Learning Plan

Intern Name: Emilie Bentley

Subject/Grade: Social Studies/First
Type of Coteaching: Teach/Support

Lesson Plan
Objective: Given a flap book of Texas symbols, students will be able to list
three facts about why the Alamo is considered a symbol of Texas with 3/3
facts being accurate.
I Can Statement: I can explain why the Alamo is a symbol of Texas.

TEKS: TEKS 14.A. Explain state and national patriotic symbols, including
the United States and Texas flags, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, and
the Alamo.
Background Information: Students will have prior knowledge of Texas
Independence from Mexico and why the bluebonnet is considered a symbol
of Texas.

Mentor Teacher Name: Susan Randolph

Date Taught: 3/5/15

Modifications: Description
of student

Coteaching: Type
used; roles

Tim is a high functioning student T: Objective

with autism. He is one grade
I: I Can statement
level behind in language arts and
social studies and often gets
bored with his work and has
trouble communicating with
fellow peers. He also has trouble
staying on task. He often gets
frustrated and will throw a fit.
T: TEKS
T: review previous
knowledge with the class
I: review one-on-one with
Tim

Materials: Symbols of Texas flap book, Heroes of Texas book, Texas

video, large sheet of paper for anchor chart, marker for creating anchor chart.
Equipment: ELMO projector, laptop computer
Classroom Management/Environment: The lesson will begin with students Tim gets preferential seating on
sitting in the carpet area, facing the teacher. Students will be sitting in
the front corner of the carpet and
listening position (sitting on pockets and facing forward). Hands will be
at a table closest to the front of

I: sits/stands close to Tim

to keep him on task or in
case intervention is needed

raised when students are asked for a response. The projector will be set up in
the front of the classroom. When it is time to watch the Texas video,
students will return to their assigned tables and face the projector screen in
the front of the classroom.
Engagement/Focus: Why is the bluebonnet considered a symbol of Texas?
Today, we are going to discuss a new symbol, the Alamo. Ask students if any
of them have visited the Alamo or have seen pictures of what it looks like.
Share pictures of the Alamo for all students to see. After this lesson, you will
be able to identify what the Alamo is and know why Texans think it is so
important.
Explanation/Procedures:
1. Hold up pictures of the Alamo for students to see. Who has seen the
Alamo in person? Do you know what its purpose was? Share with your
neighbor what you think the purpose of the Alamo was. The Battle of the
Alamo took place from February 23-March 6, 1836.

the room, so that he can be in

closer proximity to the teacher.

when dealing with other

peers.

Ask Tim a specific question to

get him engaged- Tim, why is
the bluebonnet considered a
symbol of Texas?

I: monitor and give support

as needed.

I: throughout the lesson,

monitor the class and
redirect students, if needed.

2. Go through the book Heroes of the Alamo. It is lengthy, so paraphrasing

will be best to highlight important information and will put faces to the
Alamo story. Focus on introducing Santa Anna, Sam Houston, David
Crockett, and James Bowie. Show their pictures that are in the book to the
students.
3. Tell students to share with a partner 3 people who were at the Battle of the
Alamo.
4. Have students return to their assigned tables to view the Texas video
from Safari Montage (chapter one). Tell students that at the end of the video,
they must be able to share three ideas about the importance of the Alamo.

I: set up video to be ready

to play when all students
are in their seats.

5. Put Alamo at the top of an anchor chart and have students brainstorm 8
ideas (as a class) that are important for us to remember about the Alamo.

T: complete anchor chart.

6. Pass out students flap books. They should have completed the bluebonnet
flap on the previous day. The students will pick three ideas (of their own or
from the anchor chart) to write under the Alamo flap.

Ask Tim to share a fact to check

for content mastery.

I: pass out flap books

Extension/Elaboration:
Elaboration: Discuss with students more in depth why the Battle of the
Alamo occurred. Ask students to raise their hands for any questions.
Extension for those ahead: Have students write a paragraph (3-4 sentences)
on the back of their flap book about what they learned about the Alamo and
why they believe it is important. (This will also allow students to work on
their writing skills and sentence structure.) They may also color the Alamo
picture on the front.
Closure: Why is the Alamo a very popular site to visit in Texas? Who were
the four people we discussed that were important in the Battle of the Alamo?
Thank you for listening quietly while I was talking and for sharing your ideas
with the class.
Assessment: Flap books are complete, with 3/3 facts being accurate.

After coming up with the lesson plan and looking at the TEKS, my mentor teacher and I decided that the teach/support style of
coteaching would be the most effective. We chose this style because we thought that the students would need some extra assistance when
working on their flap books. The students in Mrs. Randolphs class sometimes have to be redirected or corrected during instruction on the
carpet, so it is very helpful to the teacher for the intern to be monitoring the class. This keeps the teacher from having to stop in the middle of

a lesson to tell a student to sit on their pockets or to stop talking. The teach/support style is also effective because two people can be
monitoring while students are working on an activity.
In teach/support, the majority of the actual instruction is done by the teacher. The main purpose of the intern in this style of coteaching
is to give support when its needed. The intern also has the opportunity to help assist students alongside the teacher during the activity.
The classroom management in this lesson will be reinforced mostly by the intern. When the intern is redirecting students and keeping
them on task, the teacher is able to focus on the material. The intern can monitor the room and speak to students one-on-one, if necessary.
The student assessment in this lesson will be the completion of the flap books. This will be monitored by both the teacher and the
intern. While students are working on the completion of these flaps, they will both walk around the room and help the students who need help
with listing their three facts. If a student has no ideas to write down, they obviously did not grab the concept fully and may need a review.