I.

Introduction:
a. Title: Sea Creatures
b. Grade Level: 2nd Grade
c. Duration: 35 minutes for each lesson – each lesson would be taught one day of the week
d. Context: The first lesson should be taught on Monday, the second lesson should be taught
on Tuesday, and so on.
e. Persona Student: Brandon
II. Content
a. Goals: The goal of the unit is to expose the students to different types of sea creatures and
learn about them through different subjects.
b. Concepts: The concepts in this unit are science, geography, math, writing, and reading.
c. Skills: The skills that will be covered in this unit are identifying structure and function,
looking at maps and identifying parts of the ocean, using and creating pictographs to
share data with others, writing descriptive paragraphs, and reading informational text and
comprehending them.
III. Objectives
Given teacher instruction about different parts of a fish and their function, TSWBAT demonstrate
their understanding of fishes by completing a sorting activity with 100% accuracy and get a
14/16 on the mini quiz (students should be able to label the correct parts of a fish and verbally
say what their function is to a partner).
Given teacher instruction and modeling activities, TSWBAT demonstrate their understanding of
oceans, rivers, and lakes by completing all three geography stations correctly with 95% accuracy.
After completing a pictograph anchor chart with the students, TSWBAT create their own
pictograph chart with 100% accuracy and uses vocabulary words with the pictograph correctly –
also with 100% accuracy (making sure the pictograph is also neat).
Given teacher instruction on how to write a descriptive paragraph, TSWBAT write a descriptive
paragraph that describes the features of a sea creature drawn by a student in the class, the
students should score an 18/20 on their descriptive writing based on the rubric created.
Given a read-aloud about a non-fiction informational text, TSWBAT will be able to read a given
text fluently, answer questions regarding the text, explain the central idea, and back it up the
central idea with supporting evidence with 100% accuracy.

