Christy Chen: Thursday 2/25/16 6-1 Integrated Language Arts.

Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Robin Muccia

Primary Subject Area and Grade Level:

This lesson is for a 6th grade integrated language arts class.

Specifically for class 6-1.
Interdisciplinary Connections: (1a: Demonstrating
Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy)
Language Arts- Reading comprehension, grammar, writing
Social Studies- Holocaust
Technology- Starboard, ChromeBooks
Lesson Duration: State the approximate time frame for this lesson.
(1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
1:35-2:18pm (1 period)
1:35-1:55- Voyages comma work
1:55-2:15- Inference mini lesson
Relevance/Rationale: (1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of
Students)
This grammar lesson is put into place in order to get the students
ready for Terra Novas, which will begin on 3/17. This grammar lesson
will also help the students in writing because they have an essay due
on 2/26.
The reading comprehension mini lesson is being used in conjunction
with examples from Number the Stars, which is the 6th grade unit
book at the moment. I have given students reading comprehension pre
tests and I understand that many of them have trouble analyzing text
and breaking down their thinking in order to come up with
generalizations or conclusions that are accurate.
Students will be interested in this lesson because they have already
shown interest in the novel Number the Stars. I have also added a
video and a game that students may like playing in order to practice
their grammar work. This 6th grade class enjoys playing games

therefore I tried to incorporate something that they enjoy but

something that connects to our learning.
Outcomes/Objectives: (1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes)
At the end of this lesson you will be able to
1.
2.
3.

ApplyyourknowledgeofCommastoformulateexamples
ApplyyourknowledgeoftheHolocausttoinferinformationinthetextchapter2
Understandandspecificallyusetheclues,andpriorknowledgetocompleteaninference
ofyourownnexttimewereadtogether.

Content Standard(s) and/or Common Core Learning Standard(s): (1c:

Setting Instructional Outcomes)
RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed
through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from
personal opinions or judgments.
RL6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the
text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a
specific word choice on meaning and tone.
L.6.1 Demonstrate command of conventions of standard English grammar
and usage when writing or speaking.
Use of Formative Assessment to Inform Planning: (1f: Designing
Student Assessments)
Students have a past understanding of use of conjunctions and
commas. Students also practice writing the date in their journals
everyday. Students also complete a do now at the beginning of almost
every class. This do now consists of a sentence where students need to
correct grammar, punctuation, mechanics and spelling. Therefore
students are practicing on a daily basis the usage of commas and are
familiar with many of the uses.
I have done a pre test on the class dealing with comprehension.
Students did fairly well but I did notice which students had trouble
comprehending and analyzing the text in a timely manner. Students
also are very excited about the Holocaust and about the book we are
reading. I collected data from a KWL chart about topics students knew

about and topics they were interested about. I also presented them a
flyer that detailed some important facts about the setting of the book.
Students were able to see Google Maps of Copenhagen and see actual
pictures from 1943 in Copenhagen and throughout Denmark.
In this lesson I will gather student progress through questions generated on
either Nearpod presentation or on Google Classroom.
I will also have students complete an inference for homework
Class Information: (1b: Knowledge of Students)
6-1 is the stronger class compared to 6-2. Students in this class have
IEPs.
LG has trouble with comprehension of directions, text, readings etc..
MA has the lowest grade in the class and he has trouble following
directions, comprehending the information, and analyzing text.
NR has been having trouble with his grammar lately and has done
poorly on homework. We had a meeting with his mother on Tuesday.
JM rushes through his work and makes small mistakes.
Many students in this class have trouble reading and following
directions; CS, NR, XK, BP.

Overview: (1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of

Content and Pedagogy)
Students will complete a Do Now while they settle into class. Students
have a format for do nows that they must follow in order to keep
organized and consistent. (if time permits)
Post comma presentation from Nearpod. Have students use ChromeBooks to
log into the Nearpod. Give presentation.
Exit ticket: Work in partners to complete an example of each of the uses.
Inference mini lesson.
Explain what an inference in and the different information needed to
complete an accurate inference. Do an inference together.
Have students do one for homework.

