CENTRALCONNECTICUTSTATEUNIVERSITY

Lesson Plan Template

Please Attach Completed Lesson Plan Rubric and Self Assess
StudentTeacher_______MeganKellyandAshleyTetreault_____GradeLevel___3___Dateof
Lesson__March16,2015
ContentStandards/RelationshiptoStandards:Statetheappropriatecurriculumstandard(s)andhowthis
lessonalignswiththestandardsoutcomes.

STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.2
Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or
information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.

CT Social Studies Standard 1.1

Demonstrate an understanding of significant events and themes in United
States History.
For 3rd grade, students should be able to explain the significance of events
surrounding historical figures (e.g. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln,
Martin Luther King Jr.)
LearnerBackground:This

lesson comes after the initial lesson in the unit where

students began to gather information on Abraham Lincoln through the
reading of Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman. Students discussed the facts
about Lincolns life that made him heroic. They will expand upon this
learning in the lesson that follows.
SpecificLearningObjectives:MeetingtheNeedsofLearners
StudentLearningObjective(s):
Statetheintendedlearningoutcomeofthislesson.Besureitisobservableandincludes
clearcriteria.*NOTEcooperativelearninglessonsmustincludeasocialskillobjectivein
additiontotheacademicobjective.

Objective(s)formost/allstudents:

Modification/Accommodations
ofObjective(s)ifneededfor
strugglingand/oradvanced
groups

Bytheendofthislesson,studentswillbeablestatefactsthatthey
learnedaboutAbrahamLincolnbyparticipatinginaliteraturecirclestyle
readingofanEversionofaninformationaltextonaGoogleChrome
book.
Assessment:MeetingtheNeedsof
Learners
Assessment:DescribehowyouwillaskthestudentstodemonstratemasteryoftheSLO.
Modifications/Accommodations
Attachacopyofanyassessmentmaterialsalongwiththeassessmentcriteria.
ofAssessment(ifneededfor
strugglingand/oradvanced
Assessmenttool(s)formost/allstudents:
groups)

Studentswillbeassessedthroughteacherobservation.Studentswillbe
expectedtoparticipateandcontributeindiscussionduringLiterature
Circle.BycompletingtheirjobsduringLiteratureCircle,studentswill
cometogethertocooperativelylearnaboutAbrahamLincolnandthe
traitsthatmakehimanAmericanHero.
ClassroomLearningEnvironment:Citepositivestrategy(ies)thatwillbeutilizedtosupportstudentlearning
andincreasestudentengagementthroughoutthelessonbasedonyourevaluationfromprevious
lessons/observations. Include response strategies for off-task behavior and/or conflict. Provide detail for each
checked items (minimum of 4 checked strategies).

Standards of Behavior

Classroom expectations of the cooperating teacher must be adhered to. Before

participating in Literature Circle and using the Google Chrome books, teachers will assist students in
coming up with expectations for both group discussions and the use of technology.

Routines/Procedures:
Group Work: Students will be divided, heterogeneously, into two groups. Each teacher candidate will work with one
group to help scaffold the learning process. Students will then participate in a Literature Circle to read and learn about
Abraham Lincoln on a Google Chrome book
Transitions:
Student Engagement:

Instructional Arrangement: Two

teacher candidates will explore the co-teaching method. One way we

will support differentiation and scaffold learning is by the splitting of the larger group into two
groups. Teachers will then work with the groups to ensure participation in a Literature Circle. After
both groups have completed their jobs, they will come together as a large group for discussion about
their findings.
Diversity/Social Justice: Considering our placement in an inner city, struggling school, care will be taken
when working with students. It is understood that we will be working with English Language
Learners, students will learning disabilities, and students with diverse backgrounds. We will consider
this when trying to make learning relevant to the students. As always, we believe every child has the
ability to learn and we will see that we make the appropriate accommodations and modifications to
foster this learning.

InstructionalModel/Strategy:State the rationale for the chosen model(s). Explain how you will best
facilitate student learning through a specific model of instruction. You may check more than one.

