Teacher Education Lesson Plan Template

Teacher: Maria Sutton Date: March 8-9, 2021

Title of Lesson: Reading “Ruthless” Cooperating Teacher: Jennifer Craft

Core Components

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers.
Revised August 2015
 Subject, Content Area, or Topic
English, reading, short stories and literary terms
Student Population
Block 2
Total: 14
● Gender
○ Males: 11
○ Females: 3
● Race
○ African-American: 5
○ Asian: 1
○ Caucasian: 8
● IEP’s: 11
○ mix of emotional behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, ADHD, anxiety, etc.

Block 3
Total: 24
● Gender
○ Males: 13
○ Females: 11
● Race
○ African-American: 6
○ Hispanic: 3
○ Caucasian: 15
● 504’s: 6
Learning Objectives
Block 2
Students will summarize the major plot points of the story “Ruthless”.
Students will identify and describe the characters in order to explain how they relate to the plot.

Block 3
Students will identify and explain direct and indirect characterization within a specific text.
Students will determine the tone of a text based on characters, diction, etc.

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers.
Revised August 2015
 Virginia Essential Knowledge and Skills (SOL)
9.4 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze a variety of literary texts including narratives,
narrative nonfiction, poetry, and drama.
b) Summarize text relating supporting details.
d) Use literary terms in describing and analyzing selections.
e) Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature: characters, plot,
setting, tone, point of view, and theme.
h) Explain the relationship between the author’s style and literary effect.
k) Analyze how an author’s specific word choices and syntax achieve special effects and
support the author’s purpose.
l) Make predictions, inferences, draw conclusions, and connect prior knowledge to support
reading comprehension.
m) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading process.

VDOE Technology Standards

c) Use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate
their learning in a variety of ways.

English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)

English Language Proficiency Standard 2: English Language Learners communicate information,
ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content of Language Arts.

Materials/Resources
● Chromebooks
● Google Meet
● Google Slides
● Kami extension for Google Chrome
● “Ruthless” short story
○ accessed through Schoology
● 3/12 Plot Map activity
○ accessed through Schoology
● 3/12 eulogy writing assignment
○ accessed through Schoology

High Yield Instructional Strategies Used (Marzano, 2001)

Check if Used Strategy Return

✓ Identifying Similarities & Differences 45%
✓ Summarizing & Note Taking 34%
✓ Reinforcing Efforts & Providing Recognition 29%
✓ Homework & Practice 28%
Nonlinguistic Representations 27%
Cooperative Learning 23%
✓ Setting Goals & Providing Feedback 23%
✓ Generating & Testing Hypothesis 23%
✓ Questions, Cues, & Advanced Organizers 22%
McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers.
Revised August 2015
 DOES YOUR INSTRUCTIONAL INPUT & MODELING YIELD THE POSITIVE RETURNS YOU WANT FOR
YOUR STUDENTS?
Check if Used Strategy Return
Teach Others/Immediate Use of Learning 95%
✓ Practice by Doing 75%
✓ Discussion 50%
Demonstration 30%
Audio Visual 20%
✓ Reading 10%
✓ Lecture 05%

Time
(min.) Process Components
*Anticipatory Set
I will welcome and greet students by name as they enter our classroom both physically
7-10 and virtually. The first 3-5 minutes will be spent building relationships through small talk
mins questions like “How are you?” or “Do you have anything planned for this weekend?”. Once
the majority of students are present, I will begin by reviewing the day’s agenda. Then I will
give a quick summary review of direct and indirect characterization. We discussed it a
couple days before, so this should not be new for students. For Block 3, I will ask if
anyone remembers the difference between the two or can describe them before I present
the summary slide. The summary slide contains simple definitions and examples for each.
After that, I will introduce the elements of the day (characters and plot for Block 2,
characterization and tone for Block 3). These are the things we will be looking for as we
read our new short story “Ruthless” by William de Mille. Before we begin reading, I will
ask students to take note of details that provide evidence or examples in these areas.
More specifically, students will consider how the author presents and develops characters
through actions, dialogue, and their interactions with other characters (Block 3 only; Block
2 will touch on some of this).
*State the Objectives (grade-level terms)
n/a Block 2
I will name the most important parts of this story.
I will name and describe characters (including their speech, beliefs, and actions).

Block 3
I will tell the difference between direct and indirect characterization when I find it in the
story.
I will figure out the author’s attitude by looking at his use of characters and word choice.
*Instructional Input or Procedure
10-15 As we read, we will once again practice annotating, which starts with attentive reading
mins and noticing details. There are specific spots within the story where students will complete
Stop and Jots. These are moments where students are given time to respond to the
question/prompt before we continue reading. I have created the Stop and Jots myself with
the main purpose of allowing students to both capture and clarify their developing
knowledge and understanding of the story. It is easy for students to reach the end of a
story and have a hard time reflecting on it, so the Stop and Jots will hopefully counteract
that. They will also serve as checks for understanding along the way. Stop and Jots for
this story include:
● What has happened so far in the story?
● What words are used to describe this specific character?
● How would you describe this character’s attitude/belief system? What do
McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers.
Revised August 2015
 you think they believe? (this connects to the “I believe” statement activity
we did on our first day of class)

