Lesson Plan

Literature Focus Unit: (Five Weeks)

Lesson Title: Charlottes Web

Grade: 3rd

Text Summary: Charlottes Web is a short novel for children, centered around a pig named
Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte. A young girl named Fern Arable saved Wilbur as a runt,
until she is sold by her uncle. Charlotte writes messages in her webs to try to gain attention to
help save Wilbur from his inevitable slaughter. The webs gain attention, and Wilbur is entered
into a fair. Because of this, Wilbur is seen as a pig that is too valuable to slaughter. Unfortunately,
Charlotte died shortly after this, but left her eggs for Wilbur to take care of. Wilbur takes care of
them, and for the rest of Wilburs life, he is accompanied by all of Charlottes generations of
spiders.
Goals or Objectives: Students will be able to accurately and effectively answer questions about
the text to demonstrate comprehension, identify different parts of the story within certain
chapters and write the main points, and write about their own thoughts and feelings compared to
what the narrator is trying to portray to the reader.
Grade Level Guide: Content Standards
Content Curriculum Focal
Points (ie: NCTM, IRA,)
International Reading
Association (IRA)
National Science Teachers
Association (NSTA)
National Education
Association (NEA)

Common Core State

Standards

Interdisciplinary Connections

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1

The interdisciplinary
connections are: Literature,
Science, and Art

Ask and answer

questions to demonstrate
understanding of a text,
referring explicitly to the
text as the basis for the
answers.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.5

Refer to parts of stories,

dramas, and poems when

writing or speaking
about a text, using terms
such as chapter, scene,
and stanza; describe how
each successive part
builds on earlier
sections.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.6

Distinguish their own

point of view from that
of the narrator or those
of the characters.

Academic Language: Comprehension, Narrator, Chapter, Characters, Point of View,

Understanding, and all of the words on the following list (these will be their weekly vocabulary
words).

Students Needs: Students will need background knowledge in understanding what main
characters are versus supporting characters. Students also need background knowledge in
identifying main points of a portion of a story. Students need to know how to write complete
sentences with correct punctuation.

English Language Learners

For ELL students, a copy of

their weekly vocabulary
words will be given to them
in their native language
During the read-aloud
portion, ELLs will follow
along, but when they split
into smaller groups during
response time, they will be
given the opportunity to ask
questions about what they did
not understand, and either an
aid or I will be there to assist

Special Needs (can be a

group such as struggling
readers or individuals)
For Special Needs students,
during the read-alouds, they
will also follow along, and
have time to respond or ask
questions in the response
groups.
There will be time for guided
and shared reading, and there
will be added focus on the
Special Needs student in the
guided reading session, and I
will provide them with a
strong reader during shared
reading

Materials:
Student Needs
Writers Notebook
Pencil
Materials for Diorama (done at home)
students will be allowed to check out supplies from teacher if they do not have access to them at
home
Copy of Charlottes Web

Teacher Needs
Access to Computer and Projector
YouTube Video
Charlottes Web Thoughts and Feelings worksheet
Notes for Mini-lesson on Thoughts and Feelings when writing (Orange Sheet)

Copy of Charlottes Web

Rubric for Diorama
List of Shared Reading Pairs
List of Small Groups (During Response Time)
Vocabulary Words in Students Native Language
Whiteboard
dry-erase marker
Vocabulary Test
Language Function: Students will go beyond basic reading by analyzing the text in their small
groups with guided help. They will have the opportunity to not only explain what they read, but
also describe key elements of the text and synthesize their own thoughts and feelings about the
text by writing them down.

Lesson Plan
Before: The lesson will begin with an introduction YouTube video of a 3rd grader that created
a summary of Charlottes Web in a clay-animated home video. This focus unit will be five
weeks long, and each week will have the same format but with different parts of the text and
different vocabulary words. When starting each lesson, the teacher will begin with introducing
that weeks vocabulary words. Then, the teacher will engage in a read-aloud of the text. Each
student will follow along with their own copies of the book. The teacher will periodically stop,
ask questions, and then allow a student to read a portion of the text. This will begin each lesson
of the focus unit each day.

During: One chapter will be read each week on four of the days, and on the fifth day that
week, the students will have a vocabulary test. As stated above, each lesson will begin with the
read aloud. Then, the students will split into small groups (groups will be planned prior to
lesson), and the students will continue to read. There will be one small group at a table where
will will do some guided reading, and then I will do a mini-lesson on Thoughts and Feelings
in writing. I will include parts of the text where we can infer that Wilbur and Charlotte were
feeling glad, sad, mad, etc. The other groups will be doing shared reading with one another,
and each group will rotate being taught by me. At the end of each mini-lesson, the students will
complete the worksheet provided below that will have different quotes on it each day. This will
be their time to respond to the text.

After: After four days of the week are completed, the students will complete a vocabulary test
during their reading time, and those that finish early will have time for silent reading of either
Charlottes Web or their own choice of reading. At the end of the focus unit, the students
projects will be to create a diorama (an example of one is below) of a scene from their favorite
part of the story. They will also write a paragraph-long summary of that scene and present both
to the class. After the end of the presentations, we will have Charlottes Web Party!
Examples of foods that we will have are shown below. Also, each student will receive a 1st
Place Ribbon for completing the focus unit.

Example of a Diorama

Party Ideas

Assessment:

Type of assessment

Description of assessment

Modifications to the
assessment so that
all students could
demonstrate
learning

Evaluation CriteriaWhat evidence of

student learning
(related to the
learning objectives
and central focus)
does the assessment
provide?

Informal Formative

Assessment will be done

by observation of the
students during shared
reading and guided
reading. I will log what I
observe in a notebook. I
will also provide the
students with a worksheet
about Thoughts and
Feelings, and use that as a
formative assessment of
their understanding of how
to incorporate feelings into
their writing and their
comprehension of the text.
I will also listen for the
students comprehension of
the text when I ask
questions in their small
groups and during the readaloud times.
Their summative
assessment will be the
diorama that they will

When observing,
for struggling
students, I will
make sure that
when questioned,
they are general
questions that do
not put them on the
spot or make them
feel uncomfortable.
For ELLs, I will
allow them to work
on their summative

assessment
paragraphs, their
worksheets, and any
other responses with
me in off-class
times if needed.
For Special needs
students, I will
allow extra time for
them to turn in their
assignments during
the focus unit.
There will also be

The assessments
provide
understanding of the
depth of a students
ability to
comprehend text.
It also provides
evidence of how a
student can enhance
their own writing
with their own
thoughts and
feelings.
It also provides
evidence of how
students can analyze
text and interpret its
meaning through
particular quotes in
the text.

(formal or
informal)

Formal Formative
and Informal
Formative
Formal Summative

create as a take-home
project that will be due at
the end of the 5 week focus
unit. They will also include
a paragraph summary of
the scene that they created
in the diorama.

silent reading time

for those students
that are not caught
up with the rest of
the class

Resources:
YouTube Video of 3rd grader (Charlottes Web)
https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=OtmPHuzd8w8
Assessment Rubric

Thoughts and Feelings Worksheet

 Vocabulary Test

A
nalyzing Teaching: To be completed after the lesson has been taught

What worked?

What didnt? For whom?

Adjustments
What instructional changes do you need to
make as you prepare for your next lesson?

Proposed Changes

Whole class:

If you could teach this lesson again to this group

of students what changes would you make to
your instruction?

Groups of students:

Individual students:

Justification
Why will these changes improve student
learning?
What research/theory supports these changes?