1. Lesson Planning
Waynesburg University
Pre-Instructional Planning:
The thought process that leads to the development of quality,
meaningful lesson plans
Guiding questions that will provide the framework for the lesson. (Respond to each question.)
Who will you be teaching? (Identify student grade level as well as academic functioning level and specific needs of
individual students)
- Third grade students
Who (if anybody) will assist with the presentation of this lesson, and what will their role be?
- N/A
What is the long range goal(s) that is tied to this lesson?
- Students will be able to read independently.
- Students will be able to analyze and interpret fiction and non-fiction literature.
- Students will use correct grammar and spelling in their writing.
What is the specific learning objective(s) for this lesson?
- Students will be able to use knowledge of phonics, word recognition, and context clues to decode and
understand new words during reading.
- Students will be able to use meaning and knowledge of words across content areas to develop a reading
vocabulary.
- Students will be able to demonstrate comprehension/understanding before, during, and after reading
through strategies such as retelling, summarizing, note taking, and connecting to prior knowledge.
- Students will be able to distinguish between essential and nonessential information within and across a
variety of texts.
- Students will be able to make inferences from text when studying a topic and draw conclusions, citing
evidence from the text to support answers.
- Students will be able to identify literary elements (characters, setting, and plot) in selected readings.
What prerequisite skills/knowledge will students need to effectively access and participate in this lesson?
- Students will need to know how to read
- Students will need to know the meaning of the following words: character, setting, and plot.
When within the stages of learning will this lesson be presented? (Is it a learning acquisition lesson, learning
fluency lesson, learning maintenance lesson, or learning generalization lesson?)
- Learning fluency
When will this lesson be completed? (Will it be a one-day lesson or a multiple day lesson?)
- Day one: Review the definitions of character, setting, and plot by using the summary ball, then read
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. After reading it, review who the characters
were in the story, the setting, and the plot.
- Day two: Create a paper bag report about the story read on day one and present it to your small group.
- Day three: Complete a blog post answering a question about the story read on day one.

2. Where should this lesson be presented to ensure maximum student access and participation? (computer lab,
classroom, science lab…) AND what materials will be needed?
- Day one: This lesson should be presented in the classroom. Materials needed include a beach ball and the
book titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
- Day two: This lesson should be presented in the classroom. Materials needed include one brown paper
bag for each student, markers, scratch paper, and the book titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day.
- Day three: This lesson should be presented in the computer lab. Materials needed include computers and
the book titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Why are you planning to teach this lesson? Why must this information/skill be presented to the students?
- This information will help the students practice their reading.
- This information will help to improve their comprehension.
- This information will help them to practice summarizing.
How does this lesson relate to the PA Academic Standards?
- Standard 1.1.3.B Use knowledge of phonics, word recognition, and context clues to decode and
understand new words during reading.
- Standard 1.1.3.C Use meaning and knowledge of words across content areas to develop a reading
vocabulary.
- Standard 1.1.3.D Demonstrate comprehension/understanding before, during, and after reading through
strategies such as retelling, summarizing, note taking, and connecting to prior knowledge.
- Standard 1.2.3.C Distinguish between essential and nonessential information within and across a variety
of texts.
- Standard 1.2.3.D Make inferences from text when studying a topic and draw conclusions, citing evidence
from the text to support answers.
- Standard 1.3.3.C Identify literary elements (characters, setting, and plot) in selected readings.
How does this lesson relate to the previous lesson? How does this lesson relate to future lessons?
- This lesson relates to a previous lesson about adjectives since many are used in this book to describe
Alexander’s day.
- This lesson relates to a previous lesson where we read Cloudy With a Chance of Meat Balls and the
students had to answer a blog post about the story.
How will you determine if students have met the lesson objective? (Think assessment)
- Use the Independent Reading – Elementary: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Rubric
How should this lesson be presented to ensure maximum student access and participation? (lecture, whole group
activities, small group activities, cooperative learning groups…)
- Day one: Whole group activity with the teacher reading the story and reviewing the definitions with the
beach ball
- Day two: Small group activity with the students each making their own paper bag report about the story and
presenting it to their group
- Day three: Individual activity with the students each responding to the blog post in the computer lab

