Universal Instruction Lesson Plan Outline

JSC Education Department

Title of Unit: Community
Projected Lesson Length: 45
Grade Level: 1
minutes
Title of Lesson: The Giving Tree
Cooperating Teacher: Crystal
Instructor: Mary Gemignani
Koch
Subject Area: Social Studies
School: Hyde Park Elementary
Date of Lesson: 11/10/15
School

Description of Class and Classroom Climate:

Our classroom has a very calming and open vibe. One of the most wonderful
parts of our classroom is the lighting. There are Christmas lights strung up,
and they stay on all day with the ceiling lights; these are what the kids and
the adults in our classroom call the working lights, and when theyre on, we
know we need to be working. There is a wall of windows that overlooks the
schools central courtyard space, which also provides a lot of natural light for
our classroom. There are some of the average things youd expect to see in a
first grade classroom: primary colors, bulletin boards, number lines,
alphabets on the wall, Friday folders, hopes and dreams mobiles, quisanaire
rods, and of course, clutter. Our classroom is by no means the most perfect
and organized space, but more so lived in and learned in. The room has a
comfortable and welcoming feeling when you walk in.
There are 16 students in our classroom, and about 260 in the whole school. In
our classroom, some of these students need some extra redirection, and one
child has a para educator. We have, what I like to call, a wiggly bunch. A lot of
whats happening in our classroom is the students inability to sit still for too
long (fairly average). With this in mind, we move at a fast pace so the
students are stimulated. The staff thats in our classroom all day are a para
educator, 1:1, the classroom teacher, and myself. Throughout the day, there
are interventionists that come in and grab students for math and reading as
well.
Our teacher, along with the rest of our school, uses the PBiS responsive
classroom model in her classroom: be respectful, responsible, and safe. We
made a class quilt with our students on how they are expected to behave in
the classroom with their pictures on it. This was intended to be a positive way
to enforce a rule chart other than just making a list. All the children made a
quilt square and their picture went on their square. One really important part
of our behavior management in our school is enforcing the rules of 3 strikes
for the kids. 1- is a warning, 2- and the take a break chair, and 3- writing a
classroom plan, and if the student really cant pull it together, 4-is going to
the planning room. Our principle is very involved in the students learning,
and is very on top of things for her staff.
Grounding:
Social Learning Theory: Albert Bandura
This theory suggests that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a
social context and can occur purely through observation or direct instruction.
It is thought that even in the absence of motor imitation or direct
reinforcement the child can still learn the information. In addition to the
observation of behavior, learning also occurs through the observation of
rewards and punishments. The theory expands on traditional behavioral
theories, in which behavior is directed by reinforcements, by placing

emphasis on the important roles of various internal processes in the learning

individual.
This learning theory seemed fitting because kids learn by example, and
being a good person is not generally told and taught, it is learned
through natural exposure.
Guiding Question(s):
What does it look like to be a good citizen and community member?
Standards:

H&SS1-

2:14: Students act as citizens by

(Vermont Agency of Education:
History and SS Standards)

Describing what

Describing what it means to be a

responsible member of a group.
his/her role is as a member of various

groups.
Demonstrating

(e.g., working with

positive interaction with group members

a partner to complete a task).

Explaining their own point of

view on issues that affect themselves.
Participating in setting and following the
rules of the group, school, and community.

These are the California State Standards for S.S., and I loved how specific
they were, so I put them in as a side note. These are more so what I based
my lesson around because of how focused they are.
K-4.1 Identify qualities of good citizenship, including honesty, courage,
determination, individual responsibility, and patriotism.
K-4.2 Demonstrate good citizenship in classroom behaviors, including taking
personal responsibility, cooperating and respecting others, taking turns and
sharing, and working with others to solve problems.
Content Learning Objective(s):
Know:
Students will know the meaning (definition) of the words and terms: good
citizenship, honesty, courage, determination, responsibility, community,
respect, and safety.
Understand:
As a result of knowing the definitions and meanings of the words listed
above, the students will have an understanding of how to: show good

citizenship in classroom behaviors, taking personal responsibility, cooperating

and respecting others, taking turns and sharing, and working with others to
solve problems.
Do:
As a result of having an understanding of knowing the meaning of what a
good community member and citizen is, they will be able to participate in
making a leaf for our community classroom tree. The student will be asked to
write one thing on their leaf that make them a good citizen, including how
they are a positive school community member.
Students will be able to recognize good and poor decision making, and how
that affects the community and themselves.
Assessment Plan:
Informal Assessment: The informal assessment for this lesson was asking
the kids to turn and talk to the person beside them about what they know to
be good citizenship, and what it means to be a positive community member.
The other informal assessment for this lesson will be the students verbally
explaining what being a good citizen means.
Formal Assessment: The formal assessment for this lesson will be the last
part when the students are handed the leaves and asked to work
independently and write their examples of being a positive community
members.
This is the formal and concrete piece of information that proves if they
understand the big ideas that have been presented.
Procedure:
Anticipatory
Set/Hook:
To activate background
knowledge, I will start our
conversation by reminding
the students about how weve
been talking about being a
positive community member.
I will then talk to them about
what that might look like out
in our town community and
how it differs and is similar to
our school community. Thus
far, reminding the students

