Haidee Garcia

2nd Grade
Subject: ELA
Time Period: One period (60 minutes)
FORMAL OBSERVATION 1
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to have students describe the sequence of a story.
Enduring Understanding: Learners will explore content to understand that turning an idea into action requires
determination and hard work.
Objective/Aim: Students will be able to describe the sequence of a story.
Essential Question: What can we learn from reading about people's lives?
Vocabulary
Realistic fiction- A made up story about people and places that could be real and events that could really happen.
Vacant- empty/ not occupied.
Lot- A piece of land in part of a city or town that is empty.

Skills
Students will retell the events of a story. (Beginning, middle, and end)
Students will describe the order of events in a story.
NEW YORK STATE LEARNING STANDARDS:
Reading:
R.2.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the
ending concludes the action.
Language:
L2. 6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts,
including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g. When other kids are happy that makes me happy).
PRE-ASSESSMENT: Students have been learning about peoples lives, their hard work and contributions for the
past few weeks (they read The Man Who Made Parks). There will be a brief overview of what a biography is and a
review of what are fiction and and non fiction books. The teacher will explain that this is a realistic fiction, which is a
made up story about people and places that could be real, and about events that could really happen.
LESSON PRESENTATION:
ENGAGE(HOOK) (3 minutes) - Students will be called to sit in their spots at the rug. (Students are arranged by
reading levels, beginning with level 3 (low level) to Level 5 (high level). The teacher will introduce the aim: Ask the

students to read the aim aloud: Students will be able to describe the sequence of a story. They will be introduce to the
story of a girl named Marcy and her neighbors and how they planted a garden in a vacant lot. The teacher will review
what the vocabulary words (vacant and lot). Children will look at the illustrations on the cover of the story and will be
invited to share their experiences with planting seeds or working in a garden.
Have you ever planted a garden before?
What did you plant?
Our essential questions to focus on today: What can we learn from reading about peoples lives?
READ ALOUD (8 minutes)
The students will follow along in their own books. The focus of the read aloud will be on getting the gist of the story,
such as, who the characters are and what is happening. The students will be asked the following questions to check for
comprehension and to get them to start thinking about information from the beginning of the story and from the end of
the story. This will help them complete their independent activity in writing the sequence of the story.
How do Marcy and Miss Rosa get the idea for the garden? (beginning of the story) (DOK Level One-Recall)
What did Old Man Hammer plant in the garden? (end of the story) (DOK Level One-Recall)
Turn & Talk Activity Discussion (2 minutes ): Do you think planting a garden is a good way to use a vacant lot?
(DOK Level Three- Strategic thinking.
CLOSED READING (Reading Discussion) (Whole group activity) (15 Minutes)
The teacher will review with students how good readers retell a story by describing, the beginning, the middle and the
end of a story. The teacher will ask students why do you thinking knowing the order of events in a story is
important? (DOK Level 2- Strategic concepts/infer).
The teacher will model how they will fill in the Story Sequence ( graphic organizer) as a whole group.
1.) The teacher will inform students that when a reader finishes a story they first think about the important characters,
setting. She will ask students to turn to:

(page 140) Who are the main characters? What is the setting? (DOK Level 1- Recall)
What do you know about the book so far? ( DOK- Level 1- Recall)

2.) The teacher will inform students that good readers think about what events happened first, next, then and last:

(page 145) What events have happened so far? (DOK-Level 1-Recall)

(Page 147 )What does mama say they are going to do first ? (clear the lot) (DOK Level 1-Recall)

(Page 151) What happens next? (the city drops off tools) (DOK Level 1-Recall)

What phrase tells you when this happen? (next day) (DOK Level 3- Cite Evidence)

(Page 153) What happens then? (Then, Mr. Rocco brings two cans of paint) DOK Level 1- Recall)

What phrase tells you when this happen? ( then) (DOK Level 3- Cite Evidence)
Does Mr. Rocco, bring paint before or after Mr. Bennett brings wood? How do you know? (DOK
Level 1 Recall) (DOK Level 3- Cite Evidence).

(Page 155) What happens last? (by the end of the day a fence is built and painted) How do you know?

(DOK Level 1-Recall)( DOK Level 3- Cite Evidence).

3.) The teacher will inform students that good readers think about what the problem and solution were in a story:

(Page 145)Have you learned about a problem in the story yet? What is the problem?(DOKLevel 1 Identify)

(Page 155) Has the problem been solved? Is there another problem? ( DOK Level 3-Strategic Thinking)

4.) Finally, good readers think about what the author was trying to tell them by writing this story. (DOK Level ThreeDraw Conclusions)

Independent Writing Activity (15-20 Minutes)- After modeling for the students. The teacher will have students
answer their differentiated sequence/retell graphic organizers. The teacher will circulate to see how students are
answering the questions and to assist students who may need further assistance in finishing their sequence.
CLOSURE (Wrap up Response) (3 Minutes)- Students will be called back to the rug area, where they will share
their graphic organizers and give feedback on what they did. The class will discuss what they learned from the lesson
and why knowing the order of the events in a story is important when reading. The teacher will end by asking students
What was the author message in writing this story? (DOK Level 3- Draw Conclusions)
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES:
City Green by Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan ( Ready Gen Text Collection pgs-136-165)
Easel board
Crayons
Story Sequence differentiated worksheets
Pencils
EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT: Each of the story sequence graphic organizer sheets will be collected and graded.
Students will be graded based on how they show their work. If they show their comprehension of the story, how well
they answer the questions of the story, and if they are able to order the events of the story correctly.
DIFFERENTIATION/ SCAFFOLD SUPPORT

For Advanced Students: Students will be working independently at their seats and be given a more challenging
worksheet in which they will have to answer several questions of the story, and also find the events from the story and
sequencing on their own. Also they have to write a full sentence making sure they cite the evidence from the text, by
indicating the page number. All students will be required to write a full sentence on what they learn from reading the
story City Green.
For Struggling Students and writers: The teacher can assist students as needed. The students are provided with a
worksheet in which they will write events from the story in the order in which they occurred. In addition, they have to
make a drawing of the events in the corresponding worksheet and make sure they cite the evidence from text, by
indicating the page number. All students will be required to write a full sentence on what they learn from reading the
story City Green.
For ELL Students: This classroom has two ELL students. These students will be provided with the worksheet that
has them drawing the events. The events are already written for them on sentence strips for them to cut and paste.
This will help them in recalling the facts from the story. All students will be required to write a full sentence on what
they learn from reading the story City Green. If they require more assistant the teacher can help them, or they can be
partnered with someone that can communicate with them.
For Verbal Students: They will be able to participate by reading their story sequence out loud to the class.