Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level/Subject: 3rd grade;

Central Focus: Day of the Dead
Social Studies
Essential Standard/Common Core Objective: Social Studies:
3.C.1.3. Use non-fiction texts to explore how cultures borrow
and share from each other (foods, languages, rules,
traditions, and behaviors)
Date submitted:
Date
Reading: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2. Recount stories,
taught:
including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures;
determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain
how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
Daily Lesson Objective: The students should be able to state the main idea and 3 supporting
details of a non-fiction article. They need to get 3 out of 4 boxes on the worksheet correct to
meet the objective.
21st Century Skills:
Academic Language Demand (Language Function and
Vocabulary): Analyze: Students will be able to analyze
differences and similarities between Halloween and Day of
the Dead. They will also be able to analyze an article to
pick out the main idea and three supporting details.
Prior Knowledge: They will need to understand what Halloween is. They will also need to know
what the term main idea means.
Activity

1. Focus and Review

2. Statement of
Objective
for Student
3. Teacher Input

Description of Activities and Setting

Okay so you guys have been talking about the main idea in
stories and how to prove that with supporting details. Well
today we are going to work on that a little bit more but with
non-fiction text. We are going to start by reading a book
about Day of the Dead.
We are going to learn some facts about Day of the Dead and
then compare it to how we celebrate Halloween right here in
Kannapolis and the rest of the Untied States. We are also
going to state the main idea of the story with details to
support it.
I am going to start by reading you this book it is called
Clatter Bash Read the book to the students including the
information at the end of the book. Okay so now that we
have some information and know a little bit more about Day
of the Dead does anyone have any questions? Give the
students time to ask questions or tell you what they think
about the book. Is there anyways that you guys can think of
that Halloween and Day of the Dead are the same? Call on a
few students to give their ideas. Those are all great! Are
there anyways that you guys can think of that make the
holidays different? Call on a few students to state what they

Time

1 min

1 min

10 min

think is different. Very good job guys!

4. Guided Practice

5. Independent
Practice

6. Assessment
Methods of
all
objectives/skills:

7. Closure

8. Assessment
Results of
all
objectives/skills:

Now we are going to move on to finding the main idea of the

story. On the white board draw one big square with three
little squares underneath it. Can anyone tell me what the
main idea of this story that we read was? Call on a student
to tell you the main idea of the story. Yes the main idea is
how people celebrate Day of the Dead. Now can anyone give
5-10
me some supporting details that help us know that is indeed
min
the main idea of the book? Call on as many students as you
have time for or that raise their hands. If you get more than
three just continue to add small boxes or write them around
the main idea box. Wow yall did a great job stating
supporting details. This shows that even though I usually only
ask for 3 there are always many more details in the story.
Okay now you are going to get the chance to read another
article about Day of the Dead and on your own state the main
idea and list at least three supporting details. I am going to
put an article up on the board and in your social studies
notebook you will draw the boxes just like I drew on the board.
Courtney and Andrea can you guys go ahead and pass out the
social studies notebooks please. Courtney and Andrea know
15-20
where to go to get the social studies notebooks and where
min
each student sits. Now if you are wearing a green shirt you
may get up and go sit at your desk. Continue to do this with
each color shirt that there is in the room. When they get
settled put the article on the board. If you happen to finish
before your time is up you may come to me and I will have a
sugar skull for you to color to look just like the ones that
people make for Day of the Dead.
Formative Assessment: Questioning throughout the lesson to check
understanding
Summative Assessment: I will check their social studies notebook to
check that they got 3 of their 4 boxes correct that deal with the article.
Good job working quietly and participating today guys! I
hope that you learned a lot about Day of the Dead and how
we share some of the same traditions as them when we
5 min
celebrate Halloween. You can take your picture home and
finish coloring it if you would like!
14 of the 18 students met the objective. The students did a great job
answering questions and being engaged though so I would say that
100% of them met the formative assessment.

Targeted Students
Modifications/Accommodations: I will make
sure that students of all comprehension
levels get to answer and give examples
when we are working together so that lower
students can hear some bigger ideas and
have a chance to think deeper themselves.

Student/Small Group
Modifications/Accommodations: For students who
struggle when writing complete sentences I will
make sure to walk around to them when they are
working independently to help them form
complete sentences if they need it. For students
that struggle reading I may pull them into a small
group at the kidney table to read the passage all
together.

Materials/Technology:
Clatter Bash: A Day of the Dead Celebration by: Richard Keep, a white board, worksheet with mask drawn on it, Social Studies notebooks,
passage on day of the dead, doc cam.

References:
http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/docs/acre/standards/new-standards/social-studies/3-5.pdf
Reflection on lesson: Overall I feel that this lesson went pretty well. The students seemed to be
very interested in the topic that we were talking about. With this school having a high Hispanic
population I was able to read some of the words in Spanish and have them translate for the rest
of the class that may not know what they mean. The ESL students thoroughly enjoyed this. It
took me a little while to get them settled down on the carpet at the beginning of the lesson since
they had just moved there from their desks. I gave out a few Dojo points to the students that
were paying attention and on task and hearing the noise of dojos getting passed out got them to
straighten up much faster than me asking them did. They listened great during the story and
asked a lot of questions about the pictures. A few students knew what Day of the Dead was so I
allowed them to talk about it for a few minutes when we got done reading the book. There were
two questions asked regarding religion and it took me a little off guard. I just reminded them
that we were not talking about this book in regards to religion but comparing it with the holiday
that we celebrate here in the United States. Overall they all did very well working on their own
at their desks. I walked around to make sure that they did not need too much help. The
students that did not meet the objective were students who have a reoccurring issue with
complete sentences or reading comprehension issues. If I re did the lesson I would put a timer
up on my computer that they could see so that they can keep up with how much more time they
have to complete the assignment.