STEPP Lesson Plan Form
Teacher: Rachel Chado
School: O’dea Elementary School
Communicating
Date: 4/6/15
Grade Level: 2nd grade
Content Area: Reading, Writing, and
Title: Long Vowel Hunt
Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson: (Write Content Standards directly from the standard)
The content standards assessed in this lesson are reading, writing, and communicating. The specific
standard assessed is reading for all purposes: decoding words with accuracy depends on knowledge of
complex spelling patterns and morphology.
Understandings: (Big Ideas)
The main idea with this lesson is to help the student(s) understand the depths of long vowels, and how
to pick them out of a story. Long vowels are a more complex concept, and can be difficult to effectively
teach to a full class. By completing this lesson one-on-one, there is more benefit for the student due to
the teacher-student interaction. By the end of the lesson, the student will understand long vowels, and
how to pick out words with the characteristics of long vowels.
Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of instruction, select
applicable questions from standard)
A. What is a long vowel?
B. Is there a difference between short and long vowels?
C. What does a one-syllable word with long vowels look and sound like? What does a two-syllable
word with long vowels look and sound like?
Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)
Every student will be able to: (Create your own lesson objectives from the standard, follow the ABCD
format, using student voice)
A. Distinguish long vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words
B. Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels
C. Read grade level text with purpose and understanding
D. Read grade level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression
I can:
I can help this student distinguish between long and short vowels when reading a grade level book by
having her read the book one time through, and then completing the long vowel worksheet when she is
done reading. This worksheet is set up so that she can pick out words with a long A, U, I, or O. I can also
help this student to read with a purpose, and with accuracy because in order to be able to pick out
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STEPP Lesson Plan Form
words that have the long vowels, she will have to know what she has just read. She will also understand
that she is reading this story as a means of learning about long vowels.
This means:
This means this child will be able to understand the sounds and meanings of long vowels, and the
difference between a long A and a long O. This student will be able to choose words from a story she has
just read, and organize them into a word sort chart after the reading is complete. She will be able to
demonstrate that she is reading with a purpose, understanding, and accuracy, and can decode one and
two syllable words with long vowels.
List of Assessments: (Write the number of the learning target associated with each assessment)
In order to assess the students understanding of the standard, I will use the long vowel worksheet that I
have created. This will show me whether she understands long vowels or not because I am not giving
her words with long vowels, rather I am having her pick out words from the story that she will have just
read. This will assess whether she is reading fast to get it done, or if she is reading with understanding. If
she is reading with understanding, she will know what I am asking and will know what to do once she
has completed the book. By having the student complete this activity, she is increasing her reading
comprehension, as well as components of reading such as long vowel work.
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STEPP Lesson Plan Form
Planned Lesson Activities
Name and Purpose of Lesson
Should be a creative title for you and the students to
associate with the activity. Think of the purpose as
the mini-rationale for what you are trying to
accomplish through this lesson.
Approx. Time and Materials
How long do you expect the activity to last and what
materials will you need?
Name: Long Vowel Hunt
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help this student better understand long
vowels, and how to pick out words from a story that follow the criteria to be a long
vowel.
Anticipatory Set
The “hook” to grab students’ attention. These are
actions and statements by the teacher to relate the
experiences of the students to the objectives of the
lesson, To put students into a receptive frame of
mind.
 To focus student attention on the lesson.
 To create an organizing framework for the
ideas, principles, or information that is to
follow (advanced organizers)
An anticipatory set is used any time a different
activity or new concept is to be introduced.
Procedures
(Include a play-by-play account of what students and
teacher will do from the minute they arrive to the
minute they leave your classroom. Indicate the
length of each segment of the lesson. List actual
minutes.)
Indicate whether each is:
-teacher input
-modeling
-questioning strategies
-guided/unguided:
Ask the student if she remembers learning about long vowels. I will allow her time to
think and answer this question. After a short period of time, I will then ask her to tell me
the different vowels that she knows. Once she has answered this, I will then ask her what
a long vowel sounds like. After she answers this, we will discuss long and short vowels,
and that as we read we will be looking for long vowel words throughout the story.
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: The Carnival at Candlelight book by Mary Pope Osborne, Long vowel chart,
scissors, and glue
9:00-9:05: I will complete the anticipatory set (teacher input and questioning strategies)
Approximately 9:05-9:15 I will have my student read from her chapter book. Depending
on time, I will have her read a full chapter (individual practice)
9:15-9:25 I will complete the long vowel chart with my student. We will go back through
the pages she has just read and hunt for words with long vowels. After she finds a few
words, I will write them out on a blank piece of paper. She will then cut out each word
and put it under the correct vowel column. As she is placing the words in the correct
columns, I will ask her why she thinks the word belongs under the column and wait for
her response. If she is having difficulty I will try and help her through the process rather
than telling her the answer (modeling, teacher input, and guided work)
9:25-9:30: I will have a short discussion with my student as to why we completed this
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STEPP Lesson Plan Form
-whole-class practice
-group practice
-individual practice
-check for understanding
-other
Closure
Those actions or statements by a teacher that are
designed to bring a lesson presentation to an
appropriate conclusion. Used to help students bring
things together in their own minds, to make sense
out of what has just been taught. “Any Questions?
No. OK, let’s move on” is not closure. Closure is used:
 To cue students to the fact that they have
arrived at an important point in the lesson or
the end of a lesson.
 To help organize student learning
To help form a coherent picture and to consolidate.
Differentiation
To modify: If the activity is too advanced for a child,
how will you modify it so that they can be successful?
To extend: If the activity is too easy for a child, how
will you extend it to develop their emerging skills?
Assessment
How will you know if students met the learning
targets? Write a description of what you were
looking for in each assessment.
activity. I will also ask her to clarify what a long vowel word sounds like compared to a
short vowel.
After doing the guided activity where the student has to fill out the long vowel word
chart, I will discuss with her why we did this activity. I will ask her what the importance of
knowing long and short vowel words is. We will discuss this as she answers it, and I will
then have her complete a short reflection about the activity. This could either include her
writing something out on the back of the worksheet, or verbally telling me two sentences
about the activity and why it is important.
If this activity is too advanced for a child, the teacher could provide the child with long
vowel words and just have them place the words under the correct column. The child will
still be learning about long vowels, but it won’t be too difficult so that they won’t want to
complete the activity.
If this activity is too easy for a child, the teacher could jump straight into the activity with
the child without re-explaining what a long vowel word sounds like. Another way to
modify the activity if it is too easy for a child is to have the child read more of the book,
and have a specific amount of long vowel words he/she needs to find in the reading.
This activity is meant to assess the concept of decoding words with accuracy such as
decoding words with long vowels. I will know if my student has met the learning targets
by the completion of the long vowel chart.
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STEPP Lesson Plan Form
Strengths of the lesson:
Some strengths of this lesson were that the student was engaged the entire time. She
understood what I was asking her to do, and was able to effectively find long vowel words.
Weaknesses of the lesson:
One weakness of this lesson is that at some points while the student was reading, she was too
focused on looking for long vowel words. However, this only happened about twice throughout
the entire chapter.
Challenges of the lesson:
One challenge of this lesson was that the book she read did not have too many words with long
vowels that were easy to find. This was a challenge because the student began to think more
about looking for a long vowel word, than focusing on reading the chapter, and comprehending
the material.
Suggestions for future teaching:
For future teaching, regarding long vowels, it may be more beneficial to the student if the
teacher was to have the student read, and then bring up the lesson of long vowels. This will
prevent the student from trying to focus on looking for long vowel words through the story
while reading.
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