By: Amanda Lea, A to Z Teacher Stuff
After reading Dan, the Flying Man by Joy Cowley, students create a collaborative class book imagining what Dan would fly over if he visited their town. This lesson integrates art, writing, and optional early keyboarding skills.
📚 Materials
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Dan, the Flying Man by Joy Cowley (Wright Group)
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11×17 construction paper (1 per child + 1 for the cover)
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White paper for illustrations
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Watercolor paints or other art materials
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Optional: classroom computer and printer
📝 Lesson Plan
1. Read the Book Together
Read Dan, the Flying Man aloud until it becomes familiar. The book begins:
“I am Dan, the Flying Man. Catch me, catch me if you can.”
Then it lists what Dan flies over:
“Over ____, over ____, over ____, and over ____.”
2. Introduce the Class Book Project
Tell the class they will write and illustrate a book titled:
“Dan, the Flying Man Comes to [Your Town Name]”
Each child will create one page showing what Dan flies over in your town.
3. Brainstorm Ideas
Ask students what Dan might fly over in their town. Ideas may include:
trees, the playground, McDonald’s, houses, puddles, people, school, mom, buses, Walmart, etc.
4. Create Illustrations
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Have students paint several things Dan might fly over using watercolors on white paper.
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Let paintings dry completely.
5. Prepare the Book Pages
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Cut out finished artwork and paste onto large construction paper.
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Students write their story text on scratch paper, beginning with:
“Over ____, over ____, over ____…”
6. Mini Lesson: Spelling “Over”
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Help students stretch out the word “over” by listening to the sounds:
“This word has two syllables: o-ver.
The first syllable is open, so the o says its name — /ō/.
The second part, er, is an r-controlled vowel that says /ər/.
Let’s spell it by the sounds we know: o – v – er.”
7. Keyboarding (Optional)
One at a time, students come to the computer with their draft and type their writing.
This also introduces:
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Enter – to start a new line
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Backspace – to fix a mistake
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Spacebar – to make a space
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Arrow keys – to move the cursor
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Comma – to separate ideas
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Period – to end the sentence
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Print – to print their story
Use this time to help them improve spelling and sound-letter matching.
8. Assemble the Pages
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Cut out the printed story strip and paste it at the bottom of the illustrated page
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Student signs name in black marker in the bottom right corner
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Hang pages in the hallway for display
9. Turn It Into a Book
After display, laminate if possible and bind all pages together into a class book.
💬 Teacher Tips
“My students love using the computer to type their part of the story. With only one computer in our classroom, children typed throughout the day as time allowed. While a lab might seem faster, I found the one-on-one time was essential for helping with spelling, typing, and reinforcing phonics skills.”
