Teacher: Kayla Gluchowski

Grade:  1st
Content Area: ELA (Reading)
 
1. Content and Standards:
a. CC.1.2.1.A Identify the main idea and retell key details of text.
b. CC.1.2.1.B Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
c. CC.1.2.1.E Use various text features and search tools to locate key facts
or information in a text.
d. CC.1.2.1.G Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key
ideas.
e. CC.1.2.1.J Use words and phrases acquired through conversations,
reading, and being read to, and responding to texts, including words that
signal connections and relationships between the words and phrases.
f.  CC.1.3.1.A Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate
understanding of their central message or lesson.
g. CC.1.3.1.B Ask and answer questions about key details in a text
h. CC.1.3.1.C Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story,
using key details.
i. CC.1.3.1.G  Use illustrations and details in a story to describe
characters, setting, or events.
j. CC.1.5.1.A Participate in collaborative conversations with peers and
adults in small and larger groups
k.  CC.1.5.1.B Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information
presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions
about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
l.  CC.1.5.1.F Add drawings or other visual displays when sharing aloud
to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
 
2. Prerequisites: Students should read “The 3 Little Dassies” by Jan Brett prior
to this lesson to compare texts.  Students should know the definition of the words
“shelter” and “material” from the previous day's instruction.  Students should
understand what a main character is and be able to identify a main character
independently or with assistance. Students should understand what a key detail is
and be able to identify a key detail independently or with assistance.  Students
should understand what a setting is and be able to identify a setting independently
or with assistance.
 
3. Essential Questions: What buildings do you know of?  What materials are
buildings made out of?  What materials have you used to build things?
 
4. Materials and Equipment:
 
a. Students:  iPad, whiteboard, whiteboard marker, Wonders book.
b. Teacher” iPad/laptop, Wonders book, whiteboard, whiteboard
marker.
 
5. Instructional Objective:  Students will read the story “Cubs in a Hut” and
will be able to identify main characters, a key detail, and a setting through class
discussion and an individual activity.
 
6. Instructional Procedures:
·  Before: Students will review different kinds of buildings and the materials
used to help build those buildings through class discussion.  Students will review
buildings and materials by reviewing and remembering the story (The 3 Little
Dassies) and discussion from the previous day.
·  During: Students will open their book to the passage “Cubs in a Hut”. 
Students will identify and discuss the genre of the story as a class.  The students
will follow along to the read aloud of “Cubs in a Hut.”   Students will participate
in a whole group discussion throughout the story.   
·  After: Students will independently  create a chart on their whiteboard
identifying the characters, setting, and a key detail/event.  Students will take
turns sharing their whiteboards via class discussion to continue to build a sense
of community while virtual.  Students will be instructed to include their green,
yellow, or red disk on their whiteboard to showcase their understanding (Green
means they fully understand it and are comfortable with the learning material. 
Yellow means they think they understand the learning material but would like
someone to check over their work.  Red means they are confused and need
further guidance).
 
7. Assessment: Students will showcase their ability to identify characters, the
setting, and key detail of the text via the whiteboard activity.  I will know if all
students have met the instructional objective by observing their whiteboard and
explanation when they share their work with the class.  I will use their whiteboard
activity to measure if they have met the learning objective.  The students will use
their color-coded disks to assess their understanding of the learning material and to
help provide the teacher feedback with their comfort level with the learning
material.
 
8. Differentiated Instruction:  Students who are unable to use a whiteboard
can draw the characters, setting, and  key detail on a piece of paper.  Students who
are unable to write can verbally share their work.  Students who are unable to
verbally share their work can hold up their drawing for us to view.  Students who
need to hear the story more than once can be taken into a break-out room for more
time and an additional read aloud.  Students who finish and share their work can
practice writing full sentences to match their drawings (for example: The main
characters are Bud, Rus, and Gus.  The setting is in the forest.  Bud got sticks).
 Domain 3 Reflection

For this assignment, I focused on Domain 3 (Instruction) within Danielson’s Framework. 

I created an ELA lesson plan for my 1st grade virtual classroom and taught the lesson plan to all

18 students.  In the following paragraphs, I will share how the lesson plan was conducted, what

happened within the classroom, my reflection of the lesson plan, and my future goals in regard to

instruction.  

In the beginning of the lesson, I transitioned from morning meeting to ELA content by

sharing my zoom screen.  I created a google slide that had pictures of the materials they would

need for the next lesson.  This google slide document showed a picture of their white board,

Wonder’s book, and their whiteboard marker/eraser.  Next to the picture of their Wonder’s book,

showed the page number of the story and a picture of what the story cover looked like.  Once

students had their books opened to the page, I asked them to begin discussing different types of

building they were aware of, materials used to build those buildings, etc.  Through the discussion

and review, I realized that two students missed yesterday’s lesson, story, and vocabulary words

(shelter, materials).  To ensure they had the necessary prerequisite knowledge, I asked the class

for volunteers to explain to our friends who missed yesterday’s lesson what a “shelter” is and

what “materials” are.  One student volunteered to share the definition of word shelter and a

different student volunteered to share and explain the definition of the word materials.  Both

definitions and explanations were accurate and needed little guidance.  I did a brief knowledge

check with the students who missed the previous lesson to ensure they had the necessary

knowledge and understood these terms prior to moving forward (I asked different shelters each

student builds with toys at home and what materials they use to build those shelters.  One student

said a castle with Legos as the materials.).   

