ED 215R LESSON PLAN

RATIONALE FOR THE LESSON: (Why are you teaching this lesson now to these
children? How does this lesson fit/connect with what they have been learning about
being a good reader/writer and what they will learn in the future?)
The students have been working on writing their own information pieces. In reading they
are learning about non-fiction texts and have been translating that into their own nonfiction, or as they know it as information texts. So to further enhance their writing skills
and make their information pieces further developed I will be teaching how to expand
their writing by adding connecting words. So far they have learned the basics of what
makes an information text: a table of contents, sticking to the topic for each chapter, and
only facts can be written. Therefore, they have been working on just writing everything
they know into their pieces and I will be teaching them how to expand that writing in
order to make a more complete piece. In the future they will then be working on reading
a non-fiction text and translating what they learned in the book onto paper, rather than
coming up with their own topic to write information about. They will by then have all
the foundation on how to write a fully developed information piece. According to the New
Berlin writing continuum, my CTs classroom has transitional, developing, and beginning ranges.
By allowing students to edit their own piece, I am evening out this lesson for all ranges.

OUTCOMES/GOALS:
For the Student: What Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts
(CCSS-E/LA) will you be teaching to? (Based on learning needs identified through
assessments, the CCSS-E/LA, and the school/district curriculum.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce
a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or
section.
For the Teacher: What WI Teaching Standard(s) will you be working towards in this
lesson? (Your goal)
6. The teacher uses effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques as well as
instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive
interaction in the classroom.
-

The teacher is a thoughtful and responsive listener.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: What specific learning target do you have for this lesson?
(The students will be able toin order to)
The students will be able to write connecting sentences in order to complete an
information piece of writing and to make the piece fully developed.
ASSESSMENT: How/when will you collect evidence to see if students have met the
learning objective?

Once I have done my focus lesson, the students will go off and work on their completed
information pieces individually to attempt to add in the connecting words. At that time I
will then conference with 3 students and discuss their writing. I will want to ask them
what they are writing about, how they have added in connecting words to expand their
writing, and what their goal is for their piece.
STRATGIES FOR STUDENTS OF VARYING ABILITIES: (Based on specific learner
needs identified) What do you plan to do to address the variety of literacy and learning
needs of the children in the class?
There are different ranges of writing in my cooperating classroom and I will accommodate for the
range by letting each child work on their own information piece with the strategies they are
comfortable with. My modeling will be similar to my CTs, therefore the students will be
familiar with how I am teaching. As children are independently writing, I can support their
thinking by asking deeper level thinking questions to understand how they are thinking about
their own text. Ex) How did you know you wanted to fix this part What made you think
something needed to be changed in your text. How does this connecting sentence make your text
more informative? Re-teach if student needs.

MATERIALS: (List all materials you will need to teach this lesson.)
I will need an example of my own simple information piece to model my thinking in
front of the children of how to expand their writing with connecting words. Then the
children will need their writing folder with their completed information piece.
TOTAL TIME NEEDED: (Should be 10-15 minutes for demonstration or
demonstration/participation.
Include approximate time for each procedural area.)
I will only have 35 minutes to complete my lesson.
PROCEDURES: (Explain in detail.)
__2 min___Introduction:
- Welcome and thank class again for helping me practice being a teacher.
- Set expectations:
Now the last time you guys helped me out, you did an amazing job of being
respectful to me and your friends. We listened to each other. We didnt talk while others
were talking. We were always in a listening position. So I know how good you guys can
be and I expect the same behavior today. And dont be shy about my friend in the
classroom, she is only here to make sure I am doing what I need to be as a teacher.
- Introduce learning objective:
So the last time I was up here, you writers were working on your small moments
stories, but I know you guys have mastered those and even got to publish them! I am so
proud of you writers. Now you writers are doing what good writers do and are
continuing to write! But only now you are writing information pieces, meaning you are
trying to teach someone something that you know a lot about! From what I know, most
of you are done or almost done with one book already! So now it is time to do what good
writers do and re read and make their work outstanding! So today we are going to work

