Lesson 1 - ELA

Universal Design for Learning Lesson Plan

Teacher: Esmeralda Tully    Date: 3/6/13     Subject: ELA

Common Core Standard:

NY.CC.5.W: Writing Standards

Text Types and Purposes

W.5.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information

Component-W.5.1.a:Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose.

Behavioral Objective:

The student will be able to use the information from their “How to Succeed in the Fifth Grade” graphic organizer, in order to fill out the interactive essay map in order to articulate:

• At least three ways to succeed in the fifth grade
• At least two reasons why each way to succeed is important

Materials Needed: 

• Computer with internet access
• Essay Map: student interactive (http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/essaymap/)
• Youtube (teacher will decide after student states what they would like to learn to do)
• iPad (Paper application) 
  
• Chart paper
• Pens/pencils
• Graphic organizer: “How to Succeed in the Fifth Grade”
• Assortment of instruction manuals as examples of how-to writing

Procedures:

•   Activating Prior Knowledge
• The teacher will begin by asking the student what they would like to learn how to do (e.g., make pizza, dribble a basketball, braid their hair, etc.)
• The teacher will introduce the genre of “how-to” by showing a YouTube clip of what the child would like to learn to do
• Teacher will explain that “how-to” writing is a genre that they will encounter in their everyday lives
• Provide the student with an assortment of written instructional manuals (e.g., directions, recipes, etc.)
  • o   Student will be given a few minutes to scan the manuals in order to look for characteristics that they notice in the instructions. The teacher will record the characteristics on a piece of chart paper, and will keep it for future reference.
• Tell the student that they are going to be writing a similar instruction manual for the new fifth graders to use at the beginning of the next school year.

• Teacher Modeling
• Teacher will model how to use the graphic organizer with “How to Survive on a Deserted Island.” Teacher will use a write aloud to organize information on the graphic organizer about a list of materials needed and the rules in order to survive on a deserted island.
• Teacher will then model how to use the information from the graphic organizer to fill out the essay map in order to articulate: (a) at least three ways to survive on a deserted island, and (b) at least two reasons why each are important.
  • o   Teacher will also use a write aloud to demonstrate how to fill out the map.
    • Make verbal statements that describe decision-making process (e.g., “First, I need to start by writing an interesting beginning sentence,” etc.) [the essay map requires students to have introduction, three paragraphs, and a conclusion] 
      
    • o   Teacher will show student how to add detail and explanatory information that is relevant for the audience.
    • o   Emphasize the importance of keeping the information organized in the map because they will use it when beginning their writing piece.

• Guided Practice
• Teacher will present the writing probe: how to succeed in the fifth grade
• First, the teacher and the student will brainstorm a list of materials needed for the fifth grade, and will record them on the iPad.
  • o   The student will choose which materials they feel are the most important and include them on their graphic organizer. 
• Then, the teacher and the student will brainstorm a list of rules for the fifth grade, and record them on the iPad.
  • o   The student will choose the most important rules to include on their graphic organizer. [The graphic organizer that the student is using to brainstorm 'materials' and 'rules' is necessary for guided and independent practice, but it is not a part of the behavioral objective.] 
• With the teacher’s guidance, the student will practice using the essay map based upon three items from the generated lists on the graphic organizer. [the essay map prompts student to have an introduction, "three ways" (3 main idea paragraphs), "two reasons" (2 details per main idea), and a conclusion.] 
• The teacher will remind the student to add explanatory detail, and will provide support and/or feedback as needed

• Independent Practice
•  The student will independently fill out the interactive essay map using three different items from their graphic organizer (they cannot use any of the three items utilized during guided practice). Their essay maps should articulate: (a) at least three ways to succeed in the fifth grade, and (b) at least two reasons why each are important.

Assessment:

The teacher will review student work to determine whether they filled out the interactive essay map in order to articulate:

• At least three ways to succeed in the fifth grade
• At least two reasons why each way to succeed is important

UDL ELEMENTS:

Multiple Means of Representation:

1.1    Offer ways of customizing the display of information:    The teacher will use a YouTube video and an assortment of instruction manuals in order to introduce “how-to writing.”

