This is one of two possible lesson plan formats that you can use for your observation.

This particular
Gradual Release of Responsibility format starts with a teacher’s direct modeling. It is important that
you do the follow things when designing your lesson prior to submitting it to me.

● INSURE that it is YOUR lesson. While it is appropriate for you to talk with your cooperating
teacher about the lesson, you must be the person who writes it out.
● FULLY SCRIPT out your lesson. I should be able to follow your process matching what your
lesson states and what I see you doing in the classroom.
● PROVIDE written statements of how you are going to transition from one part of the lesson to
another.
● INCLUDE question prompts and checks for understanding at each stage of the lesson.
● STATE how you are going to differentiate your lesson specific to the learning needs of your
students.
● INCLUDE any handouts or worksheets that accompany your lesson.
● EDIT your lesson for mechanical mistakes, organization, and clarity of thought.
● SEND, via email to me, and UPLOAD your lesson to Canvas a day prior to when I am to observe
you.

Gradual Release of Responsibility Direct Modeling Lesson Plan Format Template

Learner and Environmental Factors

Grade Level: 3rd Grade
Content Area: ELA

Standards (KCCRS or Your State Standards): Be sure to use all the standards that directly apply to the
lesson are stated. Be sure to use both the given standard code and the appropriate descriptors.

Key Ideas and Details:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1

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

Lesson Performance Objective(s): Stated in “kid-language”.

Today we will be reading various text that involves deciding what the author wants us to learn from the
text.

Materials:

Author’s Purpose bundle

Binders
Pencil
PIE graphic
Author’s purpose: Animals worksheet
3 passages
Task cards

Background Knowledge Required: What kind of prior knowledge is required of the students before they
engage the new information of the lesson?

They should already have a background of what the three main author’s purposes are, but now we will
begin to make a connection to writing.

Student Grouping(s): Describe the various educational groupings that will be used throughout your
lesson.

During the “I Do” part of the lesson we will be in a whole group.

During the “We Do” part of the lesson the students will be in groups of three. The students will be
grouped together based on reading abilities. The groups will be made up of a high, medium, and low
reader. This will ensure the task cards get read correctly.

During the “I Do” part of the lesson we will be working individually.

Anticipatory Set and Purpose: (The HOOK) How are you going to bring the students into the lesson and
activate prior knowledge?

An author’s purpose is about what the author wants the reader to learn from the text. An author can
have more than one purpose. Do you remember the last time someone tried to persuade you? Ask
students to raise their hand and tell me about it. Last when we looked up facts about the olympics we
were looking at text that inform. Often the books you check out of the library are books to entertain.
Ask students for a few examples.

Introduce the Lesson: How will you set the purpose of the lesson so that the students will have buy-in to
what you are going to teach?

Today we will be able to determine the differences in each author’s purpose, and see how we can relate
it to ourselves as readers and writers.

Instruction:

Stage 1: Direct Modeling of the Lesson. Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR)- I DO IT.

Script with integrated Teacher Prompts/Questions, Checks for Understandings and Transitions
 Students get out your binders and turn to the language section. Then, say “Since we are going to
be learning about the author’s purpose today we are going to first make a visual to help us
review.

On a blank piece of paper draw a circle, *I will draw a circle on the board*.

Make the circle have three separate parts. *Separate my circle on the board into three parts*

Walk around and check that students have their triangle separated correctly.

Now each part should have one of the author’s purposes inside of it. Let’s put persuade in this
first one *point and write it in*. In the next let’s put inform, *point and write inform*. In the last
section we will write, entertain *point and write*.

Now remembering the three author’s purposes is as easy as PIE, point to each letter so the
students begin to make the connection.

-After completing this, we will return to each section to collaborate a definition for each one.

What definition could we use for persuade?

*The authors tries to get you to do something or believe what he/she is saying.

What definition could we use for entertain?

*The author tells us a story we will enjoy.

What definition could we use for inform?

*The author gives you information about a topic

-Now that we have a definition lets think of book examples we can use for each purpose.

What books could the author’s purpose be to entertain?

*Owl Diaries, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Franny K. Stein

What books could the author’s purpose be to inform?

*Baseball and football books, National geographic animal books

What books could the author’s purpose be to persuade?

*Turtle Bay, Debate it in Scholastics

-Transition, you may put away your binders. We will be using this information as we begin a
group activity. Ask the teacher’s assistant to pass out the worksheet for activity. The only thing
you’ll need for this activity is a pencil and the worksheet that is being passed out.

Stage 2: Guided Practice. GRR-WE DO IT.

 Script with integrated Teacher Prompts/Questions, Checks for Understandings and Transitions

I’m going to explain the activity and then break you into your groups.

Your group will be going to three different stations for this activity. Each station will have 8 cards
that you have to read and decide the author’s purpose. After your group discusses and decides
the purpose you will record one of the three purposes on the worksheet number with the
coordinating number on the task card. Any questions?

