Name of Teacher Candidate: Hunterpaige Date: November 1, 2018

McDaniel
Central Focus: Thanksgiving Grade Level: Kindergarten

Lesson Title: Introduction to Thanksgiving: Thankfulness

Curriculum Areas Addressed: Social Studies; ELA

Time Required: 35 minutes Instructional Groupings: Are you using whole group,
small group, partners, quads, homogeneous,
heterogeneous?
• Introduction & read aloud: whole group
(heterogeneous: different abilities and
comprehension levels)
• Activities & class discussions:
(heterogeneous: different abilities and
comprehension levels)
Standards: List the GPS/CCGPS that are the target of student learning and are key to this lesson. Include the
number and the text of each of the GPS/CCGPS that is being addressed. If only a portion of a standard is
addressed, include only the part or parts that are relevant.
• SSKH1 Identify the national holidays and describe the people and/or events celebrated.
i. Thanksgiving Day

• ELAGSEKRL6 With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the
role of each in telling the story.

As a result of this lesson/unit students will…

Be: (State the BE Bridge for the unit.)
• Be thankful for the people, things, and experiences in life.
• Be aware of other people’s feelings, cultures, and traditions.
• Be caring towards others.
• Be accepting of differences.
Relevant Goal(s): (The relevant goal states the overall purpose of the lesson. The purpose of the lesson is to …..)
• The purpose of this lesson is to introduce Thanksgiving as a National holiday, and discuss the idea of
thankfulness.

Essential Question(s): (Essential questions should be used to guide instruction.)

• How do I identify a national holiday, and describe the people and/or events celebrated? What is
thankfulness?

Learning Objectives: (Objectives are stated in measurable/observable terms. These should reflect the thinking
skills, skills of the discipline. These represent the skills that will be assessed.)

1. Students will identify Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

2. Students will share what they are thankful for.

Support for Academic Language
Vocabulary: (What Academic Language will be taught or developed? Identify the key vocabulary and/or symbols
specific to the content area. These may be derived from the standards.)

• National holiday
• thankful
• special
Elementary/Middle Childhood edTPA Lesson Plan Template John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College

• together

Language Demands: (Language demands is defined as the specific ways that academic language (vocabulary,
functions, discourse, syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing,
listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their disciplinary understanding. Identify the following way/ways that
students will participate in learning tasks to demonstrate disciplinary understanding: reading, writing, listening,
or oral language.)

1.Students will use this academic language through listening to a read a loud of I Never Say I’m Thankful, But I
Am by Jane Belk Moncure.

2.Students use this language in their oral language through discussion with classmates about things they are
thankful for.

3. Students will use this language through writing thank you letters.

4.Students will use this language for a whole class discussion for lesson wrap up.
Language Function: (The language function is represented by the active verbs within the learning objectives.
Common language functions in the include identifying main ideas and details; analyzing and interpreting
characters and plots; arguing a position or point of view; predicting; evaluating or interpreting an author’s
purpose, message, and use of setting, mood, or tone; comparing ideas within and between texts; and so on.
• Describe what it means to be thankful
• Identify Thanksgiving as a national holiday
Syntax: (Syntax is defined as the set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together into
structures, such as sentences, tables, or graphs. Identify the supports that will be provided for students to
organize the information – charts, graphs, diagrams. These must relate to the Language Function.)

•November calendar: to show what month and day Thanksgiving is celebrated

•class thankfulness chart: will be created in class to document what we are thankful for
•sample thank you letter: projected to create a thank you letter demonstration for students to
refer to
Discourse: (Describe how the students will demonstrate/express their understanding of the Academic Language.)
• Students will demonstrate their understanding of the Academic Language while participating a thumbs
up/thumbs down activity during a read aloud of I Never Say I’m Thankful, But I Am by Jane Belk
Moncure.

• Students will express their understanding of the Academic Language through discussion while creating a
class thankfulness chart.

• Students will demonstrate their understanding of the Academic Language while completing a thank you
letter activity.

