edTPA Lesson Plan

Name Brynn McLaughlin

Lesson #, Lesson Title Lesson 5 of 6, Antonyms and Synonyms

Date and Day of the Week Friday, March 20, 2020

Grade Level and Class 4th Grade

Period and Length 45 minutes

Materials Needed List of antonyms and synonyms, YouTube video,

synonym and antonym PowerPoint, Smart Board, tree
outline, antonym leaves, synonym leaves, drawing
paper, colored pencils, crayons, pencils, figurative
language book

Standards and Objectives

Standards:
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.5.C
Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms)
and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).

Learning Objectives:
● Content objective: Students will be able to identify the difference between antonyms
and synonyms orally and written.
● Content objective: Students will be able to write examples of antonyms and synonyms
that were focused on during the lesson.
● Language objective: Students will be able to explain the difference between the types
of figurative language in writing and speaking.
● Language objective: Students will be able to identify antonyms and synonyms while
reading and writing.

Central Focus:
Students will be about to identify antonyms and synonyms orally and in writing.

Academic Language Demands:

To help the teacher evaluate if students understand the lesson, there are many language
demands that should be met. Students will be learning new vocabulary words to help them
understand the lesson. The lesson is all about synonyms and antonyms. Students will use
their prior knowledge from the prior lessons of figurative language to help during this lesson.
Prior lessons include learning about what figurative language is and how it is different from
literal language, similes, metaphors, personification, and idioms. Students will have the
opportunity to compare the different types of figurative language that were learned to the new
lesson of synonyms and antonyms. Students will be able to read the words from the board,
along with a sentence that goes with the word. Students will be able to sort the words into the
correct categories based on their knowledge. These words will be vocabulary words or
adjectives the students know. Examples include: big, pretty, smart, wet and soft. The Students
will also be able to hold a conversation and answer questions while speaking about the
vocabulary words. Conversations will be about the differences between synonyms and
antonyms. Conversations will also be about how these two types of figurative language differ
from other types of figurative language. The vocabulary words students will be able to use
during these conversations are listed below.
Prior knowledge words:
Figurative language
Literal Language
Figure of speech
Like
As
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Idiom
Real meaning
Perceived meaning

New words:
Synonym
Antonym

Assessments Related to this Lesson:

● The teacher will assess the students when they act out idioms. The teacher will focus
on if the students understand the figurative and literal meanings of idioms. The teacher
will focus on the students actions and the students guessing what idiom is being acted
out.
● This will act as an exit ticket for the lesson. The students will hand in the drawings and
sentences to the teacher to check over. This will allow the teacher to see if the
students understand what the lesson was teaching.
● The students will check to make sure their sentences are correct before drawing the
picture so that the teacher can assess that they understand what was taught. This
 allows the teacher to check to make sure the students understand the difference
between the two being taught.
Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks that Support Student Needs
Time Action
Launch (Motivation)
1. The teacher will activate the students prior
knowledge of figurative language.
a. The teacher will ask the students what
figurative language is and how it
differs from literal language.
i. The teacher will also ask the
students to think back to the
prior four lessons on figurative
language, similes, metaphors,
personification and idioms.
ii. The teacher will then ask the
students “what is an example
of simile, metaphor,
personification and idiom?”
b. The teacher will then inform the class
that they will be learning about two
new types of figurative language
called synonyms and antonyms.
i. “Synonym is a word or phrase
that means exactly or nearly
the same as another word or
phrase in the same language”
ii. “Antonym is a word opposite in
meaning to another”
iii. https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=bBWm3-mxL1U
Rationale:
The purpose of the launch
of this lesson is to active
students’ prior knowledge.
The teacher will review the
previous four lessons of the
unit. This allows students to
get their mind working
before finding out what new
figurative language they will
be learning about.
According to
Constructivism, prior
knowledge impacts the
learning process. Students
will be able to get their
brains to transition into ELA
by activating prior
knowledge. The teacher will
explain the new type of
figurative language being
taught at a quicker pace
during the introduction
before putting the video on.
The reason for this is
because the video will
explain what synonyms and
antonyms are to the
students. The teacher is
explaining at a faster pace
to give the students an idea
of what is about to be taught

