Direct Instruction Lesson Plan

Teachers: Kaitlyn Pierson, Renee Poginy

Subject: English Language Arts, 8th Grade

Common Core State Standards:

Reading: Literature - RL.8.1, RL.8.4, RL.8.10
Writing - W.8.7, W.8.10
Speaking & Listening - SL.8.1.A, SL.8.1.B, SL.8.1.C, SL.8.1.D, SL.8.2, SL.8.5
Language - L.8.4.A, L.8.4.D, L.8.5.A, L.8.6
Objective (Explicit):
Students will analyze the poem Mother to Son by Langston Hughes and make connections to the text by
participating effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations to express ideas and build upon the ideas of
others and demonstrate comprehension by drawing inferences and citing textual evidence to support your
conclusions.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable):

Include a copy of the lesson assessment.

Provide exemplar student responses with the level of detail you expect to see.
Assign value to each portion of the response

Students will complete the framing worksheet by filling in the blank answers while reading (10 points)
Informational Handout to paste in draft book (5 points)
Students will build background knowledge about the Harlem Renaissance by researching in small groups
(10 points)
Make predictions about vocabulary in student draft book (5 points)
Independently read and annotate text (10 points)
Culminating Tech infused project (15 points)
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from basic to complex):

How will you review past learning and make connections to previous lessons?
What skills and content are needed to ultimately master this lesson objective?
How is this objective relevant to students, their lives, and/or the real world?

Students will review past learning by making connections from past readings, using previous vocabulary,
and using annotation strategies
Students will use comprehension and context clues to master this lesson
Students can relate to the text through the slang and dialects used in the period.
Key vocabulary: Dialect, Context
Materials:
Mother to Son by Langston Hughes
Draft book
Framing Worksheet
Computers
Highlighter
Pen or Pencil
Opening (state objectives, connect to previous learning, and make relevant to real life)

How will you activate student interest?

How will you connect to past learning?
How will you present the objective in an engaging and student-friendly way?
How will you communicate its importance and make the content relevant to your students?

The teacher will activate student interest by relating to the idea of overcoming lifes hardships.
The students will connect to past learning by incorporating past vocabulary and themes to the readings.

Instructional Input

The teacher will present the objective by using an engaging video to connect to students.
The teacher will communicate the importance by having the students compare the text to their own lives
and make connections about overcoming hardship.
Teacher Will:
Student Will:

How will you model/explain/demonstrate all

knowledge/skills required of the objective?
What types of visuals will you use?
How will you address misunderstandings or
common student errors?
How will you check for understanding?
How will you explain and model behavioral
expectations?
Is there enough detail in this section so that
another person could teach it?

Model Reading Comprehension Strategy.

Teacher models for the class how to use the
overall structure and meaning of the precise lines
in the poem and the lines around it, the word's
position in the poem, and other contextual clues
that help define the unfamiliar vocabulary.
For the first section, point out these context keys:
Look at the spelling of "landin's." As the mother
speaks, she drops the ending -g in -ing verbs:
Instead of "landings," she uses "landin's";
"reaching" becomes "reachin'"; "climbing" becomes
"a-climbin'."
The way of shortening -ing verbs is common
among speakers of some English dialects.
A dialect is a variation of a language that is typical
of a certain area or collection of people.
Before students begin reading, the teacher will
model the reading comprehension strategy of
visualizing by using a Think Aloud that talks
students through the first lines of the poem.
First, explain to students that visualizing is creating
a mental picture of something as you read. Then,
using new details from the text, we can add or
change the mental images we have created.
Next, explain to students how visualizing will help
them better understand the poem and help initiate
their discussions.
Think Aloud
When I read the first two lines of the poem, I
imagine what a crystal staircase would look like. I
know that crystal is a kind of glass that one can
see through and that items made of crystal tend to
be expensive. So I "see" a crystal staircase that is
clear and shiningmaybe something that would
be in a palace or very wealthy home.
Then in lines 37, I read about the mother's
staircase. I see her stepping on tacks and pulling

What will students be doing to actively capture and

process the new material?
How will students be engaged?

