Lesson plan 1 Verb Tenses: Past, Present, Future Fourth Grade

Option 1 (Interactive Class Activity)


In advance, cut Worksheet 2 into individual pieces so that each country is on a separate paper. Give one country to each student.
Tell each student to read about their country.


Tell students you are going to partner them and they will learn about how other countries celebrate Christmas.
Tell them to hold up on their fingers the number written on their sheet. (Mexico 1, Australia 2, Trinidad and Tobago 3, Germany 4)
Tell number 1 to go and find a number 4 and stand by them.


Tell number 2 to go and find a number 3 and stand by them.


When all students are paired, have them read their countries information to their partner.


When they have finished, tell number 4 to go find number 2 and share country information and tell number 3 to go find number 1 and share their information.
When they have finished, tell number 4 to go find number 3 and share country information and tell number 2 to go find number 1 and share their information.


Option 2 (Independent or Partner Reading)


Pass out the worksheet with all the countries listed and have students read independently or with partners.

Independent Practice

Refer to the first worksheet with the images of a typical United States Christmas Celebration and tell students that they will draw a similar scene from one of the countries they learned about.
Have students choose, or assign students to draw a scene depicting the country’s celebration of Christmas.
Closing


Let students show their pictures to the class


Discuss the similarities and the differences of the way Christmas is celebrated around the world.
Lesson plan 19

Collaborative Questioning

Students will read a teacher selected,

Standards-based science or history text.

Students will then develop questions

Based on Costa’s levels of questioning to

courage collaborative discussion of

the reading.

GRADE LEVEL: 3 - 5TH
SUBJECT: ENGLISH/LANGUAGE
LENGTH OF TIME: ABOUT 60 – 90 Minutes

OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES

Students will be able to engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. Students will come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. Students will follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. Students will pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute

to the discussion and link to the remarks of others. Students will review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

MATERIALS NEEDED

An article or text on a standards-based science or social studies topic Questioning worksheet (attached)


Costa’s level of questioning poster/overhead (attached)


Pencil
PROCEDURE
Opening to Lesson


Teacher will ask the students what they have been discussing at recess together.


For example, baseball, a popular singer, a scandal at school, etc…


Ask students to briefly describe what it is like when they discuss something with their friends.
Post a copy of the “Critical Thinking: Levels of Questioning” worksheet for students to see.


Explain that in every day discussions, you ask questions based on a variety of levels of critical thinking.
For example: What is the name of the Giant’s pitcher (Level 1)? Are the Giant’s going to win the World Series again (Level 3)? What are some obstacles they may have (Level 2/3)? What is your opinion (Level 3)?
Explain that we are going to generate and answer questions to generate one-on-one discussions about a topic in class.

Body of Lesson

The teacher will select a text. The text should be standards based in Science or History. It could be from the text book.
Students can read the text in pairs or aloud as a class.
Have the “Critical Thinking: Levels of Questioning” worksheet posted for reference.


Explain to the students that when we discuss something, there are various levels of discussion, and that the discussion begins with questions.
Explain that In Level 1 questions, you simply need to identify an answer.


For example: How many hours does it take for the earth to make a full rotation?


Showing the chart, explain that in level 2 questions, you need to explain and analyze facts. For example: Why does Earth rotate at a different speed than Jupiter?
Explain that in Level 3 questions, you can evaluate facts or make opinions based on facts:

Do you believe it would be better to live on a planet that spins at a different speed?

Give students about 10 minutes to re-read the text you independently. Instruct them to think of questions that they could ask a partner and write their questions on the worksheet according to Costa’s levels, using the guide words to create the questions.
After 10-15 minutes, if students are struggling to come up with questions, let them work with partners to create more questions.
Now, use a pairing method to partner students.


Give each pair 5 minutes to answer 2 of each other’s questions and discuss the answers.


After 5 minutes, have students partner with a new student and answer another 2 questions.


Repeat until all questions are answered.

Closing

When students have returned to their seats ask the class who they think had the most interesting question. Use equity cards to choose a student and have them explain their favorite question (for example, would you rather live on a planet that rotated at a different speed). Lead a class discussion based on this students question. Repeat as time allows.
FIN
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION

Students will complete the worksheet attached and teacher will monitor discussions as they are taking place around the classroom.

MODIFICATION & DIFFERENTIATION

The teacher can work in with students in small groups for those who need extra assistance.

Lesson plan 20
Lessons in this section

1. 
   Vocabulary and listening: describing objects 100
   
2. 
   Reading an information text: The first Arab explorers 105
   
3. 
   Writing: personal recounts about a birthday 109
   
4. 
   Speaking: giving advice with should and shouldn’t 112
   

Resource sheets for the lessons 117
Using these lesson plans
The lesson plans are not related or sequential. They are drawn from different parts of the curriculum to show variety and illustrate different curriculum standards.
The objectives for the lessons are drawn from the curriculum standards for Grade 4. The relevant main standards are shown in bold and subsidiary standards in normal print beside the objectives at the top of each lesson plan.
It is assumed that certain structures, functions, topics and sub skills have already been learned by the students. For example, lessons 4.1 and 4.4 recycle already taught vocabulary; lesson 4.2 revises simple present tense and should not be the first non-chronological information text students have seen. Lesson 4.3 develops students’ skills in using the simple past tense accurately and builds on regular and irregular past-tense verbs that students should have already learned. Teachers will have to adjust the input load of new vocabulary, language structures, and sub- skills, depending on what really has been taught before.
Each lesson plan has sufficient material to support at least 45 minutes of direct teaching. Teachers may need to supplement the activities provided with additional simpler or more complex tasks if they have a mixed ability class. If there is too much material for 45 minutes (this depends on the class), it is up to the teacher to designate which activities will carry through to the next lesson. However, to maximise the learning cycle, teachers should be selective about which tasks to cut, and not just drop the last task because it comes at the end. Extra practice tasks can be used to accommodate students or groups of students who learn faster than the rest of the class.
The lesson plans are organised as three-stage lessons with a feedback session at the end to sum up learning for students. In the speaking lesson, the three stages are presentation, practice and production. In the listening, reading and writing lessons, the three stages are pre-, while, and post- (e.g. pre-reading, while reading and post- reading).

Objectives
Grade 4 curriculum
standards 1.2, 4.2, 4.3,
4.7, 5.4, 5.5


Pre-listening