Basic Lesson Plan Template

Name: Halle Ezell

Date:4/13/16
Grade Level: First grade
Subject(s): English Language Arts/Reading
Lesson # & Title:
Function of the Lesson (check all that apply):
Introduce New Skill or Content
Practice & Review
Remediation/Re-teaching
Content Standards: RL.1.1 Strand - Reading: Informative Text. Topic: Key Ideas and Details. Standard
Statements: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text, identify the main topic and retell key
details of a text, and describe the connection between two individuals, events, or ideas of information
within the text.

Learning Objectives (Aligned to Standards & Assessment Plan): When given a book about an animal
from the school library, students will be able to recall the main topic, identify at least two key details from
that text, and compare their animal with another.

Academic Language (Academic Language Demands and/or Academic Language Objectives):

Nonfiction = book made up of true facts
Compare= identify the similarities and differences
Assessment Plan (Aligned to Learning Objectives):
Formative Assessment:
1. Thumbs Up / Thumbs down - to see how many people understand the directions
2. Whip around 3. Share & Guess
Summative Assessment:
1. Green / Red cards Procedures - Lesson Introduction: (5 minutes)
Activate prior knowledge - say: I know you have learned about animals when you were in
Kindergarten. Can you tell me some animals you know?
List the animals on the dry erase board with a dry erase marker
Say: Good job! Now, I want to see how well you really know them.
Explain to the students that you are going to play them sounds that animals make.
Explain to the students that after they listen, shout out what animal they think makes that noise.
*Have a student shut the door prior to starting.*
Play the sounds on the speaker located on the desk and get the students answers.
Once you get all the answers say: You boys and girls really seem to know your animals! Today,
we are going to learn more about some animals! We are actually going to take a class visit to the
library so we can find more information on animals. I expect us to be on our best behavior when
we go. Before we head down there, Im going to show you what were doing today.
Procedures - Lesson Body :( 50 minutes)
Presentation/Explicit Instruction (I do):

Say: Like I said, today, we will be going to the school library and looking for a book on your
favorite animal. We are going to learn how to find key details in a text so once you have the book,
you boys and girls will be searching for key details on your own. We will start by doing one
together as a class.
Have students move to story carpet at the front of the classroom - while they are moving, take the
giraffe book off my desk, open up the graphic organizer on the smartboard, and sit in the rocking
chair. (In the giraffe book, I put the nonfiction magnetic note card.)
Hold the book up high so it catches the students attention
Tell students a book that is made up of true facts is called nonfiction.
Hold up the nonfiction note card, you say it, then have students repeat.
Use the magnets to then place the card on the word wall.
Start by telling the students they will use a graphic organizer (they all know what that is) to
collect all their details they find from this book (show them the graphic organizer on the
smartboard)
Read students the topics they will be searching for that are on the graphic organizer - color of the
animal, fur or no fur, where does it live, what does it eat, anything else thats interesting?
Start by looking at all the pictures in the short book with the students, say: Does anyone notice
any details that we can fill in our graphic organizer just from the pictures?
Use smartboard pen to fill in details
Read the story to the students - when you come across a question that was on the graphic
organizer, stop, and re-read that sentence. Tell students that this is a key detail and needs to be
filled in on the graphic organizer.
Finish reading the book and filling out the graphic organizer.
Ask students to go back to seats.
Explain to them that now it is time for them to search for a book and find key details using a
graphic organizer on their own.
Side note: Our library has books on several types of animals that are all 12 pages or less, with
many pictures and few words [very short sentences].
Say: Here are your instructions for what youre going to do when we get there.
When we get to the library, we are all going to sit down on the blue carpet in the corner.
Mrs. J, Mrs. S, Mrs. G, Mrs. L, and I are all here to help you look for a book.
Once you find a book on the animal you chose, return back to the blue carpet and wait
for the others.
After we are all done getting our books, we will come back to the classroom.
Thumbs up/Thumbs down: Ask students they understand the instructions.
Ask one student who is giving a thumbs up to retell the instructions.
Remind them once more to stay in a line, stay quiet, and make sure they are thinking of an animal
when we are walking down to the library.
Structured and Guided Practice (We do):
*Arrive at library.
*Searching for books goes well.
I assist students as they are looking for books
*Everyone should now have a book on an animal.
(If there isnt a book on a certain animal, one of the helpers or I will help the student print
off a short article on that animal)
Everyone should be back on the blue carpet now and ask a student how they should behave on the
way back.
*Elicit the answer to stay quiet and walk in a straight line.
Walk back to the classroom.

