T&L Instructional Plan

11/10/2014
(edTPA Aligned)
Background Information
Teacher Candidate: Audrey Frazier
Date: November 12, 14
Cooperating Teacher: Sue Conway
Grade: Kindergarten
School District: Washougal School District
School: Hathaway Elementary
University Supervisor: Jim Dixon, Lori White
Unit/Subject: Literacy
Instructional Plan Title/Focus: Exploring the Alphabet with Letter Awareness
Section 1: Planning for Instruction and Assessment
a. Instructional Plan Purpose: This instructional plan is designed to help students recognize
the letters in their names, gain a general awareness of letters in the alphabet, and develop an
understanding of the relationship between letter sounds and print. Students should come to an
understanding that letters can be used for many reasons and can be found in many places
(posters, signs, newspapers, phones, etc)
b. Alignment to State Learning Standards:
LITERACY.L.K.1.A: Print many upper and lowercase letters.
LITERACY.RF.K.1.D: Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
ELP Standard K.2:
An ELL can participate in short conversations, follow some rules for discussion, and respond to
simple yes/no and wh- questions.
c. Content Objectives:
SWBAT identify letters around the classroom on posters, signs, etc
SWBAT print many letters of the alphabet.
Language Objectives:
SWBAT recite some of the letters in their names.
d. Previous Learning Experiences:
In the first few weeks of classes, students have learned a variety of alphabet songs. Students
have listened to ABC books, participated in small letter hunt activities, and practiced writing the
letters in their names during morning work. Students have had a brief introduction to letters
and the alphabet, and have practiced writing a few words.
e. Planning for Student Learning Needs:
As explained previously, students have been briefly introduced to the alphabet in the weeks
prior to this activity. Students will be able to reflect on past learning experiences and life
experiences throughout this lesson to help further their learning. This lesson plan will be taught
in a variety of ways in order to reach all types of learners. Teaching will be done through
singing songs, reading books, class discussions, independent work, and hands-on activities. If
it is too hard for students to move around the classroom to complete their Alphabet Write the
Room worksheet, they will be given the option to use a clipboard or to sit at their table and fill
out their worksheet from there. It will also be addressed that English isnt the only language
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that uses letters, and that in fact all languages use some type of letters. I will briefly provide
some examples in Spanish and other languages to help students broaden their
understandings, and in order to reach ELL students. I would also allow students from different
cultures to share what they know about letters or how to say the alphabet in their language. If
students dont know how to say the alphabet in their language, I could also incorporate
YouTube videos or songs. Students will also observe cultural differences that the bears in the
Alphabear story have. Additional accommodations will be added as needed and seen fit.
f. Assessment Strategies (Informal and formal)
Content/Language Objectives
SWBAT identify letters around the
classroom on posters, signs, etc

Assessment Strategies
Formative: During the opening activities of this
lesson, students will participate in a class
discussion. Each student will have an opportunity to
share where they have seen letters and how they
know letters can be used. Each student will also
have an opportunity to point to the first letter of their
name on the alphabet word wall. During this activity,
I will use a checklist to keep track of student
understanding.
Summative: Students will be able to express their
understanding and show their learning by identifying
letters around the classroom on the Alphabet Write
the Room worksheet. This activity will be done
individually so I can gain a sense of which students
are aware of what letters, as well as what students
still need assistance.

SWBAT print many letters of the

alphabet.

Formative: Throughout the weeks prior to this

lesson, students have practiced writing their names,
short sentences, and certain letters of the alphabet.
Students will show their understanding through
small writing activities during small group activities.
Summative: Students will be able to express their
understanding and show their learning by identifying
letters around the classroom on the Alphabet Write
the Room worksheet. This activity will be done
individually so I can gain a sense of which students
are aware of what letters, as well as what students
still need assistance. Students will also have an
opportunity to show their ability to print letters during
the teddy bear worksheet (ex. A is for Audrey).

SWBAT recite some of the letters in

their names.