Once we have finished reading and annotating, I will ask students for their reactions. Did
they think the story was interesting? Were they surprised by the ending? I will briefly
summarize the story and touch on the ending in general to make sure they understand
what took place before we begin our short discussion.
10 *Guided Practice
mins Now that we have read the story, we will review some of our essential elements. For
Block 2, I will do more showing and point them out in some cases for the sake of time.
Block 3 will be asked for their responses to some of the Stop and Jots (what specific
words did they use to describe the main character?). This will give us a nice transition into
our discussion of characterization. If we see that the author is using these words to
describe the main character, then what does that suggest about his purpose for writing?
What about the story’s tone? This is where we will decide if this story uses direct or
indirect characterization to describe the main character. Would the tone be different if the
author used different words to present the main character? While this is not what I
normally think of as a guided practice, I am guiding students through the process of
analyzing literary elements and their relationships with one another.
*Independent Practice
n/a Students will practice independently after the live session; specific details are included
below in the assessment category. For students who come to class in person, I will be
available to answer any questions they may have. I offer this to online students as well
and invite them to stay after the end of the live session or email me if they have any
questions.
Assessment
n/a Once students have shared their reactions, I will announce and explain the asynchronous
work assignments. Both blocks will have a 3-2-1 discussion board post to complete. This
will count as a practice grade and be due by midnight. On Friday, Block 2 will complete a
plot map where they drag and drop the events of the story in the correct order. This
seems simple, but it is developmentally-appropriate for this group. It will count as another
practice grade and be due by midnight that night. Block 3 will complete a eulogy writing
activity where they pretend to give a eulogy at the main character’s funeral. This
assignment requires them to address the main character’s words, actions, and
interactions with others. Students will do this by choosing a different character and
delivering the eulogy from that character’s perspective. For example, a student who
chooses to be the main character’s neighbor might mention his or her relationship with
and thoughts about the main character. My goal for this assignment is that it will reinforce
what students have gathered regarding characterization and present it in a creative way.
Students will have until Sunday at midnight to submit this assignment (my reasoning
behind the extra time is explained in the closure). Once I fully explain the asynchronous
work expectations (and show Block 2 students where to find these activities on
Schoology), students will be dismissed from the live session.

Assessment Overview
- 3-2-1 (both blocks)
- plot map (block 2 only)
- eulogy writing activity (block 3 only)

*Closure
5-10 As we close, I will remind students of their asynchronous work. For Thursday night,
mins students should complete the 3-2-1 activity on Schoology. Friday’s asynchronous work
McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers.
Revised August 2015
 depends on the block Block 2 will have a plot map to complete while Block 3 will write a
eulogy. Although my intention is for Block 3 students to begin working on their
asynchronous assignment on Friday, they have until Sunday at midnight to complete it.
This is because I gave both classes a homework habits survey at the start of the week
and discovered that Block 3 prefers to have time over the weekend to complete
assignments. With that in mind, I gave them more time and told them why I was doing so.
I made my expectations clear and they seemed to be fairly appreciative. After reminding
them of their homework, I will dismiss students from the live session with my usual
farewells (“Thanks for participating today guys, you did really well! I hope you have a
great rest of your day and a wonderful weekend! Bye!”).
Differentiation Strategies (enrichment, accommodations, remediation, or by learning style).
Differentiation through content, assessment, and readiness/ability
● content: I added synonyms for difficult words in the margins of the story as support for
students, especially those in Block 2. I took the time to read the original words used in the
text as well as the synonyms I provided with that block specifically. For Block 3, I simply
included the words, but didn’t read them out loud. I also differentiated content by changing
the focus of our discussion. Block 2 focused on characters and plot while Block 3 focused
on characterization and tone.
● assessment: This depended on the way I differentiated the content. Both blocks were
assigned a 3-2-1 activity for Thursday night, which covered basic characterization since
both blocks focused on that. For Friday’s asynchronous work, Block 2 was given a plot map
to complete while Block 3 was given a eulogy writing activity. This is because Block 3 was
able to have a more in-depth conversation about the characters and see the implications of
our discussion. We connected characters with tone while Block 2 focused more on the
obvious aspects of characterization.
● readiness/ability: Finally, I differentiated through readiness/ability by providing one-on-one
individual guidance for students that were in person during the asynchronous times. Before
the live session, I reminded them of missing assignments (where to find them, expectations,
how to submit, etc.). After the live session, I guided them as they started their
asynchronous work. Even during the live session, I made sure to slow things down when
students had questions or did not seem to be actively listening. I paused and allowed time
for responses as we discussed and called on specific students with a variety of readiness
levels.

Classroom Management Issues (optional)

General: If students do not participate when called upon, I will take note by writing their names
down on a scrap of paper off to the side. I will then continue by asking another student to respond
and the class as a whole if the second student doesn’t respond either.
Specific: Keeping certain students on task by calling their name and repeating my question, asking
them to put their phone away, etc. This applies to both my second and third block classes. Second
block struggles more with attention and understanding while third seems to have more behavioral
issues/struggles with control/order.

*Denotes Madeline Hunter lesson plan elements.

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers.
Revised August 2015