Comprehension Strategy
Have students listen to the audio version of "Mother to
Son." As they listen to the audio recording, ask them to
draw or sketch a picture of what they see in their minds
as they visualize the story.
Encourage them to include as much detail as possible
in the time allowed.
1. Once they have listened to the audio version and
created a picture or series of pictures based on what
they heard, pair students with more proficient readers
and ask them to describe what they drew and why.
Why did they include particular images and/or colors?
2. Allow pairs time to discuss the pictures. Were there
any details from the text that were not included in the
picture? If so, encourage them to add details to the
drawing based on their conversations.

them from her shoes and moving up the staircase.

I see a rough wooden staircase that has splinters,
missing boards, and other dangers.
Then I see the bare wood without any carpet.
Wooden floors can be beautiful, but these wooden
floors are not. When I visualize these details, I
wonder how the mother survived such a hard life,
especially knowing what a good life some people
enjoy. Why is she telling her son about her difficult
life? How will these details help explain it?
Specific Directions for Activity
1. Listen to the audio recording
2. Students will draw or sketch a picture of
what they see in their minds as they
visualize the story.
3. Include as much detail as possible in the
time allowed.

Co-Teaching Strategy

Which co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?

The One Teach, One Assist strategy will help maximize student achievement. One teacher has
primary instructional responsibility while the other circulates to check for understanding, assists
students with their work, or monitors behaviors.

Guided Practice

Differentiation Strategy
What accommodations/modifications will you include for specific students?
Accommodations for students who are struggling will include guided notes, sentence
framing, more time to complete tasks, and written or oral response will be allowed as
necessary.

Do you anticipate any students who will need an additional challenge?

For students who need an additional challenge, students will be asked to find additional
vocabulary in the text and identify the meaning.
Teacher Will:
Student Will:

How will you ensure that all students have multiple

opportunities to practice new content and skills?
What types of questions can you ask students as
you are observing them practice?
How/when will you check for understanding?
How will you provide guidance to all students as
they practice?
How will you explain and model behavioral
expectations?
Is there enough detail in this section so that
another person could facilitate this practice?

Making Predictions about Vocabulary.

There are three bold vocabulary words in the text.
As students read the text, they will be asked to
make predictions about what they think each bold
vocabulary word means based on the context

How will students practice all knowledge/skills required

of the objective, with your support, such that they
continue to internalize the sub-objectives?
How will students be engaged?
How will you elicit student-to-student interaction?
How are students practicing in ways that align to
independent practice?

1. Pair students with more proficient readers.

2. Ask the students to complete a Think Aloud using the
teacher-led Make Predictions about Vocabulary activity
as a model, while the more proficient readers actively
listen.

clues in the poem. Students will write in their

notes, so they can be easily referenced in class.
Model for the class how to use the overall structure
and meaning of the lines and the lines around it,
the word's position, and other clues to define the
unfamiliar vocabulary word. In this case, point out
these context keys:
1. Look at the spelling of "landin's." As the mother
speaks, she drops the ending -g in -ing verbs:
Instead of "landings," she uses "landin's";
"reaching" becomes "reachin'"; "climbing" becomes
"a-climbin'." This way of shortening -ing verbs is
common among speakers of some English
dialects. A dialect is a variation of a language that
is typical of a certain region or group of people.
2. Reread the lines. A "landin'" is something you
can reach. "Reachin'" is a verb, but the thing
reached is a noun. Therefore, a "landin'" is a noun.
So far, we know that "landin's" are thingsbut
what kinds of things?
3. Look back over the poem up to this point. The
mother says that she has been climbing a
staircase. Add that to what we already know, and
we can determine that "landin's" are places you
can reach while climbing a staircase. If we put the
clues together, we can determine that "landin's"
are places along a stairway where climbers can
stop and rest for a moment.

3. The students should use the context clues in the

sentence to try to determine the meaning of the new
vocabulary word.
4. After the students have completed the Think Aloud
and made a prediction about the word's meaning, allow
time for the more proficient readers to add their own
thoughts and clarify any points of confusion.
Encourage them to add any additional vocabulary
words or idioms they find in the text and look up
definitions for those words and idioms online or in a
dictionary.

