Brittney Porche

Emily Smith

Mini-Lesson Plan Template

Topic: Social Emotional Learning and Literacy

Grade Level: 1st Grade

Essential Question: What standards-based question should your student(s) be able to answer
following the lesson?

How did the character feel throughout the story?

What did the character realize in the story?
How can we use kind words to help someone or ourselves grow?

Objectives:

Students will use visuals and key ideas to describe the characters and events in the story
Students will identify the character’s feelings in the story.
Students will discuss how to use kind and unkind words.

Standard(s):

ELAGSE1RL1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

ELAGSE1RL3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details
ELAGSE1RL7: Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
ELAGSE1SL5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas,
thoughts, and feelings.

Activating Strategy: How will you activate prior knowledge and hook interest?

 We will begin by reviewing the words kind, unkind, positive and negative.
 Students will review their anchor chart for kind and unkind words and actions above.
 The teacher will have two cups of seeds. Once cup will have “kind words” written on it and
the other has “unkind words” written on it.
 The teacher will walk around the classroom handing out kind and unkind seeds as the teacher
says either kind or unkind word to the student.
 The teacher will ask students who received a kind word what it felt like? The same will be
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Emily Smith

asked for students who received an unkind word.

 The teacher will explain to students that whenever we receive a kind word we can choose to
“water it” by repeating kind words to ourselves or others.
 The teacher will explain that the same can happen with unkind words, we can choose to
“water it” by repeating the unkind words to ourselves and others.
 Tell students that now we will read a book about a Prince who has the same type of seeds,
kind and unkind. Let’s see what happens when both kinds of seeds are watered.
 Students will be given a simple pre test to see what they know about kind and unkind words.
 We will read Seeds and Trees by Brandon Walden as a class

Teaching: How will you teach/model/guide the student(s)? Be specific and step-by-step?

I do:

 The teacher will begin to read Seeds and Trees by Brandon Walden.
 Prior to reading the teacher will tell students that each time they hear a kind or unkind word
or hear a discussion about a kind or unkind word, she will put a seed into the correct cup.
 As the teacher reads she will stop and write down any important details she thinks are
important and will discuss with the students.
 After the teacher is done reading, she will model the writing.
 Students will be writing a small piece explaining how we can be kind, how we can be unkind,
the types of words we can use and how this was represented in the story using details . The
teacher will begin to write the answers to these questions.
We do:

 Students will help finish the writing the teacher was modeling.
 Once the writing is done students will have the model answers/writing piece to refer too
when it is their time to write.
 As a class we will have a discussion about what happened in the story and students will do a
turn and talk
-Who was the main character in the story?
-Was the green seed a kind or unkind seed? What about the dark seed?
-Tell your partner about a time when you felt like someone used kinds words with you. What
about a time when they used unkind words. How did they make you feel?
-Remind students about the special friend who always spoke true. What does this mean? Does it
remind you of anyone? Do you like being around that person? How could you be more like her?
 Students will then be given some seeds.
 They will walk around the classroom and when the teacher says “partner” they will find the
person closest to them to talk too.
 Each person will say something kind to the other person and then exchange their seeds. *the
teacher will demonstrate an example of this happening using another student*
 Students will do this activity a couple of times and then will gather on the carpet to share
their experiences.
 The teacher will refer back to the book, asking students what happened before the green
seed was planted? The teacher will also ask why do you think the Prince wanted to keep
cutting down more trees? What does this tell you about trying to get rid of thoughts that are
bringing you down?
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Emily Smith

 During this activity the teacher will be taking observational notes of what students are saying
to judge what they have learned.
 The teacher will review students writing with them one more time, explaining their
expectations.
You do:

 Using their resources, what they have learned from the book and activity, students will be
creating a writing piece and draw pictures to answer the following questions and including
the following:
o Explain what happened in the story using details we collected to describe the
characters and events in the story.
o How did the character feel throughout the story?
o Describe a time someone used kind words with you and how it made you feel.
o Describe a time someone used unkind words with you and how it made you feel.
o How can we use kind words to help someone or ourselves grow?
 Once students finish their writing/images they will share them with the class explaining what
they wrote and how it made them feel.

Summarizing Strategy: How will you conclude the lesson and help the student(s) to summarize
what was learned? How will student(s) answer the Essential Question?

 Students will take a gallery walk of their classmates writing pieces.

 To wrap up the lesson we will have a discussion about what the book was trying to teach us
and how we can use that daily.
 Using kind and unkind words can affect someone in a positive and negative way.
 The teacher will create an anchor chart with a trunk and roots on it.
 Students will be given a paper seed to write a kind word on it.
 They will share with the class why it is a kind word, everyone will repeat the word.
 The seed will be placed under the roots of the tree to demonstrate that kind words made
someone grow.

Assessments:

 Students writing piece explaining what happened in the story and answering the essential
questions.
 Observational notes of conversations had between students during the seed activity
 Pre and post test about kind and unkind words

References and resources:

Dunagan, J. (n.d.). Kind vs. Unkind Words and Actions. Teachers Pay Teachers.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kind-vs-Unkind-Words-and-Actions-
4331449.

Walden, B., Howdeshell, K., & Howdeshell, K. (2018). Seeds and trees. The Treasured Tree
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Emily Smith

LLC.