Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

CAEP 2018 K-6 Elementary Teacher Preparation Standards

Julia Kalustian

BIG IDEA

Celebrating our Differences

LESSON RATIONALE

This lesson is important because comparing and contrasting characters in a story is a

critical reading skill that allows students to become confident independent readers.

READINESS
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
○ Goal(s): Students will be able to compare and contrast characters in the
stories they read based off of their physical traits, character traits, and
adventures.
○ Objectives
○ By completing the stations, students will be able to practice
comparing characters in the stories that they read daily.
○ At the conclusion of guided reading, students will be able to
describe the differences between characters in a book.
○ Following the closure, students will be able to think critically about
what makes characters the same and different from each other.
○ Standard(s): Synthesis & Connection of Ideas: 1.RL.4.2 Compare and
contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.

II. Management Plan

Time: Space Expectations Materials

(45min)

Anticipatory 5 minutes Students will Students will -Comparison

Set be sitting at be expected strips that go
their seats. to listen and under the
participate in category of
the bunny (Toby, Both,
comparison or Jack)
activity. -Two stuffed
bunnies (Toby
 & Jack)

Lesson 5 minutes Students will Students will -Posters on

Presentation be at their be engaged the three
desks, ready throughout ways we
to listen, the mini compare and
participate, lesson contrast
and engage in presentation characters in
questions being both a story.
being asked. respectful and
strong
listeners.

Stations 60 minutes Students will Students will -Timer

(5 stations be divided be broken up displayed on
each at 12 into their daily into groups. screen to
minutes) reading The groups show when to
groups. will rotate rotate
Stations will through the -Guided
be spread out stations. reading books
around the Students -Reading
room, some must display Games
on the floor, teamwork, materials
others at listening, and (manilla folder
tables to allow participation with velcro
for both when working pictures, &
independent with others. picture book)
reading and Students
collaboration must display
among their responsibility
peers. when reading
independently
. The teacher
should
redirect their
attention if
they get
distracted,
and when
working in
guided
reading, still
monitor the
class.

Closure 10 minutes Students will Students will -Graphic

 return back to be engaged in organizer
their seats to the closure -Toby & Jack
work on the discussion. -Mini story to
closure The students be read aloud
activity. will fill out the to the class
graphic -Crayons
organizer as -Writing
we discuss material
the
differences
between Toby
& Jack in the
story being
read to them.
All students
will be seated
at their desks,
actively
listening and
helping when
needed.
.
III. Anticipatory Set (5 min)
○ The teacher asks students to sit down at their desks
○ “Class, I would like to introduce to you two very special characters
today. It’s almost springtime and animals are coming out from
hibernation. Can anyone tell me what hibernation means? (Allow
student response time). Right! Hibernation is when animals hide
during the cold winter, and come back out during the spring when it
gets warmer! Class, this is Toby (Teacher shows the class the
brown bunny) and this is Jack (Teacher shows the class the gray
bunny). Now, something we notice about Toby and Jack is that in
some ways they are the same, and in other ways they are different.
So, I have some strips here that can be used to describe Toby and
Jack. Let’s see how the two of them relate to each other.”
○ The teacher makes a chart on the board labeled: Toby, Both, Jack.
Teacher reads off each of the strips and facilitates classroom discussion
on where each strip should go
○ “First off we have ‘Bunny’, are both Toby and Jack bunnies? (Allow
response time). So should we put that under ‘Both’, since they are
both bunnies? (Allow response time. Teacher puts that strip under
‘Both’ and continues through all the strips until the chart is
 complete). Class, looking at this chart we created, we can see that
Toby and Jack are similar in a lot of ways, but also different in their
own.”
IV. Purpose: “Today we are going to learn about how to compare and contrast two
characters in a story based off of their physical traits, character traits, and
adventures. We compare characters in the books we read everyday. This is
important because it can help you describe how characters are similar and
different from each other.”

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

V. Adaptations
○ During the closure, students will have the choice of either drawing or
writing in the graphic organizer based on if they have a more linguistic or
visual learning style
○ Students in Mrs. Maynus’ class that receive special education services will
have a professional working alongside them to help them with the reading
strategy throughout the literacy block

