Literacy Lesson Plan and Commentary

Comprehension and Vocabulary Lesson Using a Fable

Part 1: Lesson Overview

Teacher Candidate Cooperating Teacher/School/District Date Grade

3/19/24 First
Lesson, Learning Segment and/or Unit Topic: Instruction Time: 45 min.
Unit: Fables. Topic: Comprehension and
Vocabulary
Classroom Context:

Part 2a: Common Core State Standard for ELA-Literacy and/or Other Standards
CC.1. R.L.2 Key Ideas and Details: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate
understanding of their central message or lesson.
SS.K-2.IS.5
With guidance and support, students will share their findings on the asked and
answered questions with peers about arguments and explanations.

Part 2b: Lesson Objective

I can retell the story “Turtle and Rabbit” to identify important information and details about
characters, plot, moral, main ideas, setting by creating a newspaper account of the story using
important vocabulary from the story in simple sentences and justifying the accounts accuracy
through argument and explanation with peers.
Part 2c: Foundational Skills Related to Objectives

Students should be able to use their prior knowledge of themes and morals to develop the lesson's
overall main idea. Students should be able to use their context clues to answer some questions about
the book's contents. Students should be able to infer what the book will be about. Students should
be able to access information and present it to a peer (turn and talk). Students can use oral language
skills. Previously taught skills that we can use during our lesson include context clues, main idea,
moral, word recognition.

Students will be able to apply vocabulary terms used in context of the story “Turtle and Rabbit” by
using the given names of characters along with contextual vocabulary in discussion with peers, and
in using general academic vocabulary concurrently within the syntax of simple sentences in a news
article activity describing the plot and characters of the same story.

Part 3a: Assessment Plan

 Pre-assessment- Examination of student writing samples to put students in learning groups
to support collaborative newspaper article writing.
 Formative Assessments- Peer share at beginning, peer share at end of read aloud, oral
 discussions, question, and answers, watching how students complete the activity and
checking for assistance.
 Summative- Post worksheet newspaper report.
List of Possible Misconceptions
 Difficulty discussing the text due to confusion from the main text “Tortoise and the Hare”.
Cross textual confusion.
 Students may have trouble recalling the elements of a fable in relation to the purpose of a
lesson being portrayed. This will be addressed and assessed with an introduction discussion
in which students can participate by raising their hands to ask and answer questions
preluding the read-aloud of the story.
 Students may have trouble differentiating between the main idea and other key details
included in the story. This will be assessed using the assessment products of a news article
activity which asks students to recall the main idea of the story along with other key details.
 Students may have difficulty applying syntax knowledge of forming simple sentences to
describe the plot of the story. This will be assessed by analyzing the assessment product of
the news article activity.
 Students may have difficulty in using contextual vocabulary and character names when
discussing the story’s components with peers. This will be assessed by observing students in
a turn and talk activity following a read-aloud of the story.
 Students may experience difficulty recalling prior knowledge about comprehension strategy
and vocabulary.

Part 4: Identifying Language Demands- Ways academic language is used by students.

General academic words:

 Things- refers to activities and items (it is used twice in the story), Papers- refers to
newspapers, Blues- refers to the musical genre, Care- refers to the act of wanting to, “Run
rings”- refers to running circles or laps, Pretty- refers to fairly, Sure- refers to successful.

Subject- Specific words:

 Report- an account given of a particular matter, especially in the form of an official
document, after thorough investigation or consideration by an appointed person or body.
 Article- a piece of writing included with others in a newspaper, magazine, or other print or
online publication.
 Setting- the location and time frame in which the action of a narrative takes place.
 Plot- the main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work, devised and presented by the
writer as an interrelated sequence.
 Main Idea- The main idea is the central point or topic that a text or a paragraph conveys.
 Characters- a person in a novel, play, or movie.

Discourse Demands:
 Students will encounter sequential events in the read aloud of “Turtle and Rabbit” in which
the story follows the chronological order of the introduction, beginning of a race, duration
of a race, and completion of the race.
 Students will encounter a moral lesson taught by a fable, which is the genre of the story.
 They will use this lesson to determine contextually the main idea of the story and its
supporting details.
 Students will discuss the cause and effect contextual events of the story in discourse with
peers in which they will determine the causation and events that led to the ending of the
story, the end of the race.

Syntax Demands:
 The grammatical intricacy of the story “Turtle and Rabbit” is primarily simple sentences
with one independent clause. Ex. “This will make a great story.” (McLenighan, 1981).
 The lexical density of “Turtle and Rabbit” is minimal in the inclusion of few subject
specific and general academic vocabulary per sentence. There is an average of 0-1 per
sentence.
 There are very minimal grammatical metaphors included in “Turtle and Rabbit” with only
one sentence including a grammatical metaphor.
 There is strong cohesion between pronouns and their referents in “Turtle and Rabbit” as
sentences primarily include one independent clause throughout the story and character
names are stated frequently as proper nouns before being replaced with related pronouns.

Part 5: Teaching/Learning Sequence

Elementary students should apply all literacy modalities during the lesson:
X reading, X writing, X listening, X speaking, X viewing, X visually representing

 Introduction: I will begin the lesson by asking students to transition quietly to the carpet
area of the classroom in front of the smart board. I will set behavioral expectations initially
by asking students to remain seated during the following discussions and read aloud of a
story, ask that students raise their hands to ask questions, and remind students of being
respectful and kind to peers when engaging in discussion.
Students will first be engaged in a pre-discussion of fables and their prior knowledge from
previous lessons within the unit. I will ask students to raise their hands to recall orally the
purpose of fables and any examples of fables they have read as a class prior.
Maecy will cover the topic of what main idea, moral, plot, characters and settings are to
ensure students know what they are looking for. This will allow students to have the
information fresh on their brain.
Students will then be introduced to the cover of the story “Turtle and Rabbit” and a list of
relevant general academic vocabulary terms that I will discuss using the large white board
located near the carpeting area of the room. I will provide a short synopsis of the general
academic vocabulary students may hear when listening to the story and clarify character
names that will be used throughout the story.
 Development:
Before beginning a read aloud of “Turtle and Rabbit” students will participate in a turn and
talk with a partner to make pre-assumptions about the story based on their prior knowledge,
which will also be used as a discussion to build student interest in the story. (Formative
Assessment) I will ask students to turn and share any ideas about the story’s plot and
characters prior to listening to the story. Students will be given 2-3 minutes to discuss with
their partners before transitioning back to a group discussion. I will give students the
 opportunity to share any ideas they discussed during the turn and talk by raising their hands
to participate. I will call on a few groups of students before moving to the read-aloud
portion.
I will begin a read-aloud of “Turtle and Rabbit” on the carpet. Strategies used to engage
students will include showing illustrations, reading at an appropriate pace, fluctuating tones
of voice, and including thoughtful pauses. Students will be reminded of behavioral
expectations also at this time.
Following the read aloud, I will engage students in a modeling of news article activity using
the smartboard and pen to guide students in their independent work. I will display a copy of
the news article activity on the smart board in which I will describe the components
included. The components of an inference being a pre-assumption about a story’s plot, the
details included in the setting of a story, a definition of a main idea apart from supporting
details, and a description of supporting details will be explained to students in a modeling
fashion. Maecy and I will use the pen to write on the smartboard to show students exactly
where they will describe these components in the story, along with the included characters
and an illustration in the provided box on their news article. Maecy will give students an
explanation of providing a simple sentence with a single clause, character names listed as a
response to the corresponding section, and how many key details to provide in a listed
format. Students will then be asked to raise their hand to ask any remaining questions
following the modeling activity.
During this time Maecy and I will pass out clipboards and worksheets to the students and ask them
to please get out their black marker, which they will use to write on their printed newspaper article
worksheet. Students will also be told how they will use their black marker to illustrate a simple
sketch to apply knowledge of the black and white format of a traditional newspaper.
I will at this point transition students to using clipboards or desks to begin working on their news
article activity.
 Closure: I will end the lesson with a discussion while students begin working on the activity
of any further questions following the read aloud and modeling of the activity (Formative
Assessment). Students will begin their independent work on news article activity which
includes the descriptions of the plot, setting, main idea, key ideas, and characters in the
story (Summative Assessment). Closure activity is attached. This activity consists of
creating a newspaper article about Turtle and Rabbit and the key components. The students
will use a black marker to create a “print” on the newspaper. This uses cross subject
curriculum to help students understand the importance of literacy and newspapers.
 Learning Extensions: After the student’s work is collected and they are engaged in cleaning
up their supplies at their desks, I will recommend that students read other grade level texts
that are fables or have similar sequential plots. This will allow students to further their
learning by using their knowledge of comprehension and vocabulary stories in various
contexts. They can also connect learned knowledge of fables in determining the main
idea/lesson portrayed in similar stories in the genre.
Part 6: Instructional Materials and Resources
 News Article Describing the Plot, Setting, and Lesson/Main Idea of Fable (Copies for
students)
 Hard Copy of Read-Aloud Story: “Turtle and Rabbit” (McLenighan, 1981)
 Smart Board
 Large White Board and Dry-Erase Marker
  Pencils
 Clipboards
 Black Markers