on how you can expand your writing by using connecting words like for example, some,
most, so, and but. Then when you add in those words, you create another connecting
sentence that adds more information to you text. By adding these words it is going to
make your text longer, fuller, and more detailed!
__10 min___Demonstration:
- If you guys put this effort into writing your information pieces, they are going to sound
like 3rd graders wrote them! So what do we already know about information pieces?
What does an information text need in order to be an information story and not a small
moment story?
- Give students time to think and answer
-Information pieces need a table of contents, the chapters must stay on
topic, teaching someone about something, and only contain facts.
-Give praise and comments to students answer (Teaching standard goal)
-Model:
Now I am going to model for you or show you how we can add in those connecting
words to expand our writing. So first like you guys, I had to think of something I knew a
lot about, so I picked soccer. Then I had to come up with my chapters and create my
table of contents just like you writers. Once I did that, I started to write all the facts I
knew like Mrs. Biltz and you writers did, we didnt care about misspelled words, right,
because we can fix those later. So I am going to read you one or two of my chapters first
how they are, and then I am going to model how to add in those connecting words that
make my text sound really full. When a reader is going to read my text they are going to
learn so much from it.
-Read text aloud as is. Then reread, thinking aloud, adding in the connecting words.
Depending on time may only edit one chapter.
Soccer is played all around the world. As a reader I am saying to myself, where else
is soccer played? So I am going to add the connecting word for example to further
inform my reader with a complete connecting sentence. For example, people all the way
in China play too! See how my reader knows even more information about soccer just
by adding that small connecting sentence. In some countries, soccer is the most popular
sport. As a writer, I know more about that. I know in America, football is the most
popular sport, not soccer. So I am going to add that in by using the connecting word but
to start my connecting sentence. But in America, football is the most popular sport, not
soccer. Now my reader is not only learning information about soccer everywhere, but
they gained knowledge about America too! Also, in most countries soccer is not called
soccer like it is here. As reader, I am wondering, well what is it called? So I will start
with my connecting word of most and finish with my connecting sentence of most
countries call soccer futbol. No matter where you are though, the rules are always the
same.
__10 min___Participation: (include possible questions to encourage higher level
thinking)
-Make students think about changes I have made.
"You can see just by looking at my page(s) I have added a lot! And when we read it over
again, it sounded like a good writers work and that is what you as writers are trying to do. Now,

please turn and talk with a partner and discuss some of the things I added in my story, what those
add-ins did to my text, and how I knew to add more.
-Wait 10 seconds:
"Turn to me! Someone share with us what they talked about with their partner."
-Pick on 2-3 students and make responses, trying to emphasize the learning objective of how
adding connecting words expand their work and create a well developed informational piece.
"Give me a thumbs up if you think you can go and work on your own finished information
text and add some good connecting sentences to make a great piece.
-Release students to seats to get to work and give 3 minutes before a conference:
"Okay, I am feeling confident, youre feeling confident! You guys are going to go and work
on your texts and expand them. Please keep the classroom very quiet because good writers need
peace and quiet to work really hard on stories and raise your hand if you need help and Mrs. Biltz
or I will come and help."
-CT often releases students by going alphabetically and I will either do letters or numbers
depending on my mood.

_10 min_Practice:
-The students will expand texts in their writing folders by using connecting words.
-Conference with 4 students:
-Ask what they are writing about
-Where they are connecting sentences, why they added them, and how they figured out
they needed some more information
-Read it to me
-Give feedback
-Take notes on conference with student

__5 min___Performance:
Call students back to carpet to re-group. Ask 2 students to share their texts with the class and talk
about where they added some connecting sentences and why. Once students are finished sharing,
make comments on their work.
-"I like how he/she added that information about _____ because that is something really good
to know about _____.
-"Wow! I can really feel like I can go and do _____ blank now because ______s information
taught me _____...

__2 min___Closure/Recap (include restatement of lesson objective)

You guys had really good information stories finished already, and the work you did today by
adding in those connecting wordsand details made them even better! Adding in those extra
sentences doesnt have to stop at your information texts, you can do that whenever you are
writing so I am happy you guys did such a good job on it! Your texts will now really teach
someone how to do something or what something is and those connecting sentences not only
expanded you writing, but it expanded your readers knowledge! I want to thank you again for
being such good friends and helping me out. You did a good job and I hope you continue to work
on them.

NOTE: If there is an aide/assistant in the classroom, describe how you will utilize her/his
services.