Washington State University Sample Lesson Plan Template

Teacher Candidate: Eva Vincent Date: 9/16/21

Grade/Subject: Second Grade Writing Estimated Time for Lesson: 30 mins

Lesson Title/Focus: Writing About Our Lives/a memory

Materials, Resources, and Technology used in this Lesson:

Materials/Resources Writers Notebooks, Parchment poster, markers, pencil, Bigmamas by Donald Crews
Technology Document Camera

Central Focus of Learning Segment (Summary statement of the overarching learning outcomes associated with learning
standards and learning objectives).

State Learning Standard(s): (Please select 1 or 2 Learning Standards from content areas)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8
Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a
question.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.3
Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include
details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and
provide a sense of closure.

Learning Targets (Objectives) and Assessments:

Learning Targets: Write the objectives in student
friendly language.
Students will be able to brainstorm a memory and
write about it to describe, where they went, what
they saw and what they did.
Assessments: Describe the assessment(s) that will be used to
measure the learning targets. Include rubrics if applicable.
Students will write at least 3 sentences and draw a sketch of
what they wrote about.

Examine your learning targets. How will you provide opportunities for language development for students? Include:
Academic vocabulary, Language function, Discourse, & Syntax

Students’ Prior Knowledge or Experiences with the content of this lesson:

Sequence of Learning Activities: (beginning, middle and end - include revisiting the learning target)
 Include short descriptions of what the students will be doing (application), placed alongside corresponding
teacher actions & minutes. Include major statements (such as definitions or directions, as needed). Include
major questions the teacher will ask. Include a motivational intro & strong conclusion.

Sequence of Learning Activities:

Minutes What will the teacher be doing?
3 Introducing the lesson and making connections
to things we wrote on our writing list a few days
ago.
10 Read Bigmamas aloud, pausing to define words,
make comments and ask questions. Talk about
the story after we read it.
What will the student be doing?
Students will be answering questions and
settling in for the day.
Listening and following along as I read.
Answering questions, adding input and sharing
what they noticed.
 8 Model to students drawing a picture of my own
memory and writing a few descriptive sentences
about what I drew/experienced, pausing to
listen to students and really explain why I am
doing what I am doing.
15 Walk around and help students who are stuck
and give praise/encouragement.
Students will be watching and listening, making
comments and connections to help them think
of what to write about when it is their turn.
Students brainstorm a memory, draw a picture
and write their sentences silently.

Answer the Questions:

 How will you differentiate instruction and outcomes to meet needs of students?
Include as appropriate:
o Universal design, grouping, learning styles/intelligences, ELL, special ed, interests, culturally responsive supports,
etc.
I will read aloud a book in front of the class so students can hear and see the words in the story and the pictures.
Students will draw what they want to write about beforehand so that they always have that visual reference to go
back to if they get stuck.

 What are your supporting theories/principles? (Why are you doing what you are doing?)
I am showing the students what a story based on a memory looks like by reading Bigmamas and then I am modeling to
them exactly what they will be doing by doing the drawing and writing in front of the whole class.

 How will you provide opportunities for student voice? (Student self-assessment/metacognition related to the learning
target)
Include as appropriate:
o Journal entries, rubrics, reflections, exit cards, etc.
Students can share during the story, when they are writing and choosing a memory and after they write they can
share with a partner.

 Reflection/ How did the lesson go? (Complete after the lesson is taught)

After teaching the lesson, there were things that went really well and other things that I would change and

do differently for next time. This group of students are low for second grade so that was a challenge to keep

in mind and was something that I could have done better at adapting to. While teaching the lesson, one of the

students was having a rough morning in the middle of it and my mentor teacher sent him out the hall after his

many warnings he had received from both myself and my mentor teacher. I really wish that I had been more

proactive to this students’ needs and acted earlier to prevent his behavior from going downhill so fast. Even

though we had an incident, I did a good job keeping the other students focused and on task to ignore what

was taking place in the back of the room.

While teaching this lesson I think I did a really good job at getting the students ready for it and in the right

mindset to participate. They were all excited to start and loved reading the story with me. I think I did a really

good job at reading the story and during asking questions, making comments and defining terms for the
students along the way to keep them engaged and focused on what we were doing. I also think I did a great

job at modeling the writing task that followed and what exactly would be expected of them. When writing

their sentences, they used their picture as inspiration and were eager to tell others and myself about what

their memory was which was so much fun to see.

In the future when teaching this lesson or a similar one, I would be sure to model what is expected for the

students more clearly. When I wrote my sentences and drew my picture for the class to model what they

would soon be doing, I did it too small and did not skip lines so it was hard for the students in the back to read

what I had written and to clearly see all of the details that I drew. When it was time for the students to draw,

some of them had a hard time wanting to continue to draw instead of switching over to writing so next time I

will set a digital timer on the document camera for students to see just how much time they have left to finish

their pictures before they have to start writing their sentences.

All in all, the lesson went really well (far better than I had anticipated, nerves had gotten the best of me

beforehand). The students enjoyed the reading the book and then doing the writing activity that followed.

It was so great to get all of the feedback from both Megan my mentor teacher and Toni my field supervisor,

they offered guidance and encouragement through this entire practicum experience which I am so grateful

for.