Adapted from Deborah Layzell Illinois State University

LESSON PLAN MODEL

1
: English Language Arts (Writing)

LESSON TITLE: Opinion writing-Earth Day
Lesson 3 of 3


Teacher(s): Jessica Barbis/Amanda Todd/Holly Tomesello
Number of Students: 4 students
Grade Level(s): 3
rd
grade
Date: 4/9/13
Time: 3:30-4:30pm
Duration: 60 minutes

Lesson Structure: X Whole class X Small group One-on-one Other: _______________________


Learning Central Focus
Central Focus
What is the central focus for the
content in the learning segment?

The central focus for this learning segment is opinion writing. The learning segment will focus on the essential literacy strategy
(using evidence to support an argument) and requisite skills (e.g., writing paragraphs, using correct verb tense, or using other
conventions).

NYS/Common Core or
NYSAA Content
Standard(s)
What standard(s) are most
relevant to the learning goals?

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1- Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1a- Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational
structure that lists reasons.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1b- Provide reasons that support the opinion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1c- Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and
reasons.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1d- Provide a concluding statement or section.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.5- With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, and editing.
Student Learning
Goal(s)/ Objective(s)
Skills/procedures
What are the specific learning
goal(s) for student in this lesson?

Concepts and
reasoning/problem
solving/thinking/strategies
1

Lesson Objectives:
Students will be able to read and comprehend the sample opinion piece about Earth Day that will be handed to them.
Students will be able to identify the parts of the opinion piece (topic, opinion, one fact, one reason, and linking words) by the end of
the lesson.
Students will be able to understand and write their own opinion piece after the 3 day lesson about how to persuade the reader to
agree with their opinion.



1
The lesson plan template is intended to be used as a formative process prior to a candidates submission of edTPA materials. The template offers an opportunity for candidates to practice documenting their thinking
when planning lessons leading up to the learning segment they will teach for edTPA. Lesson plans with this level of detail are not necessary and should not be submitted as part of edTPA. It is intended to prepare
candidates to articulate their thinking and justification for plans when responding to the Planning Task commentary prompts
Adapted from Deborah Layzell Illinois State University

What are the specific learning
goal(s) for students in this lesson?

Relevant IEP Goals and Benchmarks:
Learners 1-4: Students will demonstrate understanding of the opinion piece by identifying the topic, the opinion, one fact, one
reason, and linking words.
Students will write each part independently and then, as a class, we will go over it to make sure every student has the correct
answers.

Prior Academic
Knowledge and
Conceptions

What knowledge, skills, and
concepts must students already
know to be successful with this
lesson?

What prior knowledge and/or
gaps in knowledge do these
students have that are necessary
to support the learning of the
skills and concepts for this lesson?

a) Students will have already learned the step-up-to-writing skills that will help them figure out the 5 parts of identification of
the opinion piece.
b) Students can even highlight the different parts in the same colors as the step-up-to-writing strategy uses to develop this
skill further.
c) Students will also already know how to use appropriate sentence structures, spelling, and punctuations.


Common Errors,
Developmental
Approximations,
Misconceptions, Partial
Understandings, or
Misunderstandings
What are common errors or
misunderstandings of students
related to the central focus of this
lesson?

How will you address them for
this group of students?

Students will have challenges with pulling out the opinion because this seems like a hard concept for students to understand fully.
Students will have challenges with linking words because these always seem to be harder for students to actually know and
understand how they are properly used.
Students may also struggle with comprehension of the opinion piece that they will read and use as an example for them to write
their own piece.
















2
The prompt provided here should be modified to reflect subject specific aspects of learning. Language here is mathematics related. See candidate edTPA handbooks for the Making Good Choices resource for subject
specific components.
Adapted from Deborah Layzell Illinois State University

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks
Description of what the teacher (you) will be doing and/or what the students will be doing
Launch/
Anticipatory Set
_____5_ Minutes

How will you start the lesson to
engage and motivate students in
learning?

******ALL VERBATIM*******

Hello boys, today we are going to be able to write our own opinion pieces on what we have learned about for the past few
days.
We know that this is a very important part of writing and our lives. So, are we excited to show off our skills?
I hope so because I am excited to see and read about all your different ideas on how to make this Earth a better place!
We know that we all need to work together to make our world a better place so lets show our classmates that we know
how to save our Earth by writing about it!


Instruction
_____5__ Minutes

What will you do to engage
students in developing
understanding of the lesson
objective(s)?

How will you link the new content
(skills and concepts) to students
prior academic learning and their
personal/cultural and community
assets?

What will you say and do? What
questions will you ask?

How will you engage students to
help them understand the
concepts?

What will students do?

