REISNER, R.
Monday
 Book: Santa Who? by
(Expository)
 Book: Christmas Around
the World by Mary D.
Lankford (Expository)
 Graphic Organizer about
the History of Santa (4)
 List of words to blend (in
the daily sequence
section of the lesson plan
– PA section)
 Lined pieces of paper (4)
 Word rating handout (4)
 Blank paper for word
maps (4)
 Evaluation checklist
The week at a glance…
Materials
Tuesday Wednesday
 Book: Going Home by  Book: Christmas
Eve Bunting (Narrative) Tapestry by Patricia
 Book: Christmas Around Polacco (Narrative)
the World by Mary D.  Book: Christmas Around
Lankford (Expository) the World by Mary D.
 List of words to identify Lankford (Expository)
sounds (in the daily  List of words to segment
sequence of the lesson (in the daily sequence of
plan – PA section) the lesson plan – PA
 Rhyming words to sort section)
 Venn diagrams (4)  List of words with
 Evaluation checklist prefixes and suffixes (in
the daily sequence of the
lesson plan)
 Handout for
comprehension strategies
and group discussion
notes (4)
 Strategy anchor chart –
written on chart paper
 Map of Memphis to
Detroit
 Dictionaries (4)
 Evaluation checklist
Thursday
 Book: Christmas Carol by
Charles Dickens
(Narrative)
 Book: Christmas Around
the World by Mary D.
Lankford (Expository)
 Colored blocks
 Lined pieces of paper (8)
 One page for writing
dictated words
 One page for the
Scrooge summary
 List of words with long
vowel/silent –e pattern (in
the daily sequence of the
lesson plan - Phonics)
 Vocabulary words for A
Christmas Carol
 Evaluation checklist
Friday
 Book: Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
(Narrative)
 Book: Christmas Around
the World by Mary D.
Lankford (Expository)
 List of words to delete
phonemes (in the daily
sequence of the lesson
plan – PA section)
 Word slips
 Scissors (4)
 Lined pieces of paper (4)
 Evaluation checklist
REISNER, R.
Monday
PA: (1) blend segmented
words orally with 100%
accuracy
PH: (1) correctly spell
teacher-dictated words with
consonant blends on a piece
of paper with 95% accuracy
RC: (1) fill out a graphic
organizer showing the
progression of the history of
Santa with 95% accuracy
V: (1) rate 4 words on a
scale of 1-5 how familiar
Daily Objectives: Students will be able to…
Tuesday
PA: (1) identify the same
sound heard when given 4
words by the teacher with
100% accuracy
PH: (1) sort words that
rhyme with 100% accuracy
(2) explain orally what part
rhymes with 100% accuracy
RC: (1) complete (3 things
in each section) a Venn
diagram comparing and
contrasting the way
Christmas is celebrated in
Mexico and the way they
(the student) celebrates
Christmas with 100%
accuracy
V: (1) correctly use
hand/body motions taught
Wednesday
PA: (1) segment (orally)
words with 2-4 syllables
with 100% accuracy
PH: (1) generalize that
prefixes and suffixes are
usually their own syllable
(2) divide words with
prefixes and suffixes into
syllables in writing with
100% accuracy
RC: (1) compare and
contrast with a small group
the different strategies for
comprehension used
(2) explain to their small
group how their
comprehension strategy
impacted their
understanding of the text
V: (1) use 2 of the RC
strategies explicitly taught
Thursday
PA: (1) represent the
phonemes in words with
blocks with 100% accuracy
PH: (1) correctly write
teacher-dictated words that
have a long vowel and silent
–e pattern with 100%
accuracy
(2) identify orally how
many syllables are in the
words they wrote with
100% accuracy
RC: (1) summarize
Scrooge’s initial attitude
towards Christmas with
evidence from the text in an
independent writing
V: (1) identify synonyms
(as a whole class group) for
2
Friday
PA: (1) replace the final
phoneme of a word orally
with 100% accuracy
(2) replace the medial
phoneme of a word orally
with 100% accuracy
PH: (1) separate the onset
and the rime by cutting
word cards apart with 95%
accuracy
RC: (1) students
individually generate 2
questions they have about
what has been read so far in
A Christmas Carol to be
used in a class discussion
V: (1) Participate in a class
discussion about A
REISNER, R.
they are with Christmas-
related words given by the
teacher (2) create a web of
words that come to mind
when given 4 different
words by the teacher
F: (1) Cold read of Mexico
from the book Christmas
Around the World
(2) identify the noun in the
previous sentence that the
pronoun is modifying by
telling the teacher with
100% accuracy
Monday
PA: Orally in a group;
blend syllable-segmented
words
Exercises:
Model: tradition, jolly
Group Practice: Santa,
turkey, ornament
Independent Practice:
by the teacher to explain
what connecting words
(often but not always with
independent and dependent
clauses) in the text do to a
sentence (ex. but or and)
F: (1) reread the passage
about Mexico to the teacher
one more time after the
teacher has read the passage
aloud to the whole group to
model prosody
Daily Sequence of Instructional Activities
Tuesday
PA: Orally in a group;
students identify the same
sound they hear in 4 words
given by the teacher
Exercises:
Model: chair-teach-chess-
reach
Group Practice: sweater-
by the teacher to better
define unknown words in
the book: Christmas
Tapestry (2) create as a
class a definition for at least
3 of the unknown words
F: (1) Cold read of
Ethiopia from the book
Christmas Around the
World with appropriate
pauses at commas with
100% accuracy
Wednesday
PA: Orally in a group;
segment words with 2-4
syllables into parts
Exercises:
Model: chimney, Frosty,
Group Practice:
gingerbread, ivy
Independent Practice:
10 new vocabulary words
that will be encountered in
the new text (A Christmas
Carol) with 100% accuracy
(2) individually write 10
sentences including the new
vocabulary terms in the
correct context with 95%
accuracy
F: (1) using the text about
Ethiopia, from the book
Christmas Around the
World, explain the role of
appositives aloud to the
teacher with 100% accuracy
(2) read appositives with
appropriate prosody to the
teacher
Thursday
PA: Using colored blocks;
represent the phonemes in
words
Exercises:
Model: skate, log
Group Practice: lights,
sled
Independent Practice:
3
Christmas Carol and use at
least 4 vocabulary words
learned this week in the
correct context
F: (1) Cold read of
Australia from Christmas
Around the World to the
teacher with appropriate
prosody
(2) whole class choral
reading of the Mexico
passage with appropriate
prosody
Friday
PA: Orally in a group;
replace the final phoneme of
a word and then replace the
medial phoneme of a word
Exercises:
Model: hot-hat-had
Group Practice: mit-man-
REISNER, R.
cider, mittens, season,
carol, chimney, candle,
festive, candy
PH: Individually on their
paper, students correctly
spell teacher-dictated words
with consonant blends
Words for teacher to
dictate:
space, brown, train, score,
flame, crash, great, drift,
street, frost
V: (1) students rate 4 words
on a scale of 1-5 how
familiar they are
(2) teacher dictates 4 words
and students create a web of
swallow-sweater-sweets;
shock-wash-crush-shack
Independent
Practice: fear-sphere-
reindeer-near; jolly-garage-
jelly-jingle; stuff-frosty-
ghost-star
PH: individually sort words
that rhyme and explain
orally what part rhymes
Exercises:
Model: state-skate;
Group Practice: sliding-
riding; night-bright
Independent Practice:
tomato-potato; snow-grow;
treat-great; Prancer-Dancer;
toy-joy; mouse-house
V: teacher demonstrates
hand/body motions to
explain connecting words
*Teacher reads: Going
Home
celebration, greetings,
vacation, joyful, evergreen,
jingle, together, family
PH: teacher gives students a
list of words and shows how
they are divided into
syllables leading the
students to generalize that
prefixes and suffixes are
usually their own syllable;
individually divide words
with prefixes and suffixes
into syllables
Exercises:
Group Practice: defrost,
expert, musical
Independent Practice:
display, excellent,
friendship, edible,
incredible, embrace, defrost,
playful, happily,
enchantment
*read aloud Christmas
Tapestry and model
comprehension strategies
V: students independently
use 2 of the RC strategies
chilly, feast, hope, coal,
tree, cookie, holly, eve
PH: Individually on their
paper, students correctly
write teacher-dictated words
that have a long vowel and
silent –e pattern and identify
orally how many syllables
are in the words they wrote
Exercises:
Model: home, chime
Group Practice: smile,
white, shine
Independent Practice:
bite, ripe, tape, page, dime,
same, crane, cake, rose, kite
V: whole class develops a
list of synonyms for 10 of
the new vocabulary words
that will be encountered in
the new text, A Christmas
Carol
4
mad
Independent Practice:
shell-shall-shack; home-
ham-hat; run-ran-rap; top-
tap-tan; pop-pot-pit
PH: students cut apart slips
of paper with words on
them to separate the onset
and the rime
Exercises:
Model: doll
Group Practice: cookie,
snow
Independent Practice:
couch, dinner, family,
winner, coal, deer, break,
goal
*finish reading A Christmas
Carol
RC: students individually
generate 2 questions they
have about A Christmas
Carol to be used in a class
REISNER, R. 5

