Lesson Plan Format

Describe the context:

(Students, grade level,
geographic location, community
and school population, socioeconomic profile, school
culture, availability of
technology, content, learning
styles, ethnic breakdown,
special needs, . . Be detailed.
Do not make casual
references, or surface level
connects to students
backgrounds, interest, and
learning needs. Provide details
on class demographics,
significant subgroups of
students with similar
characteristics and varied
strengths (including personal
cultural and community assests.
Identify their learning needs.
Identify their strengths, learning
styles.) Include the schools
philosophy, vision and mission
statement. Explain how these
affects, or guides instruction in
the classroom.

The students are a 4th grade class from Glenwood

Elementary School. Glenwood is in the Greenfield School
District. It is on the border of Milwaukee and Greenfield so
students who attend the school live in Milwaukee or
Greenfield. School wide 86.2 % of the students are Hispanic
or White. 44.1 % of the students are economically
disadvantage. 11.3 % of the students have disabilities and
5.4 % have limited English proficiency. The classroom is
equipped with a smart board and students have access to
chrome books and the computer lab when needed.

The students in my 4th grade class have a wide range of

abilities. 4 students leave the class during reading and
writing workshop for more in depth support. Some students
have a hard time staying motivated during independent
work. They are easily distracted by each other and need
redirecting. Some students are quick to pick up on the
expectation and can easily work independently to
accomplish a task. Other students desire support and
feedback from a teacher to make sure they are on the right
track but can work independently. The students have a wide
range of learning styles. Some students are able visualize
and are able to express themselves visually, some students
are better with expressing themselves in written words and
other students are better at expressing themselves in spoken
words.

The mission and information about Greenfield straight from

the website: The School District of Greenfield believes all
learning begins with meaningful relationships. Our mission is
to develop learners who can apply knowledge and think
innovatively as a result of engaging in rigorous and relevant
opportunities. They do this in the classroom through
intensive reading and writing workshop time that allows
students to develop skills they can use in and out of the
classroom. They also do this in the classroom through being
able to create there own research project based on
questions that they came up with on there own.
Glenwood offers classes from 4 year-old Kindergarten
through 5th grade and has just under 354 students and 40
professional faculty members. The Glenwood neighborhood
is bordered on three sides of Milwaukee, giving it the unique
feeling of both urban and suburban at the same time. The
building is located on roughly 12 acres of land which includes
playing fields and a large wooded area known as the

Glenwood Woods. At our school, we think everyone is

important. You just can't hide that Glenwood pride!
Learning Goals/Objectives
Content Standards (CCSS)
Affective Objectives: (related to
student attitudes and values;
think dispositions)
Cognitive: (related to the
mastery of knowledge: think
Bloom)
For help please go to Blooms
Taxonomy of Learning
Domains

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiplemeaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.4.A
Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in
text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.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.
Affective Objectives:
Students will revise their understanding of a text by using
context clues to define unfamiliar words.

Students will assist in helping to determine clues in the text

that can be used to better understand words we do not
know.
Cognitive Objectives:

Students will identify clues in a text that could help them

infer what a word might mean.

Students will use context clues to define unfamiliar words.

Students will state how they determined their interpretation

of a word.
Pre-Assessment: (How do you
know what to teach and how to
teach it? What did you do to
discover this information?)
Academic Language
Assessment
(Criteria / Look Fors; How will
you assess learning? What will

Pre Assessment: The students have been working on a

research project about Wisconsin. This is a big project that
they have been working on for more than a month. The
project started out with the students watching a slide show of
pictures to enlist questions about Wisconsin past or present to
research. The students then started to do research. As I
worked with some students who were having a difficulty
finding answers to their questions we discussed what sources
they used to find answers. As I explored their research I
discovered that their questions were in fact answered but
students had a hard time comprehending some of their

you do to know if the students

have met the objectives?)

research because of key words in the text they did not know
and did not attempt to figure out. Students need to practice
using strategies to identify words they do not know and how
they can figure out what the words mean.

