Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part C: Written Narrative: Lesson Plan Rationale Template
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Step 1: Plan—Part C: Written Narrative: Lesson Plan
Rationale Template
Directions: Thinking about the student context information, including assets and learning needs for the whole
class and focus students, briefly respond to the following prompts (no more than 7 pages). Type your responses
within the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts.
1. Prior Academic Knowledge: Explain how the lesson plan builds on students’ prior
academic knowledge related to the learning goal(s) selected for the lesson.
[ Students practice organized group discussions, or CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1.B: Follow
agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles, in every lesson that we can apply
this standard. Students are already set up in table groups, which makes collaboration much
easier. Students are aware of the group discussion roles by facilitator, recorder, questioner and
summarizer. Although these discussion roles and their descriptions are taped to the board, I still
take the time to make sure every student knows and understands their role in discussion
scenarios. Since these roles have been established prior, we can conduct classroom conversations
quickly and often.
The ELA unit, prior to this lesson plan was focused on two standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says
explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text and CCSS.ELA.Literacy-RL.5.3: Compare
and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific
details in a text (e.g. how characters interact). Both of these standards correlate to the Reading
Informational standards in my lesson, by highlighting similar skill practices. In the week just
before, students practiced CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text, by answering
questions from a worksheet about a narrative, incorporating quotes from the text as evidence.
This relates to the upcoming standard CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.1: Quote accurately from a text
when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. These
two skills play into each other because practicing quoting text from a narrative can be similar to
quoting informative texts. The standard CCSS.ELA.Literacy-RL.5.3: Compare and contrast two
or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in a text
(e.g. how characters interact) was incorporated into the lesson in the week before through
graphic organizers made by table groups. Students created a poster that laid out the comparison
and contrast of characters in two stories of the Wonders Reading/Writing Workshop book. This
skill rolls over into my lesson plan because in CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5. (Explain the
relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts
in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text), it
requires students to explain how two or more concepts are related. Students will use
compare and contrast skills learned in the week before to effectively compare two
scientific concepts. ]
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Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part C: Written Narrative: Lesson Plan Rationale Template
2. Student Assets and Learning Needs: Explain how the lesson plan incorporates, affirms,
and validates students’ cultural and linguistic resources, socioeconomic backgrounds, funds
of knowledge, prior experiences, and interests related to the content of the lesson.
[ Recently, California has experienced abnormal weather patterns, for example: consistent
heavy rainfall. This weather affects the lives of students because of inclement weather
requirements. This prior knowledge of popular weather patterns in California will allow students
to relate to the content considered in the reading, “Forests on Fire”. Science is a popular subject
in class because it comes in quick, limited bursts in a multi subject classroom. Many students in
this class are interested in STEM topics, so applying this particular reading to their ELA work will
simultaneously integrate subjects and catch their interests. Some students in the class are
particularly interested in local environmental support. They participate in the school garden and
are hopeful that the school will start a composting bin. Students also have not spent much time
reading informational text. This reading is full of fun facts about the weather which may also
catch their interests.
Students have also recently quoted informational texts. They conducted personal biographical
essays in which they had to inform the reader, using quotes. This lesson incorporates drawing
information from the text to further meet the CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5. (Explain the
relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts
in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text), it
requires students to explain how two or more concepts are related; in this case the
related concepts are concerned with text to text and text to world relationships. This
lesson also correlates with the prior lesson concerning comparing and contrasting two
fictional texts. During that prior lesson, students also practiced the upcoming graphic
organizer. Using these funds of knowledge, I hope to better prepare students for
success. ]
3. Student Learning Activities: Explain why you selected the learning activities and how you
will engage all students in higher-order thinking (analysis, synthesis, evaluation,
interpretation, transfer) and applications of concepts or skills to purposefully advance their
understanding of the specific content (e.g., use of manipulatives, think-pair-share, models,
drawings or maps, graphic organizers, performances, demonstrations, labs).
[ Beginning the lesson, we will have the opportunity to discuss personal experiences with the
weather. Students will begin this with a quick write (two-three sentences) asking students to
reflect on, “what have you noticed about California’s weather recently?”. Since this has been a
hot topic in class, students should have a lot of material to work with. Everyone will quickly write
down a few thoughts and after two or three minutes, I will have students share with their table
groups. Following this activity, we will read and go through the notes, stopping to ask critical
questions about the text. Together, on the board, the class will help me take the notes
throughout reading “Forests on Fire” as well. We will identify critical words that accentuate
compare and contrasting details. Students will collaborate throughout the lesson, discussing
comparing and contrasting details, which will later be shared with the class. All of this will
hopefully prepare students for the assessment graphic organizer at the end. If students are still
not prepared for the graphic organizer, this is when I will use sentence starters to model the
graphic organizer on the board. Without giving students as a class, too much helpful
information, and continuing to challenge them, I will also walk around the class to keep all
students on track to meet the learning intentions set at the beginning of the lesson. ]
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Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part C: Written Narrative: Lesson Plan Rationale Template
4. Instructional Strategies: Explain why you will use specific instructional strategies, including
UDL, and what adaptations (accommodations and/or modifications) you might make to
improve student access to learning. Describe how you will support student engagement with
the content you are teaching in this lesson (e.g., modeling, scaffolding, asking questions,
providing instructions to guide an activity).
[ Prior to the lesson, I will lay out the learning intentions and success criteria of the lesson and
somewhat map out the upcoming activities that we will partake in. I want to make sure that all
students know what to expect. Using full group instruction, I will introduce the topic by asking
students to partake in a quick write where they reply with their personal experiences concerning
California’s recent weather. I expect them to respond with information about the recent heavy
rainfall. Allowing students to reflect on their experiences will make the lesson overall more
relatable for every student. Following this activity, students will collaborate with their groups to
bounce ideas off each other about the recent, strange weather. Students will follow along with
my modeled notes on the board, keeping track of the discussions that we partake in. As
students take the notes, I will also monitor the room to check in on questions and to make sure
all students are engaged. Students will discuss my guided questions first in their groups and
then with the entire class. When reflecting on the discussion questions that I pose, I will circulate
the classroom to answer any questions or help any individual students. Judging the discussions
that develop in their groups, will also tell me if students are engaged. I plan to use our
discussions about the comparing and contrasting details within “Forests on Fire” to help assess
whether or not students can draw key details from the text to compare and contrast with their
own experiences. Finally, students will write up their own graphic organizers that highlight key
details in the text that contrast their own experiences in the world. Using scaffolding and
modeling techniques, I plan to make the notes and graphic organizer more inclusive of all
learners. The modeling aspect will help guide students through the note-taking process as well
as the lay out of the graphic organizer. This will also help set my expectations for the end result
of the graphic organizer too.
A specific accommodation that will benefit FS2 is our RSP assistant, who takes a group of
students to read the text prior to our whole group reading. The RSP assistant will pull those
students out of class to read and begin discussing the upcoming lesson. Usually students ge
this opportunity at the beginning of the week. When FS2 has fully emerged in my lesson, I plan
to check in with him and others. If these particular students are very stuck, I will use this lesson
to motivate the content of my small groups. ]
5. Student Grouping: Explain your rationale for grouping students in this lesson—whole class,
small group, pairs, individual—and why you think this will support student learning.
[ In this class, students began the school year seated in groups of four. Throughout the year
students with certain learning needs moved into places in the class with only one table partner.
The Master teacher also spent many units finding a good classroom order where students were
comfortable discussing with their table groups and consistently held productive table
discussions. At the beginning of my Student Teaching, the Master Teacher and I rearranged the
room and found that this might be the perfect order. When certain groups sit together, students
work either more or less on task, so it was exciting to have them situated where they are all
often on task. This will support student learning throughout the lesson by improving the
discussion content that happens in each group. I will provide multiple opportunities to discuss
with their table groups so it is important that students discuss the content in the text.
