What is a Family?

Elements of the Lesson Evidence that Documents the Elements

Stacy Georges Time: ~40 min.

Standard

Unit Goal: Students will appreciate differences in families. Language Arts Writing: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

Objectives/Targets Anticipatory Set

Input Information learners need Question to engage learners Accommodations Managing the lesson

I can draw a picture of my family showing all family members and pets I live with. I can write three sentences about my family. Teacher will ask who remembers what we did yesterday. Teacher will tell students that we share our past, present and future with family. Teacher will show students the word family on the projector and ask if anyone knows what that word says. If nobody does, we will sound it out together. I will then make sure everyone has heard this word before (this prior knowledge is necessary), but not get too much into the details of the word. I will tell the class that we are going to learn more about families and since everybody has a family, each person will see families like theirs and different from theirs. Learners will come to the rug The teacher will make sure everyone is ready to learn by showing me they are sitting crisscross with hands in their lap Anticipatory Set The teacher will read The Family Book by Todd Parr The teacher will ask questions throughout (see Checking for Understanding) The teacher will model drawing a picture of her family o The teacher will draw a stick figure for her, her mom, her dad and her two sisters, stating who they are as she draws (This is me. This is my dad. This is my mom. This is my sister. This is my other sister.) o The teacher will draw her dog saying This is my dog. o The teacher will draw her cat saying This is my cat. o The teacher will ask Do I have to use stick figures to draw? (No) Can I add hair and clothes? (Yes) The teacher will model writing This is my family. as her first sentence o The teacher will sound out the word This with the students
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Stacy Georges Time: ~40 min.

o The teacher will ask the students to help her write is and my since they know them o The teacher will sound out the word family with the students The teacher will tell students they will be doing this at their seats and they will be writing three sentences about their family underneath their picture o Where will you be working on this? o How many sentences will you be writing? o What will your first sentence be? (This is my family) The teacher will explain that the students need to choose two more sentences from the prompts on the board (teacher will have My family is, I love, We like to, Sometimes we, and Together, we o Do you need to write all of these sentences? o How many of these do you need to finish? (Two) o Can you write more? (Yes) The teachers model will be on display for everyone to see while they work independently (with help from teacher if necessary) Students will go back to their seats in table groups when called on by the teacher Students will work independently while teacher moves around the room

The learner needs to hear the information in The Family Book. Throughout the book, the learners will be engaged with teacher-led questioning (see Checking for Understanding). Scaffolding: The teacher starts the lesson working by herself (reading the book aloud), then the teacher and the students are working together (figuring out what the book is saying), then teacher models (Teacher draws picture of own family with the first sentence written), then the students work by themselves (creating a drawing of their family with a narrative of three sentences; one of the sentences will be This is my family.) Students will write on their own, but the first sentence will be on display for them if they need help getting started. Thinking Levels: Applying Students must take what they learned from the book and find what is similar to their
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Stacy Georges Time: ~40 min.

own life. Analyzing Students must decipher between the parts of the book that are true about their family and those that are not. They must also think critically about each page to answer the teachers questions. Evaluating Students must communicate with a classmate and find sentences about family that are different than and similar to their own. Creating Students will make their own creation in the form of a drawing and a short narrative.

Modeling

Checking for Understanding

Remediation: If students have trouble understanding the book or the assignment, they may draw a picture of their family with a This is my family caption. They will not be penalized if they cannot form a second or third sentence. Extension: If students finish early, they may write more sentences (which they heard in the book) that are also about their family. The sentences do not absolutely have to be from the book they may be personal experiences! When they are done with this, they may work on their Tic Tac Toe activities. Learning Styles: Both auditory learners and visual learners will benefit from the read-aloud because they will have the book in front of them with the words and pictures and they will be hearing teacher voice. The drawing/writing portion of the lesson is helpful for the kinesthetic learner who likes hands-on experiences. Instructional methods: Presentation with discussion (read aloud and questioning), cooperative learning (think aloud) Engagement strategies: activating prior knowledge (anticipatory set), group interaction and collaboration (read aloud and think aloud), supporting mastery and allowing choice (first sentence will be on display on teacher copy, second sentence is their choice) Materials needed and prepared The Family Book by Todd Parr, house paper (lined paper) with room for drawing After we have read the book and are preparing to respond in writing, the teacher will show students how she wants them to draw a picture of their family by drawing her own family. The teacher will also write the first sentence underneath (This is my family.) See Input. From the book:
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Stacy Georges Time: ~40 min.

Formative assessment strategies

What did we learn on this page? Does your family hug each other? Has your family ever been really happy or really sad? Which special days has your family celebrated together? Turn to a neighbor and tell them. Where will you be working on this? How many sentences will you be writing? Formative assessment think-pair-share, observation, questioning, discussion, walking around the room looking for learners who are struggling Teacher and students discuss the book together, then talk about expectations of independent practice together by the teachers modeling of the family drawing and the first sentence. (Guided Instruction We do it) The responsibility is then passed over to the students. Students will each get a piece of paper with a blank space at the top for their drawing and lines at the bottom for their short narrative. They will write This is my family. They will write at least two other sentences about their family. The teacher will help if necessary. See Scaffolding in Input Not Applicable When students have completed their independent practice, they will turn to their neighbor and share their sentences. The teacher will ask them to talk about things that are different and similar between their families, explaining that these are normal. Once they have talked to their neighbor, they can share with the class. The teacher will share the rest of her narrative with them. We will review the fact that all families are different in their own way but we all have similarities too. If students drew a picture of their family with all family members, they met their target. If they wrote at least two sentences, their objectives have been met. At this point in the unit, they know what their family consists of, that families are different and can share some information about their own family. If I have students that did not meet their objectives, I may make their independent practice a different method of responding next time. Did students seem interested or were they bored? They seemed very interested and they especially loved seeing the teachers model of the drawing. How was the pacing? It seemed right on track, not too fast or slow.
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Guided Practice Gradual release of responsibility

Independent Practice Closure

Assessment What do my students know, understand and are able to do? Reflection

Stacy Georges Time: ~40 min.

Did students meet their objective/target? All students could write sentences about their family and draw an accurate picture. Some only wrote two and some wrote three or more. Did students compare their sentences with their neighbor and find similarities and differences? How did they do with this? We did not have time to complete this aspect of the lesson. What would I have done differently? I would have had students label the people and animals in the picture. They had a hard time keeping the people straight as they were drawing them and many were forgetting to draw themselves. I would have also given them more guidance with the subsequent sentences, such as tell me about your mom or dad, and tell me your favorite thing about your family as the second and third sentence. Telling them to write three sentences and just giving them a direction for the first sentence was too broad for some students. References: Adapted from Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum