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ORIGINAL LESSON PLANS

Lesson Plan | 01

English Language Arts: Try, Try, Try Again! 

Name of Teacher: Emilie Belanger

Date: 11-6-2019

Level: Gr. 5.

Genre: Any

Skills: Decoding, integrating sources of information.

 

1.   State Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.3.A Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

 

2.   Objectives/Goals: The students will be able to use various decoding strategies to correctly pronounce an unknown word.

 

The criterion for successful learning is: Students will use multiple strategies during the guided practice portion of the lesson to arrive at the correct pronunciation of the word.

 

3. Learning Target:   I can use multiple strategies when trying to figure out a word.

4. Learning Experiences 

 

  1. Assessing / Activating / Building Prior Knowledge (Prerequisite Knowledge)

  • Students must already have knowledge in various decoding strategies including: reading from left to right, checking the picture(s) to see what makes sense, thinking about what is going on in the story to choose the right word, and looking for parts of the word that you know.

 

Differentiation

Any student who does not meet the prerequisite knowledge will work with a paraprofessional at the horseshoe table on the respective missing decoding skills.

 

   2. Direct Instruction

   1. The teacher will remind the students of latest strategies we’ve worked on.

  • “We’ve worked on checking the pictures to see what makes sense, reading the word from left to right, chunking the word, and asking ourselves if the word sounds right.”

  • “Yesterday we worked on thinking about what was going on in the story to choose the right word; we read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, and we talked about how we could use our knowledge of the story to figure out the word ‘innocent’”.

   2. The teacher will explain that today we’re going to read, and try these strategies to decode unfamiliar words. If one strategy doesn’t work, we’re going to try   

   another one.

   3. “We’re going to look at two books. One is The Patchwork Quilt, and it is from our class library. The other is our Social Studies textbook. I want you to see that

   you can use these strategies not only for fiction books, but for non-fiction and informational texts.”

   4. Set a Purpose: The teacher will tell the students, “When we read, we’re often going to come to unknown words. When we come to an unknown word, we’re

   going to try a strategy. If that doesn’t work, we’re going to try another one. We’re going to keep trying until we figure out the word.”

   5. The teacher will read The Patchwork Quilt out loud to the students.

  • “As you listen to the story, try to notice words that sound long, or that you think would be hard to pronounce.”

   6. As the teacher reads to the students, she may pause at times to field questions from the students; The Patchwork Quilt is a gorgeous book, and there is   

   much to glean from it.

 

   3. Teacher Modeling

   1. The teacher stumbles over the word, “Re...re.. Hmm, I’m not sure about this word. I’ll try chunking it: re-cog-niz-ed.” She pronounces it, “/ri-cɑg-naɪz-d/” and

   repeats it “/ri-cɑg-naɪz-d/”. Does that sound right? Not really. Let’s look at the picture. Both grandma and Tanya are looking at something....maybe it’s another

   word from look. Oh, recognized! Do you see how I didn’t skip over the word or quit trying to figure it out? I kept going until it made sense.”

   2. The teacher will turn to the next page. The teacher will stumble over the word, “Moo...mo... Hmm, let’s look at the picture. They’re all maybe having a

   conversation and looking at each other. I remember from the text that they are eating something. Let’s try chunking the word. “/Mou-th-ful/.../mouth-ful/. Oh,

   mouthful! Do you see how every time I try a strategy, I get a little more information about the word?

   3. “There is another word I stumbled on on this page. Here it is, de...de. Let’s look for parts of the word that I know. Oh, I know /part/. Okay, let’s try chunking

   the word, /de-part-ment/ (pronounces it /di-part-mint/). Hmmm...that still doesn’t sound right. Is there another sound that the e can sound...oh, yeah /e/, like in ‘  elephant’. Let’s try it again, /di-part-ment/. Oh, department! Again, it took multiple strategies to get there, but with some work, I was able to figure it out. It’s

   important to keep trying. This gets easier as you become a more fluent reader.”

 

   4.   Guided Practice

   1. The teacher will say, “Okay, I want to show you that you can do this with non-fiction texts as well, so please take out your Social Studies books. Turn to page 8.

   You will remember that we were reading about The Natural Wonders of North America. There was a word in here that I stumbled on.” She will read until she

   comes to the word, ‘lingered’.

   2. “First, I’m going to look at the pictures. I see pictures of mountains, waterfall, and lakes. My word starts with /l/, just like the /l/ in ‘lake’. But the second sound

   is different; my word has an i after the /l/ and the word ‘lake’ has the sound /a/ after the sound /l/. I know that i does not make the sound /a/, so my word isn’t

   ‘lake’. The pictures aren’t helping; let’s try chunking it. /L-ing-ger-ed/... that’s not right, let’s put the /l/ and the /ing/ together. /Ling-ger-ed/...hmm, it still doesn’t

   make sense to me. Let’s try one more time, reading from left to right. Oh yes, lingered!”

