Grammar Unit Plan

Teaching Overview
(download an electronic template of this form from our course website:

Name: __________Kristen Vanderhelm________ Grade Level: ____5th_________

School: _____Burton Elementary______________ MT: _____Kristina Morton________

Describe your target area for guided lead teaching:

Vocabulary acquisition, use and assessment.

i
Action/linking verbs
ii
Subject/verb agreement
iii
Past/present/future tense
iv
Irregular/troublesome verbs
v
Quotation marks for speech

List the main Common Core State Standard(s) that this unit will work toward.

L.5.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English

grammar and usage when writing or speaking
Form and use the perfect verb tenses
Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and
conditions.
Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense

3
List a small set of well chosen objectives for the unit. Label each objective with a
number so you can easily list the objective(s) for each day in the table below

1. Students will have a working understand of what makes a verb, a verb by

documenting this in their own work, while also sharing with individual
partners, the whole class, and the teacher what a verb is. This includes
irregular verbs.
2. Students will use the correct subject/verb agreement by first discover the
tense of each verb and then displaying a working knowledge of this idea in
their own small groups.
3. Students will understand the importance of the words surround verbs in a
sentence by displaying knowledge of action/linking verbs as well as
main/helping verbs in small group and individual work.
4. Students will be able to both read and write passages of work while using
the correct placement of quotation marks and commas by labeling long
passages of work with the correct symbols.
4
Provide a rationale for why your overall goals and your specific objectives are important
and worthwhile content or skills to learn, and how they are relevant to your students lives.

The correct usage of grammar is important in these terms because it may tell the
difference in doing something now, doing something tomorrow, or doing
something at all. For these students, I plan to make the material relatable and
something they enjoy doing by sparking their own interests. Such as, in one of
my lessons I use the example of playing soccer, and why we need to use the
correct tense. This could be the difference in playing soccer now, or playing
soccer tomorrow.

5
List the main assessment(s) you will use to determine if your students meet your unit
objectives for the unit

Since a lot of the work at the conclusion of the lesson revolves around small
group or whole group work, I will have to assess individual work by giving the
students homework. This will show me who is really grasping the material, and
who might need some extra help. Also this will tell me if a large majority of the
classroom is struggling, in which I will know I will need to slow down and take a
few more days on some topics.

6
Indicate with an asterisk (*) which lessons will require your explicit attention in planning
and teaching to develop the core practice you identified for your professional learning.
7
Describe what you will do to provide differentiated instruction in one area (content,
processes or products), and explain how that choice appropriately meets some of your students
learning needs:

Subject/verb agreement will require a lot of differentiation for our students. Many
of our students are ELLs who are struggling with English itself. For some, the
subject of a sentence may be easily identified, but for ELLs they may not know
what the word subject means at all. This is why I explicitly chose some of these
lessons to be mini-lessons for small groups. These are the groups I will be doing
in daily five groups, so I will have prior knowledge of who is struggling in the
concept of literacy and I will know to start with simpler topics, rather than jumping
right into subject-verb agreement.

List the following

for each lesson

Instructional Format
Ongoing Assessment: Teaching Notes: jot down
topics, resources or tasks you
(e.g., mini-lesson followed
want to make sure you
what
will
you
look
for
as
by a group activity)
you teach, and how will incorporate into your lesson as
Lesson
Focus/Topic
you use that information you develop your plans such
as introducing centers that day,
Objective # that is
to plan your next
or making sure you provide an
the focus of this
lesson?
anchor chart on predictions, or
lesson
what you will focus on to
develop your core practice
Day 1:

What is a verb?

Objective #1

Full group
discussion
Partner
discussion
Group
evaluation

An understanding 1. Verb, its what you

of what a verb is. do! video
Student
2. What is a verb?
contribution in
determining a
3. Think pair share,
verb. At the
conclusion of this share a jot down as
many examples as you
lesson, I would
only be looking can with your neighbor.
for a brief
Ask students to come
understanding of 4.
up and contribute
what a verb is.
answers
5. Review as a class,
what belongs and what
doesnt belong.