Instructional Procedure
1. After the video finished, the teacher will lead
the class in a discussion about what they
watched.
a. The teacher will ask questions such
as:
i. “What was the video about?”
ii. “What is an antonym?”
iii. “What is a synonym?”
2. After this discussion the teacher will put up
the synonym and antonym PowerPoint
a. The teacher will go through the
PowerPoint discussing examples of
different synonyms and antonyms.
The class will discuss what it means
for something to be opposite or the
same.
i. Examples on this PowerPoint
will be:
1. Big
2. Smart
3. Wet
4. Pretty
5. Soft
3. The teacher will transition the lesson to a
demonstration of the class activity
a. The teacher will put up a picture of the
synonym and antonym tree on the
board
i. The tree will be the trunk and
branches without leaves. In
the middle of the trunk, there
will be an adjective. On the
bottom right of the three there
will be a swing connected that
says antonym and bottom left
there will be a swing that says
synonym.
ii. There will also be a pile of
leaves with the tree. On the
leaves there will be synonyms
and antonyms. Each leaf will
during the lesson.
The teacher starts the
instructional procedure by
reviewing the video the
class just watched. This
allows students to process
what was being taught in
the video. The teacher will
ask guiding questions to
help the students explain
what the video was about.
The teacher will use a
PowerPoint for this lesson
to show examples of the
figurative language. This
allows students to see the
words in a larger font. The
teacher will touch on the
words opposite and same in
chase students do not know
what they mean. The
examples that are being
used in the PowerPoint are
the same words that will be
used in later activities of this
lesson. The teacher will
demonstrate the activity that
is being done with the class
before they break off into
individual work. This allows
the students to observe
what they are expected to
do during this lesson. The
picture is of a tree and
leaves because all the
students know what trees
look like. The words on the
leaves will be words that the
class is familiar with. The
class will fill in two trees
together before going onto
their independent work. The
reason for this is so that
 have one word. students are able to
iii. The class will have to place understand what they are
the leaves on the correct sides expected to do during
of the tree. independent work. The
1. The class will do two students will have to explain
trees together their reasoning for the
a. The teacher will placement of the leaves.
read one leaf at
a time and the
students will
need to answer
which side it
belongs on and
why.
2. Once the trees are
done the students will
receive their own trees.

Structured Practice and Application The students will be

working on the same activity
1. The students will each receive a worksheet the class just worked on
with a tree in the middle and leaves on the together. This is so that
bottom. Students will need to cut out the students have an idea of
leaves and glue them on the correct side of what they will be expected
the tree. to complete during this
a. The tree will be different examples activity. The students will be
than the ones that were done as a working on their own trees
class based on their level of
i. This tree will be the word “big” proficiency. The students
ii. The vocabulary on the leaves will all have the same
can be differentiated for the adjective on their tree. The
students based on their levels leaves for some students
of proficiency. may be tougher vocabulary
1. ELLs will receive words words compared to others.
that they are familiar Students will be working
with based on the Zone of
2. Students with higher Proximal Development
levels of proficiency (ZPD). Students will be
may receive words that challenged based on their
that are newer to them skill level. The teacher will
2. Once the trees are completed, the class will be walking around the
come back to a whole group classroom as the students
a. The teacher will review the answers to are working on their own.
this as a whole This allows the teacher the
 i. Students will have the
opportunity to come to the
board and drag the leaves to
the correct side of the tree and
explain why they placed it
there.
3. After the tree is reviewed, the class will
review one more tree for the word “pretty”
a. The class will work together to put the
leaves on the tree like the three other
trees.
4. The teacher will ask the class questions
based on the lesson
a. “What is a synonym?”
b. “What is an antonym?”
c. “What does it mean to be the same?”
d. “What does it mean to be the
opposite?”
5. Once this tree is complete the teacher will
handout drawing paper
a. The students will draw an example of
the tree on the sheet of paper.
b. Students will get to pick whatever
adjective they want to use
i. Students will draw their own
leaves on the tree and fill the
leaves in with synonyms and
antonyms.
Assessment following Structured Practice
The teacher is assessing students based on how
their answers differ from the first set of guiding
questions in the instructional procedure to the review
questions. The teacher will also be assessing
students when they are doing the whole class work.
The teacher will observe students and keep track of
who is answering questions and asking questions.
The teacher will cold call on students to assess
everyone in the class. Another assessment that is
occurring during this lesson is when the class is
doing independent work. The teacher will be walking
opportunity to answer
students’ questions as well
and assess the students
based on observation. The
class will then return back to
a whole group discussion
once the trees are
completed. The class will
complete one more tree
together, with students
explaining their reasoning
for placement. This allows
the teacher the opportunity
to assess if the students
understood what was taught
during the lesson. The
teacher will end this section
by asking questions based
on what was taught. The
students and lesson will be
assessed based on how
well the students
understand the questions
and answers.
The reason for the teacher
asking similar questions at
the beginning of the lesson
and the end of the lesson is
for assessment. The
teacher will be able assess
how much the students
learned during the lesson.
The comparison between
the beginning answers and
end answers can give the
teacher information they
around answering questions and looking at students’ need. The teacher is also
work. This allows the teacher the opportunity to see using cold call during the
who understands what was being taught. The lesson so that the same
teacher can also step in and answer any questions students are not
that students have during this time. Reviewing these participating during class.
trees on the board allows the teacher to hear the Observation is a main form
students reasoning and is giving them an opportunity of assessment for this
to explain why one word belongs in a certain spot. lesson because during
The last bit of assessment in this lesson is the independent work the
drawing for the figurative language book. The teacher can walk around the
students will have the opportunity to use any classroom. The book at the
adjective they like and fill in the leaves with end of the lesson is a main
vocabulary words they already know. The book is assessment for the entire
going to be used at the end of the unit as an unit. This is being used as
assessment of the unit. something students can use
to help review the unit. The
teacher can use these
submissions as a way to
assess how much students
understood during the unit
and lessons.

