Spring Arbor University School of Education

Lesson Plan Guide: Direct Instruction

Teachers Name: Ms. Rogers
Title: Theme Progression
Subject: English
Grade Level: 10th

Time Allotted: 5-7 days

Materials Required: Classroom set of texts, T-Chart Organizer, Reciprocal Teaching Handout, Lesson
Closure Sheet, Storyboard, Anticipation Guide Organizer, Large Poster Board
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Michigan Curriculum Framework: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the
text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective
summary of the text
Objective(s): The students will:
Determine 3-4 (min.) themes throughout the text
Investigate the themes progression over the expansion of the text
Find evidence to support the progression of the theme
Develop a thesis statement including the themes purpose and its resolution to its development
Purpose: To provide the students a structured method to look at a piece of text critically and examine its
development over time
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Instructional Procedure: Instructions for each strategy/handout are be given (located on each strategy
summary sheet) which all will be steps in helping with the final assessment. The final assessment will
include two parts: 1. a visual representation through the means of a story wheel which will include a
minimum of six different scene that helped in the development of your groups chosen theme, 2. as a
group you will be reenacting each scene located in your story wheel.
1. Anticipatory Set:
a. Through an Anticipation Guide, we will first gain and develop background knowledge of
possible themes within the text by examining the title, the book summary, the cover
picture, and the 1st chapter. Together as a class we will come up with at least one apparent
theme that came about through the given information.
2. State Purpose and Objective of Lesson:
a. Throughout this novel we will be acting as critics and investigators to determine themes
of the text and examine the details that support our reasoning. In doing this, we will
emerge as active rather than passive readers with the ultimate goal of becoming
advocates of the content we learn and obtaining assistance in determining important
information in the creation of a strong thesis
b. I would like for you all to separate into groups (5 in each group) according to your table
color and move to your groups work space. You have about 15 seconds to transition and
future instructions will be given as soon as I see all eyes on me

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3. Plan for Instruction:

a. Modeling
i. Throughout the reading of chapter 1, aloud, stop periodically and ask questions
of comprehension/explain possible problematic sections.
ii. After reading occurs, I will model on the large paper, T-chart, themes I examined
throughout half of the chapter, providing quotes as evidence and brief personal
summaries of its related context.
b. Guided Practice:
i. For the second portion of the chapter I will ask for other ideas for possible
themes, as well as quotes within the book that can support our thinking. This
will go back and forth as an example: If I provide a quote as evidence, the
students will have to summarize the context and if the students provide the quote,
I will create the summary.
c. Group Practice:
i. Within groups students are to read aloud for the next chapter
ii. As group practice, students will be designated a role within the Reciprocal
Teaching format and the fifth student will be the mediator, ensuring time is being
used efficiently while taking group notes
iii. (If times allows get through as many chapters as possible allowing 5-8 minutes
for each reciprocal teaching session)
iv. I will be walking around if the students have any questions
d. Independent Practice:
i. With 20 minutes left of class, have students return to their seats and begin filling
out their Two-Column note organizer, each new theme gets its own Two-Column
note organizer
ii. Allow for a quiet work setting while floating around to check for understanding
and answer questions that develop
4. Differentiation Considerations:
a. Allow for the text to be read aloud
b. Modifications for students whose IEP indicates area of weakness in reading will be
provided grade appropriate reading material of the same content
c. Alternate plans for students who finish quickly will include beginning to work on TwoColumn note organizer and ideas for their story wheel
5. Assessment: Throughout the entire lesson formative assessments will be made through the act of
observations and checks for understanding. If students have not access the content, I will discuss
the method of learning again, or attempt an alternative strategy to allow for all students to
understand the content. This may include: reading aloud, an audio book, or allow for independent
reading versus group reading. If the content if reached, instruction will carry on as planned. At
the end of each day student will complete a Sum it Up Lesson Closure Sheet to display their
gained knowledge and allow for me as the teacher to modify my teaching if the content was not
reached. The ending form of assessment will be seen through the Storyboards of each student in
the class as well as through each groups Readers Theatre presentation.
6. Closure: Today we became active readers and determined a few themes present within the text;
and examined supporting details for each theme. Who can tell me why we are doing this again?
(so we can determining important information in the text; to help us make a strong thesis)