words that come to mind
when given each word
Words: tradition, holiday,
gift, Christmas
RC: students fill out a
graphic organizer showing
the progression of the
history of Santa while
teacher reads Santa Who?
aloud
F: (1) students individual
have a cold read of Mexico
from the book Christmas
Around the World with the
teacher (2) whole group
works together with the
teacher to identify the nouns
in the previous sentence that
the pronoun is modifying
*teacher reads the Mexico
passage from Christmas
Around the World to model
prosody to the whole class
F: students individually
read the same passage to the
teacher using the same
prosody
RC: students independently
complete (3 things in each
section) a Venn diagram
comparing and contrasting
the way Christmas is
celebrated in Mexico and
the way they (the student)
celebrates Christmas
explicitly taught by the discussion
teacher to better define V: students use those 10
unknown words in the book: vocabulary words V: whole class participates
Christmas Tapestry with a in a discussion about A
appropriately in 10 original
graphic organizer Christmas Carol and each
sentences student uses at least 4
RC: students grouped in vocabulary words learned
*read first half of A this week in the correct
small groups compare and
Christmas Carol context
contrast the different
strategies they used for RC: students independently F: (1) students individually
comprehension and explain write a summary of read cold passage about
their thinking Scrooge’s initial attitude
Australia from Christmas
towards Christmas with
evidence from the text Around the World to the
F: students read together
teacher with appropriate
with the teacher the
Ethiopia passage with F: (1) Teacher explains prosody (2) whole class
appositives (2) using the does a choral reading of the
appropriate pauses at the
commas text about Ethiopia, from Mexico passage with the
the book Christmas Around appropriate prosody
the World, students read the
appositives with appropriate
prosody