VI. Lesson Presentation (65 min)

○ Mini Lesson (5 min)
○ The teacher introduces the three ways to describe characters using
the posters
a) “One way we can describe how characters compare to one
another is by their physical traits. This means what the
characters look like. (Teacher should write “What they look
like” underneath the poster). We described Toby and Jack
based on what they look like. Their ears, their color, what
kind of animal they were, etc. (Teacher should also write
down examples of different physical traits, allowing student
input).
b) “Another way we can describe how characters are similar
and different is by their character traits. This means how the
characters act. (Teacher should write “How they act”
underneath the poster). We can describe characters on how
they act. Whether they are kind, sad, sleepy, smart, etc.
(Teacher should also write down examples of different
character traits, allowing student input).
c) “One last way we are going to talk about comparing
characters today is by their adventures. This means what
the characters do in the story. (Teacher should write “What
 they do” underneath the poster). We can describe
characters on what they do throughout the story. Whether
they help a friend, help their community, etc. (Teacher
should also write down examples of different adventures,
allowing student input).
○ The teacher makes note to tell the students that both the text and
the illustrations can help you form your comparisons when reading
○ The teacher describes the stations for today & when finished,
dismisses students to their first station
a) “As you are reading to yourself and do your listening to
reading, I want you to think about the characters in your
book. What do they look like? How do they act? What do
they do? Use these posters as a reminder for how you can
compare characters in your story. When you are at reading
to a partner, I want you and your partner to compare the
main character of your books after you are done reading to
each other. For example if Eli is my partner, I am going to
talk to him about my character in my book. Then Eli is going
to talk to me about his character in his book. Then we are
going to remember to look at these posters, and talk about
how our characters are alike and different from each other.
During word work, I believe you will have your spelling
Pretest today. And during reading games, Mrs. Maynus or
myself will be back there working with you. Go ahead and
move to your first station quietly please!
○ Stations (60 min, 12 min approx. at each station)
○ BDA group 1: Zaden, Peyton, Faith, Ryker
a) Text: Mac and Cheese by Sarah Weeks
b) Level: J
c) Selected portion: Start of the book until page 15
d) Strategy: Synthesis -- comparing characters
e) Before: Pre reading
(1) Students gather in a small group at a table with the
teacher
(a) “Alright, now is there a food that you really,
really, really dislike to eat? What do you not
like about it? (Teacher allows response time).
Well even though you may not like a certain
food, it may be another person’s favorite food.
That is a part of what makes us all unique!
Today we are going to read about two cats
 named Mac and Cheese. I want to point out to
you that Mac is the white cat and Cheese is
the orange cat because that can be confusing.
These two cats are similar and different in
many ways!”
f) During: Reading
(1) Students read the selected portion of the text
(a) “While we read today, we are going to think
about how we compare two characters using
what we learned about physical traits,
character traits, and adventures. Let's stop on
page 15 for today.”
g) After: Responding
(1) Teacher should take note of the students’ reactions to
the book
(a) “Mac and Cheese are friends but they don’t
seem to have things in common that they both
like to do. Is it okay if two people are friends
even though they have different interests?”
(Teacher allows response time).
h) After: Exploring
(1) Teacher asks questions and allows students to
explore the comparisons between the two characters
in the book
(a) “Let’s look back at the beginning of the book
until page seven. Which character seems to be
more picky with their food? Mac or Cheese?
Which character seems to enjoy eating
practically anything?” (Teacher allows
response time).
(b) “Now, I want you to look back through the next
couple of pages, and I want you to each find
something that Mac and Cheese do that is
different from each other. What are some
examples?” (Teacher allows response time).
i) After: Applying
(1) The teacher would then select texts to read during
read aloud time that week that focuses on two
characters. Then facilitate a discussion on comparing
and contrasting the characters. Allowing students to
use words and pictures to record their comparisons.
○ BDA group 2: Conrad, Cheyenne, Chase, Raelynn
a) Text: Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
b) Level: K
c) Selected portion: Start of the book until page 11
d) Strategy: Synthesis -- comparing characters
e) Before: Pre Reading
(1) Students gather in a small group at a table with the
teacher
(a) “Now, are any of you a morning person? Do
you love to wake up early? Why or why not?
(Teacher allows response time). Well even if
you do not like to wake up early, there are
people who love to wake up early. That is a
part of what makes us all unique! Today we
are going to read about Frog and Toad.
Although they are both amphibians, they do
have some things different about each other.”
f) During: Reading
(1) Students read the selected portion of the text
(a) “While we read today, we are going to think
about how we compare two characters using
what we learned about physical traits,
character traits, and adventures. Let’s stop on
page 11 for today.”
g) After: Responding
(1) Teacher should take note of the students’ reactions to
the book
(a) “Frog and Toad are friends but they don’t seem
to have things in common that they both like to
do. Is it okay if two people are friends even
though they have different interests?” (Teacher
allows response time).
h) After: Exploring
(1) Teacher asks questions and allows students to
explore the comparisons between the two characters
in the book
(a) “Let’s look back at pages 4 through 7 in the
text. Which of the two characters likes to get
up early in the springtime? Which character
likes to stay in bed? Does this make them
 different from each other or the same?”
(Teacher allows response time).
(b) “Frog and Toad are different from each other in
many ways. Can each of you look back and
find another way that they are different? Look
at page 8 if you get stuck.” (Teacher allows
response time).
i) After: Applying
(1) The teacher would then select texts to read during
read aloud time that week that focuses on two
characters. Then facilitate a discussion on comparing
and contrasting the characters. Allowing students to
use words and pictures to record their comparisons.
○ Station one -- Read to Self
a) Students read quietly and independently at this station.
Students are challenged to recall the reading strategy and
work towards comparing the characters in the story they are
reading.
○ Station two -- Listen to Reading
a) Students listen to reading on their iPads at this station.
Students are challenged to recall the reading strategy and
work towards comparing the characters in the story they are
reading.
○ Station three -- Read to a Partner
a) Students take turns reading a book to a partner and then
their partner reads a book to them. Students are tasked with
comparing the main character in each of their books to each
other through a collaborative discussion following them
reading their books
○ Station four -- Word Work
a) Students will be working with Mrs. Sweet on their spelling
pretest
○ Station five -- Reading Games
a) Students will work with an adult (Mrs. Maynus during the two
rotations that I am leading guided reading, then I will be at
this station the last three rotations). The adult will read a
short story to the students. The students must be actively
listening. Following the story, the students will work with the
manilla folders and the velcro pictures, describing the two
main characters in the story by kinesthetically moving the
 pieces to the prospective side of the folder that describes
that character, comparing the two as a whole.
b) Selected text: My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems
○ The teacher will monitor the whole class, even when working in
guided reading groups.
○ The teacher will remind the students to practice their reading
strategy, especially if students are off task.
○ The teacher waits for all students to return to their seats after
putting their reading materials away successfully before moving
onto the closure of the lesson.
○ Closure (10 min)
○ Teacher asks students to return to their seats.
a) “Okay class, now I want you to get out your coloring
materials and a pencil. I am going to read you a short story
that I wrote about Toby and Jack. (Allow a one minute
transition). As I read, we are going to stop every once and
awhile when we find out a new detail about Toby and Jack.
Then we are going to decide what we can either draw or
write in the bubbles for us to remember later on. (Teacher
reads the short story while students are actively listening.
Teacher stops at particular points where a detail is given,
and asks for student input on what we can draw/write in the
graphic organizer to help us compare the two bunnies. The
teacher collects the graphic organizers at the end.) Great job
comparing characters using physical traits, character traits,
and adventures today, everyone! I hope you will remember
and use this new reading strategy each time you read!”
VII. Check Understanding
○ I will take note of the student’s prior experiences with comparison while
they compare the two stuffed bunnies. I will observe the students as they
help compare the bunnies, and ensure that each student understands that
concept. As we continue on to the mini lesson I will recognize which
students struggle with the comparison concept and help them in order to
be successful in their learning. I will ensure that each student understands
how to compare two characters by allowing practice time at the stations. I
will observe students as they are working in their stations and address
students who seem to need extra help. As I monitor the stations, I will
assure that each student understands what they did successfully and aid
them with what they are unsuccessful with. During the closure, I will take
note of whether the students are successful in writing/drawing their
comparisons of the two bunnies from the details in the story. I will ensure
 that all students understand the reading strategy at the conclusion of the
lesson by looking over their graphic organizers. I will notice which students
need extra help throughout the lesson and talk them through what they
are not comprehending and address the class as a whole if it seems as
though the students are not comprehending the reading skill successfully.
I will allow students to apply this reading strategy moving forward as they
encounter new texts.