Lets do #1 together to make sure we understand the directions.

Read task card #1 aloud. Ask students to raise their hands if they think it’s to entertain. Raise
their hand if they think it’s to inform. Raise their hand if they think it’s to persuade. Have
students raise their hands to discuss why they chose each purpose. Explain it’s to inform
because it gives facts about volcanoes.

Begin assigning groups for activity.

Group 1: Henry, Hannah, Ty

Group 2: Chris, Camryn, Solomon

Group 3: Skylar, Bryleigh, Lane, Laken

Group 4: Quincey, Ryan, Marley

Students please get into your groups. Assign each group a set of task cards to begin with. Tell
the class we will move on to the next task cards after 5 minutes. Lets them begin working.

At the end of the first 5 minutes I will ask for feedback of how they think the activity is going.
Thumbs up, thumbs sideways, or thumbs down.

As they’re working I will walk around to each group and listen to the conversations happening. I
will correct any misconceptions I hear.

At the end of the activity I will ask, “What did you enjoy the most about this activity? the least?”

Then students will turn their papers into the turn in tray.

Ask them to get ipads and return to their seats.

Explain that we will now be working independently on each of the author’s purpose with one
animal. As I am handing out the next handout please be thinking of one animal.

Stage 3: Independent Practice. GRR-YOU DO IT

Script with integrated Teacher Prompts/Questions, Checks for Understandings and Transitions

After students get their handouts. I will ask them to put their name on the paper and then the
name of their animal in the topic line.
 I will read the directions. The directions give an example for each purpose for a dolphin. I will
also show students the example of my sheet filled out.

I will tell students that while they are working on their handout they may use Kidrex and epic on
their ipads. I will remind them that sentences begin with a capital letter and end with
punctuation. I will release them to begin working on their handout.

I will walk around ensuring students are on task and answering any questions they may have.

Differentiation Based on the learning needs of the students in your classroom, what modifications in
your lesson should you make? How will your modification help those specific individuals learn the
concepts with more efficiency?

Ty’s para will help him with the writing/ reading as needed, because he sometimes gets stuck. Hannah
will also be observed for difficulties with reading and writing, she is on an IEP and may get stuck. I will
watch Bryleigh closely because she has trouble reading and writing. If I notice her struggling I will help
her begin writing the sentence and leave the rest to fill in. These three need the most differentiation
because they may not get to be as successful as they can be without it.

If Henry finishes early I will have him write another sentence for each purpose. He gets done quickly
often, and to reach his full potential he can be challenged.

Assessment/Evaluation: How are you going to assess or evaluate if the students have learned the core
concepts of the lesson? What would constitute mastery?

I will assess through the whole class discussions, asking/answering questions, listening to the group
discussions, checking the task card worksheets, and reading the Author’s Purpose: Animals handout.

Closure: Restate the introduction, give a quick summary, tell how the skill will be used in the future.

Today we will be able to determine the differences in each author’s purpose, and see how we can relate
it to ourselves as readers and writers.

Today we determined the differences in each of the author’s purposes, and seen how we can relate it to
ourselves as readers and writers through a variety of text. We created the PIE graphic inside of our
binders to use as a reference. Then we worked in groups to read the task cards and determine the
purpose. We finished today by doing our own research of an animal in each of the three purposes. We
will reuse these skills in the future as we begin to write papers based on persuasion, entertainment, and
information.

Citation: Where did the idea for your lesson come from? Cite sources (print, electronic or human) using
appropriate APA 6 formatting.
Author's Purpose: Animals

Name: ______________________________________________________

Directions: Pretend you are an author. Choose an animal and write at least two sentences for each
author's purpose type. For example, if you chose dolphins, you might persuade someone that dolphins
are the most intelligent animals, or i nform your reader about how dolphins swim in pods or entertain
your reader by telling part of a dolphin story. Topic =
____________________________________________ Persuade:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Inform:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Entertain:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Author’s Purpose:

You read a newspaper article online about the world's largest pizza, made by a team of five Italian
chefs, who made a pizza that was 131 feet across.

19. What is the author’s purpose?

Author’s Purpose: You read President Kennedy's speech encouraging American citizens to serve. You
read his famous quote "…Ask not what your country can do for you; Ask what you can do for your
country". 20. What is the author’s purpose?

©The Teacher Next Door

©The Teacher Next Door

©The Teacher Next Door

©The Teacher Next Door

Task Cards: Record Sheet

Name: ____________________________________________ What's the author's purpose

shown on each card? Persuade Inform Entertain

1.______________________________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________________________

4.______________________________________________________________________

5.______________________________________________________________________

6.______________________________________________________________________

7.______________________________________________________________________

8.______________________________________________________________________

9.______________________________________________________________________

10._____________________________________________________________________

11._____________________________________________________________________

12._____________________________________________________________________

13._____________________________________________________________________

14._____________________________________________________________________