Catherine Brett

Hestia Mayes
Literacy Term III Lesson Plan
WHAT?
This lesson will focus on adjectives--identifying them, producing them, and using them to
support meaning and comprehension. In terms of content, my goal is that students learn and/or
reinforce the purpose of adjectives and practice generating adjectives. Specifically, I want them
to know that adjectives describe nouns and tell us more about what a noun is like. I want them to
understand that adjectives can describe a wide variety of aspects of a noun, such as size, shape,
texture, color, and so on. In terms of process, my goal is that students learn to use their
observations and knowledge to produce descriptive adjectives. Additionally, a second process
goal is that students learn to identify adjectives in a story and then use these adjectives to deepen
their understanding of the story. Specifically, I want them to identify adjectives by thinking
about which words give us a very clear, detailed picture of the nouns in a story. Throughout the
lesson, I will focus on modeling and scaffolding the strategies that students can use to produce,
identify, and make meaning with adjectives.

Lan 11/12/15 5:14 PM

Comment: It may also be helpful to
describe adjectives syntactically (but in
kid-friendly terms), e.g., adjectives often
appear before nouns or after the is verb
and its variants.

HOW?
I plan to explore adjectives and their uses with my students in an authentic and engaging way.
Students will actually have the opportunity to manipulate and experience interesting objects and
generate adjectives to describe the objects as they interact with them. They will also have the
opportunity to identify adjectives used in context while reading real, high-quality childrens
literature and explore the ways that adjectives enhance the story. The lesson is designed to be
largely student-centered, as it will be the students responsibility to generate their own adjectives
to describe objects, identify adjectives in the story, and analyze the purpose of adjectives. In
other words, the cognitive demand of the lesson will be placed on the students, while my role
will be to guide their exploration. I want to give them every opportunity to enrich the lesson
with their own creative ideas and to engage meaningfully with the activity. In order to
emphasize students ability to identify, use, and generate adjectives rather than their proficiency
in writing and spelling, students will share their ideas verbally through group discussion, and I
will record the adjectives we discuss by keeping a list on the board.
WHY?
The idea for this lesson stemmed from the classroom context. In both of our classrooms, we
learned about adjectives, but it was taught in a very brief, teacher-centric manner. We both feel
that our students would benefit from a more in-depth, explorative lesson that allows them to

Lan 11/12/15 5:14 PM

Comment: Be prepared to answer
questions such as, How about nice
friend? Friend isnt a thing. Is nice still
an adjective?

apply their understanding of adjectives to more real-life, authentic contexts. We feel that
knowing how to recognize and use adjectives is an important skill. Using adjectives is key for
descriptive, detailed writing, and being able to recognize and understand adjectives in a written
context is essential for comprehension. We wanted students to be able to explore adjectives and
their purpose by actually generating and using them. We chose to teach the lesson in an
interactive, authentic way because we feel this will produce a more enduring understanding.
Additionally, this lesson aligns with two Common Core State Standards for first grade ELA:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.1.F and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4

Lesson Plan
Goals/Objectives: I want my students to identify adjectives in literature, use them to support
their comprehension while reading, and generate adjectives to describe nouns.
Standards:

Lan 11/12/15 5:15 PM

Comment: Write the objective in a kidfriendly way for the students.

Conventions of Standard English. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.1.F

