T&L Instructional Plan Template

(Updated 4/17/15)
(edTPA Aligned)

Overview
The information included in this document is to support faculty in teaching about and supporting students with the
T&L (and edTPA) Instructional Plan. While there are many variations of lesson plans, this format meets
departmental requirements and is aligned with the 2014 edTPA as well.

Background Information (When doing the actual edTPA, leave out identifiers)

Teacher Candidate: Hannah Willie and Lexi Karrer Date: 3/28/18

Cooperating Teacher: Barbara Ward Grade: 5th
School District: Pullman School District School: Franklin Elementary
University Supervisor: Lori White
Unit/Subject: Reading
Instructional Plan Title/Focus: Comparing and Contrasting Characters

Section 1: Planning for Instruction and Assessment

a. Instructional Plan Purpose: Teacher candidates explain how this instructional plan develops students’
conceptual understanding of overall content goals. This is sometimes also called a “rationale” and includes a
“what, why, how” general statement (see also Central Focus in edTPA)

For this lesson, we will be focusing on identifying internal personality traits of different characters and being
able to compare and contrast them to each other. This is an important skill because characters change the course
of the story and it helps students to understand the personalities and rationales of actions of their peers as well.
Students will be working on this skill through the use of small group discussions, mind maps, and independent
written reflection.

Additionally, explain where in a unit this lesson would be taught. What lesson topic came prior to this one
(yesterday) and what related lesson will come after this one (tomorrow)?

We just finished reading the book Wonder where we had multiple weeks of discussion groups and mini-
lessons. Yesterday, students were working on understanding how a narrator’s point of view influences the
way the story is told. Understanding how the different characters in Wonder see and interpret the events in
the story is a great segway into our current topic of comparing and contrasting the main characters.
Tomorrow, our class will start a multiple day lesson aimed at identifying central themes in the book now that
we have explore all of the characters and their points of view in-depth.

b. State/National Learning Standards: Teacher candidates identify relevant grade level concepts/content and
align them to Content Standards—Common Core Standards or Washington State EALRs, or National.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific
details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

c. Content Objectives (to be copied in Assessment Chart below) and alignment to State Learning
Standards:

1. SWBAT… identify internal personality traits of the main characters in Wonder.

2. SWBAT… distinguish the similarities and differences between their two chosen characters
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 3. SWBAT… independently create a reflection using details from the text to show the comparison and
contrast between the characters internal personality traits
Aligned standard: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or
drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

Language Objectives: when you are speaking/reading to comprehend.

1. SWBAT… communicate what an internal personality trait is.
3. SWBAT… compare and contrast the internal personality traits verbally and in written responses.

Aligned standard: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or
drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

d. Previous Learning Experiences: Teacher candidates should explain what students know and have learned
that is relevant to the current lesson topic and process.

Prior to this lesson, students have learned the influence that characters can have on a text, how to describe someone's
personality using basic traits, as well as how to use text to support your thinking. Students have also had experience
in previous years identifying their own personality traits. Comparing and contrasting is a skill that has been utilized
in other content areas such as science, math and social studies so this lesson will be drawing on those skills but with
new content.

e. Planning for Student Learning Needs (accommodations, student experiences, prior learning and
experiences): Should make specific student cases.

For students who are advancing and showing mastery of the learning objectives, we will encourage them to go the
board where the classes venn diagrams will be and reflect on different groups comparisons and contrasts. To
challenge the students, we will ask them to use more adjective words to make the similarities and differences clearer.
For students who are sensitive to Wonders content…
For students who are struggling with this assignment, we will ask for one concrete example of the internal traits of
each character opposed to two.
“This class is dealing with loss of a classmate so we have to be careful when introducing Wonder while it deals with
death.”
“Michelle has an IEP for her visual impairment so we will accommodate by seating her closer to the front on the
classroom, verbalize as we write on the board, and using larger print materials. Communication will be clear so Michelle
can express what she needs and when she needs it to best learn during this unit.”

f. Assessment Strategies (Informal or formal) (Formative or Summative)

Teacher candidates should attach questions, worksheets, tests or any additional documentation related to their
assessment strategies, including accommodations or modifications for students with disabilities as stated in
their IEPs. They may also attach appropriate marking rubrics, criteria lists, expectations, answer keys, etc.
Consideration for multiple means of expression should occur here. That is, how will teacher candidates allow
for K-12 students to express their learning in different ways? Will K-12 students be given some choice?

