STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Teacher: Ms. Eder

School: Altona Middle School
Title: WhoDunIt: Lunchroom Murder

Grade Level: 6th

Date: 4/2/3015-4/3/2015
Content Area: Language Arts
Lesson #: 1 of 1

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson:

6.1.1.d. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing
their own clearly. (CCSS: SL.6.1)
6.2.2.a.i. Use Key Ideas and Details to: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. (CCSS: RI.6.1)
6.3.2.a.i. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly. (CCSS: W.6.1a)
6.3.2.a.ii. Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and
demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. (CCSS: W.6.1b)
Understandings:
Students will understand that arguments must be logical and supported by credible sources.
Inquiry Questions:

- How are conclusions different from evaluations?

- Why is relevance so important when someone is writing?
- How can you figure out what details are relevant details?
- How do biases interfere with critical thinking?

Evidence Outcomes:
Every student will be able to: figure out a solution to the WhoDunIt mystery.
Given visual clues, information, and peer guidance I can: gather evidence to adequately support my
solution to the mystery at hand and defend it in front of my peers and Ms. Eder.

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Planned Lesson Activities

Name and Purpose of Lesson

Approx. Time and Materials

Anticipatory Set

Procedures
Indicate whether each is:
-teacher input
-modeling
-questioning strategies
-guided/unguided:
-whole-class practice
-group practice
-individual practice
-check for understanding
-other

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

The purpose of the lesson is for students to realize that evidence is necessary in order to
prove and convince a point. Over the course of the lesson they realize that not all evidence
is necessary, they must listen to one another, and they must use evidence to prove the
claim.
1 full 85 minute class and half of the following 85 minute class (125 minutes roughly)
WhoDunIt puzzles, highlighters, Edmodo, the article, "Are Zoos Bad News", iPads,
computer lab, NoRedInk, TypingWeb, folders, class projector.
Do now (day 1)!
Students are to take the Edmodo quiz and then read News-O-Matic
Do now (day 2)!
Students are to turn their
"Academic Vocabulary 3.30-4.2" into Showbie, and then take the quick Edmodo quiz.
Day 1
Do now! (20 minutes) - Individual practice:
Introduce assignment (5 minutes) - teacher input: Students are going to get an image of the
Lunchroom Murder and try to solve the crime. I will be explaining the process which
follows below.
Individual investigation (5 minutes) - group practice: Students are to examine the crime
scene photo quietly for five minutes.
Group investigation without questions (20 minutes) - group practice: Then at their table
they will talk about possible solutions without the guiding questions.
Group investigation with questions (15 minutes) - group practice: I will then give them
the guiding questions and let them answer the questions, and when they get to their
solution they need to gather evidence for court.
Defending opinion in the court of law (15 minutes) - whole-class practice: Each group
will come up and argue why they think they are right. In the end I will give them the
answers.
Closure (5 minutes) - I will have the students answer the question: how does this relate to
writing an argument?
Day 2
Do now! (5 minutes)
Introduce today's activities (10 minutes) - Teacher input: As a pass out papers of three
different mysteries to the groups I will be explaining what today's expectations are. They

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Closure
Differentiation
Assessment

have the first half of class to finish their mystery and present their findings to the rest of
the detectives. After that we will be going to the computer lab to take their NoRedInk quiz
on MLA citation. They will then work on their typing skills on TypingWeb.com
Whodunit (30 minutes) - group practice: Students will, in their groups have to use the
questions, picture, and information to argue a solution to their mystery. Each group gets a
few minutes at the end to show their proof that supports their solution.
Solutions (5 minutes) - Teacher input: Most groups have gotten their solution correct, but
I still go through the questions for each mystery just in case.
The solutions will be the closure. We will go over why these solutions hold value, and
how we need to use evidence all the time.
I designed this lesson plan with the built in differentiation of group members helping
those students who are not getting it as much. I will walk around with each group and
check in as needed to ensure group participation and understanding.
The main assessment for this lesson is pretty informal. It will come through me listening
in on group conversations and hearing how each group supports their solutions. I am also
looking for students to show me they have the ability to critically think by asking their
group members questions, and in some instances, disagreeing with their peers
(respectfully, of course).
Students will also take a quick assessment on argumentative vocabulary words on
Edmodo. It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes, and I will know if they met the learning
target by their scores.

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Post Lesson Reflection

1.

To what extent were lesson objectives achieved?

I felt extremely good about my lesson objectives being achieved. At first I was hesitant
with using an activity that may be viewed as more fun than learning, but it became clear
to me after the first day that the students were learning and having fun! I know these
objectives were met by the conversations I was hearing, and the questions were coming
up to me to ask. I tried to stay removed from the solution part of the puzzles; I wanted
students to grapple and crawl to the solution. They would come up and ask about the
importance of a person or object, or if there is something beyond the image on the page. I
heard students telling one another to look closer at x or y, literally in one pictures
example. They would ask questions that left one another wondering, and in the end they
used one another to come to a solution they were all proud to call their own.

2.

What changes, omissions, or additions to the lesson would you make if you were to
teach again?
On day 2 of this lesson I was actually going to have a new lesson, so the additional day
was a last minute addition. I wish I could have had more foresight to know that this
lesson was better as a two day one because I would have felt more prepared. If I had been
more prepared I would have designed a writing aspect of their solutions to do that way it
was better scaffolded into the essay. I also wish I could have made the extra vocabulary
seem more important, and once again this would have required better planning.

3. What do you envision for the next lesson?

The next lesson will be focus on more concrete skills for their essay. It will be an
assessment on MLA citations. I will return to the WhoDunIts, but with a writing aspect to
it, hopefully.

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