Name: Christy Barrow

Partner: Jordan Tindle

Grade Level: 4th grade
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes

Lesson Plan Guide: Literacy Lesson #1 (1 or 2 in the sequence)

Standards Standard 4-R1 The student will integrate various cues and
addressed: strategies to comprehend what he or she
See appropriate reads.
grade: 4-R1.1 Demonstrate the ability to use a variety of strategies to
www.myscschools. derive meaning from texts and to read
com fluently.
(English/LA)

Lesson
objective: The student will be able to create a K-W-L chart to
(Measurable & help them express what they know, wonder, and
observable) learned from reading the Eyewitness Pyramid
book.

Assessment:
(Must match A chart- the students will create a chart that has three
objective and columns. The first column will state what the student
specify expected already knows about pyramids. The second column will
outcome) state what the student wants to know or wonders about
pyramids, and the third column will answer the student’s
“wonder” questions. The students will be assessed on
their ability to organize and put their knowledge,
questions, and what they learned into a chart. I will
assess the questions that they have in the class
discussion and in their chart based on the connections
that they make to what they already know and their
ability to continue reading to answer their questions with
appropriate information from the text. with appropriate
information from the text.

Relation of Whole: Comprehension

lesson plan to
Whole-Part- Part: The students will be able to activate prior
Whole: knowledge, ask authentic questions, and find answers in
the text through recording what they know, wondered,
and learned. The part is not the chart per se, but the
learning objective- being able to activate prior
knowledge, ask authentic questions, and find answers in
the text.
 Whole: Through creating a K-W-L chart, the students will
be able to better understand how to stop, think, and
wonder about what they are reading. By writing what
they know, students will activate prior knowledge; by
wondering about the text, students will ask authentic
questions; and students will learn by finding answers in
the text. Clarify this in relation to how activating prior
knowledge, asking questions and looking for answers
helps in understanding text.

Lesson Plan Outline

Introduction:

Activating prior Activating prior knowledge:

knowledge (world
knowledge or “Is anyone interested in taking an adventure to a far
literary away place that has fascinated people for years with its
knowledge): amazing monuments?”
“Well, I’m excited to say that we will be traveling to
How will you Egypt to explore its great pyramids. Take a quick
engage the moment to draw a what a pyramid looks like on a piece
students, get of paper and tell your neighbor what you know about
them interested in pyramids.”
the lesson, and When you activate prior knowledge, students should
connect to have to think, talk, draw, or write about something, not
ongoing just answer, “yes” in relation to their background
instruction? knowledge. Ex. Turn to the person next to you and tell
them what you know about pyramids.

Procedures:
Modeling:

Explicit teaching 1. “A very helpful strategy that many readers

where you teach use to help them understand what they are
students one reading is questioning. Questioning should become
strategy for second nature because one can learn so much
reading more when they are able to stop, think, and
comprehension wonder about what he or she is reading. I am
through modeling going to show you all an example of a questioning
the strategy. technique that will help me organize the questions
that I have about a book on pyramids. First, I will
You must: write down what I know about pyramids in the first
• number your column of my chart. Then as a begin reading the
procedures book, I will write down questions that I am curious
• script out your to know the answer to about pyramids. In the third
minilesson or column I will write the answers to the questions
include what that I asked. Some of the answers will appear later
you will model in the text as I continue reading.” Nice opening.
in the copy of
the text you 2. Model thinking out loud through saying the
include with things that I already know about pyramids.
this lesson plan
• bold the “I know that pyramids are located in Egypt,
teaching so I will write this in the “what I know”
method you column. I will also write that pyramids were
will be using built for the pharaohs, who were the kings,
in the “what I know” column.” Include this
modeling here- what do you already know
about pyramids?

Then I will begin reading the first paragraph

of the book and stop to pause at parts that I
am curious about and have questions for.

I wonder why the pyramids were built for the

pharaohs? I’m going to write this question
down and then continue reading to see if the
answer appears later in the text.

Oh, here it says that the pyramids were built

as tombs for the pharaoh’s body as their
final resting place. I will put this information
in the “learned” column.

I wonder who built the pyramids? I’m going

to write this question down because I am
curious about it.

“Here it says that the laborers who dragged

the stones were not slaves, but they were
farmers who believed that the pharaoh
would look after them in the next world if
they helped him. It also says that the finest
sculptors, masons, engineers, and workers
helped build the pyramids. Wow, that seems
Guided like quite a project. I will write that farmers
Practice/Active dragged the stones to build the pyramids
Involvement: down in the “learned” column. I will also
write that sculptors, masons, engineers, and
Time where you workers helped build pyramids in the
give students an “learned” column.”
opportunity to try What will you write down on your chart
the strategy (paraphrasing the information you’ve just
during the read)?
minilesson.
I wonder how long it took them? I should
right this down in the second what I wonder
column.

Here it says that it took years to build the

pyramids. I’m going to write this down in the
third what I learned column but I’m going to
continue reading to see if the text answers
my question more clearly. Maybe I could do
additional research to answer the question.

3. Give the students the opportunity to listen to

me read Eyewitness Pyramids and then fill in their
Link: own K-W-L chart.

Link to Now that I’ve showed you how to create a K-

independent W-L chart from reading a text, I am going to
reading where continue reading and I will take a break after
they will practice each paragraph for you to fill in your own
the new strategy chart.
with their own
texts. 4. Facilitate the guided practice through
reading aloud and stopping after each paragraph
for the students to write down their questions
and/or the information that they learned.

5. Observe the students as they are filling out

their charts. Walk around the room to make sure
that the students are writing down a lot of
questions and are also finding the answers to
some of their questions as I continue to read the
book. During this assessment, ask students some
of the questions that they have about pyramids
and what they have learned about pyramids.

6. When I feel like the students understand the

questioning strategy, I will let them finish reading
the pyramid book with partners. I will pair the
weak readers with stronger readers, so that the
 strong readers can help them. Each student will
finish filling out his or her chart. They will be able
to share their thoughts with their reading partner.
Is this a book that will be accessible to all
students level-wise? If not, you need to offer
support through either reading it aloud or
pairing them up with partners where at least
one student is at the book’s reading level.

7. Confer with students who look as if they are

struggling (may not be writing down any or very
many questions, cannot find the answers to their
questions in the text). Guide them through reading
a paragraph and asking questions.

Link:

1. Make connections to students’ independent

reading.

The next time you are reading a book, I want

you all to ask questions if you are curious or
do not understand something that is going
on. Questioning is a great strategy that will
help you all to understand what you are
reading at a higher level.

Modifications if If lesson is too easy (on students’ independent level):

the lesson is too
difficult or too Have students write down difficult questions that they
easy: have and then research the answer in another text. I will
provide the class with other books on pyramids and
This is what you ancient Egypt so that they will have access to
plan to do during information about pyramids.
the lesson You Will you have other texts on hand for them? This should
must be ready to be something that you are ready to implement. This will
implement what help them with their researching skills and it will also
you write in this give them more information about the topic.
box…
If lesson is too difficult (on students’ frustration level):

Guide a student through reading the text and pausing to

allow the student to ask a question if they are unsure of
what is going on or are curious about something that was
just read. Allow the students to write their question in the
second column of their chart. Then continue reading and
 point out to the student when one of their questions has
been answered. Stop reading and allow the student to
write the answer in the third column.

Christie- Nice job on this first draft. Please address the feedback above and leave the
track changes in so that when you send me your next draft, I can look at the parts that
needed elaboration specifically.
Emily
Reflections on
lesson:

Half page bulleted

list for reading
methods class
assignment of
reflections on
your teaching.

Half page bulleted

list for reading
methods class
assignment of
your students’
learning.

Include both
successes and
areas for
improvement.