Teaching for Learning Lesson Plan

Title: Whodunit? Content Area: Reading Mysteries

Teacher Name: Danielle Perez Grade Level: 3rd Grade
OVERARCHING GOALS FOR THE LESSON LESSON OBJECTIVES AND STANDARDS

This lesson will introduce mysteries to the students and help Reading - Literary Text
them learn to identify the mystery and who the crime solver is
Meaning and Context
by using clues.
RL - Standard 5: Determine meaning and
develop logical interpretations by making
predictions, inferring, drawing conclusions,
analyzing, synthesizing, providing evidence, and
investigating multiple interpretations.

RL - 5.1 Ask and answer literal and inferential

questions to determine meaning; refer explicitly to
the text to support inferences and conclusions

IMPORTANT CONTENT CONNECTION: Students have been reading different types of books and have talked about
different genres.
MATERIALS.

USC ID, Book Mission envelope, Welcome Detectives letter, Detective Mission letters, Mystery Book (The Missing Flags), Pencils, Chart paper, Sticky Notes.

Components of the lesson. Anticipated Student Teaching notes Evidence

Responses of
learning.
LINK PRIOR KNOWLEDGE. I expect the students to 4.0 Rubric: The students
be able to relate have been
“Readers! I know you all have been reading all types of - MOTIVATING STUDENTS:
mystery books to real reading all
books and I’m sure you have even read some books that - Organized content in a way that relates lesson to
life situations and how year and have
would fall under the mystery genre!” students in real life situations (relevant) and how to
solving mysteries in been
I will pause and feel for my USC ID, but it won’t be real life is similar to compare it to mystery books. Intellectually engaging introduced to
around my neck. I will then start to frantically look solving mysteries in by having the students think about how to solve the different
around where I am standing. I will inform the students books. mystery during the lost ID example. genres. I
of my problem. expect them to
- Engaging – students had to help solve a mystery,
“I know it’s time for me to teach all of you a lesson, but I which related to the lesson. be able to link
have a big problem! I have lost my ID! I need your help. If students are prior readings
Can you guys help me?” confused I can directly - Devolved learning experience by the “lost ID” and life
point out from my example, which peaked student curiosity and situations to
Students should respond by saying yes to helping me. exploration. the mystery
demonstration what
“Okay great! So how will we solve this mystery? Turn to a they mystery was and genre.
- Rewards efforts by thanking the students for
partner and tell them an idea on what we should do first.” who the crime solvers giving great clue finding ideas and helping solve the Students
were. mystery. should be able
After a few seconds of letting them discuss ideas I will
bring their attention back to the front. to identify the
QUESTIONING: similarities
“Readers, I’ve heard a lot of ideas on how to solve this
between real
mystery.” -Volunteers are called on to help find clues.
life mysteries
I will then name off some of their ideas that I heard.
-Wait time is provided for the students to think of and how they
“Our next step could be to ask where I last had my ID. ways to solve the mystery. are solved and
Hmm I last had my ID at Mrs. Nadeau’s desk when I took it mysteries in
off to copy some numbers off of the ID and I remember -Students generate questions – a student will books.
setting it inside my blue pencil pouch.” probably say, “where did you last see your USC ID?”
which lead to self-directed learning of how to solve a
“Does anyone see the blue pencil pouch?”
mystery.
The students should say yes.
“That could be a clue!” GROUPING:
I will then ask a student to get the blue pencil pouch
and bring it to me. -During the demonstration (lost ID) the students will
be grouped as a whole-class.
“Thank you so much for helping my find my ID! You all
helped me solve the mystery! As it turns out this lesson is
all about solving mysteries and I’m sure you all know a lot
already about solving mysteries. I saw you guys knew
about it by the way you helped me find my ID!” TEACHER CONTENT KNOWLEDGE:

“Mystery readers start off by doing the same thing. They - Highlights key concepts and ideas - Lists
figure out what’s wrong so they can figure out how they elements of mystery books, which leads to
can solve the mystery.” students knowing the teaching point.
“Solving mysteries in real life is similar in many ways to THINKING:
solving mysteries in books.”
- Practical thinking where students use,
“What do you expect a mystery to have?”
apply, and implement what they learn in
I will list elements for mystery books if students didn’t real-life scenarios (giving the demonstration
name them: detective, suspects, clues, and crime. of the lost ID).

PROBLEM SOLVING:

- Improving solutions/Generating Ideas

(students think about how to solve the mystery
and come up with solutions.)

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES. I anticipate students 4.0 Rubric: The student

