Teacher: Danielle and Jenna Date: November 14, 2018
School: Shepardson Grade Level: Kindergarten Content Area: Literacy
Title: Thanksgiving Literacy (2 Separate Activities) Lesson #: 5 out of 5
*I taught this activity and Jenna taught a different activity
Lesson Idea/Topic and Thanksgiving: Initial Sounds in Literacy
Rational/Relevance:
This relates to the unit theme of fall through talking about
thanksgiving. It is relevant to literacy through practicing letters, their
sounds, and words that start with that letter
Student Profile: Children with all different academic abilities
Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson: (Write Content Standards directly from the standard)
Reading, Writing, and Communicating
Standard 1.3 Vocal sounds produce words and meaning to create early knowledge of phonemic
awareness
g. Identify the initial, medial, and final phoneme (speech sound) of spoken words
Standard 3.2 Appropriate mechanics and conventions are used to create simple texts
iii. Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). (CCSS:
L.K.2c)
iv. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships. (CCSS:
L.K.2d)
Mathematics
Standard 1.1 Whole numbers can be used to name, count, represent, and order quantity
Visual Art
Standard 2.1 Works of art can represent people, places, and things
a. Explain that works of art communicate ideas (DOK 1-2)
Understandings: (Big Ideas)
Counting is used constantly in everyday life
Phonological and phonemic awareness prepares the brain for reading and spelling
Visual art can represent ideas
Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of instruction, select
applicable questions from standard)
Why do we count things?
Why are phonemes (speech sounds) important?
How can one figure out how to spell a word they do not know how to spell?
How can one represent their idea through a drawing?
Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)
Every student will be able to: (Create your own lesson objectives from the standard using student
voice)
I can: think of words that start with a specific initial sound, write that word, and draw about that word
This means: I am practicing skills of drawing, identifying initial sounds, and writing words
Planned Lesson Activities
Name and Thanksgiving Literacy: Initial Sounds
Purpose of The purpose is to have children practice naming letters and their sounds and
Lesson matching words with the same initial sound as the letter. This helps their
development of literacy skills.
Co-Teaching Which model(s) will be used?
Will co-teaching Station Teaching
models be Why did you choose this model(s) and what are the teachers’ roles?
utilized in this We will be teaching literacy, but we will be focusing on different areas of literacy.
lesson? Yes This way the children are exposed to the different aspects of literacy and get to
_X__ No ___ gain more skills.
Approx. Time Time: 40 minutes (Four 10-minute sessions)
and Materials Materials: worksheet with turkey and turkey feathers, crayons, markers, scissors,
glue
Anticipatory Set I will start the lesson by asking the children what letter their name starts with and
asking them to come up with words that start with that same letter
Procedures The strategy I intend to use is: Task Analysis
I am using this strategy here because: I will give them a set of tasks to complete in
order to get the final product
Teacher Actions Student Actions Data Collected
~Ask students what ~Say the letter their name ~Some children were
their name starts with starts with able to come up with
and what words they ~Brainstorm words that also words, write, and
start with that word draw them on their
think also start with ~Grab feathers based on own. ~Some children
that letter their age needed support.
~Have children grab ~Write the words on one
the number of feathers side of the feather ~Pictures were taken
that represent their ~Draw a picture that on documentation
age represents that word on the
~Assist students in other side
writing words and ~Glue the feathers onto the
drawing pictures turkey with the picture side
up
~Color the turkey
~Share with an adult or
friend
Closure The strategy I intend to use is: Questions
I am using this strategy here because: It will expand on the thinking and
knowledge the children gained from this lesson.
Differentiation Content Process Product Environment
Modifications: ~Explain ~Assist children ~Help ~Work one on one
what an in coming up glue, with some
initial with words, etc students
sound is, writing and
help spelling words,
students and drawing
find the pictures
initial
sound
Extensions: ~Have ~Have children ~N/A ~N/A
children write and draw
also find independently
the middle
and end
sound
~Have
children
come up
with
words that
start with
the letter
that their
name ends
with, etc.
Assessment Observations
Post Lesson Reflection
1. To what extent were lesson objectives achieved? (Utilize assessment data to justify
your level of achievement)
Half of the children were able to come up with words that started with the first letter of
their name, sound it out and spell it based on the sounds, and draw a picture that
represented it. Some children needed help with coming up with a word but then were able
to spell and draw it. A couple of the children needed help with both coming up with
words and spelling, one child had to follow my tracing of a word. Based on these
observations, most of the lesson objectives were achieved.
2. What changes, omissions, or additions to the lesson would you make if you were to
teach again?
There a couple of changes that I would make for this lesson since I found that the amount
of time did not work well with what I had planned. There were two ways I could go about
this lesson for next time.
The first way is to have more time in order to be more individualized with the
content. The children would benefit from having more time for coming up with words,
writing them and drawing them that are based on their individual name. The children
struggled with completing two “feathers” because there was not enough time. I also felt I
did not have enough time to help each child because it was so individualized. This is why
I would change the lesson in this way. I would also have a para or another teacher support
the students who need more one on one help with this lesson. This would also help with
managing behavior while I am trying to teach the whole group.
The other way would be to choose one letter to base the words off of. I would
come up with the letter based off the assessments that each child has done to figure out
which letter is the one most children struggled with. Then as a group, we would all come
up with the same words and write/draw them. It would be easier to teach and help all the
children if it was not so individualized and if it was based off of only one letter. This way
could work with the time limit I had set, but again it would be more beneficial if there
was more time for this lesson. It would also be beneficial to have helpers.
3. What do you envision for the next lesson? (Continued practice, reteach content, etc.)
For the next lesson, I envision continued practice with either the same letter they were
working on or a letter that the whole group will do based off of the changes I mentioned
above. I felt the children still walked away with learning, but even more learning could
be done if I change it in the way I want to. I also envision adding more help through other
teachers or volunteers.
4. If you used co-teaching, would you use the same co-teaching strategy for this lesson
if you were to teach it again? Were there additional co-teaching strategies used during the
lesson not planned for initially? Please explain.
I liked the way we set up the station teaching for the co-teaching component. Both of us
worked on literacy, but the children were able to work on different aspects of literacy which
made it more beneficial for them. We also worked together to remind each other when the
transition was coming up which was also helpful. The other teachers in the room also had
defined jobs with one working at another station with a literacy game and another teacher pulling
children for extra support on literacy. I liked this way of co-teaching however because of my
specific lesson I would change where the other teachers are and only have two controlled stations
so that the other teachers could add extra support for those children who need it.
