Calt Pams Cycle 1 Example Revised

Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject

Getting to Know Your Students Template
Step 1: Plan
Directions: Provide the information listed below about your whole class, your classroom context, and each of the
three focus students by responding to the following prompts (up to 5 pages). To protect the privacy of the focus
students, refer to these students as Focus Student 1 (FS1), Focus Student 2 (FS2), and Focus Student 3 (FS3).
Type your responses within the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts.
Whole Class
1. Description of Students’ Assets and Needs
a. prior academic knowledge related to the specific content you plan to teach
[This is a third-grade class of students who have mastered the CCSS for third grade of writing
informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. The
students were required to research and write a five-paragraph essay on an animal of their
choice. The content I plan to teach will introduce the students to the next state standard that the
class will be focusing on during Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1: Write opinion pieces
on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. Students have the prior academic
knowledge necessary to write paragraphs using topic sentences, linking words and phrases,
including details to support their topic, and concluding statements. These elements will continue
to be focused on during the Opinion Writing unit.]
b. English language proficiency levels (Standard English learners and English learners)
[There are two students identified as English Learners in this class of third graders. One EL
student is male, aged 8 years old, whose native language is Spanish. This student has scored
an overall 3 on the ELPAC. The other EL student is female, aged 8 years old, whose native
language is Assyrian. This student also scored a 3 on the ELPAC last year. These students
participate in all content areas with very little differentiation necessary. Both of these students
have scored into the “Well-developed” speaking and listening categories and the “Somewhat/
Moderately” developed writing and reading categories. Both of these students are in the
“Bridging” level on the ELPAC meaning they require light linguistic support during instructional
activities.]
c. cultural and linguistic resources and funds of knowledge (i.e., knowledge and skills derived
from cultural experience)
[This class has 23 students of Asian (5), Indian (3), Hispanic (6), African American (1) and
Caucasian (8) descent, providing a culturally diverse student population within the classroom. I
was able to obtain information on students through individual conversations, observations,
cumulative files, consulting with my Master Teacher, IEP case managers, and resource
teachers. Nineteen students were born in the United States and three students were born
outside of the U.S. in Hong Kong, Assyria, and Mexico. The majority of the class are native to
California and have lived in the area of XX for their entire life. A majority are involved in after
school sports and activities such as drama club, robotics club, and various other clubs and
school sponsored activities. Students are comfortable working in pairs and groups and are given
a lot of opportunities for collaborative learning activities. Students in the class are very
interested in reading and love math because of the use of technology within the instruction.
Copyright © 2018 by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Page 1 of 5
1900 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95811 5 pages maximum
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There are a few students who prefer to keep to themselves and exhibit shy behavior in the
classroom. Every student in the classroom loves technology and becomes excited when they
are able to use their individual Chromebooks to play math, reading, writing, typing, and coding
games. The area surrounding the school is diverse in socio-economic status. The XX Area has
been known as an area of technology and innovation for years and the cost of living is high. The
school is situated between low-income housing and apartments as well as a very wealthy
housing area, so there is a disparity between students’ socioeconomic status. Nine of the
students in the class qualify for the reduced-price or free meal program through the school. The
students in this class live in a section of XX that is on the edge of a suburban area. Students
have opportunities for travel to the beach, XX, mountain areas and snow. Students celebrate
holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Rama Navami, Chinese New Year, and Baoutha
d’Ninawaye. In celebration of each student’s unique cultural background, classroom instruction
has weaved lessons of acceptance, personal uniqueness, and celebrations of differences
throughout the curriculum. There is a climate of acceptance and cultural appreciation for each
student in the class which creates a safe and welcoming classroom environment.]
d. prior experiences and interests related to the content you plan to teach
[The students have just finished a science unit learning about weather, clouds, storms, and
natural disasters. The students had opportunities to observe weather outside and were
extremely engaged in the unit. I believe the students will be interested to hear the story, “Cloudy
with a Chance of Meatballs” read aloud to them as a way to wrap up the weather unit. The
majority of the students appear engaged and excited for read aloud time. Students have
previously completed writing informational essays after researching an animal. Students were
required to use topic sentences, transition words, supporting details, and concluding sentences.
I believe the students will be interested to hear this story read aloud and write about their
opinion on the weather in the story.]
2. Contextual Information for the Class

a. grade level(s)
[ Third Grade]
b. content area
[ ELA Literacy, Writing, Text Types and Purposes, Opinion Writing]
c. classroom setting (face-to-face, online, hybrid)
[ face-to-face]
d. resources and materials you have access to in your classroom
[ The resources I have available in the classroom includes Chromebooks for each student, two
Apple TV’s, a document camera, headphones, a student library, manipulatives for math and
science, and a wide variety of games and activities that the teacher has collected.]
e. number of students:
i. total number of students (whole class) [23]
ii. number of identified English learners [2]
iii. number of Standard English learners [0]
iv. number of students with an IEP [2]
v. number of students with a 504 plan [1]

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vi. number of students identified for GATE [0]