Formative: During this lesson, I will read a book

called Alphabears. I will explain to the students
that when I get to the part of the story that has the
first letter of their name, I want them to silently raise
their hand. Throughout the story, I will check to see
which students recognize the first letter of their
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name and which students were unsure. I will use an

alphabetical class list for this activity in order to
easily mark off each student who correctly
participates.
Summative: One at a time, each student will be
called up to the word-wall and will be asked to recite
the first letter of their name. Once the student has
stated the first letter of their name, they will point to
that letter on the word-wall. Then, they will place a
sticker with their name on it below the correct letter.
If a student identifies an incorrect letter, they will be
asked to sound out their name and try again. If this
doesnt work, the class will work together to identify
the letter.

g. Student Voice
K-12 students will be able to:

1. Explain student learning

targets and what is
required to meet them
(including why they are
important to learn).

2. Monitor their own learning

progress toward the
learning targets using the
tools provided (checklists,
rubrics, etc.).

Student-based evidence to be
collected (things produced by
students: journals, exit slips,
self-assessments, work
samples, projects, papers, etc.)
Before going into the lesson,
the student learning targets will
be explained the students. The
instructor will then check with
the students to make sure they
understand what their goal is.
Students will be asked to use
thumbs up, thumbs sideways,
or thumbs down to show their
understanding of the targets
and how to meet them.
There will be a number of
Write the room alphabet
activities done throughout the
following weeks to measure
student progress and show
improvement. Students will be
able to compare their original
worksheets to the ones
completed later on to monitor

Description of how
students will reflect on
their learning.
Individually, the instructor
will meet with each
student and discuss how
they are feeling in relation
to the learning targets.
Students will share what
they are understanding
and what they still need
help with.

After a number of different

write the room alphabet
activities have been
completed, students will
meet with the instructor to
go over their progress.
Students will be asked to
explain how they are
feeling about the
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3. Explain how to access

resources and additional
support when needed (and
how/why those resources
will help them).

their own learning progress

towards the targets.

alphabet.

Students will be asked to

verbally share how and where
they can find letters outside of
the classroom during day-today life. Each student will meet
with the instructor one-on-one
and explain why having letter
awareness is important.

During individual
discussions, students will
share how their
awareness of letters has
expanded and describe
the different places they
have seen letters used.

Grouping of Students for Instruction

-This activity is designed to offer different many grouping options depending on student needs.
Students will be taught as a whole class, given additional instructions in small table groups, and
will also have opportunities to work independently around the classroom and alone at their tables.
Each student will have an opportunity to work in these different settings both individually and with
classmates.
Section 2: Instruction and Engaging Students in Learning
1. Introduction:
I will begin the lesson by signing the ABC Rock song with students at the carpet. After the song
is over, we will discuss the alphabet and why it is important. Students will be asked to share
what they know about how people use letters every day. I will ask students if they think their
families use the alphabet at home to make connections to their personal lives. Students will
discuss how and when they have seen the alphabet used in their homes and day-to-day lives
to connect to the importance of letters and literacy.
2. Learning Activities:
o a) To begin this lesson, all of the students will be called to sit on the front carpet and asked
to sit quietly in their assigned spots.
b) Once everyone is sitting quietly at the carpet, we will sing the ABC Rock song. During
the song, I will point to each of the letters as they are sung so students will have a visual.
c) After singing the song, I will begin to ask students some of the questions listed below
about the alphabet. I will ask students what they know about the alphabet as well as why
they think it is import to know the alphabet (See the list of questions below).
d) After a brief discussion about the alphabet, I will introduce the book we will be reading,
Alphabears: An ABC Book. We will discuss what the book might be about before reading.
e) While reading the book, I will stop occasionally to point out the different features of the
book and ask students additional comprehension questions.
f) After reading the book, I will show the students the Alphabet Write the Room worksheet.
I will remind students of the letter hunt activity they previously did and explain how this one
will be different. I will then model how to use the Write the Room worksheet and discuss
the rules that should be followed while completing it.
g) Each student will get their own Write the Room worksheet and will be given about 5
minutes to walk around the room and search for different letters. During the activity, I will
call out the time so students are aware of how much time they have left to complete the
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activity and stay on task.

