Jackie Nwaiwu

CI 5452
8-6-16

Instructional Framework For a Lesson on Frogs at Risk

TASK #1: Lesson Goals and Rationale

1. Context For Learning

I teach in an urban, Pre-K to 8th grade school

with about 900 students; 85% of the students
qualify for free or reduced lunch. About 11% of
the student body receives special education
services. In terms of the ethnic/ racial student
demographics, there are approximately: 58%
Latino, 28% African-American, 8% White, 4%
Native American and 2% Asian-American
students. The students receiving ELL services
are about 44%.
My 5th grade class has many students of color.
Overall, I have 22 students in the class and of
that number, 3 students are on an IEP and 13
students are receiving ELL services. There is one
EA, educational assistant, who works with the
students receiving special education services. I
am the ELL teacher and I co-teach the Science
lessons with the cooperating teacher. (She
teaches all other content areas). In terms of
technology, there is a Promethean Board that
works, there is an overhead projector as well as a
Lumens Document Camera to project worksheets
for the students to view as a class. There is an
iPad cart designated for grades 3-5 grades that is
available upon request in the Media Center. At
times it is hard to check the cart out as other
grades may need the cart as well. There are
textbooks used in the class, but for Science, I
usually bring in outside reading materials, videos
and the like to supplement the instruction.

2. Lesson Overview

This lesson will be done over the course of a

week. My students will analyze key concepts
such as cause-and-effect in a Science-oriented
expository passage. Through this passage and
other media, we will explore the frog populations
and its decline in Central and South America.
Students will read the text and employ a few

effective reading strategies to better comprehend

it.
This lesson will also include the students
watching a video on frogs as well as looking at
interactive maps of Central and South America
using Google Earth. In the end, students will
complete a summative assessment in the form of
creating a cartoon to show comprehension of
text.
3. Lesson Objectives

Read the text and learn to identify

academic or signal words that show
cause-and-effect relationships (Ex. as a
result, therefore, hence, thus,
consequently, for this reason and until)
Learn new domain-specific vocabulary
words
Gather information presented in diverse
media and formats
Work collaboratively to design a cartoon
using Toontastic for final summative
assessment

4. Learning Targets

Students will learn and identify cause-and-effect

signal words as well as content-specific words in
a text and use them in sentences.
Students will work collaboratively to design a
project (cartoon) to demonstrate reading
comprehension.

5. Rationale for using disciplinary

literacy

I will use disciplinary literacy strategies to help my

students consume the expository text with ease
during this week-long project. I will start by
activating the students prior knowledge regarding
the content of the text and vocabulary words.
Later, I will teach the unknown vocabulary and
academic words. Next, I will use a short video
and maps to give the students more context
which will help them make connections when
reading text.
After that, I will cement these new concepts by
pairing students up and asking them to use each
word in a sentence. Later, the entire class will
gather to play Vocab Charades using the new
vocabulary. The idea is to give the students
multiple opportunities to view and manipulate the
vocabulary before reading the text.

The students will then read the passage and later

identify the causes and effects in the text. They
will then need to write sentences connecting the
signal (academic) words to the appropriate cause
and effect. Finally, the lesson will end with the
students working in small groups to create a mini
cartoon demonstrating their comprehension on
the Toontastic app.
6. Content Standards/ Core Curriculum
Addressed

5.4.2.1.2: Explain what would happen to a system

such as a wetland, rainforest, prairie or garden if
one of its parts were changed. (Such as the
decline in frog population).
5.4.4.1.1: Give examples of beneficial and
harmful human interaction with natural systems.
(Rainforests of Central and South America).

TASK #2: Instructional Strategies

Learning Activities
What do I do BEFORE the lesson:

What do students do BEFORE the lesson:

I will ask students what they know about

frogs to engage their prior knowledge. I will
ask in what ways are frogs (amphibians)
different from lizards or crocodiles (reptiles).
I will later after everyone has had a chance
to respond to the question, will explain the
differences. Then I will ask students about
their knowledge of the vocab words:
species, extinct, amphibians, cold-blooded,
habitat, deformed, salamander,
temperature, environment.

The students will answer the questions,

explaining how frogs are different from reptiles.
They will also discuss their knowledge or
experience with a reptile or a frog. Students will
define to the best of their ability the new vocab
words.

What do I do DURING the lesson:

What do students do DURING the lesson:

I will begin the lesson by teaching the

unknown vocabulary words, as well as the
signal words through scaffolding and
modeling. Next, I will show the students the
maps of Central and South America on
Google Maps to give geographical context
of the location of the reading and video.
Next, before watching the Rare Frogs and
Endangered Species video, I will instruct
them to make note of any vocabulary word

Students will write down the definitions of the new

vocabulary and signal words discussed in class.
The students will then watch the video and take
note of when any new vocab word was used.
After the video, the students will share what they
saw and heard in the video.
The students will then pair up and use the
vocabulary words and signal words in sentences

used or mentioned in the video. After

playing the video on the Promethean
Board, I will ask the students to briefly
share what they saw in the video as well as
the vocab words mentioned. (45 min class
time).
The next day, we will briefly review the
vocab and signal words. The students will,
next, need to pair up and use the
vocabulary and signal words in sentences
with their partner. After that, we will play a
brief game of Vocab Charades so as to
solidify the understanding of the words
through acting and movement. (45 mins).

with their partner. Later, the whole class will

participate in Vocab Charades.
Finally, the students will read the text and write
down the causes and effects on the worksheet
given to them. They will then make sentences,
individually, connecting the signal words with the
causes and effects.