Other aspects of the lesson related to supporting student learning include multi-modalities. Due
to the important details used for comparing and contrasting, I will model notes about the text on
the board so that all groups can comprehend the text. Students will orally converse throughout
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Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part C: Written Narrative: Lesson Plan Rationale Template
the lesson. There will be visuals throughout the text shared read and displayed on the Elmo
projector. After shared notes, students will also produce a personal compare and contrast
graphic organizer that they can apply their discussions to. ]
6. Academic Language Development: How will you address the academic language
development needs of the students you are teaching, including English learners? What
vocabulary or terminology is necessary to access the content?
[ Academic language development will be provided during the group instruction portion of the
lesson. Prior to the lesson, students will conduct a quick write on their experiences with weather,
therefore developing their knowledge of the upcoming scientific language. Following this quick
write students will share with their table groups and then with the entire class. Following this I
will conduct a diagnostic text and ask students to help me define compare and contrast on the
board. This will help clarify the details that we will be looking for in the text. As a class we will
produce words that are synonyms of compare and contrast. This process will support all
learners, but will especially benefit my EL students, so that they are aware of the specific
language we are using. In the notes, we will go over the essential question and the learning
intention to reiterate the language we will be using in the lesson. Introducing this topic prior will
promote transferring student knowledge from fictional topics to informative topics. Throughout
the lesson I will ask guiding questions, incorporating quotes that relate to comparing and
contrasting. For example: when the text discusses wildfires for the first time, it uses the title
“Destructive and Productive”, I will stop at this title and ask students if those words sound like
comparing and contrasting language. This will remind students of the importance of headings in
informational texts as well.
In the time following this lesson, I will address small groups as needed. During our “UDL” time,
where students have the freedom to choose their preferred lesson option, I will pull small groups
based on their overall ELA grade. I will start with below average students who might need
personalized instruction. During small groups, I will develop academic language by giving
students the opportunity to read a shorter version of the text, with the same comparing and
contrasting elements given in the shared read. ]
7. Resources and Materials to Support Learning: Explain why you chose particular
resources and materials to support student learning and language demands in this lesson.
What is the difficulty level of text, materials, or resources needed for the lesson?
[ During the lesson, every student needs their Wonders ELA Reading/Writing Workshop, a
pencil or pen and an ELA notebook. The reading we will go over addresses compare and
contrast skills and relates to all students in the class because it discusses California weather
patterns, like wildfires. Recently, California has had intense rainfall, unlike anything I’ve
experienced before so it’s been a hot topic of discussion. The text has this intersection between
what Californians usually experience in the dry hot months of the year, with wildfires, and
requires students to draw from their own experiences, about the winter season, or the wet
months of the year. Students will have to use real-world experiences to compare to evidence in
the texts, which will entirely promote a compare and contrast way of thinking. This is a guided
curriculum, but of course I plan to change and edit the lesson based on the needs of my
students by asking guided questions and modeling notes on the Elmo projector. The Elmo will
support student learning by presenting all written information for the entire class. Students who
can not see the board from far away are welcome to move closer. I will stop throughout the text
to check for understanding on new words, for example: after reading the word “atmosphere” I
might stop and reread the meaning of the word. Also, after reading all the titles, I might ask
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Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part C: Written Narrative: Lesson Plan Rationale Template
students to find words that seem like words used for comparing and contrasting. One of the
titles in the reading is called “destructive and productive”, specifically related to wildfires. After
reading this piece of the text, we will stop and discuss some of the ways that wildfires are
helpful and hurtful. Using this language will promote critical thinking because students will have
to think back to their own experiences in order to understand the similarities and differences
between wildfires and rainfall. Within the graphic organizer, I will use sentence starters within
two places, “wildfires” and “both” Under the “wildfires” section I will model, “WIldfires are
different from rainfall because, “”(pg #)…” and then under “both” I will model, “Both wildfires and
rainfall can, “”…(pg #)”. This will benefit all students getting started with quotes they can
incorporate from the text to emphasize how wildfires rainfall are similar and different. Students
will also get the opportunity to discuss in their table groups the content of the lesson and
generally verbalize their thoughts throughout the lesson. ]
8. Assessments: Explain how you will use informal assessments throughout the lesson to
check students’ understanding of the content taught.
