Jess Brischen-Metz

M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan

Mrs. Englebrecht

Common Core
CCSS.RL.4.1:Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says
explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
CCSS.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.
CCSS.RI.4.9: Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak
about the subject knowledgeably.
CCSS.W.4.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of
different aspects of a topic.
CCSS.W.4.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection,
and research.
CCSS.SL.4.1c:Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and
make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others

Objectives
-Students will be able to accurately describe their artifact
-Students will be able to complete their M.A.I.Z.E. packet
Essential Questions
-How can students use their reading skills, academic language, and ready strategies to discover
facts about their artifact, tribe, and culture?
Academic Language
Height: Height is how tall something is.
Width: Width is how wide something is.
Depth: Depth is how deep something is. Our object is flat, so you will not need to measure the
depth of it.
Diameter: Diameter is the measurement of something circular. Our object is square, so
we don't need to worry about that either
Precise:
Materials
-Little box
-Articles
-Artifact
-Walk-Through worksheet
-Comparisons sheet
-MAIZE Packet
-MAIZE Journal
-Descriptive Paragraph Packet
-Hunger of Memory Book

Jess Brischen-Metz
M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan
Mrs. Englebrecht

-Rulers
-Large Paper
-Crayons/Color Pencils
Content Focus
-To learn in a problem-based learning environment and discover information about the assigned
information.
Anticipatory Set
*"Very recently there was an old woman named Emmaline Cresswell who passed away
last week. Her family sorted through the things in her house and found the usual things:
old photo albums, childhood toys, broken Christmas decorations...but there was also
something strange they found. Tucked away in the darkest corner of the attic was a trunk,
the only thing inside was this (hold up artifact) and this (hold up small box). No one can
figure out what this is, including Mrs. Cresswell. She was obsessed with finding out what
this was, where it came from, and who created it. She stored all the information she had
collected on it in this little box. Unfortunately there was a leak in the attic and all of the
information she collected got wet and ruined. I think, between all of us, we can find the
answers to Mrs. Cresswell's questions."
-Teacher will then let students explore the contents of the little box in order to further peak their
interest and curiosity.
Sequence of Events
-Teacher will introduce the purpose of the day.
*"Mrs. Hard wants to put this artifact into the museum so we need to find out all we can
about it. In order for us to record all of the information we need on what was left in Mrs.
Cresswell's attic, we need to take notes about the artifact and the papers found in this
box. "
-Teacher will review note taking with the students
*"What can you tell me about note taking that you learned from your Lincoln Logs?"
-Anticipate Responses:
No capital letters
Don't use complete sentences
Write important dates, names, and places
*"Very good. Now, when we are writing these notes, we need to make sure we use
describing words. This way, other people who read our notes, who don't have the artifact
in front of them can imagine they do. Can anyone tell me what some describing words
may be?"
-Anticipated Responses:

Jess Brischen-Metz
M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan
Mrs. Englebrecht

colorful
rough
light
-Teacher will give students an anchor chart on descriptive language, and go over it with them.
*"When we are using descriptive language, we want to use precise words. Precise words
are words that are specific, detailed, and exact. This means we don't want to say 'The dog
was black.' We want to say 'The Labrador was the color of the night sky.' Instead of
saying 'The house was pretty.' we want to say 'The three story mansion was as Freeman
Elementary.' When we are writing we want to use words that are WOW words, Strong,
Colorful, and Interesting. Let's brainstorm some words. Think about words you don't
hear every day. Think of new ways to say things."
-Teacher and students will make a list of colorful, strong, and interesting words on the board.
*Very good. Let's practice with a few sentences. How can we use the types of words we
just learned to rewrite the sentence 'The cat smelled'?
-Anticipated Responses:
The cat was very smelly
The Tabby cat smelled like old socks
The cat smelled like garbage.
-"Now that we have all of these great words in our pocket, let's take a look at
what was found in Emmaline Cresswell's attic."
-Teacher will take out the artifact to show students.
*Im now going to show you the artifact. As we are exploring it today I want you to only
answer the questions I am asking. For now, as we explore this artifact I dont want
anyone to talk. Just look at the artifact and think about it. Im going to come around and
show it to each of you so that you can examine it better.
*As people we look at artifacts and research with assumptions, or things we think we
already know. On the piece of paper in front of you, I want you to write down your
assumptions, or what you think you already know about this artifact. Think about who
may have made it; Why they made it; How was it used.
-Students will write down their assumptions on the artifact.
-Anticipated Responses:
Blanket
Made from cotton
Tablecloth
Made for a baby