will be excited to play should be able
“Today I want to teach you that once a reader the part of detectives - PRESENTING INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT: to read the
realizes that a book is a mystery, that reader first and do group work story and be
asks, ‘What’s the mystery here?’ and ‘Who is the -Visuals that establish purpose of lesson–
with other students. I “Readers of Mysteries” chart that show what they are able to figure
crime solver (or detective)?’” anticipate the students out what the
looking for in mysteries. (shows teaching point of the
I will then show them a chart that can be added will be able to read the lesson). mystery in the
to that has the title “Readers of Mysteries...” and I story easily and think story is and
will place sticky notes on the paper that say: together to figure out - The chart also shows labels for new who the crime
- Ask, “What’s the mystery here?” what the mystery is concepts and ideas that are being taught. solvers are.
- Ask, “Who is the crime solver?” and who is the crime
solver along with other - Examples of mystery – Lost ID example. They should
be able to
“To have you each dive into learning about mysteries
I will be giving you a mission. At each table there will
be some Book Mission envelopes and on it will have
the detective names on it that will be working
together.”
“Each group will have some things inside each
envelope. There will de directions, a book, and
official detective notebook paper. You only need one
of each of these per group. Each group will have
someone read, and someone write. If you are a group
of three you will take turns reading with the third
person.”
“The first thing I want each group to do is silently
open their envelope and hold the directions paper in
the air. Once everyone’s paper is in the air we will go
over the directions as a class and then I will have you
all work in your groups until you are done.”
I will tell the students to go back to their seats
and look at the envelope and see who is in their
group. I will tell them to go ahead and open the
envelope to get the directions out.
I will review the directions with the class under
the doc reader.
In the groups, the students will read the book as
a group and identify the parts of the mystery
book with regards to The Missing Flags story.
things involved in a - Logical sequencing – by giving a real life example identify
mystery book such as of a mystery and leading it into an introduction for different items
clues and suspects. mystery books and how real life and mystery books found in
relate. mystery
stories and
LESSON STRUCTURE AND PACING: identify them
on paper.
- Lesson has a beginning, middle and end:
-Beginning: Lost ID demonstration.
-Middle: Chart and what we look for in
mystery books.
-End: Book Mystery Detective activity.
- Routine for distributing materials: detective
envelopes are already placed on desks while students
go to sit on the rug so there is little to no wait time
once the activity needs to start. (Smooth transitions)
ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS:
-Support the lesson objective by having students
look for the mystery in a story on their own in a group.
-Sustain student’s attention by giving an engaging
activity that calls them detectives, which induces
student’s curiosity and suspense.
-Activity includes teacher made materials and
incorporates multimedia (doc reader for
instructions, group books, chart, book illustrations).
QUESTIONING:
-The Book detective activity has questions that have
them apply and analyze things from a text that was
taught in the lesson.
-Questions are purposeful and effective and pay
attention to the teaching point.

ACADEMIC FEEDBACK:

-Gave the students feedback by telling them they did a

good job of being detectives and going to each group to
see how they were finding the key points of the lesson
from their mystery book.

- Circulates the groups regularly during activity to

make sure they are engaged and monitor student
work.

-Engages students in giving feedback to one

another in their groups by making sure they are all
working together and each of them understand what is
going on.

-Feedback from students is used to monitor and

adjust instruction by seeing if students are
understanding the activity or the majority are
confused. If the students are lost I will walk through
the activity with the students.

GROUPING STUDENTS:

-Pairs made by who they are sitting next to in their

assigned seats. The students are already sitting by
others who do not easily distract the other.

-Students are aware that of the roles that they get to

choose from (reader or writer).

-Students are held accountable for the work to be

done (by turning in their group work paper).
 THINKING:

- Research-based thinking where students

explore and review (reading the mystery
book and finding answers to questions that
relate to the lesson).
- Analyze problems.
- - Practical thinking where students use,
applies, and implement what they learn in
real-life scenarios (giving the demonstration
of the lost ID).

PROBLEM SOLVING:

- Drawing conclusions – finding what the

mystery is.
- Predicting outcomes – thinking about the
mystery answer and how it’s going to be
solved.
- Observing – by finding clues and seeing who
the crime solver is.

INSTRUCTIONAL PLANS:

- Build on prior knowledge

- Are aligned to state standards.
- Provided appropriate time for activities and
lesson.

REFLECT and SUMMARIZE. Students will STUDENT WORK: The student’s

understand what they worksheets
Once everyone is done I will ask the groups to are supposed to be - Interpret and analyze information (students should show
had to read and think to be able to find the
turn in their work into the bin. looking for in a story answers to the questions that were asked). their
that will help them - Connect what they are learning to prior understanding
I will wrap up by saying, “So today we learned that identify that it is a learning and some life experience (students of what to look
when we read a mystery book, as readers, we have to mystery. Students are reading and looking for clues and can relate for in a
ask ourselves what is the mystery and who is the should be able to to life experiences from the lost ID mystery story
crime solver.” identify the mystery demonstration). and how to
I will ask the students to try and pick a mystery and the crime solver. - Draw conclusions (shown in the answers identify the
book next time they are at the library so they can from their Book Mission). items found in
try to figure out what the mystery is and who the a mystery,
ASSESSMENT: such as
crime solver is.
- Measures student performance in more suspects,
than two ways (short answer and project clues, the
activity). mystery itself,
- Requires written task (group paper). and the crime
- Aligned with state standards. solvers.

EXTENSIONS/CONNECTIONS. The students will start Click here to enter text. We can ask
to choose mysteries to students to
I have connected this to their previous lessons about read and be able to read a short
different types of genres. The students have been identify things within mystery story
choosing their own books from the library to read on the story that were and
their own during their reading time. Students can be taught in this lesson. individually
given additional mystery books to read that are on identify what
their reading level to help them identify things that the mystery is
should be looked for in a mystery book. and who is the
crime solver
to see if they
are able to
identify these
items
correctly and
know what to
look for.
REFLECTION:

Click here to enter text.