Technologies and Other Materials /Resources: (1d:

Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources)

StarBoard, Voyages in English Grammar and Writing, Students
Notebooks, Objective Chart, Inference Chart, Inference Worksheet
Videos: http://viewpure.com/ptM7FzyjtRk?start=0&end=0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHnl1O3NGJk
Nearpod presentation
Google Classroom
Comma Games
http://www.compasslearningodyssey.com/sample_act/34lang_confusi
on.html
Grouping Strategy: (1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
Students are seated in sets of 4 in order for collaboration. Students
were assigned their seats and we recently moved seats due to the fact
that students were not paying attention and they were chatting to
people around them. These seats have been in place for about a week
and a half. Students seem to be doing better in terms of settling down
and listening.
Academic Vocabulary: (1a: Knowledge of Content and
Pedagogy; 1b: Knowledge of Students)
Appositive, clauses, compound sentences, coordinating conjunctions,
quotations
Inferences, prior knowledge, context clues, textual evidence
Lesson Procedures:
(1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and
Pedagogy; 1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
Post objective chart on the blackboard. Have students come up to the
board and read the objectives to the class.
By the end of class you should be able to....
1.
2.
3.

Apply your knowledge of Commas to formulate examples.

Applyyourknowledgeoftheholocausttoinferinformationinthetextforchapter2.
Understandandspecificallyuseclues,andpriorknowledgetocompleteandgeneratean
accurateinferenceofyourown.

For homework You should have watched a video about the different
Comma uses. http://viewpure.com/GHnl1O3NGJk?start=0&end=0
There are 5 different uses in our book p. 164. I will give each group
an usage to demonstrate to the class. I would like you to input a
definition in your own words and an example onto the nearpod short
question slide. Assign 1st example to table 1, assign 2nd example to
table 2, assign 4th example to table 3, assign example 5 to table 4. Take
example 3 and explain it yourself to the class first as an example. To
set off an appositive that is nonrestrictive If an appositive (noun
or adjective) is non-restrictivethat is, if it doesnt contain important
information for identifying the noun that it followsit is off-set by
commas.
Miss Chen, your student teacher, was a big reader as a child.
6-1, do you see how I can skip the middle section your student
teacher and it is a complete sentence?
Go over student examples and definitions. Tell students you will post
the examples on Google Classroom for them to look at for homework.
Post Inference chart on chalkboard. Pass out Inference worksheet
which is essentially the chart on the board.
When you read, you can use clues along with what you already know
to help you figure out what the author does not tell you.
It is important to ask yourself What is the author leaving out that is
important to understanding this passage?
There are two parts that come together to create an inference. It is like
a math problem. Prior knowledge + Textual clues = Inference.
Turn and talk to the person sitting next to you, and discuss what prior
knowledge is and what textual clues mean.
Walk around and gather good answers from students. Then settle
students down, have them explain to the class what textual clues and
prior knowledge is. I heard ______ saying that textual clues means
this____________. I think this is a very good answer because
____________.
Turn to page 16 in Number the Stars. Read the page for the students.
I would like to make an inference about how Lise died. I think it is
important to this passage and to the story line.
What clues from the text can help me figure this out?
What do we know from prior knowledge about the Holocaust?
What can we figure out about this mystery?

Tell students that in the following few chapters we will most definitely
find out what specifically happened to Lise.
For homework I would like you to make an inference about the
friendship of Annemarie and Ellen. What do you think their friendship
is like? Dont forget to use textual clues and examples and prior
knowledge. I would like you to fill out another table on Google
Classroom for this.
On Google Classroom there is also another video about the Comma
debate http://viewpure.com/ptM7FzyjtRk?start=0&end=0
Watch the video, and write a short paragraph supporting one side of
the argument. Use at least 2 details to support your position. On
Friday we will be at Stations of the Cross therefore homework is due
Monday.
On Monday we will read chapter 3 in Number the Stars
Differentiation: (1e: Designing Coherent Instruction)
Students are able to work at their own pace because I gave them a video to
watch before class. They are able to come into class with questions ready for
me if I do not go over something they are confused about in the video.
Students are also provided a variety of ways to learn. They can visually see
the rules on the StarBoard and watch videos and games to visualize the rules.
They can also play the games and write in their own charts for those that are
kinesthetic learners. Students will also hear me repeat back correct answers
and definitions, which will help the auditory learners.
Student that need extra help on homework can comment on their homework
privately so that I can give them direct instructions one on one on Google
Classroom.
Assessment Criteria for Success: (1f: Designing Student
Assessments)
I will assess student learning throughout the lesson through the group
work they will completing on the Nearpod. Nearpod allows me to take
the information they input and save it for future use and for data. I will
also be collecting work via Google Classroom. Students will be able
to complete inferencing homework successfully if they followed along
on their worksheet during the lesson.
Questions asked during the lesson will pull information out of the
students and guide them in the right direction to learning the material.