SOE Faculty, 2/26/10

Explanation of Identified Instructional Strategies

Identifying Similarities and Differences
T-Chart
This strategy was chosen as an easy and effective way to sort facts and opinions; the facts
being quotes directly from the text and the opinion being the summary as to why the
particular quote is deemed important to the development of the theme within the text. I
considered using the two-column note taking method for this, although this correlated
better with the idea of indicating similarities.
This strategy allows for organization and easy access to each supporting detail.
In utilizing this strategy, students may lose their worksheets; although with classroom
specific bins the students can leave these worksheets in their classroom folders.
Summarizing and Note Taking
Reciprocal Teaching
This strategy was chosen to help students predict, question, clarify and summarize the
content being read in a collaborative group setting. I considered using the 3-2-1
summarizing strategy; although, I decided to use this strategy for the group interaction.
This proves to be more beneficial than the 3-2-1 approach whereas each group member
can encourage and challenge their peers.
In utilizing this strategy students who are more intrapersonal learners may have difficulty
in groups; if this occurs I will the option for the 3-2-1 approach may be considered.
Sum it Up
This strategy was chosen as a closure activity to help me as the teacher determine the
effectiveness of the strategies used and the areas of struggle my students may be
experiencing. Whereas this was an addition strategy added, no other strategies were
considered.
This strategy is effective in that it allows the students to reflect on the content learned for
the day.
In utilizing this strategy students may be tired and worn out from writing, which would
produce thoughtless responses, if this occurs I will instead assign a discussion post due
by 7:00pm of a summary of what theme and supporting evidence they examine that day.
Non-linguistic Representation
Storyboard
This strategy was chosen as an assessment to indicate comprehension of the material and
the development of the chosen theme throughout the text. I also considered using the
Story Wheel strategy as another approach for students to display their comprehension by
a mode other than writing.
Storyboard will be more effective in this instance for the reason being more space will be
allowed for the students representations. Within the Story Wheel, limited space is
provided, discouraging creativity and quality.
In utilizing this strategy I may come across students who do not like to draw, if this is the
case I will indicate to them that they are not being grading on how well of a artist they are
but rather how well they can display they understood the material; this will take away any
art-anxiety.

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Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers

Anticipation Guide
This strategy was chosen as an anticipatory set to familiarize the students with the text
and engage them into active reading. Through this students will make predictions of
themes and examine the fact pertaining to the text. I considered use a contextual
redefinition; although, I decided to focus primary on the text and its themes rather than
vocabulary.
This strategy will be most effective because it connects my students new information
with their prior knowledge. Through this process students become more engaging and
see correlations of the known to the newly known.
In utilizing this strategy students may not find any connection and if this is the case, I will
utilize the Synectics strategy to demonstrate that within everything this is and there can
be a connection to ones life.

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Strategy # 24
Anticipation Guide
Basics:
Time Needed: 10-15 minutes
Room Arrangement: This strategy requires no specific room arrangement
Materials: An Anticipation Guide organizer
Process Directions:
1. The teacher should first introduce the text or reading material to the class; this can be
done by the summary brief in the back of the book, the title, and/or the cover photo.
2. Once the text or reading has been introduced, the teacher should introduce the
Anticipation Guide, make their own statements and model the process of responding to
the statements and marking the columns.
3. The students should then write four to six statements or beliefs about the main ideas,
themes, or concepts of the text
4. The text can then be read aloud or read independently. If being reading aloud, the teacher
should read slowly and stop periodically in the text to allow for the students to reflect on
the content.
5. In conclusion of the reading students should revisiting each statement comparing their
initial thoughts to their newly gained knowledge
When/Examples:
This strategy should be use before reading, as an anticipatory set preferable before an
informational, nonfiction content to:
o Teach students to make predictions
o Anticipate the text
o Verify their predictions
o Connect new information to prior knowledge
Students can use this strategy to draw connections of past experiences to recently new
content. Within a news article about gas prices students may draw to their previous
experience of gas prices continuing to rise though through reading the article, they may
realize with oil pumping in the gulf, prices are expecting to only lower. These two
statements would demonstrate their newly gained knowledge.
Source:
Duffelmeyer, F. (1994). Effective Anticipation Guide statements for learning from expository
prose. Journal of Reading, 37, 452-455.

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Strategy # 6
T-Chart
Basics:
Time Needed: 10-15 minutes
Room Arrangement: No specific arrangement necessary, although, if posted or written
on board, visual access would be encouraged.
Materials: A student made or premade T-Chart
Process Directions:
1. Two topics, events, people, ideas or issues are chosen which are directly embedded
within the lesson being taught. A scenario may be comparing and contrasting the
Montagues and the Capulets from Romeo and Juliet.
2. The students will be given or ask to produce a T-chart
3. Throughout the lesson the students will be encouraged to write facts of each topic in their
respective columns: similarities of the two and differences.
4. Upon finishing the lesson, allow time for students to finish writing their final thoughts
and as a class brainstorm ideas (to gain collective information).
5. The previous step may include a larger classroom example of the information, in this case
allow the students to approach the example and write their own thoughts.
When/Examples:
This is to be used during and after instruction for the purpose of:
o Comparing two ideas/books/people/events/etc.
o Sorting fact and opinion
Students can list and identify
o advantages and disadvantages
o pros and cons
o strengths and weaknesses of two given topics
Source:
Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works,
research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Ascd.