Direct Instruction
Cooperative Learning specific strategy: Students will work together in groups to participate in a Literature Circle.
Inquiry
Concept formation/Concept Development:
Discussion: Students will discuss their findings after completing their jobs in the literature circle.

They will discuss why these findings contribute to Lincoln being viewed as an American Hero.
Materials/Resources:
Meeting the Needs of All Learners
Materials/Resources:Materials/resourcesusedineachlearningactivityincluding
Modification/Accommodations
modificationsforindividualstudentsinordertofacilitatelearning
and/orDifferentiationof
resourcesifneededfor
strugglingoradvancedgroups
Materials/Resourcesformost/allstudents:
orstudentsidentifiedwith
GoogleChromeBooks
specificneeds.
EversionofTheLifeofAbrahamLincoln:AnIllustratedTimeline

forYoungReaders: http://www.lincolnyoungreaders.com/index.html
Chartpaperandmarkerstolistexpectationsandtomakeclassnotes
onduringdiscussion
StudentFolders
WorksheetthatdescribesstudentsroleintheLiteratureCircle,gives
examples,andguidesstudentsintotheirownlearningand
participationintheLiteratureCircle.

*Thiswebsiteoffersthe
timelineinbothEnglishand
Spanish.ELLstudentswill
begiventhechoicebetween
thetwo.

Initiation:MeetingtheNeedsofAllLearners
Modifications/Accommodations
~
Initiation Briefly describe how you will initiate the lesson by:
1) motivating learners to focus on expectations for learning and behaviors ("hook");
2) explaining:
a) what they will be doing and learning in the lesson;
b) how they will demonstrate learning;
c) why it is important.

Initiation:

-Students will be told that they will learn more about Lincoln in a fun way.
-Teachers will introduce the use of Chrome Book and describe how a
Literature Circle works.
-Teachers will then guide students in coming up with a list of expectations
for the use of technology and for the participation in the Literature Circle

Note specific modifications and

accommodations for students with
specific needs based on your
evaluation from previous lessons.
and./or
Differentiation ~ Note specific
strategies to be employed during
lesson to address differentiated
learning needs (ex: learning styles,
modalities, interests, readiness, etc.)
based on your evaluation from
previous lessons.

LessonDevelopment:MeetingtheNeedsofAll
Learners
Modifications/Accommodations ~
Lesson Development
Note specific modifications and
Describe how you will develop the lesson;
accommodations for students with
what you will do to model or guide lesson;
specific needs based on your
what learning activities students will be engaged in to gain the key knowledge and

skills identified in the SLO.

Identify instructional models, types of groupings (whole class, small groups, pairs,
individuals) you will use in each phase of instruction and what resources you will use
in your lesson.
DAY ONE

Initiation (10 minutes)

After initiation, students will be divided into two groups. Each of
the two teachers will assist one group in completing their roles in the
Literature Circle. (2 minute transition)
One teachers group will be responsible for finding specific facts
within the text. The facts they are looking for as they read will be
pre-determined by the teachers and a part of the Literature Circle
Worksheet. (see attached) (30 Minutes)
The other teachers group will work to find specific things that make
Abraham Lincoln an American Hero. They will also complete their
part of the Literature Circle Worksheet (see attached) (30 Minutes)
To close Day One, students will be told that next time we meet, they
will come together and have a big discussion of their findings.

DAY TWO
To initiate

day two of the lesson, teachers and students will revisit

the list of expectations they created on the first day. (5 mins)
Students will then break out into their two groups. This will be the
Group Meeting before the Big Conference. During this time,
students will revisit the text, finishing any pieces of their role left
undone from the previous day. (10 mins)
The Big Conference: Both groups will come together to discuss
their findings. During this discussion, students responses will be
recorded on chart paper so that each group can fill in the missing
pieces of their Literature Circle Worksheet. By doing this, students
have both a complete list of facts about Abraham Lincoln and a list
of things that made him be considered an American hero. (25 mins)

evaluation from previous lessons.

and/or
Differentiation ~ Note specific
strategies to be employed during
lesson to address differentiated
learning needs (ex: learning styles,
modalities, interests, readiness, etc.)
based on your evaluation from
previous lessons.

