Lesson Plan Format



Lesson Plan Format

LTLA 362

Type of Lesson This type of lesson plan is a Reading Comprehension Lesson Plan.

I am checking the students’ ability to sequence events from the story as well as their ability to listen attentively and participate in an oral discussion.

Information about the Class

Grade Level- Kindergarten

Reading Levels-

4 students are Above Average Reading Level

12 students Meet Average Reading Level

4 students are Below Average Reading Level

Diversity –

7 Males

13 Females

All 20 students are Native English Speakers

2 African Americans, 4 Hispanics, 13 Caucasians, 1 Mixed/Other

4 students with an IEP

0 students are gifted

SES- All 20 are a mixture of middle and lower class

Background Knowledge

Student Knowledge: The students have worked with sequencing before. I also know that they have sequenced events in previous stories, so they have that background knowledge. The students are aware of what a pumpkin is, however that they do not yet know how one grows. They also know the various parts of a flower, but do not know the parts of a pumpkin.

Teacher Knowledge:

This is somewhat a basal reading approach to comprehension since the reading lesson takes place at the normal story time and also at the regular location. However, this approach also uses an interactive model of reading, as well as some top down approaches to reading comprehension as well. This is a little bit of a new comprehension instruction, while also being somewhat of a review of old prior knowledge. To help trigger the student’s prior knowledge, students will orally tell me what they know about pumpkins, as well as what they would like to know. This is the first half of the “KWL” in which they will brainstorm the ideas and answer questions, which is something they have done previously, and I will write down their responses on the large white paper. They have used this large white paper with previous stories, so they should be use to it as well. After the lesson, we will complete the “KWL” reading comprehension strategy by having students tell me what they learned about pumpkins after reading the book and then completing the sequencing activity. They have sequenced events in previous stories, so they have some background knowledge of that strategy. I know that they have also done oral “KWL’s” before with prior stories as well, so they should be able to complete that. However, I do know that a majority of my students often have trouble staying focused and remaining seated when sitting in their squares. They often fidget and get easily distracted. When I scaffold instruction and ask literal, inferential and evaluative questions throughout the lesson, I suspect that it may help encourage active comprehension and help maintain attention. I also know that when given oral directions like to color first and then cut and paste, many of the students often just do one of the steps, so they need to be reminded a lot. I know that their fine motor skills are still developing, so they tend to struggle when cutting on the lines. They also have the tendency to forget to write their names on their papers so they need to be reminded to do that as well. With this information in mind, I suspect that during the sequencing worksheet activity, some students may need more guidance and scaffolding than others.

Rationale (Theory to Practice)

According to an article titled, “Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension,” by C.R. Adler, “monitoring comprehension is important because research shows that instruction, even in the early grades, can help students become better at monitoring their comprehension” (Adler, 2004, p. 1). It also allows students to “be aware of what they do understand, identify what they do not, and use appropriate strategies to resolve problems in comprehension” (Adler, 2004, p.1). One strategy I plan to use for this activity is the sequencing paper as a graphic and semantic organizer. Adler states that this type of graphic organizer “provides students with tools they can use to examine and show relationships in a text” and “helps students write well-organized summaries of a text” (Adler, 2004, p. 4). The storyboard/chain of events allows the students to better understand the sequence of events within the text. In addition, by asking questions it “gives students a purpose for reading, focuses students’ attention on what they are to learn, allows them to think actively, helps them monitor their comprehension, and also helps students review content and relate what they have learned to what they already know” (Adler, 2004, p.3). I also plan to use guided practice, and modeling which are prime examples of explicit instruction and “research shows that explicit teaching techniques are particularly effective for comprehension strategy instruction” (Adler, 2004, p. 3). The article further states that, “effective comprehension strategy instruction can be accomplished through cooperative learning, which involves students working together as partners or in small groups on clearly defined tasks” which is also why I plan to help them in the small groups during the circle table rotation (Adler, 2004, p. 5).

 Adler, C.R. (2004). Seven strategies to teach students text comprehension. Reading Rockets, Retrieved from

Objectives and Assessment Plans

Standard

Listening not comprehension

4.B.1b Participate in discussions around a common topic.

Objective #1

Students will be able to participate in an oral discussion about pumpkins by answering different literal, inferential and evaluative questions, as well as pre reading and post reading questions pertaining to what they already know, want to know, and learned about pumpkins. Students will also be able to retell the stages that a pumpkin grows in the story correctly.

Assessment Plan for Objective #1

this assessment if for behavior, not comprehension

For pre and post reading, I will call on students to participate in the discussion about pumpkins by asking questions pertaining to a “KWL” such as what they know about pumpkins, want to know, as well as what they learned. I will write down their responses on the large white paper. Throughout the reading of the book, I will ask different literal, inferential and evaluative questions as well. To further assess, I will take a mental note of any students that are unable to participate in the discussion, and later write down the names of those students on a sheet of paper.

Standard

1.C.1d Summarize content of reading material using text organization (e.g., story, sequence).

Objective #2:

The students will be able to sequence the events in the story by cutting out the pictures and pasting them in chronological order to help show the stages of how a pumpkin grows.