Use frequently occurring adjectives.
Craft and Structure. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
Materials and Preparation:
- Copy of Lillys Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
- Items for exploration: scented pine cones, stuffed giraffe, apple, seashell
- Whiteboard/markers
- Pencils
- Exit slips
Classroom Arrangement and Management Issues:
1.) Classroom arrangement -We will be working in the library. I chose a location outside of the
classroom because I did not want to distract the other students in our class. The library will
provide a quiet place with minimal distractions. In the library, the students will sit around a
square table. I will sit at the head of the table. This arrangement is ideal for a read aloud and for
whole-group discussion. We will be at the table for the entirety of the lesson.
2.) Distribution of materials - When we disperse the items for observation, we will start by
handing the item to the student sitting closest to us. This student will have a few seconds to
interact with the item before passing it to the next student. After each student has had a chance to
hold it, the item will be placed in the center of the table. Once we have finished describing this
item, we will remove it and start the next one. When I disperse the exit slips and pencils at the
end, I will hand the slip and pencil to each student individually.
3.) Management concerns - During the read aloud, the most likely issue will be students making
a lot of tangential or off-topic comments. I will try to re-direct comments to be on-task (talking
about adjectives) or ignore raised hands/tangential comments. During the item exploration, the
students may get excited or wound up when they get to interact with the objects. I will try to
minimize this possibility by laying down ground rules before starting the activity (one person at
a time, no grabbing, etc).

Lan 11/12/15 5:43 PM

Comment: You may want to be explicit
about the connection between the senses
and adjectives, but that could be an
entirely separate lesson, e.g., adjectives
that describe what you see, hear, smell,
and taste.

Plan:
1.) Hook (5-7 minutes): I will start by showing the students an apple. I will ask the students,
What is this? and then ask them to tell me its color, its shape, and how many there are. I will
ask these questions one at a time--i.e. What color is this apple? These are the three kinds of
adjectives we have learned about so far in class (color, shape, number)--I want to make a clear
link to what they have already learned in class. I will write their answers on the board (i.e. color:
red; shape: circle), and then move into a discussion about adjectives. I will tell them they have
just given me adjectives, and ask if they can explain what adjectives are. If they give a fairly
accurate answer, I will revoice their answer to be as clear as possible. If their answer is incorrect
or they are unable to answer, I will provide them with the definition. I will write the word
adjective and its definition (an adjective describes a noun; it tells you more about what the noun
is like) on the board. I will ask if they can think of any other words that describe the apple. If
they are struggling, I will help out by asking things like, What do you think it tastes like? I will
remind them that there are lots of ways to describe nouns--beyond just the three categories we
have done in class. Then I will transition to the first activity by telling them that we are going to
observe some items and come up with adjectives (reiterate: describing words) to explain what the
items are like.
During this time, I will be asking focused questions that will draw on their (hopefully) existing
knowledge of adjectives. I will be listening to determine whether they seem to have a grasp on
the types of adjective covered in class, as well as the basic function of adjectives.
Item Exploration - I will begin by presenting the students with the stuffed giraffe and asking
What is this? The students will most likely respond, a giraffe, a I will write the word
giraffe on the board and underline it. Then I will pass the giraffe around the circle and ask
each child to tell me a word that describes the object as they hold it. I will emphasize that each
student will get a turn, and that they should share their description while they are holding the
giraffe. As they offer descriptions, I will compile a list of adjectives on the board under the
heading. If they give me non-adjective descriptions, I will rephrase the description to be in
adjective form (e.g. - If they say its a stuffed animal, Ill write stuffed) or I will refrain from
writing the description (e.g. - I wont write anything if they say its an animal.) If many
students give non-adjective descriptions, I will try to redirect with questions like What color is
it? or What does it feel like when you touch it? After everyone shares a description, I will
reference the list and ask the students, What type of words are these? If nobody knows, I will
be more specific, What do we call words like this that we use to describe a noun? Hopefully,
somebody will respond, adjectives, and I will revoice the definition, Yes, adjectives are the
words that we use to describe nouns. They tell us more about what nouns are like. I will
reference back to the adjectives that theyve just generated to exemplify how they tell us more

Lan 11/12/15 5:27 PM

Comment: You may also want to write,
This is a green/whatever color apple.
Read the sentence. Have the group
repeat after you. Ask which word is the
adjective. After the students respond,
point out the fact that green comes before
apple in the sentence.
Lan 11/12/15 5:25 PM
Comment: This might be tough for some
ESOL students.

