Lesson Planning Template

Lesson Title: Fishing for a Topic Sentence Grade: 3rd

Goals or Objectives: Student will be able to identify a topic sentence and understand why they are
important. Students will also be able to complete a matching activity in which they identify the proper
topic sentence for a given paragraph. They will further their understanding of this topic by receiving
further practice by writing their own topic sentences using an online resource.

Grade Level Guide:

Content Curriculum Focal Points 3 Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret,
http://www.ncte.org/standards/ncte-ira evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience,
their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of
NCTE & ILA standards word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies,
and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter
correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

Interdisciplinary Connection: This standard relates to this lesson in

that they will be looking at sentence structure when writing and
matching. This could relate to another content area such as math,
when working with math problems it is crucial that students
understand how the numbers relate and the order in which to complete
a problem.

5 Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use

different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with
different audiences for a variety of purposes.

Interdisciplinary Connection: This standard relates to this lesson in

that they will be working with topic sentences in a few different ways,
such as matching and writing their own online. This could relate to
another content area such as History. In History class, students may
write about a particular war that has occurred, to get their point across
they must write in several different ways using different strategies.

ISTE standards (1 tech component) 6. Creative Communicator

http://www.iste.org/standards/standards
Students communicate clearly and express themselves
creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms,
tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their
goals.

6d Students publish or present content

that customizes the message and medium for their
intended audiences.

PreK-12 Profeciency standards 4. Inclusion of Five Levels of Language Proficiency

http://www.tesol.org/docs/books/bk_prek- The use of five levels reflects the complexity of language development
and allows the tracking of student progress across grade levels within
12elpstandards_framework_318.pdf?sfvrsn=2 the same scale. The five levels of language proficiency reflect
characteristics of language performance at each developmental stage.
The language proficiency levels are intended to highlight and provide
a model of the process of language acquisition that can be adapted by
individual districts and states.
Level 1-Starting
At L1, students initially have limited or no understanding of English.
They rarely use English for communication. They respond nonverbally
to simple commands, statements, and questions. As their oral
comprehension increases, they begin to imitate the verbalizations of
others by using single words or simple phrases, and they begin to use
English spontaneously. At the earliest stage, these learners construct
meaning from text primarily through illustrations, graphs, maps, and
tables.
Level 2-Emerging
At L2, students can understand phrases and short sentences. They can
communicate limited information in simple everyday and routine
situations by using memorized phrases, groups of words, and
formulae. They can use selected simple structures correctly but still
systematically produce basic errors. Students begin to use general
academic vocabulary and familiar everyday expressions. Errors in
writing are present that often hinder communication.
Level 3-Developing
At L3, students understand more complex speech but still may require
some repetition. They use English spontaneously but may have
difficulty expressing all their thoughts due to a restricted vocabulary
and a limited command of language structure. Students at this level
speak in simple sentences, which are comprehensible and appropriate,
but which are frequently marked by grammatical errors. Proficiency in
reading may vary considerably. Students are most successful
constructing meaning from texts for which they have background
knowledge upon which to build.
Level 4-Expanding
At L4, students’ language skills are adequate for most day-to-day
communication needs. They communicate in English in new or
unfamiliar settings but have occasional difficulty with complex
structures and abstract academic concepts. Students at this level may
read with considerable fluency and are able to locate and identify the
specific facts within the text. However, they may not understand texts
in which the concepts are presented in a decontextualized manner, the
sentence structure is complex, or the vocabulary is abstract or has
multiple meanings. They can read independently but may have
occasional comprehension problems, especially when processing
grade-level information.
Level 5-Bridging
At L5, students can express themselves fluently and spontaneously on
a wide range of personal, general, academic, or social topics in a
variety of contexts. They are poised to function in an environment
with native speaking peers with minimal language support or
guidance. Students have a good command of technical and academic
vocabulary as well of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms. They
can produce clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured texts of differing
lengths and degrees of linguistic complexity. Errors are minimal,
difficult to spot, and generally corrected when they occur.

Common Core State Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.6

With guidance and support from adults, use technology
 to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding
skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Academic Language: Topic sentence, main idea, and matching.

Students’ Needs: What experiences, prior knowledge and/or knowledge gaps do students have that
relate to the lesson goals?

English Language Learners Special Needs (can be a group

such as “struggling readers” or
individuals)
English Language Learners Students with Autism, may have
may have a difficult time a hard time staying focused on
reading the sentences and the task set before them.
identifying which ones match,
as well as writing their own.

Materials:
Student Needs:
 Pencil
 Tape
 Technology
Teacher Needs:
 Fish (handout)
 Scissors
 Wi-Fi
 Technology

Language Function:

Students will be asked to identify a topic sentence and why it is important to have a quality topic
sentence. To further understand this information, they will be asked to match topic sentences to a given
paragraph, looking at the impact the topic sentence makes.

Lesson Plan

Before:
 To begin this lesson, the teacher will ask the students what a topic sentence is and why they
think it is important.
 The teacher can give an example of a scenario, such as a child’s eighth birthday party.
 Then writing on the board or sharing out loud, the teacher can read an example of a quality topic
sentence and a poor topic sentence, asking the students which one caught their attention more.

During:
 Once the students understand how important topic sentences are, the teacher will introduce the
 lesson.
 Each student will receive the materials from the handout; this includes a paper cut out of fish
with the first half having a paragraph with a blank topic sentence, and the back half having the
topic sentence.
 The front and the back will be separated prior to the students receiving the fish.
 Looking at each fish, the students will read the front half and the back half and then pair the
topic sentence with the correct fish.
 Once the students believe they have correctly matched each fish, they will tape the two halves
together.

After:
 To conclude this lesson, students will partner up with a neighbor in class and they will check
with each other to see if they both have the same matches.
 The class will then come together as a whole and the teacher will go over each pairing to see if
the students answered correctly.
 The teacher will then discuss why it was so important they chose the right topic sentence, to give
the students examples, she may pick a wrong topic sentence for a given paragraph and discuss
how this would mess up the entire paragraph/story.
 To finish this lesson, students will have the opportunity to go to
www.learninggamesforkids.com, where they can practice writing a topic sentence using the
sentence stems game.

Assessment: How will you determine who knows which objectives? Describe the tools and techniques
you will use.

Type of assessment Description of Modifications to the Evaluation Criteria- What

(formal or informal) assessment assessment so that evidence of student learning
all students could (related to the learning objectives
demonstrate and central focus) does the
learning assessment provide?
Students will be Informal English Language Every student will turn in a
informally and assessment: Learners may permanent product of their fish
formally assessed observations and receive their that they matched together. They
throughout this verbal questions. handout written in will be graded on their ability to
lesson. To Formal assessment: their native match the proper topic sentence
informally assess permanent product language. with the correct paragraph.
the students, the of their matching
teacher will observe fish. Students with
their performance. Autism may only
While they are receive a limited
working number of the fish
individually and in as to not become
partners, the teacher overwhelmed with
will walk around the work given to
and listen or observe them.
how each student is
doing. The students
will be formally
observed by how
accurately they
matched the fish.

Resources:

Follow up activity: https://www.learninggamesforkids.com/graphic_organizers/writing/sentence-

stems.html

Fish activity: ../Downloads/MatchingTopicSentencetoParagraphs (1).doc