Jess Brischen-Metz
M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan
Mrs. Englebrecht

Made by a girl
Made from wool
-Teacher will discuss some of the students answers with them. Asking what led them to make
their assumptions.
-Teacher will have students write down three adjectives
*I would now like you to write down three adjectives or describing words about the
artifact.
-Students will write down three adjectives on their paper. Students will share their answers.
*Very good. Now what can we say about the person who made this? This time I want
you to only use the facts in front of you that you can see. We wont be making any
assumptions this time. I want you to really think about what you see. Write you answers
down on your paper.
-Students will examine the artifact further and write down their answers.
-Anticipated Responses:
Made by a girl because the sewing is good
Made by someone who liked pretty things because theres lots of colors
Liked butterflies because the pattern is the same on each side like
butterfly wings
Was small because its not very big
-Teacher will write the answers up on the board and discuss them with the class.
*Good reasons! Now, what do you think this artifact is? Why was this made? Why do you
think these things?
-Anticipated Responses:
Its a blanket
Its a tablecloth
Its for a baby
Was made to stay warm
Made to look pretty
-Teacher will write answers up on the board and the class will discuss them.
*I now want you to look at the bottom of your page. There are six categories there:
container, head gear, toy, tool, container, symbolic meaning. I want you to circle the ones
you think our artifact fits in to. It may fit in more than one. If you look up on the board
there are some other artifacts you can compare ours to in order to help you.

Jess Brischen-Metz
M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan
Mrs. Englebrecht

-Students will circle the category they think their artifact fits in to.
-Anticipated Responses:
Toy
Tool
Symbolic Meaning
-Students will discuss with their teacher why they put the artifact into these categories. Teacher
will write answers up on the board.
-Teacher will introduce describing the artifact.
*We are now going to be taking notes on the description of our artifact. If you look at
What Do You Know? on page one you will see it asks us to measure our artifact. Lets
go over how to do so.
-Measuring Mini Lesson: "We will be measuring our artifact using inches. When we measure
we need to make sure we line up the ruler with the end of our artifact. Mark with your finger
where the ruler ends, pick up the ruler and place it where your finger is. Repeat this process
until you get to the end of the artifact.
*There are some words we need to know in order to measure the Cresswell Artifact."
Height: Height is how tall something is. (Teacher will show students the height of the
artifact.)
Width: Width is how wide something is. (Teacher will show students the height of the
artifact.)
Depth: Depth is how deep something is. Our object is flat, so you will not need to
measure the depth of it. (Teacher will show depth on another object)
Diameter: Diameter is the measurement of something circular. Our object is square, so
we don't need to worry about that either. (Teacher will show students the diameter of
another object.)
*I want you all to measure the height and width of your notebook paper for me and
write down your answers.
-Students will measure their notebook papers; teacher will check their work and assist as needed.
*Now that you know how to measure, we are going to describe our artifact. I want you
to each pretend that you are talking to a friend on the phone. You have just told them
there was an artifact that was found in Mrs. Cresswells attic. Your friend wants to know
what the artifact looks like, but cant come over to your house or into our classroom to
see it. So it is your job to describe it to them. We have taken a bunch of notes already on
our artifact, use these to fill out What Do You Know? Remember to use note form when
you are writing.

Jess Brischen-Metz
M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan
Mrs. Englebrecht

-Students will fill out What Do You Know?

-Teacher will go over what the students have said and have a small discussion with them. These
answers will be written up on the board.
-Anticipated Responses:
Square shaped
Has 6 different colors
There is a pattern that looks like stairs
There is a cross in the middle
Its the same on each side
Large border of dark brown
Thin border of green
Thin border of salmon (pink)
Thick border of black
Stairs in the middle go salmon, blue, green, and brown
Cross is brown
Background is tan (white)
Has tassels on the corner
It is trimmed in dark brown and tan
Is in good condition.
-Students will draw a detailed picture of the artifact.
*You will now get the change to draw a picture of your artifact. I want you to take your
time with this and make it look just like our artifact. Pretend you are sending this picture
to your friend, the one who couldnt come and see the artifact. They forgot what you had
told them about what the artifact looked like so you are going to draw them a picture and
send it to them.
Writing a Descriptive Paragraph
-Teacher will begin by reading a descriptive paragraph from a book.
*"I would like you each to close your eyes as I read a paragraph to you.