Lesson 1
(Karly Keller/2nd Grade Science/TBD)
I. TOPIC: The students will learn the different parts of a specific sea creature (fish) and learn
about each of their functions (structure and function).
II. OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS
Given teacher instruction about different parts of a fish and their function, TSWBAT demonstrate
their understanding of fishes by completing a sorting activity with 100% accuracy and get a
14/16 on the mini quiz (students should be able to label the correct parts of a fish and verbally
say what their function is to a partner).
STEEL standard - 3.4.K-2.C “Explain ways that places differ in their physical characteristics,
their meaning, and their value and/or importance.”
III. TEACHING PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set (3 minutes):
A. Show students a clip from Finding Nemo (just keep swimming clip). Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hkn-LSh7es
B. Ask the students, “What do you wonder about this clip – specifically about fish?”
C. Tell students that fish are not like humans at all but there is one small similarity that
humans and fish have in common. Now, tell students fish and humans are structured in a
way that helps them function.
D. Now ask students, “Have any of you wondered what it is like being a fish?” Tell students
they are going to learn what it is like being a fish.
Development (18 minutes):
A. The teacher will gather students on the carpet and read What’s It Like to Be a Fish?
B. As the teacher reads the story, the teacher will pause in certain parts of the story. The
teacher will pause to talk to the students when the book mentions how they swim (go
over different parts of the fins), scales, using their mouths to breathe, and fish's eyes.
C. When the book mentions how they swim with their different fins, the teacher will go over
what each set of fins does (go over the fins that are important).
D. The set of fins the teacher will go over are caudal, pelvic, dorsal, and pectoral fins (very
important vocab words).
E. The teacher will have a stuffed animal fish with them and a picture of a real fish on the
whiteboard. When the teacher goes over the different types of fins, he/she will point to
the fin on the whiteboard and stuffed animal, say the name of the fin, and then have the
students repeat what the fin name is called. The teacher will explain what the fin does for
the fish and then act out a motion that explains what the fin does. The students will then
copy what the teacher does.
F. For example, let's say the teacher goes over what the caudal fin does. The teacher will
point to the real picture of a fish and then the stuffed animal. Then the teacher will say the
name of the fin then have students repeat the name. After that, the teacher would it
explain that the caudal fin helps move the fish forward and helps them steer. The teacher
would then get out of his/her seat then use their hands to form fins. Once they use their
hands to become fins, the teacher will place their “fin” on their back (because the caudal
fin is in the back of the fish) and move forward and move their “fin” to help steer. The
 students will do this movement as well. Repeat this for all fins (all fins will have different
functions).
G. Ask students, “Did all of the fins have the same function?” Once they answer explain that
the way that their fins were structured allowed them to have a specific function just like
humans. Ask students, to talk with a partner and explain to them what each fin is, where it
is at on the fish, and what is its function.
H. Continue reading the story and pause when the teacher gets to the eyes, mouth, and
scales. Have students predict what the function is for each part. Once they do that,
explain what scales (helps them swim smoothly in the water and protects their skin, that
is underneath, from getting scraped or scratched), the mouth (helps them eat food and
breath in and out of the water), and eyes do (they have no eyelids so they don’t blink and
helps them know what direction they are going in and watches out for danger). Have
them do motions with these structures and functions.
I. Before the teacher talks about gills, ask students, “What is one main structure that the fish
have the humans don’t have?” Explain what gills do for fish.
J. Now, the teacher will form students into pairs to do a fun sorting activity involving the
parts of a fish.
Guided Practice (10 minutes):
A. I will put different pictures of fishes from finding Nemo around the classroom (not the
cartoon version but a real image of the fish from Finding Nemo).
B. Students will grab a partner and then go to a fish. Then, I will model to students how to
do the activity.
C. For the activity, students have to label what each part of the fish is. Students will be given
strips of paper that have the names of the parts of the fish (on the picture there will be a
box and arrow to help students place the paper down in a spot). The students then have to
put a piece of paper, that has the name of the part, on the correct part of the fish. At each
station, students will be given a red and green cup. Once they label all the parts of the
fish, they will stack their green cup on top of the red to signal to me that they are done
labeling. I will quickly check their answers. If they get it correct, they will stand up and
explain to their partner what part of the fish does and also do a movement for it (if they
don’t know the function have them first ask friends around them for help). If the set of
partners gets it wrong, then I will tell them that they are incorrect and to try again.
D. Once students are done labeling and explaining each part of a fish. They will rotate to the
right to label the parts of a different type of fish. How many rounds of this will depend on
how much time is left.
Closure (4 minutes):
A. Have students gather back on the carpet so that they can see a whiteboard. The teacher
will point to each part of the fish and students have to write the answer their own
whiteboard. NOTE: the teacher should have a word bank for students. This is a way for
students to check their answers.
 B. Then, have students do the motion after the name on their whiteboard what the fish part
is. Once they do the movement, students explain to a partner what their movement
means.
C. Ask students, “Why does the structure of a fish matter?” “Are all of the parts of a fish
have the same function?” and “How is the structure and function of a fish similar to
humans?”
D. Now, students will head back to a carpet. AT THE END OF THE DAY, students will
write in their journals what they learned from today’s lesson (about fish). They can
express what they learned by drawing or writing down information (I will have
vocabulary words on the board in case they don’t know how to spell words). Once
students leave the school, the teacher will check their learning journals.

IV. MATERIALS
- Finding Nemo Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hkn-LSh7es
- What It’s Like to Be a Fish? Book
- Stuffed Animal Fish
- Smartboard
- Picture of Real Fish (label it on picture) – When the teacher taps on the screen, the label
should pop up
- Whiteboards
- Marker
- Paper copies of different pictures of fish – NOTE: make sure there is enough copies
- Papers that have the names of the parts of the fish (for the labeling part)
- Green Cups
- Red Cups
- Structure and Function Fish Quiz (just in case)
- Journals (students will have pencils)