[ Of the assessments I plan to use, I will begin with a diagnostic assessment. I will check
students' knowledge on forest fires and heavy rainfall by having them do a quick write. After the
quick write students will share their answers with their table groups and then I will call on
students to share with the class. This will tell me how in depth I need to introduce the topics in
the text.
Following the introduction of the lesson, I will do a series of informal assessments by first asking
students to help me define the words compare and contrast to check their knowledge on the
skill we will be focused on. This will be a general class discussion. I will give students the
opportunity to think about some words that are similar to compare and contrast, then when they
share them with me, I might add some that will be found in the upcoming text. Throughout the
text I will stop at big and new words to check for comprehension. I will also check whether or not
students are following along with me by reading the beginning of any given sentence and then
waiting for the class to announce the last word of that sentence. Students will help me use
comparing and contrasting details to highlight important details in the text. Using student
reflection, we will quote important parts of the text after each paragraph in the notes as well. I
will then circulate the room after each note is taken on the board to assess whether or not
students are staying with me or if I need to go slower. As a class, we will incorporate given
examples of compare and contrasting details on the board, using the upcoming graphic
organizer structure. This will help me know if students remember the functionality of comparing
and contrasting graphic organizers.
Lastly, using a formative assessment, I will examine students' finished graphic organizers. Each
graphic organizer will contain three quoted details for each section of the graphic organizer:
wildfires, rainstorms and both. After giving students the allotted time to begin their graphic
organizers, I will begin to model using sentence starters. ]
9. Developmental Considerations (e.g., social-emotional): Explain how the lesson plan and
informal assessments address the developmental considerations of your students.
[ Usually, I give a brief rundown of the upcoming lesson. This gives students some security in
the upcoming workload. When I introduce the topic with the quickwrite, this will also give
students a chance to think about the upcoming content of the text. By using their common table
groups, in which they are surrounded by peers that they feel comfortable communicating with,
students will not feel the pressure of verbalizing their thoughts to the entire class. Students in
the class love the opportunity to communicate with their table groups because they have quite a
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Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part C: Written Narrative: Lesson Plan Rationale Template
bit of freedom to say weird things and communicate in ways that they don’t usually (They sound
like little geniuses). Getting this opportunity also takes the focus off of the quiet classroom and
gets students actively involved in the lesson. As we read the text, students can look at the
visuals within the text, benefitting visual learners. Students also will have the opportunity to draw
on the graphic organizers and incorporate visuals. I will scaffold the lesson accordingly. If
students do not have enough time to finish this graphic organizer or they are absent, I will have
an intellectual conversation with them about the materials to assess how much extra time we
need to spend on this topic. I also keep my version of the notes available for everyone to see so
that they can review them, if they were absent or did not catch a specific point. ]
10. Focus Students: Explain how the lesson plan addresses individual assets and learning
needs of the 3 focus students, including, as appropriate, assistive technologies, and
provides inclusive learning opportunities (if relevant, may include an explanation of
additional support that occurs outside the classroom) to engage fully with the content of the
lesson, including English language development. For Focus Student 1, explain how the
lesson plan supports progress toward their ELD goal(s).
a. Focus Student 1:
[ FS1’s overall score on the ELPAC in 2022 was in the 1514–1559 range. He received a level
three score overall, a four in Oral Language and a two in Written Language. This is important to
keep in mind when I am reading aloud and he is following along with the text. He received a
“Somewhat/Moderate” score in Listening, Reading and Writing. I predict that he will understand
the read aloud lesson, because he scored a four in Oral Language; he may have trouble
following along with the text. In order to keep him following along with the text, I will reiterate
exactly where we are picking up the text, each time I start reading again, after each discussion
with the class. It’s great that each student has their own textbook, so that he can locate exactly
where we are reading and also see the visuals that correlate with the text. This will also help all
students follow along more closely. On the Elmo, I will be projecting the notes that will include
the essential question, learning intentions, new word definitions, and details from the text,
discussed in collaborations. I will also verbalize this information out loud, so that FS1 may hear
it and see it.
