Lesson 1
A. Lesson Title
Punctuation and Capital Letters
B. Lesson Author
I am the author of this lesson.
C. Grade Level/Subject Area
The grade level for this lesson is first grade and the subject is writing.
D. Time Allotted for Lesson
30-40 minutes for each lesson in a two day period
E. Description of Lesson
In this lesson the first graders will learn the three types of end punctuation. This will
include knowing their names and how to use them correctly. This lesson will also
teach the students where to use capital letters. This will include discussing the use of
capital letters at the beginning of sentences, always capitalizing I and proper nouns.
F. Classroom Layout and Grouping of Students
For this lesson there are only three students participating. We will be in my RTI room
all at the same table. There will not be assigned seats because there are no behavior
issues with these students. The students will complete this lesson as a group with my
instruction. The students will complete independent work, but will all be done at the
same time.
G. Grade Level Content Expectations
Grammar and Usage
Students will…
W.GR.01.01 in the context of writing, correctly use complete simple sentences
beginning with a capital letter and ending with a period, question mark, or
exclamation point and capitalize first and last name, and the pronoun I.
Handwriting
Students will…
W.HW.01.01 legibly write upper and lower case manuscript letters.
H. Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students
PK-2.RI. Research and Information Literacy
PK-2.RI.1. interact with Internet based resources
PK-2.TC. Technology Operations and Concepts
PK-2.TC.6. understand that technology is a tool to help him/her complete a task, and
is a source of information, learning, and entertainment.
PK-2.TC.7. demonstrate the ability to navigate in virtual environments (e.g.,
electronic books, games, simulation software, web sites).
I. Instructional Objectives
-Students will be able to distinguish between the three types of end punctuation to
complete a worksheet.
-Students will be able to give examples of different types of sentences.
-Students will be able to use appropriate punctuation in their sentences.
-Students will use capital letters where appropriate in their writing.
J. Materials, Resources, and Technology
-computers (4 total, with internet connection)
-PowerPoint presentation
-Whiteboard/projector (to show PowerPoint on)
-lined paper (writing booklets)
-Punctuation worksheet
-dry erase markers
-pencils
-crayons/colored pencils
K. Students’ Present Level of Performance and Skills
In order to complete this lesson content the students must be familiar with end
punctuation and capital letters. Prior to this unit/lesson these students have had
similar instruction in the classroom as well as in an RTI session with me. They have
been working on using punctuation at the end of their sentences. They have a difficult
time distinguishing when to use a question mark because they haven’t quite grasped
what a question sounds like. These first graders rarely use exclamation marks in their
writing. They have also been working on capital letters. They usually use them
correctly at the beginning of sentences, but frequently write their letters as capitals
throughout their writing when not appropriate.
L. Instructional Procedures
Day 1
1. To begin today’s lesson let the students know we will be starting a short unit to
help with their writing. Our first lesson is going to cover punctuation and capital
letters. This lesson will take two days. Today we are going to learn about
punctuation. Ask the students if they know what I mean by punctuation. Find out
how much the students know. After having a brief discussion begin the short
PowerPoint presentation.
2. The presentation should already be set up to go. The students will watch the
presentation on the whiteboard. As you play the PowerPoint add any new
information that may be necessary. After each slide make sure that the students do
not have any questions and that they understand. Ask them if they can give an
example of a sentence that would use each type of end punctuation.
3. After the presentation give each student a laptop. Ask the students to turn on their
computers and sign in. Once all three students are signed in walk them through
the steps to getting to BrainPop Jr. The students have done this before so they
should know how to do this, but offer any assistance needed. They will go to
BrainPop Jr. The school has a subscription so supply them with the login
information. Once signed in students will go to Reading & Writing and then
sentence. Once here students will go to types of sentences. The first graders will
then watch the Annie & Moby video on types of sentences.
4. When the video is done have a short discussion with the students on any new
information they may have learned about the three types of end punctuation. To
end today’s lesson students will complete an activity to practice the types of
punctuation. Give each student a worksheet, a pencil and crayons or colored
pencils. Ask them to first put their name on their sheet and then explain to the
students that to complete the worksheet they must follow the key at the bottom
and color the picture according to the type of sentence it is. Give the students
about 10-15 for this activity. Collect when they are finished.
Day 2
1. To begin todays lesson do a quick review of the three types of punctuation. Ask
the students to share examples of each type of punctuation. Tell the students that
before we move on to the next topic they will have some free time on BrainPop
Jr. to review what we learned previously. Give each student a laptop and once
again ask the students to turn on the computer, sign in, and go to BrainPop Jr.
Assist the students when necessary. This time they will go to Reading & Writing,
then sentence, and now they have a choice of what they can do. They can play the
game, draw a bumper sticker, take a quiz, read a short comic, or can write.
