LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

UNLV ELEM. ED.

Name: Amanda Curtis
Lesson Plan Title: Describing Settings (Harry Potter)
Grade Level: 4
School Site: Ober Elementary
1. Standards/Objectives
RL.4.3 - Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on
specific details in the text (e.g., a characters thoughts, words, or actions).
Measurable Objective(s): 4th grade students will be able identify and describe the setting of a
book scene with 95% accuracy, given prior practice describing and defining story settings,
character traits, and drawing on specific details of a text.
Prerequisite learning and/or key concepts: Students have prior experience pointing out
details of a text and drawing inferences from them, as well as prior experience determining
and describing a storys setting.
2. Materials and/or Technology resources
Descriptions, quantity
Harry Potter excerpt from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (28 copies)
1 Q&A work sheet per student (28 total)
A piece of paper to draw a chart along with teachers modeling
Pencils, highlighters, pens, etc.
Distribution Strategy
Work sheets will be passed by Supplier. Pencils are in students desks.
Collection Strategy
Teacher will gather papers by group.
3. Procedures (Content Area Specific)
Quiet Signal Give Me Five
Motivation/ engagement.
We did such a fantastic job in finding themes with my last lesson. I shared some poems
from one of my favorite authors, Shel Silverstein. This week, for my last lesson, I wanted to
incorporate one of my favorite descriptive scenes, from my favorite book series: Harry
Potter.
One of MY favorite things about Harry Potter is that I feel like I am in the books when I
read them. JK Rowling has such a way with describing things that I can taste, smell, hear,
and feel what is happening in the story, as well as seeing it! Have you ever read a book that
made you feel like that? Raise your hand, if so!
When I say that JK Rowling describes things in her story such as smell, I mean that she
builds a great setting for the story. Who can tell me what a setting is? (Where the story takes
place, etc) The setting is where the character is, whether it is a time or a place! Why is a
setting so important? (It makes you feel like you are in the story, and it can show you what
characters are like.)
Im going to read a part of my favorite of the series: The Chamber of Secrets. This scene

takes place in Filchs office, and I think you will get a vivid picture of the setting and what
it tells us about the characters, mostly Filch.
I will know you are ready to begin when you have your story in front of you and your finger
on the page ready to follow along with my reading!

Lemov Strategy; Kagen Strategy, Questioning Strategy

Lemov: No Opt Out, Cold Call, Stretch It!
Kagan Strategy:
Exit ticket: I will ask the students to give me an exit ticket at the end of the lesson
describing the setting they would like to use in a story they wrote.
Think Pair Share: I will ask the students to share with their partner a particular book they
have read that had a great setting. Their partner will then share their favorite book and the
setting in it.
Questioning strategy: I will be asking students questions using Lemov strategies for
formative assessment during the lesson.
T: What is a setting in a story?
S: Where or when the story takes place.
T: Why is setting important?
S: It makes it easy to see the story in your head. You get to know characters more. It makes
the story richer.
T: What kind of person do you think Filch is, from reading this passage?
S: He is angry, dirty, and sick.
T: How do you think Harry Potter feels when he is in Filchs office?
S: He is scared because Filch is so angry.
T: Do you think Filchs office is a nice place to be?
S: No!
T: Why not?
S: Because it is cluttered, dim, and smells musty.

Accommodation, modifications, and differentiations for diverse learners

I do, we do, and you do format: I will be modeling easing students into independent
practice, which will ensure that they all understand material and have had proper time to
understand and complete the activity with confidence.

Closure
Our goal today was to learn about the setting in a story. Raise your hand if you feel that you
learned a lot about why a setting is important to a story! Now, I want you to turn to your

shoulder partners. Partner A, I want you to tell Partner B about a book youve read that had
a really detailed description of the setting. Partner B, I want you to tell Partner A about your
favorite book, and what the setting of it is.
As an exit ticket, I would love for you to write to me on your assessment and give me your
opinion. If you were writing a story or a book, what kind of setting would YOU use?
Extension
This lesson could very easily be transitioned into Writing, and students could be asked to write a
short story or poem with a descriptive setting.
4. Student Assessment/ Evaluation (Formative or Summative)
Formative assessment of learning: Oral question and answering between teacher and
student, as well as classroom conversation.
Summative assessment of achievement based on objectives: Short assessment after the
lesson (attached)
5. Post Lesson Assessment and Reflection (to be completed immediately. After the lesson)
Report the results (data) from application of assessments
Reflect on the following: Strengths, Concerns and Insights
Discuss lesson and receive feedback from mentor teacher and secure hard copy of
performance evaluation
Reflection:
I used a very good model for this lesson, and could see that it helped with comprehension. I
used an I do, We do, You do technique. First, I modeled what a good setting in a story looks
like, by giving a non example and a good example. I asked the students, if I tell you a story
and I say, it was cold outside, does that give you a vivid picture? It could be cloudy, it
could be sunny, it could be a blizzard. We dont know! It could take place on a 70 degree
summer day or a -12 degree winter day. But if I say, it was a crisp, clear and cold day. I
walked along a cobblestone path, the scent of apple cider in the air, and leaves crunching
under my feet. I felt a gust of wind as 4 children in costume breezed by me, their candy
pails swinging wildly, what does it tell you?
The students automatically noted that the second story took place on Halloween, on an
autumn day. I eased into my lesson with this example of why setting and attention to detail
and atmosphere are very important in a book or story.
When I read the passage aloud, I asked students to follow along on the passage with their
finger. I felt that this would increase reading and listening comprehension and they would
be more likely to catch subtle setting details. When a loud Bang! was in the dialogue, I
asked them to bang on their desks to create a loud ruckus. We completed the Harry Potter
questions together, and then I had them do a work sheet called a Character Trait Chat about
what they could tell about the second character, Argus Filch, by the setting that JK Rowling
had created.
I felt that this lesson went over very well. The kids were very interested in the main lesson. I
did get some resistance to the Exit ticket prompt, some of the children asked if they
absolutely had to do it, and asked to silently read instead. I asked them to fill out a short

response for me, anyway, as I did not want it to appear that work was optional.
When I asked them to give me examples of what Harry Potter smells, sees, hears, and feels,
I asked them to use key details in the text and refer to what was in the passage. I told them
they could highlight or circle key details that they found helpful, but it was not mandatory.
My mentor teacher suggested that I ask the kids to highlight key details that linked to their
examples and references, since the standard I used specifies using specific examples.
Classroom management was very easy in this lesson, as discussion was welcomed and it
involved reading aloud. Most students raised their hands respectfully when they wished to
contribute. I did let some students slide on calling out since they were contributing to the
discussion and I felt that the atmosphere of discussion was free-flowing and relaxed, so I did
not want to interrupt it with negative consequences to those who were contributing.
Overall, I enjoyed teaching this lesson and my mentor teacher informed me that many of the
students in line for lunch were saying that they wanted to check out the Harry Potter books
from the school library. I call that success!