Understanding by Design

Group: Jean, Amber, Becky

Subject: Circle Stories (ifthen.) & Prediction
Lesson: This is lesson 7-9 of the unit plan

Grade: 1st grade

Stage 1- Desired Results

Established Goals:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story,
using key details.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its
characters, setting, or events.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze
their development.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.3 Analyze how and why individuals, events or ideas develop
and interact over the course of a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.3 Write narratives in which they recount two or more
appropriately sequenced events include some details regarding what happened, use
temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.

Understandings:
Students will understand that..
That planning with good details
assists in writing a good story.
That a writer needs to add clues to
their story to help the reader to
predict.

Essential Questions:

Student will know.

That a circle story ends and begins
at the same place.
That the illustration needs to show
what the sentence is saying.
That planning our writing helps us
to be better writers.

Student will be able to

Create and original circle story.
Share their story with an audience.
Develop a pattern of clues that will
help other to make predictions.

How can patterns assist in writing?

That as writers we place clues in our

writing to help others to predict.

Stage 2- Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks:
Students will be create an original circle
story using the If you give a story model.

Other Evidence:
Students will complete a graphic organizer
to show their planning in the writing

process.

Self-Assessments
Students will assess if their circle stories
were well thought out and followed the
given writing criteria.

Other Evidence:
Student peers will assess each other by
making predictions on each other stories in
small groups.
The teacher will conference with needed
students on their ideas as they are in the
writing process.

Stage 3 Learning Plan

.Learning Activities:
Session 7:
Step 1: (Hook)
The teacher will introduce to students that they have been given the opportunity to place
original circle story books into the library for other students to read. In order to do this
we need to write our own circle story books from original and creative ideas. The
teacher will review with students the parts of a circle story and the use of ifthen
statements.
Step 2:
The teacher will at this point introduce the criteria for the Circle Story Writing
Project.

Students will complete the graphic organizer with enough details to create a story.
Students will create an original circle story book.
Students will write four ifthen statement to their story.
Students will develop a story that has the same beginning and end.
Students will illustrate their sentences.
Students will use clues in their writing that will help other to form predictions
including an illustrated cover.
Students will share the story with an audience.

The teacher will then pass out the Circle Story Planner to each of the students
explaining that good writers plan out their ideas before they write. The teacher will
demonstrate one of the circle stories that had been used in class in the planner allowing
students to get a better understanding of the planner. Students will then work on
illustrating the planners with good details to inspire their writing. Students will be
expected to write four if then students for their book.
Step 3:
As students are working the teacher will circulate around the room conferencing with
students as needed on the ideas used in the planner.
Session 8:
Step 1:
The teacher will begin by asking students what we have learned so far about what good
writers do. (Referring to anchor charts around the room as a visual reminder) The
teacher will introduce the book template to students and remind them about all the great
details they have drawn that they can add to their stories. ( Two templates are been

given to assist in differentiating the writing process)

Step 2:
Students will be given time to write and work on illustrating their stories as the teacher
moves about the room continuing to conference with other students.
Session 9:
Step 1:
Students will be given time to finish any work they need to do on their book. The
teacher will then separate student into reading group where they will share their stories.
The teacher will explain that while they are listening to the story they will be making a
prediction on their friends story. This will help them to know if they added good clues
for the reader. As students are sharing other members of their group will be filling in
prediction sheets and assessing if their predictions were correct after.
Step 2:
Students will then be given the opportunity to self assess their planning, circle story, and
if they have the reader enough clues to make a prediction.
Step 3:
Books at this time will be moved to the library for a special display. Books may even if
time permits be read to parents at a family event or to a kindergarten group as book
buddies.

Materials: Examples of if then stories like If you give a mouse a cookie, by Laura
Numeroff. Circle story planner graphic organizer, Circle story templates. Pencils,
crayons or other coloring materials, I predict cards.
Language: Circle Story, if then