STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Teacher: Ronnie Sawyer Date: April 20, 2017

School: Preston Middle School Grade Level: 6-8th Content

Area: English

Title: Pattern Decoders Lesson #: 1

of 1

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson: (Write Content Standards

directly from the standard)

CCSS RL.7.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes
and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a
poem or section of a story or of a poem or section of a story or drama.

Understandings: (Big Ideas)

This standard is all about finding the deeper meaning of texts through the devices
that the author uses. Meaning that students are meant to be able to recognize
devices that are being used to convey meaning. For the purpose of this lesson, this
standard is being applied due to knitting patterns nuances. Most patterns have been
written in short hand, which makes it very difficult for beginning knitters to
understand what those phrases mean in the text.

Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of

instruction, select applicable questions from standard)

How do you read knitting patterns and what are resources that you can use if you
dont understand what a pattern is telling you?

Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)

1) I can understand basic knitting shorthand.

2) I can write my own pattern using basic knitting shorthand.

List of Assessments: (Write the number of the learning target associated with
each assessment)

1) Formative Assessment: During class while the students are working I will be
making sure that students are staying on task while theyre working and I will be
casually listening to their conversations to make sure theyre findings are accurate.

2) Summative Assessment: Over the course of the class students will construct two
patterns during the workshop time using knitting shorthand that we will go over
during the mini lesson. In addition to using the shorthand they will be expected to
annotate what each symbol they use means.

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form
Name and Purpose of Lesson
Should be a creative title for you and the
students to associate with the activity.
Think of the purpose as the mini-rationale
for what you are trying to accomplish
through this lesson.
Approx. Time and Materials
How long do you expect the activity to
last and what materials will you need?
Launch Mini Lesson
The hook to grab students attention.
These are actions and statements by the
teacher to relate the experiences of the
students to the objectives of the lesson,
To put students into a receptive frame of
mind.
To focus student attention on the
lesson.
To create an organizing framework
for the ideas, principles, or
information that is to follow
(advanced organizers)
An anticipatory set is used any time a
different activity or new concept is to be
introduced.
Work Time
(Include a play-by-play account of what
students and teacher will do from the
minute they arrive to the minute they
leave your classroom. Indicate the length
of each segment of the lesson. List actual
minutes.)
Indicate whether each is:
-teacher input
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Planned Lesson Activities
Pattern Decoders
Students will gain a better understanding of how to decode knitting
patterns, which can look very intimidating at first glance. The purpose is
to help make students more comfortable with patterns after school ends
so they can continue to knit and learn after theyre no longer in a class
that provides project ideas.
Approx. 40 Minutes
25 abbreviation bookmarks, a highlighter, a pen, and a doc cam.
Over the semester Ive had the chance to see each of you create
absolutely beautiful pieces, growing from hamster blankets and
Christmas trees to shawls and scarves. But after you finish up the
semester and this class Im hoping that youll keep knitting. That may
seem hard without Mrs. Simpsons wonderful guidance but Im going to
show you how to find patterns and read them so you can keep going.
There are a few ways to go about finding knitting patterns. Pintrest and
Google are chalk full of great resources, but if you dont know how to
read the patterns that they lead you to they arent very useful. So were
going to go over the basic abbreviations that youll see and the symbols
that you encounter on the patters.
I will go over the learning targets then give them a brief explanation
about the patterns and symbols before releasing them into workshop
time.
Before Class Starts: I will be standing outside of the class both
greeting students and instructing them to grab a clipboard from the
back of the room so they have something to write on.
Hook (2 minutes):
Teacher: Talk about how much progress Ive seen them make and how
theyre ready for the next step.
Students: Listen to the hook and get excited to take the next step as
independent knitters.
Mini Lesson (8 minutes):
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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

