Tuesday (2/20): English Plan (45 minute Bell)

Teacher (Candidate): Miss Emily Harris Grade-Level: 6th Lesson Date: Tuesday
2/20/24
Title of Lesson: Reading Unit-Stella by Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Erin Rappold
Starlight

Core Components
Subject, Content Area, or Topic
English 6-Reading
Student Population
● Bell 2- 17 Students total. 7 boys and 10 girls
● Bell 4- 20 Students total. 10 boys and 10 girls
● Bell 6- 23 Students total. 14 boys and 9 girls
[No IEP’s Present. As a student teacher I do not have access to those records.]
Learning Objectives

6.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts,
literary nonfiction, and poetry.
● The students will know…
○ understand that the author uses images to craft a message and create characters
● The students will be able to…
○ identify characterization as the way an author presents a character and character
traits are revealed by
■ what a character says
■ what a character thinks
■ what a character does
■ how other characters respond to the character
○ identify elements of narrative structure including setting, character, plot, conflict,
and theme

Virginia Standard(s) of Learning (SOL)

6.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts, literary
nonfiction, and poetry.

a) Identify the elements of narrative structure, including setting, character, plot, conflict,
and theme.

c) Explain how an author uses character development to drive conflict and resolution.

e) Describe how word choice and imagery contribute to the meaning of a text.

f) Draw conclusions and make inferences using the text for support.

k) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading process.

Materials/Resources
● Chapter 1 Review guide (print) from stella starlight packet (60 copies) Chapter Review
Example Sheet
● 3-2-1 activity link
● Stella by Starlight Novels (28 in total available)

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%
X Questions, Cues, & Advanced Organizers 22%
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%
X Discussion 50%
Demonstration 30%
X Audio Visual 20%
X Reading 10%
X Lecture 05%
Safety Considerations
N/A

Time Process Components

(min.) ● Email to parents on this day, Tuesday (2/20), providing details for the poster
project. Students can work on this project at home. Projects will be due Monday
2/26 and students will present.
2 mins *Anticipatory Set
Journal Prompt as Bell Ringer:
1.) Write about a situation where it was difficult to tell the truth. Why was it difficult?

Once the students complete the bellringer, TTW ask (2 students max) to discuss their
response.
1 min *State the Objectives (grade-level terms)
● I can…understand that the author uses images to craft a message and create
characters
● I can…identify characterization as the way an author presents a character and
character traits are revealed by what a character says, what a character thinks, what
a character does, how other characters respond to the character
● I can…identify elements of narrative structure including setting, character, plot,
conflict, and theme

8 min *Instructional Input, Modeling, or Procedures

● TTW discuss the verse Matthew 5:14-16 ESV
● “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people
 light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the
house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your
good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
● TTW say “In our books we will be looking through a lens of “BEING A LIGHT”
● TTW say that sometimes being a light requires that we stand up and speak out for
what we believe in.
● TSW take their vocabulary sheets out, and TTW call on two volunteers to pass out
Stella by Starlight books.
○ Vocabulary will be discussed as The teacher and students read along.

*Check for Understanding

n/a

30-35 *Guided Practice

min ● TTW read Chapters 4-10 while the students read along quietly. TTW stop
whenever a vocabulary word comes up to stop and discuss its definition based on
the surrounding sentences (context clues as well)
● TTW stop occasionally to ask questions about what is happening in the story, who
the characters are, how they are feeling, what they’re doing (plot) etc.
● P. 26- “Never be afraid to be honest and stand up for what is right, Stella” (says her
father) “just remember to balance your courage with wisdom.” “Catching the Klan
is kinda like nailing jelly to a tree,” “You work real hard, and what do you have to
show for it? It just slips down the bark.”
○ TTW say: The father is saying that while we should stand up for what is
right, sometimes we try and it’s for nothing and darkness just continues to
be darkness. But Stella didn’t believe this. Why? She wanted to fight for
what was right, because it is not all for nothing. –With our theme of being a
light, and speaking up, what do you think about what the dad says here?
What does this passage say about Stella’s character? What about her father?
● p.36-41, (after finishing 41,) ttw ask What do we know about Mrs. Cooper? What
is she like? How does she treat the children? How might she be shining a light in
her store and in the children’s lives?
● Chapter 7: TTW discuss the setting change, where the children were. (the
classroom) What is the relationship like between the teacher and her students? How
does she show patience? What does this say about her character? What does her
actions and responses tell us about her?
● CH 8 p. 54 “Just write down what you think about what happened last night.”
“bumblebee belongs to all of us, and what happens here is important.” How might
what Mrs. Grayson says connect with our theme of shining a light or speaking up?
How does storytelling relate to using our voice?
 *Independent Practice
n/a

