Expository Text Lesson Plan

Hello everyone,
Here is my example of a lesson plan that I designed from Conley's template.

Curriculum Competency Standard: LIFE SCIENCE
3. Develop an understanding of the characteristics, structures, life cycles, interactions, and environments of organisms.

Objectives:
a. Classify animals and plants by observable features (e.g., size, appearance, color, motion, habitat). (DOK 2)
b. Communicate the importance of food and explain how the body utilizes food. (DOK 2)
c. Identify the basic needs of plants and animals and recognize that plants and animals both need to take in water, animals need food, and plants need light. (DOK 1)
Big Idea:
Learning about how animals thrive from day to day promotes sensitivity and awareness.

Preparation:
1. Read aloud “Amazing Snakes”, by Sarah L. Thomson
2. Discuss in a whole group setting open-ended questions about the book.
a. What did you notice about the book?
b. What did you enjoy learning about the most? Why or why not?
3. Discuss more specific teacher-led questions to engage directly with the standards.
4. What kind of Snakes can we find in Mississippi?
5. Which snakes are venomous? Non-venomous?
6. What kinds of places do snakes live?
7. How do snakes help the environment?
8. What/How do they eat?
9. Write a simple paragraph about what you learned about the book.
10. Using the information from the paragraph, create a bubble map of the facts and main points of the reptile.
11. You may color the map and attach it to the bottom half page of the persuasive paragraph.
12. Keep this information is your notebook for a reference, as we explore other animals throughout the unit.

Guidance:
1.Students think-pair-share and recall ideas and facts about the book.
2. Teacher facilitates discussion-based learning by asking both open-ended questions.
3. Teacher walks around during pair work providing guidance and feedback.
4. Teacher provides clear instructions and rubrics to students.

Application:
1. Introduce other animals throughout the week to create a portfolio of the unit.
2. Students will reflect on other stories by writing paragraphs and using bubble maps to organize the information that they have learned.

Assessment:
I would assess students by portfolio. Since this assignment is worth only a fraction of the points, the students will culminate all other animals that they learn about and combine them all together using a rubric, to assess their content, that I will provide for them to ensure that they understand what is expected.