-modeling Teacher: Deliver mini lesson, begin by showing what a basic knitting
-questioning strategies pattern looks like on the doc cam. Then show what the common
-guided/unguided: abbreviations look like and take time to specifically highlight the
-whole-class practice abbreviations of the techniques that they already know to activate prior
-group practice knowledge. Help the students stay engaged by asking them to
-individual practice participate in whole-class practice and repeat parts that I highlight to
-check for understanding make sure that they arent being confused by the information. Then I
-other model what Im going to ask them to do for their workshop by briefly
constructing a pattern on the document camera. I will then deliver
directions instructing the students to construct a knitting pattern made
up of at least three rows.
Students: Listen, ask questions as they think of them, and stay
engaged by responding to my prompts as a class.
Work Shop Part One (10 minutes):
Teacher: I will be going around the room checking in with students and
watching to make sure theyre understanding the material or are on the
path to mastery. In addition I will answer any questions the students
have about what theyre doing.
Students: Independently, the students will be constructing their own
knitting patterns based off of the instruction they just received in the
mini lesson. Students are expected to use a combination of symbols
and abbreviations to create a pattern using at least three different rows.
Catch and Release (5 minutes):
Teacher: I will begin by readdressing the learning targets and ask if the
students feel like theyre on track to meeting them. If the students are
experiencing a recurring point of frustration with the activity the catch
and release will be used to help guide them through the issue, without
taking the learning away from them, by only asking leading questions.
However if the students are excelling I will ask one student to model
their pattern on the doc camera and say what each symbol and
abbreviation means.
Students: If there is a point of major frustration students will voice
what theyre concerned about and answer the leading questions I ask to
help guide themselves and the other students. If the students
understand the material, one student will model their work on the
document camera and describe what each symbol theyre using means.

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form
Summary - Closure
Those actions or statements by a teacher
that are designed to bring a lesson
presentation to an appropriate conclusion.
Used to help students bring things
together in their own minds, to make
sense out of what has just been taught.
Any Questions? No. OK, lets move on is
not closure. Closure is used:
To cue students to the fact that
they have arrived at an important
point in the lesson or the end of a
lesson.
To help organize student learning
To help form a coherent picture and to
consolidate.
Differentiation
To modify: If the activity is too advanced
for a child, how will you modify it so that
they can be successful?
To extend: If the activity is too easy for a
child, how will you extend it to develop
their emerging skills?
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Work Shop Part Two (10 minutes):
Teacher: I will instruct the students to get together with a shoulder
partner to share the pattern that they created independently then
create a new pattern together made up of at least five rows using the
symbols and abbreviations they learned. I will continue to make my way
around the classroom and observe the students. In addition if I see a
group struggling I will approach them and ask leading questions that
will help get them to the answer they need.
Students: Students will find a shoulder partner and share the pattern
that they independently created. Then the students will begin creating
another knitting pattern, however this time they will be asked to create
a pattern made up of five rows of the symbols and abbreviations they
were shown during the mini lesson.
I would begin giving the students closure on the lesson plan by saying
Knitting patterns arent as intimidating once you begin to work with
them, and now you can even write your own patterns to make your own
creations. Or when you see an interesting design on Pintrest or in a
knitting book youll be able to use it and replicate the product. Now just
in case you need a refresher on knitting patterns, Ive created a book
mark with the abbreviations and symbols that we learned about today.
I will then pass out the bookmarks. Then going back to the doc cam, I
would have the students review what they learned by, as a whole-class,
saying what each pattern and symbol means.
To Modify: If a student is having difficulty I can provide them with
stitch counts in order to get them started on the activity or ask them to
take a moment and visualize what the projects theyd previously
worked looked like. Then they would be able to recall the types of
stitches they used and recreate the pattern in shorthand.
To Extend: If a student is advanced I will have them extend their
learning by describing the type of yarn theyd use (lace, super fine,
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STEPP Lesson Plan Form
Assessment
How will you know if students met the
learning targets? Write a description of
what you were looking for in each
assessment.
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light, medium, bulky, or super bulky), provide a stitch count and
describe the tension required to make their pattern.
1) Formative Assessment: During class while the students are working I
expect students to be focused on creating their patterns. Once the
students get together with their partners I expect the side chatter to be
minimized. I will be able to assess if students have met this
expectations during the lesson.
2) Summative Assessment: Students are expected to produce two
knitting patterns the first one is to be created on their own and consist
of three rows. The second knitting pattern is meant to be created with a
partner and consist of five rows. Both knitting patterns that they create
are expected to consist of the abbreviations that we go over together
during the mini lesson. I will know they understand the abbreviations
and symbols when we review as a class and when I look over the
patterns that they make.
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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Post Lesson Reflection

1. To what extent were lesson objectives achieved? (Utilize

assessment data to justify your level of achievement)

All the students were able to construct their rows effectively

2. What changes, omissions, or additions to the lesson would

you make if you were to teach again?

3. What do you envision for the next lesson? (Continued practice,

reteach content, etc.)

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