Co-Teaching Strategy

Which co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?

Using a team teaching strategy, both teachers are actively involved in the lesson. From a students
perspective, there is no clearly defined leader as both teachers share the instruction, are free to interject
information, and available to assist students and answer questions.
Differentiation Strategy
What accommodations/modifications will you include for specific students?
Struggling students will be provided with a sentence framing worksheet that details the key
ideas that should be included in their final paragraph.
More time will be provided to students as needed.
Directions will be given both orally and in written format.
Specific students may respond either in written format, visual format, or in an oral format.
Do you anticipate any students who will need an additional challenge?
Students who need an additional challenge will add an additional resource or text that
supports their argument.
How can you utilize grouping strategies?

Students will be grouped in several ways throughout the assignment to maximize student
engagement and communication (i.e. Elbow partners, peer review groups, alternative
teacher instruction.)

Independent Practice

Teacher Will:

How will you plan to coach and correct during this

practice?
How will you provide opportunities for remediation and
extension?
How will you clearly state and model academic and
behavioral expectations?
Did you provide enough detail so that another person
could facilitate the practice?

Coach and Correct During Practice:

The teacher will coach and correct
throughout the lesson to ensure students
understanding. Students will also have
time to self-assess and peer-review.
Opportunities for Remediation and Extension:
While other students read, annotate, and
discuss the text independently, work with
Beginner students, listening to the audio of
the text and pausing periodically or when
any student has a question.
Coach students in articulating their
questions for the group and in highlighting
and annotating the text.
If students want to extend the lesson, they
can add an introductory paragraph and
conclusion paragraph.
Model academic and behavioral expectations:
Students are expected to follow the
assignment rubric and school behavior
policies.
Hand-outs with examples of previous
student work will be provided.

Student Will:

How will students independently practice the knowledge and

skills required by the objective?
How will students be engaged?
How are students practicing in ways that align to
assessment?
How are students using self-assessment to guide their own
learning?
How are you supporting students giving feedback to one
another?

Independent Practice:

Read and Annotate.

Students will independently read and annotate the
poem.
Ask students to use the annotation tool as they read to:
use context clues to analyze and determine the
meaning of the bold vocabulary terms
1. Ask questions about passages of the text that may
be unclear or unresolved
2. Identify key details, events, and characters,
and connections between them
3. Note unfamiliar vocabulary
4. Capture reactions to the events in the text.
Student Engagement:
Students will be engaged by working with their
peers to review the text and by relating the
information to their own lives.
Self-Assessment:
Students will self-assess their work by using
the rubric checklist to make sure all components
are included.
Student Feedback:
Students will peer review a partners worksheet
and annotations stating: 1. What they did well. 2.
What improvements they can make. 3. What they
learned after reading the paragraph.

Co-Teaching Strategy

Which co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?

Alternative Teaching. This strategy allows one teacher to work with students at their expected grade level
while the other teacher works with those students who need the information and/or materials retaught,
extended, or remediated.
Differentiation Strategy
What accommodations/modifications will you include for specific students?
For struggling students, the teachers will use the Alternative teaching method to extend students
knowledge and re-teach specific reading and writing skills as needed.
Specific students will be allowed more time to complete their reading and annotations.
Students will be provided with step by step writing guide to format their information.
Students will have the choice to respond in a written, oral, or visual format.
Do you anticipate any students who will need an additional challenge?
For students who need to be challenged more, the teacher will provide extended writing strategies

and focus on increasing students writing skills.

Closing/Student Reflection/Real-life connections:

How will students summarize and state the significance of what they learned?
Why will students be engaged?

Summary of Learning:
The students learning will be summarized by the worksheets and annotations created throughout the lesson.
Students will participate in a todays meet post to review knowledge at the end of the lesson that answers What
are two things you learned about either the Harlem Renaissance or about dialect and word choice? in 140
characters or less.
Answers will be posted at https://todaysmeet.com/MsPierson.
Student Engagement:
Students will be engaged by actively participating in a creating a visual display of the content they learned and
reviewing others work to explore different ways to approach the assignment.