LESSON ONE

Missouri Pre-Service Teacher Assessment (MoPTA) Lesson Plan Format

Unit of Study Focus: Activating Background Knowledge and Making Connections (Schema) 3rd grade
Standards/Quality Indicators/Skills
Missouri and national standards, quality indicators, and skills addressed by this lesson

Missouri State Learning Standards for English Language Arts: 1C Grade 3 Develop and apply
skills to the reading process.
a) Text to text (text ideas, including similarities and differences in fiction and nonfiction)
b) Text to world (text ideas regarding experiences in the world)

ISTE Standard 6: Global Collaborator

a) Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by
collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally
Learning Objectives/Goals
The lessons objectives and learning outcomes appropriate for meeting curricular and student
needs
The purpose of this lesson is for students to be able to identify that readers make connections to the
text they read. They make connections to themselves, to other texts they have read, and
connections to the things they know/experience in the world. It is important that students recognize
these connections come from their own background knowledge/schema. Students will understand
how these connections impact their meaning-making process of the text and their comprehension.
Students learning will be documented on a class anchor chart along with an exit slip during
todays lesson.
Assessment (type[s] of assessment used throughout the lesson)
Assessment(s) before, during and after the lesson
The most important piece of assessment for this lesson will be a class anchor chart students create.
This anchor chart will allow me to see previous knowledge students have on this topic and new
information they learn.

Before Lesson: At the very beginning of the lesson I will have a class discussion on making
connections while reading with my students. The purpose of this is to see what students already
know about using their background knowledge to make connections. I will discuss their responses
accordingly while not teaching them new information. The purpose of this class discussion is to
just evaluate what students already know. I will use this knowledge to guide todays lesson.

During Lesson: I will be assessing students during the lesson while I model making connections
and explain the three different types of connections. I will also be assessing their additions to the
class anchor chart and their conversations with peers. During this time I will encourage students to
ask questions and make comments that will help me see their understanding of these topics.

After Lesson: This is when I will be assessing students understanding by looking at their exit slips.
Can they make a meaningful connection to the story that comes from their previous experiences or
background knowledge?
Lesson Structure and Procedures
Sequence of events of the lesson elements. (The before, during and after the lesson, e.g.,
Engagement/Opening, Procedures, Guided Practice, Conclusion)
1) Begin the unit with a class discussion with students. Talk with them about what they have
learned previously about making connections to text when they read. Include conversation
about where these connections come from (background knowledge) and respond
accordingly to any responses students have. The point of this conversation isnt to teach
students anything new, but to see how much my students already know about this
comprehension strategy.
2) Talk with students about how readers make connections to themselves when they read. I
will talk about finding personal connections to the characters, story, themes, events, etc.
Create an anchor chart with students. On the top of the chart will be the title: Connections.
The first kind of connection would be text to self-connections. Explain to students that there
are certain questions readers ask themselves when making a text to self connection. I would
give them a few examples of the kinds of questions which can include: What does this
remind me of in my life? Has something like this ever happened to me? Have you ever felt
the way this character did? I would then encourage students to think of other questions
readers would ask themselves when making text to self connections. I would write their
answers on the anchor chart.
3) Talk with students about what another kind of connection readers make to texts. If a student
gives another type of connection I will go off that, if not I will go ahead and talk about text
to text connections. Ask students if they ever have read something that reminded them of
something else they have read. Remind students that text doesnt just include books but
magazines, articles, etc. Add text to text connections on the anchor chart. Ask students to
come up with questions readers might ask themselves when making text to text
connections. Add their answers to the chart. I would be looking for answers such as: Does
this remind me of another text I have read? How is this text similar to the last book I have
read? Does this main character have the same feelings as this texts main character? Once I
feel as though they understand and are comfortable using text to text connections, I will
move on to the last kind of connection readers make.
4) The class discussion will continue on as students provide me with the answer to the last
kind of connection, text to world connections. I will have students take two minutes to talk
with the students around them on what they think a text to world connection is. I will then
ask students for questions readers might ask themselves when making text to world
connections. Some examples I would give them to start off could include: How is this text
similar to things that happen in the real world? Have I seen a TV show or heard a song that
reminds me of this text? Does this remind me of something I have learned about in the
past? I will continue to add the students questions to the last section of the anchor chart.
5) I will finish up the anchor chart that includes the name of the type of connection, what the
connection is, and questions readers may ask to make that type of connection. I will hang
the chart up on the classroom wall as students talk with the students around them about
which type of connection they feel they make the most when reading.
6) Read the story aloud to the class Last Stop on Market Street. Model to the students
connections I make when reading the story when they occur. For example, when CJ wants
the pair of headphones, I can relate it to sometimes wanting things that I cannot have.
 I will relate back to the students read aloud story or a story that we have read as a class so
that they can understand the connection. Finally, I will talk about how different
communities look different in the world and how we should try to see the beauty in all
places.
7) Have students fill out an exit ticket on the app SeeSaw with the question: What is one
connection you made to The Last Stop on Market Street? Have students submit this on
Seesaw and if they have extra time, look over their peers exit tickets as well until the end of
class.

Instructional Strategies
Teacher approach to helping students achieve the learning objectives and meet their needs
I will facilitate a discussion with the class explaining the different types of connections readers
made and questions readers ask themselves as they make these connections. I will then create an
anchor chart with the students responses. I will hang this anchor chart in the classroom. I will then
read students the story, The Last Stop on Market Street and model to the students how to make
connections to yourself, other texts, and the world as I read. I will then instruct students how to fill
out their exit slip on SeeSaw and answer any questions or comments students have.

Learning Activities
Opportunities provided for students to develop knowledge and skills of the learning objectives
Students will participate in a class discussion on making connections. They will come up with
questions readers ask when making connections and discuss with each other connections they make
when reading. Students will listen to read aloud and pay attention to teacher modeling. Students
will then fill out an exit slip of a connection they made to the story using the app SeeSaw.
 Resources and Materials
List of materials used in the planning of and during the instruction of the lesson
The Last Stop on Market Street
Name:
Large Paper (Anchor Chart) EXIT SLIP:
What is one connection you made to
the book, The Last Stop on Market
IPad Street? The connection can be a text to
self, text to text, or text to world
Exit Slip on the app SeeSaw connection.

Technology
Instructional and/or assistive technology incorporated into the lesson to enhance instruction and
student learning

Technology will be used for this lesson. Students will use the app SeeSaw on their IPads to write
the answer to their exit slip. This allows students to see the connections their peers made to the
story as well. It will show students that different people who have different background knowledge
make different connections to the story.

Differentiated/Accommodations/Modifications/Increase in Rigor
To help meet the needs of all learners, learning differences, cultural and language differences,
etc.
To increase rigor for students who need a challenge I will have them write three connections they
made to the story, Last Stop on Market Street. One example of each type of connection (text to
self, text to text, text to world).

I can provide students with the text so that students can read along with me as I read the story.

I can provide sentence starters for students who struggle making connections. For example, A
character I relate to during this story is ___________________ because
____________________________.
 Classroom Management
Strategies consistent with the learning needs of the lesson that also meet student behavior needs
to help keep students on task and actively engaged
Our class would have had many classroom discussions before and would be aware of the
expectations. If needed, reminders of classroom discussion rules could be stated. I can call on
students to provide me with the expectations of discussions. Before finding a spot on the carpet,
students will be asked to make smart choices of who they sit by and if need be, they can sit right
next to me to reduce the distractions.

Extensions
Activities for early finishers that extend students understanding of and thinking about the
learning objectives by applying their new knowledge in a different way

Because this activity is done as a class (class discussion, anchor chart, read aloud) students will not
get finished early. However, if when filling out the exit slip students have extra time, I would
encourage them to write three different connections they made to the story, one of each type and
submit that on their IPads.

Follow-up to Todays Lesson

Quick activity for review or building on todays learning that will deepen student understanding
and interconnect concepts (may be incorporated tomorrow or throughout the unit)

This is the first lesson of five on making connections/ activating background knowledge. After
todays lesson we will build onto this knowledge by using it to make connections before, during,
and after reading texts. Students will use the skill they learned today while they read for the rest of
their lives.
Additional Information
Any area or lesson component that may not have been covered by this format that you think is
vital to include in this lesson
Because these students are in third grade this should not be the first time they are learning about the
different kind of connections, however this cannot be assumed. Allow students to teach the instructor
and their classmates by answering the questions if they know the answers and encourage them to ask
each other questions. Encourage students to make deeper connections such as connections to
characters feelings and other things in the text that might not be explicated stated for students who
have already learned this content. Pushing what they already know one step further will keep them
interested and excited.

This lesson would be a one day lesson that would last around 60 minutes.

( 2013 MoDESE) The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does not
discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, or disability in its
programs and activities. Inquiries related to Department programs and to the location of
services, activities, and facilities that are accessible by persons with disabilities may be directed
to the Jefferson State Office Building, Office of the General Counsel, Coordinator Civil
Rights Compliance (Title VI/Title IX/504/ADA/Age Act), 6th Floor, 205 Jefferson Street, P.O.
Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480; telephone number 573-526- 4757 or TTY 800-735-
2966; email civilrights@dese.mo.gov