Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level/Subject: 3rd/

Reading

Central Focus: Describe characters in the story.

Essential Standard/Common Core Objective:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their
traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions
contribute to the sequence of events

Date
submitted:
Date
taught:

Daily Lesson Objective: Students will listen to a story and be able to describe the
main characters in the story.
21st Century Skills:

Academic Language Demand (Language

Function and Vocabulary): Main Characters

Prior Knowledge: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables,

folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or
moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Activity

Description of Activities and

Setting

Time

1. Focus and Review

Ok students, remember
yesterday we talked about
treating everyone equally no
matter their skin color, race, or if
they have a learning disorder or
not? Today, we are going to read
the book Thank You, Mr. Falker.
This story is about a little girl
who has a learning disorder
where she doesnt know how to
read or write and everyone in her
class makes fun of her and no
one gives her a chance until Mr.
Falker, a new teacher, comes into
her life and believes that she can
read and write and she will read
and write.

5 minutes

2. Statement of Objective for

Student

Today I am going to read you,

Thank You, Mr. Falker by
Patricia Palacco. At the end of
the story, students will be able to

describe characters in a story and

explain how their actions
contribute to the sequence of
events. We will complete an
activity that goes with the story.
3. Teacher Input

The teacher will have the

students come to the carpet and
sit in front of the teacher. The
teacher will read the story,
Thank you, Mr. Falker to the
students. While reading the
story, the teacher will ask
questions. Why do you think
drawing is so important to
Trisha? (Trisha has a hard time
reading and writing so drawing
is so important to her because
that is the only thing that makes
sense to her and is the only thing
that she actually understands.
Why do you think Trisha begins
to hate school so much? (She
gets made fun of by other
students and gets called ugly
names because she doesnt know
how to read or write because of
her learning disorder.) Teacher
will explain to students that
everyone has feelings. The
teacher will ask students, How
do you think Trisha feels? Do
you think her feelings are hurt?
What do you think about Mr.
Falker? Have you ever met a
teacher like him?

10-15
minutes

4. Guided Practice

After the teacher reads the story,

the students will go back to their
seats and the teacher will pass out
a coloring sheet of a butterfly. The
teacher will read different
sentences (What color makes you
feel happy?) (What color do you
think of when your best friend
surprises you and comes to visit?)

15
minutes

(What color do you think of when

someone takes away your favorite
childhood toy, how do you feel?)
and the students were to take the
color they choose and color in a
little piece of the butterfly. The
teacher kept reading sentences
and the students colored until the
whole butterfly was colored in.
Each student took their time
wanting to make their butterfly
pretty. After each student had their
butterfly colored in the way they
liked, the teacher had students
crumble their butterfly into a ball.
The teacher explained to students
that they worked really hard
coloring on their butterfly and
making it the way they wanted
and then all of a sudden they had
to crumble it up after working on
it for so long. The reason why the
students had to do this is because
in the story, Trish worked very
hard on her work and tried doing
the best she could do, but people
still made fun of her and called
her mean things. When you do
this to someone that is trying to
work hard on something, and then
you make him or her feel like a
little crumbled up piece of paper.
After students crumbled their
papers up, the teacher told them to
try and smooth the butterfly out.
The teacher explained to students
again that they wont be able to
smooth the butterfly back out
perfectly to the way it was when
we started. Once you say
something mean to someone else
or call them mean things their
feelings are hurt, and you can
never take what you said back
because it will always stick with
them no matter what and you can

never take what you said back.

5. Independent Practice
6. Assessment Methods of all
objectives/skills:
7. Closure

There was no independent

practice with this lesson.

10
minutes

Familiar questioning to check for

understanding and worksheet given during
independent practice.
Teacher: Ok Students, how do
you think Trisha felt in the
beginning of the story? How
do you think she felt towards the
end of the story? What was
Trisha motivation to read and
write? What kind of person do
you find Mr. Falker to be?

5 minutes

Students: In the beginning of the

story, Trisha was sad and didnt
think she would ever be able to
read and write. Students made fun
of her and hurt her feelings.
Towards the end of the story,
Trisha was happy because
someone actually believed in her,
Mr. Falker. She learned how to
read and write all because of
someone believing in her.
Trisha motivation to read and
write was Mr. Falker because he
was the only one who believed in
her, stood up for her, and helped
her. Mr. Falker is a very nice
person and believes that everyone
can and everyone will succeed.
Mr Falker was understanding and
took time to help Trisha learn to
read and write.
8. Assessment Results of all
objectives/skills:
Targeted Students
Modifications/Accommodations:

Student/Small Group
Modifications/Accommodations:
ESL students will be paired with a higher-level

reader and thinker that will help guide them

through the activity. During whole group, ESL
student will sit in the front where they can hear
the teacher better and focus on the teacher.
Materials/Technology: A copy of the book, Thank You, Mr. Falker, coloring butterfly
worksheet, colored pencils, markers, crayons, writing notebooks.
References: Common Core Standards
Reflection on lesson: Students really enjoyed this lesson. Students enjoyed the book
and really enjoyed coloring the butterfly. Students were confused at first as to why I
made them crumble up their butterfly that they worked hard on, but after I explained
the reasoning behind it students understood and said they never thought to look at it
this way. Students enjoyed the lesson and everyone understood.