Teachers Name: Katie Richards Date of Lesson: March 27, 2017

Grade: 3rd Grade Topic: Becoming Your Own Job Captain

Lesson Objectives:
- Students will be able to create a work plan for their writing.
- Students will show in their writing what has been improved upon in reference to their
individual writing plans.

Common Core Standards Alignment:

1.) Domain: Text Types and Purposes
Cluster: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1.A,B,C,D.
W.3.1.A-Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an
organizational structure that lists reasons.
W.3.1.B- Provide reasons that support the opinion.
W.3.1.C-Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect
opinion and reasons.
W.3.1.D- Provide a concluding statement or section.

2.) Domain: Production and Distribution of Writing

Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.4
With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and
organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types
are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of
Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 3 here.)

3.) Domain: Range of Writing

Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and
shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks,
purposes, and audiences.

4.) Domain: Text Types and Purposes

Cluster: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and
information.
Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.A,B,C,D.
W.4.1.A- Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure
in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose.
W.4.1.B- Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
W.4.1.C- Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in
addition).
W.4.1.D- Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

Rationale: Students will be accomplishing all of these standards during this lesson because since
students are the job captains of their own writing, they are advised to look at a wide variety of
tools that they have learned when writing persuasive pieces. Students will be trying to find ways
to support their opinions, plan their own writing, and find ways to cohesively link their thinking
together.

Assessment Plan:
Formative:
Students will be formatively assessed during this lesson by what they contribute during partner
shares, whole group shares and during the one on one time with myself during conferencing.
Students understanding of how to make a work plan will be seen in their notebooks and their
execution of the plan will be shown throughout their writing. Students comprehension will also
be assessed during share time at the end of the days lesson.

Integration:
Another important content area that is included into this writing lesson includes reading.
Additionally, depending on the students given writing topic, they may be writing about a
science, social science or history topic. For example, a couple of students are writing about
animals, recycling or pollution. Those topics certainly reference content learned in science.

Differentiated Instruction:
During the lesson, students will be instructed in a whole group setting to start. Both Mrs. Rileys
class and the team class will be instructed at the same time. While on the rug, students will be
given the opportunity to share and confer with their writing partners (of which were chosen by
the teachers at the beginning of the year). Students will talk and share their writing at given times
of the lesson. Students will be asked questions and will be either cold called or chosen,
depending on participation levels. At the writing portion of the lesson, students will be working
independently, although can ask questions or share with their writing partners.

Modifications/Accommodations:
In the class that I primarily teach for, there are two students who have IEPs, which are Individual
Education Plans. The two students will be present for the entirety of the lesson, but during the
individual work portion, those two will go down to their Special Education teacher for more
directed assistance. After about twenty minutes, the two students will come back to our
classroom and will work on the lesson that we learned for today, but they will have formats
given by their Special Education teacher that more accurately fits their learning needs. These two
students might not necessarily be given the free range of being their own job captains, but their
input on what they would like to work on is highly valued. In this classroom there are also two
English Language Learners, both speaking very minimal English. These students will listen to
the lesson, for language immersion, but they will not be partaking in persuasive writing. Instead,
the two ELL students will work on sight words and sounds on their computers from a program
called Imagine Learning. This daily work will last approximately thirty minutes and will keep
them working for the entirety of the independent work. Added sections to this work will be
added if necessary.
Accommodations are provided for this lesson for students who need them. Students may sit in
chairs opposed to sitting on the rug if that helps them focus or are more comfortable for their
bodies. Students may use a fidget, which is a small token that keeps their hands occupied while
they are listening, if that helps them.

Extensions:
This lesson is the very start of a new writing topic, so students certainly have plenty to do and to
work on. Students have chosen a brand new topic of interest, so they should be constantly
writing. Students are always encouraged to look at past lessons and charts located around the
room to help strengthen their writing and keep them writing for the entirety of the workshop.

