Lesson

Plan REVISED Goals/objectives: Students will be able to identify similes or similes in text Students will be able to add that figurative language into writing Standards: PA Common Core- 4th grade: English Language Arts E04.B-V.4.1.2: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. Materials: 1 worksheet packet for each student o Two Sensational Simile worksheets each o Example Adventure Story text (one boring and one with similes) o An example text that the students can add into paper and a marker o Definition of Simile written on the paper An assortment of different tactile items with varying colors and textures (third grade) o Rocks, fabrics like burlap and velvet, papers, metal, glass, cotton, paint chips, wood 2 highlighters (different colors) and pencil for each student Preparation: Before the lesson, the teacher will have written the definition of simile on paper. Teacher will have lesson packets assembled for each student. Classroom arrangement: Both lessons will be taught in quiet corners, outside the regular classroom, at small tables to facilitate group discussion. The corner will offer wall space for the chart paper on which the students will show examples of the figurative language being discussed in the lesson. Management: (Third grade) Students will be expected to follow Reading Group / Writing Workshop norms as established in the beginning of the school year and reinforced at every Reading Group or Writing Workshop session. Should any student violate the norms, she or he will be given one warning, then sent in to change his or her light, a classroom norm for marking unwanted behavior that involves changing the color of the card next to their name from blue to orange.

Lesson Plan Introduction: (Third grade, 9 minutes) After reiterating the classroom norms and group expectations (2 minutes), the teacher will read 2 similar passages telling the same story, one with little description and one with many examples of onomatopoeia and similes. The teacher will then ask students which passage was more interesting for the audience and ask them to explain why. What differences did you notice between the two paragraphs? Which sentences or ideas really stuck out to you? Why? Do you know what that kind of language is called? The teacher will then mount a piece of chart paper with the terms definitions to the wall. Do you know what these words mean? Can you tell me an example of this kind of word or phrase from the text?

Body: Activity 1- (10 minutes) The teacher will distribute each students individual worksheet packets and explain the directions for the first page. Students will work in pairs to reread the descriptive passage the teacher previously read and highlight examples of figurative language. Third graders will only be responsible for similes, while fourth graders will be responsible for identifying similes. The whole group will then discuss each pairs selections alternately. Why did you choose this phrase? What does it represent? Which form of figurative speech is it? Do you like the way it sounds? Why? Activity 3- (10 minutes) The teacher will reiterate the definition of a simile and ask each student to provide an example before continuing the lesson, possibly making reference to a simile discussed earlier in the lesson. Then the group will move onto the third page of the Sensational Similes (third grade). Third grade: The teacher will give the students a variety of objects with different textures and colors and tell the students to explore the objects. Touch them, rub them, smell them, stare at them, tap two of them together, etc. Students will write down the name of an object, a sensation about it, and the name of some other object in the world with that same sensational quality. o What did you feel with each object? o What did the rock feel like? What words describe that rock? o What else do you know of that feels like that? Can you use those descriptive words to describe anything else? o How hard was the rock? Was it as hard as anything else? Worksheet: Write the name of an object on the table, then write the name of something else that it reminds you of, and then say why the two are similar. o Example: The bone was as hard as a rock

 Activity 4, inclusion of figurative language (15 minutes) Individually, the students will write similes into the example text Teacher Duncans Day at the Park, which has many adjectives but no comparisons. Teacher will read the text aloud once, then the students will go through the text and highlight a portion of the text where they think they can write in a simile. Students will then add a simile of their own choosing by adding a caret and using the ample space between lines of text. If necessary, the students can use the Sensational Simile worksheet to help them. Assessment of goals: During the first activity, the teacher will observe the pairs while they identify the figurative language in the passage. This informal assessment will indicate to the teacher if the students are on the right track. During the group discussion in this section, the teacher will ask students to explain why the picked their selections, which will make the students understand visible to the teacher. If students have any misconnections, the teacher will then clarify their confusion through group discussion and direct instruction to ensure the students are grasping the concepts. Before beginning activities 2 and 3, the teacher will ask students to provide an example of the appropriate figurative language. This will inform the teacher if the students understand the material before proceeding with the lesson. The final activity requires students to put the lesson into action. The teacher will collect the packets after the lesson and analyze the students work. If the students were able accurately to add the forms of figurative language to their passages, the goals of the lesson were reached. If their work does not indicate that they have reached an understanding, then the teacher should revisit the content with them the following day. Anticipating student responses and your possible responses: Management Issues: (Fourth grade) I do not anticipate any of the students I have selected to be out of control during this lesson. I think they will take my expectations to heart and be respectful to each other and myself during the lesson. I anticipate the students to show extra excitement as the lesson progresses and they are presented with the Pop Rocks. During the exploration of this material I anticipate the students excitement will still be high and they may get a little bit silly. Since I expect this, I will tolerate mild amount of silliness (I am picturing some laughter and comments when the Pop Rocks are being used) as long as it is not disruptive to the lesson. The comments students may have about the Pop Rocks could be useful in helping them formulate their figurative language examples. Sharing the sensations they feel from the Pop Rocks to each other will only add the descriptions each student can consider when coming up with their examples. If a students silliness becomes disruptive and they receive a warning check, I believe the students I have selected will be able to correct their behavior.

Management Issues: (Third grade) The selected students are better behaved than most and tend to follow classroom norms and expectations well. They are aware of changing your light and feel really horrible to have to do so (the class receives one compliment at the end of every day that the school day ends with everyone on blue). During the sensory exploration, I expect students to get a little silly and explorative, and I expect to have to tell at least one of them not to lick the objects. They tend to listen well. Content: We think the students will enjoy the content of the lesson. We think they will be able and excited to work collaboratively during this lesson. We think the students will have fun with exploration portion of this lesson, and it will help them generate their own examples of the content. Accommodations: Because the students are having tactile explorations, students of every learning style will have some sort of experience to document. If the students are unsure of how to express the sensations they are feeling, they can describe it to the teachers who can transcribe the words to the worksheet. Teachers are right there to help guide all students to express their experiences, and small group work can help alleviate some of the pressure of whole class instruction when it comes to writing. If the fourth grade classroom group has a learner who will not tolerate or behave well with Pop Rocks, that entire group can use the tactile assortment used for the third graders. With established norms and outlined consequences for students actions, we expect the students of all attention levels, abilities, and learning styles to have a similar experience with this small group instruction.