VIII. Review learning outcomes / Closure

○ Allow students to share the character comparisons they formulated with
their partner in their stations. Make sure that all students are now
comfortable with comparing characters by their physical traits, character
traits, and adventures. Reaffirm that we need to know how to compare
characters as we become independent readers in our everyday lives.

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

Formative Assessment:
Anticipatory ● I will assess students’ prior experience with comparing two
Set characters while participating in the activity. I will take note of
any unfamiliarity while continuing on in the lesson.

Lesson ● During the mini-lesson presentation, I will take notice of which

Presentation students are understanding the three ways to compare
characters.
● While doing guided reading, I will talk to each student in the
group and listen to their thoughts. I will be able to see which
students may require reteaching for this reading strategy.
● Throughout the stations, I will monitor which students are
confident practicing the reading strategy by listening to the
partner discussions and working with them at the reading
games station.

Check for ● During the closure, I will assess students’ performance by

Understanding having them fill out the graphic organizer. Students are asked
& Closure to contribute to the whole conversation, and this is a way of
telling which students comprehend the reading strategy.
● Following the lesson, I will collect the graphic organizers and
use this as a way of assessing which students know how to
compare and contrast characters and which may require
additional support in the future.
REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS

1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not,
why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace this differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
7. Did the chosen children’s literature offer them a developmentally appropriate
challenge for each guided reading group?
8. After completing the mini lesson, were the students confident enough to begin
practicing this reading strategy on their own during the stations?
9. Were the students able to describe the differences between the characters both
visually and linguistically during the closure activity?