Erica Blaine

Lesson Plan Template

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Overview-4 Grade Group B
Day 5
 
Content Standards: Literacy Standards:
VS.2b: The student will demonstrate an 4.6:
understanding of the relationship d) summarize supporting details
between physical geography and the i) Read with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful
lives of the native peoples, past and expression.
present, of Virginia by  4.4
b)   locating and describing e) Develop and use general and specialized
Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), vocabulary through speaking, listening, reading,
Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, and writing.
Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian
Plateau;

Science 4.3-The student will investigate

and understand that organisms, including
humans, interact with one another and
with the nonliving components in the
ecosystem. Key ideas include
a) interrelationships exist in
populations, communities, and
ecosystems;

Texts: Learning Objectives:

(Target text)
Exploring the States: Virginia The Old
Dominion by Lisa Owings (pages 10-13)
https://www.getepic.com/app/read/1519
6 specific environments with fluency and
 Students will be able to summarize
supporting details relating to region
specific environments.
 Students will be able to read about region
accuracy to a partner.
 Students will be able to use discipline
specific vocabulary through speaking and
listening during whole class and small
group discussions.

Lesson Description: 
Before Reading

Scaffolds, How the teacher will support students How students will engage, talk, write,
strategies, and discuss the key concepts, texts,
 Erica Blaine

and activities and USE vocabulary

to prepare
readers
Driving Explanation: Time to address the week’s Students will be engaged in talking
question board questions from the DQB and see if any with their peers about the questions
(wrap-up) of the questions can be solved, and if generated over the week. They will
-Last day to there are any new questions. Coming think-pair-share trying to answer the
address the back to the DQB will help activate the original DQB prompt. Students will
DQB that was students’ knowledge of the prior quad also discuss with their table groups
first text set readings because the sub- (heads together, bottoms up) to answer
introduced on questions will stem from the previous the sub-questions. Though these
day 1. days and build off each other. *This will discussions, students will hit the key
be revisited after reading as well to have concepts of the unit (conservation,
a whole class discussion answering the environmental impact, influence of
remaining questions. geography) because they have been
generated over the whole quad text set
Procedure: The teacher will first restate week. Students will have an
the original DQB prompt “What are opportunity to write when they come
things I can do to help my up with their DQB answers. Students
environment?” and ask the students to will be encouraged to use content
think-pair-share to see what answers specific vocabulary when writing and
they come up with. Next, the teacher talking about their DQB answers.
will read the sub-questions that have
been generated over the week. The
teacher will take special care to direct
and write questions using key
vocabulary from each day (for example,
a sub-question could be “How can we
help species thrive in their
environments?” vocabulary from day 3).
Students will have a lengthy discussion
time with their table group “Heads
together, bottoms up” to generate
answers for the sub-questions, the
student with the next birthday will be the
scribe for the groups’ answers.
Depending on number of sub-questions,
they can be assigned to groups like a
“jigsaw” assignment. When a group
feels like they have adequately answered
a question, they will call over the teacher
to check what they wrote. After each
group gets checked, the teacher will then
tell the students that we will come back
to these answers after we read the text.
 Erica Blaine

During Reading
Scaffolds, How the teacher will support How students will engage, talk,
strategies, and students write, and discuss the key concepts,
activities to texts, and vocabulary
support readers
during reading
Partner reading Procedure: First, pair up students (in Students will be able to practice
homogeneous reading ability pairs). fluency and accuracy in their reading
Instruct that they will be reading this when reading aloud the passage to a
passage three times. For the first partner. Students will have the
reading students will just read the opportunity to write about the content
passage, one student will begin in the This Reminds Me! Organizer.
reading the first paragraph in the Students will also have the opportunity
Shenandoah Valley page (whoever is to talk when they are sharing their
the oldest out of the two reads first) connections from the organizer.
and the other student will read the
second paragraph. Students will then
take turns reading the last two
paragraphs. After the first reading of
the passages, students will read again
following the same format. For the
second reading students will be
instructed to make connections to the
text (could be personal, from another
text, etc) in a This Reminds Me!
organizer. After the second reading
students will discuss/share their
connections organizer with their
partner. The last reading of the
passage is individual, and students
will complete a nonfiction
summarizing strategy organizer (see
below).

