Indiana Wesleyan University

Elementary Education Lesson Plan

Danielle Witkowski

Unit Big Idea: Teamwork Makes It Work

Lesson Rationale:
In this lesson, students will explore non-fiction text features in short texts to help prepare
them to navigate longer, deeper non-fiction texts with similar features. Non-fiction text features
become more complex as the students read more advanced texts so, by having a strong
foundation and early exposure, students can glean the maximum amount of information possible
from a text.

Readiness
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal:
1. Students will identify and use text features in a non-fiction text.
2. Students will read, spell and put into a sentence their spelling words.
3. Students will decode high frequency 3rd grade words.
B. Objectives:
1. Given a non-fiction text, the student will identify two text features.
2. Given a grade level high frequency word, the student will read the word
correctly.
3. Given a word, the student will read the word and use it in a sentence.
4. Given a word, the student will spell the word using scrabble tiles.

C. Standard:
o 3.RN.3.1 Apply knowledge of text features to locate information and gain
meaning from a text (e.g., maps, illustrations, charts, font/format).
o 3.RF.4.6 Read multi-syllabic words composed of roots and related
prefixes and suffixes; read irregular contractions (e.g., will not = won’t)
and possessives (e.g., children’s, Dennis’s).
II. Management
Materials:
 Post-it notes
 Jiffy box mixes
 A Hidden Message Text (x5)
 Wash and Dry Text (x5)
 Popsicle sticks with high-frequency words written on them
o Popsicle sticks with green writing = 2nd grade high frequency words
o Popsicle sticks with blue writing = 3rd grade high frequency words
 Scrabble tiles (separated into 4 ziploc bags)
 Timer
 Groups on powerpoint
 Time per element:
 Anticipatory Set – 5 minute
 Instruction – 25 minutes
 Assessment/Closure – 5 minutes
Space:
The students will start at their seats. They will transition to the workstations
around the room. The workstations include two elbow tables and varied floor
spots.

Behavior:
The classroom utilizes a system of a clip chart. When the student demonstrates an
inappropriate behavior, first the student is given a warning. Next the student will
clip down on the chart. The first clip down is a warning and they lose 1
Classroom Dojo point. The second clip down is spending recess in study hall and
losing 2 Classroom Dojo points. The third and final clip down is a call home
and/or being sent to the office. If a student demonstrates positive behavior, they
can be moved up the chart earning 1, then 3 then 5 points.

Groups:

Guided Reading Partner Spelling High-Frequency

Scrabble Kaboom
Rotation 1 Jaeci Karter Khloe
Laney Keagan Laila
Triden Gabe Raegan
Libby Harlei Aliyana
Kipton Ayriah Joseph
Raider Corbin
Wheatley
Bently
Rotation 2 Harlei Khloe Karter
Ayriah Laila Keagan
Bently Raegan Gabe
Raider Aliyana Jaeci
Wheatly Joseph Libby
Triden Laney
Kipton
Corbin

III. Anticipatory Set

 “Each of you have a post-it on your desk. On your post it, I want you to write
something you have to have more than one person to do. It can be a game, a sport,
a job, anything! When you have something written, come up and put it on the
white board.” Allow 2 minutes for students to complete this task. Read out loud a
few of the post-its on the board.
  “What would happen if only one person tried to do one of these games?” Allow
time for student response.
 “Sometimes we need to work together to get a project done.”
 On the board write: “Teamwork makes it work”

IV. Purpose Statement: “Today we are going to work together at different work centers to help
each other become better readers and writers.”

Plan for Instruction

V. Adaptation to Diverse Students
 Four students in the class (H, G, KA, and M) have ADHD so I need to keep them actively
engaged by using short texts, ongoing conversations, higher level questioning, and peer
interactions and communication. I am also having the students work continually with a
partner or small group so they will have the support of their peers.
 KY is an ELL student, so I accommodated him by providing many ways to communicate
the information, written and oral, as well as manipulatives such as the Kaboom popsicle
sticks and the scrabble pieces. I am also having the students work continually with a
partner or small group so he will have the support of their peers.

VI. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

 “We are going to be working at 3 different workstations today. There will be a station
with me, a scrabble spelling word around the room and a team Kaboom on the carpet.
There are directions at each station but I am also going to explain them now too. At the
back table there are ziplock bags of scrabble tiles. You and a partner will grab your red
folder with your spelling lists, a pack of the scrabble tiles, and a place in the room. Then,
you are going to decide who will be the reader and who will be the speller first. You will
each a have a turn with each role. Let’s say Raider and I are partners. If I am the reader
first, I would tell Raider the first word and then make up a sentence that goes with it. For
example, one of our spelling words from a few weeks ago was receive. I would tell
Raider, ‘receive. Lots of people like to receive gifts on their birthday.’ Next, Raider will
spell the word receive with his scrabble tiles. If he gets it right, we move onto the next
word and do the same thing. However, if Raider gets it wrong, I would help him fix his
mistake and we would move onto the next word. After you finish all of the words switch
roles. If you finish before the timer goes off, pick 5 words
 “The other workstation you are going to do is a version of Kaboom. This will happen at
the carpet. You have all played Kaboom before but this time you’re going to do it in
partners. You will each have your turn but you and your partner will put your sticks into
one pile. If you pick up a stick you can’t quite get, your partner can help you and it can
still go into your team’s pile. However, if one of you gets a kaboom, the whole pile goes
back into the cup. The first team to get 15 popsicle sticks wins. You will play 2 games
with the green sticks then you will switch to the blue sticks and play as many games as
you can with the time you have left.”
 “Look up at the screen to see where you go for rotation 1. Does anyone have any
questions?”
 Transition to stations (15 minutes each station)
o Station with me
 Group 1 – A Hidden Message
 Have students in partners explore and list the different kinds of
text they can find on the jiffy boxes.
o What kinds of information do these boxes have on
them?
o Why do they have the different sections on the box?
 “What would happen if we got rid of one of the steps in the
directions to make it?” Allow time for student response. “When
we are writing about a process or giving someone directions, we
are going to write and talk differently than we normally would.”
 “We are going to read a text that gives us instructions and I want
you to look for how this is set up differently. Read the entire text
silently to yourself, if you get stuck on a word skip it and read the
rest of the sentence then go back and try to figure it out. If you
still can’t figure it out, ask a shoulder partner. If the two of you
still can’t get it then raise your hand. I will be back in just a few
minutes.”
 Give 5 minutes for students to read entire text to self.
 As the students read, I will float around the room and monitor the
stations, students’ conversations, and answer any questions.
 After 4-5 minutes, I will return back to my small group table or
sooner if I notice my guided reading group is finished with their
reading.
 Responding
o “What is this text about?”
o “What sticks out to you in this text? Why?”
o “What did the author do to make sure these things stood
out to you?”
o “Now that we have read this piece and talked about the
way it was structured such as the bolded words and
numbered steps, what would happen if some of the
steps were out of order?”
o “Authors use different layouts for their writing
depending on what they think is important and often
add in extras to give us more information. The author
gave us a procedure or direction to follow to help us
achieve a goal or complete a task. If we did the steps
out of order we might not get the outcome that we want.
Maps, pictures, charts, and words in bold tell us the
information was so important the author wanted to
make sure we noticed it. For example, the author used
bold words to grab our attention to tell us what this text
 is about and gave us the subheadings, the parts that
break up the text into different sections.”

 Exploring
o “Now, let’s go back to the text and see if we can find
subheading and different ways the author broke up the
text” Have each students work in partners to name 2
places the author used non-fiction text features.
o “Looking back at the text, how much baking soda and
water would we need? What would happen if we used
more water?”
o “What would happen if you did step 2 last?”
o “Let’s go back to our baking mixes, what would happen
if you didn’t do these steps in the order it said or I
didn’t have any eggs so I decided I didn’t need to use
it? How would this change my result?”
 Applying
o “Now that we know authors use pictures, bold words,
subheadings, and text format to help us read, we can
look for these things in other texts we read to help us
deeper understand what the author thinks is important
and what the text is about.

