MSMU Lesson Plan Format

Grade/Class/Subject:
3rd Grade/Social Studies/Art

Time/Duration of the lesson: 45 minutes

English Language Proficiency of Students: (Before classroom instruction, teachers will understand their students’
English language proficiency, and the language demands of the lesson’s instructional materials.)
I have two students in my class whose English Language Proficiency are bridging.
California Content Standards:
(Which standards do you plan to teach? Paste these from the CA Content Standards)
Social Studies
3.2 students describe American Indian nations in their local region long ago and in the recent past.
Visual Arts
5.2 Write a poem or story inspired by their own works of art.

Enduring Understandings:

(What concepts/big ideas?)

American Indians respect animals and they are important and significant to American Indians.

Essential Knowledge/Skills:
(What knowledge/skills? How does this lesson build upon prior lessons? How will this knowledge/skill enable students to
understand future lessons?)
The students have heard stories about Native Americans describing the importance and significance of
animals in their lives.

Higher-Order Questions:
(What is/are the focusing question(s) for this lesson?)
What are the animal’s characteristics and the importance to American Indians?

Observable Outcomes Assessment/Checking for Understanding

What do you want students to learn?
Content Objectives:
I can draw a pictograph of an animal and identify
the animal’s characteristics.
What evidence will you gather/look for?
(What evidence will you gather to ensure content objectives
are met?)
I will assess their pictograph and animal’s
characteristics.

Academic Language Objectives: (What evidence will you gather to ensure language objectives
The students will write characteristics of their are met?)
animal. I will assess the student’s description of their
animal’s characteristics.

Key Vocabulary: Supplementary Materials:

Pictograph (What resources, “realia”, visuals, documents, or
Characteristics manipulatives will you use?)
Significant Whale in the Sky, by Anne Siberell
The Mud Pony, by Carson Lee Cohen
Technology in Support of Teaching/Learning: Technology in Support of Learning:
(What type of technology will you use in your instruction?) (What type of technology will the students use to achieve
Images of animals and/or demonstrate the objectives?)
The students can google images of animals.

Anticipated Misunderstandings/Difficulties:
(What areas of confusion or difficulty do you anticipate students might encounter with this material? How will you address
them?)
The students may have confusion or difficulty with characteristics. I will address the confusion or
difficulty by explaining that characteristics are traits or qualities.

Element
Describe what will happen-what will teacher and/or students do
Pre-Assessment of Students’ Knowledge or Ability:
(Before instruction begins, how will you assess what students know
and/or are able to do related to the objective?)
I will ask the students who has a pet. I will ask the
students to express their feelings about their pet.
Rationale*
Describe why you chose to do it this way.
I chose to ask the students about their pet so
the students can describe their feelings for
their pet to relate the importance that
American Indians have with animals and how
the animals are significant in their lives.

LESSON SEQUENCE
Instruction to Support Learning: I chose a pictograph because American Indian
(How will you: convey information to be learned, and integrate the Elders used them to tell stories to younger
content and language objectives, ensure students are engaged, link generations to past down their traditions. I
information to student’s lives & previous learning, teach unknown
vocabulary, and scaffold the content? How will students be grouped
want the students to understand that American
for each activity to support student learning?) Indians respect animals and they are
The students will create a pictograph of an animal and important and significant in their lives.
identify the characteristics of their animal. They will
write the animal’s characteristics and the importance of I put students in groups of two so they can
the animal. For example, a bear represents or help each other with their pictograph and
symbolizes love. characteristics.

The students will work with a partner to help each other

with the pictograph and characteristics.

Structured Student Learning Activities:

(What activities will help students grasp and practice
concepts/skills? How will students be grouped and manage their
learning?)
The pictographs will help the students understand that
American Indians used pictographs to tell stories to
teach their traditions.
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
Differentiating Instruction for an English learner:
(Identify this student’s EL goals. Describe the assets and challenges I chose to help the EL students with the
related to this lesson for this English learner. What will you do
specifically support this student for this lesson?)
For the EL students I will use pictures to help explain
the vocabulary. I will work with the two students while guidance from me.
the class is working with their partners.
Differentiating Instruction for a focus student with
Special Needs:
(Identify this student’s special need and relevant IEP goals.
Describe the student’s assets and challenges related to this lesson.
What will you do specifically to support this student for this
lesson?)
This student has trouble with fine motor skills. This
student can look through a magazine or internet to find a
picture of animal. They can verbally explain the
animal’s characteristics, or I will write it for them.
Differentiating Instruction for a focus student needing
social-emotional and academic support:
(Describe the social-emotional assets and challenges for this
student. What will you do specifically support this student for this
lesson?)
This student needs to have a choice in drawing a
pictograph or verbally explaining. The student can
explain the animal’s characteristics.
Differentiating Instruction
(What will you do for those students who already "get it" and need
to be challenged in different ways?)
I chose this activity because the students are
interested in animals and they will be able to
see the importance and significance that
animals are to the American Indians.
(How do your choices support this student?)
vocabulary. The EL students need to visuals
to understand the meaning of unfamiliar
words. The two students need a little
(How do your choices support this student?)
I chose to support this student by modifying
the lesson and letting the student find a
picture of an animal in a magazine or internet.
I want the student to be able to participate and
they can by modifying the lesson.
(How do your choices support this student?)
I chose to give this student a choice in
drawing or verbally explaining the pictograph
and the animal’s characteristics because to
support this student they need to have a
choice.
(How do your choices support these students?)
I chose to give these challenge students
another activity by having them choose an
The student who needs to be challenged will draw a animal that they want to be and why they
pictograph and identify the animal’s characteristic and picked that animal to help expand their
they will choose an animal that they would want to be. writing skills.
They have to explain why they picked that animal and
how their animal will be important to the American
Indians.

Post-Assessment: I chose to asses their pictographs and

(How will you know if students learned both the content and the characteristics of their animal.
language objectives? What informal and/or formal methods will
you use to gather evidence? What criteria will you use to assess
learning? How might pre-assessment be used in your analysis of
this evidence?)
The students will demonstrate their understanding
through their illustrations of their pictograph and
explaining their animal’s characteristics.

Extension: I chose to activity to give the students an

(How might this lesson be extended into future content areas or opportunity to speak in front of the class. It is
lessons?) important for the students to practice speaking
The students can explain their pictographs and the in front of an audience.
animal’s characteristics and significance.

*Theories that might be useful for rationales (Note: You may wish to refer to your “toolbox” for helpful
resources further explaining below):
Theories related to the work of Gardner, Vygotsky, Bloom, etc.
Universal Design for Learning: Multiple means of representation; Multiple means of action & expression; Multiple
means of engagement.(the what, how, and why of learning)
Five E’s: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate