EDC274 Mini-Lesson Plan Template
Name: Kristin Ingram
Subject: ELA Topic: Using Context Clues
List of Materials, Handouts, Rubrics, and other Docs:
- Check and Confirm Anchor Chart
- Dictionary and Document Camera
- Check and Confirm chart handout
- Dictionaries for students
- Whiteboards for students
Purpose (kid-friendly): This lesson will help me become a better reader (or writer) because I will be able to use clues to help
me understand all of the words in my text.
Components
Content Standard
Choose ONE AZCCR standard and type
it out along with the number
Learning Objective
Choose ONE level of complexity
from Blooms Revised Taxonomy
Write ONE objective that is ONE
simple sentence with ONE carefully
chosen verb
1-2 Anticipatory Set
mins
A quick "hook" to grab the
student's attention
Activates prior knowledge of
the objective
Requires active participation
from ALL learners
Students MUST engage with
the OBJECTIVE
Pima Course: EDC274 Instructor: Dr. Eagleton
Grade Level: 5 Duration: 10 minutes
Description of Plan
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and
domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject
area.
Blooms Level: Applying
Objective: SWBAT determine the meaning of unknown words by using context
clues.
Kid-Friendly Version: I can be a detective and use context clues to help me define
words I dont know.
Teacher will (TW): Students will (SW):
1. TW begin by talking about 1. SW discuss with a partner how
mysteries. She will ask the detectives solve mysteries.
students to discuss with a 2. SW share their ideas in a
partner what a detective looks grand conversation.
for when solving a mystery. 3. SW discuss with a partner why
2. TW have students share their they think this is an important
ideas gather clues, thing to learn and how it may
information, make inferences, help them become better
etc. readers and writers.
3. TW explain to the students that
we will be detectives today in
order to determine the
meaning of words we dont
know. Just like detectives have
to search for clues and use
those clues to determine the
solution, we will look for clues
in our sentences and use those
clues to help us determine the
meaning of unknown words.
4. TW ask students to discuss
with a partner why this could
be important to improve our
reading and writing. What
 EDC274 Mini-Lesson Plan Template
1-3 Teaching-Input/Modeling Teacher will:
mins
Provides information and
vocabulary in multiple
modalities
Teacher models how to do
the Active Involvement
would happen if detectives
didnt gather clues and use
their knowledge?
Students will:
1. TW project a sentence on the 1. SW read the sentence on the
board Joannes mother board.
came up to the school to get 2. SW discuss with a partner
the cell phone the teacher had different clues from the
confiscated. sentence that could help them
2. TW also have a large anchor define confiscated. SW write
chart prepared of a Check and these clues and ideas on their
Confirm chart. white boards.
3. TW ask students to discuss 3. SW engage in a grand
with a partner what clues they conversation to share their
can find to help them ideas on what they think
determine the meaning of confiscated means and what
confiscated. TW ask students clues they used to come to
to write their ideas down on a their conclusions.
white board. 4. SW use their dictionaries to
4. TW engage in a grand follow along with the teacher
conversation with students and and check the meaning of
they will share their ideas on confiscate.
what confiscated means. TW 5. SW give a thumbs up/thumbs
put these ideas under the down on their understanding of
What I Think it Means section the task.
on the anchor chart.
5. TW ask students to refer to
their white boards and share
the clues they used. TW add
these clues on the anchor
chart under Clues I Used.
6. TW use a document camera to
look through a dictionary to
Check and Confirm Meaning
on the anchor chart.
7. TW let students know that this
is something they can always
look for when they encounter a
word they dont know while
reading! TW give students one
chart each (just like our anchor
chart) and let them know they
will be deciphering the
meaning of unknown words,
just like we did together, using
their very own Check and
Confirm charts.
8. TW ask for a thumbs
up/thumbs down on their
understanding to see who may
need additional assistance
throughout the active
involvement.

5-8
mins
Active Involvement
Describes highly engaging
strategies
Includes various checks for
understanding
1-2 Closure
mins
ALL students must engage in
brief closure activity to
cement learning and
optimize transfer.
Students MUST re-engage
with OBJECTIVE
Connections
Explain connections & include page
numbers from Linders work, Daily 5,
Math Daily 3, writing samples, etc.
Please check assignment prompt for
specifics.
EDC274 Mini-Lesson Plan Template
Teacher will: Students will:
1. TW give students one 1. SW begin their active
sentence each. There will be 4 involvement by reading their
versions differentiated to sentence and finding clues.
different learners needs (see They will fill these in on their
appendices). Check and Confirm chart along
2. TW explain to students that the way.
they will have 5 minutes to 2. Once the student has
read through their sentence, completed filling in the What I
determine the meaning, use Think it Means and Clues I
clues, and then check and Used sections, they will use
confirm the meaning in the their dictionaries to check &
dictionary. They will fill out their confirm the meaning.
chart throughout the process. 3. SW get into groups of 4 and
3. TW circulate to help any prepare to share their sentence
students that may require and detective work. When it is
additional assistance. their turn to share, they will
4. Once 5 minutes is up, TW put have 30 seconds to read
students into groups of 4. Each through their sentence and
group will include one learner share the clues that they used
with a different sentence (there to determine the meaning of
were 4 levels of differentiated the word.
sentences to begin).
5. TW instruct the students that
they will each have 30 seconds
to share the sentence they
worked on and share their
detective work that led them to
determine the words definition.
6. TW time each rotation and ring
the bell when it is time for the
next group member to share.
Students will:
1. SW come back together to the gathering place and review the activity by
discussing with a partner the importance of using clues in sentences.
2. TW ask students to write on a notecard what it means to be a detective
when we read and find words we dont know and how it will help to make
them a better reader.
3. SW complete their notecards and rank their understanding of context clues
from 1-4.
The biggest inspiration for this lesson was a graphic organizer from Linder on page
93 that helps students with word play it is called Check and Confirm Meaning
(see appendices). This chart is used for an anchor chart during the modeling
portion of the lesson, and also used as a students personal graphic organizer
during the active involvement. This lesson also utilizes parts of the Daily 5
philosophy, as it is a focus activity during the transition between rounds. It also
incorporates a gathering place where students gather during the anticipatory set
and then come back to during the closure activity (p. 58). This helps students to
come together and focus during this lesson.
 EDC274 Mini-Lesson Plan Template

Appendices (insert materials/links/screenshots below):

Appendix 1 Linders Check and Confirm Graphic Organizer

Appendix 2 Differentiated Context Clue Versions for the Active Involvement

Version 1: Unlike her older brother Jerome, who stayed out all hours of the night, Kate obediently
followed the curfew her parents set.
Version 2: Even though it was a one-player game, the boys figured that they each could play if they
alternated.
Version 3: John had seen horror movies before, but when he saw Bloodcore 6, he was so appalled by the
bloodshed that he wrote the newspapers warning parents not to allow their children to see this movie.
Version 4: I wanted to give the new kid a chance, but when he started telling me that he could ride
his skateboard on top of the telephone wires, all I could do was stare at him with an incredulous smirk.