1.2    Offer alternatives for auditory information:    The teacher will use the writing aloud strategy in order to demonstrate how to fill out the graphic organizer and the essay map.

3.1    Activate or supply background knowledge:    The teacher activate background knowledge by asking the student what they would like to learn how to do, and then showing a YouTube clip of what the child would like to learn to do, in order to introduce the “how-to” writing genre.

Multiple Means of Engagement:

7.1    Optimize individual choice and autonomy:     Student has the opportunity to choose any three items from the graphic organizer in completing the essay map. The teacher provided the student with autonomy in the content used for practicing skills—they worked with their own data.

7.2    Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity:    By having the student write an essay on “How to Succeed in the Fifth Grade,” the teacher is relating content to the child’s life (It is age and ability appropriate, and it is personalized and contextualized to the learner’s life), thereby recruiting interest.

Multiple Means of Action and Expression:

5.2    Use multiple tools for construction and composition:    Student will use a web application—

the interactive essay map—or a printed version of the essay map in order to organize information.

6.1    Guide appropriate goal-setting:    Teacher will post the lesson objective for the student to refer to in order to guide their work

6.3    Facilitate managing information and resources:    Teacher provides a graphic organizer for the student to collect and organize information.

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edTPA rubric components:

#4Justification of Instruction & Support:

            Clear connections to research and/or theory

• Huntley-Johnston, L., Merritt, S.P., & Huffman, L.E. (1997). How to do how-to books: Real life writing in the classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 41(3), 172–179.
  • o   Students need to understand that there are purposes for writing other than for the teacher to read and grade it. Writing how-to essays has been found to be a successful alternative to the traditional research paper or teacher-based essay.
  • o   How-to writing is a genre that appeals to most students because it is applicable in the world. This genre involves exploring interests and needs to identify a topic, conducting several research methods, and working through the writing process.
  • o   When students' writing has an authentic audience beyond the classroom teacher, they can see a direct connection between their lives and their literacy development.
  • Think-aloud/Writing Aloud
    • o   Readers use metacognitive processes to comprehend text: adjusting reading to purpose, self-monitoring and questioning, and reflecting on an author's purpose. Think-aloud, in which a teacher verbalizes his thinking for students while reading a text, improves students' understanding of these processes.
    • o   Writing is also a complex cognitive activity. Research has demonstrated that students improve their writing ability when cognitive strategies are demonstrated for them in clear and explicit ways. Students learn the forms and functions of writing as they observe and participate in writing events directed by knowledgeable writers, particularly when these events are followed by opportunities for independent writing. Instruction that makes writing processes visible to students is key to improving their writing skills. Several excellent instructional frameworks for writing, including modeled, shared, interactive, guided or independent writing, can provide strong support for students' successful writing based on the level and type of teacher support that is provided for students. During write-aloud, like think-aloud, teachers verbalize the internal dialog they use as they write a particular type of text, explicitly demonstrating metacognitive processes.

           

Clear connections to the learner’s strengths & needs

• During the ELA pre-assessment when she was required to write an alternate ending to the story, Leydi wrote three sentences, which was the minimum requirement. While Leydi is able to write sentences, her writing is very fragmented, and lacks descriptive details and clear event sequences. This lesson targets her strengths because she can use the information from the graphic organizer to help her create effective sentences. It also targets her needs because the essay map will help her to expand on her writing, and to write informative/explanatory texts in order to convey ideas and information clearly.

            Plans for specific adaptations (if needed)

• I adapted the lesson by drawing upon her interests to engage her in the learning task.
  • o   In order to introduce the genre of “how-to” writing, I showed her a Youtube clip of what she wanted to learn how to do (braid her hair). In addition, the instruction manuals as examples of “how-to” writing were all based upon her interests (e.g., how to make pizza, how to dribble a soccer ball, and how to make cake pops).
  • I also adapted the lesson by drawing on her needs. The original lesson called for students to write at least three reasons why each way to succeed was important, while I only required Leydi to write two. I wanted the lesson to help her to use her strengths to build on her weaknesses, in a manageable way.

#5  Supporting Language/Communication Development

            Identification of:

1)    vocabulary and/or symbols

• In order to understand the requirements of this lesson, Leydi had to understand what the “how-to” genre was. I verbally explained it to her; showed her a YouTube clip; gave her instructional manuals and created a chart of all the characteristics she noticed in the writing; and engaged her in a conversation about what it means.

2)    language/communication demands related to behavioral objective

• Before engaging in the task, the teacher asks the student what is expected of them by the end of the lesson. The student should respond by restating the behavioral objective.
• In order to meet the objective, the student needed to create an interesting opening sentence, three ways to succeed in fifth grade, two reasons why each way is important, and a conclusion. In order to help Leydi with the language needed in order to carry out each task, I modeled the components beforehand, and allowed her to use it as a frame of reference when she was required to complete the essay map during independent practice.

Justification:  why supports will provide access to the learning task/behavioral objective

• The interactive graphic organizer (the essay map) helps the student develop an outline that includes an introductory statement, main ideas they want to discuss or describe, supporting details, and a conclusion that summarizes the main ideas. The tool offers multiple ways to navigate information including a graphic in the upper right-hand corner that allows students to move around the map without having to work in a linear fashion. The finished map can be saved, e-mailed, or printed, and used for later use.

Justification:  why supports will provide access to the demonstration of

1)    language function

• o   The essay map aids the student in developing an outline (for later writing) that includes an introductory statement, main ideas they want to discuss or describe, supporting details, and a conclusion that summarizes the main ideas. The essay map checks spelling by underlining misspelled words in red and offering suggestions, which is something that the child would not have if she were to be manually writing the outline on paper.

2)    learning task/behavioral objective

• o   The tool offers multiple ways to navigate information including a graphic in the upper right-hand corner, which permitted Leydi to move around the map without having to work in a linear fashion. The finished map can be saved, e-mailed, or printed, and used for later use. The map reminded Leydi of the behavioral objective by setting up three boxes for the main ideas (three ways to succeed in the fifth grade) and a box underneath each of the three main idea boxes, which called for two descriptive details (at least two reasons why each way to succeed is important).

Justification:  why supports move the learner toward maintenance and generalization or self-directed use of the targeted vocab/symbols or language/communication

• The support that the essay map provided, in conjunction with the support that the teacher provided during modeling and guided practice, moved Leydi towards generalization of the targeted vocabulary and communication. As I modeled the behavioral objective and the use of the strategy, I used writing aloud so that it improved students' understanding of these processes. When it came time for Leydi to complete the task independently, she had witnessed a model of the performance, had an opportunity to practice the task with the teacher’s guidance, and had the teacher’s example to use as a reference.

#6 Planning Assessments to Monitor & Support Learning

Assessment: aligned with baseline data

• The child’s baseline data was gathered during the pre-assessment by both a systematic observation and a teacher made test. I used this information to guide instruction and align it with the assessment for this lesson. During the pre-assessment, Leydi was able to meet the requirement: the lesson called for three sentences and she wrote three sentences. Requiring Leydi to write three main ideas, with two supporting details, mandated more, but it was something that I knew she had the capability of accomplishing.

Assessment provides evidence for monitoring learner’s progress at different points

 in the learning segment

• The student was not just assessed at the end of the lesson. The teacher informally monitored student progress through learner questions and responses during instruction, and teacher observation of the learner.

Assessment reflects appropriate levels of challenge and support (in light of

 learner’s needs, strengths &  behavioral objective)

• The teacher used the information from informally monitoring the student in order to modify support and feedback as necessary.
• While the pre-assessment only asked the child to write three sentences, this lesson appropriately challenged the child by asking them to write two descriptive details about each of the three main ideas, in addition to creating an introduction and conclusion.

  Assessment:  designed to provide diagnostic information about where learner

 may need additional support to make further progress and work toward

generalized and maintained OR self-directed use and knowledge and/or skills.

• By informally assessing the child through observations, the teacher will be able to make note of exactly where and why the child struggled during the lesson.
• At the end of the lesson, the teacher used a checklist in order to formally assess whether the child met the behavioral objective. After independent practice, the teacher will be able to determine where the learner may need additional support in pre-writing in order to progress to a self-directed use of the skills.