The questions I ask after each section in the lesson chapter. Questions
allow students to analyze, and connect their information.
Students will know if they have successfully met the outcome when they
have completed the exit ticket for the grammar lesson. I will go over the
definitions that the group had completed and their examples. Students will
also have successfully met the outcome when they complete the inference
homework successfully and are able to pull out the 2 separate pieces to
gather a complete inference.
Criteria for mastery of the lesson outcome are when students are able to
answer questions about comma usage, and the different parts of making an
inference.
Collection of Do Nows and notebooks will be collected every Friday.
Anticipated Difficulties: (1a: Demonstrating
Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy)
Students may have trouble with the 3rd usage of a comma to set off an
appositive that is nonrestrictive.
To prevent this instead of assigning it to a group to explain I will explain it
as my model for the group exit ticket.
Reflections: (4a: Reflecting on Teaching)
Did all the students participate? If not how can I get total participation
next time?
What students did not participate as much? Did these students understand the
content? Look at their inference worksheet and the group work they
completed.
Was there enough time to complete both the mini lessons on time?
If not, what could I have shortened/ replaced?
Did the students know what an Inference was prior to this lesson?
If they did, did they learn anything knew?

Name: _____________________________________________________
___________________________

Date:

Making Inferences
When you read, you can use clues along with what you already know to
help you figure out what the author is not telling you.
When reading ask yourself
Is the author leaving something out that is important to the
understanding of this passage?
Textual Clues:

Prior Knowledge:

Textual Clues

Prior Knowledge

Inferences

Lesson Reflection
Name: Christy Chen
School: Saint Gregory the Great Academy Date: 2/25/16
1. In general, how successful was the lesson? Did the students learn what you
intended for them to learn? How do you know?
At the end of this lesson students should have been able to apply their
knowledge of Commas to formulate examples, apply their knowledge of the
Holocaust to infer information in the text, and understand and specifically use the
clues, and prior knowledge to complete an inference of their own. In the end I
only had time for the inference lesson. So students were only able to complete 2
out of the 3 objectives. I do believe that students understood and learned
inferencing. Only a handful of students knew prior to the lesson what an inference
was. This surprised me however I used it to my advantage and broke the lesson
down piece by piece making sure the students understood each part of making an
inference before moving on. It was interesting because a student did know what
an inference was and he stated how his past teacher explained it; like mixing
colors. Prior knowledge is blue, clues from the text is red and when you mix it up
an inference is purple. I thought this was a fantastic visual for the students to think
about, so I referenced it multiple times within the lesson, having the student
reaffirm his prior knowledge of the topic. I know that the students learned what I
intended them to learn because not only did we do an anchor chart together where
we filled out examples of each of the parts but students were engaged and excited
about making inferences. For homework I gave them a worksheet to fill out to
make their own inferences on Google classroom. Based on those sheets students
definitely understood the concept of inferring.
Next time I plan to get an idea of the amount of students that have
knowledge on the topic we are learning. I really liked how the students that knew
the topic helped me explain the concept using the color visual. I think that a short
question, the night before, on Google Classroom asking the students if they know
about the topic and any tips they may have at explaining it would gather student
engagement and student work. This would help me create my lesson and tailor it
to the students in that particular class. I also forgot to have students read back to
me the objectives at the end of class. I think that this is important to do because
then students can see where we are at and where we are going to be tomorrow.
Not being able to finish my 2 part lesson was frustrating however, I do
think that the pace that I went was a comfortable pace for the students. They were
not bored, and they did seem to be engaged therefore I could always move the
second part of the lesson to the next day. I think asking the children that Google
question about how much they know about a topic would help in planning as well
because then I would know how much time to spend on each lesson because
timing is still a difficult issue with my lesson planning.

