Developmental Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Nicole Molnar Date: November 6th

Group Size: Whole group Allotted Time: 20-25 minutes Grade Level: 4Th Grade

Subject or Topic: Sensory Details

Common Core/PA Standard(s):

Standard - CC.1.4.4.O: Use dialogue and descriptions to develop experiences and events or
show the responses of characters to situations; use concrete words and phrases and sensory
details to convey experiences and events precisely.

Learning Targets/Objectives:
Students will be able to identify the five types of sensory details used in writing by creating
their own sensory detailed sentences.
Assessment Approaches: Evidence:
1. Sensory detail checklist 1. Students during the reading of “Owl
Moon” will check off the sensory details they
hear in the story.
2. Exit slip 2. Students will create a sentence for each of
the five sensory details.
3. Thumps up or thumps down 3. Students will put their thumbs up if they
heard sensory details throughout the story.
Students will put their thumbs down if they
didn’t hear sensory details in their story.
Assessment Scale:
1. Checked off that they recognized three or more sensory details that were found in the story
of Owl Moon. (Proficient)
Checked off that they recognized 2 or less sensory details in the story of Owl Moon. (Below
basic)
2. Wrote five complete sentences that demonstrated each of the five senses and their meanings.
(Proficient).

Wrote all five senses in a complete sentence with no descriptions. (Basic)

Didn’t use all of the five senses correctly according to their meanings (Below basic).

Subject Matter/Content:
1. Sensory details are descriptive words.
2. Close reading
Prerequisites:
Students should know what the five senses are.
Students should know how to describe something or someone.
Students should know how to write complete sentences.

Key Vocabulary:
Hear: things you hear such as sounds, people speaking/singing, and noises.
See: things you see such as size, color, and shape.
Touch: things you feel such as texture.
Smell: things you smell like odors, scents, and fragrances.
Taste: things you taste such as flavors.

Content/Facts: Students will learn that using sensory details in our writing helps us as reader
visualize what we are talking about.

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:
 Teacher will begin talking about what good writers do when they write. The teacher will
explain that good writers are descriptive, organize their thoughts, and often create a
message to tell us readers. The teacher will explain that when a good writer does all of
these things they are showing us not telling us. Good writers often use our five senses to
really show us what they are talking about.

 The teacher will introduce the anchor chart to students about sensory details. The teacher
will ask students if they know what sensory details are. Students should respond that
sensory details include sight, sound, smell and taste. The teacher will continue to explain
the anchor chart to the students and ask students to explain what each of the five senses
are. Students will respond that sight helps us a reader see, describes appearances such as
size, color and shape. Students will describe sound as what the reader hears. Students
will describe smell as what the reader may smell such as an odor or scent. Students will
describe taste as what the reader may taste such as flavors or how something tasted. The
students will describe touch as the reader feeling something and saying how it feels.

 After discussion of sensory details, the teacher and students will now go into reading
about the story of Owl Moon.

Development/Teaching Approaches
 The teacher will begin by introducing the book to the students. The teacher will explain
how the book is about a young girl and her father who take a nighttime stroll near a farm
they live by to look for owls. The story takes place on a beautiful night during the winter.

 After the teacher has introduced the story to the students, they will be given a checklist.
On the checklist students will be prompted to check off each sensory detail they hear as
we begin reading the story.
  Throughout the story, the teacher will stop on pages 2 and 3 to emphasize the sensory
detail of hear. The teacher will stop at pages 6 and 7 to emphasize the sensory detail of
touch. “We walked on. I could feel the cold. The tops of my cheeks felt cold and hot at
the same time.” The teacher will stop on page 9, 10 and 11 to emphasize the sensory
detail of sight. “The shadows were the blackest things I had ever seen. They stained the
white snow.”
 After the teacher has finished reading the story, students and teachers will discuss what
sensory details they heard throughout the story.

 The students will respond with some examples from the story that describe sight, touch
and hear. The teacher and students will discuss the examples that students have
mentioned and explain how they relate to sight, touch and hear.

 After discussion the teacher will tell students good writers tend to use sensory details in
their writing to allow us readers to really visualize what they are trying to tell us.

 Students will now create their own mini anchor chart on sensory details to put in their
ELA folders.
Closure/Summarizing Strategies:
 After completing their own anchor chart, students will create their own sentences using
the five senses. Students will create a sentence for each sense and then share will the
class what they put.

 As students are creating their sentences using the five senses they will refer to the anchor
chart in their ELA folder for help if needed.

 After students have created their sentences, the teacher will tell students that good writers
use their five senses to show the reader what they are trying to say in their writing or
story. Teacher will remind students to remember to use their five senses when they are
writing.

Accommodations/Differentiation:
 Individual anchor chart of sensory details for all students to create
 Verbal cues for Tony to stay on task
Materials/Resources:
 Yolen, J. (2015). Owl moon. Winnipeg: Manitoba Education and Learning, Alternate
Formats Library.
 Student checklists
 Lined paper (exit slips)
 Sensory details anchor chart
During the reading of Owl Moon, look out for the sensory details
mentioned in the story. As you read, check off each sensory detail you
might think you hear, see, taste, smell or touch. If you think you hear a
sensory detail, check off that detail.

Touch:
How does it feel?

Hear:
What do you hear?

Sight:
What do you see?

Taste:
What do you taste?

Smell:
What do you smell?
 GOOD Writers…
 SHOW Not Tell
 How? Use Sensory Details
Sight

Hear

Touch

Taste

Smell
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels

 Students enjoyed coming up with examples of sensory details.