Elementary/Middle Childhood edTPA Lesson Plan Template John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College

Assessment (Each learning objective must be assessed. Questions to consider: How will the KNOW, DO, and BE
be evaluated? How will students demonstrate their understanding or the lesson’s objectives? How will you
provide feedback for the students? What type of assessment will be used? Is the assessment formal or informal?
What evidence will be collected to demonstrate students’ understanding/mastery of the lesson’s objective? What
constitutes success for the students?)
Assessment Strategy: (Identify the assessment strategy/strategies to be used for assessment of the learning
objectives listed above. Each learning objective should be assessed. DO NOT restate the learning objective.)
1. A tally will be taken when students are asked to give a thumbs up if Thanksgiving is a national holiday, and a
thumbs down if Thanksgiving is not a national holiday.

2. Students’ responses for what they are thankful for will be documented on the class Thankfulness Chart.

Evaluation Criteria: (Indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be differentiated and that anchor
judgments about the learner’s degree of success on an assessment.)
• 1. 15-21 students giving a thumbs up= mastering; 8-14 giving a thumbs up= progressing; 1-7 students
giving a thumbs up= lacking (mastering= ready to move on; progressing =will need to review again;
lacking=will need to completely teach again)

• 2. 15-21 students naming something they are thankful for= mastering; 8-14 students naming something
they are thankful for= progressing; 1-7 students naming something they are thankful for= lacking
(mastering= ready to move on; progressing =will need to review again; lacking=will need to completely
teach again)

Differentiation for IEP and Focus Students:

• Differentiation for IEP: if noticing that speech student says something incorrectly, repeat it back to him
in the correct way
• JH: call on him last in order to get him to think more in depth, and give an answer other students have
not given
• DD: repeat directions before turn
• LW: repeat directions before turn

Steps in the Lesson (Include the attention getter or the hook for the lesson; the introduction; the lesson
procedures including strategies/planned supports for whole-class, small group, and individual instructions; and
differentiated activities.)
Attention Getter or Hook: (State how the attention of the students will be piqued at the start of the lesson.)
-ask if anyone can explain what it means to be thankful
-call on a few students to answer
-Play Youtube video: Kid President’s 25 Reasons to Be Thankful!

Introduction: (State how the lesson will be introduced. This should communicate the purpose of the lesson, be
directly related to the goals and objectives of the lesson, tap into prior knowledge/experiences, and develop
student interest.)
• explain and write a definition for thankfulness on the board
• Tell students that we are going to read a book about thankfulness, and write thank you letters after
• Ask if anyone can identify the holiday that we celebrate during November; relate Thanksgiving to being
thankful.
Instructional Strategies and Planned Supports: (Use a bulleted or numbered format to communicate the
procedures for the lesson. Describe the strategies which will be used to support students’ learning. Knowledge of
students’ cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development along with their cultural backgrounds should be
evident.)
• Show students I Never Say I’m Thankful, But I Am by Jane Belk Moncure
• Tell students that the author is Jane Belk Moncure. Ask, “What does an author do?”
• Tell students the illustrator is Frances Hook. Ask, “What does an illustrator do?”
Elementary/Middle Childhood edTPA Lesson Plan Template John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College

• Remind students to listen quietly to the story, and raise hands if they have a question.
• Ask students to give a thumbs up at the end of each page if they are thankful for the same thing the boy
is thankful for.
• Begin to read.
• Pause a few seconds at the end of each page to allow students time to give a thumbs up if they are
thankful for the same thing.
• After finishing the book, ask students if they think thankfulness is a feeling. Explain that it is a way you
feel.
• Give students an example of how being thankful makes you feel.
• Create class thankfulness chart: allow each student to share one thing they are thankful for. Write their
name beside their addition.
• Tell students that we are going to create thank you letters to community members, and people that
donated books and supplies to us.
• Show students sample thank you letter created on chart paper.
• Show students thank you letter template, and explain that they will each have the opportunity to
complete one. Incorporate student interests by asking what special community members they would like
to write to.
• Assign each student specific community members (police, principals, nurses, etc.), or person that
donated books and supplies. Tell them they will need to remember this to draw the picture later.
• Writ their class numbers underneath each picture so they can remember who they are writing to.
• Choose a table manager from each group to pass out crayons, pencils, and word spacers to their areas.
• Call students by rows to go to their seat.
• Project thank you letter templates on board to guide students in writing thank you in the given area on
their template. Ask students to point to the space to write before writing—walk around to make sure
everyone is in the right space. Instruct students to use their word spacers.
• Ask students to put their hands on their head when they are done. Walk around to make sure everyone is
done.
• Name off the different assigned categories people are writing to in order to see if they remember.
• Tell each different category to draw a picture on their thank you letter.
• Give the students 5-10 minutes to color their pictures—or until they all seem to be done.
Closure/Wrap up: (Describe how the content of the lesson will be summarized. There may be a review of the
core concepts, relevant goals, or essential questions.)
• Call students back to the carpet by color rows. Tell them to bring their thank you letter with them.
• Allow each different category to share their pictures with the class. Give students extra time if needed to
finish their picture during this time.
• Ask students to give a thumbs up if Thanksgiving is a national holiday, and a thumbs up if Thanksgiving
is not a national holiday.
• Ask: How did writing these letters make you feel? What did you like about this lesson?
• Explain to students that we will be able to pass out our thank you cards during our field trip at the end of
the unit.
Modifications/Differentiation to Support Student Learning
What will be differentiated? Choose one: Content/Process/Product
content