*A teacher will be working

with each group to provide
modeling, scaffolded
learning, and differentiation
as see necessary during the
Literature Circle discussion
and while completing the
worksheet.
*Students will read the text
and complete the worksheet
as a group, oppose to
individually. This will help
ease anxiety for struggling
readers.
*Each group has a specific
purpose for reading. This
guides students through the
reading, and allows for better
comprehension, especially
for struggling readers.
*The worksheet that students
will complete during the
Literature Circle will support
all learners because students
will be given a detailed
description of their role in
the reading and the facts they
are searching for will be
stated explicitly.

Closure:
Closure
Describe how you will enable the students to;

1. question and apply learning by reviewing lesson content

2. analyze by connecting this lesson to previous and subsequent learning
3. see relevancy by understanding purpose/importance of the learning
Closure:

Teachers will close the lesson, after discussion, by reviewing a few of the neat things students
learned about Abraham Lincoln and praising them for their hard work.

Teachers will ask students for feedback on their experiences with Literature Circle.
Teachers will inform students that the next lesson will be their performance task and tons of fun.
Students should know that this presentation will represent all that has been learned in the past few
weeks.

AshleyTetreault

ReflectiononPractice
StudentAchievementEvaluatestudentlearningbasedoncollecteddataforeachSLOforeach
groupof
learners.
a) Identify how each group of students met the stated criteria in your objective.
b) Include specific data for each SLO.
c) Based on your analysis what would be continued or changed for the next lesson?
d) State an appropriate objective for the next lesson based on data from this lesson.
Students met this lessons objective without much struggle. This was students first time ever
doing a literature circle, and the cooperating teacher was a bit nervous about the outcome, however, the
students did exceptionally well. Students were able to easily find the fact, in part because of how
scaffolded and guided the lesson was, but also because they were so excited to be reading in this way. All
learners were able to meet the objective. We did have to make one minor accommodation for a student
with special needs. He was able to work with another student who served as his Scribe. Together they
completed the worksheet. While he was not able to write his ideas, he had met the objective and we saw
this through observation of him and his Scribe.
For the next lesson, there is nothing Megan and I would change. Again, this lesson went so well,
despite concern from our cooperating teacher. Our next lesson for this unit is students performance task.
Students will use their prior learning from this lesson and the previous lesson to create Abraham Lincoln
hats that include fact they have learned. They will present these hats to their classmates to showcase their
learning over the past few weeks.

2.MeetingtheNeedsofYourLearner Explain:
a) how the implemented differentiation and/or modification/accommodations facilitated learning for each
group of learners;
b) based on your analysis what would you continue or change for the next lesson?
As mentioned above, this lesson fully supported differentiation with little modifications or
accommodations needed. Megan and I knew that doing a literature circle was a new way of learning for
them, so we wanted to guide them through the learning process as much as possible. This is why we chose
to give students a worksheet that included explicit instructions and details on each groups role. Also,
guiding students through the reading with specific facts to find helped students to stay on task and really
hone in on the important details we wanted students to get from the text.
Also mentioned above, was an accommodation that was unforeseen. Considering how little time
we had with our students when we initially wrote the lesson, we did not know how severe one childs
learning disabilities were. When we noticed the student struggle to write his thoughts, we asked another
student to work with him as his scribe. This kept both him, and his partner, on task and involved with the

lesson. Both students were easily able to meet the objective by doing this. The student felt very proud of
himself upon completion.
Based on our analysis, there is nothing that we would change about the next lesson, other than
being more mindful of this one students needs. He will need more guidance, and maybe even another
scribe, to complete the objective, but based on his work with this lesson, there is no reason he cannot fully
participate in the creation of the hats. In fact, he will be very excited to be included and so involved, as he
is taken from the classroom frequently for support services.