Assessment Plan for Objective #2

I will provide the students with a worksheet page that allows them to color and cut out the pictures at the bottom. They will then paste them into the boxes to show the stages of how a pumpkin grows. The students will have to paste the pictures in the correct order with 100% accuracy.

Materials - Include the following as appropriate

5 Perfect Pumpkins by Jeff Bauer

6

This book is all about pumpkins and goes into detail about the various stages that one grows. The readability of this text is somewhat hard for Kindergartners to read independently, and the reading level is more so for grade 1. There are some unfamiliar vocabulary terms, but it is still pretty easy to read and comprehend.

Technology – There is no electronic technology needed for my activity.

Supplies include: larger paper and markers, 21 worksheets, crayons, colored pencils, 6 scissors, and 6 Elmer’s glues.

Grouping Techniques

The read aloud will be a whole group where the students sit in their pre assigned squares on the floor that the teacher assigned to them. Next, the students already have pre assigned groups for their “rotations” that their teacher strategically assigned prior to this activity. The groups consist of about 4-5 students and I will be with each group when it is their turn to come to the circle table, so I can help guide the activity.

Procedures

9 Introduction Say, “Raise your hand if you had a good Halloween! Wonderful! Raise your hand and tell me what kinds of things you saw on Halloween!” I will call on students that are raising their hands waiting to be called on. “Well today we are going to learn about something that you probably saw a lot of on Halloween! Before I tell you what that is I want to play a game! I will call on one person who is sitting quietly with their bottoms on the floor, raising their hand, waiting patiently to be called on.” Call on a student and have them close their eyes and stick their hand in the bag that is filled with five miniature pumpkins. Have them guess what they think it is. Call on four other students and have them come up and guess as well. Then say, “Are you all ready to see what is inside the bag?” Slowly pull out the miniature pumpkins and then ask, “What are these?” “Did anyone see a lot of these when they were trick-or-treating? Raise your hand and tell me what you know about pumpkins so far!What else do you know about pumpkins?” As they answer, write down their responses on the large white paper under “K” and explain the “K” stands for what they already know. Now, in the middle of the paper, write “W” and explain that this is for what they want to know and ask, “What do you want to know about pumpkins?” Call on students that are sitting properly. Then say, “Well pumpkins are actually very interesting and today we are going to learn all about pumpkins! When we are done we will see what new exciting things we learned about pumpkins!”

Lesson Steps

1.) To begin, I will hold up the cover of the book, read the title, and then do a couple pre-reading activities. I will ask, “What do you think a perfect pumpkin looks like?” Ask a literal question like, “What kind of pumpkins do you see in this picture?” Next, I will ask an inferential question like, “Does anyone know how pumpkins grow? Well let’s read and find out!”

2.) Read the book. On page 2 I will stop and ask, “Have any of you ever seen a pumpkin that was shaped weird?” Then I will ask a literal question and say, “Raise your hand if you think a pumpkin is a fruit. What about a vegetable?” Then I will read the fun fact.

On page 7, after reading the first sentence I will stop and then ask an evaluative question like, “How many of you have ever felt the inside of a pumpkin? What did it feel like?” Then continue to read.

On page 8, I will ask, “Does anyone know how pumpkins grow?” Then I will continue to read and I will relate that to their prior knowledge and explain that, “Remember when you learned about how a flower grows? Well pumpkins also start to grow with a seed!”Continue to read. While reading remember to take a mental note of the students that are attentive, praise those who behaving, and remind the students who misbehave to act appropriately.

On page ten I will stop and hold up the pumpkin as a visual and ask, “Would this be a big pumpkin or a baby pumpkin? What about this one in the picture?”

On page 13, I will ask if anyone has ever eaten anything with pumpkin in it. I will have a few students raise their hands and share.

On page 15, after reading I will ask, “How many of you have ever carved a pumpkin?” Similarly, have a few students raise their hands and call on them to share.

3.) After reading I will ask three comprehension questions to see what they learned about pumpkins and I will write those responses on the large white board.

• Can you name one thing that you find inside a pumpkin?

• Can you name two things that you can do with a pumpkin?

• Can you share three more facts about pumpkins?

• What is something else you learned about pumpkins that you didn’t already know?

4.) “Wonderful job! Now let’s see who can remember the stages that a pumpkin grows! Does anyone remember the very first stage?” As the students answer I will draw a picture of it on the white paper. Continue to ask questions until all six stages are covered. Then review the stages and say, “Okay does anyone think they can tell me the stages in order on their own?”

5.) After this hold up the worksheet and tell the students, “At rotations today, for the circle table you will be with me and we will do this worksheet! You will first color the pictures at the bottom of the worksheet, and then cut them out and paste them in the order that a pumpkin grows.” Hold up the paper and explain it, so they notice the numbers in the boxes. If they finish early they can turn the page over and draw their own pumpkin on the back or trace one of the miniature pumpkins.

6.) Finish by telling the students which groups go to which stations first, and which group will be with me at the circle table.