 Prior to reading the story, “Cubs in a Hut” but after reviewing the previous day’s lesson, I

shared with the students my expectations for learning.  I informed the class that our goal is to

read the story together, engage in a whole group discussion while we read, and independently

identify the main characters, setting, and a main event afterwards.    I clearly stated that they are

expected to follow along while I read.  I instructed the students to follow along with their fingers

on the text in their book as I read.  It is important to note that prior to beginning the read aloud a

student returned from the bathroom and asked what we were doing.  I was impressed to see

several volunteers raise their hands.  I allowed a student to offer clarification about the learning

task.

Throughout the lesson, I used a variety of questioning and discussion techniques to

facilitate an engaged and high-quality learning environment.  In the beginning of the lesson, I

asked students to consider the genre of the story they are about to read.  I asked them to look at

the cover page of the story and use clues to help them decide.  When a student answered,

“fantasy,” I challenged him to explain why he believed it was fantasy, attempting to access

higher level thinking.  Prior to telling him he was correct; I did a knowledge check and asked

students to hold up their yes/no laminated cards to tell me if they agreed with him or not.  This

allowed me to gain a better understanding of each student’s ability to identify the fantasy genre.

Throughout the read aloud, I asked questions such as, “Did we meet any main characters?  Did

our setting change?  What main event is happening?  Based off of the main event, what

prediction can you make?”  I asked these questions even when no new main characters were

introduced, no new setting was established, etc.  I wanted to gain a sense of their ability to

decipher that information on their own.  Students were given the opportunity to explain if new

characters were introduced, who they were, if no new character were introduced, predictions,
etc.  Throughout the read aloud, students began commenting on each other’s predictions. 

Students shared when and why they agreed with other predictions and shared where their

predictions were different and why.

After we completed the beginning and middle stage of the lesson, we began working on

the after stage where students completed their assessment. I asked students to get out their white

board and white board markers (based off of instruction in the beginning of the lesson these

materials should be close by if not already in front of them).  I instructed them to make this chart

on their whiteboard and to fill out the columns with words/sentences/ and/or drawings:

Main Characters Setting Main Events

In previous lessons, students have been drawing key details.  If they were not ready to advance

forward from drawing their key details, I was okay with them continuing to draw and verbally

explain their work.  However, students who need more of a challenge are encouraged to write

their responses as opposed to drawing them.  As students finish their work, they are instructed to

place one of their colored disks on their white board (green, yellow, red) to showcase their

comfortability with the lesson, activity, and learning material.  

The after stage was carefully explained so that students understood exactly what was

expected of them within this activity.  When students shared their work, I monitored their

responses carefully and provided feedback when necessary.  For example, one student left the
“setting” box empty.  When I asked her why she left it empty, she told me she was confused

because different events happened in different environments.  This response showed me she

understood what a setting was (I was happy to see this because it is a new concept we are

working on).    I asked the student to share a main event that she chose to write and/or draw. 

When she shared that main event, I asked her where the setting was during that particular event,

guiding her while she independently identified the setting.  Within the assessment, I provided a

means for students to reflect, self-regulate, and determine their comfort level with the learning

material via the use of colored disks (green, yellow, red).  The majority of students placed green

disks on their whiteboard to showcase they were very comfortable with this lesson’s learning

material and can meet the learning goals.  However, there were two students who placed a red

disk on their whiteboard, signaling that they needed extra guidance.  I was able to guide these

two students to identify the main characters and events but could not reach the setting due to

time constraints.  I made a note to specifically focus on reviewing setting the following day

and/or in other areas throughout that particular day.  I also made a note to do an “identify the

setting” activity with the students as a whole class to ensure no others are confused by this term. 

The colorful disks allow me to gain access to each student’s confidence and understanding of the

material.  They also give me a better understanding of who believes they are understanding the

material but are providing incorrect answers, and those who think they need more guidance but

are actually getting the learning material correct.

By the end of this lesson, I gained valuable insight on each student’s capabilities, their

level of understanding, and their additional learning needs.  Because of time constraints, I was

unable to significantly impact two student’s ability to identify changing settings.  I believe this is

because each student took turns sharing their whiteboard.  Some days, I instruct students to take
a picture of their whiteboard and submit their picture to the classroom’s media file on the

Schoology website.  This allows me to spend ample time observing each child’s work and

identify where they need assistance.  I enjoy using this method, but I also enjoy real time checks

such as today’s lesson.  I find that when I am able to provide real time feedback, I am able to

make better connections for each student, thus providing them immediate ways to better

understand the learning material.  Moving forward, I would like to incorporate additional

personal connections and/or interests to grab as much attention and motivate as many students as

possible.  I incorporated interests in the beginning of the lesson when discussing buildings and

materials but as the lesson grew, there seemed to be minimal opportunities for this.  In the future,

I would like to find more ways to weave in and out interests of the class in order to maintain their

interest even further.  This lesson was successful with the majority of the class engaged.  I found

areas for review and/or reteaching (changing settings) and I found areas that the class was

proficient in (identify main characters and events).