Teacher Education Lesson Plan Template

Teacher Candidate Brian Lyda Date and Time of Lesson 3/26/13 9:00 am School Springfield Elementary School Subject/Grade Level ELA/3rd Grade Description of Lesson: Students will explore personification through literary examples followed by a writing activity in which students will write about classroom objects using personification. Lesson Title: Personification Curriculum Standards Addressed: Common Core State Standard(s) ELA: 3.RL.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

Instructional Objective(s) Criteria: 100% of students will demonstrate an understanding of personification through writing a fictional narrative about a classroom object. (Indicator: 3.RL.4)

Assessment(s) of the Objectives: Students will be assessed for their understanding of personification through partner and class discussion. Some discussion methods to be used will be turn-and-talk and thumbs up/thumbs down. I will ask students to indicate their understanding by giving either a thumbs up or thumbs down. Finally, students will be assessed through a writing assignment. Students will write about a classroom object using personification. I will be looking for all students to use some sort of personification in their writing. I will only be looking for personification and not for story structure, etc.

Materials/Resources: SmartBoard, copy of Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type, white board, dry/erase markers Prerequisites (Prior Knowledge): Social- Students should be able to participate in class and small group discussion in a manner that demonstrates respect for themselves, their peers, and their teacher. Cognitive- Students should have an understanding of what figurative language is and why we use it from previous lessons. This understanding includes knowledge of hyperbole, simile, and metaphor. This concept was presented in the previous two lessons. It was also touched upon in the previous grade.

Physical- Students should be able to sit attentively when asked, and they should be able to move about the room safely when coming to the carpet. Emotional- Students should be able to handle disagreements within discussion groups. Resources: Ideas discussed with Miss Courtney Lewis (3rd Grade Teacher, Springfield Elementary) Procedures: Introduction: 1. We have been talking about figurative language. Miss Lewis discussed hyperbole with you guys. Yesterday we talked about similes and metaphors. All of these are types of figurative language. 2. Today we are going to discuss another type of figurative language known as personification. Personification is when human qualities are given to nonhuman things. (Show the anchor chart for personification.) 3. Human qualities are things that we think of as people being able to do or be like. For example talking would be a human quality. Demonstration: 1. Personification helps us give nonhuman objects a more exciting description. Remember, figurative language helps make things more vivid. It helps us make pictures in our head as we read. We can use it in our own writing as well. 2. Write The leaves on the ground danced in the wind. on the SmartBoard. 3. This is an example of personification. Leaves are not human, but dancing is a human quality. Do leaves really dance? No, but using this language creates a much better picture than saying something like the leaves were blowing around on the ground. 4. Write The sun played hide and seek with the clouds. on the SmartBoard. 5. This is another example of personification. The sun and clouds are not human, but playing hide and seek is a human quality. This language makes a much better picture than saying the sun moved back and forth behind the clouds. 6. We are going to read a book called Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type. It has personification throughout. As I read, I want you to listen for examples of personification. 7. Have students quietly and orderly come to the carpet. Read the book, stopping periodically and discussing the personification within the text. 8. There were some really good examples of personification in this book. Lets see if we can create some of our own. Guided Practice to Applying: 1. We are going to practice using personification in our writing. We can take any nonhuman thing and use personification to bring it to life in writing. 2. Lets take the South Carolina flag. How could we use personification to write about the South Carolina flag in Miss Lewis classroom? Think to yourself as if you were the flag in this class. What would you be doing? Lets turn-and-talk to your partner about what you would be doing as the flag in Miss Lewis class. (allow time) 3. Someone raise their hand and share a sentence as if you were the flag. Be sure your sentence contains personification. (Write the suggestion on the SmartBoard.) 4. Okay, if you agree this is personification, give me a thumbs up. If not, give me a thumbs

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

down. Call on one thumbs up to explain and one thumbs down, if any, to explain. Does anyone have another sentence using personification about the flag? Write the suggestion on the board and ask for thumbs up/thumbs down again with explanations. Lets take one more suggestion to go with our story as the flag. (write suggestion followed by same thumbs up/thumbs down activity.) Great job guys. Now we are going to try this on our own.

Independent Practice: 1. You are going to choose one object within the classroom and write as if you were that object. You are going to have to use personification because none of these objects are human, but we need to use human qualities to describe what they are doing during the day. Remember how we described the flag. 2. We are going to do this in our writing folder, so everyone please take that out now. (Allow time) 3. Now, this is an independent, silent activity. We are going to stay engaged by quietly thinking and writing at our desks. Someone raise their hand and tell me what we are about to do. (Have someone repeat directions and expectations.) 4. Go ahead and brainstorm on your first page about which object you will be and what you may be doing. 5. We are going to take about 20 minutes to work on this. I am going to set the timer. I will be coming around and conferencing, so if you need help, just raise your hand. 6. Answer any questions students may have, and then instruct them to begin writing. 7. To end the lesson, I will have a few students read their writing to the class. We may ask the student not to identify the object, and the class could guess what the object is based on its actions. Accommodations: 1) If students enjoyed Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin, they may also enjoy Giggle, Giggle, Quack by the same author, Llama Llama mad at Mama, and Charlottes Web. 2) If students are having difficulty with personification, based on the assessment(s) that I gave, I will use other mentor texts to demonstrate personification in writing during read alouds. If necessary, I will pull students in small groups during independent reading.