happens to him. Now you pick — are you doing, or is it happening to you?
Expected responses
  • I made the tarts
  • My mom helped me bake
Differentiation

Quiet kids: whisper sentence to partner first; fast finishers: say both sentence shapes aloud.

Transition cue

Point to yourself for I, point to friend for me — now we close.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't accept answers without the pronoun — the word I or me must be in the sentence.

Why this matters: Sentence choice protects kids who freeze at open prompts — two shapes, pick one.

Conclusion· 3 min

Routine: I Learned · Disposition: Reasoning with Evidence
Student-facing prompts
Recap: I know I when
Take-home: Tonight I will use I or me when I talk.
Amelia learned the hard way that words matter. When she said Lots of Lemons, Wild Bill thought she meant his cars were bad. Today we learned I does the action, me receives it. Let's name what we learned.
Expected responses
  • I know I when I'm doing it
  • I know me when it happens to me
Differentiation

Quiet kids: point to the gesture anchor instead of speaking; fast finishers: name two examples from home.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't let one loud kid answer for everyone — count to three before accepting.

Why this matters: Same shape every day so kids own the close.