***Reminder: All fields must be completed prior to submission.

Name:

Sydney Bohannon

Lesson
Informational Text Breakdown: So Whats The Big Idea?
Title:
CCGPS or GPS Standard(s):

Grade: 3rd
Date: March 21, 2016

ELAGSE3RI1:Askandanswerquestionstodemonstrateunderstandingofatext,referringexplicitlytothetextasthebasisforthe
answers.
ELAGSE3RI10:Bytheendoftheyear,readandcomprehendinformationaltexts,includinghistory/socialstudies,science,and
technicaltexts,atthehighendofthegrades23textcomplexitybandindependentlyandproficiently.
ELAGSE3RI2:Determinethemainideaofatext;recountthekeydetailsandexplainhowtheysupportthemainidea.

Classroom/Lesson Context (please check the following that apply):

____ Whole Group __X___ Small Group _____ One-on-One __X__ Students with IEPs/504s ___X__ ELL Students
____ Other (Please specify: _______________________________________________________________________)
Please specify the number of students:
__8___ Girls ___8__Boys
Individual Education Plan Goal(s) and Benchmarks specific to this lesson: No Individual Education Plan Goals or
Benchmarks are specific to this lesson.

Learning - Focus

Strategies

Essential Question(s)
1-3 BIG ideas! How
can these questions be
used to guide your
instruction?

How can I determine the main idea of a text?

Central
Focus/Lesson
Objective(s)
Objectives are
measurable and
aligned with the
standard.

The student will be able to determine the main idea of a text and provide support, using
evidence from the text.

Academic Language
What is the key
language demand?
What academic
language will you
teach or develop?
What are the key
vocabulary words
and/or symbols?

Language Functions: The student will be able to determine the main idea of a text by referring
back to the text for specific evidence.

Determining the main idea accurately will be measured through review of the So Whats the
Big Idea? section of Informational Text Breakdown guide (formative) as well as the post
assessment (summative).

Language Vocabulary: Key vocabulary words for this segment include memorial, structure,
recognizable, obelisk, delayed, inscription, statue, flock, and designer.
Academic Language Demand: The student will demonstrate correct identification of the main
idea by recording three words that describe/support it in the So Whats The Big Idea? section
of their Informational Text Breakdown guide.

Materials
What resources can be
used to engage
students?

Informational Text Breakdown guide

Memorials in Washington, D.C. Informational Text
Bell to signal transition from group to group
BENQ Projector

Introduction to
Lesson/
Activating Thinking
What is the hook for
the lesson to tap into
prior knowledge and
develop students
interests? This should
tie directly into the
lessons objective and
standard and should
promote higher level
thinking. How will
you introduce the
content specific
vocabulary words?
***Use knowledge of
students academic,
social, and cultural
characteristics.

Hook: In your own words, what is a main idea of a text? After sample responses, I will then
discuss how the main idea of a passage is simply the authors main point for writing this piece.
It can be expressed in as little as one sentence or even a few words. I will instruct the groups
that today, they will be determining and supporting with textual evidence the main idea of
Memorials in Washington, D.C..
Verbal directions and clarification for this activity were given at the conclusion of the whole
group Preview activity. At this time, Students will be instructed to utilize the Memorials in
Washington D.C. Informational Text to complete the So Whats The Main Idea? portion of
the Informational Text Breakdown guide.
Any unfamiliar or content specific vocabulary words will be introduced through the whole
group discussion during the Preview section.
Language Syntax: Students will record their answers to the questions found in the So Whats
The Big Idea section of the Informational Text Breakdown guide.
Language Discourse: Students will raise their hands as I read to answer any prompted
questions, make any appropriate comments/connections, or ask any questions about unknown
words or the overall text itself.
Modification(s)/Accommodation(s) specific to this lesson: An amplification device and
corresponding hearing aids will be worn by teacher and student.
Management Plan: Displayed on the BENQ projector will be a slide presentation of the
appropriate group rotation so that each group is aware of which station they are at in each
rotation. Any students who speak without raising a quiet hand will be asked to flip their
cup. This cup is simply a paint cup that contains warm fuzzies (pom poms) that directly
correlate to their dojo points on the Class Dojo app. If another warning becomes necessary after
the cup has been flipped, the student must return a warm fuzzy to the warm fuzzy jar as
well as loose a dojo point on Class Dojo.

