UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan Template
Name: Haley Estabrook
Lesson Topic / Title: Vertebrates - Mammals
Lesson Date: Sept. 19 Lesson Length: 65 minutes Grade/Age: Fourth Grade
Learning Objectives & Content Standard Alignment - Selects, creates, and sequences learning
experiences and performance tasks that support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals based on
content standards.
Learning Objective(s)
(Student Friendly Learning Targets)
- I will be able to explain that mammals are
one of the five classification groups of
vertebrates.
- I will be able to list the traits of mammals.
Content Standard(s)
Maine Learning Results:
E1 Biodiversity Students compare living things
based on their behaviors, external features, and
environmental needs.
Grades 3-5 a. Describe how living things can be
sorted in many ways, depending on which features
or behaviors are used to sort them, and apply this
understanding to sort living things.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount
an experience in an organized manner, using
appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive
details to support main ideas or themes; speak
clearly at an understandable pace.
Program: Elementary Ed. Course: EDU 450
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
- The learning targets were selected to reflect
the goals of the lesson. In the previous
lesson, students were exposed to the five
different classifications. To continue
building on the previous lesson, students
will be diving into mammals, the first of the
five classifications.
- An expectation of this lesson is that
students will be familiar with the traits of
mammals and how those traits help
scientists categorize animals.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
- Students will be investigating the traits of
mammals and determining how scientists
classify mammals using those traits.
- Students will be looking specifically at
external features of mammals to become
familiar with what traits makes them
mammals.
- Students will also be practicing their
presentation skills during the lesson
warm-up activity. Students will be asked to
communicate effectively to their peers and
and make sure the ideas that they are
presenting are clear, relevant, and they are
speaking loudly and at an appropriate pace.
Assessment - Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner performance and
determines best supports for continued learner growth.
Assessment
The assessment in this lesson will be informal,
formative assessment. The teacher will be able to
gain a considerable amount of demonstration of
understanding from the students and observing
them as they work or listening in on group
conversations.
The classification notes on mammals will be
collected at the end of the unit along with the
graphic organizers for each vertebrate
classification.
Students will also be asked to do a quick exit ticket
to determine what students took away from the
lesson - Students will be asked to list traits of
mammals, one extra fact they learned, and one
question they might still have.
Instructional Materials and Resources - Stays current in content knowledge and expands expertise in
reviewing instructional materials from the perspectives of both the discipline and individual learner needs.
Materials, Resources, and/or Technology
- Laptop/Projector
- Google Slides presentation
- 5 pictures of mammals
- Vertebrate Vocabulary handout
- Classification Notes handout
- Marine Mammals book (incase questions
come up about humpback whale)
- Whiteboard/markers
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
- I chose to do a quick exit ticket for students
to check in and see what they retained from
the lesson and to determine what they may
need reviewed.
- Students will be held accountable for
quality work and note taking. Students
handwriting should be neat and legible. and
illustrations must be quality and have at
least 4 colors used.
- Another informal assessment in this
assessment is to look at what students dug
deeper with their thinking and came up with
a question on their exit ticket. This indicates
higher thinking to be aware of what an
individual may not know.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
- By using the projector, images, and videos,
students who are visual learners will be
supported as they are able to make
connections with the information to help
them in remembering the material.
- Students will also have note taking sheets
and graphic organizers to help guide them
through taking notes - many students in the
class would benefit from this pre-made
organization system that allows for them to
write down important information to use as
a resource later in the unit or for studying.
- Directions will be posted on the
presentation for some activities to scaffold
information for students who have difficulty
with multi-step directions. Students will be
able to refer to the directions if they are
confused.
Instructional Methods: Selects, creates, and sequences learning experiences and performance tasks by
using a variety of instructional approaches, strategies, and technologies that make learning accessible to
all learners and support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals.
Teaching and Learning Sequence Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
1) Open up Google Slides presentation.
Explain to students that today they will be
diving deep into studying mammals, one of
the 5 vertebrate classifications.
2) Go over expectations for the class - students
will be respectful while they are working in
groups (collaboration = allowing each
person at the table a chance to share their
thoughts - giving each person 5) also giving
5 while students are sharing out their
findings during the hook of the lesson.
3) Introduce the warm-up activity on the - Mammals include whale, zebra, dog,
slideshow. Hand out a picture of a mammal monkey, and moose.
to each group. Remind students that each
group member should be participating as
they create their list of observations about
the picture.
4) Students will come together as a whole - Students will come up to the front of the
group and share out their findings. What do room and present their observations.
all of these animals have in common? - Picture will be hung up on whiteboard.
a) This will lead into a discussion - Ask students Are whales mammals?! How
about the traits of mammals do we know?
(hair/fur, backbone, makes milk, - Share page 6 of Marine Mammals book to
warm-blooded, gives birth to live confirm that whales are mammals.
babies, breathes oxygen with
lungs)
5) After the discussion, students will watch the
video about mammals. While students are
watching the video, ask them to be thinking
about any words that they heard that they
did not know the definition of. During this After mammal video.
time Sparky and partner will hand out
Vocab. sheet to students and the class will - Remind students to put down their pencils
unpack and take notes on the following when they have finished writing the
words: Warm-blooded, adaptable, definition so teacher can see when to move
carnivore, herbivore, omnivore. to next word.
 6) Last activity is summarizing the information
that the students learned during the lesson
and making a resource sheet for them to
refer back to during the unit and studying
for the final assessment. Students will be
given the Mammal Classification Notes. For
this part of the lesson, the presentation will
be turned off, and students will go down to
the front of the room and sit on the floor to
brainstorm the traits that make Mammals
unique
a) Warm-blooded
b) Breathe with lungs
c) Hair/Fur
d) Feed babies with milk
e) Give birth to live young
Teacher will write down all of the traits, - Traits come from student brainstorm
then students will go back to their desks, (provide guiding questions if students are
complete the graphic organizer (words first, missing a trait or getting off topic).
then picture). Review expectations writing -
must be neat and easy to read and for
illustration - must have at least 4 colors and
be realistic.
7) Exit ticket. What traits make mammals unique?
What is one other fact that you learned?
Questions?
Meeting students needs (differentiation, Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
extensions, modifications, accommodations) - The reason I like to include movement and
- Team 3 and team 5 will need close different activities in my lessons is because
monitoring during the group work - as they the lesson is an hour long, so it is
struggle with collaboration sometimes. challenging for students to stay engaged in
- AMa will need close monitoring and their seats for that long. Providing
redirection while filling out worksheets. opportunities for students to stretch their
- Check in frequently with AH to ensure she legs may keep them more engaged.
is following directions correctly. - Students at teams 3 and 5 have a tendency
to dominate discussions, make sure that
Differentiation: each student is allowed the opportunity to
- Whole group instruction talk or they will not be learning from the
- Small group work activity.
- Independent work
 - Interactive presentation - Some individual students will need specific
- Video instruction, guidance to make sure that they are
- Guided note taking listening and producing quality work.
- Illustration
- Movement
- Student presentations