 Students were engaged during the reading of the story of Owl Moon. The students
listened closely to find the sensory details.
 Students wrote basic sentences about sensory details and did not include enough
description.

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

After teaching the mini-lesson on sensory details, I felt that I might have asked too much
from the students. While teaching the lesson on sensory details, I tried to emphasize that good
writers use strong descriptions in their writings and often use sensory details to create these
strong descriptions. I noticed that students were understanding sensory details because they were
the five senses, but they were struggling with understanding that when we use the five senses in
our writing the goal is to be as descriptive as possible. If I had the chance to reteach this lesson,
I would go back and change this part of the lesson. I would change it, so I would show students
examples of what strong descriptive sentences look like using the five senses. After I have done
this, I would then go into the reading of Owl Moon and tell students to really listen for the five
senses they hear. This part of the lesson was to allow for students to apply their knowledge of
sensory details using a checklist. The checklist also served as a formative assessment which I
found to be helpful because I was able to see what students checked off and didn’t check off. I
was able to see if students picked up on noticing more than the three sensory details in the story.
Some students were able to infer that the story had all five sensory details in the story.

Another part of my lesson I would change would be where students created an anchor chart
on the five senses. I implemented this part into the lesson as a request from my cooperating
teacher because she suggested they have something to put in their ELA folders so when they go
back to write they can have a reference. I think creating the anchor chart was a good idea but
having the students create it together as a whole class was ineffective. I felt that students were
not paying attention as much as I wanted them too and I also felt I asked too much from them.
If I were to go back and reteach, I would still include the anchor chart, but I would just have the
anchor chart filled out for them, so they can quickly put it in their ELA folders and we could
quickly review.

The final part of my lesson was having students create a sentence for each of the five senses.
I found this exit slip activity to be an opportunity to see how well students can be descriptive in
their writing. As students were completing this I noticed that some students were being more
descriptive than others. I found that a majority of all students understood how to use the five
senses in a sentence but were lacking the descriptive part. This an area I would go back and
reteach to students to emphasize how important it is to be descriptive in our writing. I realized
that after teaching this lesson that students understood sensory details but were not understanding
how to use those details in a sentence to be descriptive. I realized that teaching students how to
be descriptive is a skill that will take time.
 Personal Reflection Questions
 How would you have handled classroom behavior better?
I would have handled classroom behavior in a better way by engaging students more in
the lesson. I realize that when teaching the lesson at the end of the day, the students are
less engaged, but I was trying to engage them in the lesson as much as possible by acting
out examples of sensory details. I realized that I handled it the best way I could have but
know I could’ve done better.

 Do you think the students understood sensory details?

I think the students understood sensory details because they are essentially the five
senses. While teaching the lesson and reviewing their exit slips, I noticed that the students
were lacking the description part of the lesson while writing their sentences. I don’t know
if this comes from myself asking too much from them or that I did not explain how to be
descriptive enough. I realize that trying to teach students to be more descriptive in their
writing is a process that will take time. I noticed that some students who were good
writers were able to be descriptive in their sentences whereas others who struggled were
not.

 Do you think your checklist and exit slips will help you see how well the students
understood sensory details?
I do think creating the checklist and exit slips will help me see how well the students
understood sensory details. Reviewing these assessments will allow me to see what
students understood and didn’t understand. The assessments will also allow me to see
what I need to go back and change in the lesson for the future.

Additional reflection/thoughts

Overall, I felt that the lesson on sensory details went smoothly but the overall concept was
somewhat met. I realized this when the students were writing their sentences on sensory details. I
realized that students understood the detail but didn’t know how to be more descriptive. The overall
goal of the lesson was to teach the students how to be good writers by using stronger descriptions
that were essentially sensory details. This however worked for some students were who paying
attention, advanced writers and understood the concept. However, with some students who did not
pay attention, were not the best writers, and somewhat understood the concept they were able to
write the sentences but not descriptive ones.
 Analysis of Sentences:

Student 1 Proficient: used all five senses in descriptive sentences.

Student 2 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 3 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 4 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 5 Proficient: used all five senses in descriptive sentences.
Student 6 Proficient: used all five senses in descriptive sentences.
Student 7 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 8 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 9 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 10 Proficient: used all five senses in descriptive sentences.
Student 11 Proficient: used all five senses in descriptive sentences.
Student 12 Proficient: used all five senses in descriptive sentences.
Student 13 Proficient: used all five senses in descriptive sentences.
Student 14 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 15 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 16 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 17 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 18 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 19 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 20 Basic: used all five senses in sentences. (need to be more descriptive)
Student 21 Proficient: used all five senses in descriptive sentences.
Student 22 Absent (Savana)
Student 23 Absent (Ryan)
Student 24 Absent (Samantha)
Student 25 Absent (Molly)

8 out of 21 students who were present were proficient.

13 out of 21 students who were present were basic.
Zero students were below basic.
 Analysis of Checklist:

Student 1 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)

Student 2 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 3 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 4 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 5 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 6 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 7 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 8 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 9 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 10 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 11 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 12 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 13 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 14 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 15 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 16 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 17 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 18 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 19 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 20 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 21 Proficient (checked off 3 or more)
Student 22 Absent (Savana)
Student 23 Absent (Ryan)
Student 24 Absent (Molly)
Student 25 Absent (Samantha)

All 21 students that were present checked off 3 or more sensory details.
2 students out of the 21 checked off three sensory details that were hear, sight, and touch. These
three sensory details were the most obvious details mentioned. The other two details were inferred.