Lesson Plan Nicole Hoffmann

Title: Vocab and Reading

Subject/Grade Level/ Date(s): ELA / 4th / April 12 2016
Time Requirements: 60 minutes
Materials List:

Harcourt Book I Have Heard of a Land

Board / Marker

Type of Lesson: Whole Group, Small Group, Independent

Connection to Standards:
CC/ AZCCRS:

ELA:
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text. (4.RL.1)
Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including
what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. (4.RI.3)
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to match the definition of the vocabulary words to the correct
vocabulary words from I Have Heard of a Land.
Students will be able to answer comprehension questions correctly about I Have Heard of
a Land while reading it aloud.
Students will be able to explain what a pioneer is and what their life was like.
Active Instructional Plan:

Anticipatory Set: First, I am going to write down the five vocabulary words on the board. I will
make sure that each student has a white board and their Hartcort books. I am going to stand at the
front of the classroom, while the students are still at their tables, and I am going to ask them word
by word some phrases or words that describe the vocabulary word. I am going to write down these
ideas on the board as they say them to me. Next, I will have the students take the white boards. I
will read the definitions to the students and make a prediction which word they believe the definition
belongs to. When they pick a word I will have them raise their thumbs up. Once everyone has
their thumbs raised I will have them write on their white boards the word they believe it is. We will
then discuss why they believed that was the answer. I will use the definitions from the Hartcort
Book.
Guided Practice: Next I will have the students turn to the Vocabulary Power page (638). I will
have them partner read with the people at their tables about the definitions of each word in context.
After this I will ask questions about the vocabulary that Hartcort provided (if I have enough time).
How is harmony different from noise? Was life hard for a pioneer in the 1800s? Why or Why not?
Why would a farmer want to have fertile soil? What colors might you see in an arbor? Which word
is related to the word possible?
Modeling: First, I will ask the students what they know about pioneers (I assume this will exact

question will come up when we go over the word as a vocab word, but I will review what we said
and see if anyone has any new thoughts.) I will also ask them what they know about historical
fiction novels and predict that they believe the story is about based on these two questions and the
title. Next I will read the story to the students to model fluency. Throughout the reading I will ask
the students comprehension questions. Also, as vocabulary words come up I will ask students
what context clues give them the answer to know what the definition is.
Questions:
o Do we think this story is just a historical fiction novel or could it also be another form of
literature? (poem)
o How does the author create mental pictures?
o Does the author really mean that the creek is laughing? What type of picture is the author
trying to give us?
o Describe the land the woman claims.
o Do you think working the land will be easy or difficult?
o Do you really believe a dream is accomplished in one day?
o What type of poetic device is this?
o How do you think the author feels about the west?
o What are some difficulties pioneers face in the winter?
o How has the mood changed in the poem?
o What does strung/limbs mean? How can you figure this out?
o What tasks does the woman have help with?
o How do the neighbors work together to build the cabin?
o How does the pioneer woman feel about owning her own land?
Closure: After the story is over I will give each of the students a half sheet of paper. I will ask them
if they believe that their idea of a pioneer lifestyle that they spoke about with me earlier was true. I
will also have them write about one new thing they learned. I will also ask them if they would have
wanted to live during this time, why or why not. They will turn in the piece of paper to me. After this
they will start on their DOL.

Assessment/Evaluation:.
I will assess the students during the lesson by asking them comprehension questions throughout their
reading and lesson. I will then assess the students by asking them the question during their closure and
reading through their answers to see if they really had an understanding about life as a pioneer.

Modifications/Differentiation:

Students who need extra intervention strategies may work with me one-on-one and receive extra
time while reading the passage.
Groups of students who struggle with fluency, I would have them read through the story out loud to
me in a guided reading setting instead of whole group (or after whole group).
Student who struggle with vocabulary I could have flashcards with the words and different
definitions on them to use when they are predicting which definition matches. Also showing
pictures (if applicable) may help the students get an idea of the vocabulary words.