f. dual-language setting, if applicable; indicate whether setting is:
bilingual [ ] one-way immersion [ ] two-way immersion [ ]
Focus Students
3. Description of 3 Focus Students’ Assets and Needs
IMPORTANT NOTE:
To protect the privacy of the focus students, refer to these students throughout your
submitted evidence as Focus Student 1 (FS1), Focus Student 2 (FS2), and Focus
Student 3 (FS3).
Focus Student 1
a. current proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking/listening in English and mastery of the
primary language
[ FS1 is Assyrian and moved to the United States when she was two years of age. She was tested
using the ELPAC during her last three years at this school. Her overall score of 1481 placed her
in the level 3 (last year) showing that she has moderately developed English skills. FS1 scored as
a level 4 in the listening and speaking section of the test and a level 3 in the reading and writing
section of the test.]
b. prior academic knowledge related to the specific content you plan to teach
[ FS1 will be familiar with the content of the book that I will read aloud, “Cloudy with a Chance
of Meatballs”. I reviewed the work that she completed during the weather unit in science and she
has a strong understanding of weather, storms, and clouds, so I believe she has the prior
knowledge to be able to understand the content of book. FS1 completed informational writing on
a specific animal using topic sentences, details, transition words, and concluding sentences so I
believe she will be able to apply this knowledge to opinion writing. I am not sure if FS1 will be
familiar with “opinions” but when I explain the definition using student centered language, I
believe she will be able to grasp the definition.]
c. social identity (student self-concept derived from a perceived membership in a social group
that is evident in classroom interactions)
[ FS1 has two very close friends in the class. I have seen her playing with these two students
outside on the playground and have heard about their playdates together after school. FS1 is a
hardworking and conscientious student who models appropriate classroom behavior and follows
rules and expectations for learning.]
d. cultural and linguistic resources and funds of knowledge
[ FS1 attends a school specifically to learn the Assyrian language and frequently attends outings
with her friends from that school on the weekends. FS1 is an only child and speaks Assyrian and
English at home. I had each student fill out a “Meet the Student Activity” sheet where I gained
information about each individual student and then met with them one-on-one to build a personal
relationship with them. From this activity, I found that FS1 is a talented artist who loves to create
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with clay and enjoys time in the library. Her favorite time of the school day is read aloud time.
She enjoys going to music class and loves to learn.]
e. prior experiences and interests related to the content you plan to teach
[ FS1 loves read aloud time during the school day. She also enjoys writing in her journal and
often prefers to write or draw when given free choice time. Based on her interests, I believe she
will enjoy the opinion writing activity.]
f. developmental considerations (e.g., social-emotional, typical and atypical child/adolescent
development)
[ FS1 displays typical social-emotional and child development.]
Focus Student 2
a. learning challenge (identified disability and IEP goals, focus of 504 plan or MTSS support, or
need for greater instructional challenge through GATE)
[ FS2 was born with unilateral hearing loss in his left ear and wears a hearing aide in his right
ear. The accommodations for this student include specific seating locations where his right ear is
facing the teacher. FS2 is positioned at a desk in the front of the classroom and the teacher and I
use a microphone to project our voices to make sure this student is able to easily hear
instruction.]
[ FS2 completed an informational writing project on a specific animal using facts from research.
FS2 developed paragraphs using topic sentences, details, transition words, and concluding
sentences. I believe FS2 will able to transfer this knowledge to opinion writing. I reviewed FS2’s
weather unit work and he understood the weather terminology that will be talked about during
the lesson. I am not sure if FS2 will be familiar with opinions, but I have planned to give all
students time to develop an opinion and reasons to support their opinion during the read aloud,
prior to the opinion writing segment of the lesson.
[ FS2 is close friends with 3 other students in the class. FS2 seems to have a positive self-concept
and feels proud of himself after playing soccer with his friends. I have noticed that FS2 prefers to
partner with one other student in class and they appear to be best friends.]
[ FS2 was born in Hong Kong and moved to XX when he was less than one year old. He is
bilingual in Chinese and English. FS2 has an older brother and loves to play sports. FS2 loves
technology and his favorite part of school is going to the STEAM lab and creating robots using
the technology available to him.]
[ FS2 loved the weather unit and was very interested in different types of storms. Based on this, I
believe he will be interested in the story I read aloud. He completed his animal report and
showed great skill in writing using topic sentences, details, transition words, and concluding
sentences.]
development)
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[ FS2 appears to display typical social-emotional and child development.]

g. assistive technologies as appropriate
[ FS2 has a hearing aide in his right ear. The teacher and I use microphones during instruction to
make sure this student has equal access to the content.]
Focus Student 3
a. life experience(s) either inside or outside of school that may result in a need for additional
academic and/or emotional support
[FS3 has a history of absenteeism and my Master Teacher disclosed to me that FS3’s dad passed
away last year. He displays symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, but does not
have a 504 or IEP. His mother disclosed suspicions of ADHD but declines to seek a medical
diagnosis. FS3 needs constant redirection and frequent teacher check-ins to monitor progress and
support completion of activities. Recently, FS3 has started to see a tutor and will now complete
and turn in assigned homework. FS3 has trouble staying on task, completing work, and becomes
distracting to other students in the class. Reviewing this student’s report cards and cumulative
file has provided me with information about this student’s strengths in math and opportunities for
developing skills in language arts and reading.]
[FS3 completed the weather unit and an animal report. His work from the weather unit supports
my belief that he has the prior knowledge about clouds, storms, and weather to be able to
understand and engage in the opinion writing I plan to teach based on reading the book, “Cloudy
with a Chance of Meatballs”. FS3’s animal report lacked transitions and concluding sentences so
that will be my focus for him during the opinion writing unit.]
[ FS3 has trouble making and keeping friends based on his impulsivity. There is one student FS3
loves to work with and play with, but the student often appears frustrated by FS3’s inability to
focus and remain calm. FS3 appears to be happy and always has a joke or something interesting
to say or act out.]
[ FS3 enjoys communicating with peers and he loves to draw as a way of expressing himself.
FS3 is an only child of Caucasian descent and a native English speaker. FS3 was born in Hawaii
and moved to XX two years ago. FS3 loves comic books and enjoys finding new books during
trips to the school library.]
[Based on FS3’s love of oral communication and writing/drawing in his journal, I believe he will
really enjoy the instructional activities of this lesson and writing about his own opinion.
development)
[ FS3 seems to be struggling socially in keeping friends, but emotionally he appears to be
developing appropriately for his age. At times, FS3 acts immaturely and makes inappropriate
comments or shouts out. FS3 displays atypical child development due to his inability to stay still,
focus, and complete work like the majority of his peers.]
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Optional Lesson Plan Template
Step 1: Plan
Directions: Use the optional lesson plan template to establish content-specific learning goal(s) and develop one
lesson plan.
Lesson Overview
Title of Lesson [ “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” Opinion Writing ]
Subject [ English Language Arts]
Grade Level [ Third ]
Time Frame [ 60 minutes ]
Content Standard(s)
CA ELA Standards - Text Types and Purposes 1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts,
supporting a point of view with reasons.
CA ELA Standards – Comprehension and Collaboration 1.b Follow agreed-upon rules for
discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one
at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
CA ELA Standards – Comprehension and Collaboration 1.d – Explain their own ideas and
understanding in light of the discussion.
ELD Standard(s)
[ELD Standards for Grade 3:
A. Collaborative 1. Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative
discussions on a range of social and academic topics.
B. Interpretive 5. Listening actively to spoken English in a range of social and academic
contexts
C. Productive 11. Supporting own opinions and evaluating other’s opinions in speaking and
writing.]
Learning Goal(s) [ SWBAT listen to the story “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” read aloud to
them while following agreed-upon rules for discussion.
SWBAT formulate an individual opinion when asked questions such as, “How would you feel if
you lived in the town of Chewandswallow? Would you enjoy the weather in this town? What
would you like/dislike about the weather and why?”
SWBAT think about their opinion, pair with a partner, and share their opinion with their partner
three times during the read aloud.
SWBAT write a 3 to 5 sentence paragraph stating their opinion and include at least one reason
why they would like/dislike the weather if they lived in the town of Chewandswallow.
SWBAT draw a picture at the bottom of their opinion writing showing the day it rained a food
item of their choice.

1900 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95811 No page maximum
All rights reserved. V01.1
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Content of Lesson
What do you expect students to deeply understand about the lesson? What do you expect
students to retain after the lesson and use in future learning?
[I expect students to understand the academic vocabulary word “opinion” and know that every
student can have an opinion that is different from their own. I also expect students to be able to
transfer the knowledge gained in this lesson to apply their understanding of opinions to other
topics after completing this lesson.]
What misunderstandings or misconceptions do you expect students might have from the
lesson?
[I expect some students will have never heard the academic language of “opinion” prior to this
lesson. I think students will understand that each person has separate thoughts and ideas from
their own, but to be able to label those ideas as “opinions” might cause some
misunderstandings among students.]
What knowledge and skills do you expect students to have after engaging in the lesson?
[I expect students to be able to formulate an opinion about the given topic and write about their
opinion in a series of sentences. Students will be able to state their opinion and provide a
reason that supports their opinion. I also expect students to be able to transfer this knowledge to
writing opinions on other topics with support after engaging in this lesson.]
Assessment/Checking for Understanding

What essential questions will you ask to determine if students are not meeting, meeting, or
exceeding the learning goal(s) of the lesson?
[After completing a diagnostic assessment to evaluate if students have heard the word opinion
and understand it’s meaning, I will ask students if it is okay to have an opinion that is different
from other people’s opinions. This essential question will evaluate student understanding of
opinions and will provide me with a chance to clarify any misconceptions regarding the new
concept of opinions.]
What will students do to demonstrate achievement of content during the lesson?
[Students will demonstrate achievement of content during this lesson in a variety of ways.
Students will be formulating an opinion based on the read aloud and then discussing their
opinion with other students in class. Students will have opportunities to share their opinions with
the whole class and I will affirm their opinions and guide them in developing reasons to support
their opinion. Students will also demonstrate achievement by writing a short paragraph stating
their opinion and providing a reason that supports their opinion.]
How will you know students understand the content?
[I will check for understanding throughout the read aloud through asking for students to share
opinions, listening in on think-pair-share activities, using diagnostic and informal assessments,
and having students complete an opinion writing activity. I plan to circulate during independent
work time to monitor student progress and informally assess and support student understanding
of the content and learning goals of the lesson. I will formally assess student understanding by
collecting the completed opinion writings and evaluating student work for completeness and
mastery of the student learning goals by piling completed work into meets expectation, exceeds
expectation, and below expectation categories.]

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Structured Student Learning Activities

What activities will the students be involved in during the lesson to support their achievement of
the learning goal(s)?
[Students will sit on the carpet while I read “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”. I will pause at
three different parts of the story to ask students to formulate an opinion about how they would
feel about living in the town from the book, “Chewandswallow”. After students have been given
think time, I will ask students to stand up and find a partner to share their opinion. Students will
engage orally with each other to express their opinion, hear other student’s opinions, and come
back as a group to share out what was discussed during pair sharing. This collaborative
learning activity will support students in developing their opinions and will provide support in
writing about their opinions later in the lesson. Students will then work independently to write
their opinion on a handout that I will provide to them at the end of the read aloud. After students
have all completed their opinion writing activity, I will invite the class back to the carpet area to
discuss their opinion writing and extend understanding of opinions to other topics.]
How will you group students and manage group work to support student learning?
[ Students are grouped on the carpet in a specific seating arrangement. This arrangement was
developed by my Master Teacher and is based on student behaviors and how students learn
when seated near each other. The seating arrangement leads to greater focus for the majority
of students during carpet time and provides my focus students with a front row seat to
instruction. During the think-pair-share collaborative learning activity, I will monitor student
partners to make sure each student has a partner and is able to share their opinions with
another classmate. During the independent work time portion of this lesson, students will be
allowed to use flexible furniture and move around the room to find a place they are comfortable
to work in and will be able to focus. I am aware of students who need to be working away from
each other and will monitor each student location to make sure they are in a place that will allow
them to focus and complete the assignment.]
Instruction to Support Learning

What instructional strategies will support student learning through multiple modalities?
[I will incorporate instructional strategies to support student learning through multiple modalities
by including visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic learning opportunities for students. I am
reading a book that has fascinating pictures to engage students who have a visual preference. I
am also going to project an example opinion writing on the classroom TV’s and a list of
sentence starters as a visual representation and to differentiate instruction. For students who
prefer auditory input, I will be reading the story out loud and will be providing verbal instructions
to the class which are then supported by the visual example and sentence starters projected on
the TV’s. For the students in the class who prefer tactile activities, I have included a section
below the opinion writing for students to draw a picture to help them remember this opinion
writing activity. Students are given multiple opportunities to stand up and walk to find a partner
and discuss their opinions. This will support students who have a kinesthetic preference for
learning. I am going to allow students to use flexible furniture and move around the room to
complete the opinion writing portion of the lesson which will support a wide range of students
and their specific learning needs. I have chosen to use direct instruction as I believe a gradual
release method will best support the learners in this classroom with this new topic. I am
incorporating collaborative learning activities to allow students with multiple opportunities to
engage with the content before individually completing their opinion writing.

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What resources, materials, and/or educational technology will you or your students use during
the lesson?
[I will be reading the story, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”, written by Judi Barrett. I have
created a handout for students to use for the opinion writing. The top portion of the handout has
lines for students to write their opinion on and a sentence starter the reads, “If I lived in the town
of Chewandswallow….” The second half of the page has a sentence starter that reads, “The day
it rained _______”, and students will pick a food item and draw of picture of the day it rained,
pizza, for example. I have created an example opinion paragraph and a list of sentence starters
that I will project using the Apple TV’s during independent work tim. I will be using a microphone
necklace that hangs around my neck to ensure students are able to hear my voice during the
lesson.]
What adaptations and accommodations, including, as appropriate, assistive technologies, will
support individual student learning needs beyond the UDL supports built into the lesson?
[I will be aware of each student’s choice for seating and make adjustments as needed to
support the focus of each student to encourage their ability to complete the activity and learn the
content. I plan to check in with my three focus students and ask guiding questions and scaffold
as needed. I will provide students with criterion-based feedback on their performance to guide
them to mastery of the learning goals. I will also provide all of the students in the class with
sentence starters and an example opinion paragraph, but this will especially benefit my focus
students. In addition, I will monitor student progress and according to the time we have left, I
may modify FS3’s requirement for completing the writing activity by having him orally express
his opinion based on the prompt and provide me with supporting reasons orally. I will also allow
FS3 with the option of using a fidget toy and a privacy screen to help him increase his focus
during the lesson.]

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Lesson Plan Rationale Template
Step 1: Plan
Directions: Thinking about the class context information and students’ assets and needs for the whole class and
focus students, briefly respond to the following prompts (up to 5 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 content-specific learning goal(s) selected for the lesson.
[ The students in the class have just completed a month-long unit focusing on CA ELA
Standards - Text Types and Purposes 2. “Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic
and convey ideas and information clearly.” The students in this class completed animal reports
as a summative assessment where they were instructed to introduce the topic, group related
information together, develop the topic with facts and details, use linking words and phrases,
and provide a concluding statement. These same elements will be required for mastery of this
next writing unit on opinions. Students have been presenting their animal reports to the class
and after reviewing their final wirings and the grades that the teacher has given students, 86%
of students mastered this standard according to the grading criteria. The remaining students
have been meeting in small groups with the teacher to continue the revise and edit process with
additional support in order to meet the standard. This lesson plan will introduce the next writing
topic on opinions and will require students to use the written elements of introduction and
supporting details to support their opinion, that were previously used in their animal report
writing. This lesson plan will build on students’ prior academic knowledge and transfer the
elements of informational writing to developing opinion writing.]
2. Student Assets and Needs: Explain how the lesson plan incorporates or builds on
students’ cultural and linguistic resources, socioeconomic backgrounds, funds of knowledge,
prior experiences, and interests related to the content of the lesson.
[ Every student in the class has had experiences with different types of weather including clouds
and storms. This prior knowledge will help students to connect to the book, “Cloudy with a
Chance of Meatballs” because the book is about different types of storms that bring food
showers instead of rain showers. Due to the high interest in our weather unit, I believe students
will be very interested in this silly weather story. Multiple students in the class qualify for the free
or reduced-price meal plan so that leads me to believe that these students will enjoy imagining a
world where food is free, and they don’t have to buy food from the grocery store. The language
in the story is age appropriate and will being easily understood by this group of students with
their prior linguistic resources.]
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).
[I will include multiple think-pair-share activities to create a collaborative learning environment
during this lesson. During the read aloud, I will instruct students to think about their opinion, pair
with another student, and share their opinion. This learning activity will give students multiple
opportunities to engage with the content of the lesson by developing their own opinion,

Page 10
discussing with a partner, and listening to the opinions of other students in the class. I will invite
students to share out their opinions with the whole class after the think-pair-share activities to
discuss the various opinions in the class. During this time, I will clarify misconceptions and
affirm responses in a whole group setting that will shape the learning of the entire class. By
asking students to form an opinion about living in the town in the book, I am asking them to
analyze information from the text, interpret their feelings, and evaluate their thinking to form an
opinion based on reasons found directly in the text. During the closing portion of the lesson, I
plan to restate learning goals and review the new concept of opinions while restating the
vocabulary definition. I will ask students to think about what else we can have opinions about
which will assist them in transferring their new knowledge regarding opinions and extend their
learning to other topics.]
4. Instructional Strategies: Explain why you will use specific instructional strategies and what
adaptations 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).
[ I have decided to use a full group instructional activity to introduce the topic of opinion writing. I
will model my opinion first so that I am providing a framework for students to then construct their
own opinion. I have decided to include collaborative learning activities so students are able to
engage orally in the content of the lesson by sharing their opinions with other students in the
class. These activities will benefit all learners and especially my EL students before the writing
portion of the lesson. I will support students with engagement of the content by giving multiple
opportunities for pair discussion, full group discussion, and will continue to ask guiding
questions and provide clarification as needed based on student responses. I plan to conduct a
thumbs up/thumbs down informal assessment to assess student understanding during the
lesson, so I am able to provide in the moment adaptations based on student responses to the
new concepts and instructions during this lesson. I will use direct instruction to model the writing
portion of this lesson and will read an example opinion paragraph that I have already written. I
will then project this example on the classroom TV’s so that all students have equal access to
the example. I plan to circulate during the writing portion of the lesson to support all learners
and will specifically visit my focus students to monitor progress and provide scaffolding as
needed for students to be successful in mastering the learning outcomes of this lesson.]
5. Student Grouping: Explain your rationale for grouping students in this lesson—whole
group, small group, pairs, individual—and why you think this will support student learning.
[ I plan to use whole group, pairing, and individual groupings during this lesson to provide a
gradual release into independent work time. Due to the topic of opinion writing being introduced
for the first time through this lesson, I will model the expected outcomes of the lesson to make
sure the objectives are clearly understood by all learners during whole group instruction. I will
provide opportunities for discussion in pairs and reflection in the whole group setting to continue
to support student learning through active oral engagement with the content. When we transition
into independent work time, I believe that these strategic gradual release groupings will provide
students with the knowledge and confidence needed to provide an independent opinion writing.]
6. Academic Language Development: How will you address the academic language
development needs of the students you are teaching, including English learners and
Standard English learners? What vocabulary or terminology is necessary to access the
content?
[ I will address academic language development during whole group instruction while students
are seated at the carpet during the read aloud. I will conduct a diagnostic assessment and ask
students to give me a thumbs up if they know what the word “opinion” means. I will invite
Page 11
several students to share their ideas about the meaning of this new academic language and
then provide the definition in student friendly language. I will have students actively engage with
the new vocabulary by formulating an opinion of their own and listening to other students share
their opinion. This active process will support all learners but will especially benefit my English
Learners by providing an active opportunity to engage with the new vocabulary. I will ask
students to chorally state the academic vocabulary word “opinion” together as a group several
times throughout the lesson. At the end of the lesson, after each student has finished their
opinion writing, I will invite students back to the carpet for the closure of the lesson. I will restate
the learning objectives and the definition of the word “opinion”. I will then invite students to
extend and transfer their new knowledge regarding opinions to other topics. I will ask guiding
questions like, “What else can we have an opinion about?”, “Can we have an opinion about
sports? What would an opinion about sports sound like?”. By addressing the academic
vocabulary in a variety of ways during this lesson, I will be providing students with multiple
opportunities to create deep understanding of the new vocabulary introduced during this
lesson.]
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?
[ I chose to use the book, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” because weather is a high
interest topic in my class. The entire class showed interest and enthusiasm during our weather
unit about storms, clouds, and other types of weather. Based on their interests, I think this book
will engage students with the silly weather described in the book. The text is age and
developmentally appropriate for a read aloud in this class of third graders. I have chosen to
create a page for students to write their opinion paragraph on that includes a sentence starter,
“If I lived in the town of Chewandswallow….” This will provide all of the students an additional
support for understanding the prompt for their opinion writing. I have included lines for writing
that cover half of the page so that students feel like the writing portion of the lesson is
manageable in terms of how much they are expected to write. To benefit all of the learners in
the class and especially my EL students, I have created a page with an example opinion
paragraph and a list of sentence starters for students to refer to during the writing portion of the
lesson. I have chosen this visual representation to add support to my oral directions and lesson
objectives.]
8. Assessments: Explain how the assessments will check on students’ understanding of the
content taught during the lesson.
[ I will use a diagnostic assessment to evaluate current experience and knowledge related to the
academic language required for this lesson by asking students to share a thumbs up/thumbs
down if they are familiar with the word “opinion”. This provides me with information about how
new the content is with this group of students and will inform the length of time I spend on
explaining and defining the vocabulary word “opinion”. I will also use informal assessments
through the read aloud by asking students to partner with each other and share their opinion,
while I listen to student conversations. I will continue to use informal assessments during group
and individual sharing of opinions to determine if students are understanding how to formulate
an individual opinion and provide reasons to support their opinions. I will use the completed
opinion writings to group finished work into three categories; meets expectation, exceeds
expectation, and below expectation. This formative assessment will determine student mastery
of learning goals and will inform future instruction and highlight needs for reteaching.]

