Lesson #3 Our community

Lesson Topic:
For this lesson, students will learn more about our own classroom community. Students will do
a brief interview activity to find out more about their classmates, and then create self-portrait
representations of themselves
Students Backgrounds (Prior Skills/Readiness, Interests, and Learning Preferences):
Student class profile The group of students that this lesson plan will be created for is for an
inclusive, 2nd grade classroom. There are 25 students in the class, with 14 boys and 11 girls.
All students live in different communities in New York City. The student body is
predominantly white, including 15 white students, 3 African American students, 1 French
student, 1 German student, 1 Russian student, and 4 Hispanic students. Two of the students
have disabilities in the class, categorized as students with autism, and both students are oral.
Prior skills/readiness Students have already learned about communities and what makes up a
community in their 1st grade classrooms. Students are familiar with collaborating in small
groups, and with the routines of large group discussion, including being an active listener,
raising hands to participate, etc. 11 students in the class have IEPs, and there are 2 English
Language Learners (ELLs).
Interests The students for whom I am planning this lesson in the classroom are very diverse,
and have many interests. Many students are involved in extra-curricular activities, including
piano lessons, sports teams (baseball, basketball, soccer football, tennis), the arts (dance,
drama, music), cooking, learning a new language, and video games.
Learning preferences The student body is composed of very diverse learners. Students love
social studies, and are interested in topics related to social studies. Students thrive with
interactive and multi-modal learning, and have difficulty sitting on the carpet for extended
periods of time. There is a wide range of different types of learners, including kinesthetic
learners, auditory learners, visual learners, and reading/writing learners. The students in the
class have different preferences with working in groups some enjoy and are successful
working in small groups and partnerships, though there are some students that prefer to work
independently.
Because of the diverse learners, learning interests and preferences, a Universal Design for
Learning (UDL) template is utilized to allow all students to access content through
differentiation in various participation structures, multiple means of engagement,
representation, and expression.
Although I have explained the learners in this classroom, it is significant to note that these
lesson plans are to take place at the beginning of the school year. Thus, as in any classroom,
with any lesson, ongoing assessment throughout this lesson will serve as information for the
teacher for how students like to learn, what their interests are, and in what ways students prefer
to express themselves, and engage with content.
Lesson Objectives (Instructional, Social and Behavioral):
Instructional Objectives:
Social Objectives:
Behavioral Objectives:
Students will
Students will
Students will
Find out more about their
Interact with the other
Respectfully ask other
classmates by identifying
students in the class by
students about themselves
students that fit particular
asking questions about
during the getting to know
descriptors on a getting to
others during the getting to
you activity.
know you worksheet
know you activity.
Students will take turns
activity.
Understand their roles as
explaining to their partner
Compare similarities and
active listeners and
what their self-portrait
differences between
collaborative participants in
represents as their role as a
themselves and others in the
our classroom community.
member in the community.

class based upon what the

responses were to the
getting to know you
activity.
Create a self-portrait
representation of themselves
that highlights who they are
as a member of our
classroom community.
Evaluate what is important
for their classmates to know
about them in order to
represent themselves in this
community.
Explain to other classmates
what their self-portrait
signifies, and describe who
they are as a member of the
classroom community.

Be able to realize and follow

the routines and structures
that surround the success of
the community activity.
Follow the rules and
agreements that we
collectively created.
Have respectful discussions
with different, and various,
students in the class.

Be active listeners during

the circle time, and raise
hands when they want to
participate.
Follow the transitional cues
that signal stop working,
and listen to the next
direction.
Follow the behavioral
aspects of the rules and
agreements that we
collectively created for
community circle/activity.

Lesson Procedures:
1. Starting the Lesson
(Anticipatory Set student background
knowledge):
15 minutes 5 min. for review, 10 min. for
activity
Because this is the third lesson, and all
routines were put into place two weeks ago,
the beginning of this lesson will be a very
brief review of the visual schedule and
routines of the community circle/activity.
Students will be in a circle, and I will review
the schedule with them.
First, we will take a look at the kindness
graffiti from the week before. Different
students can take turns reading aloud the
moments that happened, and elaborate on
them if they want to.
Next, we will briefly review the rules and
agreements that we created two weeks ago.
I will have them written on chart paper and
laminated, and placed in a central, visible,
location in the room.
After the review, I will introduce the
exploratory, beginning activity. I will
remind students that last time we explored
the communities that we are a part of as
individuals. Today, we are going to be
exploring our own, classroom community.
To begin, I will pass out a class interview
(adapted to make sense in our classroom
context, and with more thought-provoking

