Amanda Levy - Wednesday Lesson Plan:

edTPA Aligned Lesson Plan

Adapted from University of Wisconsin
Lesson # 3 of 5

Date: December 2, 2015

Grade: 2nd
# of students: 26

Course / Subject: Science/Informational text

Unit / Theme: Ecosystems

Period / Time: After Recess before lunch

Estimated Duration: 60-75 min

Where in the unit does this lesson

occur?
Beginning of the unit?
Middle of the unit
End of the unit?

Structure(s) or grouping for the lesson

Whole Class___X__
Small Group_____
One to one ____X_
Other: Specify__pairs X___

What are your goals for student learning, and

Why are they appropriate for these students at this time?
Big Idea or Concept Being Taught (What is / are the essential question(s) students will
be able to answer after this lesson is complete? What is the main idea of a multiparagraph text?
What details/evidence support the main idea in the text?
Essential Question(s) for this Unit:
How do different ecosystems affect the types of animals that live in them? What the
characteristics of different ecosystems and what animals live in certain environments?
Essential Question(s) for this Lesson:
What is the Rainforest?
Rationale / Context
Why is this lesson at this time, how does it connect to previous or succeeding lessons?
This is the third lesson to describe one of the four ecosystems we are will go over.
Explain the Scope and Sequence of this unit:
The scope is to expand students knowledge on ecosystems, in this week long unit we
will discuss 4 different ecosystems and how they relate and differ. Students will learn
where rainforests can be found including specific examples and why they are important,
students will learn about common plants and animals found in the rainforest. Additionally
students will learn what threatens the rainforest.
Prior Knowledge and Conceptions
What knowledge and/ or skills must students already know to be successful with this

lesson?
Knowledge students must already know
Students are able to read an informational text article independently. The informational
text will be at the second-grade reading level.
Students understand that there is a relationship between animals and nature.
Students will know that animals live in different climates and geographical areas.
Students will also need to know that the entire world does not appear the same that
different geographical regions appear differently.
Skills they must know
How to fill out KWL chart as a class. Students will have had previous experience with
KWL charts in lessons prior. Students recognize the KWL chart and know what the K,
W, and L stand for.
I will engage students prior knowledge by
Creating a group KWL chart. I will remind them what they learned about the Arctic prior
in the week. Students will be reminded that they learned about the climate, animals,
plants, and terrain of the Arctic. Students will then be asked, okay now think what do
you know about the rainforest?, Have you heard of the rainforest before?, Have you
been to the rainforest?. Ask students what they want to know about the rainforest. Ask
students if they want to know things about the Rainforest, such as the climate, animals,
plants, and terrain?
Student Learning Objective(s)
Identify 1 or 2 student learning objectives. (Objectives need to be tangible and
measurable)
Objectives
SWBAT find the main idea of the informational (nonfiction) text and provide 3 details of
evidence from the text. Students will be able to locate supporting details to support their
main idea. Students will also be able to defend their answers orally and on their graphic
organizer.
Skills: Locate, Prove
Concepts: Main Idea, Paragraphs, Nonfiction, Supporting details
How will you communicate the learning objectives to the students?
I will communicate the learning objectives to students by writing student I can
statement on the board and reading the statement to students. Good readers can locate
and prove the main idea of important paragraphs within a piece of nonfiction text by
locating supporting details.
Explain to students what nonfiction is: writing that is about facts or real events
Explain what multi-paragraphs are
Explain what prove and supporting details are
I will have students repeat good reader phrase every morning of a lesson or at the
beginning of the days lesson. A good reader phrase is a statement that outlines what
good readers do and what they look like. In this case, the good reader phrase outlines the
skills needed in this standard.

Expectations for Student Learning

What are your expectations for student performance in meeting the learning
objectives? Specifically, describe the expectations for each of the following types of
student performance: exceeds expectations, meets expectations, and below expectations
performance. This does not address student behavior, rather it addresses student
performance as they work toward the learning objective expectations. Include a rubric
for Exceeds, Meets, and Below. (Or similar Advanced Proficient, Proficient,
Partial Proficient, Not Proficient.)
Summative: Students will be able to independently write a paragraph summary about the
findings of the main idea.
Formative: Student is able to fill out the graphic organizer. Students will be able to write
a paragraph focused on the main idea in which they use their graphic organizer to support
their main idea paragraph.
Graphic Organizer
Student
Performance

Expectations

Exceeds/
Advanced
Proficient

A student that exceeds expectations has completely filled out

the graphic organizer with a concrete main idea and more than
three supporting details from the text. The student has
connected the main idea to outside knowledge and possibly
described the relationship between the two.

Meets/
Proficient

A student that meets expectations has completely filled out the

graphic organizer with a concrete idea and 3 supporting details
from the text.