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9. Developmental considerations (e.g., social-emotional, typical and atypical

child/adolescent development): Explain how the lesson plan addresses the developmental
considerations of your students.
[ Typically developing students in the third grade are capable of seeing things and ideas from
other points of view. This makes it a perfect time to introduce and develop understanding of
“opinions” as the content of this lesson. Socially, third graders are very interested in peer
relationships and I have purposely incorporated multiple opportunities for students to engage
with peers through think-pair-share activities. For the majority of the students in this class,
partner and group work is something that they enjoy and look forward to. I plan to assist my shy
students by checking to see if they have a partner, and assisting them in finding a partner, if
needed. For students who need breaks from sitting still, this physical movement of finding a
partner will provide them with an opportunity to stretch and move around in order to return back
to their seat on the carpet to continue the lesson with improved focus. Some of the students in
class have a difficult time completing work while seated at a desk, so I have decided to allow
students to use flexible furniture and move around the class to find a place where they can
focus and complete their assignment. This will benefit all students and especially FS3 who
enjoys working on the floor in the library area or sitting on a beanbag chair while using a laptop
tray to write on.]
10. Focus Students: Explain how the lesson plan addresses individual 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.
a. Focus Student 1:
[ FS1 has scored into level 4 in speaking and listening and a level 3 in writing and reading. I
anticipate she will understand the content of the lesson during the read aloud and collaborative
learning activities of the lesson because she has scored into the 4 level in speaking and
listening. I believe she may need additional support to complete the writing portion of the lesson
due to her score into a level 3 in writing and reading. To provide FS1 with the support she needs
to complete the learning objectives, I have included a sentence starter on the top of the
individual writing page. This will support all students, but specifically my FS1. I will also display a
sample paragraph that I have read aloud to the class onto the classroom TVs for FS1 to refer to
during the writing portion of this activity. This will provide her with a finished opinion paragraph
example to support her in understanding the expectations of the opinion writing. I have included
sentence frames with example topic sentences and sentences using transitional words for her to
copy from the TV’s if needed. These supports are provided to every student in the class so that
an inclusive learning environment is created during this activity. I plan to specifically check in
with FS1 during the writing portion of the lesson to scaffold and support her through completion
of the writing activity. I plan to provide criterion-based feedback to this student to clearly outline
what she is doing well and assist her in what she needs to focus on next to achieve the learning
goals. I have provided my lesson plan and materials to FS1’s resource teacher and will be
communicating FS1’s level of mastery of the writing activity after the lesson. This process of
communicating with the resource teacher will enable both myself, and the resource teacher, to
support this student in different settings so she can achieve the learning outcomes for this state
standard.]
b. Focus Student 2:
[ FS2 was born with unilateral hearing loss in his left ear and wears a hearing aide in his right
ear. To make sure this student will be able to hear me during the lesson, I will wear a
microphone necklace that will project my voice over speakers in the class. FS2 will be sitting
close to me during the read aloud portion of the lesson to make sure he can easily see the
Page 13
pictures of the story and look at me while I am talking. I will listen to FS2 during the partner
activities, so I can assess his understanding. I will also check in with FS2 during the writing
portion of the lesson to check progress and scaffold as needed. I plan to provide criterion-based
feedback to clearly outline what FS2 is doing well and what he needs to focus on next to
achieve the learning goals.]
c. Focus Student 3:
[ FS3 will be seated close to me during the read aloud portion of the lesson so I can use
behavior management and redirect as needed to encourage focus and attention. FS3 has
difficulty being seated for longer than 10 minutes at a time so I have decided to include 3
movement activities during the read aloud. I will invite students to stand up and walk to find a
partner to specifically support FS3’s need for movement and will help to increase his focus
during the lesson. I will allow FS3, and all students, to move around the room and use the
flexible furniture in the classroom during the opinion writing section of the lesson. This will
definitely support FS3’s need for movement and provide him with an opportunity to move
around in the area where he chooses to sit. He enjoys sitting on the beanbags in the classroom
and working on the floor in the library area. Allowing FS3 to choose a spot to work in will provide
him with a better chance of completing the lesson. FS3’s summative assessment on informative
writing showed a need for continued instruction and practice using transition words and
concluding sentences. I will project example sentence frames including transition words, topic
sentences, and conclusion sentences for this student to refer to during the individual writing
portion of this lesson. I plan to check in with FS3 while I circulate during the independent writing
time and scaffold as needed while providing criterion-based feedback. Depending on FS3’s
progress towards completion of the activity, I will encourage him to use a privacy folder to help
him focus during independent work time.]

Page 14
CalTPA Cycle 1: Literacy
Instructional Resource: “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” written by Judi Barrett and
illustrated by Ronald Barrett.
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” was written in 1982 and has since become a
bestselling book that was turned into a popular children’s movie in 2009. The story begins with a
grandfather telling a tall tale bedtime story to his grandchildren about the small town of
Chewandswallow. The weather in the town of Chewandswallow is unique because all of the food
the townspeople eat comes directly from the sky. Three meals rain down from the sky each day
and there is no need for the townspeople to buy food from grocery stores. This peculiar weather
works well for the people in the town during the beginning of the story. As the story continues,
heavy food storms bring food that damages the town and scares the townspeople. The people in
the town of Chewandswallow have to build ships out of stale bread to escape to a new land
across the ocean.
Instructional Material: Sentence Starters and Example Opinion Writing
If I lived in the town of Chewandswallow……
I would like/not like/love/enjoy the weather

because___________________________________.
Another reason is___________________________.
Also _____________________________________.
If I lived there______________________________.
I would love the weather in Chewandswallow because I would never have to cook dinner
again. I would like the days it rained pizza and spaghetti because those are my favorite foods.
Another reason I would love the weather is because people would always have enough food to
eat. I would love to live in the town of Chewandswallow.
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Instructional Resource 3: Student Handout for Opinion Writing
Page 16
Start Time End Time
Clip (hh:mm:ss) (hh:mm:ss) Annotation Title Annotation Text
By asking a student to seat check" himself I am setting the expectation that students need
Clip 1-Opening the to be seated appropriately at the carpet area by sitting with legs crossed and eyes on me. "
Lesson 0:00:12 0:00:22 "Setting Expectations for Learning"
I start setting the expectations for learning by engaging student's prior knowledge related
to their informational writing of animal reports. This creates a positive learning
Clip 1-Opening the "Creating a Positive Learning environment by framing the lesson within students background knowledge.
Lesson 0:00:25 0:00:34 Environment","Setting Expectations for
Learning" I monitor for student understanding by asking for a thumbs up if students know what an
opinion" is. By seeing that most of the students know what an opinion is based on
previously engaging with the concept during the read aloud I know that I am going to briefly
Clip 1-Opening the summarize "opinion" during my instructions of opinion writing. "
Lesson 0:00:48 0:01:00 "Monitoring for Student Understanding"
By stating that this is my opinion and asking students if they can have a different opinion, I
Clip 1-Opening the "Engaging Students in Content-Specific am engaging students in specific higher-order thinking as they are evaluating whether
Lesson 0:02:21 0:02:31 Higher- Order Thinking" their opinion can be different from mine.
I ask students to think in their head about their opinion regarding living in the town of
Chewandswallow. By doing this, students are actively analyzing the information from the
Clip 2-Middle of the "Engaging Students in Content-Specific text, evaluating whether this town would be a place they would like to live in, and
Lesson 0:00:02 0:00:12 Higher- Order Thinking" interpreting their thoughts to formulate an opinion to be shared orally with a partner.
"Setting Expectations for I notice that this student is not engaged in the activity and ask him to partner with the
Learning","Creating a Positive Learning student sitting next to him to share his thoughts about living in the town of
Clip 2-Middle of the Environment","Engaging Students in Chewandswallow.
Lesson 0:00:38 0:00:48 Content-Specific Higher-Order Thinking"
"Monitoring for Student I invite students to share what was discussed during the think-pair-share activity as a
Clip 2-Middle of the Understanding","Engaging Students in way to monitor student understanding, affirm their ideas and opinions, and engage
Lesson 0:00:56 0:01:50 Content- Specific Higher-Order Thinking" students in interpreting their opinions.
I specifically ask students who have a different idea to share those ideas with the class. I
Clip 2-Middle of the "Engaging Students in Content-Specific want to make sure that the class hears a variety of opinions so they understand that
Lesson 0:01:27 0:01:45 Higher- Order Thinking" opinions are unique to the individual.
I use a countdown to let students know when we will be meeting on the carpet. I give time
Clip 3-Closing the "Creating a Positive Learning in between counting seconds out loud to provide students with ample time to get to the
Lesson 0:01:28 0:01:38 Environment","Setting Expectations for carpet area.
Learning" I restate the learning goal for the lesson and ask students to remember the specific word to
"Monitoring for Student describe the type of writing. I ask students to orally restate the word opinion" altogether as
Clip 3-Closing the Understanding","Creating a Positive a group to emphasize the new content the students learned during the lesson."
Lesson 0:02:42 0:03:05 Learning Environment"
I invite students to think about other things we can have opinions about as a way for
Clip 3-Closing the "Engaging Students in Content-Specific students to transfer and extend their new knowledge about opinions to different topics.
Lesson 0:03:56 0:04:26 Higher- Order Thinking"
Page 17
I ask for students to volunteer ideas about other topics that opinions can be extended to
"Engaging Students in Content-Specific and then clarify their ideas for the rest of the class. This creates a positive learning
Clip 3-Closing the Higher- Order Thinking","Creating a environment by restating student ideas for everyone to hear and asking students to refine
Lesson 0:04:08 0:04:26 Positive Learning Environment" their thinking to tell me what about the topic could be turned into an opinion.
Page 18
Reflection on What You Learned Template
Step 3: Reflect
Directions: Respond to the following prompts (up to 3 pages), citing evidence from your submission from
Step 1 and/or Step 2 (e.g., narrative, lesson plan, lesson plan rationale, video clips, annotations) for each
response. Type your responses within the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts.
1. How did learning deeply about your students’ assets and needs
a. inform/shape your lesson plan for the whole class?
[ Learning about my students’ assets and needs provided clear understanding of my students
which informed my entire lesson plan. In Step 1, “Getting to Know Your Students”, I included
that students recently completed writing and presenting their animal reports as evidence of
mastery of the Informative Writing CA ELA Standards. I was able to connect their prior
knowledge regarding informative writing to the new content of opinion writing to anchor their
new learning to prior knowledge. This learning enabled me to know where my students are in
their learning and take them into the next unit in a smooth transition.
In Step 1, “Lesson Plan Rationale”, I supported my book choice based on knowing that this
group of third graders deeply loves reading and read aloud time, so I choose to incorporate a
read aloud into my lesson. The book I chose included elements about weather which was
purposeful due to the weather unit the students just completed in science. Students were
interested and showed enthusiasm during our weather unit so to choose a book about silly
weather in a fictitious town. Based on learning about my students, I was able to choose an age
and developmentally appropriate book that created student interest and engagement in this
lesson.
In Step 1, “Lesson Plan”, I chose to incorporate think-pair-share activities throughout the read
aloud. This learning activity was chosen based on several reasons. This group of third graders
loves to discuss their ideas and are actively engaged when given the opportunity to work in
pairs or groups. Also, to formulate opinions based on text is a new concept for this class, so I
decided to include multiple opportunities for students to share their opinions with each other and
as a whole group. This was purposeful so that I could listen in and clarify misconceptions.
Learning about my students provided me with information that shaped each aspect of my lesson
plan and appropriately addressed the needs of all of my learners.]
b. support student access to and engagement with the content?
[ In Step 1, “Lesson Plan Rationale”, I explained why I chose the instructional strategies in my
lesson plan and choose to include a gradual release into independent writing. This was
purposeful to ensure all students would have ample opportunities to engage with the new
concept of opinion writing prior to being asked to complete an independent writing assignment.
This allowed students to engage orally and collaboratively with each other to support student
understanding and access to the new content. I decided to use this model from learning about
students’ needs and developmental levels. Based on what I learned about how this group of
students learns best through collaborating with peers, I included student activities to support
student engagement with this lesson.
Based on what I learned about my students in Step 1, “Getting to Know My Students”, I found
that students love read aloud time at the carpet area of the class. I decided to incorporate a
read aloud based on student interest and also because reading the book aloud to all students in