1. Assessment of prior knowledge

(Formal, informal, formative, and summative
assessments):
The review of last weeks schedule, rules
and agreements and the kindness graffiti
will serve as a brief pre-assessment to see
how much students remember and
understand from the first and second lessons.
Did students write appropriate stories and
phrases on the kindness graffiti? Do
students recall the schedule, rules and
agreements, for community circle/activity?
What still needs to be reviewed?
As students walk, move around, and interact
with the other students in the class during the
class interview activity, this will be a
useful, informal assessment in many ways.
First, it will be useful to listen in on the
discussions students are having. Are
students making connections with each
other? Are students having in depth
conversations about commonalities? Are any
students surprised by what they find? How
many students are getting multiple signatures
versus just a couple? What are the
interactions like? How are students
collaborating with this activity?
Additionally, the final product will serve as
an assessment to see which students got most

descriptors) to each student.

signatures, just a few, etc.
On the board I will have a slide that says,
Finally, during the share activity at the end, I
Getting to know our classroom community.
can informally assess student understandings
Beneath that will be the directions: Your goal
of the purpose of this activity. Did students
for the next 8 minutes will be to have a
learn new things about the other students in
different person in our class write their name
the class? How many students wanted to
next to descriptor that fits them. Try to get
discuss what they learned about another
as many names as you can in the time given.
student in greater detail? Which students
These instructions will also be written on the
wanted to share what they learned?
top of the interview sheet. (Note for
students that need to use a laptop, their
worksheets can be filled out on the
computer.)
Next I will put the timer on for 8 minutes,
and students will be able to walk around the
class, getting to know more information
about their classmates.
After 8 minutes, we will all come together in
the community circle, and for 2 minutes
students can share 1 thing that they learned
about someone else in the class that they
didnt know before, or talk with another
student more about something they found
interesting.
Opportunities to
Anticipated Prior
Questions to Discover Prior
Demonstrate Prior
Knowledge:
Knowledge:
Knowledge:
Students will know what a
self-portrait is, and how to
create one.
During the getting to know
Students will have done
you class interview
similar who am I?
Who among your classmates
activity, students can
activities before.
fit the different descriptors?
demonstrate what they
Students will have done
How much do you know
already know about other
similar ice breaker
about your classmates in our
students in the class.
activities where they get to
classroom community?
Students will create their
know their classmates.
How do you want to express
own self-portrait
Students will generally
yourself as a member of our
representation of who they
know about their classmates
class community?
are as a member of the
outside of school, some in
classroom community.
more depth than others.
Students will have learned
about what a value is.
2. Doing the Lesson
(Teaching Act explicit modeling, guided
2. Assessment throughout the activity
practice, and other applications):
(Formal, informal, formative, and summative
35 minutes 10 minutes for explanation of
assessments):
activity, 25 minutes for doing activity
I will then explain to students that today we
During the brief review of what a selfwill find out even more about the individuals
portrait is, depending upon student
in our classroom community, and look to
contributions to the discussion, I can use this

answer the following question, which I will

put up on the board, Who is in our
community? I will explain that today,
everyone in the class will think about what
they think we should know about you as an
individual community member in our
classroom community. Students should have
their notebooks or laptops at the carpet.
First, I will explain to students that they will
start by creating a visual representation of
themselves through making a self-portrait.
We will review that a self-portrait is a picture
of yourself for how you view yourself. I will
provide a template for guidance, but explain
that this is just a guide, and students can
create their self-portrait in any way they feel
expresses themselves as individuals. I will
provide an example of my own self-portrait
for reference.
Next, I will explain that beneath the selfportrait, students will write, or type, several
facts about themselves that show who they
are as an individual in our classroom
community.
I will then ask students to think about the
following questions as they appear on the
board, which will serve as a loose guide for
their factual descriptions of themselves. As
we go through each question, I will
encourage students to jot down ideas on their
notebook or laptop. What is your favorite
food, beverage, sports team, holiday, animal
color, etc.? What are some of your favorite
things you like to do? What is your family
like? What is important to you as a person?
What do you value? What is something that
is important for my classmates to know about
me? What is something special about me
that not many people know? I will explain
that the goal of this activity is to teach their
classmates about who they are as a person,
and a member of our classroom community.
I will note that not all of these questions need
to be answered, but that students can also
write anything they feel is necessary to
express who they are to their classmates, and
these questions are not exhaustive. I will
then ask students if they have any other ideas
of questions to add to the list, and add those
as well.
I will also show students my own example of
my factual representation of myself as a