Relayed in the ELD standard, CCSS.ELD.PII.5.2b.Br: Apply increasing understanding of
how ideas, events, or reasons are linked throughout a text using an increasing variety of
academic connecting and transitional words or phrases (e.g., consequently, specifically,
however) to comprehending text and writing cohesive texts, I will specifically use
transitional words throughout discussions and use them to explain details in the text that
highlight the learning intention. Frequently, I will use these transitional words to describe
comparing and contrasting details between the texts and statements conjured from
student experiences. Within my modeled notes, I plan to use these transitional words, in
my sentence starters as well. To assess whether or not FS1 has met this goal, I will
review his graphic organizer to make sure that he understands the function of these
transition words. Then, to meet the standard, CCSS.ELD.PI.5.61.Br: Contribute to class,
group, and partner discussions, including sustained dialogue, by following turn-taking
rules, asking relevant questions, affirming others, and adding relevant information,
building on responses, and providing useful feedback, FS1 will love participating in
collaboration groups. He loves to share his thoughts and communicates to the class,
considerably. ]
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Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part C: Written Narrative: Lesson Plan Rationale Template
b. Focus Student 2:
[ FS2 has severe ADHD and signs of Tourette's syndrome. Prior to starting the day, I enjoy
checking in with FS1, to prepare myself for the amount of attention that he will need. The
behavior sheet portrays FS2’s behavior throughout the day, which is regulated by the Master
Teacher and I. There is no punishment, it just keeps track of his behavior. This student is usually
a distraction to others during lessons due to frequent, unprovoked, and seemingly unintentional,
outbursts. He sits at a table group with one other student. He was recently given an IEP, where
it was established that he will need small-group sessions, prior to our ELA lessons. He will read
the text, prior to our classroom lesson, where he and the RSP assistant will discuss the content
of the text. Because of this organization in our RSP program, FS2 gets time out of class to
experience the reading before we do it in class. In smaller group settings, his tics are much
more controlled. When he comes back into the room for our ELA lesson, he will jump right into
our notes. Usually he gets back before we begin the lesson, but on the off chance he gets back
later, I will have the notes on hand to discuss with him, after students start their independent
graphic organizers.When FS2 is in class, he can follow along with the notes on the Elmo
projector. FS2 usually feels fairly confident answering discussion questions to the class because
he has contextual background, prior to the lesson. I expect him to be engaged in this lesson, not
only because he has experienced the reading prior, but also because he is passionate about the
world around him. He is interested in STEM, like many of the other students in his class. FS2
gets antsy in his seat, so he has a special bouncy pad to place on top of his chair, as he needs.
Also, FS2 often gets out of his seat, but since the class has established hand gestures, he can
easily get out of his seat to complete a task without disturbing the class, while I am modeling on
the board. As much as this helps FS2, it also helps other students stay focused and on task
during lessons. ]
c. Focus Student 3:
[Classroom organization is vital to allow FS3 to be successful throughout an entire day. She has
trouble dealing with distractions, so having clear lesson expectations, classroom hand signals
and smooth transitions, significantly helps this student stay on task. gets through lesson plans
with visuals. She loves pictures, drawing and the freedom to make her work her own. I allow
students to draw pictures that correlate with their notes so that they get the chance to doodle
along with the lesson. This is a good way to affirm that her drawing is important and help make
lessons more memorable for her. I check in with this student throughout the lesson as I circulate
the room to make sure that she is also taking written notes and generally following along. I will
scaffold the lesson as needed. ]
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