Students will be allowed 10 minutes to do this and can do more than one activity.
2. After 15 minutes help students get to BrainPop and sign in so we can watch
another video. This time we will watch a video by Tim and Moby on capital
letters, which is today’s lesson. Each student will watch the video. After the video
is over have a short discussion about what they learned about capital letters. Write
their ideas on the board. Make sure they know that there is a capital letter at the
beginning of every sentence, names are always capitalized, and when “I” is by
itself it is also capitalized.
3. Write three sentences on the board. Each sentence should have mistakes. There
should be missing capitalization and even some punctuation errors as a review.
Ask students to help you correct the sentences.
4. Next students will do some writing. Give each student a writing booklet. Explain
that these booklets will be used over the rest of this unit. Each booklet contains
paper will a space for both writing and a picture. Ask the first graders to write
their name on the front of the booklet. Give them a couple minutes to decorate the
front, making it unique from each other’s. Tell them today they can choose to
write about anything that they want, but they MUST keep in mind what we have
learned the past couple of days. Remember to use the correct end punctuation and
that there is a capital letter at the beginning of every sentence. Tell the first
graders they must write at least three sentences and can include a picture to go
with their drawing, but the picture comes last.
5. Give the students about 15 minutes to write. Hold on to their booklets in order to
check their writing and so that they can use them at another time.
M. Supplemental Activities: Extensions and Remediation
These students do not receive homework from me since I am not their classroom
teacher, but each student knows that what they learn from me will also carry into
their classroom work. They are expected to use the writing mechanics from this
lesson in their classroom writing assignments. A week after this lesson I will
check their writing from the classroom to see if they have used the correct
punctuation and capital letters in their writing. As an extension to this lesson I
will also do a “fun day” where the first graders can go to BrainPop or BrainPop
Jr. and can explore more of the activities about punctuation and capitalization.
N. Adaptations for Special Learners
This lesson has already been adapted for special learners because the small group
I work with are special learners. We are using BrainPop/BrainPop Jr. because the
activities are engaging and unconventional. Normally I would have students write
more than three sentences for writing, but because these students work slower I
shortened the task. Also it is important for these students to work in groups
because they do not excel when working alone. For this reason I have us all doing
the same activities so that we can offer help to each other and share ideas.
O. Assessment
Students’ success will be measured in a couple different ways. I will measure
their success on punctuation from the worksheet they complete, by discussions we
have and by checking their writing. Their capitalization success will also be
measured by discussions we have and by their writing. Also, I will do a progress
monitoring test that will allow me to check their understanding. The progress
monitoring test will have the students write three sentences dictated by me. They
will be awarded a point for each correct capital letter, correctly spelled words,
spaces between words and punctuation. The total points students can receive is
30.
P. Student Products
-Punctuation worksheets
-Writing in booklets
TPACK Analysis
1. Content
-Writing
-Three types of end punctuation
-Capital letters
2. Pedagogy
-Explanations/a lesson on the content
-Discussions and practice
-Activities
-Assessment
Overall both days are taught with similar teaching processes. I begin the lessons
by explaining what we are doing. Then I teach the material, give the students
something to extend on what I taught and then they are asked to complete an activity.
On Day 1 I first do an explanation of the unit and lessons. Then I continue by
teaching the lesson, followed by activity that corresponds and then I end the lesson
with some work. The end work is for assessment purposes and practice. On day 2 I
begin with a review of the previous day’s lesson, followed by a lesson, a short
discussion, and then a short activity to practice the skills learned.
3. Technology
-PowerPoint
-BrainPop/BrainPop Jr on computers
4. Content Knowledge
I have an elementary teaching degree and have taught the content many times
before during student teaching and substitute teaching. I know the three types of end
punctuation and when to use them and I know when to use capital letters in a
sentence.
5. Pedagogy Knowledge
I understand these particular students learn in ways different from most students.
First off they do not learn best from direct instruction or lectures. It is imperative that
these students learn in hands-on, engaging activities. They need to review the content
over and over and need practice with the information in order to master it. So far I
have found that unconventional activities including using Ipads, playdoh and glitter
for words helps the students remember certain writing mechanics. For these reasons I
chose to use an interactive website to assist the students. These students also have a
difficult time concentrating so only having a small group of students is beneficial
because all attention is focused on them and managing three students is much easier
than an entire group. Working in a small group allows me to give them all the
assistance they need and this group was put together because they are all at the same
level of writing.
6. Technology Knowledge
BrainPop/BrainPop Jr. is an educational website to help with all subject areas.
