I decided to do my Instructional Plan in ELA. This is where I’ve spent a majority of my time
throughout the semester and where I feel most confident in this placement. I am happy that I
have had ample opportunity to teach ELA this semester, because it is something I have not had
the chance to do in an upper elementary setting. With math being my subject area, I feel that
having experience in these two subject-areas will help me to teach science and social studies in
my own classroom one day. My unit plan is focusing on writing short narrative pieces. We have
focused on short stories and their elements, and now are moving to descriptive paragraphs. My
instructional plan will focus on paragraph structure, sensory details, planning, drafting, and
revising. I will use my students short story piece and a pre-assessment tool. I will analyze their
writing to see what they know about structure and organization within their writing. It will also
help me to observe their differences in detailed and descriptive writing.
Standards Addressed
Lesson 1
W.5.3B - Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop
experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
W.5.3D - Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and
events precisely.
Lesson 2
W.5.5 - With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as
needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Lesson 3
W.5.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Technology
In each lesson I will use the Document Camera, Overhead Projector, and SmartBoard. These
serve as important tools to model for students. It allows for every student in the room to be able
to see what I am doing and to be engaged in the lesson. These tools aid in the gradual release
model (I do, we do, you do). The technology also helps me to complete the lessons in a timely
manner.
Critical Thinking
Students use critical thinking when choosing a topic to write about. They need to choose a topic
based on the prompt that is relatable to them and their lives. Students use critical thinking
during the brainstorming process by coming up with multiple ideas and choosing the idea they
are most knowledgeable/comfortable with. They also use critical thinking when using sensory
detail in their writing. They must be able to convey what their senses are experiencing in words
in a sensible way for the reader to understand.
Communication
The students are always communicating in the classroom. They are communicating with each
other, with the material, and with the teacher. Throughout these lessons, students often
contribute their ideas by raising their hand. They also work with their tablemates to brainstorm
ideas. The “Think, Pair, Share” method is used in ELA instruction on a regular basis to allow
students to think independently, discuss in small group, and share out full class.
Collaboration
We collaborate as a class when filling out the graphic organizer together and brainstorming
supporting ideas through the planning process we did together. We also collaborate when
discussing sensory detail. We created possible alternatives to everyday words and phrases in
order to ‘spice’ up our writing and ‘dig deeper’.
Creativity
Creativity goes hand-in-hand with the aspects used in collaboration above. However, it also
expands into the student’s personal writing. Students are encouraged to use creativity when
writing with detail. In order to write with detail, students need to imagine they are in a given
situation and thoroughly explain how they're feeling, what they see, hear, taste, touch and so on
so that the reader can visualize what is happening. This descriptive writing stems from the
students creativity and attention to detail.
Differentiation
The students are at a variety of levels in regards to their academics. In ELA, most of the
students are ‘Meeting the Standards’ which means they are at appropriate grade level. We have
a group of students that are special education students and they receive different ELA
instruction which is gauged toward their specific needs as a learner. At the beginning of the
year, students also took and ELA NWEA assessment. These scores showed us which
percentile each student scored in. If students scored below the twenty-fifth percentile, they were
placed into an intervention program called Successmaker. These students are pulled for
additional ELA support four times per week for a half hour session. Certain students have
accommodations based on their individual needs and they are listed in a folder that is easily
accessible in our classroom. These accommodations are always honored to support student
achievement. Throughout ELA instruction we meet in small groups which are based on learning
needs to help fill in those gaps and add additional support. We also meet with students to
review work one-on-one. Students are always welcome to come to us with any questions or
concerns they might have or if they need additional support completing an assignment.
Formative Assessments
The formative assessments I chose to use throughout this plan are located in my Assessment
Plan. There are explanations and reflections of each in the document.