Praise students if they were quiet on the way back or give a violation for any who didn't follow
the hallway rules.
Whip Around : Tell students to quickly say the name of what animal they picked so their fellow
classmates can know
Explain to students that they are about to start reading their short informative book quietly.
Say: We are about to start reading these quietly so if anyone gets stuck on a word, raise your
hand and I will be over to help you.
Say: Make sure you use your finger to follow along where you are reading at!
Hand out the graphic organizer worksheet.
Tell them that while they are looking at the pictures and reading, they need to find at least 2 of the
questions on the graphic organizer...
*Write the questions on the dry erase board with a dry erase marker for another visual.
What color is the animal?
Does it have fur?
Where does it live?
What does it eat?
Any interesting facts?
Tell students to begin reading.
Make sure to walk around and spend a couple minutes at each table of four. Assisting with
anything they need and reminding students to answer at least 2 of the questions
Independent Practice/Application (You do):
Next you will partner up the students.
You can use the tool on the smartboard that will randomly partner them.
Tell students to sit next to their partner.
Share & Guess: Have the students tell their partner the two or more facts that they read (and
wrote down) about their animal. Its the partner's job to then guess what animal is being
described. Then switch.
After both partners animals were guessed, have the students think about the differences and
similarities between these animals.
Say: I want you guys to compare these animals. Who remembers what compare means? We
talked about this a few days ago.
Say: Compare means to identify the similarities and differences. Remember? What do the animals
have thats the same and what do they have that different from one another?
Allow students time to compare animals.

Procedures - Lesson Closure: (5 minutes)

Say: Alright boys and girls now that you have had time to talk to your partner you may now
return back to your seats.
Once all seated say: Who can tell me something they learned today?
Call on a few students to share
Recall for the students what you did today by having them answer questions.
Say: Take out your green/red cards. Have students hold up a green card if they think yes, or a red
card if they think no.
Do you think going to the library is a helpful way to get information?
Look how many kids are holding up green or red (remember those who are red)
Do you think using the book you found made it easy to find details about your animal?
Look how many kids are holding up green or red (remember those who are red)
Do you think talking with a friend and learning about their animal is a better way to get
information rather than doing twice as much work?

Say: Good job today everyone! Going to the library and looking for books will definitely help
you. Today was a good practice for the next time we go. Also, what you learned about the
animals today will definitely be helpful when we go to the Zoo for a field trip! Before you line up
at the door to go to gym, put your book on the front table so I can return them to the library.

Instructional Materials and Support:

Speaker to play the animal sounds
Book on Giraffes
Nonfiction note card
Library
Books on animals
Graphic organizer worksheet
Pencil
Dry erase board and marker
Green/Red cards

Differentiation, Individualized Instruction, and Assessment

My lesson shows differentiation by incorporating many ways of assessing. I ask students to give me a
thumbs up thumbs down or a red/green card to see if they actually understand the instructions and
directions given. You also differentiate when you play the sounds animals make, this leaning more
towards helping the auditory learners. This lesson also uses differentiation when we write the questions
students need to answer on the dry erase board as well as them having it on a paper. This is another way
for our visual learners to notice the questions. We also differentiated when we let students decide on their
own, what animal they wanted to choose and research.
Research and Theory Commentary:
This lesson is based off of Vygotsky's Social Development Theory. Its important for our students to
communicate and socially interact with one another. This is implemented in our lesson when we have the
students go down to the library and interact with other people in a whole new environment. Additionally,
its extremely crucial that students learn by observing others. With that being said, we wanted to make
sure we modeled something - this case, we modeled the graphic organizer - so the students could
remember what the adult did, then do it themselves.