How will you determine if
students are meeting the intended
learning objectives?

What will other adults in the room
do?
******ALL VERBATIM*******

Input:
T: Now, independently you will be working on your final draft, by using what your peers said when they edited your paper about
what you need to fix to fix in your final draft. Try your best to make it nice and neat. Does anyone have questions before you begin?
S: Students may have certain questions at this time that the teachers will need to answer.
T: Okay, now begin you will have the rest of the class to finish your final draft. Have fun and lets show the other students in this
school that we are great writers!!

All the adults in the room will be walking around helping the students with their individual questions and
helping them see that they can write on their own.

Modeling: There will only be modeling in this lesson if the students need the extra prompting to write
their final draft. However, all the modelings for these lessons were done in lesson 1 and 2. This
lesson is based around their independent working process and having them build up their confidence
level by trying to ask fewer questions of the teachers. This will show the students that they can be
great writers without the help of the teachers.












Adapted from Deborah Layzell Illinois State University

Structured Practice and
Application
___35__ Minutes

How will you give students the
opportunity to practice so you can
provide feedback?

How will students apply what they
have learned?

How will you determine if
students are meeting the intended
learning objectives?

******ALL VERBATIM*******

Structured Practice:
The students will first be prompted to start writing their final copy on the nice paper. Students will be told that they need to write
nice and neatly because these papers will be hanging out in the hallway for other students to see what we wrote about.


Independent Practice:
Students will be using the rest of the time to write and finish their final copy of their opinion piece.


Extension or Sponge Activities:
When the students have finished their final copy, they will then be able to take the time to go back and look at the changes and be
sure they are done before they hand in their paper for review.



Closure
____5_ Minutes

How will you end the lesson?

******ALL VERBATIM*******

Students will have the chance to share their finished product with the class. They will tell the other students what they wrote about
and then as the teachers will state that their finished papers will hang in the hallway for all the other students to see as well. This
will hopefully boost their confidence in writing and show that they, too, are great writers.
















Adapted from Deborah Layzell Illinois State University

Differentiation/
Planned Support

How will you provide students
with access to learning based on
individual and group needs?

How will you support students
with gaps in the prior knowledge
that is necessary to be successful
in this lesson?


Whole Class:
a) Their graphic organizer that is filled out.
b) Directions will be given orally and visually.
c) Teacher will model on sentence strips.
d) Tactile experience (dirt-dessert, sentences, graphic organizer, rough draft paper)
e) Students will all have copies of the materials that are being talked about in class.
f) Students will have highlighters.

Students with IEPs or 504 Plans:
a) Students will be given extra prompting and the use of highlighters to highlight the key points in
the paragraphs.
b) Students will be given extra time for finishing the writing such as taking it home or finishing it
in class once they finish with their homework.

Strategies for responding to common errors and misunderstandings, developmental approximations,
misconceptions, partial understandings, and/or misunderstandings:
All of the strategies listed above.


Student Interactions

How will you structure
opportunities for students to work
with partners or in groups? What
criteria will you use when forming
groups?

Students will then show off their final paper by sharing what they wrote about to the whole class and having the papers hang in the
hallways for all the students to see their finished paper.
What Ifs

What might not go as planned, and
how can you be ready to make
adjustment?

If the students are having a difficult time finishing writing the paper, we will give them extra time to finish the final draft the
following day. This way the students wont feel like they are being rushed or wont finish it in the time given.
Theoretical Principles
and/or ResearchBased
Best Practices

Why are the learning tasks for this
lesson appropriate for your
students?
Auman, M. E., & Maureen, E. (2003). Step up to writing. Sopris West.
Maag, J. W. (2004). Behavior management: From theoretical implications to practical applications (2
nd
ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Teachers pay teachers. (2013, October). Retrieved from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse

Adapted from Deborah Layzell Illinois State University


Materials

What materials does the teacher
need for this lesson?

What materials do the students
need for this lesson?


SmartBoard
Pencils
White board
Expo markers
Sentences strips
Packet charts
Worksheets
Writing paper
Example of an opinion piece
Highlighters









Adapted from Deborah Layzell Illinois State University

Academic Language Demand(s)
Language Function(s)

What language function(s) do you
want students to develop in this
lesson? What must students
understand in order to be
intellectually engaged in the
lesson?
Language functions: The content and language focus of the learning task represented by the active verbs within the learning
outcomes. I want the students to develop an opinion on a position or point of view about Earth day and how to save the Earth.
Students must understand what an opinion is and how to actually argue their point of view in writing.




Key Vocabulary

What content-specific terms
(vocabulary) do students need to
support learning of the learning
objective for this lesson?

