Artifact 1: The following piece of evidence is a formal guided reading lesson created for the

book Doctor De Soto by William Steig. For this small group lesson, students were asked to make
predictions, visualize and summarize their understanding. As a group, we went through this book
and discussed these different aspects in an effort to understand the theme of the story. Students
engaged in a variety of instructional strategies in this small group lesson including turn and talks,
choral responses and an exit ticket. The three strategies combined help students voice their
thoughts and opinions with each other, with me and also allow me to see if they truly understand
through their writing. This was created for a higher level reading group. For a group that is a
lower level, the exit ticket may include drawing or circling answers as opposed to writing them.
Exit tickets are given to students at the end of group and they are invited to take them back to
their desk to work on before beginning their next rotation. Doing so allows them to think
independently, without a time crunch of me needing to get to another group.

Guided Reading Lesson

Formal Lesson Plan Template

Text: Doctor De Soto Grade: 2nd

Text Doctor De Soto by William Steig

Vision-Se Objective
tting that aligns with the Deep Thoughts
What is your objective?
What are the big ideas or opportunities for deep thinking in this text?

I can make predictions, visualize and summarize so I can determine the theme of a story.

Key Points
What big ideas in the text will you emphasize?
What strategy-based knowledge and skills are embedded in the objective?

WHAT: The THEME of a story is how the author communicates big ideas or deep thoughts about a topic
HOW: We can determine the theme of a story by asking ourselves questions as we read, making predictions,
making inferences, visualizing, and summarizing the events of the story.
WHY: Figuring out the theme of a story can help us make connections between characters and events in the
story and important lessons to learn in our own lives.
Deep Thoughts that show full comprehension of the text (Student Vision for Mastery)

-You dont necessarily have to be bigger to be better.

-It pays to be kind to other people, even when you dont want to.

Exit Assessment writing prompt & Vision for Student Mastery

Describe, briefly, what students will do to show you that they have made progress toward the objective.
Describe, briefly, how and when students will eventually attempt to demonstrate mastery of the objective. Attach this lesson assessment, completed to
include an exemplary student response that illustrates the expected level of rigor.
 Proficient Developing Novice
Dr. De Soto could have solved his Dr. De Soto could have solved his Dr. De Soto could have solved his
problem by giving the fox medicine and problem by telling the fox not to come problem by killing the fox. This is a good
making a fake mouse to give to the fox. back when he fixed his tooth. Then he idea because then he couldnt eat
Then the fox would think that he had wouldnt have to see him again. This is a anything.
eaten the doctor. This is a good idea good idea because he wouldnt have
because it would have confused the fox come back and then he wouldnt be able
and the doctor would have been able to to eat him.
get away.
Student gives another solution to the Student gives a basic, not creative, Student gives an inappropriate response
problem and a reason of why they think solution with a basic reason of why they with no details.
this is a good idea. think this is a good idea.
PROMPT:
How else could Dr. De Soto have solved his problem with the fox? Why is this a good idea?
Connection to the Summer Achievement Goal How will todays reading, discussion, and written reflection set students up for
success on the F&P assessment? Consider specific components of the assessment. How will todays reading, discussion, and written reflection move your
students one step closer to your vision?
Todays reading will help students improve their reading levels by providing structured ways to think about
theme in a story as well as by providing specific text evidence to justify their responses. It will also help
improve students reading levels by providing them with an opportunity to think deeply about characters in a
text, which will eventually prepare them to think about characters motivations to act in a text.

Determ Opening (3 min):

ining
Metho Activate Prior Knowledge, Introduce the Text
What prior knowledge will you activate? Focus on knowledge needed to understand the big ideas.
ds What background information will you share?
1 Draw attention to the writers craft. What examples will you highlight for students to illuminate the bigger ideas you want them to draw from the text?

Today we are going to read this book called Dr. De Soto. CFU: Based on the cover of this book, who can tell
me what kind of doctor they think we are going to be reading about? How can you tell? Student response: a
dentist because he is inside a mouth. Great job! Dr. De Soto is a dentist and dentists work on teeth. A lot of
people hate going to the dentist. By a show of hands, how many people here like going to the dentist? Can
someone who just raised their hand explain why they like going? How about someone who didnt raise their
hand..what about the dentist dont you like?