V. ADAPTATIONS AND PLAN MODIFICATIONS

- If I have more time…
o Give them a mini quiz that they can work on independently. The quiz would not
be graded; students would have to label the parts of the fish (given a word bank)
and then students have to match a description of the function of specific part of a
fish.
- If I have less time…
o Limit how many rounds students do for the guided/independent practice activity.
o Skip parts of the book that are not going to be helpful for students.
o Have students shout out the answer in the closure section instead of having them
write on whiteboards.
VI. CULTURAL/DEMOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS
 - Brandon: As already noted, Brandon daydreams and is found not doing classwork. In the
anticipatory section of my lesson, Brandon will most likely be engaged because he has a
high interest in animals. When it comes to the development part of my lesson, Brandon
will most likely daydream. During those 18 minutes of development, somewhere in the
middle, I will provide a brain break that is active. The brain break is mainly for Brandon
but it also can be for all of my students. Depending on the reward system I have for each
student, I will talk to Brandon separately and explain to him he can get a few more
reward points if he pays attention. Moreover, I will give Brandon his own copy of the
book, the same one I am reading, and while I am reading he will read as well (in his
head). When I am reading, Brandon has to follow along by moving his finger across the
page. I will know he is not daydreaming when his finger is moving. As far as the activity,
I will pair Brandon with a student who can hold Brandon accountable, and make sure he
is doing the activity and is responsible.
VII. EVALUATION
1) Formative – whiteboards, answering questions, connecting to prior knowledge
(predicting), talking to a partner, and sorting activity
2) Summative – There will be no grading of assignments in this lesson; however, students
knowledge will be measured during the sorting activity.
 Lesson 2
(Karly Keller/2nd Grade Geography/TBD)
I. TOPIC: The student will be able to identify what is a river and lake on a map as well as name
and locate the different parts of the ocean on a map (also telling which has saltwater and
freshwater). The students should also understand freshwater creatures and saltwater creatures
can’t live in the same water.
II. OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS
Given teacher instruction and modeling activities, TSWBAT demonstrate their understanding by
completing all three geography stations correctly with 95% accuracy.
PA Common Core Standard – Standard - 7.1.2.B “Describe regions in geographic reference
using physical features.”

III. TEACHING PROCEDURES

Anticipatory Set (3 minutes):
A. Have students imagine that the teacher is at the beach and he/she gets hit by a wave (the
teacher should be acting it out as he/she is talking). Tell students when the teacher gets
hit by the wave, he/she gets water in his/her mouth. When the water gets in his/her
mouth, the teacher makes a face of disgust and then says “EW!” Now, the teacher will
ask the students what type of water he/she swallowed (the answer will be saltwater).
B. The teacher will then say sometimes he/she can open his/her eyes in large bodies of water
and they won’t burn. Also, mention to the students if he/she accidentally swallows that
water, it does not taste weird. Ask students, what type of water did she swallow (tell the
students that he/she was not swimming in a pool). The answer is freshwater.
C. Tell students today they are going to be learning about what bodies of water have
freshwater and saltwater, the sea creatures and some freshwater creatures that live in
those bodies of water, and where we can find these bodies of water on a map.
Development (16 minutes):
A. The teacher will have a bunch of different sea animals and students have to help the
teacher sort what sea creatures live in freshwater vs saltwater. Before the students and
teachers sort the sea animals, the teacher should write on the whiteboard freshwater vs
saltwater with a line between the two words. The students will now predict which sea
animals go where. When the teacher holds up the picture of a sea animal, students will
put the arm to the right or left. If most students put their arms to the right then the sea
animal will go in the saltwater category (opposite for freshwater). The teacher will tape
