KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM

Teacher Candidate: Megan LaFrance Date: 11/9/2022

Cooperating Teacher: Jill Himmelberger Coop. Initials

Group Size: 22 Allotted Time: 30 Mins Grade Level: Kindergarten

Subject or Topic: Social Studies Section: 931

STANDARD: (PA/Common Core): write standard here

8.4.K.A
Explain how cultures celebrate.

Standard - 5.1.K.F
Identify significant American holidays and their symbols.

Social Studies National Curriculum Standard:

“Culture” refers to the behaviors, beliefs, values, traditions, institutions, and ways
of living together of a group of people.

I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes/Learning target) Wrote using SWBAT

SWBAT illustrate and select something they are thankful for

SWBAT write/label something they are thankful for
SWBAT demonstrate an understanding of what Thanksgiving is

II. Assessment/Evaluation plan

Describe your formative assessment – fill out the chart below

A. Formative Assessment: Documentation Tool: Scale:

(e.g. product, quick response, interview) (e.g. rating scale, (performance
rubric, checklist, levels)
anecdotal notes)
Checklist Meets expectations
Illustration with label of something Misses
they are thankful for Expectations

Describe your summative assessment – fill out the chart below

 Documentation Tool: Scale:
B. Summative Assessment: (e.g. rating scale, (performance
(e.g. product, quick response, interview) rubric, checklist, levels)
anecdotal notes)

III. Instructional Materials (includes amount)

“Feeling Thankful” by Shelley Rotner & Sheila Kelly (for read aloud)
Illustration sheet for assessment (22)
Pencils (22)
Coloring utensils (22)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcVQGoalfnk Youtube video Intro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv_K9Fn00SY Youtube video Closing

IV. Subject Matter/ Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, new content)
A. Prerequisite Skills
Students can understand verbal language
Students can write a label of an illustration
Students can illustrate a picture

B. Key Vocabulary
Thanksgiving- A holiday America celebrates every year. It’s a day family and friends
come together, eat different foods, and share what they are thankful for.
Thankful- Noticing the people or things in your life that make you happy, and that you
want to thank them for. (For example, I am thankful for my family and friends)

C. New Content
Thanksgiving
The meaning of thankful
Identifying the things or people in our life we’re thankful for

V. Implementation

A. Introduction –
 - Students will be gathered on the rug
- Introduce that today we will be learning about what it means to be thankful since
Thanksgiving is coming up
- Explain definition of Thanksgiving and its date (Thursday November 24th)
Thanksgiving- A holiday America celebrates every year. It’s a day family and
friends come together, eat different foods, and share what they are thankful for.
- Explain definition of thankful
Thankful- Noticing the people or things in your life that make you happy, and that you
want to thank them for. (For example, I am thankful for my family and friends)
- Play what it means to be thankful YouTube video

B. Development –
- Introduce read aloud book
- Read to whole group
- Stop at points to point out examples from the book of people/things you can be thankful
for
- Show students my illustration and labeled paper (filled out ahead of time) of what I’m
thankful for, and explain that they will be doing this.
- Do one together with them as a whole group (guided practice) Have students tell you
what to draw/ label what you’re thankful for
- Have students go back to their seats and complete their assessment which is illustration
paper with label of something or someone they are thankful for on their own
(independent practice)
- Once students are done have them share with someone at their table (turn and talk,
small group collaboration)
- Have students turn in once completed

C. Closure –
- Have students come back to rug for closing discussion
- Ask a couple of students to share what they drew that they are thankful for (whole
group discussion/collaboration)
- Play closing video (Jack Hartman appreciation and thankful song)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv_K9Fn00SY

D. Accommodations / Differentiation –

- For students with IEPs their goals will be followed through the use of
accommodations/modifications as needed.
- For students with behavioral needs, accommodations will be made
following the IEP, possibly attention reminders, redirection when needed,
or assisting with completion. 
- Extension: Text set for students who wish to further explore the theme
thankfulness during independent reading.
- Text Set:
 - “Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks” by Margaret Sutherland: This book
is a great picture book that shares with readers the importance of giving
thanks. A great way to relay what being thankful means to students.
- “The Thank You Book” by Mo Willems: This book is fun, through the
use of the main characters who are a pig and elephant. Students will be
engaged as they learn the story of thanking everyone, and making sure no
one is forgotten.
- “Thankful” by Eileen Spinelli: This book is a charming picture book,
filled with rhymes that explain to students what being thankful is all
about.
- “Thanks a Million” by Nikki Grimes: This book is beautifully illustrated,
containing diversity and all of the many reasons there are to give thanks.
A great story to share with students.
- “Bear Says Thanks” by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman: This book is
one in a popular series of many where the main character, bear shows his
thankfulness. I personally love this series, and its great to share with
students.

VI. Reflective Response

A. Report of Students’ Performance in Terms of States Objectives (Reflection on students

performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for students who failed to meet
acceptable level of achievement)
After teaching my lesson I believe the students met a level of acceptable achievement.
The students were able to grasp the concept of what it means to be thankful and show
understanding. Students successfully illustrated and chose something they were thankful
for. They also labeled what they were thankful for through their writing. No
remediation is needed.

B. Personal Reflection(Question written before lesson is taught.)(Reflective answers to

questions recorded after lesson is taught.)
Will the students successfully learn the lesson’s objective? Will there be enough time
allotted for the whole lesson? Will they stay engaged?
Students did successfully learn the lesson’s objectives. They provided examples and
made connections of things they were thankful for. They made self to text connections
and collaborated with small and whole group by sharing what they were thankful for. I
allotted 30 minutes for this lesson due to pre-existing time constraints. However, the
lesson did run 5-10 mins over. This was mainly due to group discussions and sharing
with students. As well as the students needing help spelling and sounding out the words
for their labels. They remained quite engaged through the lesson. I believe the video,
song, and book read aloud contributed to this engagement. I also believe many
extensions can be made from this lesson.
VII. Resources (APA Format)

Rotner, S. (2022). Feeling thankful. Scholastic.

TheBackyardMenagerie. (2016, November 17). What Does it Mean to Be Thankful?

(FOR KIDS!). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcVQGoalfnk

Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel. (2021, November 11). Appreciation and

Thankfulness | Jack Hartmann. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Yv_K9Fn00SY