as an assessment to determine how much we

need to review before moving forward.
Any notes or ideas that students write in their
notebook, or type, during the explanation of
the potential questions discussed, can be
assessed for understanding. Do students
comprehend what the questions are asking?
Do students need any review with what it
means to value something?
If students contribute new questions to the
whole group when we are on the carpet, these
ideas can give me insight into how well
students understand what they should
represent in this activity a picture of the
person that they are as a member of this
classroom community. Are students offering
questions that can give insights into them as
individuals?
Additionally, any clarifying questions that
students ask along the way can be assessed
for understanding of the basic concepts. For
example, if students need greater clarification
of any component of the activity process, I
can slow down the lesson to do so, and be
more explicit in my instruction.
As students begin working on the activity, I
can informally assess student discussions and
interactions that are happening while they are
working. Because the goal of these activities
is to foster an inclusive community, and
allow all students a space to feel that they can
bring themselves fully as individual members
of the community, I will be looking for signs
of collaboration among students. Are
students helping each other to get materials?
Are students discussing and sharing ideas
and receiving feedback from others? Do
students compliment each others work?
Additionally, I will take note of how students
are choosing to represent their self-portraits.
The way that students work through this
process will give me useful information for
what type of learners they are, and how they
feel comfortable expressing themselves in
the classroom. Furthermore, what students
choose to share about themselves can give
insight into whether or not students
understand the main idea of the activity. Are
students mostly giving information related to
their favorites (food, games, teams, etc.)?
Or, are students sharing deeper information
about themselves that give insight into who

member of the classroom community

they are as a person?
alongside my self-portrait, and explain why I
wrote what I did, and why I chose to
represent my self-portrait in the way that I
did.
I will emphasize that this activity is for each
person to represent who they are, and how
they want to express themselves, as a
member of our classroom community, and
that it is completely up to them what
information they want to share about
themselves, and how they want to create their
self-portrait. (For example, students can
create a picture, a symbol, or another visual.)
Laptops, markers, pens, pencils, scissors,
glue, portrait temples, graphic organizers for
the facts portion of the representations, and
any other resources students think of in the
classroom will be provided for this activity.
I will then put the timer up for 25 minutes.
At each table the question prompts will be
present to help guide student thinking. I will
explain to students that they can work
together to discuss their ideas and collaborate
with other students, but every student should
create their own individual representation.
Students will work to complete this activity
for 25 minutes.
3. Finishing the Lesson
(Closure, culmination and connections):
3. Final Assessment
15 minutes 5 minutes to share, 5 minutes
(Formal, informal, formative, and summative
to add to our community wall, and gallery
assessments):
walk, 5 minutes for exit ticket
After students finish up their self-portraits
The students self-portrait representations
and representations of themselves, everyone
and the facts that they write or type up about
will come to the carpet, and I will tell
themselves will serve as a formal assessment
students to find 2 different community
for this lesson. How did students choose to
members to share their self-portraits and
express themselves in their portraits? Did
information about themselves with.
students mostly giving information related to
After the share, students will put their selftheir favorites (food, games, teams, etc.)?
portrait representations on the our
Or, did students share deeper information
community wall, and take a few minutes to
about themselves that give insight into who
look at other portraits. I will explain to
they are as a person?
students that although they didnt get a
As students are sharing, I can informally
chance to read and learn about everyones
assess student discussions to understand how
representation of themselves, there will be
students are collaborating with others. What
time during another community
are students reactions to others sharing?
circle/activity to do so.
What discussions arise from the sharing?
Finally, I will ask students to answer the
What do students find most interesting in
following as the exit ticket of the day: 1.
regards to what they are finding out about
What is 1 thing that you learned from one of
other students?
your classmates today that you find
The exit ticket questions will serve as a

interesting? 2. When looking at our

community wall, what do you notice?
Students will have the option to write their
responses, type them, or verbally explain
them to me individually. After students
complete the exit ticket, they can take a few
more minutes to look at the other selfportraits, and then pack up to go home.

formal assessment to help me understand

whether or not students took away from the
lesson what I sought out for them to. What
types of things did students identify as
interesting in their classmates? Was it the
more shallow information (i.e., the
favorites), or deeper insights that they
enjoyed? What types of things did students
notice from looking at the community wall?
Did students recognize the diversity and
unique culture that our community
represents?
Elements of Universal Design for Learning:
Multiple Means of Representation:
1. Starting the Lesson:
Physical students can sit how they want in the circle, whether it is on a chair, on a ball, on the
carpet, etc., so that they are free to engage in the community circle in multiple ways.
Visual learners The visual schedule for review, the kindness graffiti wall, and the rules and
agreements will all be useful for these learners. The timer will be a useful support as well.
Auditory learners This activity will be based upon discussion and verbal interaction.
Directions will be given verbally as well.
Kinesthetic learners The interactive nature of this beginning activity will support kinesthetic
learners. Students can walk around while interviewing classmates.
English Language Learners (ELLs) The handout of the worksheet with the directions on top
will help ELLs, as well as the visual instructions on the board.
2. Doing the Lesson:
Physical students can sit how they want in the circle and when they are creating their selfportraits during the activity, whether it is on a chair, on a ball, on the carpet, etc., they are free
to engage in multiple ways.
Visual learners The questions for the lesson and the prompts will be on the board. There will
be a visual template for the self-portrait to guide students. Question prompts will also be
provided at each table for reference. I will have my own example of a self-portrait to support
visual learners.
Auditory learners When explaining the directions and the questions to students, auditory
learners will benefit from the verbal directions. Repeating the instructions and
asking/answering questions will support these learners as well.
Kinesthetic learners Kinesthetic learners will be able to engage with the activity in a handson way, by creating their own self-portraits and representing themselves through creative
means.
English Language Learners (ELLs) The visual template for the self-portrait will be useful for
ELLS, as well as the graphic organizers to help map out thinking when considering what facts
students want to share about themselves. The visual example of my own self-portrait will be a
useful guide for ELLs.
3. Finishing the Lesson:
Physical students can sit how they want in the circle, whether it is on a chair, on a ball, on the
carpet, etc., they are free to engage in the community circle in multiple ways.
Visual learners The visual of all the portraits on the our community wall to see the
diversity in our community.
Auditory learners Students will verbally discuss their own self-portrait representations with 2

