Department of Educational Studies

Lewis University Date:

Sample Lesson Plan Format
Instructional Format:
Teacher Candidate Name:  Samantha Morgan ☒Whole Group ☐Small Group ☐One to One

Duration of Lesson:  50 minutes

Lesson
Lesson Topic:  Making Inferences Grade Level/Age:  4th grade number: Lesson 3

1. Instructional Materials/Technology: List the materials needed to carry out the lesson (example: scissors, science lab materials. Also include
technology needed for the lesson example; computer, projector, smartboard, URL links).
Computer
Pear Deck website
Activity: file:///Users/samanthamorgan/Downloads/makinginferencesdetective.pdf (Case #6)
Countdown music: https://youtu.be/UpcdWd5jnfA (on Slide 2)

2. Common Core / State Standards: Identify applicable CCSS and state learning standards. Fully state each standard (example: CCSS Math content
7NS.A.1: Apply and extend previous understandings of addition and subtraction to add and subtract rational numbers; represent addition and
subtraction on a horizontal or vertical number line diagram).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text.

3. Identify Prior Knowledge of Learners: Give a description of what prior knowledge is necessary for the lesson and where are learners going.
Students will use their inference and comprehension skills during the lesson. They have previous knowledge of participating in this activity
from last week, but with a different set of clues. Students will use their inference skills to identify details from the text in order to figure out who
committed the crime. It is important for students to strengthen their inference skills because this will help them solve problems in their real and
academic lives. These skills will help students make predictions while reading any literature. In addition, drawing conclusions or making
inferences will help students in all aspects of their education including reading, math, science, and social studies.

4. Learning Goals/Objectives: What students will know and be able to do at the end of this lesson.
Students will solve the mystery using their inference skills.

5. Assessment(s): Explain and include the formal and/or informal assessments and/or instruments that will be used to determine the extent to which
students have met the lesson learning goals.
Students will write a short reflection about who they think committed the crime and why. Students will write at least three sentences to explain
who committed the crime and how they came to that conclusion. It is expected that their responses will be typed directly on the Pear Deck
application of the slide show.

6. Theory/Theoretical background: Describe a theorist to support the lesson.

 The lesson would be supported by Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and the stages of cognitive development. One example of a
cognitive learning strategy would be to help students understand how everything is connected. By doing this, students are better equipped to
think and explain their thoughts. Students will use clues to help them figure out the story and discover who stole the donuts. This theory
supports my lesson because students are reading the text and making inferences along the way. Students use their recall skills to remember
details and important information. When students are writing their final reports, they can go back to their individual reports and find supporting
evidence. Throughout the story, the teacher and students will use their text evidence skills to find and recall the content so that they can make
inferences in order to solve the crime.

Introductory Activity: (Explain how you will capture/engage student’s interest. Explain your one-five minutes introductory activity)
Teacher Action Student Action Approximate Time
The teacher will talk with the class about being spies for Students will listen to the teacher about what the class will be 2 minutes
this lesson and have “spy-sounding” music ready to play doing for that day. Next, students will pull up Pear Deck while
the one-minute spy countdown while students pull up their listening to the one-minute spy countdown and wait patiently for
spy files on Pear Deck. The link for the countdown is: further instruction.
https://youtu.be/UpcdWd5jnfA.

Instructional Procedures with approximate times: (Elaborate, Explain, Explore)

Teacher Action Student Action Approximate Time
The teacher will have Slide 3 on display and tell the Students will write down their answers after the teacher asks the 5 minutes
students to write down their individual detective name, class a question. Answers will be recorded on Pear Deck. Students
which will be the word “Detective” and then their last will make sure that their detective name appears at the top of the
name. For example, I would be Detective Morgan. The slide and their answer is recorded in at least two sentences. Once
teacher will ask the students what they think this case will all students are done, they will resume the lesson.
be about? The teacher will then tell the students to record
their answers on Pear Deck.
Student Engagement Activity: (Elaborate, Explain, Explore)
Teacher Action
The teacher will read aloud each clue to the students and
then tell them to highlight the clues in the text on the slide
in order to help them write their individual reports. The
teacher will pause and have the students resume the video
once all reports are finished.
Student Action Approximate Time
Students will participate and follow along as the teacher reads the 40 minutes
clues. They will also be highlighting the clues while the teacher is
reading. Finally, students will record their FBI reports on Pear
Deck. Student reports will be at least three complete sentences.

Closure Activity: (Describe how you will recap the objective of the lesson and move to the next activity)
Teacher Action Student Action Approximate Time
The teacher will talk to the class about who committed the Students will complete their final report, which should contain at 3 minutes
crime and congratulate them getting through all the least three complete sentences and show supporting evidence from
evidence. Next, the teacher will have the students fill out the text.
their final reports about who ate the donuts and why.

Adaptations and Accommodations as needed: (Specific adaptations/accommodations that will be used by the teacher/classroom staff.
Example: DLL/EL, hearing/vision impaired, enrichment/gifted, behavioral concerns, I.E.P., 504, trauma students)
ELL students: The clues that help students solve the crime could be underlined in the text. The teacher could provide sentence starters for
the students (example: “Dogs like to eat _____.”). Students can record their answers on a voice application if they are not comfortable
using Pear Deck or writing their reports out. The teacher can provide after-class online help during office hours to go over the lesson.
Inclusion of academic language in the lesson
Struggling learners/IEP students: The clues that help students solve the crime could be underlined in the text. The teacher could provide
sentence starters for the students (example: “Dogs like to eat _____.”). Students can record their answers on a voice application if they are
not comfortable using Pear Deck or writing their reports out. The teacher can provide after-class online help during office hours to go over
the lesson.

For high-proficient students: Allow students to complete another case study provided by the teacher (all students can do this). Students can
also create their own crime case and clues (all students can do this). Also, students can draw a comic of a crime case (all students can do
this) or research how FBI detectives solve crimes in real life (all students can do this).
Higher order thinking questions
How do real-life detectives perform their jobs? What tools and resources do you think detectives use in order to figure out a crime? Can
we create a crime case as a class? And although Brutus was ok after eating the donuts, do you think that an average dog would have gotten
sick and why? If we made it into a two-part story, how else could Brutus have gotten in trouble for eating or doing something else? Why
do you think we did not find out how the dad reacted and if he gave Brutus a punishment?

Academic Language
Words/Phrases Definitions Rationale
 Inference  A conclusion reached on the basis of  These words are related to what is
 Detective evidence and reasoning happening in the lesson.
 A person, especially a police officer,  Students are acting in the role of a
whose occupation is to investigate and detective and are using their inference
solve crimes skills.