Student Teaching edTPA Lesson Plan Template

Subject: Central Focus:

Language Arts Connections between historical events in literature.
Essential Standard/Common Core Objective:
RI.2.3 Describe the connection between a series
Date submitted: Date taught: 3/13/17
of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts,
or steps in technical procedures in a text.
Daily Lesson Objective:
Performance- Students will complete the How Leif Erikson Found Vinland chart which has 4 blanks.
Conditions- With a partner
Criteria- Students are expected to earn 15 out of 20 points. Each blank in the chart is worth 5 points, there are 4
blanks, for a total of 20 points.
21st Century Skills:
Collaborate with Others- The students will Academic Language Demand (Language Function and
work with a partner to read the passage and Vocabulary):
complete the chart during independent practice. Describe- The students will be able to explain how historical
Interact Effectively with Others- The students events can lead to one another.
will work with one another to read the passage
that they are given during independent practice.
Prior Knowledge:
Students need to have an understanding that events can connect to one another. A basic knowledge of timelines
would be beneficial to ensure that the students understand that one event can lead to another event. Students
also need to have a basic understanding of how to read charts and cartoons.

Activity Description of Activities and Setting Time

Have the class to come to the carpet at the front of the room. Say to the 5-10
class, Today we are going to start working on a new skill. We are minutes
going to learn how events that we learn about while reading connect to
each other. You will use this skill mainly when you are reading
nonfiction passages. Can anyone tell me what it means if a passage is
nonfiction? If any of the students know, or have an idea, let them share
with the class. Say to the class, A nonfiction piece of literature is
something that is based on real events or people. Can you think of any
1. Focus and Review
nonfiction that you have read in class? The students recently read
nonfiction passages about African American figures throughout the
month of February. The passages that you read about Harriet Tubman,
George Washington Carver, Muhammad Ali, and Thurgood Marshall
were all nonfiction, because they all talked about real people and
discussed real events. Now we are going to look at a cartoon and see if
we can connect the events that it shows. This will help us to see how all
of the events shows connect to one another in the end.
Today we are going to learn about how events in history can connect
2. Statement of
to each other. At the end of the lesson you will be able to determine
Objective for Student
how events lead to one another after reading a passage.
3. Teacher Input Say to the class, Now lets look at this cartoon about Christopher 10
Columbus. Project the Christopher Columbus cartoon on the minutes
SmartBoard (the cartoon is attached below). First, I need to read the
cartoon so I know what it is about. Im going to start with the first box.
It says Columbus thought he could find a faster way to the Indies.
Hmm, I dont know for sure what the Indies are, but maybe if I keep
 reading the cartoon I will find out. The second box says So he sailed
west across the ocean. So I know that Columbus sailed on a boat. I
know that west would be going left on a page. That means that he is
sailing toward North America. Thats where we are! Now lets look at
the last box on the cartoon. It says Columbus thought he had landed in
the Indies. The Indies must be a land, or a country. I have heard of
India. I bet they are the same, or very close together. Read the question
that accompanies the cartoon to the class. Now I need to circle the
parts of the cartoon that show what happened because Columbus
thought he could find a faster way to the Indies. The first box of the
cartoon does not tell me what happened. Let me look at the second box.
This box says he sailed west. That definitely happened because he
thought he could find a faster way, so I am going to circle this part.
Circle the middle portion of the cartoon on the SmartBoard. Now lets
look at the last box of the cartoon to make sure that it does not answer
the question too. The last box shows him landing, in what he thought
was the Indies. That doesnt show why he thought he could find a faster
way. So, the middle is the only section that we should circle. Now lets
look at this chart which will help to show us how historical events are
connected. The chart is like the cartoon above. The chart has a because,
so, and then section which will help us to see how the first event
connects to the final event. You could also change the headings on the
chart to first, next, and last. Lets read the chart in order, Because:
Christopher Columbus believed he could find a faster way to the Indies.
So: Columbus sailed west from Spain across the ocean (use the picture
from the cartoon to show the students where Spain is, and where
Columbus landed). Then Columbus thought he had reached the Indies,
but he had landed in America. When we look at this chart we can see
that small historical events can connect to each other to lead to a larger
event. This cartoon and chart have shown us that when Columbus
decided that he would sail west that led to Columbus discovering
America.

