Lesson Template for Grades 3, 4, 5 Standards RL.7, RL.8, RL.9 Step 1: Identify complexity of the standard Standard Depth of Knowledge Level Standard Depth of Knowledge Level Standard Depth of Knowledge Level RL.3.7 2() RL.4.7 2() RL.5.7 3(Strategic Thinking) RL.3.8 Not applicable to literature RL.4.8 Not applicable to literature RL.5.8 Not applicable to literature RL.3.9 2() RL.4.9 2() RL.5.9 2()
Step 2: Link the complexity of the standard to the Webb s chart and create lesson design RL.3.7 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas The Standard: Explain how aspects of a text s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g. create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting). Page 2 -linked /actio RL3.9 Explain Show Infer Use Describe When reading, Two Days in May, explain how the illustrations emphasize what the text says about the setting of the story. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas The Standard: Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g. in books from a series) -linked RL.4.7 Describe Distinguish Summarize Read the tall tale, McBroom and the Big Wind. Also read McBroom the Rainmaker. Identify the theme, setting, and plot of each selection. Compare and Contrast the two selections with a graphic organizer. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas The Standard: Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text. -linked Identify Make connections Explain Analyze the illustrations of The Great Kapok Tree and compare them to the descriptions of the characters and events in the text. Discuss how the illustrations provide more information about the characters and events than the text provides.
RL4.9 Page 3 Knowledge of Integration and Ideas The Standard: Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., the opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures. -linked Show Construct Produce Construct an outline of the plot in each story you have identified with the theme of greed and the value of money in our unit. Compare and contrast the pattern of events in each of the stories. RL5.7 Level 3 Strategic Thinking Knowledge of Integration and Ideas The Standard: Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem). -linked Analyze Differentiate Critique Explain how Compare the visuals in the text, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, to the visuals in the multimedia version. Explain how the multimedia version helps you better understand the author s meaning, the tone, and the beauty of the text. RL. 5.9 Knowledge of Integration and Ideas The Standard: Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics. -linked Describe Explain Use Infer Using a graphic organizer, compare and contrast how the theme of heritage is reflected in two realistic fiction selections: Our Song, and Miss Ida s Porch.
Step 3: Teach the Key Instructional Habit for This Standard Important Common Core Habits for Standards RL.4-6: Close Reading during Third Read Text Dependent Questioning Written Responses Speaking and Listening Page 4
Step 4: Link the lesson design and complexity of the Standard to the Explicit Teaching format Sample Lesson Template 1 Text: Teach Model Practice Apply Display a story map that includes: setting, characters, plot, problem, sequence of events, outcome, and theme. Tell students that certain parts of stories are almost always there. These parts are called story structure Continue to display the Story Map. Also display a copy of the Story Structure Questions teaching chart. Tell students that they are going to learn how to use After students identify the theme, have them transfer and apply the generalized theme to other stories and to real-life experiences. For other selections, during the unit, have students fill in the story map on their own. When they get to the theme say, elements. Explain each of the following the story structure Explain to students that Remember that the story elements: Setting: This box is where you print the story setting. The questions to guide them in filling out the thinking about how the theme applies to other theme of a story is supposed to teach setting of a story is when and where corresponding boxes on situations can help them us a lesson. One the story takes place. the Story Map. better understand and good way to learn Characters: This box is where you print Together we are going to remember the theme. the lesson is to think the names of the characters. Characters are the people, animals, or read the myth and fill in a story map. I will model about how it applies Fill out the story map for or connects to your creatures in a story. asking the questions and the story Teammates. life. Plot: The plot tells what happened and filling in my story map, and What is the overall gives the story a beginning, a middle, you will record information theme of both story How does the theme and an ending. The bracket indicates that the plot has three parts a problem, a sequence of events, and an outcome. Problem: This box is where you print the character s problem. The main characters in a story always have a problem, or something that they want to do. The problem is usually presented at the beginning and continues through the middle of the story. Sequence of Events: This box is where you print the Sequence of events. These are the things that happen as the character attempts to solve the problem; they usually happen in the middle of the story. Outcome: This box is where you print the outcome of the story, or how the story turns out. The outcome is almost always at the end of the story. on your own story maps. Let s start by reading the title of the story. Have a volunteer read. The title of this story is The Legend of Damon and Pythias. Then print the title in the box labeled on the story map and have students do the same. Continue reading the story together using the story structure questions while stopping and filling out sections on the story map. Setting: Where and when does the story take place? Characters: Who is the story about? Problem: What is the problem the character faces? What does the character want to do? selections? to apply to your life? Tell about a time when you or someone learned the same lesson. Why is this lesson important? Theme: This box is where you print the Sequence of Events: What theme. The theme of a story is the message that the author wants the reader to take away from reading the does the main character do about the problem? What happens as the character story; it is the lesson or observation the tries to solve the problem? Page 5
story is intended to teach. Identifying a theme is like digging for treasure sometimes the theme is discovered easily and other times it is not. After we read the story, we will learn more about identifying the theme. We are going to read a story called Damon and Pythias. This story is a famous Greek myth written as a play. Myths are often remembered and passed down because the characters have admirable qualities. While some myths are fictional, many are based on actual events or real people. Damon and Pythias were real people who lived more than two thousand years ago. Outcome: How does the story turn out? Does the character solve the problem? Theme: What lesson does the main character learn? What lesson did you learn from the story? Sample Lesson Template 2 Teach Model Practice Apply Today we are going to describe the similarities and differences between the visual or oral presentation and the written text of Langston Hughes: Poet of the People. First, we will read the play and then we will watch it acted out and discuss how watching the play will contribute to our understanding of the story. There are four characters to this play and two scenes. Divide your class into groups of four and split the groups into scene 1 and scene 2. Have students practice their parts. Read through the play together asking and discussing questions, such as, How does Mary Satchell show us, through dialogue, how Langston s father feels about his writing? What do the stage directions tell us that Mr. Hughes does with Langston s poem? What has the writer told us to this point about the main problem of the play, based on the dialogue and stage directions? Have students perform. After they have finished their performance, discuss with the entire class how seeing the play was different than reading the play? How did the actors make the scene come alive for their audience? Have the students who were in the audience identify places where the actors did a good job reflecting the specific stage directions in the play. Have students jot down their responses on an exit slip. Page 6
Step 5: Assessing this Standard Sample Short Answer Prompts/s 1. What is the same about how the story is presented visually and in writing? What is different? 2. How did the characters solve problems in different ways across texts? 3. What happened to the characters that is the same? What happened that is different? Sample Performance s How is friendship in Teammates like friendship in The Legend of Damon and Pythias? Cite at least three examples. Step 6: Mini-rubric for Teaching and Assessing this Standard Scoring Guide 2 points 1 point 0 points Integration of Knowledge and Ideas The response: gives some evidence of the ability to explain inferences about theme includes some specific inferences that make reference to the text adequately supports the inferences with relevant details from the text The response: gives limited evidence of the ability to explain inferences about theme includes inferences but they are not explicit or make only vague references to text supports the inference with at least one detail but the relevance of that detail to the text must be inferred A response gets no credit if it provides no evidence of the ability to explain inferences about theme and includes no relevant information from the text. Page 7