Today as we read, we are going to thinking a lot about character traits. CFU: Choral Response: What are
character traits? Student response: Adjectives. Great! Now, what are physical traits? Think about that word,
physical.CFU: Student response: Can anyone raise their hand to explain what a physical trait is? A physical
trait is a trait that we can see. Lets come up with a few character and physical traits together before we
start. CFU: Stop and jot: On your paper, write down a few traits for yourself and figure out whether or not
they are physical or character by writing them in the boxes. Then well come together and share a few.

1
Choral Response is a good way to have all students answer, even if they arent so confident.
Answering as a group takes some of the pressure off and still allows the teacher to see what they
know.
Direct Instruction Think Aloud (3 min)
How will you explain/demonstrate all knowledge/skills required of the objective, so that students begin to actively internalize key
points?
Which potential misunderstandings do you anticipate? How will you proactively mitigate them?
How will students interact with the material?
How/when will you check for understanding? How will you address misunderstandings?
How will you clearly state and model behavioral expectations? Why will students be engaged?

Great job working on the physical and character traits. I think you have a good idea of what those are now.
Make sure to keep those in your mind because were going to come back to them later on.

There might be a few words in this book that you dont understand so if we come across one and you dont
know it, I want you to say it loudly as I pass it so I know you dont understand. Because I cant be inside your
brain, its important that you share what you dont know so we can fix it and make it new knowledge.

As we read, we are going to stop a few times and discuss as usual. The behavior expectation when we are
sharing is that everyone is actively participating meaning that if you are talking with a partner, each person is
using that time to share. If we are discussing as a class, everyone is involved--not the same people raising
their hands over and over.

Aligned Scaffolded Practice During Reading (6 min)

Stop and Talk about Questions/Prompts that will help students reach the Deep
Thoughts
Where will you stop to ask students to think about the text?
How will your questions and text examples facilitate student understanding of the big ideas in the text?
Include page numbers and explain your rationale.
How will you include students in this process? How will you facilitate student practice (stop and jot, turn and talk, discuss in
whole group, build off of one anothers ideas, etc?
How will you clearly state and model behavior expectations? Why will students be engaged?
Doctor De Soto by William Steig
Begin reading:
Stop at top of page 9: Can you remember what the sign said? It says Cats and other dangerous animals not
accepted for treatment CFU: Why did Dr. De Soto decide to treat the fox even though he says he wont?
How is a fox similar to a cat in Dr. De Sotos eyes?

Stop at page 14:

I mentioned earlier that we were going to focus on character traits vs. physical traits today. Now that we
have read about halfway through the story, I think we have some good ideas of what the character and
physical traits of the main characters might be. CFU: Group share: Im going to break you up into two small
groups (breaks groups up half and half). On this side, you are going to discuss what the Dr. De Sotos physical
and character traits are. On this side, you are going to talk about what the foxes physical and character traits
are. Im going to give you about 45 seconds to talk about these things in a level one voice, then we will come
back together and discuss them. I should hear One of Dr. De Sotos physical traits/character traits is or
One of the foxes traits is. I should hear at least something from each person in the group.
Student Response: One of Dr. De Sotos character traits is that he is kind. A physical trait is that he is small.
One of the foxes character traits is that he is sneaky. A physical trait is that he is red.

Stop at page 17:

It was very obvious that the fox wanted to eat the little mice! He wasnt even very secretive about it, was he?
When he first was trying to find a dentist, he was in a lot of pain. CFU: Turn and Talk: Do you think the fox
planned on eating Dr. De Soto when he first went in with his toothache? When I say go, you are going to turn
 and talk to your partner In a level one voice. Start your sentence with, When the fox went to the Dr. he
so you can set up your thinking. Go!
Student response: When the fox went to the Dr. he didnt think about eating him because he didnt even
know that the dr. was a mouse! He just needed his tooth fixed.

Stop at final page:

And thats the end of the story! CFU: Whole group question: What do you think about Dr. De Soto gluing his
mouth shut? Do you think the was the right idea? Im going to call on a few strong, silent hands to answer
this and share with the rest of the class. How do you think the fox feels?
Student response: I dont think it was the right idea because it wasnt a nice thing for him to do.
Student response: The fox feels silly for accepting the secret formula. He should have known it was a trick.

