EDR 317/318 Lesson Plan Template for SLO

(40 points)

LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

Alissa Lyons
Lesson Day
Grade 4
Topic: Character Traits
Group: Small Group
November 27, 2017
How will this lesson support the learning goal?
(1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes)
How does knowing character traits impact how we comprehend a story?
(1 point)

Objective(s)
Students will be able to
(1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes)
(2 points) Identify different character traits by citing specific evidence from Mrs. Frisby and the
Rats of NIMH.
Taking the learning goal into consideration, what is the Analyze a characters actions and words to choose an appropriate character trait based
objective(s) of this lesson that will support progress toward the on readings from Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
learning goal. Analyze how knowing character traits can help predict events of the story.

Objectives should be learner focused (not what the teacher will

do or accomplish), observable (use verbs that can be measured),
and target a specific outcome. Please refer to the SLO User
Guide for the ABCD method or I CAN statements that can
be used as a guide.

PA Standards (2 points)
www.Pdesas.org/Standard/view or
https://www.pdesas.org/Page?pageId=11
ISTE Standards (if applicable)
CC.1.3.4.B Cite relevant details from text to support what the text says explicitly and make
inferences.
CC.1.3.4.C Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on
specific details in the text.
N/A

RJM Fall 2017 SLO Lesson Plan Template 1

 Technology Materials/ Resources
(1d: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources)
(2 points)
What texts, digital resources, & materials will be used in this
lesson? How do the materials align with the learning
objective(s)? If appropriate, what educational technology will
be used to support the learning outcomes of this lesson? How
do the resources support the learning objectives?
Cite publications and any web resources.
Anticipatory Set
(1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy)
(2 points)
3 minutes
How will you set the purpose and help students learn why
todays lesson is important to them as learners?
How will you pique the interest or curiosity regarding the
lesson topic?
How will you build on students prior knowledge?
How will you introduce and explain the strategy/concept or
skill?
Provide very detailed steps.
RJM Fall 2017 SLO Lesson Plan Template
Chart Paper
o Used to make the character trait web for Mrs. Frisby during modeling and
guided practice.
Good Writing Traits Packet
o Within this packet is a worksheet titles Character Traits. Students will use this
worksheet to help brainstorm ideas for character traits of Mrs. Frisby and
Jeremy.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
o The novel students are currently reading. Students will use this to find the
character traits as well as evidence to support.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-character-trait-definition-examples.html
o The anticipatory set was adapted from an idea on this website
Character Traits Graphic Organizer
o This graphic organizer will be used by the students to write down the
characters name, their trait, and evidence to support the trait they chose.
Document Camera
o This will be used to display the teacher modeled example of thinking about a
characters actions and dialogue and coming up with a character trait.
I want you to think about the people in your life, mom, dad, a sibling, a friend. I want you to
think of words that describe them. But not their physical appearances, think of words that
describe who they are? How would you describe them to someone else? Give students 20
seconds to think. Who has thought of some words they want to share? Take student answers.
These are all great examples of character traits. Who can tell me what a character trait is?
Take student answer. Yes, character traits are adjectives or words that describe someones
personality. It can describe how they act during a certain situation or can tell us what kind of
person they are. Every character we read about in a book has multiple character traits that
make them who they are. It is important that we know what character traits are because it can
help the reader predict behaviors of a character or predict what will happen in the plot of the
story.
2