Content/Language Objectives Assessment Strategies

Content: SWBAT… identify internal Formative: We will be able to see the internal traits
personality traits of the main characters in identified on the mind maps that students create in groups.
Wonder. This allows for collaboration and will help visual learners
express their ideas.

Content: SWBAT… identify the similarities Formative: The mind maps will also identify the similarities
and differences between their two chosen and differences between the characters through their
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 characters personality traits.

Content: SWBAT… independently write a Summative: We will collect the students reading journals
reflection using details from the text to show with their individual written responses inside detailing the
the comparison and contrast between the traits of the two characters they chose.
characters internal personality traits

Language: SWBAT… communicate what an Formative: Walking around the classroom using proximity,
internal personality trait is. we will be able to listen to the groups collaborating and
discussing what they think would be traits of the different
characters.
Language: SWBAT… compare and contrast Formative: Also walking around the room, we will be
the internal personality traits verbally and in asking the students questions to see where their thinking is
written responses. at with comparing and contrasting.
(Add rows as needed)
*In the right column, describe whether the assessment you’ll collect is formative or summative. Note: most
assessment is considered formative when thinking about day-to-day lessons. Summative is related to mastery.
An exception might be having a “formal” quiz mid-way in a unit to assure that students are on track with a
certain degree of proficiency. Should the quiz indicate students are not progressing, and adjustment of timing in
the instructional “unit” will be required.

g. Student Voice: Student voice is a term used to describe students expressing their understanding of their own
learning process. For your lesson, respond to the three required components of student voice and identify how
students will reflect and/or communicate on their learning or progress toward meeting the goals. (Use the
following table.)
Student-based evidence to be Description of how students
K-12 students will be able to: collected (things produced by will reflect on their learning.
students: journals, exit slips, self-
assessments, work samples,
projects, papers, etc.)
1. Explain student learning targets Collect the written response At the end of the lesson,
and what is required to meet students produced about the two students will have the
them (including why they are characters they chose where they opportunity to share with the
important to learn). compare and contrast them using class how this process helped
details from the book. them better understand the
characters.
2. Monitor their own learning A checklist will be provided At the end of the checklist
progress toward the learning outlining the requirements of the there is space for students to
targets using the tools provided written response which students will write what they learned
(checklists, rubrics, etc.). check off as they go and will tuck during the lesson and to ask
into their reading journals to turn in. questions about what they are
confused about still.
3. Explain how to access During the lesson, students will Being able to use the
resources and additional have access to their Wonder books examples from the text will
support when needed (and and will use details from the text to show that they are reflecting
how/why those resources will form their opinions of the internal on using their resources
help them). character traits. They will also be available to them.
able to ask each other and instructor
for help.

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 h. Grouping of Students for Instruction: Describe why, how, and where in the lesson students will be divided
into groups, if applicable (e.g., "why" could be to support language learners, for reciprocal teaching, and/or to
use jigsaw, and "how" might include random, ability-based, interest, social purposes, etc.). Recognize that
some lessons or parts of a lesson may call for grouped work or individualized work or both.

Students will be working in groups during the discussion portion where they are assigned questions about the
characters. Students are in groups for this portion because it will provide more opportunities to bounce off ideas
from one another. This way students can question each others ideas about the characters and find even more
internal traits.

When working on the mind map of the two characters they have been assigned, students will also work in their
groups. We wanted to make this purpose collaborative so the students could gather as many ideas as possible.
Then, they will tape their mind maps to the board to “jigsaw” a comparison of all the characters in the book.
This way the whole class can view and learn from others comparisons!

At the end, students will work individually to create a written reflection that will demonstrate the skills they
worked collaboratively to develop. We chose to have students to do the final portion individually so we could
get a better idea of how each student is performing relative to the standards. This also provides us with concrete
physical evidence of individual learning!

Section 2: Instruction and Engaging Students in Learning

a. Introduction: Teacher candidates identify how they are going to introduce the concept, skill or task in a way
that gains students’ attention and gets them involved (the lesson “hook”).

