Ver. 4.

001 08/22/14

Lesson Plan Template

First Name

Vera

Last Name

Lin

UH Email

veralin@hawaii.edu

Date

December 4, 2014

Semester

Fall

Year

2014

Grade
Level/Subject

45 minutes
Kindergarten

Title

Lesson Duration

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems

Lesson Overview
Mo Willems writes fictional stories about a pigeon. His stories are hilarious and the
students will love it. Students will listen to the Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
and compose a opinion piece of what their ideal pet is. Students will write their opinion
piece by drawing, dictating, and writing.
Central Focus (Enduring Understandings)
The purpose of this lesson is for students to organize their thoughts and write an
opinion piece. Students will understand an opinion piece is a preference that they need
to support with evidence. Students will be able to develop skills to express their opinion
or feelings and organize their opinion.
Essential Question(s)
What is an opinion?
What is a fact?
What is fiction?
Why do you believe that....
What is a reason..
Why do you feel that
Why do you think.
Content Standard(s)/Benchmark
CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.K.1
Useacombinationofdrawing,dictating,andwritingtocomposeopinionpiecesinwhichthey
tellareaderthetopicorthenameofthebooktheyarewritingaboutandstateanopinionor
preferenceaboutthetopicorbook(e.g.,Myfavoritebookis...).

Prior Academic Knowledge and Student Assets

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Students should know how to draw and/or write. As a community the students should
know a variety of animals and be able to discuss it as a group.
Prior academic learning: According to recent student writing/performance data, students
are able to express their ideas in writing or through drawing. Most students are able to
write sentences using inventive spelling, starting sentences with capital letters and
ending with a period.
Personal/cultural/community assets: Students have some experience discussing and
reading about a variety of animals. Students frequently read books about animals during
silent reading or class discussions. We will use their prior experience in this lesson.

Academic Language Demands

The following vocabulary words are associated with this lesson:
opinion
evidence
explain
reason
fact
fiction
To support students to meet the language demands of this lesson, I will use the
language during the discussion. Anchor charts will be used and students will practice
oral language.
Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks
Teacher Will:

Student will:

Read aloud The Pigeon wants a Puppy to Listen to the story

the class.
Summarize story by Discussing the
Explain chorally a few examples from the
following questions:
story.
What type of animal did the pigeon
want?
How was the pigeon going to take
care of the puppy?
What did he think puppies can do?
What did the puppy look like?

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Academic Language Demands
Discuss with students orally the meaning of Students will turn to a partner to share one
fact and opinion as shown on the anchor idea about what a fact is. The partner will
chart. Explain that a fact is something you share one idea about what an opinion is.
can prove to be either true or false. You
Identify the differences between
cannot change a fact and an opinion is how fact/opinion.
a person or thing feels about something.
You can change an opinion.
Read aloud a sentence sample sentence
from the chart. Ask students if it is a fact or
an opinion and to respond with a thumbs
up.

Student will respond with their fingers

thumbs up if they think the sentence is a
fact, hands down, then thumbs up if they
think the sentence is an opinion.

Cats are animals.

My mom thinks cats are hard to hold.
Most birds can fly.
I think birds are silly.
Pets are friendly.
Pets are playful.
Bats are nocturnal.
Explain to the students orally the learning
target is to write an opinion paper.

Recognize the task and refer to the

discussion on fact/opinion. Students will
restate the task.

Have a class discussion of different

Dictate the animals theyre interested in as
animals they could draw and record
teacher writes it on a chart.
responses. Prompt students with an
example from The Pigeon wants a Puppy. Choose a pet/animal they wish they had.
Ask students to turn to their partner and tell Student will take turns sharing their ideas to
their partner which animal/pet they will
their partner.
write about and the reasons why they
choose their animal/pet.
Show students a thinking map chart that I Observe the teacher and giving input when
will be modeling for them.
teacher asks.

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Academic Language Demands
Remind students how to write a sentence Sing the song.
by reviewing and singing their sentence
song with them. I begin my sentence with
a capital letter and end it with a period...
Repeat the learning target is to write an
opinion with reason/evidence.

Go back to their desks and begin to write

their opinion.

Explain to students that they must state

their opinion that explains why, and give
one reasons why this animal is the best.

Give examples of reasons why they choose

the animal or why its the best.

Use the characters from the story to model Tell in own words what their idea pet is by
on the Elmo for students how to write an drawing and putting details that will match
opinion statement about what animal they their sentence. They may start their
believe would make a good pet. For
sentence off with I want a...because...
example, I will draw a puppy giving the
pigeon a piggy back ride. I will start off my
sentence with I want a Puppy... because it
can give me piggy back rides.
Close the lesson by asking students to
color their pets with at least 4 colors.

Draw and color their pictures.

Assessment
Developing

Meets

Advanced

Write does not have an or

the opinion is unclear.

Writing includes an opinion

statement.

Writing includes an opinion

that is strong, clear and
memorable.

Writing does include a

reason or reason is
unclear.

Writing includes a reason

for the opinion.

Writing includes more than

one reason that uses
unique and clear language.

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Developing
Writing does not focus on
the assigned topic.

Meets
Writing is focused on the
topic or prompt.

Sentences do not start with Sentences start with

a capital letter.
capital letters and end with
a period.

Advanced
Writing is focus on the topic
and elaborates with
relevant details.
Sentences start with capital
letters and end with a
period or other appropriate
punctuation.

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Differentiation and Accommodations

Students who are struggling may get help from teachers to spell and sounding out
words by blending sounds. If writing is too difficult, students may just draw their picture
and reasons and retell what they drew to the teacher.
Students who are accelerated, may have an option to think of a third reason on why
their pet is the best, and/or have a worksheet that has no prompts already written down
for them.
Materials (Optional)
Please note and/or paste any supporting materials (i.e., teaching materials,
custom lesson plans, etc.) into the space below. You may use as many pages
as needed beyond the space below to paste your materials.
Anchor charts
Lesson plan
Markers
Worksheets
The story The Pigeon wants a Puppy
Chart paper

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List the type of accommodation or differentiation (learning
TYPE OF LEARNER environment, content, process, or performance task) and
describe how you will differentiate.
Not applicable at this time.
ELL/MLL

Struggling

Students my just draw pictures and have help sounding out

words for spelling.

Accelerated

Students can have three reasons to write instead of two.

Students may also have a worksheet without the prompts.

504/IEP

Others (describe)

Not applicable at this time.

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Lesson Plan Reflection
An analysis of what worked, what could be changed, and the next steps for
teaching.
edTPA Rubric 10 Analyzing Teaching Effectiveness: The candidate uses
evidence to evaluate and change teaching practice to meet students varied learning
needs.
edTPA Rubric 15 Using Assessment to Inform Instruction: The candidate
uses the analysis of what students know and are able to do to plan next steps in
instruction.
InTASC Standard 9. Professional Learning and Ethical Practice

What changes would you make to your instructionfor the whole class and/or for
students who need greater support or challengeto better support student
learning of the central focus (e.g., missed opportunities)?
Based on your reflection and your assessment of student learning, describe the
next steps to support students learning related to the central focus and student
learning objectives.