Instructional Activities
(1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy;
1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
(15 points)
20 minutes
Exploration (Model): How will students explore the new
concepts? How will you model or provide explicit instruction?
You MUST include a teacher think-aloud using student-friendly
language here.
Guided Practice: How will you provide support to students as
they apply the new concept? How will you allow them to
practice (with teacher support)?
Independent practice: How will students review and solidify
these concepts to be able to use this new knowledge? How will
you monitor and provide feedback?
Provide very detailed steps and include teacher talk where
appropriate.
RJM Fall 2017 SLO Lesson Plan Template
Model
When we are deciding on character traits, we have to analyze the characters actions and
dialogue. We then have to find page numbers to match our evidence. First, I will
demonstrate by using one of the main character in our book, Mrs. Frisby. Teacher will
have a copy of the graphic organizer under the document camera. Next to character write
Mrs. Frisby.
After reading chapter 1, I remember Mrs. Frisby found a home for her family to live in, she
hunted in the cold to gather food, and she went to Mr. Ages to get medicine for her son.
These are all examples of being resourceful. Next to trait write resourceful. Resourceful
is an example of a character trait I could use to describe her. Now lets look for specific
pages to support my evidence. Hum, I see here on pages 3 and 4 that she discovered a
cinderblock for her family to live in. Under page number and evidence, write the example. I
also see on page 6 where she went out during the cold and found her family food. Under
page number and evidence, write the example. At the end of the chapter on page 11, we see
that she knew to go to Mr. Ages for help. Under page number and evidence, write the
example. These three events all help guide us in determining that Mrs. Frisby is a
resourceful mouse.
Hand out the character traits graphic organizer. Copy down this example into the first box.
Guided Practice
Now, think back to what we have read so far. Based on the actions and dialogue of Mrs.
Frisby, think about some other character traits you noticed about her. Remember you will
need page numbers to support your evidence.
This paper I am passing out will help you to brainstorm character traits. Pass one out to
each of the five students.
Take two to three minutes to brainstorm with a partner. The teacher will work with one
student to allow groups of two. Give students a few minutes to talk.
Who would like to share a character trait they found for Mrs. Frisby? Have a student
answer. Good, we see how on page 13 Mrs. Frisby knew she had to go around the field to
get to Mr. Ages house so she would not get eaten by the cat. In the next column, write
Mrs. Frisby as the character. Write the page number and evidence under their column
headings. This shows that Mrs. Frisby is intelligent. This is another character trait we can
use to describe Mrs. Frisby. Write intelligent next to trait.
Continue taking examples of character traits and adding them to the list.
Independent Practice
After analyzing her actions and dialogue, we have listed out all the character traits for
Mrs. Frisby, making sure to include page numbers and evidence to support our decisions.
Now, you will be thinking of character traits for Jeremy and finding evidence to support it.
You will do this individually, if you finish looking up traits for Jeremy, you can try looking
for other characters in the book. Now remind me, before we decide on a character trait,
what do we need? Have a student answer. Yes, we always need to include evidence to
support the character trait. Give 6-7 minutes to look for character traits and evidence.
3
 Okay now that we have all had time to think, lets share some ideas. Have students go
Closure
around in a circle and share at least one character trait and its supporting evidence. You all
(1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
gave specific evidence as to why your character trait is a good fit for Jeremy. We can see
(2 points)
how through all the different situations in the book we see different character traits.
5 minutes Who can tell me again what a character trait is? Have a student answer. Yes, a character
How will students share or show what they have learned in this trait is an adjective that describes someones personality or actions.
lesson? On the flashcard I am passing out, I want you to think about and tell me how
How will you restate the teaching point or ask students to do so understanding the character traits of the main characters helps you to better comprehend
and clarify key concepts? the story. Pass out flash cards. When you are done, I will take your flashcard and your
How will you provide opportunities to extend ideas and check paper.
for understanding?
How will this lesson lead to the next lesson?
For students who need assistance, I will provide a list of character traits that is already
Differentiation
broken up into general categories. Below those categories will be more specific words
(1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
students can use to help them identify character traits.
(2 points)
For students who finish independent work early, I will have them come up with character
What differentiated support will you provide for students whose traits for other characters.
academic development is below or above the current grade
level?
What specific differentiation of content, process, products,
and/or learning environment do you plan to employ to meet the
needs of all of your students?
How will your lesson be supportive for all students, including
English Language Learners, and build upon the linguistic,
cultural, and experiential resources that they bring to their
learning?
How will your lesson promote creative and critical thinking and
inventiveness?
For the student who has trouble coming up with ideas on his own and who I know tends to
Accommodations ** (see note below)
copy off others, I will be his partner during the guided practice. This way I can guide his
(1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
thinking and be sure he is not simply copying off his peers because he is having trouble
(1 points)
finding the answer.
What classroom accommodations do you plan to employ to
increase curriculum access for students identified with special
education needs or 504?
Describe how these accommodations align with the current
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for each student as
applicable (avoid using actual names of students).