“Yesterday we were working on noticing how the different narrators in Wonder influence how the story is told. We
really noticed big differences in how Auggie told the story versus Jack Will, or Via! Today we are transitioning into
looking more in depth to the characters themselves. We all have different personality traits that describe who we are
as people, and so do book characters!”

b. Questions: Questions teacher candidate will ask during the lesson that drive thinking and learning and
engagement (5 or more questions) and in parentheses, indicate Bloom level and/or question type to ensure
that you are posing questions that push critical thinking and engagement (e.g. Analysis/Divergent)

● Can you justify why you said that character has a certain personality trait with a point in the story? (Level 5-
evaluate)
● What is the difference between comparing and contrasting (Level 2- Understand)
● What are some major personality differences between these two characters? (Level 4- Analyze)
● What is an internal trait? (Level 1- Remember)
● How could you use the mind map you created to write a response comparing and contrasting the two
characters? (Level 3- Apply)

c. Learning Activities: Describe what the teacher will do and say and students will do during the lesson.
Write it as a procedural set of steps in the left column of table below. On the right, refer to a supporting
learning theory or principle driving that activity and/or your rationale for doing what you are doing.

Prompts for right hand column—supporting theories/principles. In the right column, use references from
texts, research/peer reviewed journals, or other learning theories to support your choice of activities. You
might draw from your 301 and/or your methods courses here.
o Connections between students’ own lives, experiences, cultures, interests and the content.
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 o Active learning over passive learning (e.g. SCI Learning Experiences ladder—simulation over verbal)
o Theoretical support for learning activities (e.g. Culturally responsive strategy, or processing)
o Multiple means of representation for the K-12 students (UDL principle)
o Multiple means of engagement for the K-12 students (UDL principle)
o Multiple means of expression of learning by the K-12 students (UDL principle)
o Accommodations and modifications for students with diverse needs, including those with disabilities (as
stated in their IEPs)
o How the teacher candidate will assess the learning of the students (from table above)

Learning Steps and Activities Supporting Theories/Principles

(Why are you doing what you are doing?)
Example: Transition from introduction by asking Supports multiple means of engagement, and
students to look at “inputs” and in pairs, create a list allowing students to generate their own inputs from
of additional community assets/contributions experience; is more culturally responsive than
(inputs) for social change diagram. Circulate around teacher generated ideas only.
groups to observe students’ progress.
1. Transition into the introduction by asking Paivio: Dual Coding. By using dual coding, we are
the students to think about the characters encouraging the students to process the information
personality traits from Wonder. Assign each through the graphic organizers so it can be stored in
table two characters and have them create a their long term memory. While it is helpful to
mind map to show the similarities and discuss information and take notes, making visual
differences. Circulate around the groups to representations of ideas (in this case comparing and
observes students’ progress. contrasting) can assist students with long term
TEACHERS ASKS: memory storage of the skill.
“What does it mean to compare and contrast?”
“What do we know about the main characters
personality traits from Wonder?”
“How can we see a character's personality traits?”
“How do these personality traits differ from
external characteristics?”
“How is your group going to use the venn-diagram
to organize your ideas?”
STUDENT RESPONSES:
“Comparing is to find the similarities between two
or more things while contrasting is the differences.”
“We can see a characters personality through inner
dialogue, how they interact with others, how they
handle different situations, or how they treat
people.”
“Personality traits are internal while external
characteristics is what they physically look like.”
“We are going to write the differences between the
two characters on the outside and connect the
similarities together by a line.”
2. After tracking the group's progress, begin to Vygostky: ZPD. Through the use of scaffolding, we
incorporate the teachers example that are providing students with an example of the skill
compares and contrasts the instructors we are teaching to support their process of creating
personality traits so they have a stronger their own graphic organizers with the characters
understanding. assigned to them.
TEACHER ASKS:
“What do you notice about our venn-diagram?”
“What type of characteristics did we focus on?”
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“How did the use of descriptive words help you as
the reader?”
“Did this give you a better your understanding of
comparing and contrasting internal characteristics?”
STUDENT RESPONSES:
“The venn diagram is very organized and compares
and contrasts two people.”
“You focused on internal personality traits opposed
to what people see when they look at you.”
“The descriptive words made the personality traits
clearer and more easily understood. Looking at the
mind map, I don’t need to personally know Ms.
Willie or Ms. Karrer to understand their internal
characteristics.”
“Yes!”
3. Transition into independent reflections by Concstructivism: Students have gone through the
sharing the criteria list and encouraging learning process with the use of peers and us as
students to utilize their venn diagram. instructors, but they will be making their own
Teacher will circulate through the classroom responses through the use of their own words.
and informally assess student progress and Through the use of language, students can express
content. their thoughts of similarities and differences of the
TEACHER ASKS: different characters.
“How will your venn diagram help you write your
independent reflection piece?”
“How will you pull examples from the text to
support the internal personality traits of your
characters?”
“Should you writing incorporate everything from
the criteria list? Do you know what is expected of
you?”
STUDENT RESPONSES:
“The venn diagram helped us organize our thoughts
and can be used as a reference when writing our
reflection.”
“We don’t have to use quotes but rather pull
moments that reveal the character's personality. An
example is when Jack was the first person to sit
with Wonder. This showed me the type of
personality Jack has.”
“Yes and we must follow the criteria list!”
4. Transition from the personal reflections to Ausabel & Mayer: Advance organizers: By
the conclusion. Reiterated what we learned highlighting relationships between the main ideas
today and recap the important aspects that present in the lesson, students will be able to draw
were taught. connections as to why internal personality traits
TEACHER ASKS: help identify the whole picture of a character and
“What did we learn today?” how they compare to others in the story.
“How do internal traits differ from external traits?”
“Can you apply this lesson to your life?”
“Why is comparing and contrasting important?”
STUDENT RESPONSES:
“Today we learned how to figure out the internal
characteristics of the main characters from Wonder.
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This allowed us to compare and contrast the two
and personally reflect on it using the text.”
“Internal traits is your personality and how you
navigate life while external traits is what people can
see like the color of your hair or how tall you are!”
“Yes! We have a better understanding of people in
our lives personality traits. It’s okay if you have
different characteristics because that makes people
unique!”
“Comparing and contrasting is important while it
gives you new perspectives and allows you to
explore the similarities and differences between two
things.”