Page 19
the class made the content of the book accessible to everyone despite individual reading levels.
The book content was accessible to all students because I decided to read it out loud rather
than having students read a text independently. This supported all learners in the class but was
specifically included to make sure my focus students would have full access to the content of
the lesson. I made these decisions based on what I learned about my students prior to creating
this lesson.
In Step 1, “Lesson Plan Rationale”, I explained my rationale for creating a list of sentence
starters and an example opinion paragraph to project over the TV’s to support students during
the writing portion of the lesson. This proved successful because many students in the class
included several of these sentence starters in their writing. This supported student engagement
and access to the new content of opinion writing. Based on learning about my students, I
anticipated their needs and was able to provide the necessary supports to ensure student
access and engagement with the content of opinion writing.]
2. Was your lesson plan sufficiently flexible to support all students’ learning, or did you need to
incorporate specific instructional, in-the-moment adaptations for particular students?
[I believe my lesson plan was flexible enough to support all students’ learning and let me make
in the moment instructional decisions to support my learners. My rationale for assessments in
my Step 1 “Lesson Plan Rationale” allowed me to assess student understanding during think-
pair-share and the whole group sharing of opinions. I was able to assess student understanding
of the new concept of opinions and clarify and affirm student responses during this time. During
the independent writing segment of the lesson, I had planned in Step 1” Lesson Plan” to
circulate and check in with each of the students in the class. I had enough time to scaffold
students who needed additional support and ask leading questions to help them to develop their
opinion and then write their opinion to complete the lesson objectives. In addition to this, I was
able to identify students, based on what I knew about them prior to teaching the lesson, who
had chosen seats that would cause them to be unfocused. I was then able to help them find a
new seat that would allow them to complete the assignment. At the end of the lesson, I invited
students to join me back at the carpet to review the content and extend their knowledge of
opinions. This was a time where I could also address anything that needed clarification based
on the experiences, I had with students in a one-on-one setting during their independent writing
time. Based on learning about my students prior to planning and teaching this lesson, I was able
to create a lesson plan that was flexible to support all student’s learning. I was also able to
incorporate the time I needed to make in-the-moment adaptations for individual students based
on the needs I witnessed during the lesson.]
3. How did your instructional approach support learning for each of the 3 focus students to
achieve the content-specific learning goal(s)?
[Focus Student 1: Included in Step 1, “Getting to Know Your Students”, FS1 tested into a level
4 in the listening and speaking sections of the ELPAC. I specifically chose to include multiple
opportunities for this student to orally develop and share her opinion based on her “Well
Developed” English skills in speaking and listening. This instructional decision supported
learning for FS1 before she was required to write independently. I created a list of sentence
starters to specifically support FS1. I orally read the sentence starters out loud and read a
sample opinion paragraph out loud before projecting this support onto the classroom TV’s. After
reviewing FS1’s completed opinion writing paragraph, I noticed that she used 3 of the sentence
starters I projected onto the classroom TV’s. This instructional decision to include support with
sentence starters and a sample opinion paragraph provided FS1 with the additional support she
needed to achieve the content-specific learning goal of the lesson. I also made sure to check in

Page 20
with this student during independent writing time to make sure she was completing the
assignment as instructed. I looked over her shoulder and could see that she was looking at the
classroom TV and copying the sentence starters onto her paper. I circulated the class and
returned back to FS1 to read her opinion. I provided her with criterion-based feedback based on
her use of transition words within her paragraph and she appeared confident after this feedback.
Focus Student 2: Included in Step 1, “Getting to Know Your Students”, FS2 was born with
unilateral hearing loss in his left ear. To support the learning of this student, I wore a
microphone necklace to project my voice on the classroom speakers. This use of assistive
technology supported FS2 in hearing every word of instruction and the book I read aloud. This
student was seated on the carpet close to me so that he could look at me closely while I spoke.
I also made sure to speak slowly and clearly for this student to hear and understand what I was
saying. During think-pair-share, I listened in on this student’s conversations with peers and
noted that he was understanding the prompt and clearly understood the new concept of opinion
writing. During independent writing time I checked in with FS3 and saw that he was writing his
opinion and including reasons to support his opinion. Based on the use of assistive technology,
specific seating, and listening in on this student’s conversations with peers, I was able to
support FS2 in achieving the content-specific learning goals of my lesson.
Focus Student 3: Included in Step 1, “Getting to Know Your Students”, FS3 needs redirection
and behavioral support to remain focused and complete assignments. During the read aloud
and instructional portion of this lesson, FS3 was laying on his back during the end of my
instructions for the writing section of the lesson. I provided him with prompts to “seat check”
himself and to stand up instead of crawl on his knees (as seen in video annotations).
After reviewing FS3’s finished animal report, I found that he lacked transitions and concluding
sentences in his writing. To support FS3 in writing his opinion, I included a list of sentence
starters including transitions for this student to copy onto his paper and fill in with his reasons.
FS3 chose to sit at his assigned table seat during the writing section of the lesson, but after
seeing off-task behavior, I asked him to move to a table with less students to improve his focus.
After moving FS3 to a new seat, I checked in on FS3 during the independent writing time and
saw that there was nothing written on his paper yet. I asked him to orally express his opinion to
me and then I asked him to explain to me why that was his opinion. This individual support
helped him to regain his focus. I knew he understood the content of the lesson based on his
responses to my prompts. I restated the directions and the expectations for writing and I
reminded him to look at the TV for example sentences. FS3 used the the sentence starters
listed on the TV to complete his opinion writing. Based on my planned instructional approaches
and in the moment support, FS3 was able to achieve the content specific learning goals of my
lesson.]