What Rubrics or other

scoring scales will be used? Be
Academic Language: context clues, analyze
specific (Identify the criteria you
will use. This should align with Assessment: Students will work to consolidate their
the objectives and CCSS.)
understanding of a text by using context clues to help define
unfamiliar words.
Students SelfAssessment
Proficient Can accurately define a word and determine
the clues from the text they used to make this definition.
Developing Can determine clues from the text that can
be used but does not correctly use those clues to define the
unfamiliar words.
- Beginner unable to express the clues they used to
define a word.
Enduring
Understanding/Essential
Question(s): (What are the big
ideas? What thought provoking
question(s) will guide the
lesson?)
Instructional Procedures
Learning Strategies: (Be sure
to include specific strategies to
develop literacy of content)
Introduction
Pre (How will you motivate,
activate prior knowledge, what
will be your hook? . . .)
During
Demonstration
Participation

What does a reader do when they do not understand a text?

Are there clues in the text that will help a reader understand
better?

Learning Strategies: Students will practice using context

clues to define unfamiliar words.
Pre: Tell the students we are going to read a book and
discuss ideas how we can come up with a definition for
unfamiliar words. Their job during our first reading is to
identify words they did not know. I will read, Where are you
going Manyoni?. After the reading I will ask students to
share some of the words they did not know. How can we
figure out what these words mean from the text? We will use
context clues to help make an inference of what that word
might mean. We will then create a chart of different context
clues we could use (helping words, opposite or same
meaning, your own experience, sentence before or after,
definition provided and examples given). The expectation is
as a reader you are able to express which clues in the text you
used to define unknown words.
During: I will model defining baobob using helping words
from the sentence. Each student is going to get a chart and

Practice
Closure
Post
Extension

we are going to read the book and second time and will work
together to fill out the chart defining words and determine the
clues from the text we could use to help us define the words.
Students will practice using the strategy independently as I
read Mufaros Beautiful Daughters. We will read the story
twice and they will work to fill out their context clue charts.
Closure: I will invite the students to share how they identified
the unknown words and what evidence from text did they use.
We will compare different answers to see if there were
different context clues that could have been used.

Time
(Total and Specific)

As an extension I will ask the students to make a goal of

determining at least one word during their independent
reading time they do not know and to stop and use context
clues to determine the meaning. Students can choose set
there own goal as long as they have at least one word.
Students will be given a empty chart that they can use during
their independent reading.
60 minutes
10 minutes for hook and what are context clues
15 minutes Practice using context clues as a group
25 minutes Practice using context clues independently
10 minutes sharing with the group our responses and goal

Student Accommodations
Differentiation/Planning for
Individual Needs (IEP goals if
known; RtI; learning styles):
Resources and Materials:
(Include technology where
applicable/available/appropriate)

Reflection on Planning
(Explain which
theory/theorists you are using
to guide your
practice/planning of this
lesson? Be sure to explain the
connections.)

Students who leave the classroom for more intensive reading

practice will benefit from the multiple readings we will do of
each book. This gives them more chances to identify clues.
-

Mufaros Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe

Where Are You Going, Manyonu by Catherine
Stock
Context clue chart
Clipboard
Writing utensil

I used Cambournes seven conditions of learning to design

this lesson. I set up the lesson so students would begin with a
demonstration of how we can use the strategy. As I am
instructing the students I make clear the expectation for what
I want the students to do. They are immersed in the strategy
and have a lot practice because we use the strategy more than
once with different books. They are also responsible for
using the strategy during independent reading time to
continue to practice using the strategy and finding ways it can
be helpful in different contexts. This idea also helps the
students to stretch beyond their current abilities to try the

strategy in different ways. The students receive feedback as

they share their answers.

Name: ____________________________________________
Mufaros Beautiful Daughter
Unknown Words
Word

Millet

Silhouetted

Transfixed

Millet

We think it Means.

Because

Name: ____________________________________________
Where are you going Manyoni?
Unknown Words
Word

Baobob

Forages

Kloof

Koopies

Krantz

Matsheloni

Veld

We think it Means.

Because

Name: ____________________________________________
Book:

Unknown Words
Word

We think it Means.

Because