Differentiating Instruction Project

Differentiating Language Arts Instruction

Lesson Plan #1
Your Name: Sarah Gray

Grade Level: 3

Date of Lesson: March 26, 2015

Focus Students Pseudonyms: Zoey, April

Target Area: Reading Comprehension/Story Retelling (Support in Decoding and Fluency)

STAIR Hypothesis Being Addressed:
Zoey: As a result of her lack of fluency and expression, Zoey struggles with reading
comprehension and retelling parts of a story or passage she has just read.
April: As a result of lacking strategies for decoding, April reads with limited expression and
fluency and therefore, struggles with reading comprehension and story retelling.
Common Core State Standard:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text
as the basis for the answers.
Lesson Objective(s):

After reading, students will be able to successfully comprehend a text that they have just
read using comprehension strategies, evidenced by their ability to summarize the
material both verbally and in writing through sequencing events and identifying important
details.

Materials (note: list a technology-based instructional tool and/or multi-media text for at least one
of your two lessons and provide a rationale for how this tool is appropriate for working toward
your instructional objectives and what you know about your focus students new literacies):
Ipad: Students will create a web of the main events of the story with supporting details
using an app on the ipads in their classroom. Students are more familiar with ipads than
laptops in the classroom and even so still have minimal experience; so keeping it simple
will be beneficial while still helping them explore this new literacy while mastering
comprehension skills and strategies. Using the ipad will be a fresh way to manipulate the
ideas and details students have just read.
LESSON OUTLINE (use bullets)
Introduction (participation norms, develop motivation and interest, set purpose)
The lesson we will be working on today should be treated the same way as lessons
in your classroom every day.
Because there are only two of you does not mean you can be disrespectful; be
mindful of your peers learning as well as your own.
Dont blurt out, give the lesson your full attention and participate as you would in
class with Mrs. Rodriguez

Motivation and Interest

Will be more specified when text is finalized
Purpose
The purpose of this lesson is to work on strategies used in reading comprehension;
reading comprehension is the ability to read a story and understand its meaning. I will
teach you and help you practice different ways to better understand stories that you
read by modeling how to create a graphic organizer with a main idea and supporting
details of a story as well as model how to sequence important events from a story
during retelling.
Instruction (explicit instruction, modeling, guided practice)

Guided Practice:
Students will read The Moon Ring by Randy DuBurke
Today I am going to teach you how to use strategies to help you better remember
information and details from a story or reading and help you better understand the
story or reading. The strategies we will focus on for comprehension are sequencing
and organizing important ideas or details

Learning about sequencing will help you remember the order in which events
occurred in a story. This strategy can be used any time during reading and is a good
way to remember details and get a good understanding of a text.
Students will first observe the text using the title, cover and illustrations/photos ->
What do you think is the purpose of this story? Who might be reading this and why?
What do you think might happen based on these photos? What initial questions do
you have? I will use these questions to probe students thinking of the story prior to
reading. It is a good idea to preview before you read anything. It will give you a good
idea of what the story or reading is about.
Students will read the text aloud; alternating turns each page between the two of
them. After every third page, I will stop students and ask them to explain what they
are thinking at this point in time
Students will fill in a graphic organizer consisting of two important events and
supporting details after completing the story.
After reading, students will fill in a flow chart that I have created for them, sequencing
events from the story.
If students are still confused near the end of the lesson, they may reread the text.
Before this lesson, I will choose a very easy text such as a Dr. Seuss book, etc. to model these
strategies briefly before having students repeat the process themselves.
Analyze using cover/title
Read story, stopping often to analyze my own thoughts
Fill in graphic organizer explaining the two most important ideas/details
Sequence events/details
Conclusion (engage students in reflecting on learning experiences)
Mini Discussion
What strategies did we use today for reading comprehension?
How did the sequencing strategy help you better remember the story?
Do you think you will do this in the future for understanding (comprehending) other texts?
Where might you use these strategies? For what types of reading?

Ongoing Assessment (how will you know your students made progress toward the learning
objectives):
Assess students by listening to their verbal responses/retellings and collecting their
graphic organizers and story sequences.