Daily Evaluation Procedures

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

PA: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate what percent of the
segmented words were
blended correctly
PA: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate (1) if the correct
sound is given or (2) what
sound the child gives (if
incorrect)
PA: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate how the students
segmented the words into
syllables
PA: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate how many blocks
the students used to
represent the phonemes
PA: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate (1) the new word
the child says when the
medial sound is changed
and (2) the new word the
REISNER, R.
PH: (1) students write down
the dictated words on their
own papers which the
teacher evaluates at a later
time (2) teacher walks
around the room to monitor
and observe while reading
aloud the words
V: teacher walks around the
room to make informal
observations about (1) how
much students know about
the vocabulary words (at
least 3 connections for each
word is mastery for this
activity) (2) what kind of
connections students make
with the given words
RC: teacher fills out a
graphic organizer with the
students (everyone has their
own organizer) while
reading aloud Santa Who?
F: (1) teacher keeps running
record for each individual
student on a cold read of the
passage (2) teacher makes
informal observations about
students’ participation in
identifying pronouns
PH: students sort rhyming
words, and the teacher
writes down observations
about their rationale
V: (1) teacher takes
observational notes about
students’ participation in the
hand motions with the
vocabulary words (2)
teacher fills out an
evaluation checklist
indicating if students can
name a synonym for the
connecting words
RC: teacher walks around
room to (1) make sure there
are three things in each
section of the Venn
Diagram and (2) students
are using information about
Mexico found in the book
F: teacher observes if the
students are participating in
the choral read aloud to
practice prosody
PH: (1) teacher walks
around the classroom to
informally observe how
students are dividing words
with prefixes and suffixes
into syllables (2) teacher
evaluates students’ work at
a later time
V: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate if the students used
the two comprehension
strategies correctly
RC: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate (1) if students
contribute to the group
discussion and (2) if the
students’ rationale shows
thought
F: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate if the students
participated in the whole
class reading and paused at
the commas
PH: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate if the students
spelled the words correctly
and (2) if the student wrote
the correct number of
syllables
V: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate if (1) the student
participated in the
conversation about
synonyms and (2) the
student used the vocabulary
words appropriately in the
sentences
RC: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate if (1) student used
text-evidence to support
their answer
F: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate if student
participates in the whole
class reading with the
appropriate prosody for
appositives
6
child says when the final
sound is changed
PH: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate if the students
correctly divided the onset
and rime
RC: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate if the student (1)
wrote two questions about
the book (2) demonstrated
thoughtfulness about their
questions
V: teacher fills out the
evaluation checklist to
indicate if the student used
four vocabulary words in
the correct context during
the class discussion
F: teacher keeps running
record for each individual
student on a cold read of the
passage (2) teacher makes
informal observations about
students’ participation in
reading the text together
REISNER, R.
Monday
PA: student blends 8
segmented words correctly
with 100% accuracy
PH: student correctly write
10 teacher-dictated words
on their own papers with
95% accuracy
V: student writes at least 3
logical connections for each
of the four words given by
the teacher
RC: student fills out their
graphic organizer while the
teacher is reading the text
aloud with 95% accuracy
F: (1) student reads 140
words per minute on the
cold read (2) student can tell
the noun that a pronoun
modifies 4 out of 5 times
Mastery Criteria: Students meeting expectations will…
Tuesday
PA: student identifies the
same sound they hear in a
four-word pair with 100%
accuracy
PH: (1) student sort
rhyming words with 100%
accuracy (2) student can
identify what parts of the
words rhyme with 100%
accuracy
V: can articulate a synonym
of all connecting words
discussed with 100%
accuracy
RC: student has 3 (logical)
things in each section of the
Venn diagram
F: student reads the passage
with 95% the same prosody
as the teacher
Wednesday
PA: student orally segments
at least 3 words into
syllables with 100%
accuracy
PH: student writes down
teacher-dictated words and
divides them into syllables
with 100% accuracy
V: student uses 2 strategies
with 100% accuracy to
develop definitions for 2
unknown words/phrases
RC: student can articulate
(so that others can
comprehend) how they
understand the unknown
word/phrase based on the
strategy they used
F: student reads the passage
along with the teacher with
95% the same prosody
Thursday
PA: student represents the
correct number of blocks
(representing phonemes) for
the given words with 100%
accuracy
PH: (1) student
appropriately spells 90% of
the long vowel and silent –e
pattern dictated by the
teacher (2) student can
separate the same words
into syllables with 100%
accuracy
V: (1) student contributes to
the conversation about
synonyms for the new
vocabulary words (2)
student uses the 10 new
vocabulary words in 10
original sentences with 95%
accuracy
RC: student writes a short
piece (5 or more sentences)
describing Scrooge’s initial
attitude towards Christmas
with text evidence
F: (1) student can articulate
what an appositive is/ how
7
Friday
PA: (1) student replaces the
final phoneme of teacher-
dictated words with 100%
accuracy (2) student
replaces the medial
phoneme of teacher-dictated
words with 100% accuracy
PH: student divides onsets
and rimes of words with
95% accuracy
V: student uses 4 new
vocabulary words in the
correct context during the
class discussion with 100%
accuracy
RC: student writes 2
questions they have about A
Christmas Carol
F: (1) student reads 155
words per minute on the
cold read (2) student reads
the passage with the whole
class with 100% appropriate
prosody
REISNER, R.
Monday
PA: student will receive
further examples and
teacher-modeling for
blending segmented words
PH: student struggling to
spell blends will receive
further direct instruction on
the various blends and their
spellings
V: students unable to
develop connections on
their own will receive
immediate prompting
questions from the teacher
to help guide the student to
make the connections
RC: student unable to
complete the graphic
organizer while the teacher
is reading will result in the
teacher talking breaks after
each page for the student to
Instructional Decision: Students not meeting mastery criteria for…
Tuesday
PA: student will receive
further examples and
teacher-modeling for
discerning similarities and
differences in words with
the same sounds
PH: (1) student unable to
sort the rhyming words will
receive words that have the
same spelling rhyming
patterns and direct
instruction that similar
spellings usually rhyme
V: student unable to come
up with a synonym can (1)
work with a partner or (2)
use a thesaurus
RC: student unable to
complete the diagram will
receive prompting questions
from the teacher to guide
Wednesday
PA: student will receive
further examples and
teacher-modeling for
segmenting words into
syllables
PH: student unable to
divide words into syllables
will receive teacher-
modeling and further
practice dividing words into
syllables
V: student will work with a
partner to use a strategy to
define an unknown word
RC: using the strategies
appropriately might need
further instruction and
practice on just one or two
strategies at a time (to better
understand how to use
them); further instruction
should be done in
it functions in the sentence
(2) student reads the
passages with appropriate
prosody for the appositives
with 100% accuracy
Thursday
PA: student will receive
further examples and
teacher-modeling for
understanding and
representing phonemes in
words
PH: (1) student unable to
spell the long vowel and
silent –e pattern will receive
direct instruction and
teacher modeling for the
spelling pattern and further
practice to better understand
the spelling generalization
V: (1) student unable to
generate their own
sentences will work with a
partner to develop sentences
together (2) teacher will
provide immediate feedback
and more examples of how
the words can be used in
sentences
8
Friday
PA: student will receive
further examples and
teacher-modeling for
replacing the final and/or
medial phoneme of a word
PH: student unable to
divide words into onsets and
rimes will work with the
teacher on examples before
working independently with
teacher observation and
feedback
V: (1) student unable to
participate in the
conversation with new
vocabulary words on their
own will receive questions
from the teacher that prompt
them to participate and use
the new words (2) student
using the new word(s)
inappropriately in context
will receive immediate
REISNER, R.
have a few seconds of
uninterrupted think time
F: (1) non-compliant
behavior will follow an “if-
then” pattern for future
fluency practices and (2)
student who is unable to
identify the noun-pronoun
relationship will receive
direct instruction and have
opportunities to practice
with teacher-
direction/support
thinking during the read
aloud
F: (1) non-compliant
behavior will follow an “if-
then” pattern for future
fluency practices and (2)
inability to participate in the
class choral reading will
result in the student doing a
reading one-on-one with the
teacher to practice prosody
meaningful contexts (such
as another book in the unit)
F: (1) non-compliant
behavior will follow an “if-
then” pattern for future
fluency practices and (2)
forgetting to stop at the
commas will result in
further practice with shorter
passages that have commas
RC: student unable to write
about Scrooge’s initial
attitude will receive
question prompts from the
teacher to help the student
develop their thoughts and
writing
F: (1) non-compliant
behavior will follow an “if-
then” pattern for future
fluency practices and (2)
inappropriate prosody with
appositives will result in
further teacher-modeling
and practice (students can
also practice with a partner
as the teacher observes)
9
feedback from the teacher
explaining the incorrect
usage and supporting the
student using the word
appropraitely
RC: (1) student who is
unable to come up with
questions on their own, they
can work with a partner to
talk about what they do and
do not understand to come
up with questions together
(2) direct instruction from
the teacher on self-
regulation /self-questioning
strategies to use while
reading
F: (1) non-compliant
behavior will follow an “if-
then” pattern for future
fluency practices and (2)
inability to participate in the
class choral reading will
result in the student doing a
reading one-on-one with the
teacher to practice prosody
REISNER, R. 10

Phonics and Phonological Awareness Daily Lesson Plan - Monday

Lesson Components Description

Identification of the Class Subject: ELA

(Subject, Population of Students, Grade, Population of Students: Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in reading – very good decoding skills;
Number of Students) very poor comprehension skills

Grade: 4th

Number of Students: 4

Rationale for Instruction Topic: Phonological awareness - blend segmented words orally

Phonics – spelling words with consonant blends

Standard:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.Foundatinoal Skills. Phonics and word recognition. 3. Know and apply

grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Rationale:

The purpose of this phonological awareness and phonics instruction is to review and/or
remediate skills the students should have learned in earlier grade. In the event that one or more
of the students did not receive instruction in one of these areas, direct instruction of the skill
will be needed. Phonological awareness and phonics skills are foundational for reading success.
Blending is taught first at the beginning of the week because blending is an easier skill than
segmenting. Segmenting is done later in the week. I planned for these skills to also tie into the
Christmas theme so that each part of the lesson is tied into the overall theme. It helps give
context and meaning for these skills. It also makes it fun especially if these are easy skills the
students have already learned and are just reviewing.
REISNER, R. 11

Daily Objectives Students will be able to:

PH: (1) Blend segmented words orally with 100% accuracy

PA: (1) Correctly spell teacher-dictated words with consonant blends on a piece of paper with 95%
accuracy

Materials - Lined pieces of paper (one for each student) – 4

- Pencils – 4
- List of words to blend together (included in the lesson script)
- Story that sets up the blending activity (included in the lesson script)
- Evaluation checklist

Introduction (1-2 min): “This week we’re going to have a unit on Christmas because it is almost time
for Christmas break! We will start talking about Christmas today by blending segmented words.”

Blending Segmented Words

Lesson adapted from the following book:

Adams, M., Foorman, B., Lundberg, I. & Beeler, T. (1997). Phonemic awareness in young children: A
classroom curriculum (13th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Activity 6E: Toll Talk1: Syllables

Modeling (3 min):

“I am going to show you two examples of our activity for the day before I tell you a story about some
elves.”

“If I hear the separate sounds ‘tra-di-tion’. I know that is not a word when it is broken up like that. The
way the word is broken up is by syllables. So if I want to know what the word is, I blend the sounds of
the words together like this….” Blend the syllables in the word ‘tradition’ to show how it goes from
segmented syllables to the word.
Phonological Awareness
“I’m going to demonstrate another example. If I hear the syllables ‘jo-lly’, I know that I have to figure
REISNER, R. 12

Instructional Sequence out what the word is by blending together the sounds I heard from the syllables. I start by saying the
sounds slowly and then more quickly until I have the word. Listen while I show you how.” Demonstrate
15 min how to say the syllables slow and then quicker to blend the sounds and get the word ‘jolly’.

Guided Practice (5 min):

“I mentioned a few minutes ago that I would tell you a story about some elves. Sit quietly and listen
while I tell you the story because it has to do with our activity of blending segmented syllables. Here we
go…”

“One evening many years ago, Santa was sitting in his workshop. Just last week, a young boy had
pretended to be an elf so he could get into the area where the toys were made. Nobody discovered the
imposter until they returned the next day to find the boy missing along with some of the toys made the
previous day. Santa had to make sure this did not happen again. He needed to have a special code so
only the true elves could get into the workshop. It was important that the children waited until
Christmas to be surprised by their presents. That is when Santa came up with the plan. He would give
each of the elves a code at the door. If the elf could guess the word Santa was saying, he would know
they were legitimate and could be let into the workshop.”

“The way Santa gave the code was by saying words that were broken down into syllables. I modeled
how to do this before the story, and now we will practice some together. I will give the code like Santa
would, and you will be the elves trying to get into the workshop. Ready?”

“Repeat the broken down word I say and then blend the syllables together.”

Do the activity all together for the following words (first broken down into syllables and then blended
into the words):

Santa, Turkey, Ornament

Independent Practice (7 min):

“Now that we have practiced several words together, you are going to have the chance to crack the code
on your own. I will give each of you several words. When I say the words, they will be broken down
REISNER, R. 13

into syllables. Each of you will get 3 words. We will take turns.”

“___(student’s name)___ , you will get the first word. The first code is ‘ci-der’.

Time permitting: each student should receive 3 words.

Words:

1. Cider 7. Festive
2. Mittens 8. Candy
3. Season 9. Present
4. Carol 10. Celebration
5. Chimney 11. Chocolate
6. Candle 12. Stocking

Closure: “You each did a phenomenal job blending the segmented syllables together to make words.
Thank you for listening well when I was giving you the code and being quiet while your classmates were
cracking their codes.”

Next Step: “We’re going to keep with the Christmas theme. I have a pencil and piece of paper for each
of you to use for our next activity.”

Pass out the paper and pencils.

Introduction (1 min) : “In our last activity, you had to listen closely to the code I gave you. In this
activity, you will also need to listen closely so that you can spell the words I say correctly.”

Modeling (5 min):

“We are talking about blends now. I know you have heard about blends before. Our blends today are
going to be consonants. With consonant blends we have two or three consonants together. Even though
the sounds are blended together, you can still hear the individual letter sounds. That is what makes a
blend different than a digraph, but let’s focuses on the consonant blends today.”

“I’m going to start with an example. I will say the word, and then I will use the word in the sentence. I
REISNER, R. 14

Phonics will show you on the board what I am thinking. Let’s say the first word is ‘snow’. The sentence I would
say is: ‘I hope we get a lot of snow this year so we can get out of school’. So if I am the student and I
hear the word ‘snow’ the first things I am going to think of are the sounds I hear. I hear a blend at the
Instructional Sequence beginning of the word. It seems to be a blend of the sounds /s/ and /n/. I know that the sound /s/ is the
letter ‘s’ and the sound /n/ is the letter ‘n’. I am going to write those two letters down because those are
15 min the beginning of the word ‘snow’. The next sound I hear is a long ‘o’, so I will write that letter down.
The final sound I hear is /w/ and I know that is the sound ‘w’ makes. Now this word was pretty easy to
sound out. There might be some other phonics rules you have to use when you are spelling. Every
sound you hear might not correspond to one letter, but you get the idea based on that example. To check
that my spelling makes sense, I am going to sound out what I wrote and see if it makes sense for the
word ‘snow’.” Sound out the letters you wrote on the board to confirm that it does make sense for the
word ‘snow’.

“Let’s go ahead and begin. I will say the word and then use it in a sentence. Do your best to spell the
word correctly.”

Independent Practice (9 min):

Dictate the following words, pausing between each one to give the student time to write. Walk around
the room to monitor their work.

1. Space – Will there be enough space for our Christmas tree in our new house this year?
2. Brown – I want a brown puppy this year as a present.
3. Train – Don’t forget to put the train up around the Christmas tree.
4. Score – I hope I score a lot of presents this Christmas.
5. Flame – Put out the flame in the fireplace so Santa can visit tonight.
6. Crash – Rudolf’s noes will help guide the way so we do not crash.
7. Great – Christmas is a great time of year.
8. Drift – Make sure the harnesses on the reindeer are tight so they do not drift when they are
flying.
9. Street – The street was empty because everyone was inside opening presents.
10. Frost – I had to scrape the frost from my windshield this morning.
REISNER, R. 15

Closure: “I am very proud of every one of you and your hard work today. I mentioned it earlier, but
you all are doing a fantastic job listening to what I am saying and using what you already know about
letters and their sounds to spell the words I say.”

Next Step: “We are going to keep talking about words, but now we are going to see what you already
know about a couple words I am going to give you.”

Evaluation/Monitoring Phonological Awareness

- The teacher fills out the evaluation checklist to indicate what percent of the segmented words
were blending correctly. The evaluation checklist is included further in the unit plan.
- A student meeting expectations will blend the segmented words correctly with 100% accuracy.

PA Instructional Decision

- Students not mastering criteria will receive further examples and teacher-modeling for blending
segmented words.

Phonics

- During independent practice, the students write down the dictated words on their own papers
which the teacher evaluates at a later time.
- While the teacher is dictating the words for the independent practice, they are walking around
the room monitoring and observing the students working.
- A student meeting expectations will correctly write 10 teacher-dictated words on their own
papers with 95% accuracy.

Phonics Instructional Decision

- Students who struggle to spell the blends (therefore failing to master the criteria) will receive
further direct instruction on various spelling patterns and sounds of blends.
REISNER, R. 16

Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Fluency - Wednesday

Lesson Components Description

Identification of the Class Subject: ELA

Population of Students: Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in reading – very good decoding skills;
(Subject, Population of Students, Grade,
very poor comprehension skills
Number of Students)
Grade: 4th

Number of Students: 4

Rationale for Instruction Topic: Vocabulary, Fluency, and Reading Comprehension

Common Core Standard(s) Addressed:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.Language.Vocabulary Acquisition and Use.4a. Use context (e.g., definitions,

examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

CCSS. ELA-INFORMATIONAL TEXT. Literature. 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g.,
Herculean).

CCSS. ELA-FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS. Phonics and Word Recognition. 4. Read with sufficient
accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

CCSS. ELA-LITERACY. Foundational Skills. 4c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word
recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

CCSS-ELA-SPEAKING AND LISTENING. Comprehension and Collaboration. 3. Identify the reasons

and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

Rationale: Reading is a meaning-making activity. In order to make meaning from text, you have to
understand the flow of the text and what the words mean. It is not enough to just be able to decode well.
This lesson looks at different strategies you could use to help you understand an unknown word or
REISNER, R. 17

phrase. By using these strategies, students will better be able to comprehend the text as a whole. These
are strategies students can use independently once they learn them. Students will also work on fluency
skills which are helpful because they can use more of their working memory on comprehension than
decoding.

Students will be able to:

RC: (1) compare and contrast with a small group the different strategies for comprehension used
Objectives
(2) explain to their small group how their comprehension strategy impacted their understanding of the
text

V: (1) use 2 of the RC strategies explicitly taught by the teacher to better define unknown words in the
book: Christmas Tapestry

(2) participate in creating a class a definition for at least 3 of the unknown words

F: (1) Cold read of Ethiopia with the whole class from the book Christmas Around the World with
appropriate pauses at commas with 100% accuracy

 Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco (several copies if possible, if not, project it on the board)
 Christmas Around the World by Mary D. Lankford (multiple copies if possible)
 Graphic organizer for vocabulary/comprehension strategies
 List of comprehension strategies (in lesson plan)
 Anchor chart for strategies
Materials  Map showing route from Memphis to Detroit
 Dictionaries
 Evaluation checklist

Instructional Sequence RC: Introduction (2 min)

“We are in the middle of our unit on Christmas, and today we are going to read a book by Patricia
60 min Polacco. While we are reading, we are going to pay special attention to what we understand or
comprehend from the book. I am going to model some ways to help us better understand what we read,
REISNER, R. 18

and then we will practice independently.”