Lan 11/12/15 5:25 PM

Comment: This might not be part of the
spoken vocabulary of ESOL students.

about the giraffe, We have a spotted, soft, cute, life-like, stuffed giraffe. These adjectives all
tell more information about the giraffe.
2. Body of the lesson (30-35 minutes): The first part of the lesson is the exploration of items.
First, I will go over the basic rules and expectations for the activity: each student will get a turn;
each student must give an adjective about the item while holding the item; students should only
share an adjective while holding the item. Then, I will begin by passing around the apple (the
same item used in the hook; the next item). Each student will hold the item for a few seconds.
While holding the item, the student will say an adjective that could describe that item. Then, the
student will pass the item to the next student, who will need to generate a different adjective
about the item. This will continue around the table until each student has had a chance to share
an adjective. As the students are naming adjectives, I will write them on the board. I will go last
each time in order to introduce even more interesting or creative adjectives to them. If someone
is stuck on their turn, we could ask some helpful questions (i.e. How does it look? How does it
feel?) or ask the students to help each other. At the end, I will verbally turn their adjectives into
a sentence: i.e. We have a red, shiny, tasty, smooth, delicious apple. We will repeat this
process for each of the four items. Each time I introduce a new item, I will ask students what it
is, and write the name of the item on the board. (10-12 minutes)
Read Aloud - I will verbally transition to the read aloud by telling students, We just came up
with a bunch of adjectives to describe nouns. Writers use adjectives too, to tell you more about
the things in their stories. Were going to read a book with lots of adjectives in it, and every so
often we will stop and talk about them. As youre listening, think about this question: What
adjectives does the author use? How do they help us understand the story?
I will begin the read aloud of Kevin Henkes Lillys Purple Plastic Purse. I will have designated
stopping points throughout the story, where I will stop and ask if the students heard any
adjectives in the story and if so, what. Students will raise their hands to offer their suggestions,
and if some students arent volunteering, I will try to elicit some ideas from them to ensure
equitable participation. If the students are struggling to name any, I will go back and re-read
sentences with adjectives or if necessary, ask guiding questions like, What were the pencils
like? After naming some adjectives and writing them on the board, we will model ways to use
adjectives to inform comprehension. For example, we might say, I love how Kevin Henkes said
the chalk was squeaky. It helps me picture the story. Lets close our eyes and pretend we can
hear some squeaky chalk.
At the end of the story, we will quickly summarize what we did during the book--i.e. So we just
read a story and looked for adjectives that the writer used to help us really picture the story. (20
minutes)

Lan 11/12/15 5:29 PM

Comment: You may want to use only one
adjective in a sentence for now, e.g., We
have a soft giraffe, and repeat the steps
from my previous comment (This is a
green apple). Using a string of adjectives
separated by commas might be a lesson
for another time.

Lan 11/12/15 5:30 PM

Comment: Students may need more time
to come up with an adjective.

Lan 11/12/15 5:33 PM

Comment: Consider incorporating a word
sort activity. For example, the sentence
could be We have a red apple. The
following could be on one strip each:
We have a
red
apple.
Students would individually sort the three
strips to make the sentence, We have a
red apple.

Lan 11/12/15 5:45 PM

Comment: Go over the adjectives in the
first couple pages, and then move on,
asking students to raise their hand to point
out adjectives moving forward.
Participation will depend on the size of a
students vocabulary.
You may get a lot of very different or
unexpected answers because the question
is very open-ended. In a future lesson,
you may want to focus on certain types of
adjectives, e.g., as mentioned before,
adjectives that describe what we see, etc.

Lan 11/12/15 5:36 PM

Comment: Squeak to act out squeaky.
Lan 11/12/15 5:37 PM
Comment: If you think youll feel rush, do
a shorter activity, or allot some time to
finish next time.