Below/ Not
Proficient

-A student that is below expectations has a concrete main idea and

few supporting details that may or may not directly relate to the
article.
-or- A student that is below expectations has a main idea but only has
one or two supporting details from the text.
-or-A student that is below expectations is missing a main idea and
is unable to fill out the graphic organizer.

Summary Paragraph on Main Idea

Student
Performance

Expectations

Exceeds/
Advanced
Proficient

A student that exceeds expectations has written a thorough

paragraph summarizing the rainforest ecosystem. Within the
students paragraph, the student discusses the main idea of the

rainforest as part of a diverse ecosystem. The student cites at least

three details to support their main topic from the animal article they
read and their graphic organizer.
Meets/
Proficient

A student that meets expectations has written a simple paragraph

summarizing the rainforest ecosystem. Within the students
paragraph, the student discusses the main idea of the rainforest as
part of a diverse ecosystem. The student cites one or two details to
support their main topic from the animal article they read and their
graphic organizer.

Below/ Not
Proficient

A student that is below expectations is unable to write a paragraph

summarizing the rainforest ecosystem. The student may only write
two or three sentences that may lack the main idea of the rainforest
as a diverse ecosystem. The student might have the main idea but
does not incorporate supporting details from the animal article or
their graphic organizer.

Evidence and Assessment of Student Learning

How will you know whether students are making progress toward your identified
learning goals? Use Academic Language: Monitor, formative, summative, observations,
data, observational data, measurable data, etc. Provide evidence for ALL Students (both
formative and summative). You will need more than one form of evidence (discussions,
exit slips, quiz, poll everywhere, etc.)
Monitoring Learning
To monitor students learning, I will have students orally defend their idea by presenting
evidence from the text that support their claim. I will ask clarifying questions to students
to help understand their concept.
Formatively Assess Learning
I will formatively assess my students during the whole group lesson as students fill out
the graphic organizer. After I ask clarifying questions to come to the main idea I will ask
students to find information from the text to prove it. If a child says the rainforest is wet, I
will ask how does that make it a diverse climate to live in? I will use covert monitoring to
see if students are prepared to answer the questions. I may tell students to think for ten
seconds and then be ready to share with the class. They could provide a specific detail
saying, the constant rainfall allows many different plants to thrive and many different
animals to live in the rainforest. I will have students underline and point to specific
sentences in the text to check for understanding. I will use overt monitoring to see if the
students are underlining the text. During group work to fill out the graphic organizer, I
will monitor and observe students engagement and ask clarifying questions so they will
explain how they came to that.
I will again use overt monitoring by seeing if students raise their hands with questions.
I will take a look at the completed graphic organizers to assess their understanding of
finding the main idea and supporting details.

To Summatively Assess Learning

To summatively assess my students I would use the closure activity, students individually
writing a paragraph relating to their animal article and their Rainforest graphic organizer.
Closure Assessment
At the end of the day, I will provide an exit slip question. Students will need to write
down 3 characteristics of the Rainforest.
Student Feedback
How will you provide ALL students with feedback? Use Academic Language.
Ways I will provide feedback to all students
-Before beginning the graphic organizer activity, I will model to students what I am
looking for in a graphic organizer. I will use an example of the rainforest, for example,
my main topic could be Rainforests are rich in waterways. Supporting details may
include: it has a wet climate, full of waterfalls, and there is high demand for water from
animals and plants.
-I will walk around and check in with individual students. Give them tips on a graphic
organizer. I will ask students how they found or determine that supporting detail.
-I will briefly conference with individual students throughout the lesson week asking
essential questions to grasp their understanding of the content and effectiveness of
instruction.
- I will use clear positives to assess their work and provide them with feedback.
- I will use Teacher talk I will demonstrate and support learners and their growth
mindset.
-I will scaffold instruction by using visuals of the Rainforest and by showing a short
video clip so students can grasp the concept of the climate of the Rainforest. Following
the video, I will have students think, pair, share with a partner aspects of the Rainforest
climate they saw or learned in the video. After 2 minutes of think pair share, I will ask
students, Can you show me/point to the picture that shows/relates to the climate of the
Rainforest? I will see if all students point to the correct climate picture.
Standards
What are the CCSS, NGSS or California State Standards aligned with your learning
objectives?
Reading Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.2
Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific
paragraphs within the text.
Writing Standard: W.2.2 Text Types and Purposes
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and
definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

New Generation Science Standards: LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in

