Writing Lesson Plan Template

CAEP K-6 Standards

Billy Harness

LESSON RATIONALE

This lesson will serve as a connection between prior knowledge and new learning. By learning how to write
words that are related to the first letter of their first name, students will begin to acquire the writing skills that they will
need for the rest of their lives. Students will be motivated to learn how to write words if they are similar to their names,
which will encourage them to engage in the lesson. If students do not learn how to write basic words that relate to a
specific letter, they will never be able to write complex words down the road, nor have the motivation to write them. As
students get older, they will use these words in almost everything they do with literacy, such as reading words in a book,
typing a research paper, or writing a letter. This will help students enhance their literacy as well as develop their
everyday skills as a citizen. (CAEP K-6 1.a)

READINESS

1.      Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)

A.               Goal(s)— The goal of this lesson is to effectively teach students how to write words that start with the
first letter of their names so that they can develop confidence in their writing as they begin to learn more words.

B.               Objective(s)—

 Students will be able to write words that start with the first letter of their name.
 Students will make connections between the first letter of their name and words that start with that
same letter.
 
3.               Standard(s): K.W.2.1- Write most uppercase (capital) and lowercase letters of the alphabet, correctly shaping
and spacing the letters of the words. (CAEP K-6 3.c)

Management Plan- 

a.             Total time: 32 minutes

i. Anticipatory set: 4-5 minutes
ii. Instruction: 5 minutes
iii. Stations: 18 minutes total (3 stations, 6 minutes at each station)
iv. Closure: 3-4 minutes
b.               Materials:
Paper
Pencils
Mini whiteboards
Dry erase markers
Erasers
YouTube video: “Sesame Street: Usher’s ABC Song” (2 minutes long) https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=SWvBAQf7v8g
Class projector (for YouTube video)
Worksheets
1.  For individual conferences
2.  For Station #1
Scissors
Glue sticks

Newspapers/Magazines
 
 

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION 

3.               Adaptations: Students that might struggle with this lesson are children who have not been exposed to much
reading prior to kindergarten. In order to help these students without limiting them, I will place them in groups with
students I believe will help them along and encourage them, not put them down or leave them behind. By doing this, it
will not exclude them in the stations nor hinder their ability to work with their peers. (CAEP K-6 1.b)

 
4.               Lesson Presentation (Input/Output) 
 Include a variety of teaching strategies that encourage elementary students’ development of critical thinking and
problem solving. 
 Include a variety of practices that support motivation and engagement in learning for all learners. (CAEP K-6 3.f)
 Differentiate instruction according to learner readiness, strengths, weaknesses, interests, and motivators of
individual students. Include differentiated content, processes, and products.                  (CAEP K-6 3.d)

 Minilesson (Whole Group) 