about our three golden school rules: be respectful, be responsible, and be

safe.
Instructional
Procedure: After we
read the book, well
then move into a
collaborative activity
as a class to
brainstorm different
ways that we as
members of the
community and
positively represent
ourselves. I will ask
questions such as:
How are you a
positive member of your community? What does responsibility,
respect, and honesty look like? How are you a good community
member in school, and how is that different from how you are a good
community member at school?
Well make a tree and brainstorm about these questions on the teaching
easel. I will draw a leafless tree and every idea they have, I will write it in a
leaf attached to the tree and fill the tree with good citizenship foliage.
Closure:
After reading and brainstorming I will give the each student a large green
paper leaf that they will then write a statement representing what it looks like
to be a good citizen and community member. After that I will hang the leaves
on a tree outside of our classroom. This will close out our lesson, and show
the students that it takes many voices, people, and good citizenships to
create a good community.
Universal Instructional Considerations:
Multiple means of Representation:
I will have multiple means of representation through reading a book with
pictures, and words over the smart board. This way the kids can see the
pictures on a larger scale, and the students who enjoy reading can read
along. I will stop and talk to students about whats happening in the story and
ask the students if they notice different things the tree does for the boy that
make the tree a good community member/citizen. After we were done
reading, I will make a visual map of the students ideas, for students that
need that visual.
Multiple means of Expression:
I will verbally read the book, and show the pictures. After we are done
reading, I will make a visual representation of what the students are

brainstorming. When I write the directions I will draw a corresponding picture

of what I am expecting. When students are working to describe being a good
community member, will give them the option of drawing, writing, or both.
Multiple means of Engagement:
I am engaging students through the use of a pictured text, use of the smart
board, and a collaborative class project. This lesson is linked with our
community service project, and gets the students more engaged, because
they are them putting their knowledge to use.
Differentiation Considerations: For students with special needs and
considerations, I would have an extra body on hand for any mobility issues
(quadriplegic, or cannot grip pencil.). If the student could not independently
do the writing project, I would work to do that with them; I am always willing
to work with students that need help writing or organizing their thoughts. For
students who are not readers yet they will have the opportunity to draw what
they are thinking. Lastly, if I knew a student would not be able to sit through
the story with the group, I would make prior arrangements that day to read
the book 1:1 with the student.
Depending on the student and their circumstance this lesson can definitely
be modified to suit them. Whether they need an extra minute to work or a
hearing aide, these arrangements will be made.
Resources/Materials:
The Giving Tree, by Shel Silversteen
Crayons, pencils, colored pencils
Green construction (paper for leaves)
Brown paper from a roll, or brown paper bags (to make the tree)
Teaching Easel
Brown and green markets
Overhead projector
Support Considerations:
In the instance that there is a child that requires a para educator, they
will be there at this time. If the student is unable to safely and
responsibly with the group do the lesson, they will have an opportunity
to do it another time. However ideally, we would consider all aspects of
the lesson before getting to a crisis situation.
In the instance that there is a child that is hyperactive, we will have
staff on hand to mellow the situation, or monitor the child just to avoid
unsafe behavior.
In the instance of allergies, we would make sure that all of our
materials were safe for the student.
In the instance the student struggles with color blindness or hearing
impairment, this will be addressed prior to the day of the lesson.

Review: After implementing the lesson, take time to record notes for each of
the following items:
Overview: What actually occurred in comparison to what was
planned?
Evaluation: How well was the lesson implemented? How well did the
students achieve the learning objectives? How well did the students
demonstrate the standards?
Reflection: What points of learning will you take away from this
experience?
This lesson actually went very smoothly. This lesson has the least
technology on purpose, and I planned it that way. Truthfully, a good lesson
doesnt always need technology to be effective, hard to believe I know. This
lesson was based around the book The Giving Tree. This is a great story to
read for this type of lesson, because it simple, but also thought provoking;
which is exactly what you want when teaching young children. I think the key
to a good lesson is a simple topic, or a topic simplified, with a delivery that
still offers some room for children to independently expand: what they notice,
how it makes them feel, and so on. This lesson went very well because I
presented it in this way, and Shel Silversteens book helped with this
approach too. The book focuses mainly on a tree that gives everything it has
to the boy she loves, and never expects something in return, and what made
her happy was seeing the boy happy. This is truly what being a positive
member of a community means. I didnt so much want to teach the kids
about being nice and minding their manners, I wanted to teach them that
doing things for others didnt always get you something in return, and that it
is okay. I wanted them to see that even though the person might not directly
address the nice thing they did, it doesnt mean that it wasnt nice. This is
what my students gathered. They understood this idea of just being nice, just
because. This lesson, therefore was successful. This worked out better than I
thought on many levels because the kids were snowballing their ideas like
crazy.
The lesson was implemented well. I read and we did a lot of informal
conversation and popcorn talking. The students definitely achieved the
learning objectives, and answered the questions asked. One of my favorite
parts of this lesson was the students taking the basic examples I was
addressing and relating them to real world experiences of their own. By
doing this they addressed the standards. They understood and knew the
definitions, and with that information made further connections.
The point of learning I will take away from this experience will be will
be to never underestimate a students ability to think outside the box. And
with this being said, from the opposing side, I will never overestimate a
students ability to think. Every student is different, and as a team, every

classroom of students is different and need different things. Some highlights

my cooperating teacher mentioned was my great timing, pacing, and logical
sequence of the lesson. She enjoyed that I stopped the students for a turn
and talk, recorded ideas with them on the easel, and then sent them for a
third test of their understanding. There were three different opportunities for
the students to talk, share, and document what they thought and how they
felt. Another thing she liked was how I differentiated for different writers by
giving them multiple options for expression.
Some things she said needed some improvement was possible timing
of the day. This just happen to be a shorter block of the kids time and could
have been utilized better with 15 more minutes, or so.
Over all, this was a fun lesson to teach and went pretty smoothly.