other students, and can learn through this medium of discussion.

Kinesthetic learners Students will be able to hang up their self-portraits where they want, and
students can move around the room when sharing with others.
English Language Learners (ELLs) ELLs can use their visual self-portrait when explaining to
other students about themselves.
Multiple Means of Engagement:
1. Starting the Lesson:
Students can choose to expand on what they wrote for their kindness graffiti.
Students can use a laptop or written worksheet for the activity if they want. They can choose
to write their classmates names, or have their classmates write their names on the worksheet.
Students can walk around if they want for the activity, sit, or stand in place.
Students have a choice to share 1 thing they learned about someone during the activity at the
end, or they can talk with that person in greater depth for 2 minutes.
2. Doing the Lesson:
Students can bring laptops or notebooks on the carpet to take notes.
The students can choose whether or not they want to use the self-portrait template to create
their representation of themselves.
Students can write or type up the factual information about themselves.
The students will have the freedom to choose how they want to create their self-portrait,
whether it is through drawing themselves, creating a picture, a symbol, or another visual
representation.
Students can answer whichever questions they want, or they can add new questions.
Students will be able to move around the room during the activity, and can discuss ideas with a
partner. Students will work individually to create representations.
3. Finishing the Lesson:
Students can choose 2 classmates to share their self-portrait representations with, and can sit,
stand, or move around the carpet in order to converse.
Students can choose how, and where, they want to put their portrait on the our community
wall.
The students can choose how they want to respond to the final question, whether it be verbally,
written or typed. When finished, students can look through other self-portraits for a few
minutes before packing up.
Multiple Means of Expression:
1. Starting the Lesson:
Students can express in more detail why the put the kindness graffiti that they did on the wall,
or they dont have to if they dont want to.
During the activity, students can have discussions about what they are learning about each
other.
Students can talk with each other about what theyve learned, or students can share aloud what
they learned from other students in the class if they choose.
2. Doing the Lesson:
Students can jot down notes to answer the questions during the introduction to the activity if
they choose.
Students can answer whatever questions they want, or add new questions to answer during the
fact portion of their individual representation of themselves.
For the self-portrait, students can create a picture, a symbol, a visual, or draw themselves to
represent what they learned from the activity, and how they want to express themselves.

3. Finishing the Lesson:

Students can share what they created with their self-portrait with 2 other students in the class.
Students can express their knowledge of what they learned about the other students in the class
by writing, typing, or verbally expressing to me what it is that they learned.
Materials:
1. Starting the Lesson:
The kindness graffiti wall, the visual schedule for community circle/activity, rules and
agreements chart, SMART/white board with activity directions, class interview handout
worksheets, pens and pencils, laptops, and timer.
2. Doing the Lesson:
Notebooks and laptops at the carpet, markers, pens, pencils, scissors, glue, portrait template
copies, graphic organizers for facts part of the representation, and any other resources students
could use to create their portraits and representations of themselves (for example, construction
paper, yarn, etc.), SMART/white board with questions and question prompts, my own sample
self-portrait, and a timer.
3. Finishing the Lesson:
SMART/white board for the visual question prompt, materials to hang up the self-portrait
(tape, stapler), paper, pencils, and laptops.
Technology (Computer and/or Assistive) to Support Learning:
Any students that need to use assistive technology will be able to do so throughout the lesson.
In the beginning, inquiry based, part of the lesson, students can utilize technology, computers,
laptops, etc., to type their ideas, or create visual representations of their knowledge.
Throughout the lesson, if students are non-oral, the different participation structures allow for
students to use technology to support their learning, engage with discussion, and participate in
multiple ways.
The teacher will use the SMART board and utilize it throughout the lesson with different
question prompts and visuals to support learning.
Students can utilize a laptop to type responses to questions, to take notes, to participate, or to
create their self-portrait, visual representations themselves as a class community member.