UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan Template
Name: Stephanie Jillings Program: Elementary Education
Lesson Topic / Title: Small Memory Moments for Narrative Writing
Lesson Date: 10/16/17 Lesson Length: 47 minutes
Learning Objectives & Content Standard Alignment - Selects, creates, and sequences learning
experiences and performance tasks that support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals
based on content standards.
Learning Objective(s)
I can apply a new strategy for writing a narrative.
I can reflect on my own life and use memory moments to
support my narrative writing.
I can provide sensory details and descriptions to share
experiences and events.
Content Standard(s)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences
or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive
details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive
details, and sensory language to convey experiences and
events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults,
develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Course: EDU 450
Grade: 6
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
This lesson is appropriate because
students are learning many strategies
and techniques to add into their
writing pieces. During conferences,
many students said they struggle with
details and coming up with topics. With
this lesson, each student is expected to
reflect on their lives to support this
strategy development. This allows the
content to be relatable and engaging.
Students are also starting to learn the
importance of adding specific details to
their writing to get them ready for
point of view lessons and practice.
Specifically, sensory details.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
This standard is appropriate for the
lesson because students will be
working to meet this standard over
several weeks. The techniques and
skills they learn from each writers
workshop mini-lesson will help them to
meet this standard.
This standard is important because
students are beginning to clarify their
narratives by adding details. Many
students wrote in their writing goals
that they want to add details.
Students will be conferencing and
working in groups. This standard is
appropriate because they will be trying
new writing techniques that will need
some scaffolding.
Assessment - Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner performance
and determines best supports for continued learner growth.
Assessment Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

Pre-assessment: This pre-assessment/discussion is to

I will be pre-assessing students based on their answers
during whole-group discussion about vocabulary.
Formative assessment:
I will be observing and carefully listening to students
while participating in discussions to determine levels of
comprehension.
I will circulate the room and observe Ss conversations
while they are brainstorming and collaborating.
I will collect and review students writing to see if they
have used the topic generating strategy effectively and
provided sensory details in their writing to show what the
characters are feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling, touching,
and thinking.
make sure all students understand the
vocabulary and criteria to meet the
standards and complete the work.
I will use discussions to observe
answers from students who are willing
to share out. Ss have multiple ways of
expressing their ideas. For example,
orally, with visuals, and written. I will
be able to pinpoint misconceptions and
struggles. I will be using students
written work to provide feedback and
set up conferences.

Instructional Materials and Resources - Stays current in content knowledge and expands expertise in
reviewing instructional materials from the perspectives of both the discipline and individual learner
needs.
Materials, Resources, and / or Technology Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

Document reader Visuals/technology needed to

Copy of teaching point support Ss learning and learning style
iPads/google classroom differences and instructional support
Traffic light/self-assessment cards for ELL student.
Anchor chart Anchor chart used to collaborate and
Writing notebooks provide students with opportunity to
Writing utensils reflect and have resources moving
forward.
iPad to support student having issues
with fine motor skills.
Self-assessment to help with
classroom management and autonomy.

Instructional Methods: Selects, creates, and sequences learning experiences and performance tasks
by using a variety of instructional approaches, strategies, and technologies that make learning
accessible to all learners and support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals.
Teaching and Learning Sequence Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

5 minutes Discuss learning targets/teaching point Each day we begin the lesson with a
check-in/brainstorm/discussion about
Review previous lesson/connection to vocabulary and expectations for the
today day to prepare students for the
independent/partner/group work
Reference anchor chart following the mini-lesson.
10 minutes Mini-lesson/using memory moments in The mini-lesson provides students
Writing with an opportunity to learn and then

Demonstrate/model filling out chart
and reflecting on my life.
Discussion about chart and memory
moments.
10 minutes Students create a chart
After 5 minutes, share out ideas
Remaining Students choose a memory moment
time from chart and use as writing prompt
Conference with students during
independent writing time.
Meeting students needs (differentiation, extensions,
modifications, accommodations)
Differentiation:
Brainstorming/Sharing
Guided discussion
Process demonstration
Questioning/wait time
Teacher modeling
Creating poster/visual/anchor chart
Varied roles: an instructor, facilitator, and audience.
Ss will be able to demonstrate their ideas vocally,
through writing, and through visuals.
Examples, lists, modeling, and visuals will be used to
demonstrate and explain the activity and help students
stay organized.
Whole-group direct instruction, peer collaboration, and
individual work time.
Accommodations:
M.A. is an ELL student. Part of his RtI plan is to check-in
with him before individual work time to make sure he
understands what he is expected to do. He has difficulty
with oral directions and often needs this extra support.
B.V. has difficulty with fine motor skills, he will be able to
type his narrative on his iPad.
J.C. gets severe headaches and because of this she has
difficulty staying on task and reading. She will be with a
partner who can do the reading if her head is hurting too
much. However, I will also make sure to turn the lights off
to help with the headaches and provide her with a colored
overlay to help dim the brightness of the paper.
practice new skills and techniques to
improve their own narrative writing.
Demonstrating and modeling helps
students understand the expectations
and puts it into context for them. It
supports autonomy for student
learning.
Check-in and sharing are expected to
support each other in understanding
the content and providing perspective
about the topic.
Goals are written to help students
focus on two specific details of their
writing they would like to improve.
This helps students stay organized and
meeting the standards.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
These multiple roles will provide Ss
with encouragement, support, and
independence throughout the lesson.
Some Ss will be able to explain
themselves better in written form than
orally and vice versa. Creating visuals
helps students to clarify their
information and meet the learning
targets.
Most of the Ss in this block are visual
and auditory learners. Visuals supports
Ss ability to absorb the information.
The variety of groupings benefit all Ss
depending on what style they are more
productive/comfortable with. Peer
support allow Ss to see other
connections and ideas.
Sharing and brainstorming give
students time to formulate ideas and
opinions and see other perspectives
about the topic of discussion.
Goal setting helps students focus on
only a couple of things they would like
to improve on in their next writing
piece. This helps students stay
organized, focused, and prevents them
from feeling overwhelmed. In this
lesson, students are expected to
implement their goals in their writing.
Reflection

I can apply a new strategy, such as creating a chart, for writing a narrative.
Meets: 9
Partially Meets: 0
Does Not Meet: 2

I can reflect on my own life and use memory moments to support my narrative writing.
Meets: 4
Partially Meets: 7
Does Not Meet: 0

I can provide sensory details and descriptions to share experiences and events.
Meets: 0
Partially Meets: 6
Does Not Meet: 5

Most students are still struggling with memory moments in their writing and providing sensory
details. These two targets go hand in hand. Students who have only partially met the second target
did not focus on one specific memory moment, rather, they shared an experience they had many
times (such as going to a particular beach). Therefore, these students also only partially met the
third target. If students are writing about a broad idea that they have experienced many times, they
are not focusing on the specific memory of one specific time and in turn, they are not providing those
sensory details that would help the reader experience the event the way the narrator had. Those
students who did not meet the first target did not complete a chart.

Since many students are still having a lot of trouble with details and memory moments, I will need to
incorporate this review or some conversation during conference time. Some students arent even
writing narratives anymore. Instead, they are listing events in sequence without any details. These
students will be tagged during academic support time, and I will re-teach the concept, show more
examples, and have a conversation with the smaller group.

Most students are taking advantage of the topic generating strategies. I think a strong point in this
lesson is modeling to students how to fill out the chart by reflecting on my own life. This helps them
when filling in their charts on their own. However, students spend too much time with this process
and not enough time writing. I will need to make some changes. Perhaps students will be given a
specific amount of time to work on brainstorming and then are required to start writing after 10
minutes or so.

Teaching Standards and Rationale

Standard #1 Learner Development

The teacher understands how students learn and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and
development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and
physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning
experiences.

This standard means that the teacher understands that all students are at different levels of
development, whether that is physically, mentally, or cognitively. The teacher gains this knowledge
through assessments, observations, and getting to know students and uses this information to create
lessons that are appropriate to students levels, while also trying to challenge learners with effective
lessons and activities.

1(h) Respects learners differing strengths and needs and is committed to using this information to
further each learners development.

In this lesson, I used the students independent writing time to quickly conference with each of them.
This is something that I have just started doing for the TWS lessons only. I have found it to be very
helpful for both myself and the students. We often talk about topics such as, what their favorite
writing piece is, what they are proud of, what they may still be struggling with, what they want to
learn how to do, or just to check in with them about writing goals or the assignment at hand.

Standard #8 Instructional Strategies

The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to
develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to access and
appropriately apply information.

This standard means that the teacher can effectively provide instruction that helps all students reach
goals and targets. The teacher is knowledgeable about different instructional strategies and reflects
on how they affect student learning. The teacher can provide learning experiences that engage all
students and encourage learner growth.

8 (h) Uses a variety of instructional strategies to support and expand learners' communication
through speaking, listening, reading, writing, and other modes.

I use many instructional strategies in this lesson. For example, Read-aloud, brainstorming, sharing,
guided discussion, questioning, wait time, modeling, process demonstration, goal setting, visual
creations, varied roles, direct instruction, and groupings. Some of these instructional strategies even
give students the opportunity to communicate in many ways through writing, reading, speaking,
and listening. Implementing conferencing into the lesson is one instructional strategy where
students can practice communicating about their writing and become comfortable with reflecting on
their strengths and weaknesses.
Student Artifact #1 Memory Moment/Target 2: (Meets)
Student Artifact #2 Sensory details/Targets 2 & 3: (Does not meet, yet)