Questions:
Which part of the cartoon helps to answer the question?
Can historical events connect to one another?
In what order should I read the boxes on the comic?
Does Columbus decision affect where he lands?
4. Guided Practice Say to the class, Now lets try an example together. I have a passage 10
for us to look at. The title of our passage is The Vikings in Vineland. minutes
Does anyone know anything about Vikings? Allow the students to
share their prior knowledge. Okay, lets read the first part of the
passage. Is says:
Long ago, a people called the Vikings ruled the seas. Vikings came
from a snowy land called Norway. They were very good sailors. They
made new homes in some of the places they visited. The Vikings settled
Iceland and Greenland.
The Vikings told a story about a sailor named Bjarni. He got lost at sea
and saw a new land. It was warm and covered with trees.
When Bjarni returned to Greenland, he told his story to Leif Ericson.
Ericson set sail looking for this warm, green land. He thought it would
 make a good home. He soon found it and named it Vinland. He brought
along families and farm animals. He hoped to make a new home for his
people there.
Stop periodically while reading the passage and ask the students
comprehension questions. Say to the class, Now we need to determine
why Leif Ericson searched for the land he called Vineland. Does
anyone remember anything about Leif Ericson from the passage that we
just read? Allow for the students to respond. Right, Leif Ericson
thought that Vinland would make a good home, because he believed it
would be warm. Lets underline that in the passage.

Questions:
Where were the Vikings from?
Where did the Vikings settle?
Who was the sailor who got lost at sea?
Who did Bjarni tell his story to when he got back?
How do you know that Leif Ericson thought Vinland would
make a good home?
Now its your turn to practice connecting events from the passage. You 15
can work with a partner to reread the passage. Then together you will minutes
work to complete a chart that I will give to you in a moment (the chart
is attached below). On the chart you will be filling in the blanks.
Remember to use the passage. When you find the answer in the passage
underline that sentence, to show that you found evidence from the
passage. The student will work with a partner to complete this task.
The teacher will walk around the room and monitor the progress of the
5. Independent Practice pairs and answer questions as needed. The students will have access to
the passage on the SmartBoard, and on paper.

Questions:
Where did you find evidence in the passage that helped you fill
in this blank?
What is something that you learned from the passage?
How do these events connect to one another?
The students will complete the chart titled How Leif Erikson Found Vinland that
has three sections titled first, next, and finally (attached below). Each block has one
blank, at least, that the student needs to fill in with information that they will find in
6. Assessment Methods
the passage. The students will work in pairs to complete this activity. This is the
of all objectives/skills:
same assignment that the students are completing during independent practice.
There are four blanks in the chart. Each blank will be worth 5 points, for a total of
20 points. The students are expected to earn 15 out of 20 points.
Once the students have finished the independent practice task the 5-10
teacher will have the students to come back to the carpet. As a class minutes
review the answers that are expected to be in the blanks on the chart.
7. Closure Say to the class, Now lets look at the chart together. Who can tell me
what goes in the first blank in the first section on the chart. Have the
students to respond. Thats right! Go through the same process with
the other three blanks in the chart.
8. Assessment Results of The students final activity was informally checked the teachers that were in the
all objectives/skills: room. The majority of the students within the class were able to complete the chart
 either by themselves or with a partner. The lowest score in the class was 75%,
which was the goal set by the objective.
Targeted Students Modifications/Accommodations: Student/Small Group Modifications/Accommodations:
For struggling readers, the students can work with If the students do not want to read the passage with a
one of the teachers that is in the room to ensure that partner then they can choose to work alone.
they have a complete understanding of the activities
and the content that is being, or has been, presented If a teacher sees that a student, or group of students, is
(there are normally at least three teachers in the struggling with the activities, they can read though the
room during lessons). passage with them and guide the student, or students,
For students with disabilities, a small group can be while they locate the information that will complete the
formed that will work with one of the teachers in the blanks in the independent practice activity.
room, to read through the passage and modify the
activities as the teacher sees fit.
Materials/Technology:
SmartBoard, pencils, printout of article, printout of chart, projector, computer
Reflection on lesson:
The lesson went very well. The students seemed to understand that historical events can be connected to one
another. I think this is in part because the class recently finished studying timelines. The assessment portion of
the lesson was very informal, which is typical in the classroom that I am in. All of the student work that I
reviewed met the benchmark that I had set.

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