UNLV/Department of Teaching & Learning

Elementary Lesson Plan Template

UNLV Student:
Lesson Plan Title:
Date:
Grade Level:

Nicole Truex
Context Clues
05/25/16
5th

PSMT Name:
Lesson Plan Topic:
Estimated Time:
School Site:

Jaycee Troncoso
Reading
45 minutes
Forbuss Elementary

1. State Standard(s): RI.5.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific
words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
R.CCR.4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical,
connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or
tone.
2. Teaching Model(s): Direct Instruction
3. Objective(s): SWBAT know the meaning of an unfamiliar word may be signaled by a
cause/effect relationship between ideas.
SWBAT identify key words in a text that may provide clues as to meaning of an unknown word.
4. Materials and Technology Resources:
SmartBoard
Reading Journals
Pencils
Worksheets (x2 for 30 students)
Whiteboards & markers (Extension Only)
Lemov Strategies: On Your Mark, Post It, Exit Ticket
5. Instructional Procedures:
a. Motivation/Engagement (8 min):
1. TW go over CHAMPS expectations with students (On Your Mark This Lemov
strategy is used to show students how to prepare for a lesson to
begin and expect them to do so every day. TW ask students to define
context clues. TW call on students by drawing sticks. TW remind students that
some authors "leak" information on the page and that it sometimes requires
detective work to "solve" word meanings. TW remind students also that
context clues are helpful for learning new words and better understanding
what they read. (5 min)

2. TW play the video Night of the Context Clues. (3 min)

a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b75vli9XF6o
b .Developmental Activities or Learning Experiences (27 min):
1. TW write the sentence Billys reply was incoherent on the board. SW work with
shoulder partners and try to figure out what the word incoherent means just based
on the information given. (Note: not enough information is given in the sentence
to determine meaning. Students will be given only 30 seconds to discuss, as they
do not have enough information yet.) (2 min)
2. TW change the sentence to "Due to a severe lack of sleep and extreme
nervousness, Billy's reply was incoherent." TW give students 1 minute to discuss
with shoulder partners about what the word means, and why it was easier to
determine meaning when given the second sentence. TW call on students to
answer by drawing sticks. (5 min)
3. TW present chart with the 5 steps to figuring out unknown words using context
clues. (Post-It This Lemov strategy is used during this part of the lesson, as well
before the lesson began by writing the objective on the board.) This is called
LPR3. The 5 steps are:
Look-before, at, and after the new word
Predict-quickly predict the word's meaning, remembering that a wrong prediction
is often a good start
Reason-think more carefully about the word's meaning, trying to be as precise as
the context clues permit
Resolve-recognize that you may need to take other steps (e.g., look it up, ask
someone)
Redo-go through the steps again if necessary
TW go over the chart to clarify steps students may not understand. TW explain
that students can use this chart when they get stuck on figuring out what a word
means, but they do not have to use it for every word. TW tell students they will
have the opportunity to try out this new method, because we are all going to
figure out context clues from the story The Secret Garden as a class. (5 min)
4. TW pass out worksheet #1, with the passage from The Secret Garden. TW call
on students to read paragraph by paragraph. After each paragraph, TW ask
students to raise their hand and tell me if there are any words that they think we
might need to use context clues in order to figure out the meaning. Once the entire
passage has been read, TW direct focus to the bottom of the worksheet, with the
word bank. Students will go back into the text and see if they found all of the
words that we need to use context clues to figure out. (If there were words
identified as ones we dont know, but they are not at the bottom, TW go back to
these words at the end of the worksheet.) TW ask students (will draw sticks if
necessary) to use the LPR3 method to figure out the meaning of the words in the
word bank. TW ask some students to take me through the process of solving word
meanings using context clues. Once worksheet has been completed, TW call on
students to give her their own definition of what some of the words in the word
bank mean, now that we know their meanings. TW collect papers from number
2s from each table. (15 min)
c. Closure (10 min):

1. TW pass out half sheets of lined paper for Exit Ticket. TW ask students to write
3-2-1: 3 things they learned, 2 questions they have, and 1 thing you liked. This
will let me know whether or not they understood my lesson, and it will also give
me feedback on what they still want/need to know about context clues. SW turn in
exit tickets to back turn in basket, and pick up the homework when they are up. (6
min)
2. TW briefly go over homework with students. Students can ask questions about the
homework at this time. We will do #1 as a class, but the rest are for homework. (4
min).
d. Extension:
1. TW write sentences on the board. TW ask students to use context clues from the
sentence to determine the meaning of the underlined word. SW write their
answers on their whiteboards and hold up their answers. This game could go on
for as long as necessary. Below are some example sentences.
a. After working a double shift, Charlie was exhausted.
b. Her eyes were fixated upon the shiny silver shoes.
c. She was an optimistic, charmingly loquacious teenager, who could talk on
the phone for hours at a time.
d. The vixen was not as fortunate as her mate, and was caught in the steeljawed trap set by the hunters.
6. Accommodations, Modifications and Differentiations for Diverse Learners:
All students will be asked to participate in this lesson. Some students (determined by the
teacher) may answer questions verbally instead of completing the worksheet. Students
who have trouble hearing or seeing are free to move around the room throughout the
lesson in order to best understand this lesson. The teacher will determine who to call on
for reading out loud, and will not ask anyone with an IEP who is uncomfortable reading
out loud to do so.
7. Assessment and Evaluation of Learning:
a. Formative: TW observe students during lesson, and try and call on as many students as
possible during whole group instruction. TW check exit tickets for 3 things students
learned, and that will serve as the formative assessment for this lesson.
b. Summative: No summative assessment will take place immediately following this
lesson, however there will be an overarching assessment dealing with context clues later
in the year.
8. Homework Assignment: I have attached a homework assignment labeled worksheet #2.
This homework in particular is easy enough that they shouldnt get too frustrated and Google it.
My intention with this homework is to reiterate the steps we discussed during the lesson to help
us solve word meanings.
9. Reflection:

a. Strengths: This was by far my most successful lesson thus far. I am finally beginning to
feel comfortable and confident in front of the students. I am learning strategies that really
work well for me in this specific classroom. I am not sure if these methods will prove to
work in my future classes, but right now I am just focusing on the present and it is going
really well!
b. Concerns: The content might have been a little too easy for some of my higher level
students, but this was meant as a review so I think that the content was still appropriate. I
would give the students who finish early the option to begin working on their homework
while others are finishing, allowing students extra practice during school hours.
c. Insights: CHAMPS definitely works for me, and I am going to try and integrate it into
many of my future lessons. I like how the students can be held more accountable when
CHAMPS is discussed prior to the lesson.