I. OVERVIEW OF THE LESSON

a. January 31, 2008

b. One 80-minute period

c. Miss Katie Trinisewski

d. Third Grade Language Arts

II. GENERAL OBJECTIVE

a. Students will demonstrate an understanding of basis paragraph structure while appreciating that this skill is applicable to various daily tasks and activities.

III. BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES

a. After a class discussion that reviews paragraph structure, the students will write a well-developed paragraph detailing the steps involved in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Students will then exchange paragraphs with a partner to see if the partner can accurately build a real peanut butter and jelly sandwich following the other student’s instructions.

IV. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

a. Peanut butter

b. Jelly

c. Bread

d. Paper plates

e. Paper napkins

f. Plastic spoons and knives

g. Pencils

h. Lined paper

V. MOTIVATION AND INTRODUCTION

a. Ask the students if they like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Using the paragraph-writing skills they have developed in previous language arts classes, could they effectively explain how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to someone who has never made/eaten one?

VI. DEVELOPMENT

a. Ask the students what writing skills they think would be necessary to explain how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to someone who has never made one before. What would be especially difficult about this task? Focus on issues such as: the necessity of clearly written explanations, the ability to be aware of the limited background knowledge of the person who would theoretically read the paragraph, and the need to think through the process of making the sandwich in a step-by-step manner while writing the paragraph.

Review basic paragraph structure (topic sentence, body, and conclusion sentence) and write this procedure on the board for students to reference. Work with the class to develop a common topic sentence for each student to use to begin his paragraph, such as, “I would love to explain to you how to make a delicious lunchtime favorite called a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” Then distribute pencils and paper and have students work individually to write a paragraph describing, in sentence form, the step-by-step procedure of making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Make sure they remember to add a conclusion sentence that adequately ends their paragraph.

Once the class has completed this task, have students divide into groups of two. Distribute two plates, four slices of bread, portions of peanut butter and jelly, napkins, and plastic utensils to each group. Students will then exchange paragraphs with their partners to see if the partner can accurately build a real peanut butter and jelly sandwich by following the other student’s instructions. During this time, students will identify any errors in their paragraphs and made modifications in their writing as necessary. Discuss as a class any common errors that happen to arise. Once each student has been able to correctly construct a sandwich using his partner’s instructions, students may eat the sandwiches they have made.

VII. SUMMARY AND CLOSURE

a. While the students enjoy their snacks, review again the importance of logical, detailed, well-written paragraphs. Discuss any difficulties the students may have had, then point out how their hard work and commitment to perfecting their paragraphs has led to their enjoying these peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Ask the students to think of other real-life situations in which paragraph structure and writing skills would be valuable.

VIII. ASSESSMENT STRATEGY

a. Does each student’s paragraph represent an understanding of basis paragraph structure in that it includes a clear topic sentence, body, and concluding sentence? Are the sentences of the paragraph presented in a logical order and in clear, concise wording?

b. Was each student able to construct a peanut butter and jelly sandwich using only his partner’s written instructions? If this was not the case at first, then was the writer able to identify and correct any mistakes or confusing areas in his paragraph?

This lesson plan was adapted from an idea developed by Misty Hembree. Her lesson plan, titled “Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches,” can be found on the HotChalk lesson plan page at http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAWritingParagraphOnPBAndJSandwich24.htm.

Anderson/Krathwohl Taxonomy: The primary objective of this lesson is to have students understand the importance of correct paragraph construction, especially in terms of topic sentences and logically ordered body sentences, and this represents procedural knowledge. On the cognitive process dimension, this lesson involves having students apply the paragraph-writing procedure to a real-world situation – in this case, communicating with a reader about a familiar lunchtime food. So the lesson is in the procedural knowledge/apply cell of the Anderson/Krathwohl taxonomy.

Behavioral Objective/Assessment Link: Since each student will write his own paragraph with a focus on proper paragraph structure, and then will make sure that his partner can clearly understand and utilize the paragraph, the students’ paragraphs and properly built sandwiches provide a valid assessment of their understanding and application of these writing concepts.