   2. The teacher will ask the students to remember their learning target.

   3. She will ask the students to read through a couple paragraphs on page 8, looking for words they don’t know. When they find a word, they will raise their

   hand, and either the teacher will come over to see the word or the student will spell it for the teacher.

   4. The student and teacher, with help from the class, will then use several strategies to figure out the word.

   5. Continue this process with a few more students.

 

Differentiation

  • Students who are struggling to decode using multiple strategies can be partnered with more capable students during the textbook reading portion of the lesson.

  • Students who need more of a challenge can practice using books with higher lexile scores, such as chapter books.

 

   5.   Formative Assessment

  • The teacher will use withitness to sense how well students are comprehending during teacher modeling and guided practice.

  • The teacher will periodically ask the class to repeat the Lesson Target.

  • The teacher will ask the students to indicate how well they understand the multiple strategies and how to use them on their hand with “fist-to-five” (fist = don’t understand any of this; 5 = got it!).

   6.   Closure

  • Students who seemed to understand the lesson, based on the formative assessment, will continue reading their Social Studies books, applying the strategies as needed. This is natural lead in to the Social Studies lesson.

  • Students who need more practice, based on the formative assessment, will work with a paraprofessional on the various decoding strategies.

 

5.   Summative Assessment 

Students will meet with the teacher individually. She/he will be given a reading that is at her/his independent reading level. When he/she comes to a word that he/she doesn’t know, he/she will use decoding strategies to arrive at the word. Students who can use multiple strategies to decode the word have met the lesson objective.

 

6.   Lesson Materials 

Smartboard

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Possibly a desk cam./Elmo

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Mead, R., Mead, P., & Lewis, G. A. (1992). The fifty States. New York: Smithmark Publishers.

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Flournoy, V., & Pinkney, J. (n.d.). The Patchwork Quilt. New York, NY: Scholastic.

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7. Alignment of Plan Checklist 

Review the following to make sure everything is connected into one purpose. Use this section as a checksheet.

  • State Standard/s   ✔

  • Objectives / Goals  ✔

  • Learning Target ✔

  • Learning Experiences (including Differentiation)  ✔

  • Summative Assessment  ✔

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Texts and Reader Information 

Mead, R., Mead, P., & Lewis, G. A. (1992). The fifty States. New York: Smithmark Publishers. (I couldn’t find the lexile range for this book, but it is high for a fifth grader, easily Middle School, and possibly up to High School.)

 

Flournoy, V., & Pinkney, J. (n.d.). The Patchwork Quilt. New York, NY: Scholastic. - AD590L

Lesson Plan | 02

English Language Arts: Context Clues Frenzy!

Name of Teacher: Emilie Belanger

Date: 26 February 2020

Level: F&P – O, GWL – Gr. 4, Inst. Reading Level – Gr. 3

Genre: Informational

Skills: determining meaning of unfamiliar words using context clues

 

1.   State Standards: RF.3.4.C Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

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2.   Objectives/Goals: The students will be able to use multiple context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

The criterion for successful learning is: if the students can use context clues to determine the meaning of words, they will have met the criterion for this lesson.

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3. Learning Target 

I can use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words.

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4. Learning Experiences 

 

  1. Assessing / Activating / Building Prior Knowledge (Prerequisite Knowledge)

A prerequisite for learning context clues is having an ample understanding of decoding strategies. Additionally, they must have fluency at with texts at their Lexile or instructional level.

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Differentiation

If students have not developed in their knowledge of decoding strategies, they may meet with a paraprofessional to rigorously work on these skills so the student can develop fluency. Another possibility is a computer program which helps them with decoding.

 

   2. Direct Instruction

   1. The teacher tells the students that today we are going to be working on determining the meaning of words using context clues. She might say, “Today we are

   going to work on using context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in sentences.”

   2. The teacher will continue, “When we’re reading, it is important to notice when we don’t know a word. Once we notice this, we begin to look for context clues,

   or clues that the author gives us in the text, that help us figure out what the word means. Then, if there is a clue present, we start to think about the information

   in this clue to help us determine the meaning of the unfamiliar word.”

   3. The teacher will add, “We’re going to be using the book, Through My Eyes, by Ruby Bridges. Ruby Bridges was an important part of the Civil Rights Movement,

   a time when African Americans (as well as whites) were speaking out for equal rights for African Americans in the U.S. There was a recent law in Louisiana that   

   said schools had to be integrated – meaning they had to be open for both black and white children to attend. Ruby Bridges was among the first black people

   young people who integrated into a white school. She tells her story in this book.

   4. The teacher will say, “There are several different types of context clues a reader can use to figure out tricky words.” She will continue by reading through the

   different context clues listed on the bookmark below, which she may choose make copies of for students.

 

 

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   3. Teacher Modeling

   1. After reading the title and author, the teacher will begin reading on page 10. She will stop to determine the meaning of federal after reading, “What I didn’t   

   know in kindergarten was that a federal court...”

   2. The teacher will continue with a think- aloud. “Hmm, I don’t know what federal means. Let’s look to see if there are any context clues in the sentence. I know   

   that sometimes the author puts a definition right in the sentence, usually right after the word with a comma separating it out. No, I don’t see a definition. I also

   don’t see an example in the sentence, which would also be separated by a comma and might use the words ‘for example’. “

   3. “Let’s see if there are any general clues, or words or statements that give clues to the word’s meaning. I see ’...force two white public schools to admit black   

   students.’  That makes me think federal is something powerful; it’s powerful enough to make people and whole organizations do something. Also, I see “court”,

   and I know that things like courts and judges make big decisions that turn into laws. Courts and judges are also part of the government. From these clues, I can

   determine that federal means something powerful that can make laws, and it has something to do with government.”

   4. The teacher will continue reading. She will do a think aloud with uptown in the sentence, “I remember getting up and riding uptown on the bus with my

   mother...” She will use the general context clues (citing “riding”, “on the bus” and “enormous room in the school board building”) to conclude that it is a place that

   was far from her home with big buildings.

   5. The teacher will continue; she will do a think aloud with contacted in the sentence, “That summer, my parents were contacted by the National Association for

   the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).” The context clue of example (citing “by”, the NAACP, and its definition) as well as the context clue of definition

   (citing “Several people from the NAACP came to the house in the summer.” on the next page) to determine that the word is a verb and means to communicate

   with.

 

   4. Guided Practice

   1. The teacher will divide students into pairs of students with like Lexile levels.

   2. The students will receive informational literature at their Lexile level.

   3. The partners will take turns reading aloud, pausing when they come to a word they don’t know. They will write the word down on a sheet of paper (they don’t     have to write down their process at this time), and proceed to use context clues to determine the meaning of the word. Students are encouraged to talk with   

   their partner as they make sense of the unfamiliar word.

   3. The teacher should circulate. Prompts she may use include: “What context clue could you use to determine the meaning of that word?” “Are there any other

   words or statements that give you an idea of what the word means?”

 

Differentiation

  • ELL students may be given texts with more visuals in order to tap into their background knowledge. They can be encouraged to use the images on the page to help them determine the meaning of tricky words. They may also want to acquire an electronic translator to help them with unfamiliar words.

  • Students who are determining the meaning of words quickly may be given a text at a higher Lexile level. These students should be encouraged to include a word from the higher Lexile level in their formative assessment.

 

   5. Formative Assessment

   1. The teacher will gage the students’ understanding as she circulates the room during guided practice.

   2. The teacher will give the following writing prompt: Describe how you figured out the meaning of one word in this article. Be sure to include the type of clue

   you think the author used and why it is that type of clue. Use complete sentences and be specific!

 

   6. Closure

  • Students with good understanding will continue to read their text in pairs. They will pause when they come to a word they don’t know to write it down. They will talk with their partner, using context clues to determine the meaning of the word. When they have finished their text, they will have a list of words which will be the beginning of their “Word Book”. This can be added to in later lessons; it encourages their vocabulary development.

  • Students who need more practice based on the formative assessment can work with the teacher or paraprofessionals. These students should also be writing down unfamiliar words as they read to begin their Word Book.

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5.   Summative Assessment 

The teacher will meet with each individual student. The teacher and students will conference about the formative assessment they completed. The teacher will ask the student to explain out loud how they figured out the word and what they think the word means. The teacher will then give the students a short text at their Lexile level. The student will pause when they come to a word they don’t know and write it down in their Word Book. The student will talk with the teacher, using context clues to determine the word. Students who can adequately use context clues to determine the meaning of the word have an acceptable understanding of the concept.

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6.   Lesson Materials 

  • Bridges, Ruby. Through My Eyes / BB01-02. Scholastic Press, 1999

  • Informational texts at students’ individual Lexile levels.

  • Context Clues Bookmark

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7. Alignment of Plan Checklist 

Review the following to make sure everything is connected into one purpose. Use this section as a checksheet.

  • State Standard/s ✔️  

  • Objectives / Goals ✔️   

  • Learning Target ✔️

  • Learning Experiences (including Differentiation) ✔️

  • Summative Assessment ✔️

​​

Texts and Reader Information 

Bridges, Ruby. Through My Eyes / BB01-02. Scholastic Press, 1999. - 860L

 

CUMMINS, SUNDAY. CLOSE READING OF INFORMATIONAL SOURCES: Assessment-Driven Instruction in Grades 3-8. GUILFORD, 2019.

Context Clues Bookmark.png
Lesson Plan | 03

English Language Arts: Text Structure and Key Details

Name of Teacher: Emilie Belanger

Date: 4-7-2020

Level: F&P – O, GWL – Gr. 4, Inst. Reading Level – Gr. 3

Genre: Informational

Skills: synthesis, determining importance, note-taking

 

1.   State Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).

 

2.   Objectives/Goals: The students will be able to: identify text structure using key details.

 

The criterion for successful learning is: If the student can take notes on key details, determine text structure, and design a graphic organizer to represent the text structure, they will have met the criterion for the lesson.

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3. Learning Target: I can identify text structure using key details from the text.

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4. Learning Experiences 

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  1. Assessing / Activating / Building Prior Knowledge (Prerequisite Knowledge)

A prerequisite for being able to recognize text structure is understanding supporting or key details as well as understanding text features.

 

Differentiation

If students have not developed in their understanding of supporting or key details as well as text features, they will meet with a paraprofessional. They will use the student’s science text. The student will read through a section of the text, and the paraprofessional will ask the following: What is the important information the author is trying to communicate here? What words or phrases stand out to you as important? The student and paraprofessional will then go through the various text features of the text (photographs, illustrations, diagrams, graphs, timelines, etc.). The parapro. and student will have a discussion around the following question: What do text features do; what is their purpose?

 

  1. Direct Instruction

   1. The teacher tells the students that “Today we’re going to work on something that is very important for understanding what you’re reading. In the past we’ve

   talked about features that can be found in almost every text; these are called text features. Turn and talk with your tables about this question, ‘What is a text

   feature?’ The teacher will take answers from each table.” She’ll continue, “Turn and talk again about the answer to this question, ‘What are some examples of text

   features?’”

   2. The teacher will continue, “Good. Text features are help you understand the text. Now, today we’re talking about text structure, which is different than text

   features. Every informational text you read has a structure or format that the author used. There is a specific method the author used to give you the

   information. And you have seen his before; some texts tell you why, some give definitions or describe, some tell you the order of something, some give you real-

   life examples. Sometimes a text has one structure inside of another. Once you know about text structure, it makes understanding the text easier.”

   3. “There are six text structures that I want to talk about today.” The teacher will list these on the white board as she presents them. “These are: descriptive,

   sequence or chronology, narrative, comparison, cause and effect, and problem solution.” The teacher will give a student friendly definition for each underneath

   where she has written them. She will pause to ask if there are questions and clarify any confusion for the students.

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   2. Teacher Modeling

   1. “We’re going to begin with a text about Polar Bears called, ‘Hungry Polar Bears Turn to Alaska Villages in Search for Food.’ “

   2. The teacher will begin reading the text. She will pause when she gets to “The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else” to jot down the note, “arctic

   warming fast” under the desk cam. She will continue, “I’m going to be pausing to take notes throughout my time reading this. I’m going to be writing down key

   details. It’s very important that I take notes on key or supporting details because these will make our case that a text has a particular structure. Without these

   key details, I’ll never discover what structure this text has.” The teacher will continue reading the piece, taking notes on key details.

   3. When she gets to the end of the piece, the teacher will say, “If you were paying attention, you may already have a pretty good idea what text structure this is.

   Just to confirm, let’s look back at the text and our notes to see what kind of structure this text has.” The teacher will guide the class back through the notes. She

   will point out notes like, “sea ice retreats”, “polar bears are forced to find land on the coast”, increase in bears in town”, “hard to keep muktuk safe”. She will say,

   “In all of these notes we see that one thing happens as the result of another. So, when the author shares several causes and effects, what structure is that?”

   Students should be able to tell from the terms and definitions on the white board. The teacher will add, “We see from our notes and the text that the author

   included at least two cause and effect relationships here.”

   4. The teacher will continue, “You are going to be receiving an article in a few moments. Not all of you will have the same article (articles will have been dispersed

   among the students’ Lexile levels). But before I give you the article, I want you to take a look at this graphic organizer from a previous student. (This graphic

   organizer can be found in the pdf version of the lesson.) She had a text called ‘Active Earth’. The text structure was descriptive. Do you see how she put the title

   at the top? She also listed the various subtopics in the different boxes.

   Then she goes further and lists key details under the subtopics in the boxes. You will be creating a graphic organizer after you read today. I want your graphic

   organizers to be this detailed.” The teacher will pin or tape the graphic organizer up on the white board.

   5.  Next the teacher will display under the desk cam. the Graphics for Text Structure document which is given in the pdf version of this lesson. “Your articles are   

   going to have different text

   structures. You’re going to have to decide which text structure it is. As you’re reading and taking notes, it will become clear to you. Once you decide, you can use

   one of these models to create your graphic organizer.” The teacher will point out the different graphics and how they relate to their corresponding text structure.

   6. The teacher will set the purpose for reading, “Today you are reading to identify text structure using key details from the text.”

 

   3. Guided Practice

   1. The Graphics for Text Structure document will remain under the desk cam. The teacher will ask students to take out their reading notebooks for taking notes.

   The teacher will pass out the sequence/chronology articles and problem and solution articles listed in the Lesson Materials section.

   2. As the students are reading and taking notes on key details, the teacher will circulate. She will ensure that students are understanding the task. She will also   

   answer questions and help to clarify any confusion the students have.

   3. The teacher may use the following prompts with students who are having trouble:

   - Is the author talking about several topics or subtopics?

   - Is the author describing events in a chronological order?

   - Is the author telling a story in this text?

   - Is the author comparing and contrasting in this text?

   - Is the author sharing several causes and effects in this text?

   - In this text, is the author stating problems and offering solutions?

 

Differentiation

  • This will be a difficult task for ELL students. These students should be given a simple text with lots of text features and visuals. They can be encouraged to use the images on the page to understand the text. They may use an electronic translator to translate the idea of text structure. They may work with a partner to determine key details and text structure of their text.

  • Students with an advanced understanding of key details and text structure will use their Social Studies text to review a section of the text the class has already read. They will take notes on key details and determine the text structure for that section.

 

   4. Formative Assessment

   1. After the students have finished reading their text and taking notes, the teacher will ask them if they have decided what text structure their article has. The

   students should give an affirmative response; anybody who still doesn’t know will conference with the teacher in a few moments. The teacher will say, “Now you

   are going to create your graphic organizer. You are explaining in writing what the key details tell you about the text structure. You will choose one of these

   graphics depending on the text structure you found. You will make it the size of your entire page, and you will give as many key details as you can – just like the

   student sample on the board. You may do this on a page from your readers notebook, but you will be tearing it out later.”

   2. The students will begin their graphic organizer. The teacher will conference with those students who still are unsure about the text structure. She will circulate

   the room as the students are creating to observe their level of understanding.

   3. The teacher will collect the graphic organizers when the students are finished to review and determine if reteaching is needed.

 

   5. Closure

  • Students will a good understanding will take out their Social Studies text. They will choose a section of the text we have already read, take notes on the key details, and determine the text structure of the section. They will raise their hand when they have finished so the teacher can verify.

  • Students who need more practice based on the formative assessment can work with the teacher or paraprofessional. They will use the article the student was given to find key details and determine the text’s structure.

 

5.   Summative Assessment 

Students will meet one-on-one with the teacher. They will read the Meow Hear This article listed below, which will have been adjusted to their Lexile level. The students will find key details and take notes. The students will determine text structure. The teacher will use the prompts above, which are listed under Guided Practice, to help students in their determination of text structure. Students who can identify key details and determine the text’s structure have successfully met the lesson objective.

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6.   Lesson Materials 

 

7. Alignment of Plan Checklist 

Review the following to make sure everything is connected into one purpose. Use this section as a checksheet.

  • State Standard/s ✔️  

  • Objectives / Goals ✔️   

  • Learning Target ✔️

  • Learning Experiences (including Differentiation) ✔️

  • Summative Assessment ✔️

  • ​

Texts and Reader Information 

Download Lesson 1, 2 or 3

Lesson 1: file:///C:/Users/ebela/OneDrive/Desktop/Lesson%202,%20goal%203.pdf

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Lesson 2: file:///C:/Users/ebela/OneDrive/Desktop/Lesson%203.pdf

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Lesson 3: file:///C:/Users/ebela/OneDrive/Desktop/lesson%206.pdf

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file:///C:/Users/ebela/OneDrive/Desktop/Graphics%20for%20Text%20Structures,%20lesson%206.pdf

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file:///C:/Users/ebela/OneDrive/Desktop/scan0010.pdf

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