h) After providing adequate time, I will call my students back to the carpet with their
worksheets so we can review them as a class. I will allow some students to show their work
to others, and will briefly talk about upper and lower case letters. I will ask students to raise
their hands to share if they wrote down upper or lower case letters and how they know.
i) Then, students will be split up into their small groups to work on station activities. One of
the station activities, which I will be leading, will include students working on the teddy bear
name worksheet. During this activity, each student will fill in the sentence with their own
name and then color in the picture (Ex. A is for Audrey). Because we will be working in
small group stations for this activity, students will receive my individual attention and I will
be able to check for their understanding on the assignment.
Questions:
1. Does anyone know how many letters are in the alphabet? (26)
2. Raise your hand if you have the letter A in your name (B, C, etc)
3. Why is it important for us to learn the alphabet?
4. How do we use the letters in the alphabet?
5. Does anyone have a favorite teddy bear or stuffed animal at home? Does it have a
name? What letter does that name start with?
6. Comprehension questions throughout the book (e.g. What does Elsie the bear like to do?
Etc)
7. Can you point to where in the classroom you see the alphabet?
8. Where else do you see letters in this room?
9. Why is it important for us to learn all of the letters, not just some like the ones in our
names?
To involve students in this activity and get them actively listening and responding to
questions, I will be sure to ask questions that make them think. I will be sure to allow all
students enough time to think about the answers before they are given. I will also make
sure its understood that only students who are quietly raising their hands will be called on
to share their answers and experiences.
Most of this lesson will involve the students in active learning, although there will be some
elements of passive learning present. Student will learn actively through discussion, handson physical activities, and independent work. Students will also participate passively
through listening to the story, but will show understanding through raising their hands and
answering questions.
This lesson will be taught in a number of ways to provide students with multiple means of
access to the content. The lesson includes using music and singing, reading aloud a
childrens book, a classroom letter-hunt, and individual student worksheets. This lesson will
be taught in a variety of ways in order to reach all types of learners (songs, books,
discussion, independent work, hands-on activities).
The main ways that students can show their learning in this activity is through verbal
communication. Students will participate in a whole-class discussion, and will be called on
individually to answer questions and share their experiences. Students will also have an
opportunity to show their learning individually on their worksheets.
How the teacher candidate will assess the learning of the students (from table above)

3. Closure:
To bring closure to this lesson, we will end with a final class discussion. Students will have an
opportunity to show the class their Write the Room worksheet and share what letters they
have found. I will ask the group some of the same questions that were asked at the beginning
of the lesson and see if their answers have changed. For example, I will ask the students, why
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is it important for us to learn the alphabet? in order to check for understanding. I will also ask
the students where else they could do this activity and what types of places might have letters
at them (e.g. at home, daycare, the store, the library, etc..) Students should have a general
understanding of what letters look like, why they are important, and how they can be used.
4. Independent Practice:
To encourage independent practice outside of the classroom, I will ask the students to continue
hunting for letters throughout the day and when they are not in the classroom. To get families
involved, students could do their own alphabet hunt at home and have their parents help them.
Students could record a list of all the letters they find throughout their home and bring that list
back to school to share with their classmates. Parents could further expand on this letter hunt
activity by encouraging their children to look for letters in the different places that they go (ex.
church, the grocery store, the mall, movie theater, etc)
5. Instructional Materials, Resources, and Technology
-Alphabears: An ABC Book by Kathleen Hague
-ABC Rock song
-Alphabet Write the Room worksheet
-Alphabears Activity Guide
-Alphabet letter chart
-Teddy bear worksheet: ___ is for ______ (ex. A is for Audrey)
6. Acknowledgements:
This lesson plan was adapted from an activity designed by my cooperating teacher, Sue Conway.
Ideas were also gathered through the use of the book, Alphabears: An ABC Book by Kathleen
Hague and the attached activity guide.