Sarah Guglietta

10/28/14

University of Saint Joseph Lesson Planning Template Student Teaching

LESSON BACKGROUND
Subject/Lesson: Literacy
Grade Level: 3
Expeditionary Learning Unit 3 Lesson 5: Paragraph Writing
Heterogeneous inclusive classroom
Differentiation by
Process- There is a process of brainstorming, outlining, and then writing.
Product- The product of this lesson is the paragraph.
Differentiation narrative (rationale how you are differentiating and why)
- Some students like AC may only get to write one or two sentences in the time given. While higher students like RM may
be able to write five or six sentences in the time given. And this is okay because we are building our ability and rate of
processing and writing.
Standard(s)
W.3.2- Write informative/ explanatory text to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Key Question for the lesson
How do we write an informative paragraph?
Instructional Objective(s)
Students will be able to plan a paragraph using a graphic organizer.
Students will be able to support their paragraph with three details.
Students will be able to write a sentence to close their paragraph.
Materials, Media, Resources, Multi-cultural connections
- Model Paragraph- Hand out for students and on Smartboard
- Graphic Organizer on smartboard
- Excerpts from Waiting For Bilblioburro
- Students workbooks
Assessment of Prior Knowledge (Readiness/Interest)
Ask students to turn and talk to their partners. Ask students some questions about their past paragraph writing.
Sample Questions: When have we written a paragraph before? What makes up a paragraph? What do we need?
LESSON PROCEDURE
Bellwork (as defined by Harry Wong)
or transition into lesson
Ask students to come to the carpet quietly and sit criss cross applesauce.
Timing
Initiation with students
Hook to lesson
Show images from around the world how children receive books.
University of Saint Joseph Teacher Licensure Program Student Teaching Unit Format

10
minutes
1

10/28/14

How will people know how children around the world access books?
- Activate students prior knowledge. Ask students questions about their past paragraph writing
experiences.
Sample Questions: When have we written a paragraph before? What makes up a paragraph? What
do we need?
- Pass out sample paragraph to students. Have students read the paragraph silently to themselves. Then
have students turn and talk to a partner to share the topic of this paragraph. Have them notice the
structure of the paragraph (topic sentence, support and evidence, closing sentence). As students start
discovering these items have them underline and label the parts of a paragraph. Model with the sample
paragraph on the Smartboard.
Sample Questions: What is the topic of this paragraph? Where is your support for the topic? Is there
evidence? How does the paragraph end?
Explanation of Objectives
I can plan my paragraph using an graphic organizer.
I can support my topic with three details.
I can write a sentence to close my paragraph.
Development of lesson including assessment(s)
Part I: Transition Words
- Explain transition words to students. Transition words help connect the evidence from the text. Good
writers use these words to make their writing smoother. Have students look at the sample paragraph
and see if they can find any transition words. (In the story, for example, etc.)
Sample Questions: What are transition words? How do you think they can help? Can you find any
in the sample paragraph?
Part II: Model Graphic Organizer
- Put the sample graphic organizer on the smartboard.
- Explain to students that we have used this organizer in the past.
- Model how this organizer was used to create the sample paragraph. Read a part of the sample organizer
and ask students if they can find that in the sample paragraph.
Sample Questions: When have we used this organizer in the past? How do we use this organizer?
Can you see how this organizer was used to create this paragraph? How?
Part III: Brainstorming
- Allow students a minute on the carpet to brainstorm their topic about Waiting for the Biblioburro. Have
a couple of students share. Then set students free in the classroom to fill in their graphic organizer.
Explain how the graphic organizer will help their writing.
Sample Questions: What is your topic going be about? Why do we fill out this graphic organizer?
How is it helpful?
University of Saint Joseph Teacher Licensure Program Student Teaching Unit Format

Timing
5 minutes

5 minutes

15
minutes

10/28/14

Part IV: Paragraph Writing

- Pass out lined paper to each student.
- Transition students from filling out their graphic organizer to writing the paragraph.
Sample Questions: How is your graphic organizer helping you? Where is your topic sentence?
Do you have transition words? How are you going to write your closing sentence?
- Monitor students while they are independently writing. During this time meet with the lower students to give
them their expectations.
Part V: Student Share and Debrief
- Gather students back on the carpet.
- Allow one or two students who would like to share their paragraph to the class.
- Once students are done sharing ask students questions about their writing process.
Sample Questions: What was some evidence they used in their paragraph? What was the topic of
their sentence? Did you hear any transition words? What were they? What did you do well writing your
paragraph? What do you think you could work on next time?

