Design for Learning

Instructor: Lindsey Harding

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 3rd/Stites
Lesson Title: Are you READy?

Date: April 6
Curriculum Area: ELA


Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Standards Connection:
10.) Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to
the text as the basis for the answers. [RI.3.1]

Learning Objective(s):
When given a reading comprehension passage, students will ask and answer questions from
the text using correct details to support it.

Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language:
Today we are going to learn why it is important to use the text as evidence for the questions
that you ask and answer!

Evaluation of Learning Objective(s):
To evaluate the students learning the teacher will give students a passage on to read. They
will answer the questions correctly using evidence from the text. They will use different
colored pencils to show where they found their answer. In order to be considered proficient
and in the green range the student must score at least 4 out of 5. Students who miss more
than 2 will be considered in the red range and will need further remediation.

Engagement:
The teacher will connect to the students and explain to them the learning objective for the
day. She will have a sticky note on each of the students desk before they begin. Okay friends!
Since I am still trying to learn everyones names I want you all to help me out. If I ask a question
and I call on you, will you make sure to say your name loudly so I can hear it? Thanks! Is there
something big going on that you all have been working so hard to practice for this week? The
ACT Aspire test?! Wow, no wonder you all have been working so hard. I know that you guys are
going to give you absolute best effort, right? Well, I am going to do a little more practice with
you all to help you answer some of those reading questions that you all have seen. I know I
worked a few days ago with some of you on it. First, I have a question. Each of you has a sticky
note on your desk. I want you to get out a pencil if you dont already have one and write down
what you think the purpose of reading is. I will give you about a minute. When you have written
it, come place it on the board around the word. The teacher has the word Reading written
on the white board and waits until each student has placed their sticky note on the board.
Wonderful. Lets look at what some of you said. The teacher reads some of the sticky notes.
Those were funny and some were really good. Boys and girls, the main reason that we read it to
get meaning! Its that simple. Yes, we read for some of those reasons, but getting MEANING
from the text is the most important thing. Think about commercials or the directions on your
iPad game. Why do you read those words? To understand what its talking about. Words have
power, friends! We cant forget that and it is something that I want you to remember as you

take these tests. These passages can be intimidating and scary sometimes at first sight, I know.
But if you go into it searching for meaning and understanding, then it might just be the key to
getting you through this thing! Today we are going to look at some important things to look for
in the text when trying to answer questions about the reading! The teacher transitions into
teaching.

Learning Design:
I. Teaching:
Pretend that we are on the set of a mystery. The bad guy has run away from the scene and they
need a detective in order to answer questions and solve the problem. When you read, are you
the bad guy or are you the detective? What I mean by that is are you running away because you
havent done well in the past? Or maybe you just really dont like reading? Or are you the
detective who looks deep into the mystery in order to answer the questions correctly to solve
the mystery and ace the test? I want us all to be detectives today. We are going to put on our
detective hat and glasses and explore a passage together. Before we do, I want to give you all
some helpful tips to be the best detective that you can be. Teacher draws a stick figure student
on the board that she will draw detective traits from. Okay, I have my friend Ron up here. He is
a detective reader, but right now we dont really know what that means. When you all here
detective what is the first thing that you think of? Okay, good. What is the detectives job? To
find out the answer, good. But the detective has to look at the question first, right? Or else they
wont know what problem to solve. That is the first thing that they have to do. Teacher makes a
bubble #1 and writes looks at the question. When you all are reading the passage in your
ACT booklet, it is always important to know and understand what you are trying to answer!
That is key, boys and girls. So first you have to know what the problem or question is. That is
the most important thing in solving a question is knowing what it is in the first place. When you
see a question on the ACT and something is underlined or bolded are you just going to ignore
that and pretend like it doesnt mean anything? Heavens NO! People, those are the biggest clues
that a detective can use! Whenever you see those, circle it so that you know it is important. That
is going to help you answer the question correctly! By the way, that is the end goal. Its not just
about circling in the bubble and finishing the test, its about doing your best to find the right
answer! Next, the detective will look for main ideas and key details in the case or story. Have
you all learned about those yet? The main idea is the main point of the story. And the key
details are what support that. For instance, how many of you have read the book by Dr. Seuss
Green Eggs and Ham? Can anyone tell me what they think the main idea of the story is? It is
that the guy does not like green eggs and ham. And throughout the story we find out key details
that tell us why he doesnt like them. So it is important that we look for things that support our
main idea. The teacher writes main idea that in bubble #2 by their friend Ron on the board.
Next, it is so so important that you can prove your answer. Evidence is key. What is evidence,
boys and girls? Teacher waits for students to respond. If a detective said that he found the
answer to the mystery but didnt have any evidence to support it, would you believe him? No
because he could be wrong! Teacher write in bubble #3 prove it. You HAVE to look at the
passage for evidence to answer the question. That is the only way. The way that I like to do that
is go back and underline the answer to the question in the passage. That way I know that I
answered it correctly because I found it in the passage. I have a short passage for us to read
about dolphins. Who all has seen a dolphin before? I love dolphins and saw one the other
weekend when I went home for Easter. It was so pretty! I am going to read it out loud and you