 Group 2 – Wash and Dry

 Give the students approximately 2 minutes to explore in partners
and list the different kinds of text they can find on the jiffy boxes
(i.e. title/what is it?, ingredients list, directions, nutrition facts)
o What kinds of information do these boxes have on
them?
o Why do they have the different sections on the box?
 “What would happen if we got rid of one of the steps in the
directions to make it?” Allow time for student response. “When
we are writing about a process or giving someone directions, we
are going to write and talk differently than we normally would.”
 “We are going to read a text that gives us instructions and I want
you to look for how this is set up differently. Read the entire text
silently to yourself, if you get stuck on a word skip it and read the
rest of the sentence then go back and try to figure it out. If you
still can’t figure it out, ask a shoulder partner. If the two of you
still can’t get it then raise your hand. I will be back in just a few
minutes.”
 Give 5 minutes for students to read entire text to self.
 As the students read, I will float around the room and monitor the
stations, students’ conversations, and answer any questions.
 After 4-5 minutes, I will return back to my small group table or
sooner if I notice my guided reading group is finished with their
reading.
 Responding
o “What is this text about?”
o “How is this text set up differently than other texts
we’ve read?”
o “What sticks out to you in this text? Why?”
o “What did the author do to make sure these things stood
out to you?”
o “Now that we have read this piece and talked about the
way it was structured such as the bolded words and
numbered steps, what would happen if some of the
steps were out of order?”
o “Authors use different layouts for their writing
depending on what they think is important and often
add in extras to give us more information. The author
gave us a procedure or directions to follow to help us
achieve a goal or complete a task. If we did the steps
out of order, we might not get the outcome that we
want. Maps, pictures, charts, and words in bold tell us
the information was so important the author wanted to
make sure we noticed it. For example, the author used
bold words to grab our attention to tell us what this text
is about and gave us the subheadings, the parts that
break up the text into different sections. The author also
included the price list box or sidebar to give us more
information that the text did not tell us.”

 Exploring
o “Now, let’s go back to the text and see if we can find
subheading and different ways the author broke up the
text” Have each students work in partners to name 2
places the author used non-fiction text features.
o “Looking back at the text, how much money would we
need if we wanted to dry four loads of laundry for 10
minutes?”
o “What would happen if you skilled step 2 in wash?”
o “Let’s go back to our baking mixes, what would happen
if you didn’t do these steps in the order it said or I
didn’t have any eggs so I decided I didn’t need to use
it? How would this change my result?”

 Applying
o “Now that we know authors use pictures, bold words,
subheadings, and text format to help us read, we can
 look for these things in other texts we read to help us
deeper understand what the author thinks is important
and what the text is about.

o Kaboom game with 2nd and 3rd grade high frequency words (full
explanation above).
 Play 1 round of green (2nd grade) words
 Each team will add 2 new words and then play green words again.
 Mrs. Armstrong will be there to assist with spelling and writing if
necessary.
 Play as many rounds of blue (3rd grade) words as time allows
o Scrabble tiles for spelling words (full explanation above)
 Partner 1 says the word and then uses the word into a sentence
 Partner 2 uses scrabble tiles to spell the word
 Partner 1 checks and corrects
 Once both partners have gone thru all the spelling words, students will
pick 5 words and name synonyms for them and pick 5 words and name
antonyms.
 Transition
o The timer will be on the board counting down from 15 minutes for each
station. When it goes off, I will instruct the students I am starting the 2
minute clean up timer and to clean up their stations and be at their seats
ready to switch.
 After the students have completed their last rotation, I will set the 2 minute clean
up timer again and have them be back to their seats by the time it goes off.

VII. Check for Understanding

 Partner Shout Outs
o “Raise your hand if a partner helped you when you were stuck on a word.” Ask
specific students to share what happened.
o “What is something a partner or teammate helped you with today?”
 “What is something you enjoyed doing or learned today?”
 “What is something you wish we could have done differently?”

VIII. Review Learning Outcomes/Closure

 “Now we are going to move into Read with Someone or Read to Self. Remember, if you
still have AR tests to take this week, make sure you are reading an AR book so you can
take your tests and get your points!”