Ecosystems
-Plants depend on water and light to grow. (2-LS2-1)
-Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around. (2-LS2-2)
CA ELD Standards:
-Structuring cohesive texts- understand text structure (sequence)
-Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative conversations
Academic Language
What academic language (words / phrases) must your students already be familiar with
prior to teaching this lesson?
Terms students need to be familiar with prior to teaching this lesson
Environment
Animal
o Indigenous Animals
Plants
Terrain
Habitat
Biodiversity
Rainforest
Climate
Region
Terms students will learn during this lesson
Deforestation
Evergreen
Crown
Language Demands
Locate
Prove

How will you support students in meeting the learning

objectives?
Launch / Hook / Anticipatory Set?
How will you get this lesson started? What questions, modeling, inquiry will you use to
get students engaged? This is your opportunity to bridge prior knowledge with new
content. This is very brief.
Launch:
-I will tell students Today we are going to learn about a new and different ecosystem. I
tell them Yay, today we are going to learn about the exciting ecosystem called the
Rainforest!
-I will tell students that today we are going to read articles about the rainforest and

animals found in the rainforest. I will describe the activities they will complete today; a
graphic organizer and write a summative paragraph.
-I will communicate the learning objectives to students by writing. I can statement on
the board and reading the statement to students. Then I will have the students repeat with
me the I can statement altogether, Good readers can locate and prove the main idea of
important paragraphs within a piece of nonfiction text by locating supporting details.
Explain to students what nonfiction is: writing that is about facts or real events
Explain what multi-paragraphs are
Explain what prove and supporting details are
Hook:
I will play a rainforest video for students to view and get excited about the lesson.
Watching the video will build background knowledge about the rainforest and
may create questions about the rainforest.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rEBbF6wnSw
I will remind students what they learned about the Arctic prior in the week.
Students will be reminded that they learned about the climate, animals, plants, and
terrain of the Arctic.
KWL Chart- To assess prior knowledge and to engage students in the topic of
rainforests, I will use a KWL chart. Students will then be asked, okay now think
what do you know about the rainforest?, Have you heard of the rainforest
before?, Have you been to the rainforest?. I will ask students what they want to
know about the Rainforest, related things they may have learned about the Artic.
For example, Do you want to learn about climate, animals, plants, and terrain?
I will also go over target word definitions and the academic vocabulary they
learned earlier in the week.
Explore
How will students engage with these new understandings? What questions will you
ask? How will you encourage and promote questions / discussions? Use Academic
Language. This is the meat of your lesson and should be a step by step process (Clear
and detailed).
Student Explore:
Shared Reading: As a class we will read a short story on the rainforest terrain and
climate. Informational story/text will be at the second-grade reading level.
Students will have the opportunity to raise their hands and read aloud for the
class. Each student will have a copy of the book and will be following along. As a
class we will read the book: First Nature Encyclopedia pages 30 to 45. Reading
this short story on the Rainforest environment will set the context of the days
activity.
Guided Practice & Think Aloud: I will model the graphic organizer for the book
on the Elmo projector. I will model for the class using an example of the graphic
organizer by referring to the book we just read as a class. I will have students help
me identify what the main idea of the story was and determine supporting details.
Students will raise their hands and upon being called on students will share their

thoughts on the main idea and details. Students are filling it in together with the
teacher and I will review with students what the main idea and supporting details
are.
Guided Practice & Think Aloud: I will model how to write a summary paragraph.
Students will be asked to write a paragraph summarizing a Rainforest animal, but
first I will model how to write a paragraph. I will have a poster of important
aspects of a paragraph displayed in the classroom as a helpful visual. During my
guided practice, I will go over areas of the poster, such as, start on a new line,
indent the first line, write a topic sentence that tells the main idea, write sentences
that include supporting details of the main idea, and include a closing sentence.
During my guided practice, I will write a summative paragraph on a rainforest
animal. I will point out to the students how you write a topic sentence with the
main idea and then I will ask students what supporting details we can include in
following sentences. Students will raise their hands and share details of the
rainforest animal that they think should be included and support the main idea of
the paragraph. I will then demonstrate to students how to write a closing sentence.
Students will be given directions that it is their turn to read an article on a
rainforest animal of their choice. Students will be told to think like a detective and
look for clues of how to describe the rainforest animal and its home. Articles will
be provided to them. Following students reading the animal article they will be
directed to fill out a graphic organizer for their rainforest animal article. Students
will be encouraged to be the detective and go back and look for evidence or clues
in the text. Students will then take their graphic organizer and write a summary
paragraph to describe the life of the rainforest animal they have chosen. Students
will then choose a partner and share their summary paragraphs with one another
by reading them out loud.
Scaffolding: For students that are struggling they will work with me in the back to
read an animal article as a group. Other students will be working on reading their
own animal articles independently. Students in the back with me will be reading
the same animal article and we will work together to identify the main ideas and
supporting details. I will then help students to write a summary paragraph on the
rainforest animal we just read about. Students will then have the opportunity to
share their paragraphs in partners.
Structured Overview/Model: Describe to students what characteristics are. That
characteristics of a particular subject are often adjectives used to describe the
subject. I will model for students an example that characteristics of the rainforest
could be green or lust. Students will need to know what characteristics are when
filling out their exit slip at the end of class. Students will be told to think of
different characteristics of a rainforest than those already mentioned in class.