RC: Modeling (5 min)

“I will read the first part of this story aloud. Listen while I read and pay attention to the strategies I use
to understand what I am reading. When I say “strategies”, I am talking about ways that I will figure out
things that confuse me or make me wonder. Listen now as I begin reading.”

“This book is called Christmas Tapestry, and it is written by the author Patricia Polacco. The first thing
I am going to do is flip through the book to get an idea of what this story is about. I notice that the title
tells me it is going to be about Christmas. I am not sure what “tapestry” means, but since it is in the title,
I think it will be an important part of the story. I am going to look for clues to help me understand that
word while I am flipping through the book.”

Begin flipping through the book.

“I notice there are a lot of emotions in this book. I can see some of the faces look happy. Some of the
faces look sad. And some of the faces even look surprised!”

“I see this blanket on a lot of the pages, so I am going to guess that might be the tapestry. I will keep
that idea in my head, and I will see if that is true when I am reading.”

“The last thing I am going to notice while I am flipping through is that several pictures show a lot of
snow. I think that might be important, but we will soon find out.”

“So I have just modeled for you our first reading comprehension strategy for today, previewing the
book. This helps give me context for what I am about to read. We are going to continue talking about
strategies, and I want you to help me as we keep practicing.”

RC: Guided Practice (10 min)

Begin reading the book…

Stop after reading: “Nothing like Tennessee.”

REISNER, R. 19

“Now I am thinking, how far did this family move? What is a way I can figure out how far Detroit is
from Memphis?” Student response: look at a map. Show the map that shows the distance between the
two cities.

“Here’s a map I found online with Google maps, and it shows me that it can take almost 11 hours to
drive from Memphis, Tennessee to Detroit, MI. That’s a long time!”

“Let’s keep reading…”

On the second page, stop after: “rickety and old”.

“Let’s stop again. I know what the word “old” means, but I have never heard the word “rickety”. The
clue I am going to use here is what I know about grammar. “Old” and “rickety” are adjectives. What
role does an adjective play in the sentence? Student response: it describes a noun.

“So, I know “old” is an adjective describing the church in Michigan. “Rickety” must also be an
adjective. Even though I might not know exactly what “rickety” means, I know it is describing the
church, and it is probably has something to do with the church being old since both words are used
together.”

Keep reading and stop on the third page: “couldn’t believe their eyes”  read very segmented
(without fluency)

“Now when I read that, I have to stop, because it doesn’t make sense. What about their eyes could they
not believe? Could they not believe they had eyes? Let me read it again.” Read the sentence again.
“Oh, now I think I understand. They were surprised. You see, the first time I read it, I was paying
attention to getting the words correct, but when I read it faster, it sounded like a phrase I had heard
before. I would have been confused if I kept going, so I am glad I went back and reread that part.”

Continue reading, but stop on the fourth page at: “threw themselves into the tasks assigned to them”.

“Let me stop again. Do I think they literally threw their bodies at the work? Allow for student feedback.
“That doesn’t make sense, so I’m going to continue reading.” Continue reading.

Stop at “…even helped with painting.” “I noticed when I kept reading that it listed a lot of things the
REISNER, R. 20

kids did. When I think about what it means to “throw themselves into the tasks”, I am going to assume
from the context that it means they were all in and committed to working hard on a lot of tasks.”

“Again, let’s keep reading.” Stop on page 6 after sentence with “sacristy wall”.

“I have no idea what the word “sacristy” [sak-ri-stee] means. I can use either a paper dictionary or one
on the computer to look up the word. When I do look it up, I find out it is a part of the church where
sacred vessels are kept. This helps me understand that this is a very special wall in the church.”

“Let’s keep reading a little further.” Stop on page 7 where it says: “he looked full of dread”.

“Dread. What could that word mean? One of the ways I might be able to understand that word is by
looking at the illustrations. Patricia Polacco is the author and the illustrator of this book, and she did a
beautiful job drawing the pictures. I can tell that nobody in the picture looks happy. In fact, many of the
characters look sad or surprised. Maybe that helpful understanding what “dread” means.”

Finish reading that page.

“That’s all we are going to read together, but I want to review the strategies I showed you that helped me
better understand the story when I came to words or phrases I did not know.”

“I have a chart here to remind us what the possible strategies we can use are. Let’s review them together
before you use them independently. We can…

 Preview the book

 Use outside sources
 Reread
 Read ahead
 Observe sentence structure/parts of speech
 Use picture clues”

RC: Independent practice (20 min)

“You are going to finish reading the story on your own. I am handing out a graphic organizer for you to
use while you are reading. The graphic organizer has three parts. The first part says “what I don’t
REISNER, R. 21

understand”. In that box, write the word or phrase that doesn’t make sense to you. In the second box
next to “my guess”, you are going to write what you think the word or phrase means based on a strategy
you used. In the final box, it says “text evidence”. What did you see in the text or another resource like
the dictionary that lead you to make your guess? Go ahead and write the strategy you used as well so I
can see how you were thinking.”