10
minutes

10
minutes

Sponge Activity: If students finish early they may draw a picture to go along with their paragraph.
Closure
- Refer back to learning targets and determine if they were accomplished today.
- How did we work in our partners?
- Discuss homework tonight which is bringing their paragraph about librarians from Waiting for the
Bibliburro home, reading it to someone, and writing a second draft where they can add things they may
have forgotten.

Timing
2 minutes

Assessment Strategies
Teacher Observation- As students are working teacher will monitor the students and see how they are working on their
graphic organizer.
Listening to student responses from the teachers questions.
Read paragraph students wrote as well as the second draft.
Self reflection on the lesson
In this lesson I used a range of instructional strategies to enhance student learning. I started the lesson by showing
images to engage the students and activating their prior knowledge. I modeled for students a paragraph and how one
should look like. We also used this paragraph to identify the components of a paragraph (topic sentence, evidence, closing
sentence) I gave each student their own copy to take notes on so they could refer to it during their writing. Next I gave
students time to make a graphic organizer to organize their thoughts before writing which I once again modeled for them
on the smartboard. Differentiation instruction strategies helped student learning by requiring them to write fewer
University of Saint Joseph Teacher Licensure Program Student Teaching Unit Format

10/28/14

sentences than the higher students. This helps students to learn and express their gained knowledge.
Throughout the lesson there was classroom management techniques being used. From calling on students who obeyed
by the rules of raising their hands, to praising students who were working hard on their paragraphs, and using techniques
established in the classroom such as smartbeads for trying hard and resets for the kids who were misbehaving during the
lesson. And also acknowledging students who were listening to the directions and could repeat them to me by making
them the Question Master. These classroom management techniques helped create a positive learning environment for
students.
There was evidence of student learning during this lesson. The evidence for this lesson was teacher observations. I
walked around the room with a clipboard and each childs name and checked off students who were able to complete the
assignment and made notes on students who struggled. There were 18 students in the class today, 15 students were able
to complete the assignment correctly and efficiently with three supporting details, while the other 4 were unable to and
needed teachers assistance. Overall this evidence from their writing showed me that most students understood what we
were doing in this lesson.
If I could teach this lesson again I think that I would spend more time on the graphic organizer part of this lesson
because this really a foundation to their writing. I would like to give students not a set time of 15 minutes to complete
their organizer but more time in order for them to finish it. I would then also like for them to share their graphic organizer
with a partner and then in whole group as well. This way students have a solid starting point for writing and any mistakes
can be addressed before they start their writing. But, throughout the teaching of this lesson there were no modifications
that were needed. For this lesson there were no modifications needed because students were set up for success by the
modeling I provided for them of a pre writing graphic organizer as well as a model paragraph that we thoroughly went
through together as a class. Also students knew exactly what was expected of them. Before students were set free to work
independently they had to repeat the directions to me. Lastly there was no right or wrong answers, these paragraphs were
their writing, theirs thoughts. These are the reasons why no modifications were needed in this lesson.
Students were very engaged in this lesson. They enjoyed identifying the parts of a paragraph and loved the
independence of writing on their own. My next lesson would be a peer edit for their paragraphs. This way students could
read each others paragraphs and make sure they could identify all of the pieces of a paragraph and also provide feedback
for their peers. This may be more engaging for students because the feedback is not coming from the teacher, but from
their peers. This is an area that I would like to build on in my following lessons, allowing students to take more ownership
of their learning.

University of Saint Joseph Teacher Licensure Program Student Teaching Unit Format

10/28/14

University of Saint Joseph Teacher Licensure Program Student Teaching Unit Format