How will differentiation be accomplished?

Content (whole class): differentiate for learning styles and interests by playing a video describing thankfulness,
and also reading a book describing thankfulness

What strategies will be used to differentiate for focus student 1?

J.H.: encourage him to give more in depth answers

What strategies will be used to differentiate for focus student 2?

Elementary/Middle Childhood edTPA Lesson Plan Template John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College

D.D.: ask him to periodically retell things the boy in the story said he is thankful for

What strategies will be used to differentiate for focus student 3?

L.W.: ask her to retell the class what thankfulness means

Instructional Supports
Resources and Materials Used to Engage Students in Learning (Provide citations for all resources that you
did not create. Attach key instructional material needed to understand what you and the students will be doing.
Examples: class handouts, assignments, slides, and interactive white board images.)
• I Never Say I’m Thankful, But I Am by Jane Belk Moncure
• Class thankfulness chart
• November calendar:
https://www.google.com/search?q=november+2018+calendar&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0a
hUKEwjAp4C695PeAhUi0YMKHQSCCEQ_AUIDigB&biw=1117&bih=698 -
imgrc=AlRLSsxRidsNlM:
• Thank you letter template: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thank-You-and-Get-Well-
Cards-3421471
• President’s 25 Reasons to Be Thankful!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA5Qpt1JRE4
Additional Resources and Materials Used to Increase Teacher’s Background Knowledge of the Content:
(List any websites and sources of materials and background information that you will need or use as the teacher
to engage the students.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym4izq-rrow

https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/first-thanksgiving-meal

http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-first-thanksgiving/

http://time.com/4577425/thanksgiving-2016-true-story/

https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving

https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving

https://holidappy.com/holidays/Thanksgiving-Traditions-in-America

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0bofuWCngY

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/american-celebrate-thanksgiving/2529775.html

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-was-on-the-menu-at-the-first-thanksgiving-511554/

Other Relevant Information

Clear Links to Learning Theories, Educational Research, and Principles of Development:
• Piaget: Children organize what they learn from their experiences. My students will talk about their
experiences learned throughout the unit.
• Vygotsky: Scaffolding. I will build upon prior knowledge of Thanksgiving celebrations, events, and
traditions.
• Utilizing developmentally appropriate assessments and tasks based on typical development for
kindergarten students
• Developmentally appropriate to sit still through tasks that are around 15 minutes: breaking up
instruction time and tasks to allow students to have a break from sitting still

Elementary/Middle Childhood edTPA Lesson Plan Template John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College

• “Compared with younger children, kindergartners show more flexibility in their thinking, greater ability
to conceptualize categories, advances in reasoning and problem solving, and gains in knowledge of the
world, ability to pay attention, and use of memory.” -DAP, p. 200
Connections to Technology and/or the Arts:
• President’s 25 Reasons to Be Thankful!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA5Qpt1JRE4
Description of Collaboration with Others: (These might include the inclusion teacher, media specialist,
counselor, guest speaker, grade level coordinator, community experts, families, etc.)
• Collaboration with partner teacher over required standards, and IEP differentiation strategies
• Feedback from cohort members during class discussions

Elementary/Middle Childhood edTPA Lesson Plan Template John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College