Materials/Resources/Technology:
Class editorial topic about standing up to bullies.
Chart paper and markers
Work Plan for Opinion Writing classroom chart
Class anchor charts located in easily accessible spot for students to see and reference

Sources for Lesson Plan:

This lesson was taken directly from Lucy Calkins and Kelly Boland Hohnes Grade 3, Unit 3
book Changing the World: Persuasive Speeches Petitions, and Editorials.
An example of what this might look like can be found here:
http://www.heinemann.com/unitsofstudy/writing/

Teaching and Learning Sequence:

Beginning: 10 minutes
Students from both classes will not bring anything with them and come to the rug.
Tell students that they are starting a brand new writing topic and that they are now the job
captains of their own writing.
Tell students what the teaching point is.
 Explain how the new class piece that we will work on is bullying
Ask students what a writer needs to do when starting a new piece. Write down ideas on a
chart paper with markers.
Reveal classroom chart, Work Plan for Opinion Writing
Have students think about what they can do for their own writing, and think of ways they
can make a work plan. Once they have an idea, have them go back to their seat to get
started.
Body: 50 minutes
Students will go back with all of their belongings and sit at the desk near their writing
partners.
This is an independent work time, where voices should be off, but students may talk with
their writing partners if they need any assistance.
Mrs. Riley and myself will be walking around conferencing with each student at a time,
looking at their goal sheets and their writing progress. I will be asking students what their
new chosen topic is and what their work plan for accomplishing the work plan is.
After 25 minutes, I will ring a bell that will signify to students to put their pencils down
in both classrooms and have their attention on me. I will let a student know about what to
do when they come to a problem, and how looking around the room at classroom anchor
charts can solve that. After a 2-minute interruption, have students get back to work.
Students will continue to write, and when it is 9:55, let students know that they have 5
minutes to continue writing. Pass out sticky notes to each student, and have them write
their seed ideas on the note with their names.
Closing: 10 minutes
Both classes will stay in their own rooms to limit transitions.
Each student will pop up out of their seat and tell what they accomplished for the day.

Common Core Teaching Standards and Rationales:

Standard #3- Learning Environments
Students will be in an encouraging environment that lets them celebrate the goals they
have accomplished in their writing or let them see what they need to work on in their upcoming
writing. Students will collaborate with their writing partnerships to discuss what their goals are
and what they want to work on in their writing. I will encourage students to share with myself
and others what they have accomplished in their writing, what they are writing about due to a
passion that they have for it, and what they want to continue improving on. A supportive
environment is essential so students feel comfortable sharing what their struggles are in writing.

Standard #4- Content Knowledge

As the teacher, I clearly understand the content of this lesson, as it is important for me to
be able to guide students to be the leaders of their own writing. While I will be instructing
students to be their own job captains for the next three lessons, I will give a clear, well thought
out format for how their writing can follow mine. I can expect where students will need help in
their writing, and I will be able to tailor my conferences accordingly to fit their needs.

Standard #6- Assessment

During this lesson, I will be assessing students understanding during whole group
instruction and during their partner shares. What students are able to contribute during the
collaborative aspect of what makes a successful opinion piece will be a clear indication if
students understand how to start their writing. One on one conference with the students will also
help me assess how students are doing individually and what they might need help with in their
writing. Lastly, I will assess students during their pop up sharing, as they explain what their
accomplishments of the day were.

Standard #8- Instructional Strategies

A variety of instructional strategies will be used during this lesson. Some of the strategies
include: think time, cold call, turn and talks, putting their thumb up, pop up shares,
complimenting students who are paying attention or remaining focused, and asking students to
repeat what another student said to further comprehension. These strategies will help make the
classroom more inclusive and foster learning for all students.

Standard #11- Planning for Instruction

During this particular lesson, students are given the power to plan what they need to do in
their own writing to start their new pieces. While students are given the freedom to start where
they think is important, I really had to make sure to have all of what we have learned thus far in
persuasive writing, and have it available at students fingertips. During individual conferences,
the students and I worked together at assessing prior goals that were set by students, and see
which part of writing students really had to think about and focus on. With each student,
depending on their writing level, I had to think of different ways to help the students in working
to meet their overall writing goals.

Reflection:
Overall, I think the instructional lesson time went really well, however, there are some
changes that I would make. I was very surprised at how stumped students were when trying to
come up with a new idea that they could write about. I assumed that students would be
formulating new and bigger ideas over the course of this unit, so I was surprised to find that a
good majority of the writing time was devoted to planning their topics. If I were to do this lesson
again, I would spend half of the instructional time asking students to think of a new topic and
potentially coming up with a classroom brainstorm list for students to refer to. Students spent a
lot of time just thinking, which lost a lot of writing minutes.