Intermediate Reading

Practicum Lesson Plan

PSU Student: Kristen Curran
Grade Level: 4
Session #: 3
ELA Content Area: Writing
Lesson Title: “Tastes of Lakeside”- Word Choice and Voice

Alignment to College and Career Readiness Standards

Strand: Writing
 Box Sub Heading: Language in Writing
 Standard: W.4.10.a Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely
 Box Sub Heading: Text Types and Purposes
 Standard: W.4.3.d Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to
convey experiences and events precisely

Lesson Performance Objective/Evaluation

Students will practice using word choice by using “banana split words” and
adjectives to re-write the school lunch menu for the week including a minimum
of five “banana split” words per daily lunch menu entry.

Materials

Anchor chart with “banana split” restaurant words

Example paragraph ready to show (Gratitude Journal)
Table Cloth
Olive Garden Restaurant Menus
Chef’s Hats
School Lunch Menu
Paper/Pencils

Anticipatory Set:

In the hallway, a table cloth will be set up with restaurant menus. “Tastes of
Lakeside” will be displayed on teacher’s tri-fold board. Teacher will be wearing
a chef’s hat.
Lesson Introduction:
“Today we are going to practice word choice, by adding descriptive detail and
phrases and vivid verbs and adjectives to our writing.”

Teacher Instruction (I do it):

Teacher: “Today we are going to work on one of the elements of six-trait writing,
word choice. Word choice is how you, as writers use a variety of vocabulary.
You will hear me use the phrase “banana-split words” or “million dollar” words.
Using these gives our writing interest and keeps it from all sounding the same.
Good word choice makes our words mean what they say and grab our readers’
attention.
Teacher: “We are going to be using words that describe food today. On my
chart, there are some examples of words such as delightful, scrumptious, and
delicious. (Show students chart and read each word individually and point).
These words are all million dollar words that we can use in our writing later in the
lesson. We will also be adding to this list soon.”
Teacher: “In front of you is a part of an Olive Garden menu. I want to read to
you some examples of million-dollar words and how the writers who created this
menu used word choice to make the menu more exciting.” (Teacher reads
examples of menu choice items while students follow along, pointing out areas
where word choice is exceptional).
Example:

Chicken Alfredo
Not everyone knows our signature alfredo sauce is made from scratch daily. This homemade sauce combines
simple, fresh ingredients like butter, cream and parmesan cheese to make a rich topping to our fettuccine pasta.
Then it is topped with tender, sliced grilled chicken. Sprinkle some parsley flakes on top and buon appetito!
Olive Garden's classic Chicken Alfredo is an easy and delicious choice for dinner.

Check for Understanding (we do it):

 Teacher: Before we get a chance to re-create our own lunch menus, let’s
work on an example together. We will take whatever you had for lunch
today and as a group make it sound like the most appetizing meal ever!

 Teacher asks for a volunteer of what student had for lunch that day.
Teacher will call on a student and write down their answer on a large
piece of paper that is pinned to the tri-fold board.

 Teacher will then explain that we will add one word or phrase at a time
using million dollar words, vivid adjectives and details to make an ordinary
lunch into an extraordinary lunch. Teacher will call on students using
seating chart and going in a clockwise motion. Students will use word
 choice to add detail and voice to the lunch option. We will repeat this
until all students have had the chance to give at least one-two details. If
needed, we will go through this process again, using a lunch choice from
another student.

Application/Guided Practice/Independent Practice (You do

it):
Students will re-write the next weeks school lunch menu to include at least five
“banana split” words or phrases. They will add detail and adjectives to make the
school lunch menu mouthwatering!

Example:

Tuesday:
Chicken nuggets
French fries
Salad
Choice of milk or juice

Tuesday lunch entrée at “Tastes of Lakeside”

America’s favorite juicy, breaded chicken nuggets served with a side of crispy,
salty potatoes wedges sprinkled with a touch of sea salt along with a bed of
fresh romaine lettuce, garden tomatoes, crunchy carrots, and topped with your
choice of dressing. Choose a refreshing drink of icy cold decadent chocolate
milk or fresh squeezed orange juice. Bon appetite!

Closure
“For today’s lesson we practiced word choice by adding descriptive adjectives
and phrases to our writing. We learned about “banana split or million dollar”
words and gave our school lunch menus an extra punch. These will help make
your writing come alive in the future during gratitude journals that we work on
together and in your classroom assignments. You can share your examples with
your school lunchroom cooks, they will be so impressed!”

Differentiated Instruction:
1. Two boys in practicum are fast finishers, so they will be challenged to write
a letter to the school lunch staff explaining why their menu should be used
to share with the school using excellent word choice and “banana split
words.”
 2. A student in practicum will need more assistance. He will be challenged
to use at least 3 banana split words in his menu writing for each day.
Presentation/Sample/Delivery
Samples used: Olive garden menu, student lunch example
Anchor charts: Word Choice with food chart