all will follow along with me on the board. There are some questions at the end that we are
going to answer and good detectives/readers look back in the text to ask and answer
questions. If you all listen and behave then I might let you come up to the board and help me
underline the answer to the question. The teacher pulls up the passage on dolphins on the
Elmo and displays it on the Promethean Board. She reads the passage and makes sure that
the students are cooperating and following along. After they have read, the teacher will ask
the first question and model how to answer it by underlining it in the passage. Then, if the
students are behaving she will have some of them come up and underline the answers to the
following questions. She will ask the whole class each question and ask where they found it.
The teacher will ask the following questions: How come dolphins are not considered to be
fish? Do dolphins like to live alone? If not, how do they like to live? How many pods do dolphins
live in? What is the most famous type of dolphin? After the class finishes looking at this
passage, the teacher will transition into another passage for the students to practice on as
they work with a partner.

II. Opportunity for Practice:
The teacher will pass out small white boards and markers and split them into partners for
this activity. She will ask the students questions based off the passage displayed on the board
and they will collaborate, writing the correct letter on the white board. The teacher will
formatively assess how students are doing. Okay friends, we have learned how to be detectives
today. Lets see now if you all can work together to answer these questions before you become a
detective on your own. I have a passage that I am going to display on the board. I am going to
read it to you all and you are going to follow along on your sheet of paper with your partner.
Now is not the time to talk to your friend. It is important that you pay attention to you know
how to solve the problem, detectives. Our passage is about sharks! What do you all know about
sharks? The teacher calls on students to answer. I am scared of sharks! I am from Florida and
so whenever I go in the ocean Im always worried that they are going to surround me! We are
going to do something similar to what we just did when we looked at the passage on hermit
crabs. You are going to work with the person next to you on this. I am going to pass out the
mini white boards and a marker to you all. You and your partner can switch off writing the
answer, but I want you to talk about it together. I will ask the question and you will look up
here at the article and answer it accordingly. If I ask you what the title of the passage is, how
are you going to know how to answer that? You look at the title and read it! Its not hard. So
the same goes for these questions I ask you. The answers are in the text you just have to look!
Before pass out the white boards and ask you the questions, I am going to read the passage. If
you all cant listen and pay attention I am going to take away the privilege of using the white
boards and working with partners, so please pay attention. The teacher reads the passage on
sharks. After she is finished she passes out the white boards and markers to the students.
She makes sure that they understand the directions and asks the students if they have any
questions. After they are settled and in partners she will ask them the following questions:
Since Sharks are fish, how do they breath? What happens if a shark loses a tooth? Is it gone
forever? What shark is the largest? How big does it grow? She will give them time to answer
each one with their partner and will formatively assess how the students are doing with
using text evidence to support the question. She will monitor their talking and make sure
that they are working together.

III. Assessment
The teacher will evaluate the students skills to answer questions using the text for support
by giving them a passage to read and questions to answer from the text. They will need
colored pencils and will be asked to underline where they found their answers. When they
are finished the teacher will collect the sheets and assess how they did. We have talked about
how to answer questions from a text using the text to support it together as a class, now it is
your turn to show me what you have learned on your own. I have this fun little story about
honeybees for you to read. I want you all to pay attention though to what I am going to have
you do. Do you notice the crayons have a color written on them at the end? Well you are going
to use colored pencils to show me where you found your answer. Does that make sense? The
teacher holds up the paper and explains it to them. Does anyone have any questions? This
shouldnt take you long, so there is no need to talk. Once you are finished you can come bring
the papers to me. I will be walking around making sure that you are doing what you are
supposed to be doing. I believe that yall can ace this!