Closure
How will you end things smoothly? What is your plan to close out this lesson?

Lastly, have a group discussion. Have partners share to whole class their main
idea and one key detail from text

Teacher writes on board all main ideas and details (responses of students)
As a class, we will look back at our KWL chart and begin to fill out the L section
with details students have learned about the rainforest. Students will get to raise
their hands and add to the chart. They may use some of the details they just
discussed regarding rainforest animals.
At the end of the day, I will provide an exit slip question. Students will need to
write down 3 characteristics of the Rainforest.

Differentiation / Adaptations
What modifications will you make to support ALL students in achieving the learning
objectives? (You might want to identify a few students and state specifically what you
will do to support their learning.)
Low reading level students:
-Have students who are at a lower reading level work with the teacher in a small
group so the teacher may help guide them through filling out their graphic
organizer and writing their summative paragraph.
-Give students a copy of the book being read as a whole class.
-Make sure the article has clear visuals for students to help grasp ideas.
-Have students be able to add to their graphic organizer after talking to their partner.
SPED:
-Make sure the article has clear visuals for students to help grasp ideas.
-Give students a copy of the book being read as a whole class.
-Have students be able to add to their graphic organizer after talking to their partner.
ELD:
- Give students the book and article to preview before reading with the entire class.
-Adapted graphic organizer. Use some Spanish (or other native languages) vocabulary
and/or cognates to label animal, plant, and ecosystem vocabulary.
-Give students a copy of the book being read as a whole class.
-Have students be able to add to their graphic organizer after talking to their partner.
Academically Accelerated:
-Help someone else (not opportunity to chat)
-Find out how to write academic language terms in Spanish.
-Create flashcards for academic language terms with definitions.
-Practice keyboarding by typing their summative paragraph while using a computer or
iPad.
-Conduct independent research project on another Rainforest animal, write a different
summative paragraph and/ or fill in the animal research report. (Article from First Nature
Encyclopedia)
-Conduct independent research project on the deforestation of the Rainforest.
Anticipated challenges?
What are some anticipated challenges? What will you do if challenges arise?
-Students may be absent for all or part of the lesson due to absence, resource pulls out
time, etc.: I will create a makeup lesson packet in which the student can work on it during
independent reading time and take the packet home to work on.

-Students will not understand graphic organizer: I will leave up my modeled graphic
organizer for students to look back on use as a guide. I will walk around and give
recommendations and tips to filling out the graphic organizer.
-Students are not able to write: I will have visuals and key words posted around the room.
Students will be able to look around and find the words that they did not know how to
spell. I will walk around and help sound out words for students to figure out the spelling.
-Students are not able to read: I will make sure the article has clear visuals for students to
grasp ideas. I will also pair a high-level reading student and a low-level reading student to
read together.
-Students finish work early: Students could illustrate their summative paragraph on the
back or they can help someone else. Students can go on computer and work on caterpillar
activity:http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorer/ecosystems/be_an_explor
er/map/form_caterpillars.htm#
- Some students may not realize that the world is comprised of areas that do not look
the same as one: I will have photos of different ecosystems posted around the
classroom. I will have students bring up places they have heard about and look up
photos of that place. Students will have to raise their hands and say whether they think
that is a rainforest ecosystem or not. I can also walk around and clarify individual
questions to students. I will discuss with them how climates in different areas make the
land and terrain look different.
Resources / Materials
What resources or materials will you need to teach this lesson?
Resources/ Materials
-Graphic organizer
-Printed off Rainforest article for each student (5 different animal articles, articles are
also resourced from First Nature Encyclopedia.
-Pencil
-First Nature Encyclopedia Book pages 30-45
-Video Hook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rEBbF6wnSw
- Caterpillar Activity:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorer/ecosystems/be_an_explorer/map/
form_caterpillars.htm#
- Computer
- Ipad
- Visuals of different ecosystems: Arctic, Desert, Rainforest, and Grasslands
- Animal research report for gifted learners

Graphic Organizer:

KWL Chart:

First Nature Encyclopedia (Book on Rainforest and Articles on Rainforest Animals)

Visuals of different ecosystems (made into posters):

Artic

Desert

Rainforest

Grassland

Summary Paragraph Poster:

Adaptation activity for Gifted Learners: