Brooke Soto

11 Point Lesson Plan

UW-Green Bay Professional Program in Education
Lesson Topic and grade level:
Word Choice
Grade: 5
Standard/Learning Outcome:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.2.D
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform
about or explain the topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event
sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3.D
Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey
experiences and events precisely.
Content Learning Objective:
Student will use word choice to tell a story.
Rationale:
Student will be able to paint a picture in the readers mind by
properly using word choice.
Background:
Student will need to know how to describe situations in detail.
Academic Language:
Word Choice: The use of rich, colorful, precise language that moves
and enlightens the reader
Guiding Question:
How do writers help the reader picture what is happening? What kind
of picture are you trying to paint for your reader?
Activities/Procedures:
Part 1: Defining
1. Define what word choice is and what it is not
Part 2: Examples/Mentor Text
1. Read Where the Wild Things Are
About this book: This book is about a boy who, because of his
chaotic behavior, is sent to bed early without supper. He
creates a whole new land by using his imagination and a great
deal of word choice. In this imaginary land the young boy
encounters wild things. The reader can hear and visualize

Brooke Soto
what the wild things are like. The boy ends up dancing with
the wild things and eventually gets lonely and goes home.
This book allows the student to read a piece of writing that
shows splendid word choice. They can also see how the words
create the picture that the illustrator drew.
2. Go through and point out word choice
3. Help them at first but slowly let them do it themselves
4. Watch youtube video of Where the Wild Things Are
5. Talk about how the words allowed them to visualize what the
video is
Part 3: Modeling
1. Have a writing piece already written out with no/poor word
choice
2. **think aloud** What am I wanting the reader to imagine?
3. Pick out words that could possibly fit
4. Go through and add/edit word choice
5. Reread the piece and ask Can you picture what is going on?
Part 4: Writing Activity
1. Have the student write about a time that they walked
somewhere
2. Ask them create a chart
3. The columns would say see smell taste touch hear
4. Have them fill out the columns from what they experienced on
their walk
5. Have them write out the sequence of events
6. Have the student add in their details using the words from the
chart
7. Challenge them to not repeat words often and to think of
synonyms of words
8. Read their piece aloud
9. **think aloud** Hmm I imagine ___ when I am reading this
I wonder if what I am imagining is what the author wanted me
to imagine
10.
Ask them if they can imagine what is going on. Does the
writing do the experience justice? Was the reader correct in
what was happening?
11.
Repeat a few times (varies in length)
12.
Go through and edit word choice to change the meanings
Materials (for students and teachers):
Book: (Mentor Text)
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
*youtube: part of Where the Wild Things Are
Accommodations for Exceptional and Varied Learners:
If the student is struggling then lesson will be drawn out and
repeated. Break up the process into parts. Dont overwhelm the
student with the information. Do this activity a few times so the
student gets used to using word choice properly.

Brooke Soto
Assessment:
Keep track of progress with the sentences and words he creates.
Highlight word choice words and go through their writings together
asking them if they should change it or not. The final assessment will
be the short story that the student writes. If the student is still
struggling, repeat the different parts with other activities.

Student Strengths:
The student does well with sticking to a plot line. They dont go off on tangents
and talk about stuff that doesnt matter. Their overall idea is clear; it is easy to
understand what is going on.