Page 21
Application of What You Learned Template
Step 4: Apply
Directions: Respond to the following prompts (up to 3 pages), citing evidence from your submission from
Step 1, Step 2, and/or Step 3 (e.g., narrative, lesson plan, lesson plan rationale, video clips, annotations)
for each response. Type your responses within the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the
prompts.
1. Explain what you would do next to advance the learning of this group of students.
a. Do you need to reteach any part of the lesson? Explain why.
[In my Step 1, “Lesson Plan”, I described my use of assessments to evaluate how I will know
students understand the content. After reviewing and piling student’s completed opinion writing
paragraphs into three piles, meets expectation (15 students), below expectation (2 students),
and exceeds expectation (6 students), I believe I do not need to reteach this lesson. Out of 23
students, 21 students met or exceeded the expectations for the content-specific learning goals
of this lesson. Two students fell into the below expectation category because their opinion
writing did not include a reason to support their opinion. These two students wrote their opinion
and while their opinions were valid and on topic, they did not include a reason to support their
opinion to fully master the learning goal. I plan to pull each student individually and ask them to
elaborate orally with a few reasons that support their opinion. After assessing student
understanding and scaffolding as needed, I will then ask these students to complete their
opinion writing by writing a supporting detail. This additional support and clarification of my
expectations for learning should enable both of these students to complete the opinion writing
and fulfill the requirements. I believe that based on the formative assessment, students in the
class are ready to learn the next lesson on the topic of opinion writing.]
b. Based on what they learned about the content you were teaching, what will you teach
next?
[ In Step 1, “Lesson Plan”, I stated that in the CA ELA Standards this lesson is addressing CA
ELA Standards - Text Types and Purposes 1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting
a point of view with reasons. The entire CA Common Core State Standard is: 1. Write opinion
pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. a. Introduce the topic or text
they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists
reasons. b. Provide reasons that support the opinion. c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g.,
because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons. d. Provide a concluding
statement or section. This lesson introduced the topic of opinion writing and the full standard is
what students need to accomplish to demonstrate mastery of this state standard. In an effort to
guide students in reaching the full standard, I would like to introduce this class to the process of
engaging in a Writer’s Workshop. Students in this class love to work together collaboratively and
I believe a Writer’s Workshop would be a valuable addition to instruction for this group of
students. The Writer’s Workshop would have students strategically grouped together and
students would engage in peer conferencing, edit and revision, direct instruction, and teacher
conferencing. Each lesson within the Writer’s Workshop would aim to develop each student’s
opinion writing while focusing on a different piece of the state standard. For example, the first
Writer’s Workshop could focus on reading a text, developing an opinion, and then writing an
introduction to the topic and stating an opinion. I would incorporate collaborative learning

Page 22
activities throughout this lesson and a peer review process for sharing opinion writings. The next
Writer’s Workshop would focus on developing reasons to support student opinions while using
linking words and phrases. This step by step process through a Writer’s Workshop would result
in each student purposefully developing a piece of opinion writing that meets all of the
requirements for student mastery of the CA ELA Standards.]
2. If you were to develop and teach this lesson again, what would you do the same or
differently to improve learning of content and academic language for this group of students
and why?
[ Overall, I think that my Step 1, “Lesson Plan” was appropriate and well developed. The think-
pair-share and collaborative learning activities worked well to support the needs of my students
and allowed them to have opportunities to engage with the content in meaningful ways. After
reviewing the video recording of myself teaching the lesson in Step 2, “Teach and Assess”, I
realized that there were several modifications I could have made to improve the lesson for my
students. The illustrations in the book, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” are very detailed
and if I were to teach this lesson again, I would project the images from the book onto the
classroom TVs. This way the students sitting towards the back of the carpet area would be able
to clearly see the pictures. Each student was able to hear me read the story but projecting the
illustrations of the book would support learners in the classroom who were seated towards the
back of the carpet area who have a visual learning preference.
If I were going to reteach the lesson, another modification I would add to support my students
would be to include a word bank on my sentence starter example page. I would include words
used in the book and words to describe different types of weather. I noticed that multiple
students misspelled words used in the story, so I think that by having a word bank, I would be
able to support my students with spelling these words correctly.
In my Step 1, “Lesson Plan”, I specified the length requirement for the opinion paragraph to be
3-5 sentences. In my Step 2, “Teach and Assess”, I saw that I did not explicitly state the
required paragraph length, but instead said “several sentences”. I should have made my
directions for the assignment match my Lesson Plan and had students choral back to me the
length requirement. Several students wrote 3 or more sentences, but the majority of students
only wrote two sentences. One sentence for their opinion and one sentence for their supporting
reason. If I were to reteach this lesson, I would make sure to be more specific in my directions
and then provide students with a visual of the learning goal. For example, on my sentence
starter sheet, I could have included the directions with the length requirements and highlighted
or circled the most important parts of the directions. This way the directions would be visible on
the classroom TV’s for students to refer to during completion of the activity.
Another idea I would like to incorporate into this lesson plan if I were to teach this lesson again,
would be to add an anchor chart with the academic vocabulary word, “Opinion” into my lesson
plan. In my Step 1, “Lesson Plan”, I included oral engagement with the academic vocabulary
required for this lesson, but I think an additional support for students to deeply engage with the
academic vocabulary would be to incorporate an anchor chart into the lesson. I could write the
word “Opinion” in the center of the anchor chart and then write the definition below. As the
students engage in think-pair-share activities and students share out their opinions with the
class, I could write student opinions on the anchor chart to add a visual support for deeper
understanding.]

Page 23

Calt Pams Cycle 1 Example Revised

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Instructional Cycle 1

Multiple Subject and Single Subject

2. Contextual Information for the Class

Copyright © 2018 by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Page 2 of 5

vi. number of students identified for GATE [0]

[ FS2 appears to display typical social-emotional and child development.]

Subject [ English Language Arts]

Grade Level [ Third ]

Time Frame [ 60 minutes ]

Copyright © 2018 by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Page 1 of 4

Assessment/Checking for Understanding

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Structured Student Learning Activities

Instruction to Support Learning

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9. Developmental considerations (e.g., social-emotional, typical and atypical

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Instructional Material: Sentence Starters and Example Opinion Writing

If I lived in the town of Chewandswallow……

I would like/not like/love/enjoy the weather

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