BrainPop Jr is directed at younger children, but either website can really be used for
any age group. It has games, videos, and extension activities. There are lesson ideas
for teachers, a bulletin board to post writings and other things. I have used BrainPop
with young students before and they are always engaged. Students seem to enjoy and
get excited about using computers. I know how to use the basic functions of the Mac
computer and for the purposes of this lesson. I have made several PowerPoints for
undergraduate courses and while in high school. I used YouTube videos in lessons I
created for my last graduate class.
7. PCK
Giving these students the opportunity to see videos and examples from interactive
websites helps these students a lot more than doing the normal paperwork in the
classroom. I know that this particular pedagogy is applicable to the content I’m
teaching because of the students I’m working with. In order to learn and master the
mechanics of writing students need a variety of activities within the lessons. It is
important to mix up the lesson with a variety of lessons because all students learn in
a different way. Differentiation is necessary in order to reach the needs of all
different types of students. I included explanations, discussions, videos, and
activities to assist the students. “There is ample evidence that students are more
successful in school and find it more satisfying if they are taught in ways that are
responsive to their readiness levels (e.g., Vygotsky, 1986), interests (e.g.,
Csikszentmihalyi, 1997) and learning profiles (e.g., Sternberg, Toriff, & Grigorenko,
1998)” (Tomlinson). I also chose to break this lesson into two days because I didn’t
want to overwhelm the students with too much information or content in one day. It
is important for them to master the mechanics and rushing them will not accomplish
this. “Differentiated instruction allows all students to access the same classroom
curriculum by providing entry points and outcomes that are tailored to students’
needs” (Hall, Strangman & Meyer).
8. TCK
These students have not learned the mechanics by doing writing and paperwork in
the classroom, so this technology is an all new means for teaching the material. I
know this particular technology is best suited for addressing the content because it
gives many examples of the writing mechanics and then the technology allows the
students to engage in activities that help them practice using the information they just
learned. The PowerPoint technology allows me to teach the students a lesson and
show examples. “In the late 1990s, several students indicated that students found
PowerPoint-based lectures more interesting than traditional lectures” (Ruffini). The
computers let the students do their own activities and give them a choice. BrainPop
gives them the opportunity to practice the skills, it reteaches and gives more
examples and YouTube reiterates the subject and it is interesting and attention
grabbing. “The use of multimedia instruction can significantly enhance student
learning if properly designed and implemented. BrainPop uses animation, voice,
characters, diagrams and more to motivate and engage learners in curricular topics”
(SEG Research).
9. TPK
Using the technology will be a good change to the ways they are usually taught. This
particular technology will change the teaching and learning process when it’s used in the
classroom because it will grab the students’ attention in a way that doesn’t always
happen. “Introducing technology into the learning environment has been shown to make
learning more student-centered, to encourage cooperative learning, and to stimulate
increased teacher/student interaction” (Department of Education). The videos on
YouTube and BrainPop will grab their attention because they are engaging and geared
toward children their age. In my opinion students learn better in this way rather than
when a teacher stands in front of them lecturing. BrainPop also lets the students get
involved in the learning process. It allows them to make choices in what type of activity
to do. The computers give the students experience and practice with technology as well.
“Positive effects have been found for all major subject areas, in preschool through higher
education, and for both regular education and special needs students. Evidence suggests
that interactive video is especially effective when the skills and concepts to be learned
have a visual component and when the software incorporates a research-based
instructional design” (Department of Education).
10. TPACK
I chose to teach this particular content through this pedagogy with this particular
technology because it works best with the students that I am working with. To me
writing is a very difficult subject to teach and it can take years for many students to
develop into a successful writer. Teaching writing is never an easy task and I have found
it quite difficult to explain at times. These particular first graders are those students that
will most likely take longer to be great writers so I needed to use differentiated
instruction with technology in order to help them. “A U.S. Department of Educationfunded study of nine technology-rich schools, concluded that the use of technology
resulted in educational gains for all students regardless of age, race, parental income, or
other characteristics” (Department of Education).
References
Access Center. (2004). Differentiated Instruction for Writing. Washington D.C.
Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/22263/.
Department of Education (1995). Technology’s Impact on Learning. Retrieved from
http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/tiol.html.
Ruffini, F. Michael. (2009). Creating Animations in PowerPoint to Support Student
Learning and Engagement. EDUCAUSE Quarterly Magazine, 32(4). Retrieved from
http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVo
lum/CreatingAnimationsinPowerPoint/192966.
SEG Research (2008). Understanding Multimedia Learning: Integrating Multimedia
in the K-12 Classroom. Retrieved from
http://s4.brainpop.com/new_common_images/files/76/76426_BrainPOP_White_Pa
per-20090426.pdf
Excerpted from: Tomlinson, C. A. (August, 2000). Differentiation of Instruction in the
Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early
Childhood Education. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/262/.