Nonfiction Explanation: This is a three-step On this third reading of the passage,

Summarizing strategy to support students in writing
Strategy a one sentence summary of nonfiction
texts. First students identify the
author, then select a verb to identify
what the author is trying to do in the
text (e.g., describes, explains,
compares). Lastly, students complete
the thought with the “big idea” of the
students will have the opportunity to
practice their fluency and accuracy
independently. Students will practice
writing through their nonfiction
summarizing sentences, which will
also give them the opportunity to find
key concepts in text. Students will be
able to talk when sharing their
 Erica Blaine

text. summarizing sentences at the end of

their third reading.
Procedure: After the second partnered
reading, the teacher will instruct the
students that the third reading will be
individual and that students will be
completing a nonfiction summarizing
strategy organizer-show students the
organizer and hand them out. First,
instruct students to have at least two
sentences for the Shenandoah Valley
section and two sentences for the
Wildlife section. After completing the
organizer, students will turn to their
same reading partner as before and
discuss their summarizing sentences.

After Reading
Scaffolds, How the teacher will support students How students will engage, talk,
strategies, write, and discuss the key
and activities concepts, texts, and vocabulary
to reflect
with readers
Semantic Explanation: The semantic Feature analysis Students will use this Vocabulary
Feature is an organizer that allows students to from the target text (Shenandoah
Analysis compare vocabulary words across different Valley, Appalachian Mountains,
features. It illustrates how words are both Eastern, Peak, Formations, Habitats,
similar and different and emphasizes the Wildlife, Prey, Chesapeake Bay, and
uniqueness of each word. It draws on Coastal) to have a discussion on
students' knowledge and uses discussion to their meanings. Students will be
elicit information about word meanings. listening to content specific
vocabulary through partnered and
Procedure: First, show student the semantic whole class discussions.
feature analysis chart on a document camera
and model how to do it using the first word
“Shenandoah Valley”, pass out organizer.
Next, tell students that they will have 5
minutes to fill out the semantic feature
analysis chart individually. After filling out
their individual organizer, students will turn
and talk with an “elbow buddy” (pairing
method) and discuss their own organizer. At
this point, students will have the opportunity
to talk and revise their organizer. Lastly, we
will come back together as a class to fill out
the teacher’s semantic feature analysis chart
 Erica Blaine

and come to a conclusion/general consensus

as to how to fill out the chart. The teacher
will ask questions like: “Can you explain
why you put a +/- for that word?”, “From
completing this chart, what do you think
____ word means?”. Through these
questions/discussion, the teacher will be
able to gauge what vocabulary words
students need more support in
understanding. If the support is needed, the
teacher will provide examples of the words
in sentences and through pictures.

Driving Explanation: This is the last time with the Students will have the opportunity to
question DQB. It is important to answer/address all talk and listen using content specific
board (wrap- unanswered questions. This is also the vocabulary with their groups and as
up) closing of the lesson. a whole class. Students may have
the opportunity to write if they
Procedure: First, the teacher will draw the decide to revise their answer for
students’ attention back to the DQB. The their DQB.
teacher will then ask the students if they feel
like they have correctly answered them/feel
good about their answers from the before
reading. The students will have a few
minutes to review/revise their answers with
their group. The teacher will monitor groups
this time to answer any questions that come
up. Next, class will come together to share
their answers. The teacher will restate and
rephrase each group’s answer in order to
incorporate academic language into the
conversation.
 Erica Blaine

Accompanying Activities: 
Create all handouts and materials needed for this lesson.

That Reminds Me! Connections Organizer

When I read this part: I was reminded of:

Nonfiction Summarizing Strategy Organizer

Directions: Have two sentences from the “Shenandoah Valley” section of the text and two
sentences from the “Wildlife” section of the text.
A B C
Name the Select a Verb to describe what the author is Finish the sentence by
Author doing such as explained, proved, showed, capturing the big idea that the
compared, asserted, argued, etc. author presents

Ex: Lisa Showed  That the Shenandoah Valley is

Owings a region with lots of peaks.
 Erica Blaine

Semantic Feature Analysis for Target Text

Directions: Put a + when a vocabulary word aligns with a particular feature of the topic. If the
word does not align you may put a – in the grid. If you are unable to determine a relationship you
may leave it blank.
Word Feature

Region Land Science Part of an Place Used to

Feature Term ecosystem describe
Vocabulary Word
Shenandoah
Valley

Appalachian
Mountains

Eastern

Peak

Formations

Habitats

Wildlife

Prey

Chesapeake Bay

Coastal
Erica Blaine