3. Lesson Planning
Waynesburg University
Writing the lesson plan:
Translating thoughts into a plan of action
_____________________________________________
Pennsylvania Academic Standard(s) addressed during this lesson:
(Provide Standard number and statement)
- Standard 1.1.3.B Use knowledge of phonics, word recognition, and context clues to decode and
understand new words during reading.
- Standard 1.1.3.C Use meaning and knowledge of words across content areas to develop a reading
vocabulary.
- Standard 1.1.3.D Demonstrate comprehension/understanding before, during, and after reading through
strategies such as retelling, summarizing, note taking, and connecting to prior knowledge.
- Standard 1.2.3.C Distinguish between essential and nonessential information within and across a variety
of texts.
- Standard 1.2.3.D Make inferences from text when studying a topic and draw conclusions, citing evidence
from the text to support answers.
- Standard 1.3.3.C Identify literary elements (characters, setting, and plot) in selected readings.
Lesson Objective(s)
(Stated in observable and measurable terms)
- Students will be able to use knowledge of phonics, word recognition, and context clues to decode and
understand new words during reading.
- Students will be able to use meaning and knowledge of words across content areas to develop a reading
vocabulary.
- Students will be able to demonstrate comprehension/understanding before, during, and after reading
through strategies such as retelling, summarizing, note taking, and connecting to prior knowledge.
- Students will be able to distinguish between essential and nonessential information within and across a
variety of texts.
- Students will be able to make inferences from text when studying a topic and draw conclusions, citing
evidence from the text to support answers.
- Students will be able to identify literary elements (characters, setting, and plot) in selected readings.
Assessment Plan
(What will be done to determine if lesson objectives have been met?)
- Use the Independent Reading – Elementary: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Rubric

4. Materials:
- Day one: Materials needed include a beach ball and the book titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day.
- Day two: Materials needed include one brown paper bag for each student, markers, scratch paper, and the
book titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
- Day three: Materials needed include computers and the book titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day.
Inclusion Techniques for Students with Special Needs:
- As we are reading Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, students will have a
graphic organizer to help them organize and remember the story
- Students can use their completed graphic organizer when creating their paper bag report
- Students can listen to the story from a YouTube video as a review
Enrichment Techniques:
- Students get to make up their own story about a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day they had.
Lesson Differentiation (What modifications/accommodations will be made to ensure that ALL students
have access to and are able to participate in the lesson):
- Students will have access to review the story being read through a YouTube video as an audio and visual
review
- Students will have access to a play doll house with dolls in it to act out the story as a kinesthetic review
Lesson Presentation
Introduction/Motivational Activities/Anticipatory Set:
- Ask the students the meaning of the following words: terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad
- Ask the students what happened when they had a bad day
- Review the definition of character, setting, and plot
- Show the students the beach ball and tell them to pay attention during the story to answer the questions
from on the ball (Who, What, Where, When, and How)
Detailed Teaching Sequence:
(Provide sufficient detail that would enable a substitute to effectively present this lesson. Bulleted statements are
preferred)
- Read the story titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
- Point out what makes Alexander’s day so bad while reading the book
- Ask the students how they would feel after each bad thing happened to Alexander if it happened to them.
- Ask the students comprehension questions about the book at the end like:
o Who were the characters in the story?
o What happened in the story?
o Where did the story take place?
o When did the story take place?
o How did the problem in the story get solved?
 Use the beach ball by having the students form a circle and toss the ball to each other.
 The student who catches the ball has to answer the question their thumb touches.

5. Guided Practice/Independent Practice/Assessment Activities
- The teacher will model how to create a paper bag report and give one example to each group to reference.
o Example front: Title, author’s name, student’s name, scene from book
o Example back: Main characters names and summarize conflict and resolution
o Draw items that are significant to the events in the book and put them inside the bag. (Ex. Gum that
got stuck in Alexander’s hair.)
- The students will be broken up into groups of four.
- They will each be given a brown paper bag, markers, and scrap paper.
- They will each have to create their own brown paper bag report and present it to their group.
- After presenting their paper bag report, the students will have to answer the following blog question
following the guidelines on the provided rubric.
o Why did Alexander have such a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?
 Ex. He got gum stuck in his hair.
Closure:
- Share ways to make Alexander’s bad day better
o Ex. Alexander could make sure to spit out his gum before he goes to sleep.