Body of Lesson/
Teaching Strategies
What will you have
the students do after
you introduce the
lesson to learn the
standards? What
questions will you ask
to promote higher
level thinking?
What opportunities

Using both the Memorials in Washington D.C. informational Text students will complete the
So Whats The Main Idea portion of the Informational Text Breakdown.
Any unfamiliar/content specific vocabulary will be introduced through the whole group
discussion during the Preview section.
Language Syntax: Students will record their answers to the questions found in the So Whats
The Big Idea section of the Informational Text Breakdown guide.
Language Discourse: Students will raise their hands as I read to answer any prompted
questions, make any appropriate comments/connections, or ask any questions about unknown
words or the overall text itself.

will you provide for

students to practice
content language/
vocabulary? What
language supports
will you offer?

Modification(s)/Accommodation(s) specific to this lesson: An amplification device and

corresponding hearing aids will be worn by teacher and student.
Management Plan: Any students who speak without raising a quiet hand will be asked to
flip their cup. This cup is simply a paint cup that contains warm fuzzies (pom poms) that
directly correlate to their dojo points on the Class Dojo app. If another warning becomes
necessary after the cup has been flipped, the student must return a warm fuzzy to the warm
fuzzy jar as well as loose a dojo point on Class Dojo.

Closure/
Summarizing
Strategies:
How will the students
summarize and/or
share what they have
learned to prove they
know and understand
the standard(s) and its
vocabulary? Will you
provide opportunities
for students to apply
new knowledge while
making connections to
prior learning?

Once all group rotations are complete, students will be directed to transition back to their desks
for a whole group review of the So Whats The Big Idea? portion of the Informational Text
Breakdown guide.

Assessment/
Evaluation
Every standard listed
above must be
assessed and included.
Questions to consider
while planning:
How will students
exhibit an
understanding of the
lessons objectives?
How will you provide
feedback? What
evidence will you
collect to demonstrate
students
understanding/mastery
of the lessons
objective(s) including
their usage of
vocabulary?

Reminder: Assessment plan must align with objective(s)/standard(s).

Reflection/Analyzing
Teaching
Effectiveness

Language Syntax: Students will make any necessary corrections to the So Whats The Big
Idea? portion of the Informational Text Breakdown guide.
Language Discourse: Students will raise their hands as I read to answer any prompted
questions, make any appropriate comments/connections, or ask any questions about unknown
words or the overall text itself.
Modification(s)/Accommodation(s) specific to this lesson: An amplification device and
corresponding hearing aids will be worn by teacher and student.
Management Plan: One chime of the bell will signal the students to pack to rotate to their
desk. Three chimes of the bell will signal the students to rotate to and begin checking their
Informational Text Breakdown guide. The appropriate number of group Class Dojo points
will be awarded at this time if applicable.

Assessment Plan for Learning Objectives: I will formatively assess my students by observing
their engagement as they work in a small group to determine the main idea of the text. I will
also formatively assess the students through answering any appropriate questions that may arise
as they work independently.
I will summatively assess the students through reviewing the quality of their responses to the
So Whats The Big Idea portion of the Informational Text Breakdown guide. Additionally, I
will summatively assess the students ability to answer questions from an informational text by
re-administering the pre-assessment- Men on the Money Informational Text and
corresponding comprehension questions.

While nearly all students chose 3 words that directly supported the main idea of Memorials in
Washington D.C., a few students chose words like awesome and sweet which did not
directly support or describe the main idea. Additionally, after choosing three words to support

Reflection includes
characteristics of the
lesson and specific
examples on how it
can be improved.
Improvements are
based on the
effectiveness
supported by evidence
on how well the
objectives were
achieved. Specific
examples to improve
future lessons are
provided.

the main idea, the Informational Text Breakdown guide asked students to put it in a
sentence. I believe this wording was unclear and confusing, because several students asked me
if their sentence needed to include just one of their chosen words, two of their chosen words, or
all 3 of their chosen words. In the future, I first remind students that the three words they select
must directly support the main idea of the text and challenge them to use all three of their
chosen words in the sentence they create.

***Credit for this template belongs to Tennessee State University, Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity
(SCALE), and Columbus State University.