b. Closure: Closure is the signal to students that the lesson is now coming to an end. In closure, teachers
review the learning targets (what was taught) for the day and refocus on what is important.

“Alright 5th grade, now that you have had time to reflect of the comparisons and contrasts that you made about your
two assigned characters, does anyone want to raise their hand and share with the class what they took away?”
*Students share*
“What thoughtful reflections! To recap what we took away today, at the beginning of the lesson we learned about
different internal personality traits and how we can compare and contrast two characters personalities in the book
Wonder. You then worked with your group to create a mind map that organized your assigned characters internal
traits. When we walked around, I was able to notice that your group work allowed you to gain new perspectives and
helped you write your independent reflections that followed our checklist. Thank you for your hard work today! I
can’t wait to see this same effort tomorrow when we learn about identifying and reflecting on the central themes and
main ideas of Wonder.

c. Independent Practice: Describe how students will extend their experiences with the content and
demonstrate understanding in a new and different context (perhaps even outside of the classroom). Include
possible family interaction (identify at least one way in which you might involve students’ families in this
instructional plan.)

For take home work, students will be required to compare and contrast their internal personality traits to any
character of their choice from the book Wonder. They will organize the similarities and differences on the same style
venn-diagram (provided) that they completed in class. In order to involve students’ family, we will encourage the
class to discuss with their parent or guardian what they perceive their strongest personality trait to be. We will
require that this venn diagram is brought back to class the following day for a grade based on completion.

d. Instructional Materials, Resources, and Technology: Attach a copy of ALL materials the teacher and
students will use during the lesson; e.g., handouts, worksheets, multi-media tools, and any assessment
materials utilized.
- Butcher paper
- Markers
- Teacher example of venn diagram
- Venn diagram template
- Criteria list
- Dictionary/thesaurus
- Paper for independent reflection
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 - Pencils
- Class copies of Wonder

Criteria List

Name:
Date:

My reflection has two personality traits PER character…… Yes / No

If no, here’s what I am planning on improving:
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My reflection cites a detail from the text for each personality trait… Yes / No
If no, here’s what I am planning on improving:

The traits I identified are internal … Yes / No

If no, here’s what I am planning on improving:

e. Acknowledgements:

Palacio, R.J. Wonder (2012). New York, NY: Random House.