Field Course Only Post lesson

Reflection
During this lesson the students were engaged and excited to participate. The lesson was carefully planned
to meet the needs of the learners in the classroom as well as using the data from the vertebrate
pre-assessment to help support students to meet the learning objectives for the lesson.
The results of the exit ticket from the lesson are as follows:
- Three students exceeded the lesson objectives (by providing extra information).
- Six students met the lesson objectives.
- Eight students partially met the standard.
As I was assessing the student work, I was looking for a minimum of three traits listed about mammals.
When the exit ticket was given out to the students, I explained that they should be demonstrating their
understanding by including a minimum of three traits on their assessment. Looking back at this, I would
have included these instructions right on the exit ticket itself to make sure that all the students are able to
understand the directions. When looking at the question section of the exit ticket, I was looking for
students to extend their knowledge past just restating the facts that they learned during the lesson. The
students who came up with thoughtful questions indicated higher level thinking, and this resulted in those
students receiving an Exceeds. To meet the needs of the learners who received partially meets, I will
return to the exit tickets as well as the pre-assessment to learn what students are missing what
information. The students who received partially meets on their exit ticket were actively participating in
class, so I feel as though the students understand the material, they were just not able to recall it yet.
During independent time or a vertebrate review, I will meet in small groups with the students to make
sure they have all the necessary information to continue to succeed and do well on assessments.
If I were to teach this lesson again, I would make sure to keep the activities that the students completed
the same. The introduction asked students to make observations about different mammal pictures and
share it with their peers. The students really enjoyed being able to come up to the front of the class and
share out their findings. However, I did need to make an adjustment to this part of the lesson. Students
seemed to be missing the point of looking for traits in the pictures, they were focused on some other facts.
So while the students were presenting, I would ask guiding questions to allow the students to guide
students in the direction that I was looking for them to go in. I think that the students really enjoyed the
visuals in the mammal video as well. They were attentive and able to remember a lot of information from
the video.
If I were to do the lesson over, some things that I would change would be to make sure that I am being
consistent with the content specific vocabulary that I use. I switched between categories, classes,
classifications, characteristics, and traits. The words that I would have liked to use would be classification
and traits, as those are the words that I expect students to know. This includes using the vocabulary on my
exit ticket as well, exposing students to these words as often as possible.
Teaching Standards and Rationale
Standard 1:
Paraphrase: The teacher is able to demonstrate understanding of how students learn. The teacher
understands that each student learns and develops differently in cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional,
and physical areas. With that knowledge of individual learners, the teacher can create developmentally
appropriate and challenging classroom experiences.

Rationale: This lesson was developmentally appropriate for all learners in the classroom. When the lesson
was created, each learner in the classroom was taken into account. Students were asked to think about
what they knew during the beginning of the lesson and were given the opportunity to teach their peers.
The learning objectives for the lesson are age appropriate and ask the students to synthesize the
information delivered to them in the form of video presentation and lecture and demonstrate
understanding in their own words.

Standard 2:
Paraphrase: The teacher understands that each student learns differently and each student comes from a
diverse culture. The teacher applies that knowledge to create a classroom community that is an inclusive
learning environment.