the picture on the whiteboard.
B. THINK PAIR SHARE: students will guess with a partner what bodies of water are
freshwater vs saltwater. After, students will predict their answers. The teacher will tell
 them the answer. The teacher will show students a picture of a lake, river, and ocean. The
teacher will then ask students what they notice about each body of water.
C. The teacher will ask the students, “Which bodies of water have saltwater, and which ones
have fresh water.”
D. The teacher will then explain the definitions and descriptions of each body of water.
E. At this point, the students should realize that all of the sea animals belong in the saltwater
category (move sea creatures to the saltwater side). Now, tell students we need to figure
out where these sea animals live on a map.
F. Pull up a map and have a student come up with a point (with a pointer) and point to
where the ocean is on the map. Once they do that, have another student come up and
point to a different part of the ocean. Repeat this until students point to different parts of
the ocean. Now, tell students, “All of this (pointing to the ocean) is the ocean. The ocean
is massive!” Tell students all of the sea creatures are in the ocean but some only live in
certain parts of the ocean. Now, tell students each part of the ocean has a name (there are
5 of them).
G. Pull up the map again and go one by one and name the oceans (Atlantic Ocean, Pacific
Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Antarctic Ocean). Ask students how they would
memorize the names and locations. Once they share their ideas, have them name all five
of the oceans to a partner.
H. Mention that some sea creatures, like narwals, only live in the Arctic Ocean. Not all sea
creatures live everywhere in the ocean.
I. Now, students will point, with a pointer, where a river and lakes are in the United States.
Once a few students come up (not pointing to the same spot as previous students), point
to where rivers and lakes are on a map.
J. Explain to students how they can tell the difference between a river and a lake on a map.
Do a motion for a river and lake that students have to copy once the teacher does it first.
K. Ask students, “Can the sea creatures (the one we put in the saltwater category) go in the
freshwater?” The students should say no. Ask students what freshwater creatures only
stay in freshwater. Now, show students some freshwater creatures.
Guided/Independent Practice (14 minutes):
A. The teacher will model to students how to do the centers (they will need a partner for
each center).
B. The first center will be a matching game of What Ocean Am I? On one puzzle piece,
there will be a map of the ocean and it will say “What Ocean Am I?” On that piece, there
will be a red arrow (the arrow tells the students which ocean it is). The students then have
to find the matching puzzle piece that says the answer.
C. The second station will be called Map Map Map. The students will have multiple pictures
of different countries (the teacher will put a paper map into a pocket sleeve). The students
have to circle where the lakes are with a dry-erase marker and draw a line over the top of
where the rivers are (students should take turns with their partners). There will be a timer
at this station and when it hits one minute, they erase their answers on the pocket sleeve
and pass their country onto the next person.
 D. The third station will be a sorting activity. This is similar to what the teacher did at the
beginning of the development part of the lesson BUT it has freshwater creatures too. The
students will work with a partner to figure out what creatures only live in freshwater and
which only live in saltwater. Students also have to put the body of water pictures under
freshwater or saltwater (given by the teacher).
E. Students will be at the stations for three minutes total. When they see the time run out on
the smartboard, then they switch stations.
Closure (2 minutes):
A. Ask students first how they think they did at the stations.
B. Ask students questions like, “How can you tell the difference between a river and a lake
on a map?”, “Which bodies of water are freshwater and saltwater only?”, “Do all
creatures live in both saltwater and freshwater?”, “Name the five oceans?”
C. Have students go back to their seats and write in their journals what they found
interesting and what they had trouble with OR did not understand.

IV. MATERIALS
- Pictures of sea creatures
- Tape
- Whiteboard
- Dry-Erase Marker
- Picture of lake, river, and ocean
- Map
- Pointer
- Puzzle pieces that have the oceans and words on them
- Pocket Sleeve
- Maps of different countries
- Timer (little ones)
- Timer on smartboard
- More pictures of freshwater and seawater creatures
- Paper that has the words freshwater vs saltwater written on it
- More pictures of lakes, rivers, and oceans
- Journal
V. ADAPTATIONS AND PLAN MODIFICATIONS
- If I have more time…
o Have students go online to play a game where they identify the names of the
different parts of the ocean
o Have students read a book about the oceans and what sea creatures live in them
(provide students with them)

- If I have less time…

 o Scratch the anticipatory set
o Have only 2 students come up to point to different parts of the ocean
VI. CULTURAL/DEMOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS
- Bradon: To help Brandon succeed during this lesson, give him his own map to have in his
hands. Have a different student from the first lesson sit by Brandon during the
development part of the lesson. The student's job is quite simple, he/she will point to the
areas on the map that I will be discussing with the class. The pointing will grab his
attention, if he is not looking at where the student is pointing, the student will gently tap
him on the shoulder and show where he/she is pointing and say what the teacher is
discussing. Also, give Brandon his own sea creatures so he can hold up the sea creature at
the same time as the teacher holds up his/her sea creature at the beginning of the
development part of the lesson. For the centers, Brandon will be in a group of three. Two
of the students must be responsible and make sure Brandon is working with them.
VII. EVALUATION
1) Formative – think pair share, pointing to map, answering questions, journals, matching
saltwater and freshwater creatures
2) Summative – Nothing will be graded during this lesson; however, the teacher should
observe students' success in all three of the centers
 Lesson 3
(Karly Keller/2nd Grade Mathematics/TBD)
I.TOPIC: The students will be able to understand what a pictograph is, interpret a pictograph,
and make one of their own.
II. OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS
After completing a pictograph anchor chart with the students, TSWBAT create their own
pictograph chart with 100% accuracy and using the vocab words with the pictograph correctly –
also with 100% accuracy (making sure the pictograph is also neat).
PA Common Core Standard - CC.2.4.2.A.4R “Represent and interpret data using line plots,
picture graphs, and bar graphs.”
III. TEACHING PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set (2 minutes):
A. Pull up a picture of a pictograph. The teacher will admire the pictograph – saying, “Look
at these cool pictures”, “OOO, there are words too”, and “There are even some numbers
here too.”
B. The teacher will now say, “Wait a minute, what are these pictures doing on here?”
C. Ask the students if they know what they are looking at.
D. Now tell students that it is a pictograph and that is what they are going to be learning
about today.
Development (10 minutes):
A. Ask students how a pictograph shows data. Then tell the students, once they predict, that
pictographs use pictures to show data.
B. Now, the teacher will create a pictograph anchor chart with the students.
C. On the anchor chart, there will already be a pictograph (the pictograph will be real data
from a different Kindergarten class).
D. Tell students that the teacher collected data from a different Kindergarten class. Tell
students that I gave the Kindergarten class 4 pictures of sea creatures, they circled which
one was their favorite, and the pictograph shows the results.
E. Tell students that we will be going over the math vocabulary words for a pictograph and
how to read it.
F. Have students predict what they should do first. Step number #1 is to find the title and
then the key. At this time, have volunteers come up to put the arrow (laminated) and the
laminated words (title and key) where they are on the pictograph.
G. Explain to students why finding the title and key are important. Students should first look
at the title and key of the pictograph to see what the graph is about and what the values of
the symbols on the graph represent. It’s important for students to understand that they
must look at the key first, because sometimes the key represents a number on a scale
larger than 1. In this case, the symbols represent 2.
 H. Have students predict step #2 which is to identify the labels. Have students predict where
they can find this information and then have a volunteer come up and put an arrow and
the word label on the pictograph (it would be on the axis).
I. Explain to the students that they should identify the labels or categories on the graph to
see how data is being represented. In the example pictograph, students are graphing their
favorite sea creature. Each label represents a different sea creature on the graph.
J. Have students predict step #3 which is to interpret the symbols. Now, have students
predict where they can interpret the symbols on the data and have a volunteer come up
and put the arrow and word (symbols) on the pictograph.
K. Explain, using the key, students will determine the amount of data each symbol on the
pictograph represents. In the favorite sea creature example pictograph, each symbol
represents 2 students.
L. Once again, have students predict what the next step is – which is counting the symbols.
Have a volunteer come up and point, with a point, the symbols as the students skip count
by 2.
M. Explain to students that now it’s time for them to use the key to count the symbols or
pictures on the graph. After counting the symbols on the graph, they’ll count the number
of symbols in each category on the graph to determine the total amount of data in each
category. In the example below, there are 2 fishes on the graph. Since the key represents
2, that means that 4 students chose fishes as their favorite sea creatures.
N. The last step I will tell them is to draw conclusions. Because the data has been collected
and interpreted, the students can now make connections with the data. The teacher will
ask students to get with a partner and have them talk about the data being collected. If the
conversation is getting nowhere, ask a leading question. The leading questions would
consist of “How many students had turtles as their favorite sea creatures?” and “Which
sea creature had the least amount of votes?”
O. Have students go over the steps of how to read a pictograph with a partner.
P. Now tell students they will be making their own pictograph.
Guided/Independent Practice (20 minutes):
A. Students will get with a partner and find sea creatures throughout the room (there will be
four different sea creatures across the classroom). For example, there will be 4 octopuses,
5 starfishes, 7 fishes, and 2 shark pictures. Students have to find all of the pictures across
the room. When students are finding these sea creatures, they have to keep track of how
many they are finding. To make sure all students have the same data, they have to check
with the teacher to make sure they found all of the sea creatures. NOTE: make sure
students don’t take the pictures.
B. Once they find all of the sea creatures, the students will work where they want in the
classroom on their pictograph (teachers will give them material).
C. The pictograph anchor chart will be at the front of the room for students to look at for
guidance.
D. The guidelines are they have to label the title, key, symbol, and labels. Students also can
pick any number they want to represent their pictograph but they have to be smart with
 the number they pick (the symbols can only represent the numbers 1 or 2). The teacher
will also provide multiple symbols for the students.
E. Once the students complete their pictograph, have them analyze the data and draw
conclusions (this should be done on the carpet).
Closure (3 minutes):
A. Have students point to their title, symbols, key, and label on their pictograph when the
teacher tells them to.
B. Ask students what they named their pictograph.
C. Ask questions that require students to draw conclusions from the data (have them talk
with their partner first then have students shout out the answer).
D. Have 2 sets of partners come up to show their friends their pictograph.
IV. MATERIALS
- Anchor chart of pictograph (using sea creatures)
- Title, symbols, label, and key laminated papers
- Arrows (laminated)
- 4 octopuses, 5 starfishes, 7 fishes, and 2 sharks pictures
- Markers (for students)
- Big sheets of paper
- Rulers
- Symbols (for students of the sea creatures)
- Soft music playing on YouTube (while students are making their pictographs)
V. ADAPTATIONS AND PLAN MODIFICATIONS
- If there is more time…
o Have more students come up to share their pictograph
o Go over different examples of pictographs

- If there is less time…

o Don’t have students show their pictographs but instead hang them up in the hall
so they can show off their graphs!
o Don’t have students find the pictures, just tell them the data (numbers)
VI. CULTURAL/DEMOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS
- Brandon: This is where Brandon can shine because he is so good at math. For this lesson,
call on Brandon a decent bit when the teacher asks to predict the next steps in reading the
data. Once again, give him his own copy of the pictograph I made so he can observe the
data (he won’t be daydreaming when looking at math data). For the activity, pair him up
with a student who struggles with math so that he can learn to help others. This will help
him complete his pictograph, become more responsible, and help his friend to succeed.
VII. EVALUATION
1) Formative – asking questions, predicting steps, explanations, and talking with partner
2) Summative – I will be grading the students' pictographs based on whether the pictograph
is readable/neat, they labeled everything correctly, they had the correct data, and their key
was accurate towards their data.

Lesson 4
 (Karly Keller/2nd Grade Writing/TBD)
I. TOPIC: The student will be able to write a paragraph that describes a sea creature that was
drawn by another student.
II. OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS
Given teacher instruction on how to write a descriptive paragraph, TSWBAT write a descriptive
paragraph that describes the features of a sea creature drawn by a student in the class, the
students should score an 18/20 on their descriptive writing based on the rubric created.
PA Common Core Standards - CC.1.4.2.A “Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a
topic and convey ideas and information clearly.”
III. TEACHING PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set (2 minutes):
A. Show students a picture of a crab that was drawn by a friend (who is a teacher). Now,
write down on a big paper, “It has red in it.”
B. Ask students, “If you had to guess what my sea creature is based on me saying “it has red
in it,” would you be able to guess what my sea creature is?” Most students should say no.
C. The teacher should say, “Hmm maybe I should write down, This sea creature is red like
red roses in a flower field.” Ask students if that is more descriptive.
D. Tell students that today they are going to learn how to use descriptive words to convey
what an image looks like.
Development (8 minutues):
A. In the development part of the lesson, the students are going to help the teacher describe
what the crab looks like.
B. The teacher will ask students to come up with descriptive words or phrases that could be
used in a sentence. As students are sharing answers, the teachers will write them on a
white roll paper. Now, have the students help the teacher put the descriptive words and
phrases about the crab in a sentence (have the students talk with a partner first – THINK
PAIR SHARE).
C. Once that is complete, ask students if they know any interesting facts they might have
about crabs that could make the descriptive writing better. If not, ask students what they
wonder about crabs (maybe what they eat, what they use their claws for, etc.). Once
students come up with their wonderings go to Google and search for some of their
wonderings. Write some facts down in the descriptive writing.
D. Tell students that Google is a great resource to research their wonderings (if the teacher
has science books or books about sea creatures, have students look at those first before
using Google).
E. Now, the teacher and the student will read the paragraph together. The teacher will point
to each word and all the students will say the words at loud as the teacher points.
F. The teacher will ask the students, “Is this a better way of describing a picture?”
G. Now, students will be doing the same thing.
Guided/Independent Practice (22 minutes):
A. The students will be handed an outline of a sea creature (all of the students will have
different sea creatures). The students have to draw the sea creature based on what they
look like in real life. If the students do not know what their sea creature looks like, they
can use a resource for help.
B. Once students are done drawing their pictures, the teacher will collect them. Once the
teacher collects them, he/she will hand them back out to the students, but not to the
students who drew their sea creatures.
C. The students have to write a descriptive paragraph about the sea creature they are looking
at (without saying what the sea creature is). This will be done on a lined piece of paper.
When they are writing their paragraph, they should have their best handwriting, have at
least 7 sentences, and 2 facts about the sea creature. The students will be given a rubric
on how the teacher will be grading their paragraphs.
D. When they are done, writing their paragraph, they will self-evaluate their writing. The
students will circle anything descriptive they used in their writing and underline their two
facts. The teacher will tell the students to give themselves a score based on how they
think they did writing their paragraph (tell them to score themselves by looking at the
rubric).
E. Now, the teacher will collect the writings. Then, the teacher will pass it out to students
(the students will not be given their own writing back). The students have to read their
peer's writing. While the students are reading, the teacher will lay the student's drawings
of the sea creatures on the floor.
F. When the students are done reading, they will gather the drawings of the sea creatures.
They will have two minutes to search for their sea creature based on what they read (they
will just be looking). Once the time is up, students will point to the sea creature that is
theirs based on the descriptive paragraph they read. Then, they will grab a picture of their
sea creature.
G. The students will give back their descriptive paragraphs and drawings to their peers in the
classroom.
Closure (3 minutes):
A. Have students put their heads down and close their eyes. When they all do that, ask them,
“Raise your hand if you matched up your friend's writing with the correct sea creature
pictures!” Once they raise their hands, tell them to raise their heads and open their eyes.
B. Tell students to turn and talk with a neighbor and tell them what your friend did well in
his/her descriptive writing when they read it.
C. Ask students, “Why is it important to be descriptive when you write?”
IV. MATERIALS
- Drawing of crab done by another teacher
- White roll paper
- Black marker
- Google (maybe science books or sea creature books)
 - Computer
- Outline of different sea creatures (the number depends on how many students are in the
class)
- Crayons
- Lined piece of paper
- Rubric (created by teacher)
- Pencils
V. ADAPTATIONS AND PLAN MODIFICATIONS
- If there is more time…
o Have students read other descriptive paragraphs done by students in class and
have them find the matching drawing of the sea creature

- If there is less time…

o Don’t have students find the matching sea creature picture
o Don’t do the closure part of the lesson
o Do step-by-step instruction with the students for their descriptive paragraph (get
rid of my example with the crab)
VI. CULTURAL/DEMOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS
- Brandon: Having the think pair share in the development part of the lesson keeps
Brandon on task because he is talking with a peer about descriptive writing. The problem
will lie when he has to write a descriptive paragraph. To keep him focused, I will bring
him to the back with me to help him stay focused (1 on 1) – I will leave here and there to
check on the other students.
VII. EVALUATION
1) Formative – THINK PAIR SHARE, matching descriptive paragraphs to pictures, writing
the descriptive paragraphs, underlining and circling key terms in paragraphs, self-
evaluation
2) Summative – Grading the student's descriptive paragraphs based on the teacher's rubric

