Lesson Planning Form for Accessible Instruction Calvin College Education Program

Teacher
Date

Rachel Polikaitis
November 19, 2015

Subject/ Topic/ Theme

Character Development in Fables

Grade ____2nd_____

I. Objectives
How does this lesson connect to the unit plan?
The lesson will cover the topic of character traits, which is a key component of fables. The lesson will also talk about the moral of the fable we will read in class.
cognitiveR U Ap An E C*

Learners will be able to:

Distinguish character traits of the two main characters in the fable

Recognize and describe the change that a character makes throughout the fable
State the moral of the fable and write it down
Create a representation of the main character of the fable through an art activity
Display and describe their character art activity final product with their classmates
Discuss as a class what character traits describes which character

physical
development

socioemotional

U
An
R
X
X
X

Common Core standards (or GLCEs if not available in Common Core) addressed:
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2
Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when
reading dialogue aloud.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.5
Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when
appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
(Note: Write as many as needed. Indicate taxonomy levels and connections to applicable national or state standards. If an objective applies to particular learners
write the name(s) of the learner(s) to whom it applies.)
*remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create

II. Before you start

Identify prerequisite
knowledge and skills.

Must be able to recognize what the moral of the fable is and know what the components of a fable are.
Pre-assessment (for learning):

Asking the class what the key components of a fable are. Reviewing what a fable is and what morals
are.
Formative (for learning):

Outline assessment
activities
(applicable to this lesson)

Asking the students what character traits are and how they impact how a character acts or makes
decisions throughout the fable.
Formative (as learning):

Going to the board and putting the character traits that they think describes the ant or grasshopper.
Expressing their opinion of how the grasshopper develops throughout the story with the class.
Summative (of learning):
Asking the class what the moral of the Ant and the Grasshopper fable is. Having them write it down
on their paper that will be attached to their picture. Review what character traits are by asking them
questions at the end of the activity.
Provide Multiple Means of
Representation

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Provide Multiple Means of

Action and Expression

Provide Multiple Means of

Engagement

What barriers might this

lesson present?
- English language
students might have
difficulty with coming up
with character traits. Also,
classroom management
during the art activity.
What will it take
neurodevelopmentally,
experientially,
emotionally, etc., for your
students to do this lesson?

Materials-what materials
(books, handouts, etc) do
you need for this lesson
and are they ready to use?

Provide options for perceptionmaking information perceptible

Instead of reading the story to the
students, having it told through a
video.

Provide options for physical actionincrease options for interaction

Class discussion about character
traits. Showing their finished
product of the activity to their
classmates.

Provide options for language,

mathematical expressions, and
symbols- clarify & connect
language
Defining what character traits are.

Provide options for expression and

communication- increase medium
of expression
Video of the fable. Class discussion
of the character traits of the ant and
the grasshopper. Worksheet of the
character development of the
grasshopper. Creating their own ant
and writing down what the moral of
the story is.
Provide options for executive
functions- coordinate short & long
term goals, monitor progress, and
modify strategies
By completing the activities, we
review what they have learned
throughout the lesson. Asking the
students what they think the answer
is, instead of just telling them what
to write.

Provide options for

comprehension- activate, apply &
highlight
The video highlights key
vocabulary. Students will complete
the character development
worksheet, which highlights the
characters change throughout the
fable. Also the chart of the ant and
grasshoppers traits highlights how
these traits influence how they act
throughout the story.

Provide options for recruiting

interest- choice, relevance, value,
authenticity, minimize threats
Letting the students choose whether
they want to create an ant or a
grasshopper and then letting them
decorate the background.
Continuously asking the students
questions about the fable and the
activity we are working on.
Provide options for sustaining effort
and persistence- optimize
challenge, collaboration, masteryoriented feedback
Class discussion. Having them
write down what they think the
moral of the story is. Having the
students share their answers.
Provide options for self-regulationexpectations, personal skills and
strategies, self-assessment &
reflection
By working on the first two
activities as a class, and then
working on the last activity
individually.

- Video of the Ant and the Grasshopper

- Projector
- Elmo
- Character development handout
- Notecards
- Big poster and markers
- Black construction paper, glue, colored pencils and scissors
- Moral of the story worksheet
The students will be sitting at their desks, which are arranged in groups of four to five.

