Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level/Subject: Fourth Grade

Central Focus: Identifying text features in a piece of
informational text.
Essential Standard/Common Core Objective: CCSS.ELALITERACY.R1.4.7: Interpret information presented visually, or
orally ( e.g, charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, animations,
Date submitted: 3/9/2105
or interactive elements on web pages) and explain how the
Date taught: 3/11/2015
information contributes to the understanding of text in which
it appears.
Daily Lesson Objective: Today we will look at different informational pieces and identify their text
features.
21st Century Skills:
Academic Language Demand (Language Function and
Communication and Collaboration,
Vocabulary): Information text, mentor text, text features,
and Information Literacy,
Non-fiction, index, glossary, and references.
Prior Knowledge:
Students will need to know how to read.
Students will need to know how to work together in partners.
Students will need to know how to record information.
Activity
1. Focus and Review
2. Statement of
Objective
for Student
3. Teacher Input

Description of Activities and Setting

Time

Teacher will begin by reviewing what a non- fiction text is and

the similarities and differences between fiction and non-fiction
writings.
Today we will look at different pieces of informational texts and
identify their text features.

Teacher will begin by asking giving students 3 minutes to do a

pair and share with their partner on the carpet. Teacher will
tell students, Please talk with your partner about what you
think text features are, and think of examples or why they
could be important to informational texts. After three minutes
class will come back together and openly discuss their ideas
as a group. Teacher will share with the class and informational
brochure from the Wildlife Explorer Collection on bobcats.
Teacher will say, What are some things that make this
brochure stand out? listen to students responses. I see bold
print, italicized print, bold chapter headings, pictures, and key
concept questions. This are called text features, they are
features of the text that make it easier for the reader to find
important information faster. The bold chapter headings give
you a subject of what that paragraph will be about before you
even begin reading it. The bold and italicized words show you
that this is an important word to understand that part of the
text. There are pictures that give you a clearer image of the

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4. Guided Practice

5. Independent
Practice

6. Assessment
Methods of
all
objectives/skills:
7. Closure

topic. Text features are meant to help the reader get as much
information as possible out of what they are reading. Teacher
will make an anchor chart with all of the text features that are
discussed from the brochure and students ideas, for students
to reference throughout the unit, students will also record this
anchor chart in their notebooks. Teacher will give students
time to ask any questions or make comments about text
features for non fiction texts.
Partners will receive a different Wildlife Explorer brochure.
They will be asked to look through the brochure and identify all
of the texts features they can, (diagrams, charts, maps,
headings). Teacher will circulate around to different partners,
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making observations and also giving support as needed.
Volunteers will be asked to share their findings with the class
and how the text features helped them understand what they
were reading.
Students will be given a specific Wildlife Explorer brochure that
is on the topic they have chosen to write their animal report
about. Once they get their brochure they will be asked to read
through it independently and record facts about their animal.
Students will make a layered booklet; each layer will be a
different topic about their animal that they have retrieved
from the brochure as well as a previously checked out book
from the library. Students will need to write where they found
the information, and what text feature assisted them in finding
the information. Example: If they found a fact under a bold
heading, they need to include that is where they found it.
Students will turn in their booklets to be reviewed by the teacher. The
booklets have to be complete with all categories filled out and the text
feature that helped them find the information for mastery.

Students will return to the carpet and review the anchor chart
they made during guided practice. Teacher will say, Today we
learned what text features are and how they help us to locate
information.
All of the students completed a flip book with each category filled in and
the text features where they found that specific information.

8. Assessment
Results of
all
objectives/skills:
Targeted Students
Modifications/Accommodations:

Student/Small Group
Modifications/Accommodations: I put the students
in groups of two beforehand, based on the Clinical
teachers suggestions.

Materials/Technology:
Chart paper, markers, Reading/ ELA notebooks, pencils, wildlife explorer brochures, staples, and
paper.
References:

Reflection on lesson: The lesson went very well, much better then I thought it would because I
was very nervous. This was the first lesson I taught for the IMB section and I didnt know what to
expect or how the students would react to me. The students had been working on fiction texts,
and the day before my lesson they were comparing fiction and non-fiction texts, because of this
we had a great starting point. However, we had an hour, which I thought was plenty of time but i
went by so quickly. There was not enough time for everything! I let students ask questions, gave
examples and did a lot of clarifying, ( this was a very curious group) so that took up a lot of time
was not expecting. During the guided practice, when the students were done working with
partners I asked who wanted to come share the text features they found, and what the text
features told them about the topic. All of the students wanted to, I allowed 4 partners to share,
which also took up a lot of time, I just didnt want to cut them off! I was blown away by how
much this group knew, they were all so proud of their work and would have talked about text
features all day if I let them. They discussed how the text headings were helpful because they
gave the reader a heads up about what that section was about. This was also a great lesson
because it gave the students multiple examples of what text features could look like in a variety
of texts, not limited to just one example. A favorite among this group was the captions. Each
group that presented talked about the captions. There were several pictures of different animals
in habitats and the captions gave us all as readers more information that we would not have
otherwise known. I was surprised how much the students appreciated that, and they all wanted t
include that feature in their own animal project. We did not have time to work on the flip book
that day, luckily the cooperating teacher said it was fine and they could start it the next day. The
were starting an animal research project within the next few weeks and were going to use this to
begin their research. They needed a tap for habitat and environments, food and pray, life span,
and interesting facts. They each got a wildlife explorer brochure (the same kind we worked on
guided practice with) about their particular animal they were researching. They had to fill in the
flipbook according to the brochure and write what text feature in the brochure helped them find
that information. I like that this served as a assessment for the lesson of identifying text features
in an informational text as well as helping the students research for their research papers. The
kids responded well to me, and paid me the same respect as they did their teacher. They were
slightly more talkative but I think that is just because I was knew and different and they were
excited. This lesson served as a great confidence boaster for me, since it was the first one I
taught and I survived, I knew I could make it through the rest!