Lesson Plan: Learning is a Journey

Concept/Skill/Theme:
Duration: 1 hour
Reading/Writing
Grade Level: First
Monday- Week One
Objectives-Goals:
The teacher will orient students to classroom and classroom theme.
Students will introduce themselves and share experiences about travel or places
students want to go.
The students will hear a story, Oh, The Places Youll Go by Dr. Suess.
The teacher will start a discussion about the story, recalling events, and relating to
previous discussion
Next, students will construct passports for their learning journey and decide which
place to go first (not all students have to choose the same place)
Next Generation Sunshine Standards: (Floridastandards.org)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2 Retell stories, including key details, and
demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they
name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of
closure.
Concept Planning/Scaffolding:
Since this is the first day of the first week of school, there is little that I will already
know about my students. The passport project will be used to gather data about
student abilities.
Students that choose to go to a place visited in the past will already be exercising
prior knowledge, while those without travel experiences will require the teacher to
teach some background information.
The teacher could accommodate for lack of travel experience by providing pictures
and books about travel locations around the world. Likely, students that did not
initially pick a place will choose one from these books and pictures.
Since this is the first project of the week, I want the passports done individually.
These passports will serve as a learning journal as well as a portfolio throughout the
week, so it is important that this particular task be done individually.
Inside the passport, in addition to adding their name, their photo and their first
destination, the students will write an explanation of why they want to go to that
place.
The learning passports will be collected at the end of each day for review by the
teacher to gain valuable information about the students interests and writing skills.
Teaching Materials and
Teacher Resources:
http://www.proteacher.org/a/57606_Travel/Adventure_T
Props (including technology
heme.html
being used):
Book: Oh, The Places
Youll Go by Dr. Suess
Atlas, map, globe

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/1
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/1

Lesson Plan: Learning is a Journey

Thumbtacks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQRWeZy-S8Q
Books about travel
http://www.ehow.com/info_12051561_travelthemeddestinations
Internet (websites)
lesson-plans.html
White Board (+markers)
Notebooks (labeled as
Webbs Depth of Knowledge Levels
Learning Passports)
A real passport
Polaroid Camera (+ film)
Glue
Lesson Steps/Procedure: (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate)
Teacher will introduce children to the classroom and classroom theme during
morning meeting on the first day of school. (Welcome to Reynolds Airways: Where
Learning Takes Flight!)
The icebreaker (warm-up) activity is to go around in a circle and share our name,
where we are from, and one place we have been or want to go someday.
In order for the children to gain a sense of location, the teacher will place a
thumbtack in the given places, demonstrating the distance between the new place
and our community.
Next, the teacher will read story Oh, The Places Youll Go
The students will demonstrate understanding of book by recalling key details during
the post-discussion. The teacher will prompt the students to relate the story to the
previous discussion.
Questions to ask Raise your hand if you liked this story. What did you like about
it? Does is make you want to go places? What places?
The teacher will write student responses on the whiteboard.
Examples:
Australia (Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House)
China (The Great Wall)
Italy
Africa (Safari)
Costa Rica (Rainforest)
Once all students have chosen a destination, the teacher will pass out the
notebooks labeled as Learning Passports (teach children what passports are, show
them a real one)
Teacher will instruct students to leave a space to add a picture and have them write
their full name on the first page. On the second page, students will write the name
of the destination they wish to go the most as well as an explanation of why they
want to go there.
Books about all these places will be provided in classroom library as well as a

Lesson Plan: Learning is a Journey

selected list of appropriate websites. The first assignment is an opinion piece and
does not require research but will be available to those that need or want it.
While students are working, the teacher will go around and briefly meet with each
student, monitor progress and take a picture with the polaroid for the student to add
to the passport.
Once all students complete the first entry, the teacher will have students gather in
circle area to have a discussion. Each student gets a chance to share journal entry.
Teacher will require audience to ask presenter at least one question or comment.
Once all students have shared, the teacher will close the discussion by allowing
children to use restroom, put things away, then quietly return to assigned seats to
await instructions of next activity.
Teacher will conduct informal formative assessments through observations and
interactions with students during activity and discussions.
Adaptations (special needs, ESOL, etc.):
Since this activity is primarily an opinion piece, children will all have an equal
opportunity to engage in the task. Students without travel experience can talk about
places they wish to go. If students do not know of places to go, the teacher will
provide pictures, brochures, books, and websites to help them choose.
Since this is the first project of the week, I want the passports done individually.
These passports will serve as a learning journal as well as a portfolio throughout the
year, so it is important that this particular task be done individually to ensure I am
able to accurately assess and record each students individual work.
Higher Order Thinking Questions:
Where do you want to go? Why do you want to go to a particular place?
Critique a peer presentation either with a compliment, comment, or question.
Can you predict what the weather would be like? Would it be like Florida weather?
Why or why not?
Gardners Intelligences Covered:
Naturalist, Interpersonal, Kinesthetic, Verbal, Intrapersonal, Visual
Types of Assessments:
This being the first assignment of the year, formative assessments would be the
most appropriate way to gain information to understand the abilities and interests of
my students.
During the discussions, I will have a matrix with every students name. Depending
on each students interaction during discussions, I will denote a Q for quiet; P for
participated some; and an A for active participation.
Follow-up Activities:
Home Connection:
Further research can be
Digital reading of book, Oh, The Places Youll Go can
conducted by accessing
be accessed on classroom wiki.
provided websites,
http://learning-is-a-journey.wikispaces.com/
brochures, pictures, and

Lesson Plan: Learning is a Journey

books.

Also, a list of websites and books about traveling are

provided on classroom wiki and can be accessed at
home.

Students that finish early

will have a choice to draw
a picture in the passport
Encourage students to bring in photos from family
relating to the entry, read vacations or just a family photo, which can be attached
a book, or do research on
to a photo of a travel destination.
the internet.
Self-Assessment and Reflection: