Verb: It’s What you Do
Lesson Plan Template
Grade/Content
Area
Lesson Title
3rd Grade/English
Verb It’s What You Do
GLEs/GSEs
Context of the
Lesson
Opportunities to
Learn
Students have been studying the parts of a sentence. This
lesson will go over what a basic verb is, and what it is used
for in a complete sentence. The lesson will actively engage
the students in what we will be learning about, and have them
use critical thinking to come up with an idea about what their
lesson might be on. Following this lesson the students will
build on their knowledge of parts of a sentence and be able to
explain and identify what a complete sentence is.
Developmental: As third grade students the age of them
ranges from eight to nine. During this lesson the students
will need to think and reason with adult like-logic for
discussions. Through Piaget’s stage Theory of cognitive
development this type of thinking can be achieved because
the students will have hit the concrete operational stage.
Since the students will be just hitting this stage they will
still need guidance the use of differentiated instructions (i.e
group discussion then student teacher discussion) since
there will be a ZPD between each student.
Cultural: Since this is an English lesson as a teacher you
need to take into account all of your student’s cultural
backgrounds. Some of the students may not be English
speaking or have limited vocabulary (learning differences
or SES). By asking the students to draw an activity they
like to do with your friends you are using a topic which
each student can connect to. One student might like to go
have a picnics with friends while the other can draw about
taking a city bus into the city. This supports the diversity
that your classroom might have. You connect the students
as one whole group, because they all have activities they do
with friends. Being able to relate to the subject may
become easier for some. You could even use the beginning
of this lesson to incorporate some multicultural education
into the classroom in later lessons. By looking at what each
person drew.
Cognitive: Piaget states that Assimilation allows a child to
respond and possibly interpret a new event in a way that is
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Verb: It’s What you Do
consistent with an existing scheme. This will help the
students to be able to connect the hook of the lesson to
what they will be learning about, due to the fact they have
been learning the parts of a sentence. This is also done with
Convergent Thinking. All of this will be done when asking
the students to connect their outside activity with the chalk
to the lesson about verb usage.
Personal/Social: Since this lesson plan is gender neutral
and deals with whatever a student likes to do with friends it
allows for the students to connect to the lesson plan and not
be influenced by any gender schema. The students will also
get to express what they have drawn about to the students
around them which can help students who have a tendency
to be quieter in class and the students who tend to be more
socially forward to speak. Having the students talk to one
another allows for them to have a sense of belongingness to
the classroom which will increase the sense of community
in the class. This will also be achieved because the students
will feel a sense of accomplishment when the connect the
activity with the chalk to the lesson that will be taught.
Motivation:
Most students will want a need for
relatedness in the classroom. This need will affect the
students motivation in the classroom. There will be two
different types of students who need two different types of
motivation. One being Intrinsic Motivation and the other
being Extrinsic Motivation. These two learners will both be
motivated through this lesson. The short assessment of
what the student has learned at the closure of the lesson
will allow for the extrinsic motivated student to strive for a
good grade where as the intrinsic motivated student might
be motivated by writing in their journals about what they
have just accomplished drawing outside. To strike both
students and motivate them to engage in the lesson I will
use the hook to gain their interest in the topic. As I have
stated before keeping a sense of community and positive
and effective negative reinforcement in the classroom will
decrease negative attributes in the class i.e learned
helplessness,
performance-avoidance
goal,
Selfhandicapping.
Materials needed:
Student Journals (personal for each one)
Writing Utensils each student
Side-Walk Chalk enough to share
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Verb: It’s What you Do
Book: Lenny and Tweek for teacher read-aloud
Worksheet/Assessment asking what a verb is? And what
two or three verbs were in Lenny and Tweek. For each
student
Objectives
Students will identify and define what a verb is and how it is
used in a sentence.
After reading Lenny and Tweek identify and define what a
verb is and two verbs in the book with 100% accuracy on the
handout.
Instructional
Procedures
Opening: Hook – today we will be going outside to draw with
sidewalk chalk. What you will be drawing is what activities
you do with your friends. For example if you play house with
your friends, or go hiking and fishing with your friends. The
teacher will ask the students to get up and find a partner in the
classroom then proceed to bring the students outside and
allow them to draw with the sidewalk chalk.
Engagement: After getting the class back inside and having
the kids sit down in their seats the teacher will ask them to
take out their journals. Now that all of you have just drawn
what you like to do with your friends I would like you all to
please write two to three sentence about what you drew
outside. After the students have written in the journals the
teacher will start to engage in the class and what they think
they might be learning in their English lesson today. Now that
you all have written in your journals I would like to ask the
class what you think we will be learning today in our English
lesson. Remember we have been learning about the parts of a
sentence this week. After asking the class what they think the
lesson plan will be about the students will come up with their
own ideas and thoughts about what the lesson is on. After this
I will acknowledge their ideas and explain to them what they
will be learning and what the significance of drawing and
writing in their journals was. Those were very good thoughts
and ideas you had. Today we will be going over what a verb
is. Then I will give the definition of the verb. A verb is a word
that tells you what something does. A verb allows a sentence
to tell you what the noun is doing. Now that you all know
what a verb is I would like you to turn to your neighbor and
try to identify a verb in each of your journal entries. Allow
the students five minutes or so to identify the verbs and talk to
one another. Then ask the students to quiet down for the next
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Verb: It’s What you Do
part of the lesson. Can each of you tell me what a verb was in
your entries and tell me why you identified that as a verb.
After a few students answer move on to explaining the rest of
the lesson. Now that you all can identify and define what a
verb is I am going to read a book called Lenny and Tweek by
Klaus Baumgart. While I read the book make sure to actively
listen and be able to identify what some of the verbs are in the
story.
Closure: After reading the book talk to the students about
what was going on in the book and what activities Lenny
enjoyed doing with his friend, then wrap up the lesson with a
handout to assess if the students have been able to clearly
identify and define what a verb is.
Today we have actively participated in learning what a verb
is. We have identified verbs in your own writing and read a
book with various verbs used throughout the story. Now I
would like to use your knowledge from today and on the
worksheet given out define what a verb is in your own words
and give me two verbs that were used in the book we have just
read.
Assessment
Reflections
Handout to be given at the end of the lesson asking to define
what a verb is and give to examples of a verb from the book
read. Needs to be 100% accurate.
Student Work Sample 1 – Approaching Proficiency:
Student Work Sample 2 – Proficient:
Student Work Sample 3 – Exceeds Proficiency:
Lesson Implementation:
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