Vocabulary:
Opinion- based off our feelings or beliefs.
Earth Day- this is a day for us to think about how to preserve, or save, our Earth.




Language Demand(s)

What specific way(s) will students
need to use language (reading,
writing, listening and/or
speaking) to participate in
learning tasks and demonstrate
their learning for this lesson?

Language demands: Students will listen to their peers responses and learn how to appropriately give and receive constructive
criticism regarding their writing and the components of the paragraph they wrote about saving the Earth.

Language Abilities

What are your students abilities
with regard to the oral and written
language associated with this
lesson?

The students will be able to orally share their final product to the whole class and the papers will be hung in
the hallway for all the students to see their nice work.
Support for Language
Demands

How will you support students so
they can understand and use the
language associated with the
language function and other
demands in meeting the learning
objectives of the lesson?

Developmental approximations:
Reasoning abstractly and quantitatively;
Constructing viable arguments and critiquing reasoning of others;
Constructing explanations and designing solutions;
Engaging in argument from evidence;

Adapted from Deborah Layzell Illinois State University

Assessments
Describe the tools/procedures that will be used in this lesson to monitor students learning of the lesson objective(s).
Attach a copy of the assessment and the evaluation criteria/rubric in the resources section at the end of the lesson plan.
Type of assessment
(Informal or Formal)

Description of assessment Modifications to the assessment so
that all students can demonstrate
their learning.
Evaluation Criteria - What evidence of
student learning (related to the learning
objectives and central focus) does the
assessment provide?
Formal






Students will hand in their
peer editing sheet after
they have completed the
sheet and read through
another students paper.
Students who need extended time will
receive it and then be able to hand in
their papers when finished.
Ability to peer edit another students paper
and properly see the mistakes that need to
be fixed in another students paper and
their own.
Formal





Students will hand in the
final draft when finished.
Students who need extended time will
receive it and then be able to hand in
their papers when finished.
Ability to write a well organized paper
based on their opinion of what people
should do to save the Earth.
Informal



Observation of the writing
process itself.
Students who need to have further
questions answered can use I need
help popsicle sticks.
This will allow for teachers to monitor
progress during the independent writing
process.

















Adapted from Deborah Layzell Illinois State University

Acquired Data
Assessment
Spreadsheet

From your
assessment(s)
above, display your
whole (group) class
data in an Excel
form as an
attachment.

See attached Excel spreadsheet.

Qualitative Description:
Describe what you have learned from the spreadsheet data.






Assessment
Graph

From your
assessments above,
display your whole
(group) class data in
a graph form as an
attachment.

See attached graph.

Qualitative Description:
Describe what you have learned from the graphical data.






Analyzing Teaching
To be completed after the lesson has been taught
Teacher
Reflection

What worked?
What didnt?
For whom?



Student Attainment of Objectives:
Include a narrative description that discusses whether or not your students met the intended outcomes for this lesson. Use the data that was
collected as part of your assessment plan to address this section.

Personal Reflection:
In this section, identify the things you feel you did well in teaching this lesson. Use examples to provide details about those strengths. Discuss
the things that you need to improve upon and why. Also include information on how you could improve this lesson (what you would do
differently?) if you had to teach this lesson again. Incorporate feedback from your teachers and/or instructors observation of your lesson. Use
direct quotes or notes.

Adjustments

What instructional
changes do you need
to make as you
prepare for the
lesson tomorrow?
Description of Patterns of Learning:
Includes both quantitative and qualitative consistencies for different groups of students and individuals across the whole class. Quantitative
patterns indicate the number of similar correct responses or errors across or within student assessments. Qualitative patterns include
descriptions of understandings and/or misunderstandings, partial understandings, and/or attempts at applying a strategy that underlies the
quantitative patterns.

Adapted from Deborah Layzell Illinois State University






Adjustments Based on Patterns of Learning:



Proposed
Changes

If you could teach
this lesson again to
this group of
students what
changes would you
make to your
instruction?

Whole class:


Groups of students:


Individual students:


Justification

Why will these
changes improve
student learning?

What research/
theories support
these changes?
Make sure to cite in APA.






Additional Information
Resources/
References


o Auman, M. E., & Maureen, E. (2003). Step up to writing. Sopris West.
o Identifying academic language demands in support of the common core standards. (2012, May 24). Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol7/717-ohara.aspx
o Teachers pay teachers. (2013, October). Retrieved from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse

Attachments


See attached.
Worksheets for the students:
o What is an Opinion Piece? Sheet
o Example of the opinion piece
o Graphic organizer
o Support your reasons with facts sheet
o Draft sheets for paragraphs
o Peer editing sheets
o Final draft sheets