o Anticipatory Set- “Good morning class! To begin today’s lesson, I am going to show you a YouTube video
on the projector. You guys will watch it all the way through at first, then we will watch it a second time
while standing up and performing the motions that go along with it. Are you guys ready?”
 Play YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWvBAQf7v8g
 “Alright students,  now that we have watched it through one time and learned the motions for
each letter, let’s stand up and act it out the second time through.”
 Play video again and model the motions in the front of the classroom as students do the
motions at their desks.
o Purpose Statement- “The purpose of this lesson is to teach you all how to write words that are closely
associated with the first letter of your name. This will be important for you as you begin to learn more
words and start writing them.”
o Introduce Trait- Organization; “Alright class, the writing trait that we are going to focus on today is
organization. We are focusing on this trait because in order to write letters, you have to be organized in
how you write them and space them out. We will learn how letters are organized in the alphabet and how
to appropriately organize letters in words that are closely associated with your names.”
o Share Examples (Short Text/Read Aloud)- Chicka Chicka ABC by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault;
“I am going to read you a story called Chicka Chicka ABC by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault. It is
about the letters of the alphabet. As I read this story, I want you to think about your name and what letter
it starts with. When that particular letter comes up, I want you to try and think of all the words that start
with your letter as we will practice writing them later on.”
o Provide Information (Model)- “After learning what each letter of the alphabet is and what they look like,
we will now learn how to write words that start with the first letter of your names. I will go through some
examples of letters and words that start with them, then you will practice on your own at the stations.”
(model writing words that begin with various letters up on the whiteboard; for example, since my
name starts with the letter b, I will write words that start with b, such as “ball” or “bat”)
o Supervise Practice: modeling the writing on the whiteboard during the instruction, then checking for
understanding at Station #3 by giving letters to each group to write on their own.
 Writing
o Stations:
 Station #1: Worksheet Station
 At a table, students will be given a worksheet of their own to practice writing words
that are closely associated with their names. For example, if their first name starts
 with the letter “B,” they will write three to four words that start with the letter b,
such as “ball,” “big,” or “bunny.”
 Station #2: Collage Station
 There will be magazines and newspapers spread out across the table for students to
use. Each student will grab a pair of scissors and look through each of the
magazines, looking for words that start with the first letter of their name. After they
have found three words, they will use a pair of scissors to carefully cut them out,
then use a glue stick to glue them onto a separate piece of paper. Once this is done,
they will write out each word directly under the cutout. Students will turn these
collages into me so I can assess their writing and understanding of the lesson.
 Station #3: Mini Whiteboard Station with the Teacher
 At the c-shaped table, students in each group will gather around me with their mini
whiteboards and erasers. I will give them a letter, and students will write a word
that starts with that same letter. I will give them letters that are associated with the
names of each student in each group to make it meaningful for them. For example, if
I give them the letter e, they could write “ear” or “eat.” This will help them think of
words that they know and relate them to their writing. This will also be a time for
individual conferences to check for understanding.
o Conferences- I will be seated at the Station #3 table and check how each individual student is
understanding the concept at this station. I will have a clipboard, pencil and paper with each students’
name on it and a number system next to each name, with 5 being the most developed in their writing
and 1 being the least developed. I will have room to write any additional notes about each student on
the clipboard sheet as well.
 Sharing (Whole Group)
o After the time for stations has concluded, I will have the students share what they learned in each of
their groups. They will talk about the words that they wrote in relation to the first letter of their names
and talk about the collages they made. Then we will come together as a whole class at the end and have
a grand discussion about the lesson. This will all be a part of the closure and review of the lesson.

 
5.               Check for understanding. How do you know students have learned? What strategies will you implement if all
students have not met lesson outcomes? Employ one or more strategies to determine student learning. 
 By checking each individual student’s understanding of writing words associated with their names in the mini
whiteboard lesson, I will help reteach the concept to a student who may be struggling to grasp how to write the
words. I may keep them at the station I am at to give them extra individual focus and support. That way, if they
have any questions or need additional help, I will be right there to help guide and teach them.

 
VIII.          Review learning outcomes / Closure

·       “Okay class, let’s come together for a time of closure and talk about what we learned today. What did
we learn about today? Turn to your neighbor and share what you learned to each other.
·       Give time for students to tell their peers what they learned about writing.
·       “Can someone please raise their hand and  tell me what they learned today?”
·       Allow time for a response.
·       “That’s right! We learned about words that relate to the first letter of your name. What did we do to
learn about these words? Turn to your neighbor and tell them what you did today.”
·       Give time for students to tell their neighbor what they remembered.
·       “Could someone raise their hand and say what we accomplished today?”
·       Allow time for responses.
·       “Very good, class. You will need to know how to write these words as you continue to develop your
writing and start writing more difficult words as you get older. We will continue to learn how to write
more words as the school year progresses. Great job today!”
 
PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

Formative Assessment- checking each individual student’s understanding at the mini whiteboard station (Station #3).
During instruction of the lesson, I will also ask questions to the whole class to make sure they are understanding it as a
whole.

Summative Assessment- checking the worksheets from Station #1 and the collages that are handed in to me from Station
#2. By doing this, I can see where each individual student is in terms of their progress in writing basic words. If I see that
they need more help, I can continue the lesson into the next day and spend more time on it with the class or with
individual support for a student. (CAEP K-6 3.a)
 
REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS  (CAEP K-6 3.b)

1.      Was my instruction and modeling of writing each letter clear and understandable?
2.      Did I effectively teach each student how to write words in a fun and engaging way?
3.      Did the anticipatory set “hook” students into the lesson with its song and kinesthetic movements?
4.      How can I keep the students more engaged in the writing lesson next time?
5.      How can I connect this writing lesson with a reading lesson?
6.      What are some ways I can better support the kindergarten students who have had little to no literacy experience at
home before coming to school?
Worksheet for Station #1:

Name:__________________

What is the first letter of your name?

Write down as many words as you can that start with the first letter of your name:
(for example, if your name is “Dennis,” then you would write “dog,” “dirt,” “dot,”
and so on)