The following day, the students will

independently read the text. After that is
done, I will pass around a worksheet where
they will write down the causes and effects
that they identified in the reading. They will
then on that same worksheet, need to
create sentences connecting the signal
words to the appropriate causes and
effects. I will model what how the
sentences should look on the Promethean
board:
For example: Cause: There was a lot of
disease and pollution in the frogs habitat.
Effect: There is a decrease in population.
Sentence with Signal words: There was a
lot of disease and pollution in the frogs
habitat. As a result, there was a decrease in
population.
(45 mins).
What do I do AFTER the lesson:

What do students do AFTER the lesson:

The next day, the iPad cart will be in the

classroom and I will give the students clear
instructions on the summative assessment;
which requires the students to work in small
groups to create a mini cartoon displaying
the main points of the reading. I will explain
to them also how to use the Toontastic app.
(Some of them already know about the app
and how to use it, so it will be review for
them). The students will get into their
groups and begin working on the cartoon.

The students will get into groups after hearing the

instructions and collaborate to make a mini
cartoon on Toontastic using the iPads. They will
highlight the main concepts they learned in the
reading. After the project is done after two days,
the students will email the link to me so that I can
grade it. All students (especially 5th grade and
up) in our district have emails and use them quite
frequently.

The EA, the cooperating teacher and I will

float around to help out where
necessary. Afterwards, I will model how the
students can email their cartoon link to me.
This will be a two-day project.
8. Differentiation Methods

To extend the lesson, I could have the students

make Signal word stop signs, by having them
cut out octagons and write the academic or signal
words on each octagon. Later, I could supply the
students with popsicle sticks to glue or tape to the
octagon shape. The students can then use the
signal word stop signs as a visual representation
as they are paired up to make sentences using
these words and the vocab words.
For ELL students, depending on their proficiency
level, I would give them lots of visual aids to
make sense of the words.

9. Materials and Resources

For this lesson, I will play a video on YouTube,

Rare Frogs and Endangered Species, for my
students. This is the URL:
https://youtu.be/_lWQLd5U0g8?list=PL50KW6aT
4Ugwu-6yxK_ju-zl4pvzxCukx
I will also use Google Earth to show interactive
maps of Central and South America:
https://www.google.com/earth/
I will play both the video and the maps using the
Promethean Board.
I will create a worksheet with three columns for
the students to write down the causes, effects
and sentences with signal words.
I will check out the iPads for the two days that my
students will need to them to create their
cartoons.
The Toontastic website is:
https://www.smore.com/4e7f-toontastic-free

TASK #3: Academic Language

10. Academic Terms

The academic terms are: as a result, therefore,

hence, thus, consequently, for this reason and
until.

The content vocabulary terms include: species,

extinct, amphibians, cold-blooded, habitat,
deformed, salamander, temperature,
environment.
11. Academic Language Enactment

As mentioned above, I will activate my students

prior knowledge of the vocab before the students
read the text. Next, I will teach the unknown
vocab words through scaffolding and modeling.
Next, the students will pair up and use the
vocabulary and signal words in sentences with
their partner. After that, we will play a brief game
of Vocab Charades so as to solidify the
understanding of the words through acting and
movement. Later, after they read the text, they
will individually fill out a worksheet where they will
identify the causes and effects and create
sentences connecting the new academic words
to the appropriate cause and effect.

TASK #4: Assessment Plan

12. Assessment Methods

There are a three main formative assessments

that I will use to check if the students have
learned the new material: The first is very lowstakes in that I ask the students to pair up with a
partner and use the academic and content
vocabulary in sentences.
The second assessment is that they engage in a
Vocab Charades game to demonstrate mastery
of the words through movement and acting. If the
students struggle in acting out the words or
identifying the words, I will use that information to
inform my instruction the next day. I could spend
a little more time using different scaffolding
approaches to teach the words until they
understand them.
The third assessment evaluates comprehension
of the text by identifying the specific causes and
effects mentioned. They have to demonstrate
mastery in a worksheet that I provide them. On
that same sheet, they will need to make
sentences with the causes, effects and academic
words. I will collect those worksheets and
evaluate how much review I will need to do
before the last assessment.
The only summative assessment involves the
students to collaborate in small groups and

design a mini cartoon showing comprehension

using the Toonstastic app. This is a creative way
to use technology to inspire high-level learning in
accordance to Blooms Taxonomy.
13. Disciplinary Literacy Assessment
Plan Rationale

I chose a combination of formative and

summative assessments to give the students
many opportunities to view, review and
manipulate the vocabulary and the text. Research
has shown that more the students practice and
see the new concepts, the more they will
understand and draw valuable and lasting
connections. Also, the nature of these
assessments gives me the chance to receive
feedback quickly that will help inform my
instruction in the next class.

14. Disciplinary Literacy Analysis of

Assessment Data

As I mentioned before, these assessments will

give me many opportunities to evaluate whether
the material is being learned and understood by
the students. I will be able to quickly change
course or modify the upcoming lessons if there
are students struggling or are bored because the
lesson and tasks are not challenging enough. I
could use more visual aides or other strategies in
response to the data I receive from the
assessments.

Sources Used and/or Consulted

Rare Frogs and Endangered Species:

https://youtu.be/_lWQLd5U0g8?list=PL50
KW6aT4Ugwu-6yxK_ju-zl4pvzxCukx

Minneapolis Public Schools:

https://schoolrequest.mpls.k12.mn.us/schools/fol
well_performing_arts
Minnesota Dept. of Education:
http://education.state.mn.us/mde/index.html
Minneapolis School Finder:
http://minneapolisschoolfinder.org/school/folwellarts-magnet/
School Digger:
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MN/schools/212
4001866/school.aspx

ReadWorks: www.readworks.org

Toontastic app:
https://www.smore.com/4e7f-toontasticfree