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Strategy # 9
Reciprocal Teaching
Basics:
Time Needed: A minimum of 30 minutes
Room Arrangement: This strategy requires no specific room arrangement
Materials: Text, paper, reciprocal teaching handout
Process Directions:
1. The teacher will start by introducing the strategy and the text that will be read.
2. Students will then be split up into groups and be designated jobs within their groups: the
predictor, the questioner, the clarifier, and the summarizer.
3. The activity will begin by each students reading quietly to themselves or aloud with
peers. When the text is finished, a single student, acting as the summarizer, summarizes
what has been read.
4. As the questioner, one student will ask questions that are designed to help students
identify important information in the passage. These questions may be scripted.
5. Next, one student acting as the clarifier, will try to clarify confusing points in the text.
This can be done by pointing out problematic statements and drawing clarity through the
act of statement or questioning.
6. Finally, with the gathered information, the predictor will make a prediction of the text to
come.
7. If time allows, each student will rotate jobs and have the opportunity of completing each
task.
When/Examples:
This strategy should be done during and/or after reading occurs to help students to
predict, question, clarify and summarize.
While reading in class, students will be given a check point to stop and then reflect on
each target point. After a time of reflection is allowed, students will then discuss each
point within their group.
Source:
Palincsar, A. S. & Brown, A. (1984). Reciprocal Teaching of Comprehension-Fostering and
Comprehension Monitoring Activities. Cognition and Instruction, 1(2), pp. 117-175.

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Strategy # 12
Sum it Up
Basics:
Time Needed:
Room Arrangement: This strategy requires no specific room arrangement
Materials: Sum it Up Lesson Closure Sheet
Process Directions:
1. Once the students have read the assigned reading material, the teacher should ask the
students the following framework questions:
a. What are the main ideas?
b. What are the crucial details necessary for supporting the ideas?
c. What information is irrelevant or unnecessary?
2. The students should use key words or phrases from the reading to answer the questions
3. Once this review complete the students will work independently to fill out the Sum it Up
Lesson Closure Sheet
When/Examples:
This strategy should be use after reading to instill key points and facts of the reading
Students can use this structured formatting to recall important information within the
reading
Source:
Guthrie, J. T. (2003). Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction: Practices of Teaching Reading for
Understanding. In C. Snow & A. Sweet (Eds.), Reading for Understanding: Implications of
RAND Report for Education (pp. 115-140). New York: Guilford.

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Strategy # 20
Storyboard
Basics:
Time Needed: 15-20 minutes
Room Arrangement: This strategy requires no specific room arrangement
Materials: Storyboard template writing/coloring utensils
Process Directions:
1. After reading, students will be encouraged to creatively represent the given content
through a series of illustrations
2. Representations should include samples of the begging, middle, and end; problem
resolution and steps that occurred to reach resolution
3. Differing form Sketch-to-Stretch, student will be required to draw literal representation of
the content
4. After explaining the process of a storyboard, examples of previous work that has been
done or works you have done can be shared
When/Examples:
This strategy should be used at the end of instruction, reading, or segmentations to clearly
identify the students comprehension of the material
Students can use this strategy as a precursor to a writing assignment to visually represent
their thoughts. In doing this, a storyboard can be made of the progression of Romeo and
Juliets love for one another that ultimately ends in their deaths.
Source:
Gore, M. C. (2010). Inclusion strategies for secondary classrooms: Keys for Struggling Learners.
(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

SOE Faculty, 2/26/10

Strategy # 23
Readers Theater
Basics:
Time Needed: Time may vary, an estimated 20-25 minutes
Room Arrangement: This strategy requires no specific room arrangement
Materials: Classroom set of text or reading material
Process Directions:
1. Within a text, students should be designated a specific character for reading
2. The students will then have time to prepare their characters lines
3. Then within groups, students will read aloud an assigned reading selection
When/Examples:
This strategy should be used during instruction to increase reading fluency and
confidence in readers
This strategy works particularly well within reading plays. In the reading of
Shakespeare, students will be assigned a character of a scene to reenact allowing for the
play to become more realistic and relatable. Incorporating this strategy will ease the
anxiety of reading aloud.
Source:
Prescott, J. (2003). The power of reader's theater. Retrieved from:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/power-readers-theater

SOE Faculty, 2/26/10