REFLECTION

On Wednesday, March 6^th, 2013, I met with my student, Leydi Sanchez for the second time. On this day, I worked with her on “how-to” writing in order to motivate her to write for a real purpose, and to write informative/explanatory texts in order to convey ideas and information clearly.

I first taught Leydi about the genre of how-to writing by showing her a YouTube clip of what she wanted to learn how to do, which was to learn how to braid her own hair. Due to the fact that YouTube was blocked on the school computer, I had to resort to my iPhone. In addition, the student learned even more about the genre by reading an assortment of instruction manuals, which focused on her interests—how to make pizza, how to make cake pops, how to dribble a basketball, and how to play the game of LIFE. She was given a few minutes to scan the manuals to look for characteristics that she noticed in the instructions. This part of the lesson went very well and she really surprised me with what she came up with: “They give information with important details to back them up. The information tells the reader what to do so they understand how to do the activity. They also use big words, but it’s easy to figure them out because there are so many details.” Based upon the icebreaker activity and conversations I had with Leydi during out first meeting, I was able to use my knowledge about her interests in order to engage her in this learning task.

Afterward, Leydi and I had a conversation that lasted a couple of minutes about what we learned about how-to writing, and how it is a genre that we encounter in our everyday lives. This talk helped to clarify and support the vocabulary and language demands related to the behavioral objective.

Then, the lesson progressed to the teacher modeling of the behavioral objective. The topic was “How to Survive on a Deserted Island.” I used a write aloud to organize information on the graphic organizer about a brainstormed list of materials and rules. As opposed to just observing, Leydi was so connected to instruction that she was actively participating and helping me to brainstorm information. I was so impressed with some of the things that she came up with, such as “Don’t drink the salt water; head for the highest location; stay in one spot; find shelter; and make a knife.”

I also used a write aloud to model how to utilize the information from the graphic organizer to fill out the essay map. I made verbal statements that described my decision-making process in completing the task. Research has illustrated that students will improve their writing ability when cognitive strategies are demonstrated for them in clear and explicit ways. Students learn the forms and functions of writing as they observe and participate in writing events directed by knowledgeable writers, particularly when these events are followed by opportunities for independent writing.

Before permitting Leydi to independently write, I scheduled a planned practice of the strategy under my watchful eye; also known as guided practice. During this time, the teacher and the focus learner brainstormed ideas based upon the writing probe: how to succeed in the fifth grade. Then, they recorded the information on the iPad; the student selected the most important information for the graphic organizer, and then filled out the essay map based upon three items from the generated list. The teacher observed and informally assessed the student during this time and used the information to modify support and feedback as necessary.

Lastly, it was time for the focus learner to independently demonstrate her ability to meet the behavioral objective. Leydi was required to fill out the essay map using three different items from the graphic organizer, which were to do your homework; follow directions; and have notebooks, pencils and folders. She was able to generalize what she had learned from my modeling and support, and she self-directed herself in using the strategy to carry out the behavioral objective: articulating (a) at least three ways to succeed in the fifth grade, and (b) at least two reasons why each are important.

However, Leydi made several grammatical errors, including spelling and punctuation. As a result, during our next meeting, before she uses the essay map to start her writing, I will sit with her and have her watch me correct each mistake. She will then be required to use my corrections in order to edit her writing. 

Also, while I had thought that using an interactive on the computer would support her in meeting the behavioral objective, it had actually created more of a barrier. Leydi has not developed mature keyboarding skills, and it was very apparent that this was frustrating for her and slowing her down. She focused much more attention on finding the keys, which left little room for her to focus on her writing and adding more descriptive details. As a result, for the next lesson, I will print out her essay map, and will have her utilize it in order to manually write her essay. Afterward, I might have Leydi read her essay aloud so that it records on the iPad and types the words for her. This speech-to-text function will be beneficial because she will be able to see her writing come alive without the stress of struggling for keys.

All in all, this lesson was a success. I used the information from the icebreaker activity and pre-assessment in order to make the learning task reflect her prior learning, experience, and needs, as well as drawing upon her strengths and interests to engage her in the learning task. This lesson is also very beneficial for subsequent instruction. I will utilize what I have learned from informally and formally assessing the child to inform planning for lesson two.