Term III Assignment

Literacy

Student teacher:
Location:
Grade:
Duration:

Melina Varney
Penn Alexander School
First grade
45 minutes

Lesson Plan
Goals & Objectives
Content
1. Students will compare their own Thanksgiving traditions to those of their classmates and
a character in Duck for Turkey Day, recognizing that family traditions may vary across
cultures.
2. Students will recall information from their own experiences and use key details to write
about and illustrate one of their families traditions.
Practice
Students will engage in a literary discussion of a text, formulating questions and comments
when appropriate.
Kid Friendly
Students will use key details in Duck for Turkey Day to identify Tuyets familys Thanksgiving
tradition. Students will use key details to write about and illustrate their own family tradition.

Standards
ELA Common Core State Standards
RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
W.1.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather
information from provided sources to answer a question.
SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and
texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

TERM III LITERACY -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

SL.1.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information
presented orally or through other media.

Materials and Preparation

Instructor needs
whiteboard, markers, and eraser
behavior anchor chart
copy of Duck for Turkey Day
Students need
pencils and erasers
crayons
blank story paper

Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues

Location
This lesson will take place in a small group learning room. There is one circular table where the
students will be seated throughout the lesson. There is also a countertop on which to place the
whiteboard and anchor charts.
Materials
All materials will be placed on the counter beside the whiteboard. Materials will be passed out
by instructor as needed.
Classroom management
I dont foresee any classroom management issues. Behavior expectations will be explicitly
stated at the beginning of the lesson and presented on an anchor chart for continued reference.

Plan
Task (45 min total)
Students will identify one familys Thanksgiving tradition in the text Duck for Turkey Day.
Students will then use this text as a mentor text to write about and illustrate their own family
tradition.
Hook (10 min)
1. Talk about celebrating Thanksgiving
a. Tell students how I celebrate Thanksgiving
b. Ask students what they did on Thanksgiving, what they ate, etc.

TERM III LITERACY -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

c. If students do not celebrate Thanksgiving, ask them what they did on Thursday
and if theres something special they do on that day each year
2. Introduce term tradition
a. Write word tradition on board, ask students if they know what a family tradition is
b. Record student thoughts on board
c. Tell students were going to read a story about one familys Thanksgiving
tradition in Duck for Turkey Day and then write about our own family tradition
3. Show students cover of Duck for Turkey Day, have students make inferences about
what the story will be about
Body (30 min)
1. Read aloud -- Duck for Turkey Day
2. Discussion (HOTS--evaluation)
a. Return to discussion of what a tradition is, ask Whats Tuyets familys tradition
on Thanksgiving?
b. Present definition as a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has
been used by a family
c. Discuss how Tuyet seems to feel about this tradition at the beginning of the story
and at the end of the story
3. Draw and write about a family tradition (HOTS--synthesis)
a. Look at page 20-21 in the text together to identify key details that tell the reader
what Tuyets family tradition is
b. Share with students my writing and illustration describing one of my familys
Thanksgiving traditions
c. Students will draw a picture and then write about one of their family traditions
(Thanksgiving related, or a different tradition if students families dont have a
Thanksgiving related one)
d. Students can write more or less depending on their ability level. For students who
need more support, I will help them label their illustration.
e. While students are working, Ill check in with them individually to ensure they
understand the task and are responding to the prompt
i.
I will ask students questions such as What family tradition are you
writing/drawing about? Did you include details about when and where
this tradition takes place? Will others looking at the illustration have
enough information about your familys tradition?
Closure (5 min)
1. Students share their work, other students have opportunity to ask questions or provide
feedback

Assessment
Participation in group discussion

TERM III LITERACY -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

Written & illustrated family tradition
The discussion following the read aloud will be a useful formative assessment that gives me
information regarding the students understanding of key details in the text. The discussion will
also tell me whether or not students understand the concept of a family tradition. While students
are writing, I will be using our conversations as another formative assessment. I will check in
with each child to gauge whether or not they understand the prompt, and use questioning to
help clarify their thinking. Finally, students written and illustrated family tradition will let me know
if they are able to use key details from personal experiences to respond to a prompt.

Anticipating Student Responses and My Possible Responses

Management issues
There shouldnt be any management concerns. I will establish the norms for the lesson through
an anchor chart, and return to the chart as needed. There will only be four students in the group,
so they will all have the opportunity to share their ideas. The only possible concern would be
that students are excited to be out of their usual classroom and will be more talkative or playful
than usual. Establishing norms before students have the chance to become silly will hopefully
mitigate any issues. If issues persist, I will put consequences in place, such as missing recess
time.
Response to content
I expect students will be able to identify key details in the text that provide information about
Tuyets family tradition and how she feels about it. If students have trouble, Ill ask them more
specific questions such as What do you think shes feeling in this picture with her head down,
looking at the ground? Why do you think she feels that way? I also believe students will
understand the concept of family traditions after reading about Tuyets and hearing about mine
and their classmates.
Students may have a hard time identifying their own family traditions, in which case I would
work with those students more closely, asking questions such as Is there something special
you eat every year or somewhere special you go? Do you spend time with certain family
members? to help them identify a tradition. Ill also ask students to think back to the information
they shared with the group at the beginning of the lesson about what they did on Thanksgiving.

Accommodations
For students who find the material too challenging
During whole group instruction, Ill ask students who seem to have a harder time more specific
questions such as Why do you think Tuyet says shes going to buy her own turkey? While
students are working independently, Ill work more closely with these students to help them
identify their own family tradition. Student will also be able to look back through the text if they

TERM III LITERACY -- LESSON PLAN ROUGH DRAFT

need ideas or a model. For students who have a hard time with writing, Ill encourage them to
spend time adding details to their pictures and labels to important parts. Ill also provide a list of
their word wall words for students to reference for spelling.
For students who need greater challenge or finish early
During discussion, Ill ask students more open ended questions such as How do you think
Tuyet feels about her family eating duck on Thanksgiving? While students are working
independently, Ill encourage students to write more details in their text, and ask how they can
add more details to their pictures.

Prompt:

Write or draw a picture about a family tradition (something

special your family does every year) on Thanksgiving.
Remember to include key details about where and when this
tradition takes place and who is involved.