A Friendly Clown
On one corner of my dresser sits a smiling toy clown on a tiny unicycle--a gift I received last
Christmas from a close friend. The clown's short yellow hair, made of yarn, covers its ears but is
parted above the eyes. The blue eyes are outlined in black with thin, dark lashes flowing from the
brows. It has cherry-red cheeks, nose, and lips, and its broad grin disappears into the wide,
white ruffle around its neck. The clown wears a fluffy, two-tone nylon costume. The left side of
the outfit is light blue, and the right side is red. The two colors merge in a dark line that runs
down the center of the small outfit. Surrounding its ankles and disguising its long black shoes
are big pink bows. The white spokes on the wheels of the unicycle gather in the center and
expand to the black tire so that the wheel somewhat resembles the inner half of a grapefruit. The

Jess Brischen-Metz
M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan
Mrs. Englebrecht

clown and unicycle together stand about a foot high. As a cherished gift from my good friend
Tran, this colorful figure greets me with a smile every time I enter my room.
*What happened when your eyes were closed? Were you able to picture what I was
reading in your head?
-Anticipate Responses:
Yes
No
I could see the clown
*"Why do you think it is good that you were able to see the scene in your head? Why
would this be important?
-Anticipated Responses:
So people know what youre talking about
So people can see what youre talking about
It makes the clown real
-Teacher will explain the objective of the descriptive paragraph.
*"Those are all very good answers. We descriptive paragraphs are important because
they allow the reader to see what the writer is seeing. Now that we know what it is, our
artifact will be put into a museum, so it will need a descriptive paragraph like the one we
just read to go along with it. Now why would we need to have a descriptive paragraph if
the person can just look at the artifact?
-Anticipated Responses:
They are blind
They cant see the artifact very well
They miss some details
*Right, sometimes there may be some things that people miss when they are looking at an
artifact of painting. The description brings attention to all these details. Plus, sometimes
the artifact may not be on display. It may be in the back getting cleaned, visiting another
museum, or students like you are looking at. When its not there people still need to know
what the artifact looks like.
* Now when we write our descriptive paragraph, there are three parts: the Launcher
or topic sentence, the Detail sentences, and the Clincher sentence.
The Launcher or Topic Sentences is the sentences that introduces and states the main
idea of the paragraph.
The Detail Sentences are sentences that use details to explain, define, and describe the
topic.
The Clincher Sentence is the sentence that restates the main idea again, but in a different
way.

Jess Brischen-Metz
M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan
Mrs. Englebrecht

-Teacher will put a written out version of the read descriptive paragraph up on the board.
*Looking at the paragraph I read to you, which sentence is the Launcher or Topic
Sentence?
-Anticipated Responses:
On one corner of my dresser sits a smiling toy clown..
-Teacher will circle the Launcher sentence on the board.
*"What are some details found in this paragraph?"
-Anticipated Responses
The clown has short yellow hair
The hair is made of yarn
Its blue eyes are outlined in black with eye lashes
The unicycle wheel looks like a grapefruit.
-Teacher will highlight the Details
*"Very good. This paragraph has a lot of wonderful detail sentences, doesnt it? Now,
finally, what was the clincher in this paragraph?"
-Anticipated Responses
The clown and unicycle together stand about a foot high
As a cherished girt from my good friend Tran
-Teacher will circle the Clincher in the paragraph.
-Teacher will introduce the Star Chart.
*"During our first lesson we came up with a bunch of descriptive, colorful words to use
for our artifact. We are now going to use something called a Star Chart in order to
organize them. The Star Chart has the Launch sentence, 5 details or points, and the
Clincher sentence that we will be using in our paragraphs. For each of the details there
is a line that says "support". What do you suppose this means?
-Anticipated Responses
How do you know each detail
Extra things to add to each detail
*"This means that we need to use some of our descriptive language as proof of what we
say. If we were to say this poster is colorful, what proof do we have that it is?
-Anticipated Responses
It has lots of colors
It has colors like green, red, purple.
*"Very good. Those are the same types of 'proof' we are looking for for our organizer
and paragraph."

Jess Brischen-Metz
M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan
Mrs. Englebrecht

-Teacher will model using the Star Chart on a book.

*"Looking at my book I'm going to start with number one on the chart, Size/Shape. Im
going to say it is a thick rectangle. My support is after measuring I found that two sides
are 4 inches and 2 sides are7 inches. That means its a rectangle. I know its thick
because its depth is 1 inch. My next point is condition. It seems to be in bad condition.
My support for that is that the cover has creases in it, the pages are bent, and
some of them are falling out.
*"Now that I've shown you how to fill in our Star Chart, I want you each to look back
through your packets at some words we came up with to describe the artifact we found in
Mrs. Cresswell's attic. I will write some of them on the board and you can use them to fill
in your chart. If you think of any new words, let me know! and we will add them to our
list."
-Students will look through the packet for descriptive words.
-Teacher will work with students, writing down descriptive words
-Students will fill in their Star Charts, individually
-When students have filled in the Chart, teacher will review parts of a paragraph and demonstrate
how to write out the paragraph.
*"Now, that the chart is filled, we need to put all this information we organized into a
paragraph that can be used in a museum. What are some things we need to remember
when writing a paragraph?
-Anticipated Responses:
Start with a capital letter
Needs to have a launcher, details, and clincher
Needs to end with a period.
Use complete sentences.
*"When we write out first draft, we need to make sure we skip lines, that way we have
room to go back and make changes if we need to. I would like you each to write your
name on the first line of the paper, and then make X's on every other line, like this."
-Teacher will show students lined, X'd paper.
-Teacher will begin writing the paragraph.
*"My first sentence will be my Main Idea or Launcher sentence."
-Teacher writes the Launcher sentence on the paper: 'My book, a Hunger of Memory is very
interesting', skipping lines as needed.
*"Now I am going to take my first point, 'Size/Shape' and turn it into a detail sentence."
-Teacher writes out the first sentence: 'This book is a thick rectangle. The top and bottom are
both 4 inches long and the sides are 7 inches long. Its a thick book depth is a whole 1 inch

Jess Brischen-Metz
M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan
Mrs. Englebrecht

thick!'
*"Who can help me turn my next point into a sentence? Talk to a partner and as a pair,
write out the next sentence. We will then share them."
-Students will work in pairs to construct the next sentence. When they are done, they will share
them with the teacher.
-Anticipated Responses:
The book is in bad condition. The book has tears, and pages are falling
out.
-Teacher will write some responses on the board, pointing out the merits of each one.
*"Excellent job! When you write your own paragraphs you will turn each of your points
into detail sentences the way we just did with Size/Shape and condition. When you get
through all of your points, you will need to write your Clincher. What would the Clincher
for my paragraph be?"
-Anticipated Responses:
I really like my book
Now you know why my book is important
*"Good job. I now want you each to start writing your own paragraphs using your Star
Chart. Make sure you only write on the lines you have put X's on."
-Students will write their rough draft of their descriptive paragraph. Teacher will provide
assistance as needed.
-Teacher will review what they learned about descriptive paragraphs.
*"So today we learned how to turn descriptive, colorful words, into paragraphs. We
learned that the three parts of a descriptive paragraph are the Main Idea/Launch
sentence, the Details, and the Clincher sentence. We learned that each of the Details we
write about needs to have support or proof to go along with it. You each did an excellent
job creating your paragraphs, good job!"
Blooms Questions
- How can we use the types of words we just learned to rewrite the sentence 'The cat smelled'?Blooms Taxonomy: Synthesis (Combine, rewrite)
-Who can identify the Launcher sentence in this paragraph? The Details? The Clincher
sentence?-Blooms Taxonomy: Analysis (Break down, identify)
Conclusion and Summary
*"You did a great job today. Today we learned a lot about Mrs. Cresswell and what was
found in her attic. We spent time writing down details about the artifact, including the
colors, shape, and it's condition. We even learned how to properly measure the Cresswell
artifact so that we could use descriptive words when we wrote about it. You each did a

Jess Brischen-Metz
M.A.I.Z.E. Lesson Plan
Mrs. Englebrecht

wonderful job making a detailed drawing of our artifact. We learned some new
vocabulary words today:
Before you leave, I want you to fill out the first page in your MAIZE Journal. Next lesson
we will continue exploring this artifact."