2. If you have samples of student work, what do they reveal about the students
levels of engagement and understanding? Do they suggest modifications in how
you might teach this lesson in the future?
For this lesson I used an anchor chart where I recorded students ideas and
I used a Google Classroom worksheet that I created in order to get feedback and
see student growth after the lesson. With the anchor chart, I received many
different ideas from a lot of the students, which shows engagement, and it also
shows that students understand the concepts. With inferring I was asking students
questions to guide them in the right direction and conclusion. I would ask them
why do you think that is going to happen in the story? Why is that a clue from the
text? I would also ask them if that clue would help them come up with an answer
to the question that we posed in the beginning of the lesson. As I look at the
anchor chart I can see the order of thoughts and how thoughts were more
advanced and thought provoked than when we first started the lesson.
Based on the Google Classroom worksheet I can see students independent
work and if students understood the topic by themselves. I do believe that students
understood the topic. They listed prior knowledge, clues from the text and
inferences that all made sense and I could see the map of their thoughts because
of the chart I had them fill out on their worksheet. Many students quoted clues
from the text and also gave page numbers which is good because during the
lesson I kept asking them, where did you find that information? On what page is
that quote?
Next time I would want to use more of the Think About Model (I do, we
do, you do) which Professor Gallo, talked to me about after the lesson. I want to
model my thoughts better to the students so that they can produce work that is
detailed. I think that the end product on their worksheets would be better because
more students would quote and add page numbers and tell me how Lois Lowry
portrayed a certain scene.
Comment on your classroom procedures, student conduct, and your use of
physical space. To what extent did these contribute to student learning?
The students are aware of classroom procedures. As soon as students entered the
room they understood that they needed to complete a do now on the StarBoard. When
students were ready with an answer they raised their hands. Many students are interested
in participating throughout the lesson therefore I had no problem in student participation.
Only a handful of students had prior knowledge on inferences however those that did
have prior knowledge participated and were open in sharing ideas in order to explain the
concept to their classmates. During the inference mini lesson students were excited and
engaged because many of them were shouting out answers and excited about coming to
the different conclusions based on our detective work.
3.

Even though the engagement and desire to participate is extensive in the

classroom. I would like to control it and keep it less wild. Students should raise their
hands when they have an answer and they should learn how to be excited but patient. I
want students to listen to what the other students say even though they want to say their
example or their answer. I need to work on classroom management especially wait time
and when I want students to quiet down and look at me I need to wait for all eyes and all
students to be prepared for the lesson.
4. Did you depart from your plan? If so, how and why?
I did depart from my lesson. I was suppose to teach both inferencing and commas
during the period however I saw that many students did not have any prior knowledge on
the topic so I made sure that the class understood each part of inferencing before moving
on. This made the lesson longer thus giving me no time to teach commas.
Although I do not think that having too much planned is a negative thing, I think
that I will survey students on their knowledge of a unknown topic before teaching the
lesson so that I can gain an understanding of their knowledge and how much time I will
spend on the topic. I will be more prepared with a longer lesson and more time given to
explain and direct instruction. At the end of the lesson I did preview commas by having
students give me examples of comma usage. Therefore I did get an understanding of what
students know about commas and what they dont so that next class I can go over what
they dont know and not waste too much time.

5. Comment on different aspects of your instructional delivery (e.g., activities,

grouping of students, materials, and resources). To what extent were they
effective?
Students completed a do now that engages them in the beginning. They practice
grammar, punctuation, handwriting and critical thinking. We go over the do now after
students independently complete it. I did create an anchor chart for the students. This
anchor chart was hard to see, however I did create a worksheet for students to follow
along and complete their own chart on their own papers to take home.
Next time I would want to change two aspects of the lesson. I need to figure out a
way to bring the anchor chart closer to the desks so that students can easily see the chart.
I would also copy or type up the page that I want students to critically think about so that
they can mark up the paper, highlight sections and show me quotes and examples on
paper instead of having some students participate in raising their hands and others just
piggy backing on the other answers.

6. If you had an opportunity to teach this lesson again to the same group of
students, what would you do differently?

If I had the opportunity to teach this lesson again, I would do more

modeling before having students give me an example of each of the parts. I would
utilize the color example my student gave me into a more visual scene for
students. I would bring my anchor chart closer to the students and I would type up
the page in Number the Stars so that students can mark up the page and show me
what they know. This will bring total participation into the classroom and I will be
able to assess every students knowledge on the topic instead of just assessing
those who raise their hands and participate.
Conference with Co-op
Mrs. Muccia and I conferenced briefly after school. She discussed the fact that
yes, my anchor chart is difficult to see and we would have to think of a way to get
students to see it better. She also said to not rush during a lesson. She told me that
having too much planned for a day is not a bad thing. I would just push whatever lesson
I did not complete onto the next day. She told me that it is better for the students to
completely understand the topic before rushing and moving on to the next concept. She
told me the students were engaged and excited but a little rowdy probably due to the fact
that it was last period of the day.