Closure

Close by saying, “Wow! I appreciate how everyone worked so hard at the circle station today. I saw a lot of colorful pumpkins and am proud that you were all able to remember the order that a pumpkin grows! It is very obvious that you all learned a lot about pumpkins after reading the book!” Then do a class discussion and first ask students if they enjoyed learning about pumpkins. Then ask what new interesting information they learned. To connect to the strategy say, “Does anyone think they can raise their hand and tell me the order that a pumpkin grows without looking at their paper?” “Wonderful job! Without looking at the board, can anyone tell me something they learned from reading the book that they did not already know?” Tell students that, “Since you all worked so hard I will hang up the papers in the back of the classroom on the wall so you can all see how much you each learned about pumpkins!”

Reflection

After implementing a lesson, students will write an assessment and reflection

paper that includes at least the following components: 

a. Assessment/Outcomes

Overall, the students were successful in being attentive, and being able to participate in the discussion about pumpkins. All students were able to correctly answer the pre and post reading questions. After reading, they were able to retell the stages that a pumpkin grows which indicated that they were attentive and able to participate in the discussion effectively. While reading, the students all participated and attempted to answer the literal, inferential and evaluative questions. By asking the questions, it allowed them to actively think and kept them engaged. As a result of this, none of the students got out of their spots during the lesson or wandered around the room. In addition, only two children spoke out of turn, however once reminded to raise their hands to be called on they followed the directions. They also enjoyed discussing their knowledge about pumpkins, and were eager to get called on to share their ideas with the class. At the end of the lesson the students that were called on were able to successfully answer the comprehension questions as well.

Similarly, with my guidance, all students successfully completed the comprehension worksheet activity correctly. They successfully sequenced the pictures in the correct order to show that they comprehend how a pumpkin grows. All students understood the material with my guidance and questioning, and were able to sequence the pictures effectively. All students colored and cut out each picture, and did not forget to finish any of them.

When reflecting back on the achievement of the desired outcomes of my lesson, overall I feel the lesson went well. To begin, the introduction went well because it caught their attention. The students got excited when I allowed some of them to touch the inside of the bag and guess what was inside. This went well, because it made them curious to find out what they would be learning about. Furthermore, by showing the pumpkins it served as an effective visual tool, which is a good learning strategy. I also believe that asking questions was an effective strategy as well, because it allowed them to actively think and participate. The “KWL” served as a good comprehension tool, because it allowed them to discuss what they know, want to know, and learned which is something they enjoy. At the closure of the lesson, the students were eager to share their ideas with me and show that they still remembered the order that a pumpkin grew, even without looking at their papers which made me feel good. I think this went well, because the students comprehended the information and it was evident they were excited to share that with me.

i. What problems occurred? Why might they have occurred?

A minor problem that occurred was that in the groups the students all colored and cut at different paces. This caused some students to finish quicker than others, so I had to improvise. I lined up all the pumpkins on the table and asked those students to point to the biggest one, smallest one, most orange one, and asked similar questions along those lines. I also asked questions about the story to see if they could remember them as well. Another problem that occurred was that some of the students needed more guidance than others. For example, some students needed to be reminded to keep coloring or cutting. Some also needed extra assistance in determining the correct sequence, while others were able to successfully complete it without guidance. I think this occurred because their assigned rotation groups consisted of a wide variety of learning levels. For example, some groups had students with IEP’s that were in the same group with the above level students. A few students were quick to get frustrated if they were struggling with the sequencing. Those students needed extra help and reassurance to motivate them to complete it. Similarly, I believe that this may have occurred because the students were at different skill levels.

What changes would be appropriate? What would you differently next time?

This can create a problem because when one student finishes faster, other students may feel rushed or copy their work. In my opinion, some appropriate changes that I could have made would be to take into consideration the students learning abilities. With that in mind, I would possibly change the activity to better help those that are struggling. I would group students by their ability level so that slower paced students do not feel rushed and can get adequate guidance. I would also allow more time for those who are struggling so they do not feel pressured and are more encouraged to continue the activity.

Some new insights that I gained is that the students enjoy hands on activities. They really liked that I brought in real pumpkins and made the introduction into a game. It allowed them to learn more hands on, and they were eager to guess what was inside the bag. By allowing them to guess what the lesson would be about, it caught their interest a lot more than it would have if I had just orally told them what we would be discussing. I also learned that the Kindergarten students are always eager to talk about themselves and tell everyone what they already know. By giving them the opportunity to share their ideas with the classmates, and doing a “KWL” if they raised their hands and acted appropriately, I noticed that it made them quiet because they were eager to get called on. In doing so, it also maintained their attention and made teaching easier because they were engaged.

What insights did you gain about your progress toward becoming an exemplary teacher?

It was interesting trying to implement classroom managing techniques in a real life teaching situation. I learned that in order to get children to remain attentive, the topic at hand must be presented in an engaging manner that helps motivate them. Although my teacher wanted me to read a story about pumpkins, I still presented it in a fascinating way so that they were excited to learn about them. It is crucial to make learning fun for the students. It is important to have fun, and create a positive learning environment that encourages the students to want to learn and enjoy it as well.

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