Lesson 5
(Karly Keller/2nd Grade Reading/TBD)
I. TOPIC The students will be able to read a non-fiction text about fish fluently and comprehend
the information within the reading.
II. OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS
Given teacher instruction about how to read non-fiction informational texts TSWBAT will be
able to read a given text fluently, answer questions regarding the text, explain the central idea,
and back it up the central idea with supporting evidence with 100% accuracy.
PA Common Core Standard - CC.1.2.2.L “Read and comprehend literary non-fiction and
informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.”
III. TEACHING PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set (2 minutes):
A. Show students a picture of a weird sea creature (anglerfish). Ask students if they have
ever heard of this weird sea creature before.
B. Now, tell students a fun fact about anglerfish - All anglerfish have an appendage dangling
from their heads.
C. Tell students that I got this information from a book called “Weird Sea Creatures.” Now,
ask students “Based on the title, what will be learning about in our text today?”
Development (10 minutes):
A. The teacher will be reading an informational (non-fiction) text called “Weird Sea
Creatures” by National Geographic Kids.
B. The teacher will hand out extra copies of the book to students (students might have to
share with a partner or two).
C. Before reading, the teacher will tell the students that they should follow along and listen
to answer discussion questions, observe the sea creatures, and highlight text features and
vocabulary words.
D. The teacher will read the first two pages and pause when necessary to answer discussion
questions, observe the sea creates, and highlight text features and vocab words.
E. Then the students will get with their group on the carpet and read only one page (the
students should take turns reading a paragraph).
F. Once the book is finished, the teacher will ask the students key questions, “What is the
central idea of the informational text?”, “Support your idea with evidence in the text,”
and “Is this a fiction or non-fiction text, and how can you tell?”
Guided Practice (20 minutes):
A. The students will get back in pairs and reread the “Weird Sea Creatures” with a partner
only. They can sit anywhere they want to read this text again.
B. When students read the book, students will answer the questions in the text on each page
with a partner (this will show if they comprehended the information in the text).
C. Also, the students will be finding other evidence that supports the central idea of the text.
 D. Once students are done reading their text with a partner, they will read a new text about
sea creatures. Students must identify the central idea. Once they have identified that,
students must find evidence that supports their idea. They then must explain why it is a
non-fiction text.
E. Once they complete that part, students will complete a scavenger hunt. When they find a
question, they have to write down an answer on a scavenger worksheet. Once they write
down their answer, they have to find the answer to their question in the room. When they
find the answer, they will answer another question given by the answer from the previous
question. When students complete all of the answers, the students should end back up at
their first question.
Independent Practice (during guided):
A. As students are reading their texts with their partners, I will call students up to my desk to
read a small non-fiction text to me - I will mark any words they mispronounce.
B. Then I will ask students questions about the text they read.
C. The main questions that will be asked are “What is the central idea of the text?”, “Can
you support your idea of the central idea?”, and “What can you describe in the photo that
relates to the text?” Additional questions will be provided based on what text they are
reading.
Closure (3 minutes):
A. Ask students what does it mean to identify the central idea of the text. Then, the teacher
should ask, “How do you find the right piece of evidence that supports your central idea
of a text?”
B. The teacher should ask students what kind of text students read today.
IV. MATERIALS
- Picture of anglerfish
- “Weird Sea Creatures” text (teacher and some student copies)
- Sally Ride Text – for testing students individually
- Questions for additional text (on pieces of paper with answers on some of them)
- New text regarding sea creatures (“Sea Turtles” by National Geographic Kids)
- Checklist for summative assessment
V. ADAPTATIONS AND PLAN MODIFICATIONS
- If there is more time…
o Have students read another text about sea creatures online

- If there is less time…

o Don’t have students reread the “Weird Sea Creatures” text
o Don’t do the closure part of the lesson
o Limit the number of questions in the scavenger hunt
 o Don’t read all of the pages of the “Weird Sea Creatures” in the development part
of the section

VI. CULTURAL/DEMOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS

- Brandon: Brandon loves non-fiction books, so he should be very interested in today’s
lesson. Have Brandon hold the text in the development part of the section. If need be,
don’t have students read in their group, but have Brandon read to the class. In the guided
practice of the lesson, have Brandon be paired up with someone who also loves non-
fiction books. When they are rereading “Weird Sea Creatures,” have Brandon and his
partner sit by the teacher (the teacher's desk). Don’t correct that he should be paying
attention in front of his classmates, he might cry.
VII. EVALUATION
1) Formative – discussion questions, scavenger hunt, reading with their partner, key
questions asked at the end of the book, and answering questions from the “Weird Sea
Creatures” within the text
2) Summative – Individual performance based on fluency and pronunciation of words and
answering questions related to the text. The teacher will check mark sections in which the
student answers the questions correctly.