Closure This is being used as a

1. Students will show the teacher their synonym
and antonym tree drawing
a. Students will glue their pictures onto
construction paper and hand them
into the teacher
b. The students drawings will be put into
their figurative language books by the
teacher
final assessment for the unit
and the lesson. The teacher
will be grading the book at
the end of the unit to assess
the students’ knowledge.
The pages of the book are
being used as an exit slip
for the lesson. The teacher
can look it over and assess
the picture and call the
student over if there is
anything that needs to be
corrected.

PLANNING COMMENTARY
 The students in this class all live in a suburban area. The class consists of 13 girls and
12 boys. The majority of the class has attended the same school for the majority of their lives.
They have been in the same classes with each other since kindergarten. The class is a mix of
cultures and languages. The majority of the class has English as a first language. However, four
of the students are English Language Learners. Three of the ELLs are Spanish speakers and
the fourth is an Italian speaker. The central focus of this lesson is students will be about to
identify antonyms and synonyms orally and in writing. To help ELLs achieve the central focus of
this lesson, many factors need to be taken into account. These students will be using visuals to
help them comprehend what is being taught. The synonyms and antonyms being used are
vocabulary words that the students know from prior years and units. This allows the students to
have a better understanding of the definitions.

This connection links to many prior lessons. This lesson is the fifth lesson out of a total
of six lessons for the figurative language unit. The lesson starts off building on the prior four
lessons of the unit. During each of these lessons the students will be learning about the
difference between figurative and literal language. The students will also be using vocabulary
from prior lessons during this lesson. These vocabulary words include: figurative language,
literal language, figure of speech, like, as, simile, metaphor, personification, idiom, real meaning
and perceived meaning. The students will already have prior knowledge of how to read, write,
and give answers orally. The class will also have prior knowledge of how the teacher sets up the
lessons in this unit. The teacher uses an introduction very similar to each other each lesson in
this unit to help activities the students prior knowledge. The teacher activities the students prior
knowledge by asking them about the different figurative languages. The teacher will ask multiple
questions about a topic that the students have recently learned about. The teacher will ask
questions similar to, “What is figurative language?” During this lesson, the students will be using
adjectives for the activities. These adjectives are all words that the students already know their
meaning. These words were picked because the students will be able to separate the antonyms
and synonyms easier when they already know the definition. If the students did not know the
definition of the words, the teacher would have to teach the definition and the figurative
language. The teacher is also using a picture of a tree and leaves during this lesson. The
students will already have prior knowledge of what trees and leaves look like. This will allow the
students to know where to glue the leaves on the tree. The possible misunderstanding in this
lesson could be the difference between antonyms and synonyms. The students may get
confused by the opposite and similar. One way to help keep the students from making this error
is to remind the students that synonym is the same, double s. To help students with specific
needs, the leaves will be different. ELL students will receive leaves that fit the vocabulary that
they know and understand. Students with higher levels of proficiency will receive harder
vocabulary words on the leaves. The teacher will walk around the classroom helping students
who need the help. Using the book drawing as an exit ticket, the teacher will be able to pull
students to the side at other times to help clear up their understanding of the topic.

This lesson will build on future lessons in many ways. This lesson is towards the end of
the figurative language unit. The last lesson in the unit will be a review of the different types of
figurative language taught in the unit. This lesson will be a part of that final lesson. This lesson
will also connect to future writing prompts that will be given out to the class throughout the year.
Writing prompts may include writing a story and include a comparison of people using
antonyms.

The activities in this lesson build on each other in many ways. The first part of this
lesson is a review of the prior lessons. This helps the students activate their memory of
figurative language. The teacher will ask questions based on the prior lessons. After these
questions are asked, the teacher will ask the class if they know what antonyms and synonyms
are. This connects prior lessons to the current lesson. The class will watch a video which gives
them a background of the topic. The video is used because some students are able to learn
better by looking at visuals. After the video, the teacher will have a class discussion about what
they just watched. This connects the introduction to the instructional procedure. The teacher will
give examples of synonyms and antonyms based on adjectives that the students are very
familiar with. After the PowerPoint for the lesson, the teacher will demonstrate the activity the
class will be doing. This allows students to gain an idea of what they are supposed to do during
the lesson. The students are able to watch the teacher demonstrate what they are supposed to
do which can help eliminate some confusion. After the students break off into independent work,
the teacher will pull the class back together. This allows the class time to review what they just
did and then review one more question. When all the questions are gone over, the class will
receive their drawing paper. This connects everything that was taught in the lesson and
everything that has been taught in the unit so far.

To meet the needs of diverse learners, there are a few things planned for this lesson.
The main part of the lesson that meets the needs of the students is the vocabulary words used
on the leaves. The students who struggle with vocabulary and ELLs will get vocabulary words
that are on their level. Students who thrive with vocabulary will receive more words to place and
some at a harder level. This allows the students to work at their level, but still using the same
adjective for the tree. Another thing that helps meet the needs for diverse learners is using a
video. Some students may comprehend from videos and visuals better than PowerPoints. This
allows those students to have a way to help understand the lesson. Another thing that could
help diverse learners is the introduction and closure being similar to prior lessons. This allows
for something to stay consistent and known. If the lesson is difficult for the student, they will still
end the lesson with something they know and understand what to do.