Post-Reading
Exit Assessment Writing Prompt (7 min)
The exit assessment should be a question directly related to the objective and deep thoughts, and students should use the discussion time synthesizing their
understanding of the text itself. When writing about what they have read, they should be pulling ideas and textual details from the conversation to inform
their written response.
What questions will students write an answer to to demonstrate their understanding of the objectives?
How will you ensure that all students have multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of or progress toward the objective? How will you provide
opportunities for remediation and extension?
How will you clearly state and model behavioral expectations? Why will students be engaged?
We are now going to work on our writing prompt for the day. I wrote the question and the beginning of the
sentence for you on the back of your stop and jot sheet. Make sure that your name is on the top so I know
whose paper belongs to who.
When I say go, you are going to take your paper and go sit at your seat. You are going to work on this
assignment silently for 5 minutes.

Your prompt is:

PROMPT:
How else could Dr. De Soto have solved his problem with the fox? Why is this a good idea?

You are going to give another way that Dr. De Soto could have solved the problem and why you think that its
a good idea. Make sure to include that second part--the details are the most important so I know what you
are thinking and why you think that.

GO!

Name: _______________________________________

Dr. De Soto:
 Physical Traits:

Character Traits:

Fox:

Physical Traits:

Character Traits:
How else could Dr. De Soto have solved his problem with the fox? Why is this a good idea?
Artifact 2: The following is a lesson plan for a reading lesson that incorporates one of my
favorite instructional strategies of using immediate feedback. During this lesson, students were
able to use handheld whiteboards to write their answers on and hold up for me to see. Doing this
allows me to see and acknowledge both correct and incorrect answers immediately and adjust
instruction accordingly. Students are also engaged in writing and working because they have
something fun to use. Giving students whiteboards is a great way to see how they are thinking
about the topic and coming up with answers as they have room to write and figure out their work
both on their own and with partners.

Lesson Objective: I can try different vowel team middles in words so I can figure out how to
read a tricky word correctly.

Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3.A,

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3.B

Opening: Students use handheld whiteboards to identify vowel teams-split board into two beach
and head. underline ea and figure out other words that have the same vowel teams/sounds.

Mini Lesson: Notice how all of those words have an "ea" but they sound a lot different? Those
words can be super tricky because they look the same but arent. Notice how the ea is in the
middle which is extra difficult. You might have to try one sound to see if sounds right, and then
try the other to figure out which is the right one. Today we're going to focus on looking for tricky
vowel teams that can make different sounds and learn how to try one, then the other to get the
right word. MODEL using Katie Woo Has the Flu--pick out a few words with vowel teams and
determine how to sound them out and figure out the correct word.

Guided Practice: Practice words together that have difficult vowel teams (a few)...(hoot, brook,
soothed, gloom, spooked, footing, books...could, cloudy, grounded, shouting, would, sprouted,
shouldn't...queen, sleep, green, beet, feel, been)

Independent Practice: Students use their knowledge of how to sound out/figure out vowel
teams as they read their own books and figure out tricky words.

Materials: whiteboards, markers, Katie Woo Has the Flu, anchor chart
Artifact 3: The New Haven Public School district mandates the use of the Daily 5 for students in
grades kindergarten through two. The Daily 5 is a great way to incorporate a variety of strategies
for students to learn and work from in order to improve their academic skills. The following is
the schedule that I use for my classroom. As we do not have time for all five centers each day,
students are grouped according to level and go to the stations that will help them the most for
their specific needs. Each student also does independent reading as a third station after the two
rotations (for a total of three rotations daily).

Students in Groups A and B require the most small group time. These are the lowest students and
students that are on the cusp of possibly meeting the end of the grade level expectation. These
students are invited to use Lexia, a reading program that grows with students. Their Lexia
progress is assessed and their needs brought into small group. Group 1 and 2 are my own teacher
group while Group 3 is a small group done by my paraprofessional. These guided reading groups
provide students with the strategies necessary to target their individual needs.

In Word Work, students are invited to complete activities based on word building and
identification. One of their favorite activities is Boggle Boards, where students use dry-erase
markers to find as many words as they can on the board by putting letters together. Students also
have magnetic letters, alphabet blocks and letter tiles to create and work with words. In addition,
students have task cards which include tasks such as rainbow writing words (writing them in
different colors), alphabetical order, creating words from certain letters and sorting words.

In Work on Writing, students are working on a variety of tasks focused on improving their
writing skills. They may create stories on their own or use task cards to follow prompts. Several
options include rolling dice to create stories based on the prompts that depend on the roll. This
also includes handwriting practice for students that have not yet mastered neat handwriting.
Students may also finish their writing from Writers Workshop the day prior.