3.) Closure (5 minutes): First, I will lead a quick discussion by asking the students, What are
adjectives? What do we use them for? How can they help us understand while were
reading? I will be listening for the idea that adjectives describe/tell what things are like, and the
idea that adjectives give us more information/help us picture the story/help us understand. I will
guide and re-focus the discussion to hit on these points if necessary. Then, we will pass out the
exit slip. The exit slip will be a sentence frame: One adjective to describe me is
______________ .
Assessment of goals/objectives: I will assess students understanding throughout the lesson by
taking mental note of their comments in the group discussions and the exploration activity, and I
will more formally assess at the end with the exit slip. I will know that students have grasped the
meaning of an adjective if they consistently offer appropriate adjectives rather than other parts of
speech. I expect most students will come up with mostly physical descriptors (i.e. color, size,
shape), but if students can generate more abstract adjectives (i.e. personality traits), then I will
know that they really understand the concept. I will know that students have grasped how
adjectives can inform understanding if they are able to articulate, during the read aloud and
discussions, ways that adjectives give us more information.

Lan 11/12/15 5:38 PM

Comment: If you think youll feel rush, do
a shorter activity, or allot some time to
finish next time.

Lan 11/12/15 5:40 PM

Comment: I suggest using a structure
that is simpler and that has been taught in
class already, e.g., if youre using The
giraffe is soft in this lesson, your exit slip
could say, The giraffe is ___. This way,
you could reinforce what youve just
taught, and you could also assess whether
students were able to learn what youve
just taught them.

Anticipating students responses and my possible responses:

a.) During the read aloud, the most likely issue will be students making a lot of tangential or offtopic comments. I will try to re-direct comments to be on-task (talking about adjectives) or
ignore raised hands/tangential comments during times other than the predetermined discussion
times. During the item exploration, the students may get excited or wound up when they get to
interact with the objects. I will try to minimize this possibility by laying down ground rules
before starting the activity (one person at a time, no grabbing, etc). If students are having trouble
taking turns appropriately with the objects, I will remind them that we need to give everybody a
fair turn to hold the object.
b.) One possible response is that students will generate other parts of speech, mistaking them for
adjectives (e.g. - I am a boy vs. I am funny). For the sake of remaining focused on adjectives, I
would respond to these kind of comments by briefly clarifying what adjectives are, and then
asking scaffolding questions that redirect them to adjectives (e.g. If a student says boy, we
would remind them that a boy is a noun, and then ask, What kind of boy? How could you
describe him?). Another possible response is students will struggle to put into words the
purpose/use of adjectives. In this case, I would respond by modeling the way adjectives are
helpful to me (e.g. When the author said squeaky chalk it helped me to picture the chalk. I felt
like I could hear the sound in my head.)

Lan 11/12/15 5:47 PM

Comment: Another way to clarify what an
adjective is in this situation: An adjective
goes between a and boy.
Lan 11/12/15 5:47 PM
Comment: Hear the chalk

Accommodations
a.) For students who seem to find the activities and discussions too challenging, we will try to
provide more scaffolds and modeling. For example, if a student is struggling to name adjectives,
I could ask a student, What does the apple feel like? What color is it? What size is it? I can
also support struggling students by reviewing or re-wording the definition of adjectives. If
students have trouble explaining how adjectives help us understand the story, I will model my
own process of using adjectives to aid comprehension by saying something like, Pointy
pencils...that really helps me visualize what the pencils look like.
b.) The lesson is designed so that we are all working on the same activity at the same time, so
there is no possibility for students to finish early. If a student seems to firmly grasp the concept
of adjectives, I will try to challenge them by encouraging them to provide more advanced
adjectives (e.g. Okay, youve got color and size down. What can you tell me about its texture?)

Lan 11/12/15 5:49 PM

Comment: Build these into the lesson
plan and use them as needed. Itll be
easier to have pre-planned scaffolds than
to not have them. If you end up not using
them with this group, its fine, because the
scaffolds may come in handy when/if you
reuse this lesson with a future group.