10 Assessment
min
(This activity will go into Wednesday/Thursday’s lesson if not completed on tuesday)

(If there is time remaining in class)

Chapter 1 Review Sheet (print) Chapter Review Example Sheet

TTW go over the questions on the worksheet, and allow students the remaining time to
complete it.
Students will turn this worksheet in.
2-3 *Closure (If students do not make it to chapter 10, they can complete this exit ticket)
min
3-2-1 strategy:
3-2-1 activity link
3- Name 3 new characters in the story. How does the author present each character? In
other words, what is each character like? (What are their characteristics? Are they
likeable? unlikeable?)
2- Name 2 conflicts that have occurred in the story so far.
1- Make 1 prediction of what you think will happen in the next chapters.

Differentiation Strategies (e.g. enrichment, accommodations, remediation, learning style, multi-

cultural).
● Leading Questions during reading, reading aloud (auditory learners)
● 3-2-1 Exit ticket, allows for students to reflect on what they have read so far.
Classroom Management Strategies (To ensure a positive learning environment).
● TTW walk the room while reading with the students to ensure that they are on task and
reading silently.
● TTW use the 5,4,3,2,1, as a call-back strategy to regain attention of the class and redirect
them back on track.
● TTW discuss the book as they go along reading so that students are still engaged and do not
act out.
● TTW stick sticky notes on the desks of students who continuously talk out of turn.
Lesson Reflection. To be completed following the lesson. Did your students meet the
objective(s)? What parts of the lesson would you change? Why? (Professor will determine if
reflection goes here or in written report).

● If I could go back and change this lesson, I would.

● I would have approached the entire reading unit differently, by incorporating the Jigsaw
strategy. This would allow students to work independently and share (collaborate) with other
students about their chapter.
● After this lesson I implemented paired reading, and found it was a lot more time efficient
than reading as a whole class.
● I also would have implemented more hands-on strategies.
Reflection
 This reading lesson was designed to hit the sixth-grade English standards for the state, where

students must read fictional texts. By choosing a focus or theme, I hit the standards by correlating

the focus with intentional prompting questions. As a Christian Educator, I thought that choosing a

biblical theme or topic would be an excellent way to look at a secular novel through a biblical lens.

This spurred on meaningful conversations and discussions with my students. It also provided

students with a piece of application to their daily life. By making a connection between the reading

and a topic/theme, students can have take-aways that they can carry with them into their own

personal lives. This gives students the ability to hopefully look at books in a different light than just

words on a page. Instead, students can understand that novels provide us with a message that can be

applied to society and/or personal lives.

In my lesson, I chose a read aloud strategy for the first few chapters, so that I could ask

prompting questions and explain major themes as we went along. In their article “Tapping the

Potential of Teacher Read-Alouds in Middle Schools” (2005), Lettie Albright and Mary Ariail

write, “research indicates that motivation, interest, and engagement are often enhanced when

teachers read aloud to middle school students'' (582). They went on to say that students preferred it

when teachers implemented “read alouds” in their classroom, because it made the reading more

comprehensible and interesting to them (583). By reading aloud to my students, I was able to have

thorough discussions that hit each of the Virginia Standards, and also tackled tough questions that

arose due to the novel’s themes. This read aloud strategy allowed for meaningful discussion among

students and provided an in-depth understanding of the material being taught.

Work Cited
Albright, L.K. and Ariail, M. “Tapping the Potential of Teacher Read-Alouds in Middle Schools.”

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48 (2005): 582-591.

https://doi.org/10.1598/JAAL.48.7.4