Plan for Assessment

 Formative
o During the first few minutes of each station I will float around the room to listen
to conversations, observe interactions and answer questions.
o I will assess through a variety of higher level questioning throughout the guided
reading groups.
o Students will report something they learned during the stations in the closure.
Reflection and Post-Lesson Analysis
1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
Yes. In my guided reading lesson my students were engaged and grasping the
material as well as positively working with one another, helping eachother. In the other
stations, my other students were productive, working hard together and my teacher also
reported that when she was running the Kaboom station the students were encouraging,
reading many of the words fluently and helping their teammates without giving them the
answer.
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
When teaching today, I felt my students respected me and were responsive to my
directions and were also actively engaged. I also used the mix boxes to have the students
make connections into their own lives and this is something they really seemed to engage
with and enjoy exploring and analyzing. For my next lesson, I want to push the real-
world connections and really have them make real-world connections in every station. I
also need to keep in mind for all lessons to monitor the pace of my speech even though I
think it improved today I still need to actively remember this correction. I also going
forward could brainstorm and improve how I hold students accountable for what they
have done and learned in the lesson through exit slips or more in-depth closure
conversation.
3. How should I alter this lesson?
I could alter this lesson by creating differentiated lessons for every reading level
in the class and teaching it over a period of two days to really focus on individual student
needs and keep each student accountable for their work in class. I could also alter this
lesson by asking the students more in depth questions in the closure to further assess what
they learned through the stations today.
4. How would I pace it differently?
If I were in my own classroom, I would rotate 3 times each day meeting in small
groups of 3-4 students for 15 minutes to really target students and use the same stations
but tiering them throughout the week as I think few students got past the first group of
sticks or the beginning part of the spelling station. I would break the stations up over
several days based on what my students accomplished today in 15 minutes.
5. Were all my students actively participating? If not, why not?
Yes! They all seemed to be actively engaged especially at my station. They loved
exploring the baking mixes and made connections between the text and the mixes. I was
also monitoring the other stations and at some points a few students became discouraged
or off task but were soon back on track and participating. I think there was enough for the
students to do and engage with at the station they were also enjoying the station and
having fun working together.
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
I adjusted my own guided reading lessons by using different texts even though I
taught the same topic and used the same anticipatory set. This differentiation allows the
students to grasp the concept at a pace and reading level they felt confident. I also
differentiated by having hands on activities such as the spelling scrabble, allowing
students to physically manipulate the letters as well as the kaboom where the students
were moving and grabbing sticks as well as cooperatively working together. The Kaboom
 sticks were also differentiated as I created two sets, 2nd grade high-frequency words and
3rd grade high-frequency words.
7. How could I strengthen my anticipatory set?
I could strengthen my anticipatory set by creating a more in-depth activity that
would push my students to think more critically and activate prior knowledge that would
be applicable in today’s lesson. One idea would be having students play a game or take
part in a team building activity that forced them to work together to get the job done and
then reflect on the activity before starting our stations.
8. How could I pre-correct behavior better?
I could pre-correct behavior by keeping a better eye on a few students who tend to
get off track, noticing their behavior earlier and reducing the amount of time they are off-
track. I also think I should reduce the amount of activities at the spelling scrabble station
as I think a few students became overwhelmed by what they had to do so a few shut
down so spreading that station and building it up over a few days could be less
overwhelming and would give students more confidence in the individual tasks.
9. How could I further the students’ knowledge and comprehension of their spelling words?
I could further my students’ knowledge and comprehension of their spelling
words by further using them in context such as writing a story with 5 of them or having
them write letters back and forth to one another using a few of their words.
10. From my formative assessment during the lesson, where would I go next with each
group?
I think both groups did well with the content. Both groups could definitely use
more practice identifying the features so they could both benefit from extending this
lesson. I would plan to bring in a different, more complex text with more non-text
features and seeing if the students can make the connection between both texts and other
real-life objects that have procedures or directions for the students to practice and work
with.
SPELLING WORD SCRABBLE
1. Pick a partner.
2. Make sure you have your spelling word sheet (in your red
folder) and a set of scrabble letters.
3. Pick who will be the reader and who will be the speller first
4. The reader will read the first spelling word and then make up
and say a sentence that has the word in it.
5. The speller will spell the word using scrabble tiles.
 6. The reader will check the spelling and help the speller correct
the word if needed.
7. Pick 5 words and find a word that is an antonym or means the
opposite such as bad and good.
8. Pick 5 words and find a word that is the synonym or has the
same meaning such as big and large.

TEAM KABOOM
1. Find a partner/teammate.
2. When you draw a stick, read the word on the stick. If you
read it incorrectly, only your teammate can help you but no
one from another team.
3. If you get it right on your own or your teammate helps you
get it right, the stick goes in your team’s pile.
4. If you get it wrong it goes back into the cup.
5. If you pull a “kaboom!”, your whole team’s pile goes back
into the cup.
6. The first team with 15 sticks wins!
7. Play one round with the first group of popsicle sticks (green
writing). After the first round, each time gets two popsicle
sticks to write a word on and add it to the cup.
8. After, play as many rounds as you can with the second group
of popsicle sticks (blue writing).