How will your classroom

be set up for this lesson?
III. The Plan
Time
3min

3min
3min
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Components
Motivation
(opening/
introduction/
engagement)

Development
(the largest
component or
main body of
the lesson)

Describe teacher activities

AND
student activities
for each component of the lesson. Include important higher order thinking questions and/or
prompts.
Review what a fable is.
Introduce the fable we will be reading/watching.

Watch the video of the fable, the Ant and the

Grasshopper.
Ask the students what it means by character traits.

Explain what character traits are and talk about

how characters need traits in every fable. Then,
give a few examples of character traits.
5min

Fill out the character trait chart of the ant and the
grasshopper with the class. Have character traits
written on notecards. Then have the students move
the notecards with the character trait under the
character that embodies this character trait
throughout the fable.

Students will work together to fill out a chart by

discussing what the character traits of the ant and
grasshopper are. Students will sort the character
traits and put the note card under the character that
describes them.

5min

Explain to the students how to fill out the character

development worksheet. (Do together as a class
and put your worksheet on the elmo to display for
the whole class to see).

Fill out the character development worksheet with

the class and the teacher.

2min

After filling out the worksheet go over what the

moral of the fable is. Have them write it down on
the handout.

10min

Give them the choice of creating an ant or a

grasshopper. Give them green or black construction
paper and slowly explain/give directions on how to
cut out and create an ant/grasshopper from their
construction paper.
Have them glue on their ant/grasshopper and moral
handout onto another piece of construction paper.

Writing down what the moral of the fable is and

then creating their own ant or grasshopper and
background/setting.

Have the students show each other how they made

their ant paper. Display a couple of them on the
elmo.

Show their classmates what they made during the

ant activity.

Review what the moral of the fable is and what

character traits are by asking them questions at the
end of the activity.

Recall what they learned from the lesson.

2min

Closure
(conclusion,
culmination,
wrap-up)

Your reflection about the lesson, including evidence(s) of student learning and engagement, as well as ideas for improvement
for next time. (Write this after teaching the lesson, if you had a chance to teach it. If you did not teach this lesson, focus on the
process of preparing the lesson.)

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Overall, my lesson went very well and I was excited to see their characters they created out of paper. At the start of the lesson, we
reviewed what went into a fable. I called on students who were raising their hands quietly. Since we do this opening at the start of
every lesson, I think it would be good to try to find a new and engaging way for every student to participate in the review, not just the
ones who are raising their hands. After the review we watched the video of the fable, the Ant and the Grasshopper. My students
loved watching it and wanted to watch it again later.
Next, I had the students sit on the floor and we went over character traits. I had examples of character traits on the board and
we went over the definition of each one. I often would ask if students had anything to add to the previous answer to open it up to
other students. After, I had my students come and place the character traits under which character they think portrays these character
traits. My students were very engaged in this activity and were eager to participate. However, looking back at the lesson, I would
change two things. Firstly, the character traits I put on the board were probably too difficult of words, especially for my English
language learners. I put words such as, stubborn and foolish. While we did go over the definition of all the words, I wonder if in a
week my students would be able to tell me what stubborn means or would they only be able to say that the grasshopper was stubborn.
Secondly, I should have had my students come up with some character traits that they think describe the two characters and then I
could have written them on the board underneath the other character traits. This gives them the opportunity to be able to share their
ideas and what they have learned. At the end of the lesson, one of my students said that the grasshopper was selfish. That was a
fantastic character trait to describe the grasshopper and I think many of the other students may have had more character traits they
could have added to the list if I had opened it up to them.
The activity of creating your own grasshopper or ant went very smoothly. I learned from a previous lesson I did that I should
have my students pass out the materials at the beginning. This helped a lot and made the transition a lot smoother. I loved how each
student made their own grasshopper and ant and that they were all so different looking. My students were quiet, hard working and
very engaged in this activity. This was an independent practice for them and. At the end of the lesson, one thing that Professor
Terpstra suggested was to have the students show their grasshopper or ant to their partner and describe it with what they have learned
about character traits. For example, a student would share, my grasshopper is stubborn. The students seemed excited to share, so
afterwards I called on a few students to show their grasshopper or ant to the class and share their character trait. It was a good review,
and my students loved sharing with their classmates. I should encourage more of this in my future lessons.

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