USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (rev.
Sum19)
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
Title of Lesson
Meeting your students’ needs as
people and as learners
What Standards (national or
state) relate to this lesson?
(You should include ALL applicable
standards.)
Understanding the standards
over time
Name: Joseph Smolek
Subject/Content: Social Studies GroupSize 20 Date of Lesson: 9/24/2019
Part 1: Lesson Content
Coming to ‘Terms’ with Social Studies.
How does this lesson connect to the interests and cultural backgrounds of your students?
This lesson connects to interests and cultural background of my students because while the
lesson is just about the basics of social studies vocabulary, it will be customized to ask students
about their experiences with the terms. Students will be asked what the words mean to them, and
how they can relate to the words as elementary school students.
How does this lesson connect to/reflect the local community?
In the local community, social studies is always happening. We have local history, economics
plays a large part in this community, local government makes rules, as well as other connections
that we can make with our vocabulary to the community of the elementary school.
SS.3.A.1.3- Define terms related to the social sciences.
LAFS.3.RI.2.4- Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and
phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
LAFS.3.RI.3.8- Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a
text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
LAFS.3.SL.1.1- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
Trace the standard to the previous grade level. What have students already learned or been exposed to
related to this standard?
SS.3.A.1.3- No traced standard to 2nd grade.
LAFS.3.RI.2.4- Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic
or subject area.
LAFS.3.RI.3.8- Describe how an author uses reasons to support specific points in a text.
LAFS.3.SL.1.1- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2
topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
Trace the standard to the next grade level. What will students learn next related to this standard?
SS.3.A.1.3- No traced standard to 4th grade.
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USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (rev. Sum19)
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
What misconceptions might
students have about this
content?
Objectives- What students will
know or be able to do after the
instruction – the learning
outcomes
Content (WHAT students are
learning- look to the standard)
Action (HOW students will show it-
there might be clues in the
standard)
Measure (HOW WELL they need to
do it)
(Note: Degree of mastery does not
need to be a percentage.)
Level(s) of Thinking
Name: Joseph Smolek
Subject/Content: Social Studies GroupSize 20 Date of Lesson: 9/24/2019
LAFS.3.RI.2.4- Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases
in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
LAFS.3.RI.3.8- Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a
text.
LAFS.3.SL.1.1- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
Students may not be aware of what the new terms they are learning about actually mean, and
may have incorrect ideas about some of them. Some students may be confused about what a local
government does, what civics and economics are, and may know little about the geography or the
history of the local community.
Some examples:
--Students will be able to accurately (measure- how well) differentiate (action- how) between potential
and kinetic energy (content- what).
--Based on what they read in the first half of a fiction story, students will be able to write (action- how) a
reasonable (measure- how well) prediction (also part of the action) for how the main character will
respond to a challenge in the second half (content- what).
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Student will be able to accurately utilize the social studies terms from the first chapter with
regards to themselves as elementary school students.
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy or Webb’s Depth of Knowledge, which level(s) of thinking is/are called for in
the standard? Remember
Which level(s) of thinking is/are called for in your objective? Apply
Why did you choose this level(s) of thinking? After working with these terms for three days, students
should be able to not only know the definition, but also be able to apply it to their own lives.
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USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (rev. Sum19)
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
Assessment Plan- How will you
know students have mastered
your objectives?
Assessment Scoring/Rubric
What are the criteria for how you
will assess student
learning/student work? If you’re
using a rubric, include your rubric
here.
Management & Environment
(integrated throughout your
step-by-step plan):
 How will you arrange
yourself and the students
(location in the classroom,
seating)?
 What processes &
procedures will you use?
How and when will you
communicate those to
Name: Joseph Smolek
Subject/Content: Social Studies GroupSize 20 Date of Lesson: 9/24/2019
Describe your assessment plan:
I will know that my students have mastered the objective by looking over their student reflection
worksheet that is made by me. Students will revisit these words because the words will be placed
on the back word-wall after the unit has finished. Students will also be expected to utilize the new
terms in the future, as they will now have the knowledge to properly implement them into their
writing and speaking.
Is your assessment formative or summative? Why did you make that assessment decision?
This assessment is formative. It was slightly difficult to gear a lesson in social studies towards my
inquiry, so I decided to have this be a checkpoint lesson about their vocabulary before giving the
summative assessment the next week.
How does it align with your objective?
This aligns with my objective because it requires students to use their vocabulary in a way that it
connects with them as a student in elementary school.
The criteria that I am using to grade the assessment is going to be on a check minus or check plus
rubric. A check minus will only be given if the student did not attempt the assessment or they did
not follow directions. A check plus will be given if the student followed directions and wrote
about how they relate to the vocabulary. This assessment allows for students to think about what
the words mean to themselves, rather than just focusing and knowing the definition, making the
range of correct answers very broad.