3.ClassroomLearningEnvironmentDiscussthefollowing:
a)howyourstrategiesandtechniquessupportedstudentlearning
b)includeanyresponsestrategiesforofftaskbehaviorand/orconflictissues
c) based on your analysis what would you continue or change for the next lesson?
Scaffolding and built in differentiation proved to be the best points in our lesson, and ones that
made our lesson so successful. Heterogeneous grouping allowed students of all abilities work smoothly
with one another. Also, the guidance of a teacher in each of the two groups really helped students focus
and stay on task. Of course, there were some minor bumps along the way. When students were on task, we
would stop the lesson to revisit the expectations for group work chart we made with students the first time
we visited with them. We asked students which expectation they were going against so they can
acknowledge, and take responsibility for, their actions. Immediately the behavior was corrected and we
were able to push forward in the lesson. We would continue all of these practices in our next lesson, as
they proved to be really helpful with this group of learners. When working with struggling students,
incorporating as much differentiation and scaffolding as possible really helps them.

4.TeacherEfficacyExplainhoweffectivewereyouindeliveringmeaningfulinstruction.

a)citespecificevidenceforatleast3ofthefollowing:
a)effectivenessofmodel(s)used,
b)initiation,
c)learningexperiences,
d)guidedpractice,
e)assessment.
b) based on your analysis what would you continue or change about your teaching for the next lesson?
Our initiation went really well. From the very first lesson in the unit, we talked about setting a
purpose when reading. We revisited this idea and then explained what a Literature Circle was. Students
were excited to be reading in groups, each with a different purpose. This was a new way of learning for
them. Despite having a detailed description of what a Literature Circle is and including specific directions
for the two roles, or purposes within the worksheet, talking about it in the initiation was helpful and got
students eager to learn in this way.
In terms of learning experiences, this was a new model for students. They had never read in this
way. As mentioned before, the cooperating teacher was a bit reluctant and concerned about how students
would do with this kind of reading. What was interesting was how much students LOVED doing the
reading in this way. Having a purpose made them feel important and responsible for their part. They
actively read and searched for the facts they were responsible for. When sharing, they did so with
confidence and certainty. It was an amazing sight to see. Learning had become fun, and with fun, comes
ease, which transpires into confident learners. They were so proud of themselves.
One thing we could have done better is assessment. Because the lesson was so scaffolded and we
were so involved in the learning process, just the completion of the worksheet we did as a group was not
the best way to assess learning on an individual basis. If there is one thing that we could change for this
lesson, it would be this. The completion of the worksheet is definitely necessary, there just has to be a
better way to assess students individually. This would be one place that needs improvement for this lesson
and subsequent lessons.

Language Arts Incorporated Within the Lesson:

For this lesson, almost all of the Language Arts were included. It incorporated Speaking,
Listening, Reading, and Writing. Students read aloud in groups and we had discussions on several
occasions to clarify things or to further guide students in the right direction. Every child spoke, even if they
did not necessarily feel comfortable reading aloud. With that being said, we also did a lot of listening.
Students listened to us, the teachers, but most importantly, the listened and learned from one another.
Obviously reading was included, as it was the basis of the lesson. Students took turns reading aloud, and
were even allowed to pass if they did not feel comfortable. This alleviated a lot of pressure for students
who are not confident readers, and it also supported comprehension for those students who are struggling
readers. Finally, writing was also used. Students had to write the responses to the guiding questions on the
Literature Circle Worksheet.
Being able to use so many of the Language Arts at once really supported student learning, and the
best part, they did most of the learning on their own. Working and groups and supporting one another
through the learning process was made easier by using almost all of the Language Arts. In fact, it would be
beneficial for students to spend more time viewing the pictures that accompanied the text and we wish we
had looked more into this before teaching the lesson. They will, on the other hand, get to visually represent
their learning in the next lesson where they create, and present, their Abe Lincoln hats.