How to write lnstructional plan and reflection paper?
Lesson Plan
Lesson Topic: How important is the Amazon Rainforest?
In this lesson, students will conduct a close reading of an informational article about the destruction of the Amazon rain forest. Students will use a variety of strategies to determine the meaning of selected academic words in context, and they will sort selected tier 3 words into categories and examine the relationships between words in a category. Students will also answer text-dependent questions about the article and identify and describe the cause/effect structure used throughout the article. Students will write an informational paragraph about the events that are occurring in the Amazon rain forest. Graphic organizers, answer keys, and a writing rubric have been provided with the lesson.
Subject(s): English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 4
Intended Audience: 
Educators 
Suggested Technology: Interactive Whiteboard, LCD Projector, Speakers/Headphones, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 3 Hour(s) 30 Minute(s)
Resource supports reading in content area:Yes
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: close reading, Amazon, rainforest, cause and effect, deforestation, biodiversity, interdependence
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan, Worksheet, Assessment , Text Resource, Instructional Technique, Formative Assessment
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
Florida State Standards
LAFS.4.L.3.4 : Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
LAFS.4.RI.2.5 : Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
LAFS.4.W.1.2 :Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
LAFS.4.RI.2.4 : Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
LAFS.4.RI.1.1 :Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Please login at the top of this page to access this resource.
Sorry! This resource requires special permission and only certain users have access to it at this time.
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will be able to:
Use appropriate strategies to determine the meaning of selected words from a text on the Amazon rain forest
Cite specific and relevant evidence from the text to answer text-based questions
Explain what changes have taken place in the Amazon rain forest, why these changes have taken place, and what effect these changes have had on the Amazon rain forest
Recognize ways that humans have impacted the environment of the Amazon rain forest
Write to explain the causes and effects of the changes to the Amazon rain forest in a well-organized and focused paragraph where they explain a controlling idea, support the controlling idea with specific evidence from the text, use appropriate text-based vocabulary, and provide a conclusion that supports the controlling idea
Proofread their informative paragraph for grade-appropriate conventions and grammar
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
The students should know what the words "cause" and "effect" mean.
The students should be able to identify a cause and effect structure in a text.
The students should know that what humans do can affects things in the world.
The students should know that humans can have an impact on the environment.
Students should know how to use different strategies to determine the meaning of unknown words in a text.
Students should be able to respond to a writing task in the form of an organized paragraph with a clear controlling idea, supporting details and appropriate evidence from the text to support the controlling idea.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
How does using cause and effect help a reader understand a text?
Why is it important to support answers with text evidence?
What are ways that humans have impacted the Amazon rain forest?
What changes have taken place in the Amazon rain forest? Why have these changes happened and what effect have they had on the rain forest?
How can a reader determine the meaning of an unknown word?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
Day 1: First Reading:
1. Before starting this lesson the teacher may want to show one or both of the following video options to stimulate student interest in the lesson:
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/nature/amazonrainforest.html
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=13373&CategoryID=2311
2. Review the overall rubric for this lesson with students so they know the expectations.
3. Teacher will give each student a copy of the article from ReadWorks.org, “Can the Amazon be Saved?" (Note: Teachers will have to sign up for a free account to access this article.) Explain to the students that they will be focusing on unknown words as they read the article for the first time.
4. Have the students read the article to themselves. Have them underline any words they do not know the meaning of.
5. Have the students look at the words that they underlined. Have them share out and the teacher will make a class list of these words on chart paper. (Tell the students that the following words will be used in another activity so they do not need to define them at this time: exotic, ancestors, satellite, poverty, biodiversity, deforestation, greenhouse gas, population growth, and carbon dioxide).
6. Challenge the students to use a word study skill (context clues, roots, prefixes, suffixes, etc.) to determine the meanings of the words on the chart paper. Give the students time to turn and talk with their partner. The groups should create definitions for the words using their word study skills. (This part could be done full group if needed).
7. Have the students then give the teacher definitions for the words identified in Step 6 using their word study skills. Give feedback on the students’ definitions and correct any misconceptions. Transfer these definitions to the class chart. Hang this chart in a place where all of the students have access to it.
8. Now the teacher and students are going to focus on five Tier 2 words from the article. Pass out five vocabulary wheel templates to each student (or have the students draw these on notebook paper). Display the vocabulary wheel sample so the students know where to place each thing you are asking them to do (This sample can be projected to poster size to hang on the wall). With a partner the students will fill out their vocabulary wheel pages.
9. Students share out and go over the definitions. The students can write the correct definition in the labeled section if they did not have the correct definition. The partners will them come up with a synonym for each word. The teacher will rotate among the groups as this is done. The teacher can then collect the vocabulary wheels to check for understanding.
Definitions of Tier 2 words:
Ancestors-people in your family that lived before you
Extinct-no longer living
Poverty-being poor and unable to provide for your family
Exotic-unusual or different
Satellite-an object that orbits the Earth and can take pictures of the Earth
10. Next the teacher will give the definitions to some Tier 3 words (Biodiversity, Deforestation,Greenhouse gas, Carbon Dioxide, Population growth) from the article. Pass out the Tier Three Student Template. Have the students copy down the definitions on their template as you write them on chart paper. A key has been provided. Then have the students turn and talk with their partner and sort the words into the two categories provided. When finished, review as a whole group. Discuss any discrepancies that the students have. As long as they have a valid reason for their placement in the sort, accept their answers.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
Day 2: Second Reading:
1. Review the overall rubric again for this lesson with students.
2. Then ask the students the following questions (The questions can also be given to the students using the following text-dependent questions handout.)
Why do you think the author included the first paragraph? (To help the reader understand what a beautiful place the Amazon is.)
What does the author mean by using the word "deforestation" in the third paragraph? (It means that trees and plants are getting cut down.)
How do you know? (I used context clues to figure out the meaning. It tells you the definition right in the paragraph. They could also say that they used the provided footnote to get the definition.)
What cause and effect situation is presented in the caption on page 1? (That toucans and other animals are trying to stay alive even though their homes are being destroyed.)
3. Have the students bring their copy of "Can the Amazon be Saved?" to the carpet. Tell the students that they will be focusing on cause and effect situations as they read the text. Then review cause and effect situations and tell the students that today when they read the text, they are going to be looking for cause and effect relationships within the text. They will be working with their reading partner (chosen ahead of time). While they are reading, they will fill out the first two sections (columns) of their cause and effect chart. They can refer to the definition chart if they have forgotten the definitions of words within the text.
4. When the students have finished the first two columns on the cause and effect charts, have them come back to the carpet to turn and talk and discuss their findings with another group of two. Have students add new cause and effect situations to their charts.
Day 3: Third Reading:
1. Review the overall rubric again for this lesson.
2. Hand back students' cause and effect charts from the previous lesson and review it as a whole class.
3. Have the students reread the article, "Can the Amazon be Saved?" with a partner. Tell the students that this time when they are reading the article, they will fill out column three to provide text evidence from the article to support what they wrote in the "effect column." Teacher will monitor students as they work.
4. When the students have finished their cause and effect charts, have them come back to the carpet to discuss their findings as a whole group. The teacher will transfer the findings to a large cause and effect class chart made on chart paper. The teacher will collect the student cause and effect charts to check for understanding. A key has been provided. (The teacher will work with any students that may still be having trouble with this skill before starting Day 4 of the lesson.)
5. Then ask the following questions:
What cause and effect situation in the Amazon should be addressed first?
Why are the problems in the Amazon are a world-wide problem?
Reread the last paragraph of the text. Why did the author include the last line? ("Solutions need to involve the very people who destroy the forest.")
6. Write the following question on a piece of chart paper.
What do you think is the most negative environmental situation in the Amazon? Use text evidence to support your answer.
Have the students answer the question on an index card. Collect for a participation grade.
Day 4:
The teacher will read the article, "Can the Amazon be Saved?" to the students reviewing the cause and effect elements from the class chart as the text is being read.
The teacher will also review the vocabulary from the word chart, the Tier 2 and Tier 3 words from Day 1.
When the teacher is finished, he/she will review the informational paragraph rubric for the writing portion of this lesson and make sure a copy is readily available to the students. The teacher should leave the cause and effect chart up so students can use it for evidence in their writing.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the lesson?
Day 4 continued:
The students will be required to write an informative paragraph stating the changes that have taken place in the Amazon, why those changes have taken place, and the effect they have had on the area. They will need to use some of the targeted vocabulary from the first day in their paragraph and provide evidence from the text to support their ideas. They are allowed to use their copies of the article to complete this assessment.
The teacher will use the informational paragraph rubric to assess the student work.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
Review the cause and effect situations from the article.
Review the guiding questions
Review the targeted vocabulary from the lesson (Tier 2 and Tier 3 words).
Have the students share their cause and effect paragraphs.
Summative Assessment
The students will be required to write an informative paragraph stating the changes that have taken place in the Amazon rain forest, why those changes have taken place, and the effect they have had on the rain forest. Students will need to use the targeted vocabulary from day one in their written response. The teacher can use the attached informative paragraph rubric to grade students' work. The teacher should share the rubric and review it with students before they begin writing.
The teacher can also use the attached rubric to grade students on different criteria from throughout the overall lesson.
Formative Assessment
1. The teacher will review what cause and effect relationships are and have the students turn and talk (they face a partner and discuss) and come up with their own cause and effect situations. The teacher will rotate through the groups to listen to what is being said to check for understanding. The teacher will then share some of the cause and effect situations heard while rotating around the groups.
2. The teacher will have the students fill out a vocabulary wheel for the Tier 2 words selected from the informational text. The teacher can walk around and listen in on the discussion and provide support as needed. The teacher can also collect this assignment to make sure students did not leave out any important information. Return cards to the kids for them to use as they work further on this article. (A vocabulary sample has been provided to help the teacher explain to students what is to be written in each section of the wheel).
3. The teacher will define some Tier 3 words from the text for the students which they will copy onto a Tier 3 chart. The teacher will then direct the students to sort the words given into the chart provided. The teacher will rotate during this activity and supply feedback to individual student groups. A sample key has been provided.
4. The teacher will ask the students text-based questions about the informational text on the Amazon rain forest. The teacher will have students discuss the questions with their partners and then discuss as an entire class.
5. The students will fill out a cause and effect chart with a partner during the lesson. A sample key has been provided.
Feedback to Students
The teacher will give feedback to the students throughout this lesson in small and whole group as needed.
The teacher will pull a small group of students aside when more help is needed.
When the students are working on the initial definitions, the teacher can monitor the students by asking them to use the words in a sentence.
When the students are working on their vocabulary wheels with their partners, the teacher can ask the students how they came up with the definition for the word and if they can use it correctly in a sentence.
When the students are working on their sorting of Tier 3 words the teacher can walk around the groups and listen to the students' discussions.
The teacher can provide verbal corrective feedback during the whole group discussion of students' answers to the text-based questions.
When the students are working on their cause and effect chart, it would be good to call each group of partners to a reading table and have them work on one cause and effect relationship so the teacher can hear student reasoning and thinking. Teacher can question students during the discussion.
ASSESSMENT
Feedback to Students:
The teacher will give feedback to the students throughout this lesson in small and whole group as needed.
The teacher can then pull a small group of students aside when more help is needed.
When the students are working on the initial definitions, the teacher can monitor the students by asking them to use the words in a sentence.
When the students are working on their vocabulary wheels with their partners, the teacher can ask the students how they came up with the definition for the word and if they can use it correctly in a sentence.
When the students are working on their sorting of Tier 3 words the teacher can walk around the groups and listen to the students' discussions.
The teacher can provide verbal corrective feedback during the whole group discussion of students' answers to the text-based questions.
When the students are working on their cause and effect chart, it would be good to call each group of partners to a reading table and have them work on one cause and effect relationship in front of you so that you can hear their reasoning and how they are thinking. If you don't hear them discuss it, ask them how they know that what they wrote down is a cause and effect situation.
Summative Assessment:
The students will be required to write an informative paragraph stating the changes that have taken place in the Amazon rain forest, why those changes have taken place, and the effect they have had on this area. Students will need to use the targeted vocabulary from day one in their written response. The teacher can use the attached informative paragraph rubric to grade students' work. The teacher should share the rubric and go over it with students before they begin writing.
The teacher can also use the attached rubric to grade students on different criteria from throughout the overall lesson.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
The teacher could provide a copy of the list of vocabulary words with their definitions.
The teacher could read aloud with struggling students.
The teacher could ask the students the guiding questions independently.
The teacher could fill in a few examples of causes on the cause/effect chart and have students identify the effect, and the teacher could fill in a few examples of effects and have students identify the cause.
The teacher could provide a template for the writing activity.
The teacher could allow students to use their cause and effect chart while writing their summative assessment paragraph.
Extensions:
Students could find another cause and effect article and then make a PowerPoint to represent the cause and effect situations found in the new article.
Students could write their own cause and effect stories. Students could then switch their stories with another student and fill out the cause and effect chart.
Suggested Technology: Interactive Whiteboard, LCD Projector, Speakers/Headphones, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
Chart paper, copies of the article, copies of the vocabulary wheel, copies of the Tier 3 word chart, copies of the cause and effect chart, and copies of the rubrics.
Reference
http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/74312