IV. Closure:
For closure, the students will be given an exit slip. They will write down one important thing
to remember when taking the reading ACT Aspire that has been talked about today or in
class. The teacher will collect them at the door before they leave for lunch.

Materials and Resources:
White Board
Promethean Board
Sticky Notes
Mini White Boards
White Board markers
Colored pencils
Elmo
Exit Slip
Shark Passage
Hermit Passage
Honeybee Passage

Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):
Students who miss more than 2 questions will be considered in the red range and need
further support. The teacher can meet one on one with the student, read a story or book that
interests them, and ask them questions based on the text. She will have them hold the text
and support their answers with evidence throughout. She will use a graphic organizer to
help support his or her thinking as well. Students who are in the green range can be given a
more challenging passage and be given tougher questions to answer that are still supported
in the text but require more critical thinking and understanding of the text.

Data Analysis:
The students were given 15 minutes to do the assessment piece. The students have some
behavior issues, so directions had to be reiterated a few times in order to make sure
everyone understood. They are third graders and the level of work that this worksheet was

should have been able to be finished within 15 minutes. Some students did not finish due to
talking and distracting themselves. I walked around to see how some students were doing
and one student was very overwhelmed and felt that he could not do it. He did not complete
any of the assignment even though he sat quietly. This was only my third day in the
classroom but it made me wonder what kind of extra support he might have needed within
my instruction or explanation in order to help him move past the question. Other students
really seemed to get it. Most students who finished scored at least 4/5 on the assessment but
more scored 5/5. They not only answered correctly, but underlined the evidence in the
passage like the directions told them to. That was the point of the whole lesson helping
them become detectives when reading and using the passage to support the answer to the
question. I was pleased with the results, but I wish that the students would apply themselves
more, because if they did they would do even better than they had. The purpose of this
lesson was to remind them of what to do when taking the reading portion of the ACT Aspire.
I hope that this lesson gave them good tools and encouraged them to be better readers and
evidence givers when answering questions.

Reflection:
This lesson was given my third day being in the class, so it was hard not even knowing
everyones names. This class has been unlike any other that I have been in before, but I feel
like Ive really been able to step up and take ownership of all that I have learned and the
skills that I have. My teacher told me from day one that these students have behavioral
issues and so I took that as a challenge to have them cooperate with me during this lesson. I
had to use a loud, firm voice while still being excited and enthusiastic about their learning
and I feel like I did that well and that it worked! They were as engaged as they could have
been and participated in the instruction. The desks were all spread out facing the board
which I usually not the style that I prefer, but I think that it was actually a better layout than
sitting on the carpet or in circles with this group of students. I planned to do every section of
the lesson but I was not able to do the practice with them. I did not know how this lesson
was going to go because I have not seen my teacher teach yet so I didnt know exactly how to
teach or what to teach. She gave me free reign, and I am pleased with how this lesson and
topic panned out. In the few days Ive been at the placement I have become passionate about
encouraging these students to do the best that they can on the standardized tests so that is
why I chose to focus on this skill. I knew that it could help them when they take their test
next week. I personally think this was my best lesson yet. I was confident and had control of
the class and saw the light bulb go off in many of their heads. Next time I teach a lesson I
want to ask more engaging questions and foster discussion and work more on how to best
manage this class behavior-wise.

Samford University
Design for Learning

TEACHING

PRACTICE

Questions for the Teacher:

(Teaching and Practice)

Dolphin passage:
How come dolphins are not considered to be fish?
Do dolphins like to live alone? If not, how do they
like to live?

How many pods do dolphins live in?

What is the most famous type of dolphin?

Shark passage:

Since Sharks are fish, how do they breath?

What happens if a shark loses a tooth? Is it gone
forever?

What shark is the largest? How big does it grow?

How many different types of sharks are there
around the world?