Ready Readers: Students Designing the Modern Library 1

Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Template

Teachers: Subject:
Rachel Chacon 8th Grade English
Arizona 8th Grade ELA Standards:
• 8.W.1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
• 8.W.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and
information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
• 8.W.5: With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as
needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well
purpose and audience have been addressed.
• 8.W.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated
question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that
allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
Objective (Explicit):
• Students will individually write a persuasive letter addressed to the principal about designing a
new library using the student feedback from the group surveys.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable):
¨ Include a copy of the lesson assessment.
¨ Provide exemplar student responses with the level of detail you expect to see.
¨ Assign value to each portion of the response.
Persuasive Letter: (40 points total)
• Proper heading (5 points)
st
• 1 paragraph: introduces self and why he/she is writing the letter (5 points)
nd
• 2 paragraph: includes at least three suggested changes and/or additions to the library (10
points)
rd
• 3 paragraph: uses at least three reasons from survey feedback as evidence of what students
want (10 points)
• Proper salutation (5 points)
• Proper conventions (5 points)
• Optional Extra Credit: include illustrations of how the student wants the new library to look (5
bonus points)

Sub-objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from basic to complex):

¨ How will you review past learning and make connections to previous lessons?
¨ What skills and content are needed to ultimately master this lesson objective?
¨ How is this objective relevant to students, their lives, and/or the real world?
• Review: Elements of a letter
• Previous Lessons: Persuasive letters
• Skills: Using research to support the argument
• Relevancy: the topic focuses on a school issue which would directly affect the students
Key vocabulary: Materials: N/A
• Heading
• Salutation
• Persuasive
Opening (state objectives, connect to previous learning, and make relevant to real life)
¨ How will you activate student interest?
¨ How will you connect to past learning?
¨ How will you present the objective in an engaging and student-friendly way?
¨ How will you communicate its importance and make the content relevant to your students?
Ready Readers 2

Activate Interest: I will activate student interest by telling them that they have a project where they get to
design something and work in groups.
Connect to Past Learning: Persuasive letter writing.
Importance: They have the opportunity to design a brand-new library for our school, which will last for
many years and students to come.

Teacher Will: Student Will:

¨ How will you model/explain/demonstrate all ¨ What will students be doing to actively
knowledge/skills required of the objective? capture and process the new material?
¨ What types of visuals will you use? ¨ How will students be engaged?
¨ How will you address misunderstandings or
common student errors?
¨ How will you check for understanding?
¨ How will you explain and model behavioral
expectations?
¨ Is there enough detail in this section so that
another person could teach it?
I will explain the basic elements of a letter and how Students will have the example letter in front
including feedback from real students will make it of them and actively highlight the important
Instructional Input

persuasive. I will use an example letter as a visual. I will pieces.

address errors as I notice them: “I see a lot of people
doing _____, but it should be done this way…” I will
check for understanding by asking them questions and
seeing if they have any questions for me. I expect
students to work silently by themselves and they may
raise their hand if they have any questions.

Co-Teaching Strategy
¨ Which co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?
o N/A

Differentiation Strategy
¨ What accommodations/modifications will you include for specific students?
o Struggling students may follow along with a partner.
¨ Do you anticipate any students who will need an additional challenge?
o N/A
Teacher Will: Student Will:
¨ How will you ensure that all students have multiple ¨ How will students practice all
opportunities to practice new content and skills? knowledge/skills required of the
¨ What types of questions can you ask students as objective, with your support, such that
you are observing them practice? they continue to internalize the sub-
¨ How/when will you check for understanding? objectives?
¨ How will you provide guidance to all students as ¨ How will students be engaged?
they practice? ¨ How will you elicit student-to-student
Guided Practice

¨ How will you explain and model behavioral interaction?

expectations? ¨ How are students practicing in ways that
¨ Is there enough detail in this section so that align to independent practice?
another person could facilitate this practice?

I will have the students write a practice letter to me Students will write a practice letter to me and
about why we should or should not keep our daily may get together with others to share and get
reading or grammar time in class. Questions: How can feedback.
adding evidence make your argument more effective? I
will check for understanding by asking them questions
and seeing if they have any questions for me. I expect
students to work quietly by themselves and they may
raise their hand if they have any questions.
Ready Readers 3

Co-Teaching Strategy
¨ Which co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?
o N/A

Differentiation Strategy
¨ What accommodations/modifications will you include for specific students?
o Struggling students may work with a partner.
¨ Do you anticipate any students who will need an additional challenge?
o N/A
¨ How can you utilize grouping strategies?
o Students will work together with the person sitting right next to them.
Teacher Will: Student Will:
¨ How will you plan to coach and correct during this ¨ How will students independently practice the
practice? knowledge and skills required by the
¨ How will you provide opportunities for remediation and objective?
extension? ¨ How will students be engaged?
¨ How will you clearly state and model academic and ¨ How are students practicing in ways that
behavioral expectations? align to assessment?
¨ Did you provide enough detail so that another person ¨ How are students using self-assessment to
could facilitate the practice?
guide their own learning?
¨ How are you supporting students giving
feedback to one another?
Independent Practice

I will use Google Classrooms and be able to look at
their letters and provide feedback as they write, like
what they are doing well or what they could improve
on. Students will work quietly in their seats and may
respond to my comments with any questions.
Students may use their practice letter and the
example letter as a reference as well as a rubric
containing all of the necessary elements.
Students will write their letters on their
Chromebooks.

Co-Teaching Strategy
¨ Which co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?
o N/A

Differentiation Strategy
¨ What accommodations/modifications will you include for specific students?
o Any students who struggle with writing will have a guided template for the letter.
¨ Do you anticipate any students who will need an additional challenge?
o Students who need an additional challenge can add more than the minimum amount required
for each section and may include their charts or illustrations.

Closing/Student Reflection/Real-life connections:

¨ How will students summarize and state the significance of what they learned?
¨ Why will students be engaged?
I will provide a brief survey asking students what they have learned, whether or not they liked the project and
why, and asking how I could change the project to make it easier, more fun, etc.