RJM Fall 2017 SLO Lesson Plan Template 4


Modifications**(see note below)
(1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
(1 points)
What curricular modifications and/or changes in performance
standards, if any, do you plan to employ to facilitate the
participation of students identified with special education
needs?
Assessment (Formal or Informal)
(1f: Assessing Student Learning)
(3 points)
How will you and the students assess where the learning
objectives, listed above, were met?
Each formal or informal assessment should describe how it is
aligned to the above objective(s).
RJM Fall 2017 SLO Lesson Plan Template
I will give the student a copy of the character traits worksheet but it will already have the
character traits and page numbers on it. The student will have to go to the page number
provided and look for evidence to support the character trait I provided them with
Formatively
The teacher will assess students initial understanding of character traits when they share
traits of their friends or family. The teacher will listen for examples given.
The teacher will assess if students can analyze a characters actions through guided
practice. The teacher will listen for students responses of what character traits they match
with what character and see if they correspond properly. The teacher can also assess this
during independent practice/closure when the student shares what they filled out on the
character traits graphic organizer.
The teacher can assess if students identified traits by citing evidence from the text during
guided practice when the students are sharing the page numbers and evidence that prove
their character trait. The teacher can also assess this during independent practice/closure
when students are sharing what they found. The teacher will also assess this during the
independent practice when students respond to the question Before we decide on a
character trait, what do we need?.
Summatively
The teacher will assess students ability to analyze a characters actions and words to
choose a character trait and will assess if they could cite evidence through the use of the
worksheet. When students hand in the graphic organizer, the teacher will be able to see a
concrete demonstration of the students ability.
The teacher will be able to assess if students if students can analyze that knowing the
character traits can help predict a story during the closure when they respond on the
flashcard. The teacher will get a concrete response from each student to check to make sure
they met the objective.
5
 At the conclusion of my lesson, I collected both the graphic organizer and the index card on
Reflection on Instruction
which they answered the final question: How does understanding the character traits of the
(7 points)
main characters helps you to better comprehend the story? When I was explaining the question,
At the conclusion of the lesson you should reflect on the lesson. some of the students got confused so I ended up rephrasing it as: How can we use what we
The reflection should go beyond simply answering the question know about the main characters traits to predict what will happen? One of the boys wrote that
Was this a good lesson? Below are some questions to assist it helps because you can predict what will happen in the future. One of the girls wrote that
you in your reflective process (Danielson, 2008): knowing the traits will let you be able to predict the future of the story. The other girl said that
o What evidence did you collect to demonstrate that your it helps you know a bit more about everything that happens in the story. The last boy though
students have met or are progressing towards the told me he knew what he wanted to say but he didnt know how to write it out. I quickly
learning outcomes/objectives? adapted on the spot and asked him to verbally tell me what he was thinking. He applied the
o View student work samples. What do they reveal about character traits we had talked about and predicted how that might help the story progress. For
the students level of engagement and comprehension? example, he said because Mrs. Frisby is resourceful, she may be able to help the Rats of NIMP
o What changes, if any, would you make to the lesson if later in the story. I was impressed by the response he gave because he was the only one to
you teach this lesson in the future? What apply what we had learned. While they may not have expanded on the question as much as I
misconceptions, if any, do you need to clarify before would have liked, they all seemed to grasp the concept that I was looking for.
teaching the next lesson? I found it interesting that when I sent them to work in pairs and then independently, they all
o Did you stray from your lesson plan? If so, how and picked similar traits. One partner group picked brave and one picked fearless to describe Mrs.
why? Frisby, but they gave the same examples. Then independently, three students wrote that Jeremy
o Comment on your classroom procedures, student was helpful and one wrote he was friendly, yet again, they all gave similar examples. The
conduct, and your use of physical space. To what extent examples given for helpful were seen by the other student as being friendly.
did these contribute to student learning? Throughout the lesson, I noticed how they worked much better independently than they did
o Comment on different aspects of your instructional in pairs. When working in pairs, they all had different opinions, which caused them to clash
delivery (e.g., activities, grouping of students, when thinking of character traits to use. The two girls who were working with the boys ended
materials/resources utilized). To what extent were they up giving in and doing the trait the boys chose. If I were to teach this lesson again, I would
effective? have them work independently first. Then after having them work independently, I would have
them talk in partner pairs and compare it what they found.
During my lesson, I handed out the graphic organizer before I started my example. The
reason for this was I forgot what I wanted to say and covered for that few seconds of thinking
by handing out the paper. I did not intend to hand it out early. That caused some confusion in
that the students wanted to start filling it out before I had put in my examples. If I did this
again, I definitely would have waited until I was done to hand it out and then have them copy,
like I originally planned for.
I feel I used the classroom space well. I used the document camera to show students my
example and instead of having it flush against my mentor teachers desk like it usually is, I
pulled it over to the rug so I could engage in conversation with the students. Using the camera
lead to me having them sit on the rug. The rug is a good central place for us to work in our
small group. It also allowed them to spread out when doing independent work. While at the
document camera, I used the rolling chair. This was helpful when going between talking to the
students and using the camera. However, during guided practice, I was able to get on the rug
with students to help them. It was easy to go between groups because they were in close