Buddy reading and independent reading are opportunities for students to improve their silent and
whisper reading, as well as refine strategies taught in readers workshop.

Group: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Group A Word Work Group 3 Word Work Group 3 Word Work

Group2 Lexia Group2 Lexia Group2

Group B Group1 Group 3 Group1 Lexia Group 1

Work on Word Work Word Work Buddy Read Work on

 Writing Writing

Group C Work on Group1 Group 3 Group1 Word Work

Writing
Buddy Read Work on Independent Buddy Read
Buddy Read Writing

Group D Buddy Read Independent Work on Work on Buddy Read

Writing Writing
Work on Group 2 Group 3
Writing Buddy Read Group 2
Artifact 4: One of my favorite options for students is to have them use a graphic organizer.
Graphic organizers allow students to get their thoughts out on paper before settling down to write
them into full sentences and paragraphs. Getting students to use graphic organizers requires
mini-lessons to familiarize them since they have not used them before. The following lesson was
the first time we used a graphic organizer this year. Explicit modeling and slow pacing was
essential for students to understand what to write in the bubbles.

Writers Workshop:
Objective: I can use a graphic organizer so I can brainstorm ideas on a topic.

Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.3

Opening: Has anyone ever heard of a graphic organizer or used on before?

Mini Lesson: A graphic organizer is a really important and fun tool that you're going to be able
to use since you are now a 2nd grade writer! Being able to use an organizer shows that you have
the ability to take ideas out of your head and put them onto paper. It also shows that you can plan
what you are going to write about. TEACHER MODEL AND THINK ALOUD WITH
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

Check for Understanding:What does a graphic organizer help us do?

Guided Practice:Students turn and talk with a partner about what topic they are going to choose
and one bubble on their organizer.

Independent Practice:Students fill in graphic organizer.

Artifact 5: For Readers Workshop, I find turn and talks to be an effective method for students
to interact with material and see how they are understanding. Getting them to talk about their
thoughts with their peers as opposed to writing them or calling on them for answers. As a
facilitator, listening to students during a turn and talk gives me a good opportunity to see what
students are and are not understanding and modify instruction, or insert another talking point to
assist them.

Readers Workshop
Objective: Today we are learning to turn and talk with a partner in order to discuss different
aspects of the book Chester's Way, by Kevin Henkes. We'll know we've got it when we can turn
and talk with a partner about the characters throughout the book.

Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7

Opening: Yesterday we took a look at Sheila Rae The Brave by Kevin Henkes. Today we're
going to look at another book by the same author--Chester's Way. Chester's Way is a different
story but we're going to focus on making predictions like we did yesterday.

Mini Lesson: Today we're going to take a look at Chesters Way and work on our turn and talks
again so that we can get really good at doing them. Yesterday we worked on predicting. Today
we're going to talk about characters. Review turn and talk procedure and practice--have 2
students model how to do it. Practice/review before reading. Students turn and talk about
predictions based on title/cover. READ ALOUD stopping throughout to turn and talk about the
characters--how do they feel/what's special about them?

Check for Understanding: Why do we use turn and talks in our classroom?

Guided Practice: Read aloud Chester's Way stopping throughout to talk about the different
characters in turn and talks.

Independent Practice: Students turn and talk with a partner about how the two Kevin Henkes
books were similar or different.
Artifact 6: This has been the first time I have been introduced to and used interactive notebooks.
Interactive notebooks are a great way for students to do something tactile and engaging every
day without creating a special hands-on lesson. Students enjoy using these notebooks to write
answers, read from and flip through when they are done. Since introducing interactive
notebooks, I have seen increased focus and effort from all students--even those with the most
challenging behaviors. These notebooks are also a great way to differentiate for students by
either modifying the amount of writing or reading or focusing on a different aspect of the
assignment.
Artifact 7: The final piece of evidence is a photo that I snapped while my students were
independently reading one day. One of the most important instructional strategies, or one of the
most beneficial, is to make things fun for students. If the teacher thinks it is entertaining, it is
likely that students will enjoy it. Getting students excited about what they are learning and doing
will encourage them to focus and work hard. In the very beginning of completing Oral Reading
Assessments and Running Records, I realized students were having a difficult time tracking their
reading. They often skipped words and entire lines. To help combat this while independently
reading, I purchased finger flashlights for students to guide over their words as they read.
Students love reading in the dark with their flashlight to help them track. Once given the
flashlight, I noticed an increase in student engagement and in following the text.