Teacher: Juliette McBarry

Grade: PreK
Content Area: Literacy

I. Content and Standards:

1.4 PK.B With prompting and support, draw/ dictate about one specific topic.
1.4 PK.T With guidance and support from adults and peers, respond to questions and
suggestions, add details as needed.

II. Prerequisites:
Students should be able to hold a writing instrument.

III. Essential Question:

What makes clear and effective writing? Why do writers write? Who is the audience?

IV. Instructional Objective:

Knowing that meaning can be conveyed through pictures and written words, students will
produce a published piece of writing in the form of a card, with at least one picture to convey
relevant meaning.

V. Instructional Procedures:
Initial Instruction:
Before: I will invite the students to the carpet to help me write a card for someone in our class. I
will not tell them yet who it is for, but will tell them they can guess as I go along. I will explain
to them what a card is. I may ask them “have you ever received a card before?” and “how did
you feel when you got the card?” I will go over the times in my life I have gotten a card. And the
different reasons someone may like a card. I will ask them to look at the calendar and see if they
remember the holiday coming up, Valentines Day, and see if any of them know what happens on
Valentines Day. I will then tell them how we give cards on Valentines day to show our friends
and family we care about them.
During: On a piece of paper folded in half to represent a card I will start writing ‘Happy
Valentines Day” reading the words as I write them so my students can follow along. I will
continue drawing pictures and decorating the front of the card, asking for their input and what I
should put on a Valentines card, “maybe a heart” I could ask, “or chocolate, or a flower” to help
them start thinking about what they would put on a card. I will then open the card and write a
quick note to the recipient of my card “Happy Valentines Day Parker!” and sign my name at the
bottom of the card. I will read this all outload and see if they figured out who my card was for
yet. I will point out how I added my name and the name of the child I was writing the card for. I
will also ask the students if they think the card is missing anything, or if I should draw any other
Valentine's pictures on the inside of the card.
After: After I finish making the card I will again ask the students what other reasons I could
make a card for and what pictures I may add to those cards. I could even ask them who they
would give specific cards to to get them thinking about that before the follow up lesson.
Small Group Instruction:
Before: I will ask the students to join me in the art area to look at the Valentines card we made
before and see what they remember from the previous part of the lesson. I will reiterate some of
the key factors, such as the pictures we chose when making the card, I could say “The hearts on
the card reminded me that it was a Valentines card” and “I wonder if Parker will get any
chocolate that looks like the ones I drew on his card.” I can also point out again how I wrote my
name and the student’s name. I will then tell my students it is their turn to make their own cards
for friends or family members, for Valentines Day. I will encourage children to think of their own
creative pictures or words they can add when making a Valentines card for someone they care
about.
During: Students will be given crayons and paper to start working on their cards. I will assist
with students that are stuck on who/what to make a card for. I will also be assisting children that
still need support writing their name. My older students may also want help spelling words and
names of other children.
After: After small group time is over, students will gather on the carpet as a large group again to
share about their experience making valentines cards. Did they enjoy it? What kinds of pictures
did they draw? Who did they make cards for? We will discuss what other holidays and events we
can make cards for.

VI. Materials and Equipment:

Paper, crayons

VII. Assessment:
I will know if students met the instructional objectives if they were able to produce at least one
picture that conveys meaning relevant to their card. I will have a checklist going to keep track of
students that are able to construct a card with visual meaning.

VIII. Differentiated Instruction:

For my older students who have more grasp on letters and words, I will have them incorporate
more text into their cards. F.D., D.D., I.R.S. will be able to copy the phrases into their cards like
“Happy Valentines Day.” They will also be asked to write the name of the person they are giving
the card to along with their own names.

For my students who may have difficulty thinking of a picture to incorporate, I will give them
some options of things to include in their card. For A.D., J.R., K.K. I will give them options of
what they think fits best. I may ask them, “would you want a flower or a bug from someone on
Valentines Day” or “ would you want candy or broccoli on Valentines Day.” To engage them in
the topic and start thinking about what is relevant to add to the card. I will also give them visual
aids of what they are drawing to help them visualize how their pictures can look.

For my students with limited communication abilities, I.K. and T.S., I will print out picture cards
for them to color with symbols like hearts and flowers on them for them to try to trace or copy
themselves.

IX. Technology:
No technology will be utilized in this lesson.

X. Self Assessment:
Were my students able to construct pictures based on the meaning they were trying to convey in
their cards?
Were there challenges to this assignment that I could adjust to in the future?
Was there a student that did not need differentiated instruction, or that needed it?
Were my students engaged in this activity, how could I engage them more?