Part 2: Lesson Implementation
I will be at the front of the classroom right next to the document camera sitting on the black stool.
Students will be at their normal seats. There will be stations set up around the classroom that are
on different colors of paper, that each ask a question about the unit.
My already pre-determined table captains will have the assessment paper in their table folder
already. The students are already aware of the processes and procedures for social studies, but I
will be quick to remind a student if they forgot or get off task. Today, students will have a walk-
around sheet attached to a clipboard with their vocabulary terms, where I will have them in pre-
determined groups. Students will have three minutes at the stations, for a total of 15 minutes.
Students are expected to put forth their best effort on the assessment as well as remain on task
for the duration of the lesson. With my inquiry, students are also expected to be at school on time
so that way they cannot only participate in the fun activity or have the food that I bring in, but
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USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (rev. Sum19)
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
students?
 What expectations will you
have for the students? How
and when will you
communicate those to
students?
 What strategies will you use
if students do not meet your
expectations? Are there
specific students who
require a more extensive
management plan? What
will that consist of?
 What will students do if
they complete the task
quickly?
Materials
(What materials will you use? Why
did you choose these materials?
Include any resources you used.
This can also include people!)
Name: Joseph Smolek
Subject/Content: Social Studies GroupSize 20 Date of Lesson: 9/24/2019
also so that they are present for the learning that will be taking place. When working with a
partner or with their table, students are expected to treat others with kindness and also help out
their partners, because that is what a classroom community does to ensure success.
I see my yellow table being a potential area for struggle. I will be seated closest to them for the
beginning part of my lesson, and they will of course get my help when they are gradually
released. JH is a student at the table that I am concerned about, as she is on a Kindergarten level
for every part of reading. I will work closely with her, as will her seat partner, TN. When it is time
for looking at the textbook, I will have the online textbook pulled up for her that reads the text to
her for social studies.
If students complete the task quickly, they will be asked to either help their table group members
if there are struggles, or they will be studying their vocabulary words further to ensure a great
grade on vocabulary quiz.
 Social studies folders
 Document camera
 Vocabulary definitions table from week before
 Clipboard
 Colored Paper Questions
 Handout made by me
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USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (rev. Sum19)
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
Differentiating Instruction
Accommodations (If needed)
(What students need specific
accommodation? List individual
students (initials), and then explain
the accommodation(s) you will
implement for these unique
learners.)
Name: Joseph Smolek
Subject/Content: Social Studies GroupSize 20 Date of Lesson: 9/24/2019
How will you differentiate instruction in this lesson? Circle those that apply:
Process Product Content Readiness Interest Learner Profile
Describe what/how you will differentiate:
Product will be differentiated in the sense that there is not just ‘one’ right answer. A right answer
will be whatever the student says how the term relates to them as a student.
Readiness will be differentiated because students who are lower level will be working with their
classmates who are higher levels for social studies in order to ensure that all students have the
opportunity to succeed with the assessment.
Which specific students will benefit, and why?
JH will be the major beneficiary to the differentiation due to the fact that she is the lowest student
that we have. SP, JV, and AM will also heavily benefit because their groups will help them to
understand the content if they are struggling. At first, when I was going to have table groups be
partners, there was concern about the partnerships and groups, but now since I am picking the
groups separately, I will be less likely to run into that problem.
What accommodations will you make for students who are English Language Learners? (Refer to
your ESOL Strategies checklist and list specific strategies)
 Pre-Production Level: If I had a student at the pre-production level, I would get them a
print-out of the questions and the answer sheet in their native language.
 Early Production Level: If I had a student at the early-production level, I would have them
answer the questions with drawings.
 Speech Emergence Level: If I had a student at the speech emergence level, I would have
them write responses of only a couple words, as well as include a drawing.
 Intermediate Fluency Level: If I had a student at the intermediate fluency level, I would have
them write their responses in English, but would accept shorter responses.
What accommodations will you make for students who have an IEP or 504 plan?
All students will be paired for social studies with someone that I feel will be beneficial to their
learning. JH will need to have a higher-level group partner. AM will be helped by AC and MB. JV
will be helped by ST and JP, and SP will be helped by the same as JV.
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USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (rev. Sum19)
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
References (Planning of
instruction should be guided by
research-informed
approaches. Acknowledge
references used to inspire lesson
ideas.)
Step-by-Step Plan
(What exactly do you plan to do in
teaching this lesson? Be thorough.
Act as if you needed a substitute to
carry out the lesson for you.)
