Intern Name: Taylor Schoolar

Lesson Title (Subject/Topic): Theme

Grade: 4th Grade
Length of Lesson: 30 minutes
Date Taught: 1/16/19
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
In this lesson…
Overview Students will learn what the theme of a story is, and why it is important.
Standards of 4.5.B
Learning
What is theme and why is it important when reading a short story?
Essential Questions
Students will be able to…
Objectives Clearly identify the theme of several different short stories.

Learning Target I will be able to identify what the theme in a story is.

Necessary Prior - how to read

- theme
Knowledge - what a conflict is
- block paper
- colorful markers
- reading worksheet
Materials - mini white boards
- white board markers

“what does the word theme mean in a story?”

Introduction/Hook

Read a short story to the class and then break it down. Ask what the conflict of
story was and have them answer it. Write their answers on a chart so they can
see the correct spelling. Move on and ask what the theme is. After they come up
Instructional with an answer right it down for spelling. Do this again for the theme statement.
Explain to them that a theme is only one word or a small phrase. The statement
Activities & is the sentence.
Strategies
Explain that the theme does not necessarily have to do with what was just read,
but that it is the overall message.

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
Key Vocabulary or - theme
- conflict
Concepts
Assessments The worksheet
“ 1,2,3 show me activity” with a passage and options that go with it.
read a little story and give them 3 options that the theme could be. Have them
Closure Activity individually come up with the answer and then do the “1,2,3 show me”. Go over
the correct answer.

Read aloud
Accommodations
worksheets that were made by the reading resource teacher.
Resources

Reflection on a Lesson Plan Taught

Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow
Intern Name: Taylor Schoolar
Lesson Title (Subecjt/Topc): Themes
Date of Lesson Taught: 01/16/19
Cooperating Teacher & School Mrs. Felch, Linkhorn Park Elementary
Grade: 4th
Time of Day: 1:00

1. What steps did you go through to create this lesson? With whom did you talk, discuss, or edit your lesson?

When creating this lesson I talked with my cooperating teacher. She gave me the idea and the overall goal that
she wanted me to accomplish

2. How did the SOLs and Objectives help focus your instruction?

The SOL objective that Theme goes with gave me guidelines to what the students needed to understand and
learn.

3. What parts of the instructional plan worked as you anticipated?

The whole activity went as well as I thought it would.

4. What, if any, adjustments needed to be made once you began?

I just had to slow down a bit and make sure each student was okay with what what was going on.

5. How well did you anticipate the materials needed?

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
I had everything that I needed in advance to help this activity run smoothly.

6. How effective was the assessment you chose to use? (If no assessment was used, what will the future
assessment be and how will you gauge its effectiveness?)

I used a worksheet that we all did together to do the activity but what really helped to know if the students
understood was the activity that we did with white boards. The kids were on their own to show me what they
had learned.

7. To what degree do you feel that this lesson was a success? What evidence do you have for the success of
the lesson? (Hint: Student learning is the key to a lesson’s success!)

This lesson was a success because students that normally do not participate well in activities were engaged and
answering questions! By the end of the activity everyone was getting every answer right!

8. How did the time spent preparing for your lesson contribute to it’s success?

I knew what I was teaching and as a teacher that is the most important part. If you do not know what you are
teaching and are not confident with the material they are not going to believe you.

9. If you could do this lesson again with the same students, would you do anything differently? If so, what?

I would add more activities and have more time to do a variety of things with it.

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)