RJM Fall 2017 SLO Lesson Plan Template 6

 proximity to each other.
The graphic organizer I used was adapted from one given to me by my mentor teacher. His
had the column headings Main Character and Supporting Character. I didnt like this
because then it limited the student to only one trait per character and I knew I was going to have
them doing at least two for Mrs. Frisby. I did include a line for writing the trait and a chart
underneath where they could write the page number next to the evidence. This seemed to work
well for the purpose of my lesson.
One way in which I strayed from my lesson was my accommodation. I said that I would
work with the fifth student as his partner because he tends to copy ideas off other students.
However, since one student was absent and there were only four students, I decided to let him
work in a pair instead of with me. Had I worked with him, one students would have been left
alone. Though in this particular lesson he was very vocal about what he wanted to do instead of
copying off his partner.
When giving instructions, I need to work on setting my expectations in a clear manner. The
students were unsure as to how many pieces of evidence were required. They also asked how
many traits they were supposed to find during the independent practice. These were all things I
intended on telling them but they asked before I could explain. I need to work on giving my
delivery of direction with more explicit detail. Overall, I am happy with how the lesson went
and feel the students met the objectives set in place.
**Accommodations and Modifications
Students with disabilities may need accommodations or modifications to their educational program to participate in the general curriculum. Both are essential to
consider when planning an equitable educational experience for students with disabilities. Accommodations refer to changes in how a student learns the material
but they do not change knowledge content. With accommodations, a student receives the SAME education as other children, but the student can access content or
express knowledge in different ways. Modifications refer to changes of what is taught or what students with disabilities are expected to learn. This may include
adaptations made to instruction and assessment that change or reduce learning expectations. (Please refer to the SLO User Guide and SLO template for additional
explanation.)

When completing these two sections, you need to describe, if appropriate, how you will ensure that students will access the material based on the accommodations
or modifications listed within the IEP or 504 plan. There should be a direct connection within the Anticipatory Set, Instructional Activity, and Closure section of
the lesson plan template.

RJM Fall 2017 SLO Lesson Plan Template 7