Day 2:

Linking verbs and

action verbs

Small group Determining

1. Small lesson about
lessons
between action the difference between
and linking verbs. action and linking
verbs.
2. Group involvement
and contribution.

Objective #3

3. Provide one
example and ask
students to provide
others.
4. Individual
worksheet for
remaining time.
Day 3:

Past/present/future
activity. *

Objective #2

Full group
Identifying past,
discussion
present, and
Full group
future tense of
example
verbs.
Partner work
examples
Individual
assessment
through
popsicle stick
drawing

1. Introduction to
past/present/future
tense
2. Use example on board
and think, pair share
3. Pass out materials
4. Work through first two
examples as group.
5. Work through rest in
pairs.
6. Call on two
volunteers for first two
problems, for remaining
problems draw popsicle
sticks to check for
accountability.

Day 4:

Irregular verbs *
Objective #1

Full group
discussion
leading into
think, pair,
share
Partner work

Categorizing
irregular verbs
and
understanding
that not every
verb fits into the
rules directly.

1. Start lesson with

irregular verb Begin
2. Have students
discuss the present,
past, and future tense
of this verb
3. Discuss as a class
4. This is an irregular
verb- discuss other
irregular verbs.
5. Give different
groups different words
to work through and
present words to class.
6. Put irregular verbs
on homework to
assess understanding.

Day 5:
Helping verbs vs.
Linking verbs
Objective #3

Mini lessons Students will start 1. Start lesson with

by identifying the review on finding
verb, but now we verbs in a sentence.
will identify it as
2. Talk about the word
the main verb.
that comes before the
Students will
verb, this is the helping
have an
verb
understanding
3. Get each student a
that helping
helping verbs sheet for
verbs come
their binders. (Am, is
before main
are, was, were, be,
verbs.
being, been)

Day 6:

Subject/verb
agreement *
Objective #2

Mini lessons Students will

1. After students
again have
identify verb in a
review in
sentence, provide
identifying verbs. several examples and
However,
have them identify the
students will now correct subject for the
learn how to
verb provided.
match the subject
2. Work through the
to the verb tense.
examples as a small
group.
3. Use several
examples, this concept
may be confusing for
students and take
some time

Day 7:
Using quotation
marks
Objective #4

Full group
lesson
Partner work
Full group
assessment
of work

Students will
correctly label a
text with
quotation marks.
They will do this
both verbally and
on paper.

1. Provide students
with small lesson on
where quotation marks
belong
2. Allow students time
to work through
examples with partner
3. Check for
accountability by
calling on popsicle
sticks to share out
findings.
4. Have students
provide personal
examples.

Day 8:
Using commas *
Objective #4

Full group
lesson
Small group
workshop
time

Students will
know where to
correctly place
commas.

1. Show students a
very extended, run on
sentence. Tell them
we do not want to add
periods, but instead
add commas.
2. Ask for input on
where we think the
natural pauses belong.
3. Work through
several examples
together.
4. Give students a long
paragraph missing
many commas. Ask
them to try to work
through it together.
5. Put students in
small groups to share
out what they found.
Have students read
passage aloud to show
where they think the
pauses belong
verbally.
6. Share together as a
full group.

Day 9:

Putting it all
together

Objective #1,2,3,4

Small group
work time
Full group
putting it all
together

Students will
1. Break students into
divide up
groups of four
responsibility, but
2. Assign each group
check each
a job
others work in
placing all these Jobs: helping verbs,
markings in a
subject, commas,
text.
quotation marks,
identifying tense.
3. As a class, identify
the verbs in a
sentence. This should
be review and the
simplest part of the
lesson.
4. There will be two
groups to each job, but
it is important that
they work separately.
5. After some time,
each group will check
their work with the
same group with their
assignment
6. Come together as a
full group, starting
with helping verbs,
then subject, then
quotation marks, then
commas, then verb
tense.

Day 10:
Review

Objective #1,2,3,4

Individual
work time
Small group
time
Whole group
time

Students will
individual
understand each
of these parts of
speech and know
how to identify
them.

1. Provide students
with a sheet on how
they should identify
each of these ideas.
S-subject, MV-main
verb, HV-helping verb,
commas, quotations.
2. Go over several
examples with
students and have
them write down their
findings on note paper.
There will be two
examples on
identifying subject,
helping and main
verbs; two examples
on identifying
quotation marks and
commas; and two
examples on
identifying tense.
3. Give students 5
extended sentences
and have students
identify, or correct
these.
4. Go over with small
groups, allow for any
change.
5. Have groups share
out findings, and see
where there may have
been confusion.

Outline for a Daily Lesson Plan

(download an electronic template of this form from our course website
https://sites.google.com/site/te802meierfall2013/home/templates-and-froms)

Date:
Objective(s) for todays lesson: Students will show an understanding of

past/present/future tense by identifying a verb in a sentence and documenting each

tense in a trifold activity.

Rationale We will use real life examples for the students. It will be important and relevant to students
lives because this activity will show them the difference between doing something yesterday, currently
doing it, or doing it tomorrow (ex: playing soccer).
Materials & supplies needed: White computer paper, handout with 10 different sample sentences,
pencils, elmo

Procedures and approximate time allocated for each event

Introduction to the lesson (5 minutes)

Academic, Social and/or

Linguistic Support during each
event

I will begin by addressing the objective of the lesson overall, and

asking the students if they know what past, present, and future
tense is.

I will make sure to have the whole

class silent prior to the start of the
After a small discussion, I will put a sentence on the board I played lesson. I will use the microphone
soccer and ask the students to discuss what that means in terms to ensure all the students are able
of tense. Then I will put up I will play soccer and again ask them to hear.
what it means.

OUTLINE of key events during the lesson (_40_ minutes)

The gradual release of
responsibility will allow the
students who like partner work to
work with others; also allow the
Once every student has all their materials, we will make the trifold by
students who like to work
folding the white computer paper into three different sections. We
independently to work on their
will then label the top of each section past, present, future. They
own.
will then number their trifold on the left side 1-10, to ensure they
have enough space to complete the activity.
After our initial discussion, I will have a student pass out a white
sheet, along with the 10 sentence work sheet to every student.

I will then explain the activity. The activity sheet has ten sentences
on it. The students are to identify the verb by circling it, and then
next to the sentence they are to state whether it is in past, present,
or future tense. Then the students will move to their white sheet.
They will then dissect the verb they have just identified. One of the
three tenses they will have already identified, and then we are to
determine how to make the verb into the other two tenses.
On the elmo, we will work through our first example together, I
played soccer. Together we will identify that the verb in that
sentence is played and it is in past tense. We will document that
in our trifold, and then fill out the rest with will play and playing.
After that point, I will administer a gradual release of responsibility
by allowing the students to try the second example on their own.
After about five minute of work time, I will call the group back
together and call on volunteers who believe they have found the
answer.
For the remaining eight problems, I will allow the students to work
with their table partners to finish the worksheet. However, I will
remind them that everyone needs to be contributing because I will
be drawing popsicle sticks to help fill out the answers when we
review as a class. At the end of the time, I will do just that.