Rationale: The lesson took into account the individual differences between learners in the classroom. The
students needs were a priority in creating this lesson, as students were encouraged to share prior
knowledge and what they learned from the lesson. Multiple styles of communication and discussion were
implemented into the lesson to provide an environment for students to feel comfortable in sharing their
thoughts. Students were able to demonstrate understanding in different ways, such as group and
independent work, and using writing and illustration.

Standard 3:
Paraphrase: The teacher works with learners in the classroom to foster a collaborative learning
environment that encourages positive interactions with peers, and actively engaged, self-motivated
learners.

Rationale: This lesson encourages positive social interaction because it validated students ideas. There
were opportunities for students present their knowledge about mammals and feel validated by their peers.
Because of this, the students were actively engaged in the material and most were willing to take risks
and share out their ideas. The teacher encouraged the safe, positive learning environment by reminding
students that is it crucial for them to collaborate effectively with their teams to provide each student with
equal opportunities to grow.
Standard 4:
Paraphrase: The teacher understands the material that is being delivered to students. The teacher creates
classroom experiences that allow learners to access and create meaningful connections to the material.

Rationale: The teacher demonstrated understanding the content being taught by using multiple
representations of the material that allows the learners to understand the skills that are being taught. In the
beginning of the lesson, the teacher encourages students to use inquiry as they are asked to make
observations and prepare to teach their knowledge to their peers, as well as have opportunities to share
out their new knowledge after they were presented with new information.

Standard 5:
Paraphrase: The teacher is able to connect concepts during instruction and engage students in deeper
thinking by using and encouraging different perspectives. The teacher creates a learning environment that
fosters critical and creative thinking, connecting material to local and global issues.

Rationale: This lesson uses innovative applications of content because students are asked to become
scientists and analyze different mammals. Students were asked to decide how such different animals
could all still be in the same classification. The teacher then helped students prove or disprove those
theories by providing them information in the form of an educational video clip. The video allowed
students to validate their theories and ideas by providing them with new information about mammals.

Standard 6:
Paraphrase: The teacher is able to apply multiple methods of assessment to aid students in becoming more
aware of the progress they are making. The teacher is able to analyze assessment data to inform planning
and instruction.

Rationale: The lesson implements different forms of assessment to monitor student understanding. The
teacher carefully observes and listens to student responses while they are brainstorming in small groups
during the lessons introduction. The teacher is also able to listen to many different answers from students
throughout the lesson to gain knowledge on student understand as well as misconceptions the students
may have. Students are also asked to self-assess at the end of the lesson to help them and the teacher
determine if they met the learning objectives for the lesson.

Standard 7:
Paraphase: The teacher draws upon multiple factors such as learner development, knowledge of content,
and pedagogy to develop lessons that supports and challenges each learner in the classroom.

Rationale: This lesson was carefully planned out to help students meet their learning objectives. Students
were given supports such as handouts, discussions, visual aids (video), and guided note taking to allow
them to learn the material and meet the learning objectives. The lesson was appropriately sequenced to
slowly introduce the material to students in a way that is developmentally appropriate - calling on prior
knowledge, learning new information, and synthesizing the new information into the students own
words.

Standard 8:
Paraphrase: The teacher is able to implement multiple instructional strategies to promote deep
understanding of content and material by helping students create connections and build skills to access
and apply information.

Rationale: The teacher implements many different teaching and instructional styles into the lesson to
encourage learners to develop a deep understanding of the material. Examples of the different
instructional strategies implemented in the lesson are: Whole group instruction, small group work,
independent work, interactive presentation, video instruction, guided note taking, illustration, movement,
and student presentations.

Standard 9:
Paraphrase: The teacher is a reflective practitioner that is always evaluating their teaching practice and
interactions with individuals. The teacher is continuously seeking opportunities improve their practice to
meet the needs of their learners.

Rationale: The teacher demonstrates reflection and continuous growth in this lesson by sitting down after
the lesson is taught and analyzing student assessment data, student participation, and instructional
practices. The teacher thinks about what went well during the lesson that helped the students meet the
learning goals, and what could be changed in the future to allow students to be more successful in
meeting their learning objectives.

Standard 10:
Paraphrase: The teacher finds opportunities to take on leadership roles and opportunities to take
responsibility for student learning. The teacher collaborates with students, parents, community members,
and other professionals to advance the profession and foster learner growth.

Rationale: In this lesson, the teacher demonstrated collaboration by meeting with their mentor teacher to
ensure that the lesson was meeting the needs of all the learners in the classroom. This allowed the teacher
to effectively differentiate the lesson and develop strategies that allowed the teacher to meet the needs of
all the learners in the classroom and encourage achievement. The teacher also met with a supervising
instructor to discuss what went well and what could improve for the next lesson. By collaborating with
professions, the teacher is able to receive helpful feedback to improve their practice.
ISTE 11.2:
Paraphrase: The teacher designs, develops, and evaluates learning experiences and assessments using
technology to maximize content learning.

Rationale: Technology was implemented to create and plan this lesson. Technology was also used during
instruction to provide students with visuals throughout the lesson in the form of a presentation, as well as
a video about mammals.