Where applicable, be sure to
address the following:
 What Higher Order Thinking
(H.O.T.) questions will you ask?
 How will materials be
distributed?
 Who will work together in
groups and how will you
determine the grouping?
 How will students transition
between activities?
 What will you as the teacher
do?
 What will you as the teacher
say?
 What will the students do?
Name: Joseph Smolek
Subject/Content: Social Studies GroupSize 20 Date of Lesson: 9/24/2019
What accommodations will you make for students identified as gifted and have an EP (education
plan)?
If I did have gifted students, I would ask them to tell me an example of jobs that have to do with
the vocabulary words, or if there is not a job, other words that have to do with the terms.
I did not use any references for this idea. I just remember my social studies teacher from
elementary school doing a similar assignment that had us explain how we were part of a
community of learners. I modified that a bit to fit more of the current chapter, but still feel as
though it not only gets my classroom community involved, but it also works on the content at the
same time.
1. What is the content area for this lesson? Social Studies
2. What is the expected lesson structure for a lesson taught within this content area? In other
words, what lesson structure is appropriate for teaching within this content area? (5Es;
guided/gradual release/etc.) This lesson will be gradual release because I will first be going
over the definitions with the students that we had been working on for the past three days.
Then I will allow students to go off with their pre-selected groupings to go around to their
reflective assessment stations which are set up around the room. Ms. Socorro and I will be
available to help students at the different stations.
3. Step-by-step plan:
Time: Action Steps:
7:45 AM- During this time I will be asking students to take out their social studies folder, if it is
not out already. The table captain will pass out the papers for the day that I will have already
filled with the necessary materials for the lesson as well as having the clipboards with their
answer sheets on them. I will ask them to have their vocabulary sheets in front of them in 30
seconds and will have a timer going for that. We will start by going over our definitions that we
will already have done the previous days. I will ask one student at a time to read the definition for
each word. This should take less than one minute per word. Since I have been looking at what the
students are writing, their definitions should already be done properly. I will call on quiet hands
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USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (rev. Sum19)
Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd
 What student data will be
collected during each phase?
 What are other adults in the
room doing? How are they
supporting students’ learning?
Name: Joseph Smolek
Subject/Content: Social Studies GroupSize 20 Date of Lesson: 9/24/2019
of students, and make sure that attention is being paid to the student that is speaking. If there are
multiple students raising their hand, I will ask for “Thumbs on desk”, and then say “Go”, where
their hands will shoot up, and I will call whoever had their hand up first.
7:50 AM- I will call attention of the class and have the group pairings with starting color group
ready on the document camera screen and tell students that they have one minute to get paired
with their group at the correct color. The groups will be determined by me, and I will put students
into groups that I feel will benefit my lower-level students the most. The groups will be of the
following colors; red, blue, purple, green, and pink. All of the groups will have at least one higher-
level student, and one lower-level student. The groups are mainly comprised of students who sit
at the same table, but some have been separated to work with others due to concerns about them
getting their work done.
7:52 AM- To begin the learning stations, I will tell students that they have 3 minutes on the timer
to complete the question on their answer sheet with their group. I will also tell students that they
are not allowed to move to the next station until the three minutes is up. This process will
continue for the following four stations until the end of the last station. Each time that the timer
goes off, I will tell students to switch. If I find that students do not need three minutes at each
station, I will lower the time limit to two minutes instead, which will allow for further discussion
after, where we can share some great answers. I do not anticipate for the time to be lowered, but I
have a plan in place as a precautionary measure. Ms. Socorro and I will be walking throughout the
stations and asking some higher-order thinking questions to the groups and being available to
assist students if problems do come up or if there is confusion.
8:07 AM- I will gather the attention of the class again by using an attention getter and ask for
them to return to their desks and to put both of their papers back into the social studies folder,
which I will then ask that they leave in the middle of the desk for me to collect. Then we will
proceed to take out our music notebooks, and then line up and leave for music class, which is at
8:15. The three minutes to get ready should be more than enough time. If I do end up having that
extra time, I will have the students lined up, and ask questions in the line for possible Skittles.
 The student data that will be collected during this lesson, is both through formal and
informal assessment. The informal assessment will come from my note taking of how my
social studies groups are working together during a time crunch, as well as writing down
who is struggling with the assignment, and who is doing well with it. This will lead to my
further instruction, where I can differentiate for students who still need work on the
fundamentals from the chapter. The formal assessment will be through my collected
papers that the students will be working on.
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USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template (rev. Sum19) Name: Joseph Smolek

Grade Level Being Taught: 3rd Subject/Content: Social Studies GroupSize 20 Date of Lesson: 9/24/2019