Commentary

This lesson is being cotaught with 2 classes combined. Sarah Wehrle’s class is going to Teresa
Beeler’s room where Meghan and Maecy with co teach together. The lesson is a spinoff of
The Tortoise and the Hare. Students are currently working on Fables, so we are supplementing
their understanding with this lesson.

1. Analysis of Teaching Effectiveness Using Self, Peer, and Professional Feedback:

A. The diagnostic pre-assessment tool of a norm-referenced assessment such as the

Gates-MacGinitie Reading assessment would have possibly enhanced the instruction

given in this literacy lesson due to the knowledge of reading and listening skills that

students have obtained prior to this lesson being taught (Gehsmann & Templeton, pg.

133, 2022). This assessment is used to assess students in their reading comprehension

skills in a way that tests their responses to text based and inferential questions

(Gehsmann & Templeton, pg. 134, 2022). The prior knowledge of elements of a text

seen commonly in comprehension written and multiple choice assessments, such as the

written assessment given as independent work in this lesson, would be assessed using

this diagnostic assessment. This prior knowledge of elements would include

knowledge of elements of narrative texts based on norm-referenced past results that

dictate the scoring of this assessment. Critical differences in the comprehension

abilities of students in reading a narrative text and answering questions that are based

on assumptions and text-based evidence could be seen in students scoring on this

assessment. This would allow the lesson to be differentiated at a greater degree in

which students could be grouped accordingly in a turn in talk in a way that would
 benefit a larger number of students in their independent work. The students working

collaboratively with their peers in an informal way based on these norm-referenced

results could be enhanced to ensure each student was partnered to guide their peers in

thinking reflectively about the elements of a story. The elements of the story seen in

the questioning of plot, main idea, characters, and setting are clear to some students

while some students may struggle in identifying these concepts based off of a given

text. The comprehension abilities of students vary at this age-level in a way that is

difficult to assess with only a piece of written work due to varying abilities in

providing written answers to prompts.

B. Elements that were effective in supporting student learning included a discussion of

components of the story before, during, and after reading aloud to the students. The

discussion of important vocabulary knowledge discussed prior to reading aided

students in forming connections between previously used vocabulary and its various

meanings in the story. This included the explanation of vocabulary that pertained to the

story, including the saying “run rings” that the students were unfamiliar with prior to

hearing the story. This guided students in their thinking of figurative language at a

simple level to begin thinking about the main idea of the story that focused on the

rabbit’s intention to easily win the race. The clearing of any confusion about vague

language used with a figurative, rather than literal, meaning aided students in focusing

on the main ideas seen in the story with an understanding of the vocabulary used in the

context of the rabbit’s perspective. The vocabulary explained that pertained to the

activity was also effective in guiding students to think about the elements of plot,

setting, the main idea, and characters in the pre-reading discussion, as well as a
 continuation of these ideas with reminders of this academic vocabulary throughout the

lesson that was to be used in the independent work following. The explanation of these

terms served as an effective reminder to students of their expectations of individual

contemplation of these elements as well as their usage of this subject-specific

vocabulary in discussion with their peers. The scaffolding used in the frequent usage of

this vocabulary guided students in their comprehension strategies during and after the

read aloud as a continuation of the vocabulary discussion that precluded the story. The

students showed comprehension of these ideas in their work samples in ways such as

correctly listing the setting of the story as inclusive of multiple events that occurred, as

well as the main idea which was defined to students prior to reading aloud to scaffold

their thinking in a way that prepped them to think of these elements throughout the

story. According to our course text, effective instruction incorporates discussion that

occurs throughout a lesson and importantly includes a before discussion that explains

elements of a narrative text in a way that is explicit to ensure students remain clear of

how they should guide their thinking patterns to supplement their comprehension

strategies (Gehsmann & Templeton, pg. 196, 2022). This pre-discussion of important

general and academic vocabulary prepared students to think in a way that effectively

guided them in retaining these thinking patterns throughout and after the story.

C. Elements of this lesson that were not effective included prompting students to think back to

the events of the story in a way that required them to choose one event and provide an

illustration of the event of their choosing. This required students to choose one of multiple

events seen in the chronological order of the story, which in turn prompted them to become

confused about which specific event they should choose. In guiding students to come up with
their own ideas in choosing a specific event to portray in their newspaper article, I gave

students some examples of events they could choose from which were ineffective in engaging

them to think back on the story. The act of listing events and prompting students to discuss

these events with their peers’ led students to all choose a similar event in which they did not

individually use comprehension strategies. The students used almost entirely the first example

that I listed aloud which was the rabbit resting near a tree in the story at a certain point in the

race between the turtle and rabbit. My cooperating teacher gave the suggestion of having

students take notes of key ideas in the read-aloud portion of the lesson in order to aid their

comprehension strategies of remembering key events of the plot that incorporate the lesson

objective of recalling events of the story. This is a suggestion that I would use with the age-

group of students in first grade in the future as there were many components of the activity

that were more straightforward that left this portion to be more open ended with the inclusion

of providing a simple illustration. In order to ease students in their confusion in choosing a

singular event, scaffolding throughout the story would have been beneficial as the race in the

story occurred in chronological order. In referencing the textbook for this course, I would in

the future remind students throughout the story to be thoughtful and reflective about the events

that occur to aid in their comprehension of each event in a way that does not suggest a “right

answer” (Gehsmann & Templeton, pg. 197, 2022).

D. In teaching this lesson in the future, one suggestion I would make is to include a

scaffolding of prompts for the learning activity that students were to complete as

independent work following the lesson. This suggestion is based upon the scenarios that

occurred amongst students in which they were given a worksheet with many prompts that

seemed to be open-ended before they were prompted in completing each question of the
 worksheet according to the discussions conducted before, during, and after the story that

explained important academic vocabulary in relation to the elements characters, setting,

plot, main idea, and supporting details seen in the story read aloud. In this age group

students are often overwhelmed when given multiple writing prompts that require them to

conduct written answers that pertain to a previously read-aloud text. This occurred in a

way that did not halt the lesson by any means, but required a more in depth explanation for

each prompt on the worksheet in a way that prolonged the lesson in its entirety. The

students were worried about finding the “right answer” in a way that paused their abilities

to be reflective and thoughtful with the lack of comprehension taking place due to their

thinking of all the elements at once with little scaffolding on the worksheet (Gehsmann &

Templeton, pg. 197, 2022). A suggestion that I would make to enhance this lesson in the

future based off of the assessment results is to provide students with a completed example

of the worksheet based off of other narrative texts of the same genre. This allows students

to view a completed piece of work that can be used to guide their thinking and worry less

about the elements all combined, in a way in which they can work prompt by prompt on

the worksheet to provide a written response that is thoughtful and reflective. Modeling a

composition to students that would ease their stress when given multiple writing prompts

would be effective in teaching this lesson in the future as comprehension strategies and

vocabulary knowledge could be highlighted in a way in which students can view a

scaffolded example of the printed text they are to create based off of a set of given prompts

(Gehsmann & Templeton, pg. 231, 2022).