Allow students time to finish reading the book (12 minutes)

“Now that you have finished reading the book, turn towards your partner to compare and contrast the
strategies and conclusions you came to. Explain to your partner how you came to your conclusion.”

Allow students to share for 4 minutes.

V: Introduction (1 min)

“Now, we are going to use some of those words that you found challenging and come up with a
definition as a class to help us all understand better.”

V: Modeling (2 min)

“For example, someone give me a word they wrote down.” Student gives a word. “Now tell us your
guess about what the word means.” Student responds with an explanation. “Does anyone else have an
idea about what this word means? We will add it to what we already have.”

V: Guided Practice (10 min)

Continue creating definitions for words as a class so that everyone feels comfortable about what the
words mean. Do at least 3 words together.

F: (9 min)

“We have been finishing each day this week with a reading on how different countries celebrate
Christmas. Today, we are reading about the country of Ethiopia. We are going to read it together.
Especially take note of commas in the story. Can someone share with the class what a comma in a
REISNER, R. 22

sentence tells us to do? What should happen to our voices?” Answer: We pause.

Read about Ethiopia from the book Christmas Around the World with making an emphasis to
pause whenever a comma appears in the text.

If there is time, reread the whole passage or just a part of the passage.

Closure: (1 min)

“Great job using the strategies today, we will keep practicing those as we read. The more you practice,
the better you will get at using the strategies with your own reading.”

Evaluation:

V: (1) teacher fills out the evaluation checklist to indicate if the students used the two comprehension
strategies correctly

RC: teacher fills out the evaluation checklist to indicate (1) if students contribute to the group discussion
and (2) if the students’ rationale shows thought

F: teacher fills out the evaluation checklist to indicate if the students participated in the whole class
reading and paused at the commas

Students meeting expectations will:

V: (1) use 2 comprehension strategies correctly to define unknown words

Evaluation RC: (1) share with a partner the strategy they used and (2) share with a partner why/how they used that
strategy

F: (1) be appropriately participating in the choral reading with attention to the pauses at the commas
REISNER, R. 23

Decision to reteach: Students not meeting master criteria for…

V: (1) work with a partner to use a strategy to define an unknown word

RC: (1) using the strategies appropriately might need further instruction and practice on just one or two
strategies at a time (to better understand how to use them); further instruction should be done in
meaningful contexts (such as another book in the unit)

F: (1) non-compliant behavior will follow an “if-then” pattern for future fluency practices and (2)
forgetting to stop at the commas will result in further practice with shorter passages that have commas
REISNER, R. 24

Student’s name: _________________________________________ Evaluation Checklist for Christmas Literacy Unit

Date:
Reading
Phonemic Awareness Phonics Vocabulary Fluency
Comprehension

_______ of 3 words _________ of 10 words _________ of 13 boxes  Student makes3 _________WCPM

blended correctly = spelled correctly = of the graphic organizer connections for
______% _______% correctly filled in = each word  Student participates
________% Student knows a little in identifying
Monday or a lot about the pronouns
words?
 Student meets
teacher
expectations for
behavior

______ of 3 words _______ of 6 rhyming  Student participates  Student participates

groups correctly = pairs identified =  Student has 3 things in the hand motion in the choral reading
_______ % _______% in each section of the exercise to practice prosody
Tuesday Venn diagram
 Student can name a  Student meets
 Use of text evidence synonym for each of teacher expectations
in their answers the vocabulary for behavior
words

How they segmented:  Student participates  Student used the  Student participates
Wednesday in the choral reading
Celebration ________ of 10 words in the group comprehension
Greetings with prefixes or suffixes discussion strategy correctly to to practice prosody
REISNER, R. 25

VacatIon segmented into syllables  Student has a define the unknown  Student pauses
Joyful correctly = ________% thoughtful rationale word/phrase appropriately at
Evergreen  Strategies used: commas
Jingle ____________________
Together  Student meets
Family ____________________ teacher expectations
____________________ for behavior
_______% segmented
correctly

______ of 8 words
represented correctly = ________ of 10 words
_______% spelled correctly =  Student participated
_______% in the conversation  Student participates
 Student used text about synonyms in the choral reading
Number of tiles for
evidence to support to practice prosody
each word:
their answer _____ of 10 words used
Thursday
________ of 10 words
correctly in sentences =  Student meets
_______ chilly
with correct number of  Student didn’t used ________% teacher expectations
_______ feast text evidence to for behavior
syllables identified =
_______ hope support their answer
________%
_______ coal Words used incorrectly:
_______ tree
_______ cookie
_______ holly
_______ eve

Shell  _________   Student develops 2 _____ of 10 words used _________WCPM

__________ _______ of 8 words questions about the correctly in class
Friday book discussion = ________%
Home  ________  correctly separated into  Student participates
_________ onset and rime = in the choral reading
 Questions are Words used incorrectly: to practice prosody
Run  ________  _______% thoughtful
REISNER, R. 26

_________
Top  ________   Student meets
_________ teacher expectations
Pop  ________  for behavior
_________

________ of 5 medial
sounds correctly
substituted = _______%

________ of 5 final
sounds substituted
correctly = ________%