This lesson includes scaffolded analytical writing tasks that provide examples for teaching Common Core writing.

In this tale, a girl named Reba Jo loses her new cowgirl hat in an old well while entertaining herself in the arroyo, but when she meets a horned toad, she makes a deal to grant him three favors if he retrieves her hat. In the end, Reba is tricked into breaking the spell that has been cast upon the horded toad and because of his cunning idea he is turned back into a handsome young caballero. (Pearson Reading Street, 2010)

This lesson was created as part of the Basal Alignment Project, during which teachers created CCSS-aligned lessons for existing literary and information texts in basal readers. All page numbers and unit/week designations found in this lesson relate to the edition of the basal reader named above. If you are using a trade book or different edition of this title, the page/unit/week references in this lesson will not match. Consult the content referenced in the body of the lesson to determine appropriate page numbers for your text.