2. Self-Reflection
What I saw and heard What it means Instructional Alternatives
 with References
 In making  Students have  Visual thinking
assumptions before previously been
reading, students taught inferencing
were excited to skills in
connect their prior comprehension that
knowledge of fables. allow them to
 Students were connect various texts
confused about the within the same
multiple settings genre.
present in the story,  Students have been
as the environment given instruction
the main characters based in
were in was comprehension using
everchanging. context clues to
 Students were able to determine the setting
differentiate between of a story; however,  The students may
proper and improper they may need
nouns in vocabulary further instruction of
that related to places how to differentiate
and main characters between multiple
in the story. settings.
 The students have
been given explicit
vocabulary
instruction that
allows them to
differentiate between
proper and improper
nouns with the
related written work
connection in print.
 The students that may
strategy if individuals
do not participate in
the before-reading
discussion. This
would serve as an
extension activity for
students that are
having trouble
recalling elements of
the text to aid in their
comprehension
strategies (Gehsmann
& Templeton, pg.
198, 2022)
benefit from a
timeline of events in
the story that is more
descriptive than the
plot described simply
on their worksheet
(newspaper article).
This could include
various times and
places the characters
interact within in a
chronological order
throughout the story.
This may help
students in their
differentiation
between the main
setting found in the
story and other
supporting details
with the usage of this
extension activity
(Gehsmann &
Templeton, pg. 198,
2022).
struggle
differentiating
between proper and
 improper nouns
might benefit from a
chart of characters as
a supplemental
resource to attach a
meaning to the words
spoken, also found in
the title, “Turtle and
Rabbit”
(McLenighan, 1981).
This resource of
providing students
with a chart to
supplement their
thinking of characters
in the story serves to
conceptual
knowledge that could
also include an
illustration to attach a
meaning to the
characters proper
noun names and
illustration
(Gehsmann &
Templeton, pg. 211,
2022

3. Analysis of Three (3) Students’ Learning of the Lesson Objective During/After the Lesson
Student #1: Student #2:

Student #3:

1. Student #1 met the lesson objective by providing an inference as a presumption to the story
based off of prior knowledge, correctly listing character names, accurately identifying the
main idea or moral seen in the story and giving three supporting details that supplement
the main idea of the story. Student #2 met the lesson objective by providing an inference
relevant to prior knowledge of the story based on the before discussion, correctly listing
character names, giving multiple events in their description of the plot of this story, giving
the main idea or moral based on the genre of a fable, and giving two supporting details.
Student #3 met the lesson objective by giving an inference based off of prior knowledge of
 the story given knowledge of the fable in other literary forms, correctly listing characters
seen in the story, giving a main idea or moral that encompasses the main message of the
story, and giving a descriptive supporting detail that supplements the main idea of the story
in a relevant way.
2. Student #1 was given the feedback of being reminded of being more specific in providing
the setting of the story, or multiple settings of a story. They were also given feedback on
the details a plot should encompass as a string of multiple events. Student #2 was given the
feedback of listing the main setting seen in the story and recalling this using
comprehension strategies of thinking back to where events took place. This student was
also given feedback on listing three supporting details instead of two in assessing the
details that supplement the main idea of a story as specified in the instructions. Student #3
was given the feedback of carefully examining the setting of the story in order to dictate
which is the main setting, giving multiple events in order when describing the plot of the
story given it is a string of events, and giving two more supporting details as stated in the
instructions to provide three supporting details.
3. Other assessments that could be used to inform this group of student’s reading instruction
include informal discussions with peers using visual thinking strategies, asking students to
provide a chart of characters and events occurring within the plot of a story, and giving a
short quiz rather than an article with written responses. These are all forms of assessment
that are informal and formal ways of assessing both students’ usage of academic and
general vocabulary knowledge, as well as comprehension strategies that require students to
discuss and use text-based evidence from a storybook. The connection between reading a
story and translating the ideas comprehended about characters, setting, plot, main idea,
inferences, and supporting details gives important information to teachers about reading
instruction. This is due to the current knowledge and abilities students encompass in
dictating these elements of a story following a reading and writing workshop or lesson
based off a given text.
References
Gehsmann, K.M., & Templeton, S. (2022). Teaching reading and writing: The developmental

approach. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson

McLenighan, V (1981). Turtle and rabbit. Modern Curriculum Press.