 Closing summary for the lesson 5 minutes

Ask students same idea from beginning. Why is it important that we
know this? When you are telling your mom you want to play soccer, is
it important that you use the correct tense? Why?
(wait for student involvement)
Looking for answers such as so mom doesnt come looking for me if I
accidentally told her I was going to play soccer tomorrow instead of
today etc.
Transition into next assignment
Ask students to put this worksheet in their binder. Next, have them put
away their things and get ready for recess.
Assessment
I believe using the popsicle sticks helps to improve accountability on
the lesson because students know at that point that they may be
called at any time, so they cannot rely on their partner to do all the
work. However, I will implement a phone a friend practice if I see
the student is stuck or cant seem to find the right answer.
On the students homework assignment that night, they will be
assigned a very similar activity. They will be give three sentences in
which they are to identify the verb and verb tense, and then explain
how they could change this into to two other tenses. This will
reinforce what the students learned that day and will also allow me to
see how much of the class really understood the activity and who
needs extra help.
If most of the students do well on this, I will know that we are ready to
move onto more difficult concepts with verb tense, such as irregular
verbs. However if many received the answers wrong, I will know to
spend at least one more day on this lesson.

Academic, Social, and/or

Linguistic Support during
assessment

Outline for a Daily Lesson Plan

(download an electronic template of this form from our course website
https://sites.google.com/site/te802meierfall2013/home/templates-and-froms)

Date:
Objective(s) for todays lesson: Students will have a working knowledge on the correct placement of
quotation marks through verbal reading and hand movements as well as use of the correct symbols
within a text.
Rationale This lesson will be useful for students so they will know when to insert quotations in their
writing samples.
Materials & supplies needed: Reading street text, pencil, sample texts previously printed.

Procedures and approximate time allocated for each event

Introduction to the lesson 10 minutes
Begin lesson by putting a writing sample on the elmo that is missing
several quotation marks, and has several in the wrong place. Ask
students to read through passage and identify any errors they may
notice. Ask students to share out findings.

Academic, Social and/or

Linguistic Support during each
event

Use microphone to help all

From here, introduce lesson, let students know that today we will be students hear.
learning how to place quotation marks correctly and why it is
important.
Tell students that this will make their writings much more
knowledgeable. Provide silly examples by verbally using
quotation marks incorrectly.
Ex: The other day at dinner my mom said that we were going to visit
my sister later
Ex: (never ending quotations) she said to me make sure you feed
the pet rabbit. My sister always told me that after she went.
Make these examples very obvious to the students. They may find
these humorous and spark some curiosity in their own writing
samples since they do these quite often.
OUTLINE of key events during the lesson 30 minutes
Provide students with a mini lesson on where quotation marks actually
belong.
-

Each quotation mark shows one of two things, either the

beginning of a spoken statement, or the end.
You may not just have one, you always need two.
Provide examples on the board that are missing quotation
marks, ask them to figure out where the marks should belong.
Call students up to elmo to share what they have found.

Do a reading from reading street

-

Tell students that in this lesson, we will be showing that we

know where quotation marks belong through use of our hands
(using finger quotes motion). We will use our fingers to
identify where quotation marks begin and where they end.
- Do first few examples with students, then wait for them to
figure it out themselves.
Provide students with worksheet
-

Give students worksheet with several short excerpts that are

missing quotation marks.
Have students work with partners on solving each of the
examples.

Closing summary for the lesson (How will I bring closure

Academic, Social, and/or

Allow students about ten minutes to work through worksheet. After
Linguistic Support during
time is up, do first example together. Then, call popsicle sticks and
have the students come up to the elmo and place the quotation marks assessment
where they belong.
Closing summary for the lesson 10 minutes
At the conclusion of the lesson, ask the students to each write down
one or two sentences that show a statement of something someone
told them. Once students are finished, ask if anyone would like to
share their sentence. Students may write sentences on board.
Ask students why it is important to place quotation marks correctly?
What would it mean if someone put quotation marks in the wrong
spot?

Transition to next learning activity

Thank all the students for participating in the activity. Ask them to put
away their worksheets into their binders and get ready for recess.
Assessment Since writers workshop is so prominent in the fifth
grade curriculum, I will easily be able to see if the students got a full
grasp on todays lesson. I will be evaluating their writers workshop
notebooks to see who really got the concept and who still needs help.
In peer reviewed work, I will make sure that the peers know that
using quotation marks correctly is one thing they should definitely be
looking for.

If student struggles with answer

while at elmo, allow them to
phone a friend for help.